Chapter Eight

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Mauricio and Professor had paired up and wandered through the forest. Instead of looking for berries and other plant-based foods, Professor had the idea to use his ingenuity to catch some protein. He instructed Mauricio to find as many vines, sticks, and large rocks while he braided long strands of vine together to make a rope.

"I didn't know you were an outdoorsman," Mauricio said, dropping off a handful of items that he had gathered.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

"True."

"But an outdoorsman, I am not," Professor said, intently focused on the task at hand.

"What are you making?"

"A trap."

"How do you know how to make traps?"

"I'm an inventor. We tend to look at the world not for what is, but for what could be."

"That's incredible," Mauricio said. "I do a little bit of carpentry, electrical, and mechanical, but nothing like you. I can usually fix what's there, but to watch you create something out of nothing is really admirable. Can you teach me how to make something?"

"Sure, grab that long stick, I'll teach you how to make a fishing spear. It's not only good for fishing, but also for protection."

Professor coached Mauricio through the steps of making a spear, which was a really bonding moment for them.

"So what was your life like before, you know, all this?" Mauricio asked.

"I was a space engineer for NASA."

"Wow, that's incredible. You must be a genius. What did you do there exactly?"

"I built space crafts."

"So if come across something that does take a rocket scientist to figure out, we can turn to you, an actual rocket scientist!"

"I suppose so," the Professor chuckled.

"So what happened, if you don't mind me asking? How did you end up here?"

"After the war, there was not much need for a rocket scientist. NASA dissolved and as a species we were no longer exploring the cosmos. We have much bigger issues to fix here on Earth."

"Man, that's such a shame."

"So what about you, what's your story?" the Professor asked.

"Me? Well, speaking of shame, I'm sort of ashamed to admit it, but I hurt myself in battle."

"There's nothing shameful about that. You should be proud of yourself. I thank you for your service."

"So the thing is, I got shot on the first day I was deployed. Actually, it was in the first fifteen minutes."

"It's fifteen minutes more of combat that I've ever seen."

"I know, but I just wanted to do so much, you know? And for that to happen, I just never felt as though I made an impact."

"Don't beat yourself up too badly. The important thing is that you're alive, and you can live another day. There'll be plenty more opportunity to show the world what you're truly capable of."

"I hope so."

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