Chapter 389 - 389. Water!

The group looked at the three foot hole they had all dug. Louis was visibly sweating more than everyone else and Laura had already left to get water again. She was having a much harder time in the heat and the entire group had already internally vowed to have water and a snack on them at all times. There were remedies to help her calorie count get higher by eating special foods. But there was nothing that would help her stay hydrated longer other than being diligent in drinking water. 

"Alright. So now we have a hole."

"Is that really all you wanted?" Art was tired and hot and the fact that Jackson had just stated the obvious had triggered his annoyed response. 

"We have a hole. The top layer of sand is very hot. The bottom layer of sand was much cooler, right? That's because there is water trying to evaporate from underground. Now we take Louis's rubber bandages that he hasn't been wearing because of his training, and set them up." 

Louis handed over his bandages to Jackson. He had been able to hold his lightning in without much worry and had been going to school and training without them. It had been a big improvement for him and he was much more comfortable being back this way like he was before his super powers. 

Jackson unraveled the rubber bandages over the hole and used sand to hold them on top. It was basically a cover for them. "The water will evaporate and get caught on the rubber bandage. We take out a cup and put it on the bottom of the hole and put a small amount of sand in the middle of the bandages." 

Jackson did all of this and the group waited. They sat there for ten minutes before Jane had to ask, "What are we waiting for? The water to evaporate?" There was a goofy smile that graced Jacksons' face before he reached under the bandages for the small cup they had been given to full. In those ten minutes they had waited, a quarter of a cup of water had formed and dripped in to the little cup. 

"But the sun is setting. How else will we do this?" It was Cara that asked this time. She knew that Jackson had to have some solutions to these problems. There needed to be an increase in water being made or a new way to do it.

"Multiple holes will work since Louis has three more rolls of bandages. That should fill four cups in forty minutes. Then when the sun starts to set we will collect the dew that forms perform a small layer of frost." The last idea was to set up surfaces that water might collect on. Asher knew what to do and took off his shirt to lay out on the ground whole the time ticked down. He hid himself in the shadows as best as he could and the other boys of the group copied him. Cara had been smart and kept her jacket with her so that went to the cause. 

Just as Jackson had said, four cups were full and the rest were very close to being finished. The sun faded in the room due to the lights being altered in the array of television screens that made the fake sky. The temperature began to plummet rapidly while the teacher made rounds to check everyone. He saw the clothing laid out and the rubber bandaged that were now starting to collect little drops of dew. 

The water was still rising from the hot sand and getting trapped on and in the fabrics above it. Asher saw a small ice crystal form while he rubbed his hands together and bounced in place. This drastic change in temperature was more than any of them had expected and was more than most people who entered the desert expected. 

Asher jumped and grabbed the now damp shirt. He rolled it up and squeeze with all his might while a small dribble of water finished filling his cup. The rest of the group jumped in to action as well and copied exactly what Asher had been doing. With their team work, they had managed to foil everyones' cups to the brim and could even be said to have some extra water. 

"The team work was the wisest decision you made. The rest of the class divided themselves and only two were able to reach this point because they used alternative methods. You all would make it through the first day in the desert, but the knight, you would all have a leg up. You stayed together which means you would be able to hold body heat by getting closer. I never said any of you were alone." The teacher had been impressed by the way the group acted together and allowed Jackson to take a leadership role based on his knowledge. They had all demonstrated what they should do in this situation. It may not have been perfect, but nothing would be perfect when trying to survive. 

"Jackson, You know that you are a survival nut, right?" Art slapped Jackson on the back and apologized for snapping at him while everyone else was reminded that Jackson was the best possible person to be stranded in the desert with. 

"I take that as a compliment. I just like to learn about it. Maybe one day I will be able to rescue someone from a desert and help them survive. But I think I want to teach a survival class when we aren't on duty as heroes." This was the first time Jackson had expressed this desire and no one could argue with it. 

"You should. Hero groups are a big part of a community. The more we teach and help others the better off. If you start a video or blog about it you can help educate people and improve the group reputation." Sammy had found that the hero groups around their city had many accounts on social media. They would remind people of events and other big happenings in the city. They also raised awareness for issues and brought people together to fight for just causes. It was a major point that made people want to support these hero groups and keep them in business to protect others. 

"Ugh, that's it. You know those water bottles that fit on your back like a back pack? I want one for my gear and myself and just everywhere I go." Laura had officially given up and was sure she had to have one of the back pack water bottles. The cold might have been easier for her since the heat had been the problem, but even in the short time she had been in the room, she was left with minor dehydration. 

"Alright, get back here. Some closing remarks." The teacher called everyone together and began to explain the methods he saw used and how to improve them. After speaking for a moment he pointed out Laura to come up to stand next to him. 

"This girl has a special super power that speeds her metabolism much faster than everyone else here. Because of this, she had experienced the same damage of being in the desert for at least three days. Even with water, you can see her skin around the face is tighter and she is pale yet still slightly sun burnt. You may not have much travel time because of the heat and the extreme cold, but make sure you do your best to leave the desert behind you. Now please head to the nurse's office and tell them what survival room you were in." He handed Laura a car and sent her on her way. 

"I didn't even notice that her skin was tighter…" Jackson mumbled under his breath while trying to make sense of this. 

"I guess that's the difference between an expert and us. We have no knowledge of the small signs that someone is still in danger." Cara could now tell that the teacher had been carefully analyzing each one of them. His eyes would only rest on someone for a breath, yet, it was enough for him to evaluate their condition and search for health issues. This was something that only a veteran survivalist could do. 

"I bet Jackson could have that figured out in a few months of practice and training." Sammy was sure of this. She knew how fast Jackson was able to learn when it came to plants and survival. It was an impressive skill but one derived from passion. 

"The real question is, how can we catch up to him?" Asher knew that it would take some additional studying. But thankfully, the guest teacher handed out a small desert survival guide and sent them on their way. No one wanted to go back to the heat and cold they were just in, but they were sure that they were about to become more well rounded future heroes.. All they needed was the time to learn a few more skills.