Vol. 14: MakeShift: Under Siege

The creator of MacGyver challenges you to signal for help from an isolated laundry room while three burly men wait to attack.

By Lee D. Zlotoff

Photos by Jen Siska

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The Scenario: After an exhausting day of work - that included a tiff with your steady romance of the last few months - you drag yourself home, determined to put the day behind you with a few drinks and a couple of hours of mindless time parked in front of the tube. You thought about stopping at the gym, but the car just wouldn't go there.

So you plug your cellphone in to recharge in the kitchen, grab some munchies and the requisite inebriants, and assume the position on the living room sofa to slouch towards nirvana. And you're just about there - or at least on the edge of dozing off - when there's a knock on your door.

Thinking it might be your paramour coming by to kiss and make up, you pull yourself vertical to open the door when ... you're suddenly knocked back into the room by a pair of burly guys who barrel their way in, shouting things at you that you'd rather not hear.

Scrambling to your feet, you make a break for the back door, only to see a third guy waiting outside to cut off your escape. Your only option is to duck inside the laundry room, slam the door, and shove the dryer against it with the strength of the adrenalin pump you have going. Fortunately for you, the door opens inward and the hinges are on your side. Unfortunately for you, it's a windowless room with only one way in and out.

The Challenge: Your newfound friends are on the other side of that door, working hard to get in since they seem to know you have a heavy-duty wall safe in your office that they want to "talk" to you about. The dryer may not hold them off for long, and with no landline in here and your cellphone in the kitchen, 911 is not an option - nor is screaming for help, since the room is well insulated and your neighbors are just beyond earshot. Which means you'll either have to find another way to signal for help, or a way to deter these guys long enough that they'll settle for hauling off what they can carry, and leave you in one piece. Any ideas?

What You Have: In addition to what was already mentioned, you have whatever else one might typically find in a modern laundry room - including a working sink. So take a deep breath, think carefully, and make it work!

Send a detailed description of your MakeShift solution with sketches and/or photos to by August 29, 2008. If duplicate solutions are submitted, the winner will be determined by the quality of the explanation and presentation. The most plausible and most creative solutions will each win a MAKE sweatshirt. Think positive and include your shirt size and contact information with your solution. Good luck! For readers' solutions to previous MakeShift challenges, visit makezine.com/makeshift.

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