Kent/Feldspar

[videointhenoise]

"Just once more," they had said when Ellie's team petitioned for it. She was busy with Palmer, falling in love with science while he fell in love with God, and Kent was left to pick up the pieces. He wanted another damn go at it. The Machine had a pricetag in the billions; it was begging to be used again.

But they wouldn't let Ellie go. They wouldn't let just anyone go. They wanted someone who knew how it worked, who had been there from the beginning, but someone who isn't completely taken in by Ellie's words.

That leads them to a dozen people and they end up with Kent. He's blind, but that's not what decides it. They claim that he wouldn't hallucinate the way Ellie did. That he has a unique perspective.

And, he's already proven himself steady and loyal.

He experiences it all the way that Ellie does, but something goes wrong on the other end. Maybe another terrorist attack. Maybe not. All he knows is that he's in the sphere and then, suddenly, he's floating, unable to find his footing until a great crash and he slams into the bottom of the machine.

He groans, pulling his helmet on with a grunt and a wince.

"Fuck this," he mutters, finding the edge of the sphere with his hands. There was a door there somewhere. He just - has to find it.

Comments

[videointhenoise]

Lapis finally trots over after a moment, their hand landing on Kent's shoulder. "Hey dad. Felds. Ready for the big tour?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Hatched ready,” Feldspar grins, crooked smile even more crooked from the scars on their face. “Where are we starting? The dam?”

[videointhenoise]

"Sure," they say and help Kent to his feet and waiting for them to get situated. Kent holds out an arm for Feldspar to guide him. "But you can't go across it yet."

[getfeldsparred]

“I wasn’t going to,” they say with an indignant huff.

Yet anyway. Later, when they’ve got their strength and some muscle mass back.

“Looks like a lot of the original buildings were swallowed up by the river,” Feldspar muses, walking carefully with Kent behind Lapis. They walk like they’ve been to this very place hundreds of times.

[videointhenoise]

"Yeah. The dam would break about halfway through the loop, so the first time, it was already broken by the time I got here. Imagine my surprise when I showed up the next time and it was still there," they laugh.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar laughs in the way one fellow adventurer might commiserate with another, unsure of how to be a parent at the moment. They know what Kent said, that Lapis missed them, but Kent was dad and they were just…Feldspar.

They smile a little and stop to peer into the water. “If we dam it back up again how much land will we get back?”

[videointhenoise]

Lapis turns and spreads their hand out. "Those over there and there. But this would be covered." They point to the prison. "But there's probably a lot more materials down there that have floated down."

They pause. "You know...we don't have to walk."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar follows Lapis’ line of sight, falling onto one of the rafts that had been pull up to a makeshift dock. They turn back to the hatchling and grin.

“I’m up for it if you are.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent hums. "What are you two planning?"

He doesn't get an answer. Lapis just takes his hand to guide him off.

[getfeldsparred]

“There’s a raft,” Feldspar explains, taking his other arm to keep them both from stumbling down to the dock. “River looks smooth, it should ride real nice.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh sure, sounds smooth," Kent grumbles with no real annoyance. Lapis helps him into the middle.

[getfeldsparred]

The raft wobbles as they all step onto it, but it doesn’t sink and quickly resettles on the water. Lapis pulls a flashlight out from their pocket and switches it on, shining the light on one of the green, glass orbs which lights up from the inside and propels them forward.

Feldspar grins and holds onto Kent’s arm. “These aliens used light for a lot of their mechanics.”

[videointhenoise]

"Oh I know," Kent says softly, though he doesn't see it as the cruel joke he might have once. Instead, it's just a strange sort of justice. A reminder that the universe does not revolve around him. He grips onto Feldspar tightly, crossing his legs to help himself out.

"That's how the doors open."

[getfeldsparred]

“We’ll have to fix that,” Feldspar says. Kent would constantly be locked out everywhere he went!

“Slate and Hornfels are already working on it,” Lapis reassures them with a grin. “Door handles are a classic for a reason.”

[videointhenoise]

"Everyone loves a good door handle," Kent laughs. "I'm not worried about it. Everything will work out." He trusts them all to keep the world accessible for him.

[getfeldsparred]

They laugh and holds Kent a little more tightly as the speed of the raft picks up. They pass a few of the others working on building a home, Feldspar giving them a gentle wave as they float on by.

[videointhenoise]

Kent holds fast to them, but turns his head when he hears people calling out to them with a wave. "What a weird sight we are. What does this raft even look like?"

He places a free hand to the ground and traces the perimeter.

[getfeldsparred]

“Can you feel the carvings, dad?” Lapis asks, sitting down beside him. “They carved everything with these big, geometric patterns. All their buildings and furniture, even their clothes, all these really ornate patterns.”

Feldspar looks over at Lapis with a curious stare. Lapis seems fairly in awe of these aliens.

[videointhenoise]

"Mm, I can," he says, running his fingers along the indents. "I wonder what they mean." Because they do mean something.

"What's their writing system like? You and Hal cracked it yet?" he teases.

[getfeldsparred]

Lapis brightens - a flashback to their younger, more carefree days. “Haven’t had the time yet, but we will.”

Feldspar frowns to themselves. “You and Hal…?” They feel like they’re missing something here.

[videointhenoise]

He reaches over to Feldspar. "Lapis and Hal cracked to Nomai writing system."

[getfeldsparred]

They what?! Feldspar grips onto the rail as the raft ducks around a downed tower, letting out an overjoyed cackle at the news.

“You’re just like your dad!”

[videointhenoise]

He laughs. "They did it all without me," he teases. "And so I didn't have to do a goddamn thing. But Hal and Lapis spent so many nights together..." He elbows them playfully.

[getfeldsparred]

They laugh conspiratorially with him. “I’d always suspected those two were going to date when they got older.”

Lapis looks like they want to throw themselves into the river. “Hal and I are just friends,” they grumble.

[videointhenoise]

Kent grins, sensing weakness. "They were so cute when they were little. Do you remember when we caught them in their fort under the table?"