openmisc | Kent/Feldspar

Kent/Feldspar

"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.

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“What’re the chances that the other systems will fail?” Feldspar asks.

“Feldspar,” Slate snorts, “asking about the chances of things. Never thought I’d live to see the day.”

“Yeah, well,” they say, rubbing at the back of their head, “I’ve got a hatchling’s heart to protect.”

Kent shakes his head. "They're all separate. But it means that we won't risk electrocution as we try and string the damn things across the river."

He also has to protect Lapis, but he can hear the soft questioning of the other Heartheans around him.

“Put a jetpack on me an’ Gossan and we can string them up without the risk,” they tell Kent. “But we’ve gotta find the power supply to the…uh.”

They pause, noticing the wide eyes of the others around them.

“Look, I’ll level with you all. The inhabitants of this ship upload their…I dunno, consciousnesses I guess, into a simulation of their home world. There are still people living inside of it.”

Kent sighs as Feldspar explains it. "That's why they're worried about the reset. And why they'd rather strap on a fucking jetpack when the gravity here is nearly twice what it is at home."

“It was worse on Giant’s Deep,” they remind him, ready for the frown that’s sure to follow. “But it’s worth the risk if it means you and Slate won’t get electrocuted.”

“And it might work,” Gossan adds quietly. Feldspar gives them a grateful nod; Gossan always was the voice of reason. It lends a little more weight to their argument.

“It doesn’t have to be just the jet packs. We can station ourselves along either side, and maybe on one of the sturdier ruins or the canyon,” Hornfels says quietly. “It’d be worth knowing where this simulation is being housed though.”

Voice of reason indeed.

Kent grumbles under his breath.

"We can find that out if we get to the bridge. It should tell us somehow where the power is being routed to."

“You can leave that part to Slate and I,” Hornfels says. “All these little secrets, how intriguing.”

“We can get Riebeck and Chert on it too. They’re resourceful,” Esker adds. “Riebeck is already looking through all the artifacts and slides, and Chert’s been making charts of the ship.”

"There are more slides underwater," Lapis says as they approach the group. They give Feldspar an apologetic look; they can't stay away for long.

"I can go and get them."

Feldspar returns the look with one of their own: annoyed, slightly proud.

“Take Gabbro,” Gossan tells them, using that tone of voice that definitely says ‘this is not an option, you will do as I say’.

“There’s a projection room a little ways up the path. Can you bring what you find there?” Hornfels asks, obviously eager to learn more.

"Okay, Mapa," Lapis says and gestures to Gossan. "We can bring them back there."

Kent sits up. "Take an oxygen tank with you. Wear a suit if you need to. It has a flashlight, too."

Lapis gives them a look that tells Feldspar that’s exactly what they were going to do, but they nod their head. “I will, dad, promise.”

“And watch for the currents,” Feldspar adds quickly. They suck in their breath, aware that everyone’s eyes on them. That caution, again. “You’ll smash to pieces against those rocks.”

Lapis groans and just leads Gossan off and Kent tilts his head a little at that, leaning over to find Feldspar's hand. He squeezes it gently. "They'll be alright."

Feldspar steps closer to Kent and leans their face in to rest their nose against his cheek. Slate, Esker and Hornfels all suddenly make themselves look busy, and Feldspar smirks softly.

“I know. They’re not really a hatchling anymore, are they?”

"No, they're not. But - I haven't heard them call you that."

It warms him to the core.

“They did all this morning,” they tell him, lifting their chin to kiss him briefly on his lower lip. “It was…it was real nice to have that again.”

Kent blushes. "You're going to make the rest of the leave," he laughs to himself. He doesn't know who's still around, but he doubts they'll be sticking it out. "But - I'm glad you have it, too."

“Yeah, I don’t care.” They grin and reach for Kent’s hips to pull him closer. “They can leave if they want. They’ve had you all to themselves for 7 years, it’s my turn.”

And maybe that’s cooing over their hatchling, or maybe it’s being disgustingly flirty with him.

“I should let you work a bit. I’ll find Gossan and see if we located the main information hub.”

"Wait until they're done on their diving trip," he laughs but he returns to where Slate had been and is immediately sucked into a debate about it.

Feldspar sneaks out when Kent’s immersed in his work with Slate and Hornfels, doing their own walk about to have a real look around. Along the way they find Marl,Hal and Tuff, and they listen with wonder at the story of Tuff’s lost ear, Hal’s translator, and Marl’s tussle with the big tree.

They stick around to help them a bit with the dam, though thankfully they’re able to rest a bit when their energy flags. They creep back to their room and fall into the bed.

Kent and Slate talk and argue for a while until it gets darker. There's talk of new slides that Gossan and Lapis found, so Kent reminds himself to talk to them about it tomorrow. After he gets some rest. After - the others have seen it. Lapis finds his dad, though, not wanting to see the slides again. They died watching those films. Far too many times. Sometimes they would stop one on a certain picture, just to have a certain face be the last thing he sees at the heat death of the universe.

They rest without sleeping and then rise to answer the door when Gneiss and little Arkrose bring by some dinner. Feldspar thanks them both - and gives Arkrose a little wink - and then sets everything out on the table. Kent will join them, but maybe Lapis will too.

Lapis takes Kent back to the room, just as Gneiss and Arkrose walk out. "Is he asleep?" Kent wonders, smelling food.

"I don't know," answers Lapis and then calls out. Loudly. "Mapa! You asleep?"

“No, pebble,” Feldspar calls back. “Got some dinner for you and dad! Come sit down.”

Kent rolls his eyes. "Is this what we're going back to? Hatchling humor from both of you?"

He cackles softly as he walks inside, letting go of Lapis once he's inside and comfortable where he's at.

Feldspar and Lapis continue to giggle, but once they lay eyes on their little hatchling they feel their eyes start to tear a little. They’re still in their spacesuit, sans helmet but still looking so big and grown up.

“That’s a pretty fancy spacesuit, pebble.”

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