#fhq.gv.prologue

[homegrownkel]

Samaras and Pappi

Some plants fly, some should stay on the ground.

It's been a long while since Kel was folded into a helicopter - usually the Foundation gives enough charity and legroom to put them in coach. But this new site isn't exactly easily accessible, so he gets it. Doesn't make the noise or the very obvious not on the ground-ness of it all any better. They are very much NOT looking out the door. Or the window. Or that other window. Or- okay, no more windows.

There's one benefit to the way life is now - he's never bored. Still, it doesn't take long before most of the others stop responding with complaints that he's gunking up the spaces with his pain. The familiar tone that accompanies a gruff "Sorry, kid, but I feel like my eyeballs are gonna fall out!" helps for a bit, but the ringing only seems louder in the emptiness of those invisible walls.

There's a deep sigh before he digs into his pack and pulls out a handful of candies. He picks through them with a frown before selecting a small toffee caramel and dumping the rest to bounce around freely in the bag. The wrapper tucks into a pocket, the candy into his left cheek and a small smile wraps around it. The song comes unbidden, but unsurprising. Ally, Bally, Ally Bally Bee is hummed around the mouthful of sugar as Kel tries to remember for the umpteenth time whether 'coulter's candy' was something they actually ate whenever their mum sang it all those years ago. He's pretty sure it's not a real brand. But there's no internet here to confirm, so there's a brief moment where he decides this little treat is from Coulter's. The wave of unease afterwards is new though. He's tempted to pull some of the others' attention to see if it's something to be concerned about, but the feeling settles after only a thought.

There's still a prickle along their spine, so despite every screaming instinct reminding Kel that there's no ground within an acceptable distance, he peers through the glass. It's a pretty area to be sure. Still way too far away in a vertical sense. He hopes the flight will be done soon, he might be from an older generation, but the young'ins and their "floor time" have the right idea.

It's much easier to turn away and rifle through the other pockets of the bag for the handful of magnets that are never far away when outside of the lab. These are strong ones. There's something soothing about forcing a finger between the planes and then the click on the other side. Back and forth around a knuckle. Around and around...

If you don't remember a dream, did you really have it?

He needs water. Or mouthwash. Candy right before sleeping for who knows how long was a terrible mistake. Something has crawled into their mouth and died. Blinking after the apparently hilarious pilot, a view of a forest comes to mind, but the trees are wrong for this area. The smell of the sea doesn't reach these altitudes, and there are no craggy cliffs to wander on the other side of the metal door. This is a new home, but it's hard to say what is different and the same.

It's always a test to see how low he needs to duck under the blades while they're slowing, but luckily there seems to be stairs directly under the door. He can still feel his bones rattling in time with the propeller the way they've been doing the last many hours, but the asphalt under his feet is close enough to calm the nerves.

The man waiting for them seems to have more baggage than Kel does, and they're moving in! There's an awkward little head bob of a nod in response to the brusque welcome, but they don't think the DIrector even saw it. AJ did though, and the flood of questions is enough to push past knowing that the big boss of the new Site doesn't want him there.