For the Futurefolken.

[gone_byebye]

The point of re-entry to Ray's world is the same nearly every time. He makes a point of using the same exit from the Firehouse: a door that leads from the building's side into a nondescript alley. The door opens, this time, onto a windy November day. Ray glances up at the sky, then gestures to the others. "Looks like home," he says. A sniff of the air reveals gasoline, horses, and a couple of tough-to-identify stenches. "Yeah, smells like home too. C'mon, guys, I'm pretty sure this is my dimension."

Comments

[gone_byebye]

"There are better collections of airplanes," Ray said, "but not here in New York. You'd have to go to Washington or San Diego or Mount Hope, Ontario. This is what we've got to offer." He grinned. "And hey, check it out- there's hardly any line at all. C'mon, guys, it's a big boat and I know you're gonna want to see the Blackbird."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"Blackbird?" She was starting to show some interest now. After all, the air was the air and the sky was the sky. Anything that got off the ground interested her, and she could probably fly it, too.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Less talking, more moving," said Harper, putting a hand on both of their backs and pushing them forwards.

[gone_byebye]

"A spyplane. One of the best for decades on end. The only thing that obsoleted it was the advent of spy satellites that could read the headline of a newspaper lying on the ground from low Earth orbit. It could officially do Mach 3.5, but you know how it is with intelligence agencies- they're not about to say just how fast their birds can go... Titanium construction, almost entirely. Only material we had that could hold up to the kind of air friction it got at those speeds. Really sweet."

He went on ahead at Harper's insistence, his wallet out to pay for the tickets as soon as they reached the front of the line. "Three adults, please. Um, did you guys want to see the submarine, or just the birds and the boat?"

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"Spy satellites," she said in a flat voice. She reached into her pocket to pull out her wallet. "Ray, how much is this costing you, because I exchanged some crowns for your money at the bar..."

She pulled out way more fifties than it probably cost.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"I know, isn't it cute? Bet they put them up with fuel-powered rockets even."

Then, "Hey, that better not be where I think it's from!"

[gone_byebye]

"Chemical rockets, yep," Ray said. "It's all we've got. Although we're working on solar sails for stuff that's already in orbit. We are grotesquely primitive by your standards, us dumb monkeys."

He blinked at the sight of the bills. "Oh, man. Don't even- save those, okay? It's thirty-three dollars for you two and you're going to need those at the comic store. Did you want to start with the Hangar Deck? They've got some- you talk about old, let me show you old- they've got propeller aircraft on the hangar deck-"

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure? I really don't like freebies. Well, I do, but not when I can pay for things myself."

To Harper, "This is my money, not your prize winnings, although I know you hide them in that spot above the walkway grid. Speaking of the PanGalactic, we saw footage of you. You did good."

She stuffed some money into his hand and rumpled his hair. "Consider that more hazard pay."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

Harper was not the type tp refuse freebies, so he snatched the money and had it hidden on his person in the blink of an eye.

"Propellor aircraft! I wanna see the really ancient stuff first. Although I ought to be used to it, with her around, heh heh."

He danced away from Beka, just barely quick enough to avoid a smack.

[gone_byebye]

"Don't worry about it. Consider it an act of hospitality from a city that's normally known for being extremely rude."

Ray led the way to the hangar deck. "Okay. That big honker there is an original TBM Avenger torpedo bomber- it has to go back to another museum eventually, but we have it for now- and those two are replicas. F6F Hellcat fighter and an SB2C Helldiver dive bomber. Personally, when it comes to propeller fighters I prefer the British Spitfires but they're not goign to have those here..."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Oh wow." Harper went over and after sneaking a look at the museum personnel, he reached out a hand to brush his fingers across the bomber.

He looked longingly towards the engine.

"Ah, Beka? How about the 'pretty woman.' Think it'll work? I just want a minute or two to get a little looksie."

[gone_byebye]

"Um," Ray said. "They're gonna get kind of pissed if you do that. On the other hand there is a helicopter upstairs that's been fully restored- it's an Army AH-1G Cobra gunship. The engine's open so everyone can have a look at all the work they did."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"But I wanna look at this one," Harper said a little childishly, his fingers twitching.

It was so big, and shiny.

"And don't worry, Beka's good at this."

He took something out of his pocket and clicked it a button on it.

"And ah, that took care of the cameras if there are any. I came prepared."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

There was a glint in Beka's eyes, the sort of look someone had when they really enjoyed certain challenges, even if they'd become so good that said challeneges had grown routine over time. "'Pretty woman'? Gotcha. I can probably give you five--they're young fellas. Don't break anything though, like in the Atonnica--the Perseids could'a killed us."

Why do what they were allowed to do when they could just as easily do what they weren't?

[gone_byebye]

Ray sighed. "Leave all the parts in place and I won't say anything," he said resignedly. "My nephews keep trying to bring home dinosaur parts when they think no one's looking."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"You heard him," Beka said and she skipped off, and whoopsie daisy, she tripped right near the guards.

She started giggling, yes, giggling, very convincingly, as the two guards helped her up.

"God, I am so clumsy--thank you, boys..."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

As she expertly maneuvered them to face away, Harper climbed up like a little monkey, looked around, popped the engine cover open sideways and started poking around joyfully.

"Oh holy crap, is that a--wow. I can't believe they actually got this thing off the ground," he was mumbling quietly to himself.

[gone_byebye]

Ray edged in Harper's direction, trying to look casual and harmless while at the same time presenting the maximum visual profile to block out the view of Harper's tinkering. "Like I said," he said, "old planes down here. If we were in DC, I could show you a wright Brothers plane..."

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Ooh."

There was more poking. "So that's how they--huh."

A ringing laugh came from where Beka was, and apparently that was a single, because just as quickly as he popped up there, he closed the engine cover, dropped down, and started reading the placard about the plane, as if he'd been doing that all along.

Just then the guards looked up again and some other museum goers walked into the room.

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

Beka walked back over, casually. "Happy? Because I'm not doing the hair-twirling thing again."

[gone_byebye]

"Will there be much more of this here? I'm just wondering." And, he had to admit, being silently glad they weren't at a more complicated museum like Natural History or something. "Because we're about to head to the flight deck elevator. Helicopters, a Harrier, and a couple of other older jets."

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"No, there won't, because I don't intend to play decoy again, and he's horrible at one-man jobs," Beka said signigicantly.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"I am not," Harper protested, sullenly.

[rocketsgrownup.livejournal.com]

"You tried to pull a Niedermeyer by yourself," was all Beka said, crossing her arms.

[trustntheharper.livejournal.com]

"Exactly! It was a two-man job, and all I had was little old me," he protested. "Besides, there was no way I could've known the guy was a narc. He was more grizzled and ex conly looking than Vex Pag."