Road Trip [for losthunter]

[boldygoing]

It's a beautiful spring day in Riverside, Iowa. The skies are clear and the weather is pleasantly mild, and across the endless fields that stretch out into vast distances, automated farm machinery is hard at work planting corn for the season.

There's no such machinery around the Kirk farm, though someone has bothered to zap away some of the weeds threatening to devour the foundation. The old homestead still sits disturbingly empty, all but abandoned if not for a few small signs that someone has been there recently. One of those signs sits just outside the house, leaning up against his motorbike as he waits for another rider to come join him, a set of riding goggles resting against his forehead.

The motorcycle has clearly seen better days, but it's nothing like twenty-first century bikes. There are no spokes in the wheels, for one thing - indeed, the wheels don't even seem attached by anything visible, held in place by some invisible force. It's keeping itself upright without a kickstand, as well, even though the young man in question is leaning most of his weight against it.

Comments

[boldygoing]

Jim laughs a little. "This is Iowa. There's plenty of scenery, don't worry." Jim straddles his bike, and produces a little square chip that he inserts into the slot before pressing the button next to it. His engine doesn't quite have the same deep, gas-burning rumble as Hunter's combustion engine, more of an electric purr that fits in well with the other future technologies Hunter has seen so far.

"We're going to swing by the shipyards on our way out of town, if that's okay."

[losthunter]

"That is more than okay. How are repairs doing on the Enterprise?" Hunter asks. He hasn't started his bike yet, wanting to actually hear Jim's answer first.

[boldygoing]

"It's slow going," Jim admits. "She won't be space-worthy for at least four months, and then she'll have to be retested and recertified before she's ready to go back on duty." Much like himself, as it happens.

[losthunter]

"Well, let's get your mind off the waiting... at least for today." Hunter smiles. Then starts up his bike, revving it to life.

[boldygoing]

Jim pulls the goggles over his eyes and revs his own engine, still quieter than the roar of Hunter's Harley but still powerful. His back tire kicks out as he wheels the Monoceros around, aiming down the long dirt road that leads out towards the main paved roadway, and guns it. The bike glides gracefully over the small bumps in the road, eager to eat up the miles, but Jim holds it back a bit, making sure he isn't outpacing Hunter.

Out ahead, the terrain stretches put to the horizon, mostly flat and green with seedling crops, and Jim angles their path in the direction of the massive hazy structures off in the distance.

[losthunter]

It is a good thing that Jim is holding back on how fast he is going, since his bike can hit a higher top speed than Hunter's bike can. His bike rumbles as he drives behind Jim, a constant reminder of the person taking this adventure with him.

[boldygoing]

Jim positions himself so he can still see Hunter without turning his head too much, leading the way without being too far ahead. There are no other vehicles on the road at the moment, emphasizing how very middle-of-nowhere the small town of Riverside is. A small collection of buildings sits off to the west, marking the main center of town, but Jim barely glances its way, focused on the wide open road and the warm spring breeze in his hair.

As they close the distance between Jim's childhood home and the large structures in the distance, the haze begins to fade until their shape becomes clear. It's an enormous series of scaffolds, permanent in nature, built to cradle the shape of a starship under construction, or under repair. And as they get closer, it becomes obvious that the starship held in the dry dock is familiar.

There's a fence around the shipyard, keeping out unauthorized personnel, but they don't need to enter the fence to get a good look. Jim leads the way to a hill overlooking the dry dock, his path assured like he's been there before.

[losthunter]

Hunter is amazed by the sight of the structure. And he can immediately tell why this location was a great one for the shipyard. With acres and acres of flat space, it makes for a perfect place for the shipyard.

Following Jim up the path to the hill overlooking the dry dock, Hunter slows down enough so he can place his foot on the ground, and pause in an idle position looking down on the Enterprise.

Jim's ship looks like it had gone through Hell, and is still recovering. It is a sombre reminder of the battle that Jim's crew had endured. Of the people who lost their lives. Of Jim himself laying in a comatose state. His heart is still fragile after saying goodbye to Kendra, so the sight of the ship reminds Hunter of what he almost lost.

[boldygoing]

Jim comes to a stop too, looking down the hill - though still up at the Enterprise. Seeing her on the ground makes her look so much larger somehow, yet the scorched holes in her hull are a sobering reminder of what she's been through. Parts of the interior are open and exposed to atmosphere, some from torpedo hits, others simply burned away when the starship fell into the atmosphere of Earth.

But all around her, workmen are hard at work removing the damaged sections, replacing them with newly forged hull plating, or repairing what can be salvaged. It's sort of like watching a doctor do surgery on a patient, slowly nursing the wounded ship back to life. Jim's back twinges in sympathy, and he reaches back to idly rub at the small of his back, easing the momentary glitch of recovering muscles and nerves.

They're both on the road to recovery. And while Jim himself is far better off, he knows that the Enterprise will get there too, in time.

The captain glances over at Hunter, trying to gauge his thoughts.

[losthunter]

In a fashion, seeing the Enterprise in this fashion is even more interesting than seeing it floating in space. Hunter gets a better idea of the perspective of the ship.

He turns, sensing that Jim is glancing at him. Removing his helmet, Hunter wipes away a stray tear. "I am one of those sensitive souls."

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles a little in understanding. "You don't have to apologize for feeling. It's hard to see her like this." He leans forward slightly, resting crossed arms on the handlebars of his bike as he looks up at her. "This is where I decided to join Starfleet. Right here, on this hill. The Enterprise was under construction, right where she is now." It's kind of strange to come back four years later, mirroring the last time he was here with a strangely appropriate accuracy. Back then, they were both unformed, still being built into what they were destined to be. In a way, they've both come home to rest and recuperate.

[losthunter]

"You and her have gone a very unique adventure together." Hunter notes softly. He has to appreciate the sight of Jim, looking up at his ship, leaned forward on his bike as he is. "And you will adventure again."

[boldygoing]

"I sure hope so." He still has yet to hear from Starfleet Command whether or not he's going to return to the captain's chair, and given the sheer amount of disruption in San Francisco that Khan caused, he can't be too surprised that it's lower priority at the moment.

But this trip is supposed to be a fun one, so he doesn't dwell on the matter. "I can't wait to see her back up there again. She's meant to fly."

[losthunter]

"So are you..." Hunter notes softly.

[boldygoing]

Jim smiles at Hunter, grateful as always for his support. "Until then, riding will have to do." He casts one last wistful look up at his silver lady before turning the bike around, heading back towards the open road.

[losthunter]

Hunter takes one more look himself, before getting his helmet back on his head, revving his bike up, and following Jim back towards the open road.

It has been quite some time since he had taken a bike tour. He is glad to be able to do one with Jim.

Had to write this twice because my iPod ate it the first time :(

[boldygoing]

It's been a while since Jim got to do a road trip too. At least since before he enlisted in Starfleet. Iowa doesn't offer the kind of fun, twisting roads of other states, but the relatively straight roads have their own advantages, allowing Jim and Hunter to ride side by side. The clear blue sky above and the wind blowing in his hair feels like freedom, and Jim can't resist the urge to pop a wheelie every now and then, enjoying the ride.

For a short while the road is paralleled by a high fence, and on the other side, away from the road, is a great gaping trench in the earth. Battered signs posted at periodic intervals along the fence proclaim it to be the Washington County Quarry, and that trespassers will be prosecuted. Jim can't resist throwing a slightly smug grin in its direction, wondering if the wreck of the Corvette still lies at the bottom.

It's about thirty-five miles before the city of Cedar Rapids begins to come into view in the distance, its tall buildings rising up on the horizon. Not quite as impressive and majestic as the shipyards, but expansive nonetheless, its structures a mix of old twentieth century and more modern twenty-third century construction. As they get closer, there begins to be more traffic on the roads, mostly hovercars that don't touch the pavement, and a few public transportation vehicles.

that sucks when it happens

[losthunter]

Even with the difference of motorbikes, the feeling of being on the road is still the same. And Hunter is enjoying riding beside Jim, glancing over every now and then with a big grin.

He is enjoying all the sites too. The Washington County Quarry. And then the tall buildings of Cedar Rapids.

[boldygoing]

Jim hasn't really been here before, but fortunately, his bike has a built-in navigation system that projects a holographic trail on the inside of his goggles. He signals to Hunter to slow down as they enter the city limits, entering the flow of traffic streaming into the city. Much like it was in San Francisco - before the Vengeance crashed downtown, that is - shuttles occasionally fly by overhead, and there's a decent amount of foot traffic. This far away from the major interstellar travel hubs, most of the population seems to be human, but there are occasional aliens here and there.

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is downtown, and they have to cross over a wide river to get there. Jim slows further as they roll up outside the museum, a wireframe sculpture on the front lawn indicating they're in the right place. There's a small strip along the edge of the road that seems to be reserved for parking, and he rolls the bike to a stop inside the marked-off zone. "One good thing about biking is finding parking is easy," he remarks to Hunter, once the other man can hear him.

[losthunter]

Entering the city limits is a little unnerving for Hunter. There is a little more movement that is around him, with those shuttles flying overhead. But he keeps pace with Jim.

When they slow down, Hunter notes the wireframe sculpture on the front lawn. He parks the bike beside Jim's bike. He laughs at Jim's comment, turning his bike off and removing his helmet.

"And pretty easy to navigate around traffic."

[boldygoing]

Hunter's bike turns a few heads, but the pedestrians that end up staring tend to have varying expressions of admiration. Traffic is probably a hell of a lot lighter than what Hunter is used to in his century, leading to a safer ride through town.

Jim pushes his goggles up on his forehead again as he shuts down the engine and pulls out the startcard, slipping it back into his pocket. "I can't imagine how much more crowded these streets would've been a few hundred years ago."

[losthunter]

Hunter turns his bike off, setting down the footrest, before sliding off of it. He removes his helmet. "A lot more vehicles on the ground, that is for sure."

[boldygoing]

The museum is mildly busy at this time of day, a comfortably sized crowd by Jim's standards. Not enough to be overwhelmingly crowded, but enough that they aren't going to be entirely alone in a deserted art gallery.

"Looks like they've got an exhibition on Andorian jewelry and ceremonial weaponry this year," Jim says as they head inside. "There's also a Roman art exhibition that's been going continuously for the last two hundred sixty-three years, which is pretty cool."

[losthunter]

"Both sound very interesting." Hunter links his arm with Jim's as they head inside. "I must admit, I don't know what an Andorian is. But Roman art... now that is something that I am always interested in."

[boldygoing]

"They're one of the four founding species of the Federation," Jim explains, comfortable in taking their time to head towards the Roman art gallery, arm in arm with Hunter. "Blue skin, white hair, two antennae and four genders. They're mostly a warrior culture, but it's one of those 'code of honor' kind of things."