Fandom: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Title: Earth, Wind, and Fire
Author: knightshade
Rating: PG
Summary: Twiki gives Buck his first guided tour of New Chicago.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Glen A. Larson and some others who are not me do.
Author's Notes: This was written for Jo Z Pierce for Yuletide 2007.
Earth, Wind, and Fire
Buck tried not to look like he didn't know where he was going. He tried to look like he belonged on the train that was hovering over a track and shooting toward the center of downtown New Chicago. He tried not to gape, but a young guy with enough swagger to put most of Buck's old Air Force buddies to shame still marked him and tried to swindle him out of a few credits.
It wasn't surprising that Buck stood out in a crowd. It was hard to look like you belonged when everything you encountered was completely new. The hovering train, the strange shapes to the buildings that crowded around it, the odd vehicles that raced through the empty spaces, and the elevated sidewalks -- it was all too much to take in at once. But Buck wanted to take it all in. He needed to get his bearings in this new home if he was going to put away the past and find some sort of life here. He couldn't live sheltered in the confines of the Directorate building forever and the sooner he got out on his own --forced himself to acclimate -- the sooner he could figure out what he was going to do now.
This was his first trip into downtown New Chicago. He had managed to make the trip unchaperoned, except for Twiki, who was certainly a guide, but not a chaperone. At least not as far as Buck was concerned. But it was a compromise. Wilma and Dr. Huer had insisted that one of them go with him. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for the offer, but he really needed to do this alone. They finally relented when he said he'd take Twiki.
The hover train slowed to a gentle stop barely even requiring a shift of balance -- unlike any subway he'd ever been on -- and the doors swished open with a hiss.
"This is our stop," Twiki said tilting his head. "After you, Buck."
He led the way out onto a platform trying not to gawk at the alien-looking skyscrapers that rose around them. The crowd on the platform moved past him and down to an Escher-like elevated walkway. Several of the women were wearing bright dresses with strange circular collars, much like the ones Princess Ardala favored. Everything was bright and colorful -- nothing like the gray Chicago of the past. He felt like he was in Miami during some strange combination of the World's Fair and Mardi Gras.
"So what are you taking me to see?" Buck asked. There was a definite plus to having Twiki as a guide – the book and maps were all in his head.
"That depends, Buck. Pick an element. Earth, water, or air?"
"Don't you mean Earth, Wind, and Fire?" Twiki tilted his head and Buck sighed. Even Twiki, who had been programmed with a lot of 20th century lingo, still didn't get most of his jokes. "Never mind. How about earth?"
"Coming right up," Twiki said, leading them down a platform in his hurried little gait. He led them into a tunnel that reminded Buck of the star fighter launch tube. After a moment they were accosted by a small round vehicle of some variety.
"Transporter," Twiki explained as the doors opened and they stepped inside. It was empty other than the seats. "Buckingham Park," Twiki said and it whooshed away like a horizontal elevator. In a few seconds they stopped, several blocks away. The doors opened and Buck's jaw dropped. They were surrounded by trees. Palm trees, coconut trees, big hearty ferns.
"Okay, who transplanted Hawaii?" he asked, as they stepped inside and passed a large hibiscus bush with giant red flowers.
"Hawaii?"
"Never mind. What is this?"
"It's a park, Buck. The botanists tried to find plants that were the closest to the local varieties for each city."
Buck fingered a rubber plant, and didn't bother to mention that these were nothing like what would have been found here in 'ancient' times. It was like someone tried to piece together a story with too many pages missing. He wondered what happened to the plants that were native to the Midwest, why they didn't survive.
He and Twiki spent a few minutes walking the paths through the shrubs and trees.
"I thought maybe this would make you feel more at home, Buck."
"It does, Twiki. We had plants like this in Florida." He didn't mention that they were wholly out of place in a city in the middle of a desolate desert that used to be Lake Michigan. But he was ready to move on. This wasn't helping his melancholy any. "Okay, Twiki, show me water."
They left the park and walked out onto the streets.
"Why are the sidewalks and all the entrances on the second floor?" Buck asked.
"So that all the deliveries can be done on the lower level. It allows people to enjoy the city without some of the hassles and congestion."
Buck thought that he might welcome a few honking horns and maniacal cabbies. He'd only visited 'old' Chicago a few times, but he remembered the air of busyness. At least when they started to head into the center of the city, the traffic on the elevated walks increased. People were moving in herds, carrying bags, and there were even other ambuquads around. Buck was startled when a cop standing on the corner turned toward them and he realized that the smooth plastic face was the masked visage of a robot.
A man jostled Twiki as he walked past. "Hey! Watch it, buster," Twiki griped.
Buck couldn't help grinning. "You sound more like a New Yorker than a Chicagoan."
"What's a New Yorker?"
Buck stopped, forcing the crowd to part around them. "There's no … new New York?"
"Sometimes I don't know what you're talking about, Buck."
He let that wash over him a minute, but then he wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. Most of the planet had been wiped out, what difference did it make if one city was lost forever? New York was probably the most likely city not to survive a nuclear holocaust. It was too big a target. He wondered if Washington DC was still in existence but decided not to ask.
Twiki led the way down the wide street and then rounded a corner. Standing there were the ruins of a castle-like tower. Parts of it had collapsed into rubble that still surrounded what was left of the building.
"It's called the Water Tower," Twiki said.
"The Water Tower?"
"Yep. It's the only building to survive from Old Chicago."
Then it clicked and Buck smiled. "It's survived the great Chicago fire too." He reached out and touched the limestone bricks on one of the parapet-like structures. "Resilient old thing."
Twiki beedee-ed some response that he couldn't understand.
Buck rested his hands on his hips and stared down at his little friend. "This is all you've got for water?"
"You may have noticed that a lot of Earth is desert these days, Buck."
He sighed. "Yeah, I did." Then he gave the stone one more pat.
"So is this what buildings looked like in your day?" Twiki asked, gesturing toward the tower with his pincer-like 'hand.'
Buck smiled. "Ah. No. This is before my time even."
"Who knew there was anything older than ancient?"
Buck rolled his eyes. "Thanks, pal. What have you got for air?"
They turned down a street and came to another transporter. This time Buck was ready when the little vehicle whooshed up and they stepped inside. He was finding that even the fantastic could quickly become mundane. They went several blocks and then were spit out in front of several impossibly tall buildings. Twiki led the way inside one that was boxy with tiny little windows. There was a lobby, not unlike what Buck would have expected back in his day. They entered a real elevator this time and Buck was surprised to see Twiki punch in 2-5-5 on a keypad next to the door.
"You didn't just tell it to take us to the 255th floor, did you?"
"Hang onto your hat, Buck."
The doors swished closed and then about twenty seconds later they opened again. Buck looked down at Twiki.
"Two hundred and fifty-fifth floor – ladies shoes and lingerie."
"It didn't even feel like we moved. My ears didn't even pop."
"Anti-acceleration stabilizers and pressure compensators."
Amazing. It was funny how the little things threw him more than the big ones. Maybe it was all he could get his head around.
They stepped out of the elevator and Buck couldn't believe his eyes. There was a balcony at the far end of the room that just opened out over the city. Twiki walked over to it, his little metal body looking out of proportion to the huge view in front of him. He stepped right out onto the balcony with no fear. Buck followed cautiously.
"So how many people do they lose off this thing each year?"
"It's protected by a force field, Buck. Don't worry."
Buck stepped out to the edge. He cautiously leaned on the railing, but when he reached his arm straight out in front of him, his hand bumped something invisible but solid. He rested his frame on the railing and took in the view of the city. It was breathtaking, but still very alien. Almost everything he knew about old Earth was gone. His friends, his family, his music, his cities, his food -- everything. It was all gone. All destroyed. There was nothing but broken ruins left in place of the things he was familiar with.
"So why here?" he asked.
"It's named for a tower that Dr. Junius says existed in your time, Buck. He said it was the tallest building in the world before the holocaust. The Spears Tower."
Buck shook his head and smiled. "The Sears Tower, Twiki, Sears Tower."
The little ambuquad let his head hang. "Oh, boy. Don't tell Dr. Junius that. He'll be so disappointed."
Buck laughed a little and continued surveying the city. He watched as the hover train moved back and forth quickly, suspended high above its track. He pictured the people down there, going about their lives day to day, blissfully in their own time. He was out of place, an anachronism, a throw back. But there wasn't much he could do about that. As far as he knew there was no way back. The only way was forward.
"So where to now, Buck?" Twiki asked.
"You know that park you took me to?"
"You want to go back?"
"Maybe. Do they sell plants there?"
"I don't know. But we could go see."
Buck smiled and took in the view of the city before resting a hand on Twiki's shoulder and turning back toward the elevator. "If I'm going to be living here, I think my apartment is going to need a plant or two."
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-knightshade
January 1, 2008