CHAPTER TWO – FIRST FLIGHT
It had been a somewhat tense morning. From the moment she and John had met with Mattie in the Jumper bay there had been a strange atmosphere between them. It was not that she felt uncomfortable in John's presence, she never had, and he certainly seemed as talkative as normal, but nevertheless there was a strange mood between them. In a mutual unspoken attempt to dispel the tension, they had worked to keep up almost constant carefree conversation, as if by overly talking pleasantly with one another they could force the return of their easy friendship.
It had perhaps not helped that the first order of business early this morning had been sliding on the wedding rings that Mattie had supplied them. Teyla had been aware of the Earth ritual of John's people, but when actually sliding on her very elegant gold band with a small clear stone held at its centre, she had glanced at John to see him frowning down at his ring. She had realised that the last time he had looked down at such a ring on his finger would have been when he had removed his wedding ring at the end of his marriage to his ex-wife. Teyla had seen his frown deepen as he had dropped his hand to his side before he had smiled at her with a tight strained expression.
Mattie had flown over to San Francisco with them and had accompanied them in their motor vehicle ride to the airport. Mattie had supplied them with a few extra items for their trip, including a laptop for John that would be in keeping with his character and a camera for them to use to capture images of anyone Mr Salisbury might meet. Mattie had jokingly told them that they must make sure to take more usual photos of their honeymoon vacation to make it look more authentic if someone were to look through their camera's memory. She and John and not looked at each other at that.
The large black car had pulled up outside the entrance to the San Francisco's international airport and she and John had climbed out, retrieved their luggage and carry on bags, before Mattie had finally wished them well. She had assured them that their mission was to be as relaxed as possible, for they had to do nothing but observe their target, and that they should enjoy the sunshine. Then Mattie had turned away, climbed back into the car, and it had pulled away, leaving Teyla and John stood alone together on the kerbside.
There had been a moment of silence between them as they both watched the long black car follow the road away from them, disappearing into the rest of the early morning traffic around the airport.
Teyla had glanced up at John beside her to see him look round at her at the same moment, and there had been a moment of awareness of that unspoken atmosphere. Only it was quickly suppressed and ignored once more as John had turned on the spot, indicated the massive building before them and announced, "So, this is an airport."
She in turn had smiled and asked far more questions than required as they had made their way inside the massive building. All to fill that strange vibrating unease between them, which she had thought almost gone following their conversation two days ago. However, now they had been thrown together, alone, on a mission in which they were to pretend they were a newly married couple.
It was almost amusing in the ridiculous timing of it, but she was determined that this shared mission/vacation could help repair much of their friendship, and she was excited to see more of Earth. Hawaii in particular sounded quite fascinating, as she asked John as they had settled into plush comfortable seats in the premium lounge area their 'first class' tickets allowed them to enjoy.
"It's great, you're gonna love it," John told her animatedly. "Blue skies as far as you can see, clean sandy beaches to toast yourself on, perfectly clear ocean to swim in, killer waves-"
"Killer waves?" She asked worriedly though she suspected he meant that they would be very good waves.
He grinned at her, his smile bright, but there remained that cautiousness around his eyes. "Okay, great waves, to surf," he amended as he lifted his cup of hot coffee to his lips.
"It sounds wonderful," she agreed as she sipped on her own hot beverage. They had risen very early this morning to make it to the airport in good time. They had already wandered around the stores inside the large building and she had thoroughly enjoyed exploring this new area of Earth culture that was an airport.
She had never seen a place such as this. So many people from different countries and cities across the planet, all merging in one place as they followed their own schedules, all with luggage held close. She had seen crying children, angry adults, and security guards escorting a couple away to be interviewed. It seemed that so much occurred in a transport hub that was an airport; she found it quite fascinating. There was nothing like this in her own galaxy, and she had enjoyed looking out across the loose crowds of people moving through the wide open spaces of the airport, most of them seeming anxious or excited as they went about their journeys.
Now sat in the lounge, she was able to relax somewhat and she set her coffee down on the small table to her right and turned her attention to the small pot of snack food she had been offered.
"And of course, some of the best golf courses in the world," John added as he sat back into the dark leather seat beside hers.
She smiled at the teasing tone to his words, designed to remind her that she would have to spend time at the golf course with him. "Which I suspect had been the 'selling point' of this trip for you," she told him, using General O'Neill's term.
John lifted an eyebrow in agreement as he held up the large newspaper he had purchased in one of the stores. She was somewhat familiar with the papers now, so many making their way into Atlantis since they had arrived on Earth.
"And the surfing," he added.
She smiled at his profile. "Of course," she replied as she returned her attention to her small pot of dried fruits and seeds. "Snookums," she added, using the pet name that had been particularly laughed over last night during the team's late meal in the Mess Hall. Rodney and Carson had thoroughly enjoyed teasing John with names she could call him, as would be appropriate for a new doting wife to call her husband on Earth. John had taken it in good humour, as he usually did, but the table had found this particular pet name the most amusing.
She could feel John's narrowed glare on her, but she kept her attention on her snack food, smiling to herself.
John had always used humour to defuse uncomfortable or tense situations and currently she decided that it was a very good approach. She and John had a well-established friendship, on which they were both clearly falling back upon following the strange event of the 'future' visions, so she felt emboldened to use humour with him now, to tease as he so often did of others. Besides, she was away from Atlantis, away from any responsibility, other than keeping a casual eye upon a potential criminal on vacation. Compared to the missions she and John had been on before, this would be very easy and likely very relaxing. Jennifer had told her that Hawaii was a place to relax thoroughly, that it was part of the culture on the islands to think good thoughts and enjoy life. She intended to do so, even if it meant experiencing some lingering tensions in the air between her and John. She was looking forward to some time to unwind.
Movement in the distance drew her attention and she looked up from her snacks towards the floor to ceiling windows set before their seats, to see one of the massive Earth planes rolling across the flat ground in the distance. She had seen the Earth craft flying high overhead, but she had never seen one rolling along the ground. The wheels supporting the long weight looked surprisingly slender.
She watched as the plane turned and paused, facing down the length of the straight flat runway. She had already asked many questions of John on how many people such a craft could hold, how fast they went, how long they could fly for, and all other manner of queries she had thought of to fill the air between. Now, looking out at the craft herself, she frowned at the unexpected flimsiness of the wings stretching out from its sides. The engines she knew were the large barrel shaped objects on the underside of the wings, stretching out barely any distance from them. Surely they were too small to push such a large craft up into the air.
The plane began to roll forward, slowly but steadily gaining speed.
She rose up from her seat and walked the short distance to the large windows so that she could see further out across the flat ground.
The plane thundered onward, a forceful gathering speed building as it raced down the runway, and suddenly it began to lift up from the ground. She watched, mouth almost open, as the massive craft soared up into the air, defying its bulk and the natural laws of all that she had seen in her life.
She had seen Jumpers and F302s take off before, but those had been gentle, almost abstract, take offs. This had been a rushing, forceful, powerful, yet elegant sight.
She stood by the window, her neck craned at a sharp angle, as she watched the plane continue up into the sky, moving away so quickly. She could understand most of the physics of how it could fly like that, but to watch it actually do so was thrilling in a way she had not experienced before. The intelligence and combined skills of those on this world to conceive and then actually take the step of launching themselves into the air like that…it was vastly impressive.
She dropped her gaze back down the runway to see another plane was ready for its take off, so again she watched the impressive display repeat. The second viewing was no less bizarre and exciting to watch.
A third plane, its painted designs different from the others', rolled into its starting position.
So many people in each craft, all flying off to different places across the planet, from different cultures she had not encountered yet, living lives on this world so different to her own, all of them sharing this wondrous way of travelling.
She watched the third plane rise up from gravity's heavy hold, and turned back towards her and John's seats and saw that he was smiling up at her.
"Cool, huh?" He asked with a grin as she headed back to her seat beside him.
"It is most impressive," she confirmed, though not quite communicating how extraordinary it was to watch. She sat back down and reached for her coffee again, but she still had a very good view to continue watching. "It must be such an experience to pilot such a craft," she added looking round at John.
She had not really understood until now how different it must be to pilot an Earth vessel compared to an Ancient one. There had been a clear danger in the speed and power used to lift those heavy planes off the earth. John had told her stories of it being a very different flying experience, but until now she had not truly grasped the basic differences for herself.
"If I'd been allowed to fly us out to Kaua'i, you could have sat up front and really experienced flying," John replied with some bitterness. He had not been pleased to be denied the chance to pilot. "I'm supposed to be a top rich executive, I could have a private jet," he muttered as he looked back down at his newspaper.
She smiled at his latest seized opportunity to sneak in another grumbling complaint. "You are supposed to be on vacation, not piloting us."
"It would have saved time and been more fun," he argued.
She found his annoyance somewhat amusing though, for she was enjoying this lengthier travelling experience, which enabled her to see more of Earth's people.
"Are you going to sulk about this throughout the entire trip?" She asked him, using a tone a wife might use.
He pursed his lips, controlling his likely affirmative response, but also to control the smile she saw in his expression. "Maybe," he replied instead.
She smiled as she set her coffee back down. "I would not have married you had I realised you were one to sulk," she added as she sat back, pleased at her second chance to make light of their pretend marriage.
She felt his gaze on her again and this time she looked round at him with a lifted eyebrow. She saw some surprise in his smile, before he looked back down at his paper.
"Yes, Dear," he replied and she smiled with relief. She understood the sarcastic use of the term and she happily returned her attention to the next plane beginning its take off outside.
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He might not have been allowed to fly them out to Kaua'i, but at least O'Neill had given them first class seats on the flight. John had flown in first class as a kid, when he and Dave had been dragged along to 'family vacations', which just happened to be located where Dad had been going to a conference or for some business negotiations. John didn't remember much of the first class experience when he was that young, but then he had spent most of his time staring out the window, absolutely in love with the experience of flying. Nothing in his life had been as exciting as going that fast as a kid. Even girls hadn't been enough to distract him from his favourite thing in life and his plan to become a pilot, of course the girls had been a close second, slightly ahead of ferris wheels.
Amused at the memory of his youth, John glanced at Teyla beside him. They were waiting in a short queue to enter the plane, the tiny little red carpet stretching out between two steel bollards almost ridiculous in its attempt to make the first class boarding experience anything more than just being the first onboard.
Teyla seemed interested in everything, full of questions about anything and everything she saw, which was good because he was still feeling weird about this pretend honeymoon thing. To the point where he had begun to suspect that O'Neill had worked out that he and Teyla had seen something personal in their 'future' visions and had done this on purpose to torment John. At least that had been John's thinking late last night as he had lain wide-awake, the clock ticking. By two in the morning, he had had to admit that he was being stupid, and that this was a real mission and that he and Teyla were O'Neill's best bet to get some intel on Salisbury. He should just relax, enjoy Hawaii for heaven's sake, after all this was a paid for premium vacation, and it would give him and Teyla a chance to re-establish their friendship. So, he would look on this trip as the great opportunity is was to relax, complete an easy mission, and get comfortable with Teyla again.
Despite those good intentions, he had felt uncomfortable with her since he had met up with her and Mattie early this morning. He had worked hard to pretend otherwise though, and it was possible that Teyla was as well, because he couldn't remember her being so chatty before. She had lapsed back into her more usual silence in the first class lounge while she had watched the planes taking off.
He had watched her stood at the massive window, the morning sunshine glowing over her, her nice white shirt hugging her shoulders and waist nicely as she had watched her first ever take off at such a close distance. He hadn't been able to see her face, but the way she had angled her head to follow the path of the planes up into the sky had told him enough. She had stood there for about twenty minutes, fascinated, and he had just watched her, understanding and enjoying her amazement. For some escapable reason, he had felt more comfortable with her after that, and her unexpected teasing had helped as well.
Now stood about to board the plane, John glanced at her, checking she was okay. She was keeping closer than normal, most likely because she wasn't too sure of how things worked in the airport, or perhaps she was playing the part of a honeymooner.
"Good Morning, Sir, Madam," the flight attendant greeted them, and John handed across his boarding pass so Teyla would know what to do. "How are you both this morning?"
"Great, thanks," John replied with a smile.
"I see in our records that you are travelling on your honeymoon?" The overtly smiling lady added.
"Yes, we are," Teyla replied as she handed over her pass.
"Congratulations to you both. There will complimentary champagne for you once we are airborne. Your seats are just through there," she gestured through the door behind her as she handed back the passes. "I hope you have a lovely flight with us today and thank you for choosing to fly with us."
John nodded and smiled as he led Teyla into the plane. He paused at the start of the aisle and gestured her ahead of him, checking their seat numbers again as he did. He pointed Teyla towards their seats and took her bag for her as she slid into the window seat. Maybe it was the act of pretending to be a new husband, or that he wanted her first experience of a flight to go well, but he felt he could look after her a little bit on this trip. He tucked away their carry on bags, once her book and his paper were removed, and then he sat down in his seat.
It had been so long since he had been on a commercial flight that it almost felt strange. He wasn't used to having a plush seat beneath him with sculpted arms rests with remote controls in them. He talked Teyla through the buttons when she asked, then the small tv screen they had each, as well as the small bag of complimentary toiletries. It was only after he settled down properly that he noticed that she seemed a little tense. Which also made him realise he was looking at her shoulders and the front of her shirt, which was parted slightly to reveal a modest but nice amount of cleavage. He looked up and away quickly.
Further down the plane, he could hear that it was fast filling up. The first class seats around them were filled with a predominance of businessmen, some with families. John watched it all with easy enjoyment, everything seeming new to him with all of Teyla's former questions. He glanced at his watch – boarding would finish any minute now. Maybe he would take a nap during the flight, since he hadn't gotten all that much sleep last night. Once they were on Kaua'i, it would feel more like a mission he was sure.
The flight attendants were sealing up the doors now, and John leant out of his seat to look back down the long length of the plane, outlined by two long lines of knees and elbows, through a gap in the dividing curtain. Conversation in the cabin lowered as the usual pilot's greeting started overhead.
It would have been far more fun if he had gotten to fly out to Kaua'i, but hey, at least it was a vacation.
He glanced at Teyla next to him, to see that she was frowning lightly up into the air, listening to the announcement closely. Her shoulders were slightly tense again and she looked around at the people securing their seats at the pilot's request.
"You okay?" John asked her.
She looked at him a little sharply as if she had been lost in some anxiety. She smiled, "Yes, I am fine."
John kept his eyes on her, making it clear that he wasn't convinced. She angled her head slightly as she smiled in acknowledgement at his silent point.
"They look far larger from the outside," she replied, surprising John again. He had seen her crawl through far smaller spaces than sitting in a plane, in first class, but then some people didn't like the claustrophobic feeling of planes. In a Jumper, she could move around more freely.
"Once we're airborne you can walk down the aisles a bit," he told her, though admittedly there wasn't all that much space in the aisles even compared to in a Jumper. To him, the planes were well roomy, for he was comfortable in the tight confined cockpit of a fighter jet.
She nodded at that with another smile that was meant to appease him.
The plane began to roll back from the airport's gate, and she jerked slightly, looking out of the small window to her immediate left. John looked down to see that her right hand was tightly gripping the armrest. He couldn't remember seeing her so tense before.
"We're just taxing out to the runway," he assured her, keeping his tone casual so as not to let on that he could tell she was nervous. He leant a little closer so that he could look out of the window. "Nice day to be flying, we'll get a great view of San Francisco when we're up in the air."
Teyla nodded and glanced past him to where the flight attendant was supplying the safety information. He supposed Teyla was not used to this kind of travel, and especially not in a confined seat packed in with so many people. He wasn't sure what to say to her to reassure her, so he just pretended to listen to the safety info, though he could have done it himself.
The ground was a little uneven under the plane as it rolled out to their runway and he glanced at Teyla again to see that she was sitting securely back in her seat, clearly making herself relax.
"This is the best bit of flying," he told her. "Getting ready to take off, then the moment when the engines kick in."
She looked out the window to where she could see part of the engines. "They are larger than they appeared from a distance," she commented.
"More basic technology than…what we're used to," he amended before he mentioned the Jumpers. "But they do the job," he added proudly.
"I had expected the wings to be thicker," she commented as she sat back round in her seat and met his gaze.
"Safest way to travel," he assured her with a smile.
She smiled back. "I am sure we are in very good hands."
"Absolutely," he assured her, strangely amused in seeing this side of her. He was used to the tough unstoppable Teyla. Of course, he had seen a new side of her in that future vision too.
He glanced away from her at that, reaching out to check that everything was properly secured around them as the plane rolled to a stop at the end of their runway. "Of course, if I'd been allowed to fly us…" he couldn't help but add.
She laughed lightly, and he smiled victoriously at making her smile more naturally.
The sound of the engines abruptly kicked up in volume. He loved this part. It wouldn't be quite as thrilling as what he was used to with fighter jets, but any take off was good in his books, even after all his years of experience. Teyla however looked surprised at the volume, glancing at him to check all was as expected. He smiled at her and looked past her to the view out of the window. She looked round as well, just as the plane began to roll forward.
The speed was immediate, pushing against John's body gradually but completely. He still missed this with a Jumper. He watched Teyla, but she seemed intent now on the view outside moving past with more and more speed. He saw her hand tighten on the armrest again, and he had the compulsion to cover her hand with his, just to let her know all was okay, but he held back.
She was with Kanaan.
He would bet Ronon would touch her hand like that, it would be natural between them, but John had never had that kind of connection with Teyla. He didn't want to step over that line and confuse things. Now, he wished he had the ease of friendship as she had with Ronon, and Carson too would have covered her hand in reassurance. Actually, she would probably be comforting Carson, he thought with a smile as the pressure around him increased and he knew any minute now…
The faint feeling of weightlessness began, and he looked round with a grin as he saw the ground begin to drop away outside the window.
Teyla leant further towards the window and he could see that she was more relaxed already.
The plane soared up, the pressure against his ears as familiar as walking, and he settled comfortably back into his seat. Actually, it was quite nice to let someone else do the flying and allow him just to enjoy the feeling.
Next to him, Teyla looked round at him with a large grin, her eyes bright and her cheeks slightly flushed. All nervousness was gone and she was as thrilled as he knew she had been when watching take offs from the airport. Her smile was beautiful, her eyes sparkling and her skin glowing as she met his eyes.
In that moment, he felt a proper rush of attraction and arousal in his body, and unusually this time he left himself feel it, to embrace the feeling just a little. Normally he suppressed it immediately, looking away from her, and distracting himself quickly away from such thoughts, but now, after that vision, something inside him felt somehow justified in feeling this way.
Yet, she wasn't available, and that fact, for the first time, made him feel a proper ache in his chest.
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The flight to Kaua'i had felt far longer than she had anticipated, since the slightly oppressive feeling of the pressure against her, the noise of the engines, and the somewhat confining area in which she could sit, bothered her somewhat. However, that aside, she had enjoyed the flight.
The experience of flying in an Earth craft was entirely different than in a Jumper or a Daedalus class ship. Here, she could feel the literal pressures against her, feel the vibration of the engines, and the occasional shifts of the plane. It was far more real to her perhaps, making the reality of flying so high above the clouds more dangerous and somehow more thrilling.
Looking out of the small window next to her, she had a wondrous view of the ocean, glittering in the sunshine, through the mesmerising layers of clouds.
She had watched a movie on the small screen set in front of her seat, using headphones, which had helped with blocking out some of the sounds around her. A meal was served to them, which was very nice. She and John had a menu from which to select what they wanted and it was served elegantly on a bright clean plate. After the meal, John had angled his seat back so that he could sleep for a while. She did not feel she could sleep though, the unusual feelings of flying too apparent to her. However, with him sleeping beside her and the gentle mixture of conversation around her, she lapsed almost into a meditative state as she watched the clouds and vast ocean stretching out far below them.
She woke from her spontaneous doze, to see that John was awake and watching a movie himself now, as he snacked on a small packet of food he had purchased in the airport. She felt strange waking up in such an environment, but she felt slightly more rested having done so. Stretching out her neck and back, she sat up straighter in her seat, and John looked round with a smile, appearing more rested and relaxed than before.
"Nice nap?" He asked as he lowered his earphones and paused the movie.
"Yes," she replied simply as she stretched again and contemplated leaving her seat to walk around in the limited space available. She had done so several times on the flight, but there was not much to do while doing so except observe the other passengers.
"You want to get past?" He asked, somehow having understood what she was thinking.
Letting out a long breath she relaxed back into her seat and shook her head. "It is not much longer until we land, is it not?" She asked, checking her watch again.
"Another half hour," John replied, "It'll be about midday their time when we land." He offered her the packet of snack food he was eating from, but she shook her head in thanks. She would eat something later.
She reached for the travel book that Mattie had supplied them with on the island they would be staying. Teyla had read some of it earlier and she could see that John had been reading it while she had been asleep. He had turned over some corners as markers. She flicked through the book to open to the pages he had marked. They were on locations that the file had reported Mr Salisbury often visited. One was a most wondrous looking waterfall. She would like to visit that place. Another was a vast beach contained within a large cove. The last group of pages were on the golf course that John would be playing at. It looked very elegantly landscaped, but the design of the paths the players had to follow was lost on her. She had little interest for the game, but she could appreciate that it took skill to play. She would have to endure hours in the clubhouse waiting for John to finish apparently. At least the location was beautiful. The pictures of the island were almost too beautiful to be believed.
John, who had been watching the end of his movie, moved next to her, and she watched as he shut down his screen and put the earphones away. He smiled round at her as he worked. She noted that his beard growth had come through slightly more throughout their trip. The combination of his darker chin and jaw, with the dark blue shirt he wore, made him look far more relaxed and less like his work persona.
"See anywhere you want to visit?" He asked.
Teyla pulled her mind away from where that suggestion had taken her mind whilst she had been admiring him. She flicked through the book back to the waterfall and then the beach he had marked. "This looks a particularly beautiful setting to visit," she replied.
He leant a fraction closer to see the pictures of the beach along with her and she caught the artificial, but attractive, scent that he normally wore. He must have applied more while she was asleep, because she was sure the scent was stronger now than earlier. If he had been moving round and maybe left his seat to use the restroom, she must have been in a far deeper sleep than she had realised. But, then she had not been sleeping so well of late, since those confusing and thought proving six minutes of her possible future that she had witnessed.
"Looks nice," he remarked concerning the beach. "Apparently its one of his favourite spots, according to Nelson, O'Neill's contact, so he'll probably go visit it."
Teyla hoped so. An announcement echoed through the cabin, stating that they were near their destination and there was a flurry of activity as the other passengers returned to their seats and tided away their things. Teyla glanced at John to see that he was stowing away a magazine that he had been reading earlier. Teyla did the same, John taking the book from her to put in with their carry on luggage once more. As she secured her safety belt around her middle, she leant closer to her window, to see the vague outline of a small island down to the left under narrow stretches of clouds.
John sat down next to her and several warning messages were repeated throughout the plane to prepare everyone for the landing. Then the plane seemed to drop slightly under them, the weightlessness feeling shocking her, but a glance at John assured her that this was normal. Everyone else in the cabin seemed settled, except for two young children further forward who were grizzling.
"We'll steadily drop down towards Kaua'i," John told her informing her that her attempts to conceal her concern had again been unsuccessful with him.
She nodded with understanding and felt another lowering of the plane. She was too used to the Jumpers and the Daedalus, both of which had artificial gravity and inertial dampeners. To distract herself, she focused on what she could see outside the window and was pleased that she could see more now they were lowering through the sky.
As the minutes passed, only one child crying in the cabin, the clouds passing around the plane, she watched Kaua'i gradually appear ahead of them. From her angle, she could only see a somewhat rocky looking shore with a clear line of white telling of the ocean waves breaking up against their feet. She watched the mountains grow larger and further to the left, and flat land was finally revealed ahead.
A rush of the same excited nervousness she had felt during their take off returned. She had every faith that the pilot of this craft was highly skilled and the weather was fair, but it was such a strange sensation that she found herself feeling surprisingly anxious again. Yet, as more of Kaua'i was revealed she found herself studying the approaching landscape with fascination. The land was flat immediately below, but in the distance, mountains circled, with clouds clinging around their peaks.
Next to her, John leant closer, looking out at Kaua'i along with her, and they watched as the land seemed to rise up towards the underside of the plane. Teyla peered closer to the window to watch with delight and respect as the plane lowered further, further, and then with a shudder she felt the plane touch down upon the ground. Applause broke out from some in the cabin, and she copied them, but her attention was fully on the new land outside her window. She watched the landscape slow down around them, and as they turned, she could see part of a far smaller airport waiting for them.
They had arrived.
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TBC