"There. Is that comfortable?" Dr. Huer finished attaching the OEI device.
"Yes," Buck replied. He was tense but anticipating, too. For the first time in the last day, he seemed to be totally present with his friends in spite of the task ahead.
"All right." Dr. Huer gave him a light pat on the shoulder as he stepped back. "The image recorder is set as soon as I turn on the screen, and the voice recorder will start once I push that button. After that, Buck, it's up to you. Whatever you want to show us, it's all being captured. We can edit it later if you wish, and once you are satisfied, these files will go into the archives to share with others."
Wilma and Hawk looked at each other, both hoping that this would work. They were right now more concerned with Buck himself than with anything he could show them. Dr. Huer turned on the screen and then hit the audio record button. Silently, he retreated back to the wall. Dr. Theopolis was here, too, around the neck of an ambuquad who was decidedly not Twiki.
Buck closed his eyes, then reopened them as the screen came into sharp focus. "This is Washington, D.C.," he started.
The screen presented an aerial view, laying it out, then swooping in on the elegant obelisk. Wilma felt her breath catch. It was beautiful. The clean, crisp lines of the monument, dominating the city, reaching for the sky. The green grass surrounding it. Green grass! It was such a rarity on her earth.
Buck continued. "This is the Washington Monument. It's the tallest-" He paused, then corrected himself. "It was the tallest structure in the city. They even made that a law. Nothing could come close to it, so it would dominate. It was built in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States."
And one of the ones on Mount Rushmore, Wilma remembered from the sign. The only four Presidents most people nowadays would have any knowledge of were on that mountain.
As if in response to her thoughts, Buck shifted his aerial tour a little, running along the city to another building, much lower but with solid columns giving it a sturdy grace. "This is the Lincoln Memorial." Via the screen, they went inside as Buck recited Lincoln's impressive credentials and showed them around the statue and inscriptions.
The tour continued. The White House. The Capitol. Other grand memorials. Arlington Cemetery. Then Buck said, "But one of the most impressive things in Washington, D.C., was the cherry trees. Every spring, they would bloom." Wilma's jaw dropped at the explosion of fluffy pink blossoms on the screen. Next to her, Hawk leaned forward a little, as if that could close the gap of centuries. Dr. Huer was spellbound as well, and Dr. Theopolis' lights flashed in silent admiration.
Buck finally ran down for the moment, at least and sat there silently, looking at the cherry trees himself. Dr. Huer slowly came back to life and switched off the audio recorder. "Would you like a break, Buck?"
Wilma looked at her chronometer. "It's almost time for dinner."
Dr. Huer was surprised himself. "Really? I hadn't realized."
Buck shook his head. "Can't be. Not yet." Unbelievably, he had been recording Washington D.C. for them for an hour and a half.
"I insist that you all three let me take you out to dinner," Dr. Huer stated. "I'd like to hear some of the Searcher's adventures, too. I've tried to keep track, but I'm sure there are inside details that haven't made it into the ship logs."
"We certainly haven't been bored," Buck said. Dr. Huer removed the OEI, and he stood up and stretched.
Wilma touched Buck on the arm. "That was beautiful. It really was absolutely beautiful, wasn't it?"
His eyes focused off in the distance again, no OEI required, but they then came back to meet hers. "It was," he agreed.
"Once my people had such, too." Hawk had been quiet all afternoon once they'd arrived at the Directorate, but he spoke up now. "I don't have as many direct memories myself, but I think I might like to try this, too. To record the stories, the drawings, what was shared with me. The culture. So it won't be lost. Thank you, Buck."
Buck looked at him. "That's a wonderful idea, Hawk. It shouldn't be lost. But remember, this was Wilma's idea, so thank her."
"I'll thank both of you," Dr. Huer said. "That was remarkable, Buck. Now, about that dinner…"
"But not food discs," Buck insisted.
Huer smiled. "I know you better than that. No, we'll have an actual meal, the best New Chicago has to offer. Come on."