Dulles Airport to Lindbergh Field
The taxi pulled up the Departures area of Dulles. After paying the driver and getting their suitcases from the trunk, Veronica led Archie to the curbside check-in counter.
She pulled out her driver's license and handed it to the agent, nudging Archie's arm with her elbow so he would do the same.
Archie had managed to acquire a pair of jeans and a t-shirt so as to not look too conspicuous on the trip, and so was a touch more uncomfortable than just the prospect of an airplane ride would have made him. He hesitated for a moment and reached into his wallet to fish out the identification that Veronica had gotten for him, hoping it would stand up to any scrutiny.
He gave the agent a brief smile and, suddenly much more nervous, reached for Veronica's hand.
Veronica squeezed his hand and thanked the agent as he handed back their IDs along with the boarding passes and claim tickets for their luggage, which he tagged with their flight information and set on the large conveyor belt.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Veronica said, "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"It was a nervous few minutes," Archie replied, watching the luggage with curiosity as it traveled along the belt. "Tell me those bags will end up at the same destination as we will. My God, this place is huge."
He grinned despite himself and added, "Much cleaner than most of the ports I've been in, though."
"In theory," Veronica said. "Occasionally luggage does get lost. I've never had a problem with this airline though."
She sighed when she saw the length of the line for the security checkpoint. "This might take a while," she said. Then she noticed the Starbucks nearby. "You want to wait here and I'll run over and get us some coffee?"
Archie stared at the line, the nervous expression on his face getting more and more pronounced once he realized that people were emptying their pockets into the plastic trays and passing through what looked like a doorjamb in the middle of the floor. "I don't suppose getting to the front of the line before you return is going to be any kind of concern," he answered. "Coffee sounds like a wonderful idea."
He (unnecessarily) straightened his t-shirt for the fiftieth time that day and continued to observe the security procedures, wondering why it was all so complicated.
Luckily (and surprisingly) the line at Starbucks wasn't that long, so Veronica was back in less than ten minutes. She handed Archie the paper cup with the cardboard sleeve before sipping her chai latte.
"Doesn't look like you moved very far," she remarked.
"I took eleven whole steps. It was exhausting," he said with a wink as he accepted the cup. "Oh, yes, that's perfect . . . did I ever tell you what we used to drink when coffee stores on board ran out?"
"Run out of coffee?" Veronica said. "That would be a fate worse than death for some of the people we know. And no, I don't think you ever told me."
Archie thought of Rory and Jake, and chuckled. "Yes, that's true. And God knows they'd never drink what we made do with: stale breadcrumbs, toasted black and brewed as though they were coffee grounds."
He shuddered. "It was vile. Many things were vile after months at sea, of course, which is part of why this trip we're about to take intrigues me. No algae-infested drinking water, no rounding Cape Horn . . ."
Veronica wrinkled her nose. "It sounds pretty gross," she agreed. "I guess I'm spoiled, having grown up with all the creature comforts. I can't even begin to imagine living like that.
She grinned. "Granted, air travel has it's disadvantages. You might get stuck with a crying baby, or a little kid kicking the back of our seat, or someone getting sick, or, the worst, a drunk, bored business man hitting on you."
"And yet it's much faster," Archie pointed out. "Hours instead of months, which is not to say that all of the above would be welcome. As for all those things I mentioned, one got used to them after a while. Why do you think sailors had such the reputation for revelry at every stop in port?"
He realized that by now, they were close to the front of the line. "Veronica, what do they want us to do when we reach the front?" he asked in a whisper.
"You'll have to empty your pockets and take off your shoes and place everything in one of those plastic bins so they can x-ray it," Veronica explained quietly. "And then you'll have to show your ID and your boarding pass and walk through the metal detector."
Archie was suddenly glad he didn't have anything in his pockets but his wallet and the key to his room, and that he was wearing brand-new sneakers instead of his usual boots.
"That's an awful lot of to-do just to board the plane," he murmured, retrieving said wallet and key to place in the nearest plastic bin.
"There's good reason for it," Veronica whispered back. "I'll explain later." She slipped off her sandals and placed them and her purse in a plastic bin. "Get out your ID and boarding pass," she added just as softly.
Archie nodded and went to retrieve the necessary items, then kicked off the sneakers -- they still felt so strange on his feet -- and put them into the bin with his wallet.
If he was tense as he walked through the metal detector, military discipline kept it mostly hidden; he'd seen what had happened to the several people ahead of them in line who'd set the detector off. Luckily, though, he passed through without incident and collected his things with relief once he got to the other side.
Veronica also passed through without incident and, once they had both collected their belongings and put their shoes back on, looked for the signs that would direct them to their gate.
"Here we go," she said, boarding one of the huge people movers that shuttled passengers from the main terminal to the various gates. "We'll be off in no time," she said with a smile.
Archie stepped onto the people mover and laughed as he accustomed himself to the sensation. "Is it strange that I find this more unusual than the weetiny bunnies?" he whispered to Veronica.
Veronica chuckled. "No, not really." When they go to the end, she looked at the signs again. "Okay, our gate is this way," she said, making a right and starting down a long concourse.
Archie's lips moved silently as he counted the gates. "My God, can one get to anywhere in the world from here?" he marveled.
As they approached their gate, though, he took note of all the people in the waiting area and decided it would be prudent to keep his amazement to himself. "You're sure your father will be all right with my staying?"
"Yes, he's fine with it," Veronica assured him. "He might give you a hard time, but he's just kidding. He likes you. Oh and he bought tickets to take us to a baseball game on Saturday afternoon."
"A baseball game?" Archie laughed. "I'm certainly in for a weekend of new experiences then, aren't I? I suppose I'll have to do some research on it first so I'm not entirely lost."
He leaned over and added in a lower voice, "Now that I'm not terrified of computers any more, and that's entirely thanks to you, I think I can mn that much while you're away at your orientation."
Veronica smiled. "I didn't bring my laptop, but my dad has the same one, so you shouldn't have any trouble using it," she replied. "And I figured Sunday we could drive down to San Diego and visit the Maritime Museum I told you about before we have to catch our flight back."
As far as Archie was concerned, Veronica couldn't have said anything that would have done a better job of taking his mind off his apprehension about the flight; his face lit up with excitement at the mention of the Maritime Museum.
"You remembered," he said delightedly, and gave her an impulsive hug, which drew an amused look from the flight attendant who'd just stepped behind the counter to announce the boarding call.
"Of course I remembered," she said, returning his hug. "Okay, that's us," she added after hearing the boarding call. "You have your boarding pass and ID, right?"
Archie nodded and held up said items, then swallowed and looked down the jetway. "I think you may have to hold my hand for the flight after all," he remarked. "I've only just realized we'll be thousands of feet off the ground in a metal tube!"
Veronica took his hand and smiled. "It'll be fine. Trust me," she said, pulling her own boarding pass and ID in her free hand. She showed them to the gate agent and led Archie down the jetway. "Since it's a long flight, we'll get to watch movies and they'll feed us," she told him. "Plus, I used my dad's frequent flyer miles to upgrade us to first class, so we'll get all kinds of special treatment. And extra leg room."
"Well, I can't argue with food, movies, and special treatment," Archie said as he checked the row numbers, found their seats, and settled in. He peered out the window, fascinated by the bustle of activity out on the tarmac; a baggage truck was unloading its cargo onto a neighboring plane, while other airport workers in his field of vision were busy with refueling and maintenance work. "It's really not all that different from preparing to set sail, I suppose . . ."
"I would guess not," Veronica said, stowing her purse in the over head compartment before sitting down and buckling her seat belt. "The main difference is probably that it takes a lot less people on the crew."
Archie followed her lead and buckled his own seat belt, then picked up the SkyMall shopping catalog from the seat pouch in front of him and flipped through it.
"Does anyone actually need the items they sell in these things?" he asked incredulously. "I can't even imagine . . . who needs a talking telescope?"
He continued to amuse himself chuckling over the items in the catalog until the announcement came over the speakers that they were about to take off, at which point he turned to Veronica, the nervous look back on his face.
Veronica reached over and took his hand as the flight attendant gave the safety lecture. She hoped all the talk of floatation devices and emergency slides didn't freak him out too bad.
It wasn't the flotation devices that worried Archie; it was the oxygen masks. Still, everyone else around them appeared to be taking all this in stride, and most of them weren't even paying attention to the safety lecture. He took a deep breath (hoping those oxygen masks wouldn't become a necessity at any point) and tried to relax.
That worked fairly well -- until the plane started rumbling and vibrating as it gained speed, taxiing down the runway.
Veronica squeezed his hand and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine," she promised as they reached the end of the runway and the plane began its ascent. "Once we reach cruising altitude, you won't even notice you're flying," she said.
The ground was dropping away from them at a funny angle as Archie looked out the window, and his stomach lurched a bit. "Anyone who ever made fun of Horatio for being seasick his first day on deck should have experienced this," he mumbled, though he was soon distracted from his discomfort by the fascination of watching as the plane ascended up through the clouds.
Sure enough, as Veronica had said, the noise and motion tapered off to a much less noticeable level once they reached cruising altitude. "I can't believe we're seeing the clouds from the other side!" he whispered to her. "This is incredible!"
"It really is," Veronica agreed with a grin.
The flight attendant came around then and offered them drinks and headphones for the in-flight movie. Almost five hours after taking off, the Fasten Seatbelt sign came on and the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker, giving the weather and local time and advising they would be on the ground in twenty minutes.
"Nearly three thousand miles in five hours," Archie noted, looking at his watch. "I never would have believed it."
He was a little more relaxed as the plane started its descent, though he did reach for Veronica's hand again as the wheels touched down.
"That wasn't so bad after all," he remarked as they walked down the jetway and out into the airport. "Though I'd venture to say having you here was a great help."
"Well, I'm glad I could help," Veronica said, not needing the signs to lead them to the baggage claim. "Now we get to go find out if our luggage made it here," she said.
She pulled out her phone, turned it on and hit the speed dial button.
"It's me, we're here. We should be at the baggage claim in a few minutes," she spoke into the phone. "Yes... No... Don't you dare!"
She flipped the phone shut and grinned. "My dad's here."
Archie raised an eyebrow at her, half amused and half mildly alarmed. "Doesn't he dare what?"
"Nothing," she said, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be, I suppose," Archie said; he'd noted her reaction to the question, but didn't want to push it. "After all, you did say he liked me."
Veronica nodded. "Yes, he does. Just, um, don't pay attention to anything he says, okay?" She was praying her father wasn't going to embarrass her.
Archie unnecessarily readjusted his shirt collar again. "All right then," he said hesitantly.
"Relax," Veronica said, taking his hand. "We're going to have fun!"
"All right, all right, I believe you." Archie leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then looked up at the airline name on the sign pointing them toward their baggage claim carousel.
"Oceanic. You did say you've never had problems with them . . ."
"Not so far," Veronica said with a grin. "Let's hope that lucky streak continues."
[ooc: pre-played with actingltcrumpet. no ic interaction possible, ooc comments welcome. nfb because it doesn't happen in Fandom, but radio can report that Veronica & Archie went out of town if they so wish.]
She pulled out her driver's license and handed it to the agent, nudging Archie's arm with her elbow so he would do the same.
Archie had managed to acquire a pair of jeans and a t-shirt so as to not look too conspicuous on the trip, and so was a touch more uncomfortable than just the prospect of an airplane ride would have made him. He hesitated for a moment and reached into his wallet to fish out the identification that Veronica had gotten for him, hoping it would stand up to any scrutiny.
He gave the agent a brief smile and, suddenly much more nervous, reached for Veronica's hand.
Veronica squeezed his hand and thanked the agent as he handed back their IDs along with the boarding passes and claim tickets for their luggage, which he tagged with their flight information and set on the large conveyor belt.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Veronica said, "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"It was a nervous few minutes," Archie replied, watching the luggage with curiosity as it traveled along the belt. "Tell me those bags will end up at the same destination as we will. My God, this place is huge."
He grinned despite himself and added, "Much cleaner than most of the ports I've been in, though."
"In theory," Veronica said. "Occasionally luggage does get lost. I've never had a problem with this airline though."
She sighed when she saw the length of the line for the security checkpoint. "This might take a while," she said. Then she noticed the Starbucks nearby. "You want to wait here and I'll run over and get us some coffee?"
Archie stared at the line, the nervous expression on his face getting more and more pronounced once he realized that people were emptying their pockets into the plastic trays and passing through what looked like a doorjamb in the middle of the floor. "I don't suppose getting to the front of the line before you return is going to be any kind of concern," he answered. "Coffee sounds like a wonderful idea."
He (unnecessarily) straightened his t-shirt for the fiftieth time that day and continued to observe the security procedures, wondering why it was all so complicated.
Luckily (and surprisingly) the line at Starbucks wasn't that long, so Veronica was back in less than ten minutes. She handed Archie the paper cup with the cardboard sleeve before sipping her chai latte.
"Doesn't look like you moved very far," she remarked.
"I took eleven whole steps. It was exhausting," he said with a wink as he accepted the cup. "Oh, yes, that's perfect . . . did I ever tell you what we used to drink when coffee stores on board ran out?"
"Run out of coffee?" Veronica said. "That would be a fate worse than death for some of the people we know. And no, I don't think you ever told me."
Archie thought of Rory and Jake, and chuckled. "Yes, that's true. And God knows they'd never drink what we made do with: stale breadcrumbs, toasted black and brewed as though they were coffee grounds."
He shuddered. "It was vile. Many things were vile after months at sea, of course, which is part of why this trip we're about to take intrigues me. No algae-infested drinking water, no rounding Cape Horn . . ."
Veronica wrinkled her nose. "It sounds pretty gross," she agreed. "I guess I'm spoiled, having grown up with all the creature comforts. I can't even begin to imagine living like that.
She grinned. "Granted, air travel has it's disadvantages. You might get stuck with a crying baby, or a little kid kicking the back of our seat, or someone getting sick, or, the worst, a drunk, bored business man hitting on you."
"And yet it's much faster," Archie pointed out. "Hours instead of months, which is not to say that all of the above would be welcome. As for all those things I mentioned, one got used to them after a while. Why do you think sailors had such the reputation for revelry at every stop in port?"
He realized that by now, they were close to the front of the line. "Veronica, what do they want us to do when we reach the front?" he asked in a whisper.
"You'll have to empty your pockets and take off your shoes and place everything in one of those plastic bins so they can x-ray it," Veronica explained quietly. "And then you'll have to show your ID and your boarding pass and walk through the metal detector."
Archie was suddenly glad he didn't have anything in his pockets but his wallet and the key to his room, and that he was wearing brand-new sneakers instead of his usual boots.
"That's an awful lot of to-do just to board the plane," he murmured, retrieving said wallet and key to place in the nearest plastic bin.
"There's good reason for it," Veronica whispered back. "I'll explain later." She slipped off her sandals and placed them and her purse in a plastic bin. "Get out your ID and boarding pass," she added just as softly.
Archie nodded and went to retrieve the necessary items, then kicked off the sneakers -- they still felt so strange on his feet -- and put them into the bin with his wallet.
If he was tense as he walked through the metal detector, military discipline kept it mostly hidden; he'd seen what had happened to the several people ahead of them in line who'd set the detector off. Luckily, though, he passed through without incident and collected his things with relief once he got to the other side.
Veronica also passed through without incident and, once they had both collected their belongings and put their shoes back on, looked for the signs that would direct them to their gate.
"Here we go," she said, boarding one of the huge people movers that shuttled passengers from the main terminal to the various gates. "We'll be off in no time," she said with a smile.
Archie stepped onto the people mover and laughed as he accustomed himself to the sensation. "Is it strange that I find this more unusual than the weetiny bunnies?" he whispered to Veronica.
Veronica chuckled. "No, not really." When they go to the end, she looked at the signs again. "Okay, our gate is this way," she said, making a right and starting down a long concourse.
Archie's lips moved silently as he counted the gates. "My God, can one get to anywhere in the world from here?" he marveled.
As they approached their gate, though, he took note of all the people in the waiting area and decided it would be prudent to keep his amazement to himself. "You're sure your father will be all right with my staying?"
"Yes, he's fine with it," Veronica assured him. "He might give you a hard time, but he's just kidding. He likes you. Oh and he bought tickets to take us to a baseball game on Saturday afternoon."
"A baseball game?" Archie laughed. "I'm certainly in for a weekend of new experiences then, aren't I? I suppose I'll have to do some research on it first so I'm not entirely lost."
He leaned over and added in a lower voice, "Now that I'm not terrified of computers any more, and that's entirely thanks to you, I think I can mn that much while you're away at your orientation."
Veronica smiled. "I didn't bring my laptop, but my dad has the same one, so you shouldn't have any trouble using it," she replied. "And I figured Sunday we could drive down to San Diego and visit the Maritime Museum I told you about before we have to catch our flight back."
As far as Archie was concerned, Veronica couldn't have said anything that would have done a better job of taking his mind off his apprehension about the flight; his face lit up with excitement at the mention of the Maritime Museum.
"You remembered," he said delightedly, and gave her an impulsive hug, which drew an amused look from the flight attendant who'd just stepped behind the counter to announce the boarding call.
"Of course I remembered," she said, returning his hug. "Okay, that's us," she added after hearing the boarding call. "You have your boarding pass and ID, right?"
Archie nodded and held up said items, then swallowed and looked down the jetway. "I think you may have to hold my hand for the flight after all," he remarked. "I've only just realized we'll be thousands of feet off the ground in a metal tube!"
Veronica took his hand and smiled. "It'll be fine. Trust me," she said, pulling her own boarding pass and ID in her free hand. She showed them to the gate agent and led Archie down the jetway. "Since it's a long flight, we'll get to watch movies and they'll feed us," she told him. "Plus, I used my dad's frequent flyer miles to upgrade us to first class, so we'll get all kinds of special treatment. And extra leg room."
"Well, I can't argue with food, movies, and special treatment," Archie said as he checked the row numbers, found their seats, and settled in. He peered out the window, fascinated by the bustle of activity out on the tarmac; a baggage truck was unloading its cargo onto a neighboring plane, while other airport workers in his field of vision were busy with refueling and maintenance work. "It's really not all that different from preparing to set sail, I suppose . . ."
"I would guess not," Veronica said, stowing her purse in the over head compartment before sitting down and buckling her seat belt. "The main difference is probably that it takes a lot less people on the crew."
Archie followed her lead and buckled his own seat belt, then picked up the SkyMall shopping catalog from the seat pouch in front of him and flipped through it.
"Does anyone actually need the items they sell in these things?" he asked incredulously. "I can't even imagine . . . who needs a talking telescope?"
He continued to amuse himself chuckling over the items in the catalog until the announcement came over the speakers that they were about to take off, at which point he turned to Veronica, the nervous look back on his face.
Veronica reached over and took his hand as the flight attendant gave the safety lecture. She hoped all the talk of floatation devices and emergency slides didn't freak him out too bad.
It wasn't the flotation devices that worried Archie; it was the oxygen masks. Still, everyone else around them appeared to be taking all this in stride, and most of them weren't even paying attention to the safety lecture. He took a deep breath (hoping those oxygen masks wouldn't become a necessity at any point) and tried to relax.
That worked fairly well -- until the plane started rumbling and vibrating as it gained speed, taxiing down the runway.
Veronica squeezed his hand and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine," she promised as they reached the end of the runway and the plane began its ascent. "Once we reach cruising altitude, you won't even notice you're flying," she said.
The ground was dropping away from them at a funny angle as Archie looked out the window, and his stomach lurched a bit. "Anyone who ever made fun of Horatio for being seasick his first day on deck should have experienced this," he mumbled, though he was soon distracted from his discomfort by the fascination of watching as the plane ascended up through the clouds.
Sure enough, as Veronica had said, the noise and motion tapered off to a much less noticeable level once they reached cruising altitude. "I can't believe we're seeing the clouds from the other side!" he whispered to her. "This is incredible!"
"It really is," Veronica agreed with a grin.
The flight attendant came around then and offered them drinks and headphones for the in-flight movie. Almost five hours after taking off, the Fasten Seatbelt sign came on and the captain's voice came over the loudspeaker, giving the weather and local time and advising they would be on the ground in twenty minutes.
"Nearly three thousand miles in five hours," Archie noted, looking at his watch. "I never would have believed it."
He was a little more relaxed as the plane started its descent, though he did reach for Veronica's hand again as the wheels touched down.
"That wasn't so bad after all," he remarked as they walked down the jetway and out into the airport. "Though I'd venture to say having you here was a great help."
"Well, I'm glad I could help," Veronica said, not needing the signs to lead them to the baggage claim. "Now we get to go find out if our luggage made it here," she said.
She pulled out her phone, turned it on and hit the speed dial button.
"It's me, we're here. We should be at the baggage claim in a few minutes," she spoke into the phone. "Yes... No... Don't you dare!"
She flipped the phone shut and grinned. "My dad's here."
Archie raised an eyebrow at her, half amused and half mildly alarmed. "Doesn't he dare what?"
"Nothing," she said, her cheeks flushing slightly. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be, I suppose," Archie said; he'd noted her reaction to the question, but didn't want to push it. "After all, you did say he liked me."
Veronica nodded. "Yes, he does. Just, um, don't pay attention to anything he says, okay?" She was praying her father wasn't going to embarrass her.
Archie unnecessarily readjusted his shirt collar again. "All right then," he said hesitantly.
"Relax," Veronica said, taking his hand. "We're going to have fun!"
"All right, all right, I believe you." Archie leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, then looked up at the airline name on the sign pointing them toward their baggage claim carousel.
"Oceanic. You did say you've never had problems with them . . ."
"Not so far," Veronica said with a grin. "Let's hope that lucky streak continues."
[ooc: pre-played with actingltcrumpet. no ic interaction possible, ooc comments welcome. nfb because it doesn't happen in Fandom, but radio can report that Veronica & Archie went out of town if they so wish.]