Fic: Ignorance Is Not Bliss
Jun. 1st, 2014 12:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lilfluffTitle: Ignorance Is Not Bliss
Fandom/'verse: Science fiction, far future
Summary: Jack and Harry, two kids on a trip far from their home station...
Warnings/Triggers: Some use of expletives
Word Count: 562
Prompter: A square on my January Prompt Bingo triggered an idea
Harry looked up. Clouds. Nothing but clouds and the ribbon that was the far side of the colony ring arcing overhead. Only the knowledge that he'd just checked five minutes ago and five minutes before that kept him from checking his belt for his emergency breathing kit.
"What keeps it in?"
"What?" Jack was squinting at him as if he hadn't been hitting Harry with questions all day.
"The air, their's no roof. How can we still be breathing."
"There are walls."
"Yeah, but there's no roof. It's open up there. Why doesn't the air escape."
"Science keeps it in."
"Yeah but--"
"It's physics, shut up and start looking at the map again."
"Jerk." His tablet showed a blue dot where he was and was still showing a busy spinner while it searched for the address. "Look, we're not lost. We know where we are. Loraine Sector, at the Loraine Hibbert-Lowell spaceport. So shut up yourself or show me the directions."
"I already gave you the address just look it up already."
"How hard is it to give give me a copy of the email? What did you do, accidentally delete it?" Harry's tablet vibrated and when he looked again he cursed. "Jack. It says there's no such address within a hundred kilometers. Will you open up the damn file and check the directions again?"
Another vibration and a new window popped open on his tablet. "What the hell? Language warning? Jack, did you know this place has a language policy?"
"Oh for fucks sake, can you stay on task for once? You know, forget it, I'll look it up my-- what! Five ecu fine for a language violation?"
"I just warned you, you moron." With a shrug he closed the Nav program and switched to Butterfly Quest and started matching flights of winged insects.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it matter? You said you'd look it up yourself."
"Damn it, if you aren't going to--"
Harry laughed as notice of another fine popped up on Jack's watch.
"If you aren't going to help then do some coursework."
There was a polite cough to the side and they both looked over to find a lady in uniform. "You kids look lost, anything I can help with?"
Jack gave Harry a glare before smiling to the lady, "Certainly can, we're looking for the Lowell Natural History Museum. We've got a work study contract."
The lady, Kori according to her name badge, looked puzzled for a moment before pulling out a handpad and doing a search. "You're in the wrong city. You want the Lowell in Koertig Sector."
"Koertig? Jack, how did you misread Koertig as Loraine? Where the heck is Koertig"
Kori pointed off to the right. "About eight hundred kilometers north of here. I take it you didn't mean to arrive here?"
"Oh, he meant to."
"Harry, shut up. I guess we buy another pair of tickets."
"We? You're the one who didn't share the email. You ought to buy my new ticket."
"Boys, I'm afraid I have to ask, are you traveling alone?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"Are either of you over sixteen standard years?"
"Jack will be next month."
"And you?"
"Not for three more months."
"Then I'm afraid you're both in violation of curfew. I'll need you to come with me to the local station office."
Fandom/'verse: Science fiction, far future
Summary: Jack and Harry, two kids on a trip far from their home station...
Warnings/Triggers: Some use of expletives
Word Count: 562
Prompter: A square on my January Prompt Bingo triggered an idea
Harry looked up. Clouds. Nothing but clouds and the ribbon that was the far side of the colony ring arcing overhead. Only the knowledge that he'd just checked five minutes ago and five minutes before that kept him from checking his belt for his emergency breathing kit.
"What keeps it in?"
"What?" Jack was squinting at him as if he hadn't been hitting Harry with questions all day.
"The air, their's no roof. How can we still be breathing."
"There are walls."
"Yeah, but there's no roof. It's open up there. Why doesn't the air escape."
"Science keeps it in."
"Yeah but--"
"It's physics, shut up and start looking at the map again."
"Jerk." His tablet showed a blue dot where he was and was still showing a busy spinner while it searched for the address. "Look, we're not lost. We know where we are. Loraine Sector, at the Loraine Hibbert-Lowell spaceport. So shut up yourself or show me the directions."
"I already gave you the address just look it up already."
"How hard is it to give give me a copy of the email? What did you do, accidentally delete it?" Harry's tablet vibrated and when he looked again he cursed. "Jack. It says there's no such address within a hundred kilometers. Will you open up the damn file and check the directions again?"
Another vibration and a new window popped open on his tablet. "What the hell? Language warning? Jack, did you know this place has a language policy?"
"Oh for fucks sake, can you stay on task for once? You know, forget it, I'll look it up my-- what! Five ecu fine for a language violation?"
"I just warned you, you moron." With a shrug he closed the Nav program and switched to Butterfly Quest and started matching flights of winged insects.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it matter? You said you'd look it up yourself."
"Damn it, if you aren't going to--"
Harry laughed as notice of another fine popped up on Jack's watch.
"If you aren't going to help then do some coursework."
There was a polite cough to the side and they both looked over to find a lady in uniform. "You kids look lost, anything I can help with?"
Jack gave Harry a glare before smiling to the lady, "Certainly can, we're looking for the Lowell Natural History Museum. We've got a work study contract."
The lady, Kori according to her name badge, looked puzzled for a moment before pulling out a handpad and doing a search. "You're in the wrong city. You want the Lowell in Koertig Sector."
"Koertig? Jack, how did you misread Koertig as Loraine? Where the heck is Koertig"
Kori pointed off to the right. "About eight hundred kilometers north of here. I take it you didn't mean to arrive here?"
"Oh, he meant to."
"Harry, shut up. I guess we buy another pair of tickets."
"We? You're the one who didn't share the email. You ought to buy my new ticket."
"Boys, I'm afraid I have to ask, are you traveling alone?"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"Are either of you over sixteen standard years?"
"Jack will be next month."
"And you?"
"Not for three more months."
"Then I'm afraid you're both in violation of curfew. I'll need you to come with me to the local station office."
