Let’s Go to Vegas

One of the areas where people expect super-tech to have influenced that it hasn’t is the transportation industry, particularly flying. While certain Breakthroughs have developed advanced technologies for getting into space and Catalysts have made some of that incomprehensible technology at least semi-understandable, the fact is such technology is slow to work into mundane, day to day travel.

It isn’t that there is no effect on the airline industry. Certain technology used by the TSA originated in UNLOC super-labs while several safety and efficiency technologies have made flying even safer than it already was. However, there’s no real profit for super-techs to figure out how to make airline seats more comfortable, nor motivation for the airlines to treat them like anything more than flying buses.

At the end of the day, super-powers are still often trumped by the all mighty dollar.

Russel McFarland, “Technology and the Age of Supers or Why So Few Flying Cars?”

Solaris was kicked back on the couch watching some of the YouTubers Zakai had recommended when her phone rang, she hit the answer button without paying much attention “Hello?”

"Yes, hello. Is this Elizabeth Summers? I want to make sure I used the right number. Penny gave me a few of them."

“Yes,this is Miss Summers, who may I ask is calling?”

"This is Louise Carpazo. I'm Lou Carpazo's granddaughter and your accountant. Well, owner of the firm that does your accounting." she explained. "We've exchanged some emails."

“Ahh. It’s a pleasure to hear your voice.” She sat up and set her iPad down. “My bankers spoke well on how you’ve taken care of me.”

"That's kind of them, seeing as we've argued almost constantly over every major decision." She laughed. "Though I suppose it’s telling they’ve also suggested me to customers. Which is why I'm calling. I have all the hard copies, including the gray accounts and some more detailed business data. I was wondering if we could arrange for you to come out here, and my staff can go over it with you. I kept the originals here in Vegas."

“That should be doable, Zakai is still working on the media schedule, so I’m in a rather delightful lull. When do you want us to come out?”

"As soon as you like. I've been getting it all put together and it should only take a day to go over it all. You can check out Las Vegas and really enjoy that lull."

“I’ll talk to Penny and Tracy, so we get all the details straight, and I’ll have an Itinerary sent over. We should be able to be out in the next few days.”

"Excellent. There's lots of things you can do out here besides gamble. Rent a supercar, shoot machine guns, take in some shows. Though I suppose the second one you've done."

“I have, but it is fun.” She remembered pulling a destroyers 20mm orlicon off and using it like a Tommy gun. She had kept it as a souvenir, and wondered if it was another item that may have ended up in Kinnecott. She really needed to go to Alaska at some point. “I look forward to seeing it.” She gave her fair wells and made her way down to Penny’s office. “Busy?” She asked.

"Just ordering some things from a certain Tailor. He wholesales kevlar and carbon fiber sheeting. What's up?"

“Louise reached out, she wants us to come to Vegas to go over the books. Since we are waiting for the suits and such, I figured we could fly out for a bit.”

"Easy to do. There's direct flights multiple times a day." Penny commented. "Want me to arrange it? And when do you want to leave?"

“Yes please. We don’t really have anything going on and the media haven’t found the house yet.”

"And I prefer not to be here when they do." Penny admitted. "Though the boys wouldn't have much to do in Vegas. Mrs. Ruan might like to go. She strikes me as the type."

"To break a casino? Not since I was young." The Asian woman's voice came as she walked into the room, smirking. "I heard you talking. I agree, the boys shouldn't go to Sin City, but I would enjoy it. I suspect you'll find yourselves needing someone not absorbed by other business from time to time."

“Alright then Penny, do you mind setting reservations for three? And can you email Tracy and let her know where we will be?”

"Oh, has to be Ceasars Palace." She chuckled. "I'll give her a heads up. We should be able to get a suite big enough for a meeting. Just checking, you don't want a private pool or poker table do you.' She chuckled.

“No, I don’t need anything crazy. I just want us all to be comfortable.”

Penny glanced at the older woman. "Wait till she gets a hold of the shopping opportunities."

“Oh yes, lots of shopping, we will do crazy spa day too. Vegas has good, crazy spas.”

"Oh, hell yeah they do. And shows. We'll have to see what's playing right now."

Solaris smiled leaving them to the planning while she went to figure out what to wear for the flight.

Solaris found Mrs. Ruan and Penny lounging in the living room next to the luggage. Mrs. Ruan was wearing a jogging suit, while Penny wore jeans and a Coast Guard T-shirt. Both looked up and were as shocked as her. "What are you wearing?" Penny asked.

“I was going to ask the same?” Solaris said. She has chosen a beautiful gold and cream knit dress with cap sleeves and a pretty set of cream kitten heels, “Why are you dressed so…casually?”

"We're going to be on the plane for like, four to five hours I think. Don't you want to be comfortable?"

Nahoa, who had been collecting a couple more bags to take to the truck chuckled. "You're both dressed exactly right for flying on an airplane. It's just Ms. Summers dressed for her time, not now. Flying used to be an event, and people would wear suits and ties." He looked at Solaris. "Now it's more like how taking a short train trip might have been for you?"

"Yeah, if you're traveling in the cattle car." Marcus commented, carrying another bag.

Solaris looked at them confusion plain on her face. “I don’t understand, it’s flying, it is an event, a chance to relax and let the stewardesses take care of you with a fine meal and wine?”

"Fine meal? I mean, wine, yeah, but meal? I mean, we’re first class, so it’ll be pretty decent, probably."

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"Aircraft were lower and slower then. They had actual galleys, and mouths weren't as dry." The big man said. " I mean First Class is still good food, but it's not quite the fancy event you remember, ma'am. Not unless you're flying premium intercontinental. Even then, most carriers in the US are basically flying buses with meals, if you're paying for that."

"We are."

"Oh lord, just promise not to throw anyone into orbit when we hit security." Mrs. Ruan said with a smile.

“Why would I do that to someone doing their job? I am not a, what was the word, a Karen.”

"Go get into something a bit more comfortable. And wear slip on shoes. And socks." Penny instructed. "We'll deal with the next step when it comes."

Solaris wasn’t happy, but you didn’t hire people and ignore their advice. She changed into jeans with a blue and white t-shirt and a pair of ankle boots “Is this better?”

"Sure. Looks good." She let the boots slide. Her boss would learn. "The trucks all loaded, lets head out."

One Hour Later:

Penny stood, watching Solaris as the other woman eyed all the security, scanning equipment, dogs, and chaos that was JFK. They were just getting to the front of the security line.

“This is certainly more crowded than any airport I’ve been in. I see why you wanted to leave so early. Why are there so many security checks? Are stowaways a problem?”

"No. Oh man, we've not talked about recent history much." She sighed. "Let’s just say people got stupid and everyone gets to pay for it."

"Next! Please take off your shoes, and put any metal, electronics, and your shoes in these bins."

“My shoes? She looked around and saw the man wasn’t joking. Looking at the floor she shuddered, then floated up a little and took off her shoes. She dreaded thinking about how dirty the floor must be. She opened her purse and set her iPad and phone in the bin.

“Do I take my jewelry off?” she asked Penny.

"Yes. Put it back on when we get through the metal detector." She said, almost choking, when a teenaged girl a few stalls down said "Why didn't I think of that!" And started hovering herself, to her mother’s embarrassment.

Solaris took off her watch, necklace and earrings, placing them in the bin. “Penny I’ve gone though less security visiting super villains and military laboratories.” she said appalled, as she followed them though the white gate.

"Not anymore." Penny muttered, having already filled a couple of bins. "I'll explain when we get to the lounge. We do have a first-class lounge at least."

Mrs. Ruan had, strangely, gone through a different line, and was waiting for them on the other side, muttering in several languages. "Stupid metal detectors. Stupid Transit Authority."

They packed back up ignoring a very pained TSA supervisor as they did. Reaching the first-class lounge near their flight, Penny sighed. "Where do I start."

"Communism." Mrs. Ruan suggested.

“Oh hell, of course Communism finds a way to muck up the fun of flying.” Solaris growled.

"Okay, not completely, but it kind of started that way. This didn't all happen at once, though it kind of felt like it." Penny said. "See, back in the fifties and sixties, nut jobs would sneak weapons or a bomb, or just claim to, onto an airliner and demand they take them to Cuba, which by that point was Communist."

"At the time, the airlines kind of just went with it, as the police and feds were concerned with trying to take a hijacker down with the bystanders around. The US usually just contacted Cuba, warned them the plane was coming, and they let it land and arrested the idiot. Then sent the plane back after maybe a day or two, giving the passengers a harrowing flight but lovely stay in Havannah."

"Then fanatics got involved, particularly religious extremists. Middle Eastern groups mostly, claiming opposition to Israel or some other slight, started claiming God demanded action and started bombing airliners. Thus, security started to increase. Then came September Eleventh."

“I can hear the capitals when you say that. Solaris said as they sat down to wait for the plane.

"On September Eleventh, 2001 four groups of terrorists working in unison seized control of four airliners. On that morning, Two crashed into the World Trade Center, what used to be the tallest buildings in New York. One crashed into the Pentagon and the last, the passengers found out what had happened with the other three and attacked the hijackers, causing the plane to crash in an empty field. Two months later the Global War on Terror, and the war in Afghanistan, started. I was an infant."

"I was still running the family restaurant." Mrs. Ruan said. "I have seen horrors in my life, but never had I seen Americans so wounded. The fall of Saigon is the only day with as much terror for me, but the anger and rage that came after, that is something that seems very American. The comparison to Pearl Harbor was made, and you saw how that ended."

“Oh my. “Solaris sat quietly letting that settle. She remembered the London bombings, and the kamikaze pilots of Japan, she remembered the American reaction to Pearl. One hundred and fifty million Americans unifying under one tragedy to march to war. “So, all these security measures are a response to that. I can understand needing to protect your people, giving them security to heal from the wounds of war.”

"New topic." Penny said. "Shows. I already booked a Cirque and Penn and Teller." she said, pulling out her tablet. "So, is there anything else we definitely want to see?"

Solaris looked at her tablet. “Mmm, there is a Sinatra show! We should do that one!”

"Sinatra is good. And classic Vegas. I figured we'd skip Elvis this time, since I'm sure we're going to be back out here from time to time so you might as well learn who that is first."

“BattleBots? That sounds fun, but we don’t want to overbook, we will want time to relax and explore.”

"And shop."

"And to gamble."

"Caesars Palace was damn near built for you, or at least the shops there were."

“I am eager to see it. The boys went to Vegas once but I was busy with the tank girls, I think the only casino was the Flamingo, though the pictures of it were amazing.”

"The Flamingo is still here. It's the only one safe from being replaced. We could go gamble there, walk the same terrain, since we all know a bunch of enlisted guys went and gambled." Penny said

“That could be fun, a bit of old Vegas and the new. I can’t believe how quickly you were able to get flights. I didn’t even have time to read up on Vegas.”

"There's like, a dozen or more flights to Vegas a day going out of New York. It's dead easy to get a flight there. Also, you're used to aircraft that carry thirty or forty people. The Airbus we're taking seats over a hundred, I think. And to be fair, it's only a midsized airliner. That 767 can fit well over four hundred, though those are usually long-haul flights like to Europe or Asia."

“That is pretty amazing, but that must be a lot of work for the stewardesses. I don’t think I’d like to be on a plane with that many people considering how much people drink while flying.”

"Actually, those planes have crew berths on board, so the crew, including pilots, can sleep on the way while others take over. Also, their crews are pretty big."

"And only a small amount of it is first class, meaning getting a lot of attention."

“I am getting more and more apprehensions about this flight.” She looked up as someone called their flight to board.

"We're in preliminary boarding. Off we go." Penny said, leading the way to the jetway, handing over the tickets and leading the other ladies on board.

Six hours and a loss of faith in the future later they got off the plane. “My lord, that was not the flying I knew. The only pleasant things were the stewardesses and the wine! I’d have been better off in my F3F, and that’s a one seat biplane!”

"The Bloody Marys helped." Mrs. Ruan added, slightly tipsy.

"Yeah, well, it's what you do unless you're going to charter a flight or own your own plane." Penny shrugged.

“Do we have to deal with all that…. madness if we own or charter a plane, because heaven’s mercy that was not something I’m doing again!”

"No, other than customs we can do what we want with our own plane. Charters are somewhere between the two, but not as secured. Of course, charter would get more expensive than owning, especially if we follow through with getting people pilots licenses like we talked about."

“I will buy a plane, I probably will need one anyway once Zakai gets busy with the PR. Then I’ll be spared dealing with pushy people and materials that are allegedly food.”

"Right... I'll look into that." Penny promised. "Though I admit, I liked the idea of sailing to England or Europe over flying."

Solaris nodded “I see no reason not to keep that plan.” The blonde woman took a long centering breath and looked around. “There are slot machines in the airport. You can lose your taxi money before you even get out of the airport!”

"Yeah, and the clocks are made by Rolex. God, this is so Vegas already." Penny laughed, leading the way to claim their luggage, itself a struggle as Mrs. Ruans suitcase had been damaged in transit, something the airline took no responsibility for. "Well, guess I'm buying a suitcase here." The old woman muttered as they headed towards the door, and their shuttle to Ceasars Palace.

“I cannot believe I just got off a flight and I still need a drink.” She watched as the luggage was loaded and climbed on the brightly decorated bus. “Is there somewhere good to eat at the hotel? I’m starving. Once we get settled in, I want to find a good meal.”

Mrs. Ruan chirped "Ohh! Hell’s Kitchen! We should eat there!"

“Aright. Well sounds like Granny has that sorted out. Solaris laughed. “Dare I ask what kind of food it has?” With a name like Hell’s Kitchen she had no idea what to expect.