Uladox

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Tale: Just Out of Site

"Here's where humanity began!"

I adverted my gaze away from the vast wasteland flowing beneath me to the helmet where this utterance originated. Honestly, I don't even know why he wears it, only in the military do helicopter operators have helmets. Long gone are the days of leather caps, now it's either helmets or nothing. That's at least what the top search results say on my phone. How many rides has it been now that I bothered to search it up? I would have asked him about it, but I keep forgetting due to his ramb—

"Behold the birthplace of the species that would come to dominate the planet! Could you believe that we, separated by vast swaths of space and time, whose ancestors had only the slimmest chance of seeing this place in person, would have the pleasure to bask in its presence again? It may seem like the high amounts of fat from fish would have been the catalyst for our unusually large brains, but I don't see anywhere for aquatic monkeys to hide below!"

I knew his pace, it isn't hard to catch up, so I did, "Of course you won't find an aquatic monkey in all that there yellow. You gotta think outside of the box, you gotta look up. See all that blue clearer than the Bahamas during midday? That's where the damn watery primates are swimming around! See those there puffy clouds? Those are the reefs the flying fish hide in! You don't see them because they go right over your head!"

I took a brief break from my farcical spew to actually look at the sky. It looked like a painting, which is normal, and even though it was day I could still see the moon. It was beautiful. Yeah, I've finally let up from losing that poker game last night, humor really is the best medicine. Huh? What's he laughing about?

"Heh heh. Eh, first thing I'm gonna do when I get back from dropping you off at the site is 'ta buy a cold one and a nice J U I C Y expensive steak using my ^humble winnings."

"Ah go to hell Jim!"

"I have enough for a return ticket all on you Ross, buddy."

"Why do you need a ticket? You're a pilot, fly yourself there."

"Heh. What makes you think that as your pilot I wouldn't just bring you along for the ride?"

That's old Jim, quick as ever. Well, he's not really old, he joined the foundation just three or four years before I did. I'm still amazed by all the different types of people you meet on the job. Some people get really jaded because when work gets serious, it gets really serious. Scraping up the remains of D class is always a traumatic first experience. Over time work just becomes work, you get used to it. Still, you're not going to be joking around at the site everyday.

Jim shouted out from the cockpit, "We're almost here!"

In the distance a concrete rectangle distorted by heat waves rolled over the horizon. While it was about as wide as I expected, it was surprisingly short. As we got closer I could make it out to be a large square surrounded by several buildings that looked like domes and garages. Oh yeah, that's right!

"Okay Jim, why do you wear a helmet? We aren't exactly in any danger are we? I haven't been informed of such."

"Naww, it's just standard protocol. You know how it is."

"Oh, I though there'd be a more interesting reason."

"Who knows? Maybe the higher ups have a good reason, maybe they don't. Either way, being caught breaking protocol isn't worth the risk."

The helicopter had descended down to the ground now. I stepped out with my bags slumped over my shoulder as the site director and several researchers I knew walked towards us. I turned to Jim to say my goodby—

"What do you think they keep in this site?", Jim interrupted again.

"What?"

"Next time you see me you'll have to fill me in on the situation. As long as it meets my clearance my level of course. I mean it must be pretty crazy stuff if they can't store it at a regular site or even one of those Arctic sites. What type of things would be in containment so that that they would need to be held in a site in the middle of an African Savanna?"

I guess joking around everyday is more than out of the picture. That's why you play poker the night before leaving or engage in over the top banter on the helicopter ride with Jim. You need to take every opportunity given to you to have fun to make up for what you do while on the clock. That's just part of life at the foundation.