The Navigator

38. Skyfall

Author's Note:

Song Credit: Cover Me, Black Math

This Chapter contains some mature language and sexual themes. This story is rated mature so discretion is advised.

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The journey through the gray, square hallway was nearly uneventful, the only thing distinguishing it from a stuffy office building, besides the sure footed sailors, was the sudden lurching of an impact followed by a momentary weightlessness. Addy yelped and clutched to her date.

"Are we falling?" she squealed at an embarrassing volume. Jax chuckled and helped her relax her grip and regain her feet when gravity returned much too suddenly.

"Settle down sweetheart, it's a rough docking, we're in orbit so we can't fall. Just a momentary loss of artificial gravity, it happens."

She could tell he was right, no one else had been concerned in the least, and now that he said it she realized that obviously they couldn't fall. They could die horribly in thousands of other ways, but falling could be eliminated from the list of possibilities. She relaxed and he released the majority of his grip, maintaining a fist in the loose cloth of his jumpsuit at her back. That way he could quickly move her out of the way, but he seemed to enjoy the control more than absolutely necessary. Demonstrated by his gentle shake and sly smile he gave her.

When he had first returned, Addy had been so shocked to see him that she hadn't really noticed how different he had been until she could now compare that behaviour to the flirty, smug bastard next to her now. This was how she remembered him, all aggressive cocky confidence and it was a relief to see the return of those charismatic traits. He was a joy to tease if memory served.

"Oh good, I would hate to die the captive of a pirate."

She didn't lower her voice, and she didn't miss the peaked interest of those closest to them. The fist in the fabric at her back jerked her sideways and back so Jax was pressed to her back as his mouth found the shell of her ear.

"If you wouldn't mind keeping the 'pirate' stuff to yourself I would appreciate it, especially since you are literally a stowaway. I would rather not get detained."

If not for the heat of his breath and the hard closeness of his body she would have laughed outright, as it was it took a few staggering steps forward for her to understand what he was saying.

"What? Why? It's not like space pirates are an actual..." She trailed off as she got a look at his raised brow expression. "No, no way! Really? Space pirates are real? Have you met any?"

Jax pressed them doggedly towards their destination while calmly explaining that he had spent a lifetime in space and he had met all kinds of people, but flatly refused to elaborate, enjoying the distracted exasperation he had triggered in his date. Addy continued her line of questioning until they reached a narrow hallway that seemed to be heading towards the edge of the station.

At the end of the much smaller hall was a spinning door, moving rapidly in a seamless junction that made it part, yet not part of the rest of the station. It was mesmerizing, and Addy found herself a little breathless staring at it. Jax was speaking with a man who stood partially blocking the hallway but Addy couldn't hear, she was focused on the rotation, trying to figure out the how's and why's without getting dizzy, unsuccessfully.

She barely noticed the handshake between the two men or the low laughter exchanged between them, only aware of the pressure at her back, pressing her towards the source of her curiosity. Curiosity that doubled when the spinning door slid open seamlessly as she approached it, encouraging her to step through and out into open air.