Page 136 of Every Almost

"Ready for go." Seconds passed by as the sounds under the shuttle started to get a bit louder. Charlie looked around her feet, feeling an exhilaration at hearing the engines roar to life in a smaller vessel. She could feel these same rhythms and sequences in the engine housing on board the Emberkind itself, but, on this size of a ship, she couldfeelit in her bones without touching any walls.

"Mark," Torvax said loudly over the engine noise, and Charlie felt the shuttle lift slightly and hover inside the shuttle bay.

"Spin start adjust a 'go' on my mark," came Torvax's voice again.

"Ready for go."

This time, it was barely two seconds. "Mark."

Charlie felt the shuttle begin to rotate, a slow, controlled turn that took about ten seconds to bring the bow around. When it had completed the 180-degree rotation, Charlie could see the bay doors wide open through the viewport.

"Stabilizers up," Torvax instructed.

"Up."

"Coordinates locked."

"Locked."

"Directional assist activated."

"Activated and waiting for launch."

At this, Torvax looked up and out through the viewport. "Go for launch at your command, pilot."

Charlie hadn't noticed this whole time that Reyna had been moving back to her seat on the opposite side of the ship across from her, where she was seated before when she had been talking to Charlie. Charlie didn't notice that she had sat down, locked herself into the harness, and checked herself in her seat for the launch.

But Charlie realized it now, because Reyna's movement of unbuckling her harness, unseating herself from the jump chair, and the quick movement of her crossing the deck and taking the seat on Charlie's immediate left made Charlie very aware of where she wasnow.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked, worry etched in her face and escaping through her voice because,weren't they freakin' launching their shuttle into space right now?

She watched Reyna quickly strap into the harness next to her and lock herself into her new seat. It was then that she pulled Charlie's hand off the armrest she hadn't realized she'd been gripping, and intertwined her fingers through Charlie's, holding her steady. Charlie's grip loosened immediately, and her eyes sought out Reyna's. Reyna finally looked over at her.

"If I'd left you to that poor armrest, I think I would have had to put in a repair order to the Coalition before we even got through the bay doors."

Charlie didn't react at first, but then shortly after actually laughed. Soon, Reyna joined her.

"Jesus," Charlie finally said as her laugh died down. "I didn't mean to take anything out on the poor shuttle." When Charlie raised her gaze to Reyna, she smiled over at her.

"Don't worry," she said softly. "I've got you." And Reyna squeezed her hand to emphasize the point, just as the pilot ahead announced the next part of the sequence.

"We are go."

And the shuttle took off from the bay, the engines rumbling underneath Charlie's feet, the entire shuttle vibrating as it streaked out into open space through the Emberkind's bay doors, at a speed Charlie was sure Earth had only dreamed about.

But she didn't worry, or flinch, or even feel scared anymore. Because the warm hand holding hers that belonged to a captain she was realizing cared more about others than she let on, was keeping her steady and safe and...okay.

Hours into the shuttle trip,Charlie sat in her jump seat, watching the crew move around her. Reyna had returned to her duties working with Torvax and the pilot in front, monitoring their progress as well as reports from the Coalition as they came in.

She had sat with Charlie for the first twenty minutes of the trip and held her hand the entire time. When she finally did unbuckle her harness and unseat herself from the jump chair next to Charlie, she gave Charlie's hand one final squeeze.

"No more destroying my shuttle, yeah?" She asked, unlinking her fingers from Charlie's. Charlie didn't want to admit that she felt the immediate absence of her, but she figured it was because Charlie had been kind of treating Reyna as a lifeline and now, that lifeline had to go and do her job.

"Yeah," Charlie replied.

"Yeah?" Reyna asked, shocked amusement on her face.

"I mean no!" Charlie retorted, realizing her mistake. "No, I won't destroyyourshuttle any further, captain." Reyna studied her closely, a smirk catching on her face.