Prompt #001
Prompt: “She’s crazy. And just when you think you’ve hit the bottom of her crazy, there’s a crazy underground garage.”
Character: Atlas Molniya
Scene: A briefing with a Captain in the Empire for their help.
Warnings: None.
Type: Fluff, I think.
MC Name: Cana Harrington
Word count: 623
It was something Atlas never dreamed of. Hell, he even went out of his way to promise himself he’d never do this sort of shit again.
And yet, here he was. Working with the damn enemy.
He told himself that if it wasn’t for the good of the Galaxy, he would have high tailed it out of there faster than Jaxon could make a conversation all about him. With purses lips and taut brows, he sat quietly in his seat as Cana brought the Empire captain up to speed with rushed words and accentuated gestures.
He had to bite back the urge to snort at the several times she tripped over her own words or fell into a tangent about the delicate technical components that made up the weapon they were trying to take back from the Union. He didn’t have to be dating her to know she was riddled from nerves, and it took an unusual amount of self-control to stop himself from interjecting in order to ease her.
“So yeah,” She finished lamely with a half-hearted shrug. Her dark eyes roamed across the faces that were still watching her and she swallowed thickly, “Will you help us?”
The Empire Captain placed a gloved finger to his lips in thought, though his expression remained blasé, “And if we do help, what happens to this weapon?”
“It gets destroyed.” Orion spoke up, his tone strong and full authority, leaving little room for argument, “No one should have that much power at their fingertips.”
“Be that as it may,” The Captain started and Atlas fought the urge to groan, “It would be in everyone’s best interest if we locked it up where it’s safe. The Empire could provide such an environment where no one can get their hands on it.”
“With all due respect… Sir,” The title dripped from Cana’s tongue like acid, all of her previous trepidation buried beneath her irritation, “You are just as bad as The Union. I wouldn’t trust either of you with a pen I let you borrow, let alone a weapon that has the potential to wipe out an entire planet! We may need your help, but if it comes with the condition to give you this weapon…” She trailed off, only just realizing how far she was stepping over the line. She briefly caught Atlas’ gaze, his eyes wide, suddenly full with interest and… pride? Affection swelled in her chest along with a newfound bravado and she turned back to the Empire Captain, jutting her chin up, “You can kiss my ass.”
“That’s my girl.” A grin stretched across Atlas’ lips just as Orion sighed.
“That’s enough, don’t encourage her,” With tired eyes, he turned to look at his trust engineer, “Thank you for help, Cana, you can return to your work now.”
She looked as though she had more to say but reluctantly clamped her mouth shut and nodded her head. Just as she fully left the room, she stopped just before the Empire Captain, her voice flat, “If you think about double-crossing us, I’ll personally make sure that weapon detonated in your hand.”
“Cana, enough.” Orion exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose as though he was a father tired of telling his child off. Without another word, the engineer left, leaving only the three men left in the briefing room as both Nova and Jaxon were busting themselves with other tasks.
“She’s crazy!” The Captain gaped, jaw slack and face red.
“Oh yeah,” Atlas agreed, his smile unwavering as a fond undertone laced in with the amusement, “She’s crazy. And just when you think you’ve reached the bottom of her craziness, there’s a crazy underground garage.” It’s why I love her, he added inwardly.
