shuttle simulator took her one day to figure out. One day! So why is she dropping the ball on this? It’s like she’s so used to flying the shuttle that she can’t adapt to Orion. Granted, the two are nothing alike, but still, she should be able to do it, she’s a member of the Atlantis 4, for Chrissake. Whatever it is, whatever is missing, she needs to find it - and fast.
As she reaches the top of the stairs the man in front of her stops abruptly and she bumps into him. ‘What are you doing?’
‘What? Oh, sorry. Nothing.’
‘Get a move on, will you?’
Rhonda watches the man enter the aircraft and rolls her eyes. The reason the last two days have been so arduous is because that man, good old Severson Burke, who is also a member of the selection committee, accompanied her on this trip. Good Lord he’s a tool. Yes, he can be charming in a Downey Jr-ish sort of way, but mainly he’s a selfish son of a bitch who thinks of no one but himself. He’s also the reason they’re the last to board the aircraft. He took so long in the bathroom they almost missed the final boarding call.
~ * ~
Severson would happily miss the flight and drive to Los Angeles if he could. Unfortunately that’d mean he’d also miss the movie’s announcement and he can’t have that, no matter how much he hates flying, or being in an aircraft, or being near machines designed to lift him off the ground. In fact, they don’t even have to be machines. As far as he’s concerned ladders are not be trusted. Christ, sitting on a bar stool can cause his collar to feel tight and a prickly sweat to break out across the back of his neck, which is exactly what’s happening now. Yep, his fear of heights (and flying and aircraft) is as intense as when it first afflicted him during his one and only shuttle flight four years ago. He can’t believe it. He’s forty-six and afraid of heights. Forty-six!
How embarrassing.
He grits his teeth and wills himself into the 737’s cabin. The tiny, single-aisle jet usually seats about one hundred and fifty, but there’s fewer than half that number on board today’s flight. There’s an audible gasp from the passengers as they recognise two members of the Atlantis 4, then a rousing round of applause. Severson laps it up, Rhonda not so much, then the starstruck flight attendant directs them to their seats halfway along the cabin.
Rhonda takes the window seat and settles in. The jet starts to taxi almost immediately. After a moment Severson leans over and whispers to her, slightly annoyed: ‘I thought we were flying business.’
‘There is no business. The whole plane is coach.’
‘Oh. Right. These seats are very narrow.’
She looks at him with an expression of mock horror. ‘Oh no, Severson’s seat isn’t big enough! Somebody call the cops! How awful! And just when you need to rest - it must have been so exhausting lying around the hotel pool drinking margaritas for the last two days.’
He turns to her, eyes narrowed. ‘And what, exactly, do you mean by that?’
She taps an imaginary microphone. ‘Hello? Is this thing on? What I mean is that you are a lazy prick who did sweet fuck-all while we were in Wisconsin - which meant I had to do everything.’
‘I went in to the head office.’
‘Once. And ponced about for ten minutes, signed a couple of autographs, then left to see a movie with one of the receptionists.’
‘There was a Woody Allen retrospective on and she’d never seen Annie Hall.’
Rhonda fastens him with a laser stare and shakes her head. ‘Wow, it’s like they took all the things that are annoying and put them in one person.’ She turns, pulls on her headphones and looks out the window.
~ * ~
Severson doesn’t attempt to engage her. She’s giving him the silent treatment which, if everything goes well, will last until they reach LA. Gee, she really does need to loosen up, though,
As she reaches the top of the stairs the man in front of her stops abruptly and she bumps into him. ‘What are you doing?’
‘What? Oh, sorry. Nothing.’
‘Get a move on, will you?’
Rhonda watches the man enter the aircraft and rolls her eyes. The reason the last two days have been so arduous is because that man, good old Severson Burke, who is also a member of the selection committee, accompanied her on this trip. Good Lord he’s a tool. Yes, he can be charming in a Downey Jr-ish sort of way, but mainly he’s a selfish son of a bitch who thinks of no one but himself. He’s also the reason they’re the last to board the aircraft. He took so long in the bathroom they almost missed the final boarding call.
~ * ~
Severson would happily miss the flight and drive to Los Angeles if he could. Unfortunately that’d mean he’d also miss the movie’s announcement and he can’t have that, no matter how much he hates flying, or being in an aircraft, or being near machines designed to lift him off the ground. In fact, they don’t even have to be machines. As far as he’s concerned ladders are not be trusted. Christ, sitting on a bar stool can cause his collar to feel tight and a prickly sweat to break out across the back of his neck, which is exactly what’s happening now. Yep, his fear of heights (and flying and aircraft) is as intense as when it first afflicted him during his one and only shuttle flight four years ago. He can’t believe it. He’s forty-six and afraid of heights. Forty-six!
How embarrassing.
He grits his teeth and wills himself into the 737’s cabin. The tiny, single-aisle jet usually seats about one hundred and fifty, but there’s fewer than half that number on board today’s flight. There’s an audible gasp from the passengers as they recognise two members of the Atlantis 4, then a rousing round of applause. Severson laps it up, Rhonda not so much, then the starstruck flight attendant directs them to their seats halfway along the cabin.
Rhonda takes the window seat and settles in. The jet starts to taxi almost immediately. After a moment Severson leans over and whispers to her, slightly annoyed: ‘I thought we were flying business.’
‘There is no business. The whole plane is coach.’
‘Oh. Right. These seats are very narrow.’
She looks at him with an expression of mock horror. ‘Oh no, Severson’s seat isn’t big enough! Somebody call the cops! How awful! And just when you need to rest - it must have been so exhausting lying around the hotel pool drinking margaritas for the last two days.’
He turns to her, eyes narrowed. ‘And what, exactly, do you mean by that?’
She taps an imaginary microphone. ‘Hello? Is this thing on? What I mean is that you are a lazy prick who did sweet fuck-all while we were in Wisconsin - which meant I had to do everything.’
‘I went in to the head office.’
‘Once. And ponced about for ten minutes, signed a couple of autographs, then left to see a movie with one of the receptionists.’
‘There was a Woody Allen retrospective on and she’d never seen Annie Hall.’
Rhonda fastens him with a laser stare and shakes her head. ‘Wow, it’s like they took all the things that are annoying and put them in one person.’ She turns, pulls on her headphones and looks out the window.
~ * ~
Severson doesn’t attempt to engage her. She’s giving him the silent treatment which, if everything goes well, will last until they reach LA. Gee, she really does need to loosen up, though,
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