He shifted in the seat, uncomfortable in his own skin.
“Space…”
A short, broken laugh slipped out.
“I fuckin’ hate it…
like—REAL hate…
not joking hate…
actual hate…”
He shook his head.
“Heh—first time I went out there?..
Yeah…
almost shit myself…
not even gonna lie…
like—full panic…”
He gestured vaguely, still refusing to look up.
“Same thing as now—
no walls…
no doors…
no knockin’ an’ some asshole answers…
Just…
just—fucking nothing…”
He finally glanced toward the canopy—just for a second—and immediately looked away.
His voice lowered again. His hand dropped.
“You die out here…
that’s it… Poof…
No trace.
No body.
No grave.
No ‘here lies…’ sign.
No nothin’…
Like—
you don’t even die proper…”
He swallowed.
“You just… fade…
or whatever the hell that is…”
His fingers loosened slightly, a quiet breath.
“Just… nothin’…”
Zeros pulled away from the terminal.
“Blindy—”
Blindy gave a tired half-smile without looking at him.
“Yeah?
What is it, buddy?..
not what you expected, huh?..”
A small shrug.
“Yeah well…
that’s me…
every flight—
same shit…
just dressed different…”
He shifted again, shoulders tense.
“We ain’t supposed to be out here…
this ain’t a place…
like—this ain’t even…
a place-place…”
He glanced up once more, quick and sharp, then dropped his gaze again.
“There’s even no place…
like—none…
it’s just… y’know…
empty…”
A crooked smirk formed.
“And it hates me…
I swear it does…
like—it KNOWS me…”
He huffed lightly.
“And—
I. HATE. IT.
SO. MUCH.”
Zeros turned fully, looking down at him.
“I just wanted to say—”
He paused. One second. A second that waited for something human.
“I DON’T GIVE A SINGLE FUCK
ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD TRAUMA.
JUST SHUT UP.”
Blindy smiled. Looked away. Even that… sounded like support to him.
Phoenix cut in:
“Logged: Captain Jody ‘BLINDY’ Meadow. | Condition: nyctophobia.
| Given psychological instability during flight, recommendation: sedation on long routes.”
[Jackie jumps back into the broadcast]“Poor Jody…
Sometimes he’s actually kind of sweet—for a cold-blooded killer.He reminds me of the old days…
when ship captains got seasick but still sailed.They’d throw up, fold in half…
but keep going.Because someone had to steer the ship.”
[Dick immediately takes the air back]“Baby, you just made him sound like some Jack-fucking-Sparrow type. Drunk pirate pretty boy with a feather up his ass. Let’s keep the romance under control, yeah?”
[He clears throat, back to baritone]“And now… let me continue the story. While nobody’s actually dead yet.”