Private Luxury, Lies, and Other Technical Failures

[Ana Rix]

Ana listened as Jack explained, her amusement gradually giving way to genuine interest. "So your experience with relationships formed under duress is less academic than you made it sound." Being trapped together during an attack was one thing. A rival attempting to drug them on Zeltros sounded like an entirely different category of political disaster, although apparently one that had ultimately worked out rather well for him. "I'm beginning to understand why you have studies readily available for this particular subject."

She stayed near Jack while Donovan continued securing the station, letting the officer handle the doors and rooms he knew far better than either of them. There was something oddly fascinating about hearing pieces of Jack's life as Chancellor in the middle of all this. Ana had known who he was before tonight, of course, but knowing someone's public history was very different from hearing that preserving the Chancellor's office had apparently involved getting stranded during attacks and surviving misadventures on Zeltros with the woman he'd eventually become involved with.

"Although I'm not sure your story is helping your argument about the thrill wearing off after a few weeks," Ana pointed out, glancing toward him with a small smile. "It sounds like yours survived considerably longer than the study predicted." She left the observation there rather than probing into something as personal as a past relationship, turning her attention back toward where Donovan was leading them.

Then Jack had to say it could always get worse.

Ana stopped for half a beat and stared at him. "You did not just say that." After everything that had happened, she had learned enough about tempting fate for one adventure. "I've recently been given a very thorough lecture about saying things like that aloud. Apparently the galaxy takes it as a personal challenge." She resumed walking beside him, shaking her head. "If something worse happens now, I'm assigning responsibility accordingly."

Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Ana Rix

He looked at her and offered a nod. "I was lucky for the most par. thing about political scandal it only lasts as long as there are people who want it to and most have the attention span of a gnat before they are moving onto the next thing that they can try and make drama with. I just merely adapted to them." He said it while Donovan was going and one of the last doors was secured as he had come around and had a view of the front area and the stairwell. Then he was double checking and moving into an alcove while there was a door there and he first checked it, then was using everything that he could to look out without opening it first. "Well it will help or hinder but I am not seeing anything yet."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana followed Donovan's progress from a short distance back, letting him handle the doors and the station he knew while she listened to Jack. "Adapted," she repeated with a faint smile. "That's a very diplomatic way of saying you learned to wait until everyone found something more interesting to be outraged about." She couldn't really fault the strategy. Attention was fleeting, particularly when scandal depended more upon spectacle than substance. "I suppose surviving politics requires knowing which problems actually need solving and which ones just need enough time to become yesterday's news."

Her attention shifted fully to Donovan when he reached the alcove, and Ana resisted the temptation to crowd closer while he checked outside. "Nothing is considerably better than something at the moment." She kept her voice low, looking toward what little of the exterior she could see from where she stood. The fact that they hadn't immediately found anyone waiting for them was reassuring, but after everything leading up to this point she wasn't prepared to translate that into safe. A small smile touched her lips as she glanced toward Jack. "And I'm not saying it could be worse this time. I've learned from your mistake."

Jack Sheltrak

 

[Jack Sheltrak]

Ana Rix

He didn't disagree or argue with her on that and was moving with Donovan as he remained there. Looking at the door and opening it only a little so that they could pull it closed and it wouldn't be something hands could go into easily. Fingers would be bad enough and Donovan closed it quickly. "It is a narrow field of view but nothing so far, we can make it if we hug the wall and move quickly. The wall and the windows will be what we want to see and be able to double check the outside as we move. The way between the buildings we want will be narrrow and if all of us are in there it will be a lot harder to move and turn around but it is meant to keep people out."