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Ryland Grace let out a breath he had been holding for much too long and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Just for a second. Just for a second before taking stock of the situation in front of him. So he - was on an aircraft carrier. From god knew what military, the middle of god knew what ocean - between god knew whatever countries. Good. Great. He was also made aware that he LIVED on it now as well. Rest in peace to his plants back home he guessed. He was a long way from the foggy bay he called home. He was even further away from the place he really wanted to be right now. A crowded space of astronomical models and desks filled with eager faces and minds. Had he remembered to even leave notes for a substitute? It wasn't as if he was planning on literally being kidnapped by a stoic German woman who insisted that he was now the world's leading mind on Astrophage.
Would they even listen to a sub? On his best days he barely got them interested let alone some stranger who didn't know them. Nick needed a focus tool, Annika needed hands on experience, Mera … Mera needed one on one time. No sub could possibly know his kids like he did. Did they think he abandoned them? Did they care? There was a way to get the answers, it was blinking idle in front of him.
'Do you want to connect to ‘Grover Cleveland Middle School’ Location ‘San Francisco, CA, USA’? Data rates may apply’
The question lingered on the screen for a few more seconds before he clicked through. He could do this. Lying to kids was part of the job. Of course you taught them facts and wanted them to tell the truth but hey - when the apocalypse was looming sometimes lying was easier. Better? Morals were kind of greying now more than ever.
Still as the familiar classroom came into focus on the grainy screen his face split into one of the most real smiles he had offered since the .. uh … situation. “Heyyyy guys!” He greeted the sea of crowded faces, each of them trying their hardest to fit into the field of view to see him. “Treating Mrs. Hansen alright I hope?” He gazed at them over the top of his glasses, the picture of ‘you better be’ in teacher. The answer was a cacophony of voices overlapping in questions and complaints. Usually that would trigger a hand up and short scolding of one at a time but right now? It was music to his ears and he laughed. A real honest to god laugh. These guys were the reason he was here. And he wouldn't let them down.
He was able to steer around the harder questions. You know the ‘where are you?’ , ‘are you really studying the dots?’ , ‘are they sending you to space?’ - the usual definition of middle grade school teacher. He assured each worried frown or excited smile with an appropriation of the very adult everything will be okay. He was glad the subject had changed to general grievances about his absence and the pizza in the cafeteria lacking cheese. Wow he missed them. Of course this was an honor, who else could say they helped save the world but still … looking at their bright faces .. knowing how many of their futures might be cut short. It broke his heart in places he didn’t recognize.
“I’m sorry I’m missing out on all the fun stuff I totally had planned … but you’re in good hands guys. Plus I kind of … stole the lava-“ Ryland held up the silly little beanbag depicting the very thing he was trying to save and offered an apologetic smile. For some reason this was their favorite one of the bunch, all the more reason he was glad to have it. Despite it representing the vastness of the globe it kept him grounded. “I couldn’t pass it right? So I guess I’ll have to finish when I get back”
Eva Stratt knew that letting a facetime happen from a top secret mission station was most likely frowned upon but there were very few acts of grace left in the world and soon enough there would be even fewer as it froze over so she figured - screw it. She didn't necessarily feel guilt about roping Ryland Grace into his new placement on the team, they needed him more than he knew, but people tended to be more agreeable when you gave into small acts of compromise. He had asked to talk to his students. Something she may not be able to understand but something she could grant. Kids didn’t make sense to her. Not just in the sense that they literally had inept communication skills but the pure frustration of interacting with them. Ryland Grace didn't have that trait. It was one of the many intriguing things about the man that made him an unseen asset to the program.
So yes, she could grant him a few minutes of his old life. Honestly she was hoping it would boost his morale more than anything. She was hoping it would remind him what they were all fighting for at the end of the day. A future for those faces he looked at every morning. It was easy to write her off as a cold calculating force but truly she was the humanitarian of it all. The Petrova taskforce's only goal was to save the human race - that wasn't a cold or calculating mission. Not really. Unfortunately for humanity to get most things done … That attitude was needed as a force of physics. A force to literally move people and processes into place. It was something she knew she would never get anyone to understand hence, the silence of it all. She didn’t need to speak up to be the loudest in the room. She didn’t need to command respect and presence. It simply - was. Because she simply - was.
There were moments though. Behind doors and walls where she let it slip. Where she held photos close to her chest and felt wetness on her face late at night. Where she stood back in doorways observing comradery and collaboration. Or where she watched a teacher connect to a group of eager students. A smile tugged at the seemingly paralyzed corners of her mouth as they clamored to be the one to speak first, the one to be in front of the camera - all for a man they really did … at the end of the day .. care about. And when he looked back at them, when he answered their questions and laughed at their complaints and told them things were looking up? The love was palpable enough to reach into a small part of Eva Stratt and tug at the back of her mind. Was this his someone to be brave for? If something went awry would her backup be copacetic? Or were they the tether that wouldn’t let him go? It was a toss up. And she watched for a few seconds long enough to know that she wouldn’t be able to answer it herself.
“Don’t run in the halls, treat Mrs.Hansen better than you do me – uh .. don't trust the meatloaf on Mondays aaand do your homework!” He finished with a smirk towards the waving hands of his class before the screen went dark and the robot lady reminded him his time was up.
Your 60 minutes of data allowance is now over. Call disconnected.
The smirk faded as fast as the screen. Something about saying goodbye felt - uncomfortably permanent. Of course the first time he was carted away via blacked out government vehicles he hadn’t gotten to announce his departure either but that was different. He was in the same state at the least of it all. Now he was one miscalculation from exploding on an aircraft carrier. Maybe the goodbye was permanent. The thought made him shudder. What came next he decided to blame it on seasickness. Because losing your dinner over anxiety about saving the world didn’t feel like as good of an excuse. At least not to the woman knocking on his door as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
God, he hoped she hadn’t heard any of that. Well the call wasn't anything to spill over but the getting sick. He didn’t need that extra layer of embarrassment when it came to Eva Stratt. “Reporting for duty cap’n” … sigh. Okay maybe throwing up would have been the better option than that actually. Ryland lowered his hand from mock salute and cleared his throat. “I mean - just finished up … I was about to check on the breeder module” She nodded and led the way. Because why exchange words when the results spoke greater lengths. Still there was something in her gaze that Ryland had only seen once before. A slight - humor. Maybe a hint of a smile was possible if he played his cards right. If she was listening - he really hoped that glimmer was from his kids and not his inability to hold down a hastily made cheeseburger. Whatever the case, something about it tilted the corner of his own expression. Just a little. Who’s to say that teachers only touched kids' hearts, there was a heart somewhere in Eva Stratt - and dammit if he wasn’t getting close to touching it. Save the world. Sure. At the end of the day that seemed almost easier than getting the woman to crack a smile. Ryland Grace was determined to do both.