Chapter Text
Grace took a deep breath. He had a hard decision to make.
Three hours. Why did they think that was enough? He understood that they were in a hurry, but this much? It felt like they’d ripped the ground right out from under him and told him to stand back up as if nothing was wrong.
But a lot was wrong. He couldn’t go to Tau Ceti! Most fears of his were pretty irrational, but his phobia of space seemed more than reasonable. The solar systems beyond Earth were terrifyingly unexplored, and while they were incredibly interesting to him, they were not where Grace wanted to be.
He stared at his feet as he paced around his little room on the boat. How would it even work, with his situation? Stratt knew about it. Grace didn’t tell many others, but surely he’d have to if he was going to be on a spaceship with them. Would they even want that? Would they try to keep their distance, what little there would be in a human-sized tin can?
What if something went wrong?
It’s not like they could just pack the amount of blood Grace would need for such a long trip. First of all, that would be a lot of extra weight and volume to bring along. Second, it wouldn’t even last long enough unless they froze it, which would need even more room because it expands due to its water concentration. And third, where would they even get that much?!
He’d heard of supplements, but those were… risky, to say the least. There were not many scientists that cared enough to conduct research for things like this, merely because most did not want to deal with the dangerous creatures of the night.
There were so many reasons not to go. He could list off 33 in his head, probably more if he had the time to properly think about it.
His frantic pacing was interrupted by a knock at his door.
Stratt didn’t wait for an answer before barging in.
“I can tell that you’re worried about the logistics of everything. But I have a solution, if you’re willing to speak with me about it,” she told him, her accent thickening slightly with the speed of her words. It didn’t feel like she was asking.
Grace’s nervousness was not calmed. “Explain, please,” he said. He was not particularly fond of the tremor in his voice.
“Come with me, Dr. Grace,” was all the more she offered before abruptly taking his wrist and dragging him out of the room. Grace didn’t fight it; he would have gone with her anyway. He sped up his pace a little to walk beside her.
“I seriously don’t think there’s a way to–”
“Of course there is. Do you think I would send you to space without being confident that I could keep you from attacking your crewmates?”
Grace swallowed. He really tried to forget about that part.
Stratt huffed. “We don’t have time for you to be embarrassed about it. I assure you that who we will be speaking to won’t want you to be either.”
“And who is that?”
“Dr. Evans. I had her flown in from Canada. She specializes in cases like yours.”
“Oh.”
…
Grace still felt tense when they reached the medical unit. Actually, the sight of it probably made him feel worse. The memories he made there were not pleasant ones.
Dr. Evans was like a breath of fresh air compared to Sanchez and Martin. Her smile was kind and honest, and it felt like she was there out of genuine interest and a desire to help.
“I know you’ve probably heard of this before,” she began after a quick introduction. “But there have been a lot more studies done on it since the original prototype.”
She pulled a pill bottle out of a box.
Of course. Grace held back a sigh and tried to give his best reassuring smile.
“I personally worked on the latest version. I understand your hesitance, Dr. Grace; I really do,” she said sympathetically, but Grace doubted she really understood.
How could she? Clearly she had no fangs. Even if they were retracted, he would have noticed their signature pointed curve that was impossible to hide.
And she wasn’t the one being sent to space. With the risk of slaughtering her crew if the magic pills didn’t work.
Grace looked to Stratt worriedly, hoping she would understand. “I’m thankful for this, really, but I don’t think it’s worth the risk. I’ve sort of… tried these before.” He looked at the floor. Old habits die hard.
“Like I said, there have been many developments made in the last few months. We are sure that they will do their job.”
Grace shook his head. Maybe it was safe; maybe nothing would go wrong. Maybe this was more about his childish fears than he’d like to admit. But he’d made up his mind.
He gave Dr. Evans a proper apology and left the room. Stratt followed shortly after, whispering something to the doctor that Grace didn’t hear before catching up with him.
…
“I understand you think I’m the right person for this mission,” Grace started, trying to sound confident. Both he and Stratt knew he wasn’t; the walk back to her office gave that away. “But… I can’t do it.”
Stratt’s silence did not help him feel any less distraught.
“You’ll find a solution,” he tried to assure her. Grace knew she could, if she was able to band together the brightest minds on Earth without it blowing up in her face.
Well.
“You are my solution.”
The rest of their conversation was a tense blur leading up to his little escapade.
Grace ran harder than ever before. His feet hit the ground in long and uneven strides, his heart beating fast from fear and exertion. He pushed against the Earth beneath him with all the strength he had, fighting the very gravity he would one day miss.
He didn’t get far.
Tears slipped down his face and into the soft dirt as he struggled against the grip of whoever was holding him down. It was hard to hold back the urge to thrash his fangs at the hand that stuck his neck with a needle. Grace almost didn’t want to.
Maybe he could have escaped if he hadn’t.