Chapter Text
“Noo no Carl I can’t do it. NOO! Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do iii…” He could feel the needle sharp with betrayal. Carl stood over him as the others held him down, he could feel himself slipping under. “You know who you are. You’re gonna do great.”
Grace woke to the sound of his own struggling, he felt a tight knot in his throat. He knew Carl believed in him, but he could still feel the sting of betrayal, his friend, really his only friend couldn’t stop it. “You know who you are” he played it over and over in his head till he felt sick. Grace looked outside of the xenonite window Rocky made, it was bright and colorful as the morning “sun” shined through it. Grace liked his artificial dome, it felt truly like his home. Like Stratt said on earth he didn't have family, friends, not even a dog. Here he had it all, and best of all, he had his students.
While he was dressing he thought about his coffee and made a small joke in his head about it calling his name from the kitchen, he let out a little laugh at himself and headed to the kitchen pulling his shirt down the rest of the way. He walked out of the bedroom into the living room/kitchen “Good morning Armondo” Grace said. He moved his way to the sink, filling his kettle and setting it on the stove to heat up, once ready pulling his favorite mug out and filling it with the instant coffee powder from the Marys supplies. He turned around leaning against the counter looking out at the room, he looked at his desk in the corner thinking to himself that he has lots of work to get done before his class today. He walked over stepping over a sweater on the floor that was discarded last night before bed. Looking at the desk he heard something outside, footsteps?
*KNOCK KNOCK* “Grace awake, question?” Rocky hummed through the walls. “Yeah buddy I’m awake” he chuckled jogging to the door. Rocky was here earlier than usual, he liked to walk grace to his class in the morning, but that wasn't for a few hours. He got to the door and opened with a “Hey rock” “Grace have a moment, question? Adrian and I have something urgent to discuss”. Grace's eyes furrowed, and he got a small sinking feeling as he looked upon the two eridians. He gestured them inside and thought through what could possibly be urgent right now, I mean it's been nearly 3 earth years on Erid and he was happier than ever, though he does miss humans he couldn’t imagine wanting to go back.
Grace sat down at the counter in the kitchen putting his coffee mug down next to him, while his friends stood by the door. He could feel a sort of tension as the door shut behind Adrian. “What's so important guys, you’re making me nervous” Grace said as his voice hitched with anxiety. Rocky stood up almost in a formal looking stance which seemed silly to Grace for some reason. “We found a ship. Human ship. A lifeform has been detected inside” Rocky said. What? That can’t be right, a human ship? A lifeform? “What do you mean Lifeform” Grace managed to say. Adrian stepped forward “The lifeform appears to be a human, statement” they said. Grace couldn't believe this, it can't be. Did Stratt send another hail mary thinking Grace would fail his mission, was it a rescue team, he didn't want to be rescued. As if reading his thoughts Rocky said “Ship does not look like Hail Mary, human seems to be in distress”. Grace thought for a moment about another ship, with a human, a real human, and they were hurt. “We have to go” Grace said and without another thought stood up to walk to the door. “Hail Mary is ready for travel, Rocky join, Statement”. Guess they were going to space.
~
Grace didn't know what to do with his time as they drifted through space once again. Grace hadn't been back in space since he first arrived to Erid, and he could feel all his old anxieties return. It would take 4 days to reach the ship Rocky and Adrien found. In just 4 days he could possibly talk to another human, a real human. He hadn't talked to another human in longer than he’d like to admit, maybe 10 years. God he missed the touch of another so much… Shoot, he can't think that he doesn't even know who this person is, if they're even alive. He had to focus.
~
For four days Grace did nothing but eat, sleep, and work, Rocky always close by tickering on something inside his xenonite tunnels. His mind was foggy and sharp as he tried to pass the time as quickly as he could. He forgot what it was like to be in space, quiet, peaceful, full of empty nothing decorated in stars. He stared at them as his anxiety filled his lungs again thinking of the unidentified human they were headed towards. “Blip A detected” Mary’s system called out. “Rocky!” Grace yelled out. He ran to the control console sitting in the pilot seat, as Rocky came in through his tunnel. “Pilot detected” Mary said. He looked out in the distance and there he saw a metal tank of some sort resembling a submarine? That didn’t make any sense either, what was a sub doing out in space. “Rocky I’m going to need you to build a tunnel to the sub so we can get them out without exploding” he gestured to his face making an explosion with his hands. “Rocky already prepared for tunnel while Grace panic 4 days. Take 15 minutes for Rocky to set up, statement”. Good he can get his suit on in the meantime not that he was going to need it but just in case. Grace put on his suit and walked out to the airlock where Rocky had finished setting up the tunnel. “You made sure they could breathe in there”. “Of course, Rocky not dumb, statement” He tapped his foot angrily on the floor. Grace stepped out into the tunnel looking at the metal, it looked almost bloody? Can’t be, he thought turning on the welding torch to cut a doorway.
Once he cut a hole he pushed the door he made forward praying that nobody was on the other side. His face drew pale in horror as he looked around the bloody room filled with vines and roots, the roots filling what looked like holes in the sub, how had that happened. He spotted a man sat against a control panel, he was covered in cuts and blood, and was missing his left arm. He mumbled to himself “I just wanna live” the man slumped over. Grace ran to him stepping over the roots, he lifted him under his right arm and started to move him towards the ship. “Please don’t put me back down there” the man whispered. Grace looked down at him through the tears he didn't realize were falling down his face. Crap of course he was crying right now. “Dont worry im here to help you” Grace said as calmly as he could let himself. The man passed out against his chest, struggling to lift him in his arms and carrying him over to the ship. When the man was put in the medical bay Grace decided that the submarine wasn't going to come with them. There was no need for it, he went inside making sure nothing important would be left behind, and left cutting the tunnel, leaving it behind.