Work Text:
Colt Seavers stood in front of Eva Stratt, Courtland stationed behind him, barricading the door.
Colt was too late.
He bore into her, berating her for taking away his twin, his other half. She waited there, slack jawed. Not at what he was saying to her, no, at the uncanny resemblance to the man she had condemned to the stars. Her former friend and colleague, Dr. Ryland Grace.
Colt knew he should have checked that voice mail sooner. He knew Ryland was working on some sketchy sounding space project for the government, but was never told anything more than that.
Colt was working on a movie set only a couple hours away, but he hadn’t bothered to visit Ryland after the fight they got into after he broke his back a few months ago.
“I don’t understand why you won’t just take a break once in a while.” Ryland said in frustration, running his hands over his face. He was visiting Colt in the hospital after a stunt went horribly wrong and it resulted in him breaking his back.
“Because it’s my job, Ryland. And it’s not like you don’t also do dangerous stuff. You won’t tell me anything about this weird space project you’re working on other than that you can’t tell me about it. Imagine how I feel about that! My baby brother, working on some sketchy space project with the government! How is that not just as dangerous!?” Colt responded, the tension rising in his voice. It had been a while since the doctor last gave him his pain meds; they must be wearing off by now.
“How is my confidential government work the same as these stupid stunts you keep doing!? It’s not like you get mad at Court for the stuff he does! And you’re not that much older than me anyway! Three minutes, Colt! I’m a fully grown adult and I’m trying to save the sun! That’s what my “sketchy space project” is about! Is that what you wanted to know!? Are you happy now!?” Ryland retorted, standing up from his chair. He starts pacing back and forth at the foot of Colt’s bed.
Colt sat there, mouth agape. “So that’s what you’ve been doing” he mumbled.
“Yes, Colt” Ryland sighed, halting his pacing “happy now?”
“I’m not, actually. Three minutes or not you’re still my baby brother and it’s MY job to protect you. Court’s not around and what he does is completely different so don’t even try to bring him into this. How am I supposed to protect you from things if you don’t even tell me about them until it’s too late?!” He responded. “And another thing, if my stunts are so stupid, then why are you here? Just to reprimand me? Cuz I don’t appreciate it.” His pain meds were definitely wearing off by this point.
“Look Colt, if you’re just gonna lash out at me when I’m just trying to help then I’ll leave and we can talk about it again when you’re feeling better” Ryland said as he picked up his bag from the corner of his chair, heading for the door.
“Fine then! Leave! It’s not like I need you anyway!”
That one hit Ryland a little too hard as he reached for the doorknob. He brought his other hand up to wipe away a tear that had fallen down his face.
“I’ll see you around, Colt” was all Ryland said as he opened the door and left, the doctor waiting on the other side.
That was the last thing he ever said to his brother.
He had gotten a voicemail from Ryland this morning, but he hadn’t listened to it, remembering their fight from a few months ago, still too ashamed of what he said to hear his brother’s voice again. Besides, he could just open it later. He was at work and he had stunts to be doing. It was fine.
Colt finally got a break come midafternoon. He had just finished getting lit on fire and the director got the shot he needed, so Colt was on break for a bit. He should probably look at that voicemail from Ryland now. He’d been putting it off all day. He opened his phone and tapped on the voicemail.
“Colt, Colt please pick up! Please!” came Ryland’s distressed voice from the speaker. He was crying.
“Colt they’re gonna put me on the Hail Mary! Please Colt! I don’t want to go!”
Shit. He really should have picked up his phone sooner.
“I’m the only one they have left Colt! Both of the other scientists blew up and I’m the only one they have left, there’s no time to train anyone else”, Ryland was fully sobbing into his phone, desperately trying to get ahold of his brother.
“Colt please! I don’t want to go!”
The voicemail ended with a final beep.
Shit.
Oh god.
His brother was in trouble.
Why didn’t he pick up the phone sooner God damn it!
Court!
He should call Court; he’ll know what to do. Court made him and Ryland memorize the number for the burner phone he always kept on himself in case of emergencies when they were kids. Colt frantically dialed the number, praying that Court still kept the phone with him.
“Hello? Colt?” came through the speaker as Colt let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes! Court! It’s me!” Colt responded. “Ryland’s in trouble and I hope we’re not too late!”
“I’m on my way” Court replied, hanging up the phone.
A few minutes later Court pulls up with a halting screech.
“Get in” Court says as Colt opens the car door and hops in.
“How did you know where I was?” Colt questions as he buckles his seatbelt and Court starts speeding off. “And how do you know where Ryland is?”
“When I set up the burner phone I set it up to track both of your locations as well” Court responded.
“So where’s Ryland?” Colt asked, nervous as all hell.
“He’s at a high security launch site not far from here” Court responded as he sped up on the highway.
They arrived at the Hail Mary launch site within the hour. Colt practically leapt out of the car, slamming the door as Court hastily put the car in park. Colt charged towards the gate with Court not far behind.
“Woah there, you’re not allowed in here sir” said one of the security guards stationed at the gate.
“Yeah, if you want to get in, you’re going to have to show us some clearance” said the other one. Colt just ignored them and tried charging the gate. It didn’t budge. So he started climbing. How hard could climbing a chain link fence be? Apparently pretty difficult with two grown men trying to stop you. Colt continues trying to scale the fence as the security guards pull him down and try to restrain him.
“Take your hands off my brother” Court says as he points his gun at the two men. The guards stop pinning Colt to the ground and stand up slowly, raising their arms.
“Now let us in” Court demands.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that” responds the guard closest to Court. Meanwhile, the other guard sends out a morse code signal for backup on his walkie talkie. Within a few seconds of Court holding the two men at gunpoint, his gun was ripped out of his hand and he and Colt were back on the ground again. Now there were five guards surrounding them.
“What is all this commotion about?” asks a woman from behind the gate. Colt can’t see her from the way his face is being pushed into the ground, but she sounds European of some kind.
“Ms. Stratt, these two men tried to break in” states one of the guards.
“Whatever for?” she— Stratt responded.
“I’m here for my brother!” Colt shouts, though slightly muffled as his face is still being shoved into the concrete.
“Let them go” Stratt demands. The guards stop pinning Colt and Court. Colt stands up, brushing off his clothes.
“I’m here for my brother” Colt says again firmly. Stratt looks at him inquisitively.
“Very well. Follow me” she finally says.
She opened the gate and led them through the facility. Eventually, after a somewhat lengthy walk across the launch site, she led them into what Colt could only assume was her office.
“Sit. There is much to talk about” she said. Colt sat down in the chair in front of her as she sat behind her desk. Court opted to stand behind him, arms crossed.
“So, who are you exactly?” Colt asked, looking her over.
“I am Eva Stratt, head of the Project Hail Mary taskforce” she responded.
“And what is that, exactly?” Colt said.
“As you have probably heard, the sun is slowly dimming. This is due to an organism called Astrophage. It is what makes up the Petrova line. I am the head of the team the world governments formed to stop this problem.”
“Okay. That makes sense.” Colt paused. “I’m Colt Seavers and this is my brother Courtland.”
She looked them both over with an interrogative glance. “Forgive me, you look much like someone I used to know.”
“We’re looking for our brother Ryland”
A look of shock and horror donned on her face.
“As in Dr. Ryland Grace?” she asked hesitantly. “I thought he had no immediate family.”
“What do you mean “no immediate family”?” Colt asked, panic rising in his blood.
“I am afraid it is too late to save him” she replied.
“What do you mean “too late”?” the panic had fully set in by this point.
“Our other scientists that were trained for this mission both blew up in an accident, there was no one else even remotely as qualified for the role as him. The rocket has already launched. I’m sorry.” The amount of finality in her tone was palpable.
Colt was too late.
“So, what!? You just sent him up in a rocket on a mission he didn’t even want to go on because he didn’t “have any other family”!?” Colt was fully yelling at this point.
“Technically I did not know you two existed.” Apathy and despair make a beautiful symphony.
Colt sat back down, stunned silent in anger, both at Stratt and at himself.
The last thing he ever said to his brother,
“It’s not like I need you anyway!”