Chapter Text
When Eva Stratt woke up one thing became very clear. She was not in her office anymore.
She had been sitting at her desk, poring over countless documents (there were always things she had to sign) when she had felt an odd drowsiness. She was not immune to the effects of sleep deprivation but she thought herself to be at least a little better than some of the members of her crew who regularly pulled all-nighters when they got too invested in their respective projects.
Dr. Grace in particular had repeatedly, and rather gently, attempted to discourage her habit of pushing herself. Still, Eva prided herself on maintaining at least some discipline. Eight hours of sleep. Every night. When the fate of humanity rested on her shoulders, fatigue was a luxury she could not afford.
And yet she had lost the battle anyway.
She remembered her vision blurring, her head dipping lower despite every effort to remain alert.
Then the dull thud of her forehead striking the desk.
Now she was here.
Sprawled around the room in various states of haphazardness was Eva’s crew. She spotted DuBois helping Shapiro off the ground and Ilukhina groaning as she held her head. Yao was standing stiffly, his usual composure faltering as his eyes flicked around the room rapidly. Dimitri. Leclerc. Lokken. Hatch. Redell. Lamai. All the security personnel.
For perhaps the first time in years, Eva Stratt felt genuinely uncertain.
That realization disturbed her more than the strange room itself. They seemed to be in some kind of… theater. There were rows of comfortable looking chairs all facing a large projector. There appeared to be no visible exits.
Someone, something, had managed to gather many of the most important people on Earth into one location without resistance. If she allowed herself to fully consider the implications of that, panic would follow close behind. Eva straightened her posture immediately, forcing her expression into something controlled and authoritative even as unease twisted in her chest.
Figure out the situation first. Panic later.
Around her, the room was growing louder as more people regained awareness and began demanding answers. Fear spread rapidly through the crowd, tension mounting with every passing second.
Eva inhaled once, steadying herself. No time to panic.
“Everyone!” She commanded authoritatively, settling easily into the authoritative role she had been granted. Immediately, attention was on her.
“Stratt?” She focused her attention on Dr. Lokken who had called out and was now approaching here.
“Dr. Lokken.” She greeted, eyes flicking back up to everyone. “And everyone. What happened? Does anyone know why we are here?” Everyone glanced at each other, the room going quiet as clarity set in.
Eva sighed. “I think our best course of action is to look around and see if there are any exits or any clue as to how we got here.”
“Stratt!” Shapiro called out as she approached.
“Yes?” Eva asked, noticing she was clutching a small piece of paper.
“I found this when I woke up.” Shapiro handed her the paper and Eva quickly read over the contents. Oh.
Greetings, Project Hail Mary crew,
Compiled for you is a series of tapes detailing the events of the past and the future concerning Project Hail Mary.
It is essential that you remain present and view all materials in their entirety. The future of Earth depends upon your full attention and cooperation.
You will not be permitted to leave until all the footage has been watched. There will be allotted breaks and meals for all.
For your reassurance, time outside this room has been suspended. Your absence will not impact the outside world.
Please refrain from fighting or arguments. In addition, no individual is permitted to pre-emptively share information from any of the recordings, regardless of when the events occur within the timeline. Additional guests may appear after certain recordings.
Once all attendees are seated and the room is quiet, the first recording will begin.
Eva furrowed her brows, contemplating the validity of what was written. The future? Already her mind had flickers of doubt. It wasn’t possible. Yet, wasn’t the entirety of Project Hail Mary built on the impossible? How far off was seeing the future?
“What does it say?” Yao questioned, trying to peek and look at the paper.
Eva cleared her throat. “It says we are here to watch a series of tapes regarding… Project Hail Mary.” She spared a glance at the students and teachers, individuals certainly not permitted to be privy to this kind of sensitive information. On the other hand, they were all trapped in a room together via potentially supernatural means. “It claims that it will show us the future.”
Immediately, the room exploded in a cacophony of noise.
“That isn’t possible!” Dr. Lokken protested. “Is this some kind of weird joke?”
Eva handed her the paper so she could read it herself, and the other members of (ugh) Stratt’s Vat gathered to also read over it.
While everyone gathered her eyes swept across the crowd again, cataloguing every familiar face.
Then she froze.
Someone was missing.
Grace.
The absence struck her immediately once she noticed it, glaring in a way that made her pulse quicken. Grace should be here. If the rest of Strat's Vat had been taken, then logically he should have been among them.
A cold knot formed in her stomach.
What on Earth was going on?
“Where is Dr. Grace?” exclaimed Ilyukhina, voicing her thoughts.
Eva heard more murmurs from the Vat, now clocking the absence of the man who had admittedly woven his way into all of their hearts. Eva cleared her throat again, regaining attention. “I believe our best course of action is to comply with the instructions on the paper. If it tells the truth, we could gain invaluable information on the future of the Project and any preventable errors that may occur.”
Eva paused, when suddenly, another paper materialized in front of her. Everyone exclaimed in surprise and she grabbed it, eyes uncharacteristically wide. It was one thing to be aware of something supernatural but another to see it actually happen. She glanced at what was written on it.
Please begin shortly.
Ah.
Looks like they were taking too long. She held the paper up so everyone could read. “Maybe we should sit down?” Ilyukhina supplied, shrugging her shoulders.
“Yes, I think that is the best course of action. The first paper did say the first clip would start once we were all seated and quiet.” Yao stated.
Hatch clapped his hands together. “This is so exciting!” He gushed. “I mean, wow the future! Who would’ve guessed?” Eva still didn't quite understand his optimistic attitude.
“Alright then. Let’s go.” Eva ordered. Everyone began settling down into their seats, looking at the projector expectantly.
It took a few minutes for everyone to quiet down but once they did, they all held their breath as the lights dimmed and the first video began to play.