Chapter Text
They developed a routine. It was somewhat difficult, considering their limited options, but Yáo and Ilyukhina needed a way to stave off boredom and insanity by any means possible. It became very easy to predict when the care robot would do its regular care of Grace. It became a source of comfort for them to watch it complete its tasks, no matter what they were. Every time it did, it meant that he was still alive.
Afterwards, one of them would do a quick check of the remaining time. Yáo found himself going to check more often than not. Ilyukhina found it to be quite dull. The time typically would have barely changed from the last time it was checked. She knew that it was good information to have, but still. It was tedious to do it every day, multiple times a day with little purpose outside of major leaps in the passage of time. Yáo, on the other hand, found it to be strangely hypnotic to watch the countdown. The ship was still progressing on its journey and that deserved admiration no matter how boring things were.
The lingering anxiety of Grace also dying never faded. It became less intense over the course of the trip, but still it was there in the back of their minds all the time.
Grace himself also became something of a conversation topic at times. He was truly a fascinating man. A former molecular biologist turned junior high school science teacher who had been plucked out of his life in San Francisco by Eva Stratt to investigate the contents of the Petrova line. The one who had been the one to make some of the most important discoveries about astrophage. Stratt’s literal right hand man who never seemed to truly internalize it nor the power he held. And the perfect replacement scientist after the unfortunate deaths of DuBois and Shapiro.
“I must admit to being somewhat surprised that he agreed to join us at all,” Ilyukhina had said once.
“What do you mean?” Yáo had asked.
“You remember how scared he was when Stratt told him that he was to be the replacement scientist after DuBois and Shapira died,” Ilyukhina had told him. “He was a wreck. Even when he was given time to think it over, it did seem to me at least like he had already made up his mind beforehand. He was rather adamant about not wanting to go.”
Yáo had shrugged before responding. “It took me a while to decide on it and come to terms with it as well. It was a hard decision for all of us. But someone had to make that choice and I’m glad I did and you and he as well. Still, Grace must have had some lingering reservations if he decided to be induced into his coma early.”
“It’s too bad he never got to see the ISS with us,” Ilyukhina had sighed. “I know I had always dreamed of it when I was younger.”
No matter his reason for being induced early, Grace slept peacefully in his coma with no signs of any deterioration that might lead to his death. Humanity’s only hope for survival now rested on one man. He was smart and capable. It would surely be difficult for him to go at it alone, but he would have no other choice to do so.
Time on the Hail Mary passed agonizingly slow. Yáo at least already had some experience with it, considering how long he’d been dead for prior to Ilyukhina’s death, but it still was grating on them both. The idea for the comas had been a very good one, despite what had become of them.
They at least had each other. Companionship proved to be the right balm for soothing the nihilistic ache of boredom. Story after story was shared. They laughed, argued, commiserated, cried, and more. Even with all of the time Ilyukhina and Yáo had spent together getting to know each other over the course of their time on Earth, it paled in comparison to what they built on board the Hail Mary in death.
There was a strange bliss to it. Things weren’t as urgent and in need of every bit of their attention. They still kept an eye on the progress of the journey, but when it would be a long time before the mission could get underway proper and they couldn’t do anything about it anyway, they could spend the time with each other doing whatever.
Belief became just as precious a commodity as entertainment. Even the most interesting story couldn’t fully dissipate the existential hopelessness they teetered on the edge of. Seeing that Grace was still alive after all this time took the edge off of the worst of it but it was only through the force of willpower and constantly bolstering each other that Yáo and Ilyukhina could bear it at all.
When the day came, there weren’t any signs that today would be much different from any of the previous ones. Yes, they were less than a week away from arriving at Tau Ceti, but Grace had yet to be awoken and neither of them were sure as to how long it would be before he was. Yáo and Ilyukhina were in the dormitory waiting for the next care cycle to occur. It seemed like it was taking longer to happen than usual, which was slightly concerning but not yet overly so.
“God, I wish I could drink my vodka,” Ilyukhina said.
“You say that every day,” Yáo chuckled.
“Yes, because I think about it every day,” Ilyukhina said with a smirk. Yáo started to laugh when something caught his attention. Some kind of sound? It was faint, but growing louder as he listened.
“What’s wrong?” Ilyukhina asked
“Do you hear that?” asked Yáo. Ilyukhina cocked her head and waited.
There was then a beep, low and long, sounding from above them. Grace’s bed slid out of the wall. The care robot’s arms descended towards him. A feminine computer voice then echoed through the dormitory.
“What’s two plus two?”