Chapter Text
Phobos crossed his arms. “I’m not going in that thing,” he said.
“Oh come now, Phobos!” Sung gestured to the vehicle sitting innocently in front of them. “We all gave it a go!”
“Yeah, and I saw every attempt. No way.”
“Chicken,” Meouch huffed and propped a hand on his hip. “Getcher ass in there. I wanna see what happens.”
“I’m not dying for your entertainment.” Phobos turned away from him. “There’s no need for this. We already know the ship belongs to Strive.”
“Well, we can’t argue there.” Sung sighed and shook his head. “Strive, I can’t make heads or tails of that ship. You have some sort of bond with it, it seems, but that’s not all. You’ve got the skills as well.”
“Maybe that’s only because it transformed for me,” Strive’s shoulders slumped. “It’s only suited for me because it changed to be that way.”
“Well,” Phobos flicked a finger at him. “Do you know how to make it transform again?” Strive went silent at that, looking from them, to the ship, back to them.
“Uh…”
“Strive.” Phobos clapped him on the shoulder. “This ship chose you, and believe it or not you’re stuck with it. I told you before, this has always been your ship. You don’t have to prove that to anyone. You never had to prove you were a worthy pilot.” Phobos looked to Sung for agreement, and he quickly nodded.
“It’s true! Your evasion skills, quick thinking, and bravery aren’t the result of any odd interface. That’s all you!”
Strive managed a shaky smile and a nod. “Yeah…you’re right. Thanks. And...thanks for coming out here with me. Sorry it…uh, didn’t go well.”
“No problem.” Phobos planted his hands on his hips. “Let’s just head back to Mothership, then. Ok?”
Meouch turned to Brian. “I’ll grab him,” he said. “You get the door open.”
Phobos spun around to run but Meouch tackled him before his jetpack could engage. They rolled across the ground, Meouch with one arm around Phobos’ waist so he couldn’t wiggle free as his other hand clawed at the sputtering jetpack. Brian meanwhile jogged over to the ship.
Havve pointed to the scuffle and looked at Sung in question. Sung just gave a hapless shrug.
“It would be another interesting point of data...”
“This is pointless!” Phobos yelled from where he was slung over Meouch’s shoulder as the other strode triumphantly toward Strive’s ship. His jetpack lay discarded in the dirt. “It’s not going to do anything! Meouch put me down-!”
“Woop!” Meouch flung him headfirst into the ship, and Brian shoved the door closed, then they both ran to get clear. Strive, who had been watching the scuffle and unsure how to intervene, finally spoke up.
“Is this a good idea?”
“Sure!” Meouch chirped back. “He’ll probably just get sick like Sung.”
Phobos stood up into view from the window, then banged on it with both fists. Meouch grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. Sung cupped his hands to shout through the ship’s barrier.
“Just give it a try, Phobos! Might as well!”
Phobos in response held both his hands up, then made several gestures. Meouch laughed and crossed his arms.
“Ooo his sign language! It’s been a while since we saw that!”
“What’s he saying?” Strive asked. Meouch shaded his eyes to look at the signs Phobos was presently making over and over again.
“Oh, he’s saying ‘I hate you all.’ And...Uh-” He let his hand drop. “Yeah, you probably know that sign from Brian.”
Brian returned that particular sign right back, then pointed at him and the control ports behind him. He then crossed his arms and squared his feet in a firm stance, waiting. Strive offered a shrug, then a ‘go-on’ gesture. Phobos’ shoulders slumped and he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, evidently realizing his defeat.
“Just give it a shot!” Meouch hollered. “We’ll chase you down if you lose control!” Phobos signed something back at him, and Sung turned to give Meouch a sharp look.
“Do not translate that for Strive.”
Meouch just chuckled and shrugged. Phobos stomped over to the closer column, then faced them. Glaring at them with an indignant posture, he raised one hand, then slapped it down on the node. Everyone tensed up in expectation.
Phobos immediately dropped down through the floor of the ship, phased straight through the hull, and hit the ground below. The group started, then hastily came over to check on him.
“Ow…” Phobos clutched at his head, lying on his back. “…See? Even the ship wanted me out.” Strive squatted down beside him.
“I think it picked up on how much you didn’t want to be there.”
“Sounds about right.” Phobos clapped his hands together as he stared up at the ship. “Thank you Strive’s ship for not crashing me into a rock formation. Can we go home now?”
“Well, I guess we all tried.” Sung offered Phobos his jetpack. “And we learned some things! I’d say that’s worth a job well done.”
“Uh-huh.” Phobos snatched his jetpack back. “Sure.” He turned to Meouch, who was already running back to his own ship. “You can run but you can’t hide, kitty.”
As the others headed back to the other ships, Strive hopped into his own and placed his hands over the control nodes. It hummed to life under his touch. Despite all the shenanigans of the day, it felt as comforting and safe to him as it always did. He smiled faintly, then on a whim, spoke up.
“You didn’t have to dump him out like that. You could have opened the door.”
Maybe Strive was just imagining it, but it almost felt like the ship hummed back at him, as if it were laughing. His smile widened, then he craned his head back up toward the horizon. With just a little push, he took off into the sky.