Work Text:
"Viper, this is NOMAD Command, how long until repairs on communication array three are complete? Over."
"NOMAD Command, this is Viper, just finishing up with the electronics, should be finished in fifteen minutes over."
"Roger that Viper, NOMAD Command out."
Viper sighed as the radio went dead.
Viper, real name Michael Scott, was a green-eyed Korat. He was currently in low Earth orbit in a bright white space suit, performing what was most likely his last repair on the North American Orbital Mobile Aerospace Defense station before he went back to Earth tomorrow.
After fifteen minutes, Mike wrapped up the repairs and said into the radio, "NOMAD Command, this is Viper, repairs are finished, ready for test, over."
"Viper, this is NOMAD Command, preforming test, standby for results, over."
About a minute later, the radio crackled to life again. "Viper, this is NOMAD Command, the test was successful, good job, you are authorized to renter station, over."
Mike felt a small smile form on his face and replied, "Roger that, NOMAD Command, heading to the airlock, over."
"Roger that, Viper, NOMAD Command, out."
Mike's smile faded as he put the tools he was using back into the belt and began using his jetpack to maneuver to the airlock.
As the Korat zoomed through the vast dark emptiness of space, Mike turned towards the blue ball known as Earth and saw something.
That something was a speck of light sandwiched between other, specks of light. It was located along the US Northeastern seaboard, slightly inland. This light was Mike's hometown of Roseville.
Mike had not been in Roseville in how many years? Not since his parents died and he sold his childhood home. His family nowadays barely saw each other, Haley was now a successful fashion model, married to Jordon, and Chris was in the space academy hoping to emulate him.
Staring at his former hometown also reminded Michael of something else, all those he left behind there. Everything went wrong in Junior year. Lucy never returned to the table, his old friend group found out what he did to Lucy with, Paulo utterly losing his shit at him, and, afterward, he hung out with the track team for the rest of high school. Despite this, Mike ceased contact with the team after graduation. Mike supposed it was karma for being a total asshole to them.
Mike never replaced those connections, and even though they made efforts to reach out, he never could connect with his fellow engineers in the space station.
He felt empty and dead inside most of the time only feeling anything when he finished repairs or drank. "It isn't that big of a deal," Mike lied to himself.
Suddenly, over the radio, the astronaut heard a scream, "MICHAEL!!"
This caused Mike to snap back to attention. "Yes, NOMAD Command, what is it?"
"Get your ass inside! What are you doing?!"
"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts," Mike apologized.
"Must have been some thought," Mike heard the person mutter before the radio went dead again.
He resumed going to the airlock, what he was previously thinking fading from his mind.