Archive of Our Own ^beta

[incoming communication]

[establishing connection]

[receiving message]

Hello?

Is this working?

Len blinks at the screen. He’s just about to tap into the police dispatch system when the screen suddenly flickers to life. A decoy? A test? He waits.

Can anyone read me?

Please?

Len glides his finger over the keyboard.

I read you.

He braces for something to happen, an alarm, a call, anything, but before he can even start to wonder if he’s made a mistake -

Oh fuck thank god I’ve been alone here for hours, you won’t believe the day I’ve had.

Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble.

Wait, you’re a real person, right? Not just some bot trying to spam my only line of communication?

Len snorts. If this is a security system, it sure is an entertaining one. It seems more likely to be a person, though, and quite possibly a young one at that.

Got a name?

I’m just gonna assume you’re a real person.

I’m Barry. I was an astronaut - close enough anyway - onboard the starship Central.

Central - Len knows a thing or two about the ship. There are some pretty valuable prototypes onboard. Almost pull a job, but, call him a romantic, he didn’t want to fuck up the trip. He watched the launch from a rooftop. Lisa laughed at him for being a giant nerd, but he didn’t mind. It looked liberating.

Well, seems like space travel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. He notices the use of “was.”

No longer got a ship?

It… crashed. I’m not entirely sure what happened. There was an alarm. Eddie shoved me into an escape pod and went back to helping all the others - He’s just - he’s just a really great man, you know. He saves people, and I was too busy passing out to do anything.

I need to - I need to find them. Eddie, Rob, Captain Singh, all the others…

Fuck, what if they’re all dead? What if I’m the only one -

Len knows that he could  walk away. This is looking more and more like a problem than a distraction. The kid - he’s more or less sure this is someone much younger than him  - is stranded on a planet in another system . If Len becomes his only connection to home -

Len smiles wryly. That line of thought really isn’t helping him cut off the contact.

Chill, kid. Can’t do anything even if that’s the case .

That’s a terrible way to comfort someone, just so you know. I don’t even know why I’m feeling calmer now. Must be the color of your text. Blue is very soothing.

And you’re very weird. Know where you are?

Um, let me check…

Len brings his laptop to the bed and settles down. Might as well get comfortable if he’s going to be doing this all night. He sends off a text to Lisa, telling her that the job tomorrow is off. He can’t do the planning now, and he doesn’t want to let her run this one solo.

It’s about 5 degrees Celsius here now - that’s 41 degrees Fahrenheit, they sorta force us to use the metric system, but it does make better sense, you know? Decimal system is much easier to calculate.

Anyway, judging from the temperature here I think it’s Tau Ceti F - eh, it’s one of the planets orbiting Tau Ceti, which is, you know, a star. Not sure how this will help, but, it’s within the habitable zone, barely. Lucky me, I guess.

It helps because I can tell someone that Central crashed on that planet, kid.

Oh, right, that’s - obvious. I’m not thinking clearly.

Do you have to keep calling me “kid”? I did give you my name. You forgot already?

Are you, like, sixty or something? Is that why you call me “kid”? Because everyone is a kid to you?

I’m not that old, Barry.

And I’m not that young, blue words. I’m 23. What’s your name anyway?

Len pauses.

What can you see around you?

Are you always this evasive, Blue?

You need to find your ship, Red.

Heh, are we hijacking a train or what? You do know Mr. Blue got electrocuted in the end, right? Well, he electrocuted himself, but that’s not the point.

Anyway, my pod landed in some kind of desert. The ground is all cracked white rock. There’s a huge white peak to the northeast, about… 40 kilometers away, maybe? That’s about 25 miles. The peak looks odd. It’s - wobbly, like a mirage or something.

To the  southwest there are two pillars of black smoke, which I assume are where the wreckage of Central are. I’m just gonna walk toward one of them. They’re closer. 20 kilometers, maybe. Shouldn’t take me more than four hours if I hurry.

Left or right?

Whichever is closer. That movie came out before you were born, Barry. You sure you’re 23? It’s 2016.

There’s this thing called the Internet, Ice. You sure you’re not 60?

I’m going for the left one. Wish me luck.

Keep your eyes open, Scarlet.

Hah, talk to you later, Rhett.

[Barry is busy]

Len finds himself smiling. The kid is sharp, and abandoning someone this young in this situation - it just doesn’t sit right with him. It’s probably a bad idea to keep this contact, but, well, no sense in dwelling on that now. Len plugs in the laptop charger. He’ll have to move the communication to something more mobile, like a phone, or a tablet. He can’t carry the laptop around all day.

A favor? he texts Hartley.

Len gets a response after a couple seconds. How much would you owe me?

You still owe me for breaking you out, Hartley.

Tsk, can’t blame me for trying. I’ll be there in ten.

Len sighs. What have I told you about tracking your teammates, especially me?

To not tell you that I’m doing it?

Len shakes his head. Sometimes he feels like he’s a high school headmaster. He swears he gets a bunch of children as a crew, and Mick is no better, only older, bigger, and even more destructive.

A beep. Len checks the screen.

I’m boooooored.

Walking is overrated, especially when walking alone in silence in the White Rock Desert.

It’s only been 3 minutes and 40 seconds, kid.

You counted? And you called me weird.

Excellent internal clock. Can’t help it.

Sure you can’t.

Just, talk to me? Well, type? Or I’ll ramble and you can read?

My brain starts coming up with strange things when I’m bored, and I’m liable to have a panic attack if I don’t think about something other than… well, you-know-what.

Tell me about yourself, then. Break the ice.

That’s a terrible pick-up line.

You’re in need of a pickup, but not by me.

That’s a terrible pun. I like you already.

Terrible choice, I must say.

Nonsense. I’m sure you’re as charming in person as your keystrokes. You have very steady hands. And you never backtrack. I always like people who are decisive.Even better when they’re calm.

Len stills. How does -

Sorry, that was weird, wasn’t it? I just have to focus on something, so I focus on you, and I notice things.

I can’t not notice. It’s like your internal clock.

Please don’t go silent on me.

Len smiles a little. Sharp indeed.

Of course not.

Oh thank god.

You can’t see me, but I just let out a very deep sigh of relief, like, half of my lung capacity deep. I can blow out a whole cake of candles with a sigh like that.

You trying to tell me something?

What? What’re you -

OH MY GOD YOU DIRTY OLD MAN - hey, I didn’t know THIS thing use all caps when I’m LOUD, cool - YOU AND YOUR BRAIN GET OUT OF THE GUTTER THAT’S TERRIBLE.

And you don’t really blow when you’re giving a blowjob, okay? Why is it even called a blowjob? It should be called a suckjob. There’s zero blowing involved in FELLATIO.

Wait, are you a guy? Full disclosure: I’m a guy.

Len chuckles. He doesn’t know what Barry looks or sounds like, but honest and easily flustered seems like a good bet.

Same. I can look it up for you.

Oh, god, you’re gonna google “Why is blowjob called a blowjob?”

No, Barry, you search with keywords, not with a complete sentence.

Shut your smug face. I know how to google. I use OPERATIONS.

You put that on your resume?

Ha. You’re a real comedian. Am I gonna become part of your standup routine? Barry the Astronaut stranded on a desert planet?

Hm, that’s not a bad idea.

Make sure to tell them I did more than passing out because I hit my head in the pod. And it’s my very first trip, and I’m only a student, not a real astronaut, so I can’t be held accountable for being a little lost.

I was on board to help with the experiment. I’m not supposed to be left on my own.

Shit, he really is a baby. Len was already plenty old when he was 23, but crashing down on an unknown planet, losing everyone you’ve ever depended on, without the proper training - that really isn’t something he’d want to deal with.

You’re doing well, Barry.

I’m just walking, Blue. Everyone can walk.

Well, not everyone. I didn’t mean to be offensive. But you get the idea.

A string of succinct knocks on the door let Len know that  one of his crewmembers have arrived. He waits for Hartley to let himself in. Their hacker’s footsteps are too heavy for his weight; it can’t be anything but deliberate. Hartley has a habit of announcing his presence when he’s not out on a job.

“Boss?”

Len brings the laptop out and sets it on the dining table. “I’m receiving a signal from outer space. Can you track it down and move the connection onto a phone?”

Hartley’s eyebrows jump up. “Outer space?”

Len stares at him and doesn’t reply.

“All right, all right. I get it. Work first, questions later.” Hartley sits down at the table and pulls the laptop closer to himself. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Whoever this is is not trying to hide at all.”

“Pretty sure he’d rather have the whole world knowing where he is.” Len leans down to look over Hartley’s shoulders. The screen is now split into two parts, one is Barry’s and his conversation, the other one is Hartley running some kind of tracking program.

Len looks over to Hartley and gets a nod in return. Len reaches over to send out a response.

“Are you… flirting with someone from outer space?” Hartley pauses. “Or something?”

Len rolls his eyes. “He’s human, Hartley. ” He juts his chin at the screen. “Keep working.”

Hartley pulls a phone out of his bag. “Here. The speech recognition function has been reprogrammed by me, so you don’t have to type. It’s accurate.”

Len takes the phone. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Hartley turns his head back. “So, outer space?”

“Tau Ceti.”

Hartley whistles. “You sure know how to pick them, boss. This gives a whole new meaning to long-distance relationship.”

Len glares at him, which only earns him a grin. Hartley has definitely been spending too much time with Lisa.

“Get out of here before I kick you out,” Len says. The phone in his hand vibrates.

That’s not comforting at all.

Hartley’s grin widens. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Out, Rathaway.”

Wasn’t meant to be.

Hartley leaves with a chuckle.

Did you change to a phone already?

Hm, what gives it away?

You type differently… wait, now you’re using speech recognition software?

Len smiles.

I am.

Are you an engineer or something? Or a hacker? I swear I won’t judge.

A friend helped.

So you do have a social life. What are you doing here talking to ME?

I mean, you’re kind of keeping me from going insane, but don’t stay up or in on my account, okay? Just, live your life as you always do. You’ve been a great help already.

A genuinely good person. Len scoffs. Of all the people who could have been marooned in space. Of all the people Barry could have gotten in contact with.

You’re better company than my usuals.

You must have a very sad social life. That’s all right. My social life is very sad, too.

I find that hard to believe, Barry. And ‘bitter’ is a better description than ‘sad’.

Flatterer. I bet you say that to everyone you meet.

Only those who appreciate my sense of humor.

Heh, as cheesy as a plate of nachos, but it has its charm.

Seriously though, thank you for doing this. Just tell me when you want me to stop messaging you.

You can stand to be a little more selfish.

I can say the same to you.

Len huffs.

Selflessness has never been a problem for me.

Oh, so you’re doing all this for some ulterior reasons?

None of which are the goodness of my heart.

You’re so full of shit, Blue.

That I am.

Sigh. You can’t hear it, so I’m just gonna tell you I’m sighing.

You know what, I’m just gonna stop talking to you until I get to Central so you’ll get some rest instead of staying here keeping me company.

Barry -

I’m at least two hours away from the wreckage. Later, you big softie.

[Barry is busy]

Len shakes his head. Stubborn idiot.

He takes a quick shower and lies down on the bed with the phone Hartley gave him next to the pillow. One hour and fifty minutes. He doubts Barry will contact him after exactly two hours have passed, but he’s used to stealing sleeps and waking up whenever he needs to.

His own phone vibrates once on the nightstand.

I heard that you ditched me for some hot date from outer space. Tell him I say hi, and that he’ll have to bring me a souvenir if he wants to get on my good side.

Len’s going to kill Hartley.