Chapter Text
Ryland got the text as he was coming out of a meeting with the prime minister of Canada, the presidents of the US and Mexico, and his boss, ‘world dictator’ Eva Stratt. The meeting was about some concerns the world leaders had about Project Hail Mary, and who better to ask than the director and first officer of the project?
Yeah, it was gonna take a while for him to get used to the title. It usually didn’t make much difference on the Stratt Vat, where he could be just another scientist working to save their sun from being eaten by bacteria, but off?
He was breaking down some of the numbers that had been brought up in the meeting for Stratt when he felt the buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out while explaining the variables that had been forgotten in order to get the more dramatic numbers as he glanced at the notification, halting in place as he read its contents.
---
2 messages from Jody Moreno
Colt’s in trouble
How quickly can you get to Sydney?
---
“Dr. Grace?” Ryland glanced up. Stratt was a few feet ahead of him now. She must’ve kept walking before realizing he wasn’t following as usual. To most people, her face would look stern, perhaps even angry, but Ryland had spent enough time around her to know that that specific tilt of the left eyebrow meant she was concerned.
“My brother- he's in trouble.” He said, “I need to get to Sydney.”
“Australia? I thought your brother lived in Los Angeles?” Of course she knew about Colt. Stratt wasn't the kind of person to go in blind. Heck, she probably knew his blood type before they'd met.
“Jody- his ex- she's a director,” Ryland explained, “she's filming in Australia right now. He must’ve signed up to do her stunts.” which was odd. Last he'd heard from his brother, he was a valet for some Mexican place in LA after swearing off stuntwork forever. Said his back couldn't handle it.
“Go pack, I'll have Carl meet you on the flight deck in thirty minutes.”
--------
Ryland gasped as his brother pulled him from the water, shivering with the absence of his fox cardigan. Colt remembered how much he'd loved it. But they'd had to leave it floating in the bay with his Miami Vice jacket.
“C’mon,” Colt said, “we need to get moving.”
“Yeah, just, let me catch my breath one sec.” Colt nodded and searched his pockets. He had his wallet with his ID, the keys to the truck he'd wrecked earlier, and one of the sticky notes from Ryder's loft, now ruined by the baywater. He dropped it on the ground before turning back to his brother, who was now standing up straight, staring into the distance.
“Ry? What’s-” he followed his twin’s pointed finger to a TV barely visible through a bar window. The screen was switching between the anchor, the bay that they’d just escaped, and a picture of his face next to Henry’s. They both silently approached the window, the sound coming clearer as they did.
“Police are dubbing it a Murder suicide after this footage was released of american stuntman, Colt Seavers, real name Colton Grace, causing the death of another american stuntman, Henry Herrera.” A clip played on the screen then, the video from Ryder’s phone but Colt’s face had been imposed onto it. Colt clenched his fist, if only he hadn’t been so damn stupid-
“-sources say that Seavers died alongside his twin brother, Doctor Ryland Grace, in an explosion while evading police custody. We cannot confirm or deny at this time Dr. Grace’s involvement in the murder.”
“This is bad.” Ryland muttered.
“Yeah.” Colt agreed. “Okay, here’s the plan: Metalstorm has a lot of spare full-body suits, I'm thinking we sneak on set, grab a few and- where are you going?” His brother was stumbling down the sidewalk. Colt quickly caught up to him
“I need a phone, Ryder took mine. Fudge she’s gonna be pissed-”
“'She'?” Did his brother have a girlfriend? “Who’s 'she'?”
“My boss. Do you know the way to the Claireville?” Colt was confused. He'd met his brother's principal before, he couldn't picture her being cross, much less pissed. Then the rest of his brother's words caught up to his brain.
“Ry, a hotel is the last place we should go. There's too many people, security cameras. We should be laying low, maybe find Dan-”
“Do you know the way or not?”
“Why is it so important?”
“When I got the text from who I thought was Jody, I didn’t come alone. I have a friend, he’s still waiting at the Claireville. And if he finds out I’m dead-” Ryland ran a hand through his wet hair, “let’s just say it’s going to be bad.”
“How bad?’
“Very bad.”
--------
They were able to get to the hotel and sneak past the receptionist easily, avoiding the lobby cameras by ducking behind a tv that was displaying their faces, ironically enough. Ryland said that the camera-avoiding was unnecessary, but Colt insisted. They were able to get into the stairwell using Ryland’s keycard and made it to the third floor without being spotted. Colt followed his twin down the hallway till they stopped in front of the door that matched the card. Instead of using it though, Ryland tapped a pattern into the door. It was answered by a stern black man holding a handgun, which he quickly lowered when he saw who had knocked.
“Grace! Oh thank all that is holy.” It was then that the man noticed Colt. “This is him?”
“Yep. Carl, Colt. Colt, Carl. Can we come in please?” The man let them into the room. It was small, two queen sized beds, a couch, and a bathroom immediately to the left of the door. The room was empty of anything personal aside from a pair of duffle bags, one on each bed. The twins moved to the more open space as Carl shut and deadbolted the door behind them.
“So, the trouble?” Carl asked. Grace began to rifle through one of the duffles, clearly looking for something.
“Not what we thought it was actually.” He replied. He pulled out a few wrinkled shirts as he continued to dig.
“I assume it instead has something to do with the fact that your faces are being posted on every news outlet with the tagline ‘double murder-suicide’?”
“It's Ryder,” Colt explained, “he killed his old stuntman and is trying to pin it on me. He was also behind my accident a year and a half ago. His assistant is in on the whole thing.”
“It sounded more like she's the brains of the operation.” Ryland said. He’d given up on finding whatever he was looking for and had turned to more directly face the two, “Ryder's just the moneybag she's trying to protect.” Carl scoffed.
“Figures. The world’s ending and people are still protecting themselves.” World ending, what? Colt was confused.
“Yeah.” Ryland shook his head, “Stratt’s probably seen the news by now and Ryder’s goons- he has goons, by the way- took my phone so I wasn’t able to call her. Do you-” He cut off as a phone started ringing, the sound making Colt jump. Carl quickly pulled the device from his pocket and answered it with barely a glance at the caller ID.
“Carl. He’s safe, Ma’am. No, I haven't asked yet. Yes, both of them. Okay, passing now.” He held out the phone to Ryland. “She wants to hear it from you.”
“Of course she does.” Ryland sighed as he accepted the phone. “Dr. Grace. Sorry, I lost my phone. Yes, I’m safe- well I am now. No it wasn’t about the project, it was…” Ryland walked into the bathroom, speaking quietly as he shut the door. Leaving his brother with someone Colt was pretty sure was an ex-hitman or something.
“So… you’re just, Carl? No last name?” The man was silent. “Okaaaay, how do you know my brother exactly?”
“We work together.”
“Work together whe-” his question was interrupted by Ryland sticking his head out of the bathroom
“Colt, is Ryder going to be on set tomorrow?” he asked. The phone was held out, likely to avoid blowing out the eardrums of whoever was on the other end.
“Yeah, I think so.” Colt asked, “Why?
--------
Carl took the couch that night. In the morning, Colt quickly showered and got dressed in some spare clothes of Ryland’s. He tugged on the science pun t-shirt. It was a bit snug, but fit nonetheless. He’d slept maybe six hours, which didn't feel like anywhere near enough. Especially after all the stunts the past two days. Rolling a car, getting hit by a car, getting kidnapped not once but twice. Yeah, after this he was taking a vacation. Maybe Jody would join him, but he’d have to get his name cleared first, which would mean getting Ryder arrested, which would mean Metalstorm would get ruined, so maybe not.
“You ready?” Colt looked up to see his brother leaning against the wall, wearing yet another science pun shirt with a bright yellow raincoat over the top.
“For what?”
“The car's waiting outside.” Carl said, holding three coffees and a plate of pastries from the breakfast bar below. “We should get a move on if we want to get there on time.”
Colt followed his brother and Carl down the stairwell, accepting the coffee. Instead of leaving through the lobby though, they left through a side door, probably because of the whole ‘wanted for murder’ thing. The car waiting outside was a black SUV, the windows tinted so he couldn't see inside. It looked like something out of a spy movie. A blonde wearing a black suit was standing next to the car, her hair up in a tight bun.
“Dr. Grace, Mr. Grace.” She greeted before opening the car door. Ryland quickly climbed in, Colt following hesitantly. It was one of those cars that had separate compartments for the driver and the passengers, with the passenger half having two benches that faced each other. Carl came last, sitting in the seat opposite the twins. He passed a tablet to Ryland, who immediately started scrolling through it. When Colt glanced over, it looked like schematics of some kind, he caught the phrase ‘spin drive’ before Ryland scrolled past. He glanced back at Carl who met his gaze as he knocked on the separator. The driver took the signal and merged into Sydney traffic.
“So, where are we going?” Colt asked.
“The Metalstorm filming site,” Ryland answered distractedly as he read through the proposal. Colt blanched at that.
“Wha- But that’s where Ryder is, and Gail!”
“That is kinda the point.”
“Ryland, I think you’re forgetting that I’m still wanted for murder!”
“Not anymore.” Carl told him. “You were cleared last night, or technically early this morning. You were asleep.”
“Wha-how? With what evidence?” Carl snorted at that, while he and Ryland shared a look.
“Doesn’t really matter.” Ryland told him cryptically, “Police are on their way to the set to arrest Ryder and Gail now for, well it’s just attempted murder for now, but Ryder will be tried for Henry’s murder and Gail for conspiracy once Stratt gets enough evidence. They're gonna need Jody’s phone for that though.”
“Who’s Stratt?”
“My boss, you’ll meet her soon enough. She said she was going to watch the arrest in person. She was really mad when I told her what happened.”
“Grace,” Carl reminded him, “you nearly died. I was ready to kill Ryder if you had asked me to. If Dimitri knew, he would be here too.”
“What about Embezzler Bob??”
“He'd laugh.” Carl said, “Then punch Ryder in the face, he absolutely hates the guy even before all of this.”
“So the ex-convict is the one who wouldn't kill for me.”
“He was convicted of embezzlement and negligence, not murder, Grace.”
“Who's Embezzler Bob?” Colt was so lost, trying to grasp at any information he could. Just what was his brother involved in?
“Robert Redell. One of our coworkers.” Oh yeah, cuz that answered everything. Why the hell was his brother working with an ex-con? Colt was silent for the rest of the trip, lost in his thoughts. He glanced up when the car stopped, climbing out after Carl, then Ryland. They were parked a few yards away from some of the canopies that covered resting areas for the crew. No one was there yet, thankfully. It was still pretty early in the morning.
Another black SUV pulled up, identical to the one they had come in. It parked and a red-haired woman stepped out. She wore a black sweater paired with black slacks, which was certainly a choice in the hot Australian sun.
“Dr. Grace.” She greeted. Her accent sounded German, or maybe Dutch.
“Stratt, Ma’am.” Ryland gave her a little salute. She nodded to Colt standing behind his twin.
“So, this is the brother?”
“Yes ma’am. Colt Seavers.” Colt introduced, holding out his hand. The redhead took it.
“Eva Stratt.” The name felt familiar to Colt, like he should know this woman, but he couldn’t pin it down. She didn't act like a principal, that's for sure. Carl didn’t know whether to be scared for his brother, who had obviously gotten mixed up in something big, or grateful for this woman who had somehow cleared his name. Behind her, a more familiar face was climbing out of the SUV.
“Colt! You’re alive!”
“Dan!” He reached out to hug his friend. After the embrace, the stunt coordinator turned to Ryland.
“And Ry-man! You don’t happen to be behind all the suits, are you?” His tone was joking, but only mostly. Colt knew his friend was just as curious as he was.
“I mean, yes and no? I didn’t call them in directly, but my boss did so…”
“Gentlemen.” Stratt interrupted, “shall we get going?”
“Right.” Ryland fell into step behind her easily. Colt and Dan shared a glance before following the two.
“So, do you know what's going on?”
“Apparently we're on our way to arrest Ryder and Gail for attempted murder. And maybe actual murder in Ryder's case. But I don't know if they have enough evidence for that without the original video.”
“About Stratt, who is she and how does she know Ryland?”
“I think she's his boss or something. Don't know for what exactly, but he mentioned a ‘project’ when talking to her last night.” They were walking through a more populated part of the set now, where the costuming teams were prepping for the shots that day. A few pointed and whispered as their group walked past, but quickly turned away when Carl looked at them.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” A shrill voice cried out. Colt instantly recognized it as Gail’s. “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM!” The group broke out of the sea of canopies to the trailer area and were met with the sight of Gail being restrained by a pair of police officers. Just a few feet away, Ryder was receiving similar treatment. Jody ran out of her trailer. Her eyes looked puffy, had she been crying? Colt was mildly surprised at that. He knew they were on slightly better terms now, but he didn’t think that she’d cry for his death, especially since nothing was technically confirmed.
“What is going on here?” Jody asked.
“We have arrest warrants for Gail Meyer and Tom Ryder, Ma’am.”
“And what are the charges?”
“For Ms. Meyer? Attempted murder, conspiracy, and obstruction of the Petrova Task Force.” The officer said, “For Mr. Ryder it’s the same, with an additional charge for the murder of Henry Herrera."
“Gail, what is he talking about?” Ryder shouted.
“I DON’T BLOODY KNOW!” she screamed back. Colt winced at her pitch.
“Then allow me to explain.” Stratt said, drawing attention to their little group. Jody gasped as she and Colt locked eyes. He gave her a small thumbs up.
“Yesterday, 5pm local time,” Stratt began, “you used the phone of Jody Moreno to send a text message to Dr. Ryland Grace, causing him to believe his brother was in danger.” Gail tried to protest, but Stratt held up a hand, effectively silencing her. “Don't deny it, we have the security footage from the Karaoke bar. You sent this text to lure Dr. Grace as bait as part of a convoluted plan to frame Mr. Seavers for the murder of Henry Herrera.”
“You thought you would get away with it by murdering both Seavers and Grace, but both escaped thanks to some quick thinking on Mr. Seavers’ part. They were able to contact me and explain the situation, which was when I mobilized the Australian police force, leading us to now. What your plan truly failed to account for was Dr. Grace’s importance to the world. You thought that you were attacking a man with no connections, not realizing that your information was out-of-date.” Stratt grinned, sending shivers down Colt’s back.
“Tom Ryder, Gail Meyers, you just attempted the murder of the first officer of the Petrova task force, and the world’s leading expert on Astrophage.”
Astrophage. That’s when it clicked in Colt’s head. The Petrova line, Astrophage, Eva Stratt.
He’d just shaken the hand of the woman who basically had the power of a world dictator.
“Holy F***.” Dan whispered.
“You said it.”