Chapter Text
Colt Severs was jumping off a cliff.
It's not a high cliff to his estimation, but it's taller than what a normal person would jump from, but Colt is not a normal person.
Colt Severs is a man of action.
Every moment that means something to him is tied in adrenaline and fickle thoughts about what happens after. So he doesn't think twice as he hears the call of action and launches himself down to the waiting stunt airbag. Explosions surround his periphery as the rest of the shot continues, the camera abandoning his falling body.
“Oh that was beautiful, absolutely amazing. The way you arced your body was perfect.” someone was saying to him as he was assisted off the bag. Making it back to solid ground he steadies his gait as he steps into stride with them.
“What you do is really something. It’s really an art. Something that more people need to appreciate. It's not something that you can hang in a museum either, it's something that must be experienced...” The stunt coordinator’s voice droned on as a PA came and handed him a much needed water bottle.
Colt tipped the top of it toward her in silent appreciation and took a hefty gulp. Something about falling makes a guy thirsty.
“Mr. Severs?” The PA caught his attention again.
“There’s someone here to see you. Some guys in suits, not sure who they are, and they weren't saying either.” Colt surveyed the girl in front of him. Mousy brown hair and thick glasses, a headset attached to a walkie talkie on her hip.
“Who do you think they are?” he mused.
“I think it's the government. Too high profile to be local police. Also they have shades and ear pieces. I know you were mixed up in” she gestures widely “ something crazy” she lands on “but not like ‘government’ crazy.”
“Why don't you let me worry about the ‘government’” he air quotes, “and you go answer that.” he says pointing to her walkie talkie he could hear from where he stood. Someone was requesting PA assistance somewhere across the set. She scrambles off and away, Colt shaking his head as he approaches the makeup trailer.
Ryland Grace and Colt Severs are brothers and not just that but identical twins. They were inseparable as children and even though they had led different lives growing up(Colt’s leading his to take on a stage name, and Ryland’s to adding Dr as a prefix), they always kept in touch.
That is until the accident. It left Colt crippled and damaged emotionally. He didn’t want to let any light in and even though Jodi and Grace both tried, their light was just too bright.
He finally let Jodi in after the incident with Tom Ryder. Her warmth and encouragement finally led him to reaching back out to Ryland. That whole conversation had taken hours to explain, screenshots of news articles and all, but in the end Ryland had forgiven easily. He had really missed his brother and was just happy to be talking to him again.
After that, phone calls became weekly rituals catching up on the everyday, which led to various top secrets not being so top or secret.
“So let me get this straight, A woman named Eva Stratt introduces herself to you as heading something called the Partova Taskforce, confirms that the sun is dying, and then says you've been voluen-told to help look at those little dots from space and learn everything you can about them in as little time as possible?" Colt asks incredulously as he leans on the counter in an apartment he shares with Jodi.
She stands behind him making dinner and eavesdropping on half a conversation. Colt switches the call to the speaker so that she can hear it all first hand and not ask him for a million details later.
“Thats the long and the short, yeah.” Ryland exhales into the phone.
“I have just a few more minutes before I have to go into the lab and start working, but this is huge. Not only do I get to help save the world, but I also get to prove to everyone that I was right! I mean these little guys live on the surface of the sun. Doesn't sound like they need water to me.”
Colt smiled as his brother rambled on. It had been a long time since anything had Ryland this excited. He wished it was about a less grim topic, but still he was glad that his brother had found a new love for science.
“Well, I gotta go. Wish me luck!” Jodi and Colt wished him off and the call ended.
A few days later, close to dawn it reconnected.
“Hello?” Colt's groggy voice gasped into his cell. Jodi is fast asleep at his side.
“I did it, Colt.” Rylands tired voice came through the speaker.
“Did what?”
“Figured out what they are made of.” Colt could practically see Ryland pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What what is made of?” Colt was still waking up.
“The dots.”
“You don't sound excited about that.” He rolled to his back to not muffle his voice in the phone.
“They are living cells, and are made of water, Colt. The one thing that could have disproved my entire thesis on life not needing it to survive, listed right there, one part hydrogen,2 parts oxygen. It's humiliating. I get one chance to show that I’m not a nutcase and I'm wholly and completely proven wrong.”
“There could be worse things.” Colt supplies.
“Like what?”
There is a brief pause as he tries to rack his sleepy brain. “I can’t think of anything right at this moment, but I’m sure there are.”
Ryland scoffs at the attempt to help him feel better.
“Yeah well, I must be a glutton for punishment and a nutcase because I asked them to let me continue to study them. And they said yes.” Colt sat up in bed, careful not to wake Jodi.
“First off, you're not a nutcase, okay, of the two of us, I'm the one launching myself off buildings and rolling cars on purpose. Also you, staying to study the dots, that's not surprising for you,” Colt quietly chides into the phone. “You love that kind of stuff. Ya know science and looking at tiny things through microscopes.”
“Its not just that, it's for the kids.”
“Your students?” Jodi asks, having been roused from sleep when the phone call came through. Colt placed the phone between them so she could hear.
“Yes, but not just them, all kids. I ran out of my classroom midday to tell Stratt that I wanted to be a part of the taskforce. I begged her into letting me keep the lab and some cells to study. I just couldn’t fathom having to face the future of a dying sun, being offered the chance to fix it and not taking it. They deserve the best that we can give them. Call me sentimental, or whatever.”
“Youre a softy.” Colt had managed to keep his voice light as he said it. He could feel himself choking up with pride for his brother. Ever the saint when it came to his kids.
“That's very sweet Ryland” Jodi said into the phone. “We will be rooting for you.”
“Thanks guys” he exhaled, feeling somewhat better about feeling inadequate. Colt waited a moment before speaking again.
“So, since these dots came from space and are alive, does that make them aliens?” Ryland’s face broke out into a grin that could be heard.
“I know right?! Humanity’s first contact!” That comment did exactly as intended and brought Ryland out of his stupor like a sleeper agent, launching him into a rant about alien life and what this could mean for the future of space travel and study. They hung up the phone an hour later, Colt being relegated to a vocabulary of ‘Oh yeah’ and ‘oh that's cool’ while still trying to stay awake. A battle he almost lost a few times.
That conversation happened months ago. Colt had to wait weeks to hear anything from Ryland again, and it was a short 5 minute update. Just a brief explanation about breeding the cells, some guy named Carl, and how he had been taken on the longest flight and connecting flight to end up on a Chinese aircraft carrier in the middle of nowhere throwing up into a traffic cone and then being forced to present to some of the world's top scientists all before he had the flight gear pulled off him.
Months passed before they could speak again.
“Astrophage?”
“Thats what I’ve decided to call them. It means star eater.”
“Isnt that a little on the nose?” Colt chuckled.
“Next time there is an alien that needs a name I will make sure to ask your opinion first.” Ryland said dryly.
“So why do they have you in the middle of nowhere? Was the lab in Cisco not sci-fi enough?”
“The amount of energy that the astrophage contains is so huge that even the tiniest amount of it could cause an explosion that would wipe the state of California off the map. Being in the middle of the ocean is a safety precaution.” Ryland explained as he walked to the front of the carrier.
“So how long do you have left on the SS Could-Explode?”
“Once we hit phase 3 we will be able to come back to land. I can't say more than that, but suffice to say it should be pretty soon… hopefully. I won't be as available then though.”
“Like you are now?” Colt joked.
The time between calls since Ryland had moved to the carrier became longer and longer as the workload increased. Some calls, when they happened, they could spend an hour catching up, and others as little as 5 minutes.
Colt told his brother about Jodi’s newest movie. MetalStorm 2.( A sequel where the space cowboy learns that he has a long lost twin brother that works as a bounty hunter for the main evil guy and the beautiful redemption arc that he gets as the story progresses.) About all the new jobs he's gotten recently, and the new truck he has his eye on.
Ryland spoke about mission details, the spin drives, the ship itself, the centrifuge, about how his role was morphing from just astrophage lead scientist to 2nd in command. How he didn't even know that about his job till the rest of the crew pointed it out. (leaving out the part about him allegedly boinking Stratt, no need to tell that to Colt), and about how draining it all was. They would talk about anything to avoid the weather.
The sun was actually dimming, and it was obvious now. Spring and summer became shorter and colder. The world had been introduced to Project Hail Mary and its leaders.
Colt and Jodi had watched press conferences with Ryland standing in the background. When the astronauts were introduced, he stood to the side of them somber as anyone else as they announced their willingness to die for all humanity.
That's how they existed for a while. Ryland facing the problems and Colt making entertainment to help the world forget for a moment.
“Do you want to come see the launch?” Ryland had asked one week. The date for the last launch had been set and he had successfully convinced Stratt to allow his family to come see it through.
“ Of course! Just tell me what airport to come to and I'll be there.”
“Thanks Colt. I'll send the info when I have it.”
Which leads back to the suits in the make up trailer.
They had introduced themselves as officers associated with Project Hail Mary.
“How can I help you gentleman?” Colt said, examining the three men in suits as he entered the trailer. They looked exactly as the mousy PA described them. Suits, sunglasses, the whole 9. The one in the middle of the group had salt and pepper hair and wrinkles that matched what Colt initially thought of him, as a veteran that takes his job very seriously.
“Good afternoon Mr. Severs. I am Agent Ryan. I'm with Project Hail Mary.” The man introduced himself, his southern voice accentuated his vowels.
“Dr Grace has invited you to come to the launch of the Hail Mary. We are here to pick you up.”
“Oh.” Relief swept over Colt. He figured since the launch day was approaching that Ry was so busy he forgot to let him know the travel information.
“Let me call my wife. She's not too far and can get here super quick.” Colt was already pulling out his phone to dial her number.
Agent Ryan paused. “Im afraid only one person per family has been authorized to attend the launch. It's a security thing.” he draws.
“Oh really?” Colt lowered his phone. He should have anticipated that. All the governments of the world were working together for this, not something that can be so lax on security.
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as possible" Agent Ryan had said, gesturing to the door closest to him. Something about how this was being handled didn't sit right with Colt. Ryland would have something right? And why were they taking him from work? Why not pick him up at home? Was there some kind of urgency he was missing out on? For the sake of his sanity, he chalked up his unease to being paranoid.
Lucky for Colt he has a duffel bag packed and ready to go. This was his last day of shooting on this movie anyway. He just had to let the stunt director know that he was leaving.
“Oh sure. Okay. Let me just let them know I'm leaving.” He turns back to the door on his left and opens it. The mousy PA jumps back from where her ear was placed on the door. Her eyes wide as Colt smiles and asks,
“Can you do me a favor and tell the stunt director that I am leaving and to mail me my check, thank you, you’re a doll.” he goes to leave, but turns back to her “You also might want to cut out that habit of listening into other people's conversations. One day you are going to learn something that you really don't want to know and it will cost you. Trust me, I know.”
He then follows the suits out the door.
On the way to the airport, he calls Jodi. She doesn't pick up.
“Hey honey, so I'm making a last minute trip to Russia. Ry was only allowed to have one family member come to watch the final launch. It would have been nice for him to send me a heads up, but he's busy saving the world.
Anyway, I think I'm going to be unreachable when we get there, but when we come home we can celebrate for real. I’m thinking spicy margs and hot wings? We can discuss it more later. Just know I love you and will be home soon.”