Chapter Text
Darkness...
Hot, blistering, mutation...
Simon doesn't know how long its been since the explosion...
Hell, he doesn't even know if the box even made it...
All he knows is that it's much bigger than him... For the remaining people back up in the surface.
Like a mantra it repeats in his mind.
It's much bigger than us...
It's much bigger than us...
It's much bigger than YOU...
His entire body is practically screaming from the mutation and surprisingly numb at the same time.
It's strange, feeling like this and somehow not getting the relief of death.
Funny how some things DO survive while others don't ableit it being short lived...
He could care less.
He barely even had the energy to really think about caring.
Eventually the mutated rot in his blood will eat him away and leave him erased from history.
And he was okay with that...
...
"I see something! Lemme just get... Closer..."
(What... Who's voice was that..? It's all... Muffled...)
He suddenly felt a pair of arms kind of wrapping around his torso awkwardly and he felt himself being pulled upwards.
He didn't know what was happening but he doesn't have much strength to really register much right now.
All he can do right now is just let himself be dragged to God knows where.
Then everything went silent again.
He no longer felt the heat of the radiation and blood.
He actually felt pretty cold.
He comes to hours later, slowly opening his eyes and groaning softly, trying to see where he is with his poor vision.
It's too bright.
His mutated eyes were more used to the dark depths of the blood ocean.
The next thing he notices is the scent.
He doesn't smell the iron anymore...
It's more... Human?
Like sweat and hand sanitizer.
Is he back on the ship..?
Did the COI actually come back for him..?
He suddenly takes in a deep breath, coughing up and choking on the blood built up in his lungs.
It didn't help that he had half developed gills from the mutation as well...
Great.
Now he's struggling to breathe in two ways.
Pathetic.
Simon rolls to his side weakly as he rasps a few breaths.
It felt good to actually breath after all that time he spent in that damned metal coffin.
Whatever he was laying on was surprisingly softer than the floor of the submarine and the cots he had in prison.
Where was he?
Simon sees a figure approaching cautiously.
He reacts instantly.
He's not going back.
Not again.
Simon lunges instantly at the figure, using his only hand to grab at the person's throat and pinning him down with incredible strength now that he actually has oxygen flowing to his brain and muscles.
The person he's strangling is struggling immensely under his grip, but he holds himself firmly.
From what he could see with his poor vision, this person was most likely a middle aged male with dirty blonde hair.
Not that he could care anymore since he was about to kill him and try to escape now that he has an actual chance to live.
Give a life to get a life...
He feels the person grab something nearby, but he doesn't know what.
The person then swings the object to his head, it connects and knocks him unconscious, leaving his body limp next to his almost victim.
Grace is panting from both panic and lack of oxygen, grasping his throat and scooting back frantically from the unconscious convict.
He drops the fire extinguisher and just sits there...
Grace had an idea that this person may be... Rough considering his condition, but not outright violent.
He can't think right now, instead he focuses on getting air.
After a few minutes of recovery, he finally sits up and crawls slowly towards Simon.
He looks even more threatening and disturbing with all of the blood washed off of him with the mutation it covered.
No wonder he was so strong.
He carefully grabs Simon and struggles to get him back into the cot, he was much lighter in the blood ocean since he didn't really carry him out.
After struggling a bit he manages to lay Simon down on the cot.
That was his daily cardio.
Rocky is rolling quickly into the room.
Rocky: "What happen to Grace??? Rocky heard noise and struggle, exclamation!"
Of course he did.
Grace: well... It happened so fast... But it's fine now. I'll tell you later.
He rubs the bruises on his throat, geez that guy was strong...
It's probably best he just leaves Simon be until he adjusts.
(END OF CHAPTER)