Chapter Text
Ryland is just over ten minutes late to the meeting which Stratt booked last minute for all the science leads. This is a fairly common occurrence for the most part. Ryland, by virtue of his tendency to collect meetings, responsibilities, and paperwork like they were stamps—to say nothing of his lab work and research obligations—tends to show up to all meetings a few minutes late without fail.
Today, Ryland had gotten stuck in his lab, supervising one of the assistants while they ran an experiment. Typically, Ryland is happy to allow the lab assistants to run their tests as they saw fit; no one on the vat was by any means incompetent after all. However, when Ryland saw Mario leaning over a nanogram of uncontained Astrophage with no PPE and an open flame in his hand, Ryland felt the same panic he did when he was back at Grover Cleveland watching a student nearly light their eyebrows on fire with a Bunsen burner. Except, instead of it being a small butane burner, it’s literally rocket fuel, and instead of their eyebrows being missing, it’s literally everyone on the ship being obliterated. So, Ryland ended up late for another meeting. What else is new?
Everyone of consequence is aware that Ryland’s grasp of his monstrous schedule is tenuous at best and have long since learned to ignore him stepping into meetings late. He never caused much commotion when he did, his place at the table never changed regardless of what room the meeting was being held in; without fail, the chair to the Stratt’s right was for him.
When Ryland entered Meeting Room D for the science teams meeting that Stratt threw on all their calendars two hours ago, the room was abnormally quiet, absent of the usual meeting chatter. Stratt had stopped talking when he had entered the room. Okay. That’s strange.
Even stranger, the seat to Stratt’s right was already taken. Ryland recognized the man immediately; Dr. Adam, “a staggering waste of carbon,” Scyther had sat in Ryland’s spot.
“Sorry I’m late,” Ryland says. Normally he doesn’t need to apologize, but the stares of everyone in the room were still burning into him. He looks over to Stratt, her face as impassive as ever, but he could read the irritation in her brow regardless. Ryland couldn’t tell if that was because of him or the man beside her. Her eyes flick down the table to where there was an empty spot by Lamai.
“Good of you to join us, Grace,” Scyther says, there was a barely concealed animosity in his voice. “I was surprised to find out you were on the ship, considering the circumstances.” Ryland forces the same smile he gave whenever he had to deal with someone he found particularly unpleasant. The smile used to be directed to wretched parents who didn’t truly care for their children’s education, however nowadays it almost always ends up pointed towards whichever bureaucrat or politician Stratt had last put him in a room with.
“I’ll just take a seat, and you can continue on,” Ryland says instead of telling Scyther any of the things he actually wants to say. He ends up in the seat besides Lamai. Across the table Hatch’s eyebrows had climbed up to his hairline. He mouths at Ryland something along the lines of “Who the heck is this guy?” While gesturing indiscreetly with his thumb to Scyther. Glancing down the table, everyone is still staring at Ryland, seeming to be waiting for him to say something more. Scyther is glaring holes at Ryland as if he was the one to ruin Scyther’s career and not the other way around.
Stratt clears her throat and resumes the meeting.
“As I said, Dr. Scyther is here as an appointee of UNESCO to oversee the work being done on the task force, and to ensure all information is accurately relayed to the United Nations, quickly and efficiently.” Ryland gets the feeling she is only repeating this for his benefit. It’s interesting. The more time that carries on, the more the world leadership is having time to stew with the knowledge that the gave Stratt unlimited power, and virtually no oversight. Stratt and Ryland privately had discussed that something like this might be coming down the pipe soon.
Ryland pulls out his laptop and pops it open under the pretence of taking notes. He wants to see if she had sent him any emails about this while he was ensuring Mario didn’t kill himself and everyone around him. It doesn’t look like it. Immediately, he sees Microsoft Teams messages popping up in the corner of the screen from his colleagues, all of which were actively sat around the same table as him.
“This will not affect most things for the science team. All reporting structures will remain the same.” Stratt says this with heavy emphasis. “However, you will now send an additional email to Dr. Scyther with your monthly reports and findings,” Stratt goes on to say. If all reporting structures are to remain the same, that means Ryland would still be receiving the weekly updates from all the science teams, as well as their monthly reports. Presumably, he will still be doing the lab and research inspections as well.
Scyther stands up, cutting off Stratt from continuing. Yeah, that’s a big no-no.
“If I may, I would like to say a few words to introduce myself to everyone present…” Scyther proceeds to spends the next few minutes describing his incredible accolades and why he was the right man for the job, and how excited he is to be here. Stratt and Ryland share a glance. Yeah, she’s playing nice for now, surprisingly enough, but Ryland is sure she will crack the whip sooner or later.
He could feel Lamai staring dead at him from right beside him the longer he ignores the Teams messages. Ryland grudgingly opens the app.
Dimitri: THIS IS “STAGGERING WASTE OF CARBON” YES ?
Hatch: I’m still sending everything to you right?
Hatch: IDK if this guy would be able to understand the Beatles
Hatch: Also, I do appreciate you being ‘round
Hatch: … Get it?Lamai: My door is open to you if you ever want to chat
Redell: Did we just get to witness you getting fired? Are they going to throw you off the boat?
Shapiro: You didn’t tell Dubois and me he was joining the crew
Ryland closes Teams, leaving them all on read. He feels the irritated gazes of everyone at the table as ignores their messages. Only Lokken and Dubois hadn’t sent him messages about this. On the other side of the table where Dubois was sitting beside Shapiro, the only two crew members currently present, Dubois gives him a somewhat reassuring smile and a small thumbs up. Okay, whatever that meant.
Scyther wasn’t oblivious to the attention Ryland was receiving at the table. The man clears his throat loudly, glowering mostly at Ryland and those most interacting with Ryland, like Dubois and Lamai.
“As I was saying, I’m proud to be working with such an esteemed group of scientists,” he says, while the look he gives Ryland says, “Not you.”
“Who will I be most closely working with?” Scyther directs the question to Stratt as he sits back down in Ryland’s chair. Scyther leans back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face, looking like an a-hole.
Stratt’s composure doesn’t drop despite Ryland being able to see how obviously irritated she is. She looks back down the table to Ryland, “You will be working out of Lab A. I’m sure Dr. Grace will be able to help you find space.” Great. Thanks, Stratt. Lab A is the main lab on the ship where most of the Astrophage experiments take place, Dr. Scyther is, technically, a molecular biologist like Ryland, so it makes sense they would work out of the same lab.
“I see. I will need an office too, and a place to sleep,” Scyther says. He doesn’t look at Ryland this time, but he doesn’t sound impressed by the lab situation.
“There are no spare offices available at the time,” Stratt says, simply. “Most people already share offices, as is. Perhaps you could find some extra desk space in the lab.”
Scyther shakes his head. “You’ve clearly never worked in a lab before,” he says dismissively to Stratt, to the dislike of everyone in the room. “No, why don’t give me Grace’s office space? I will be taking over the role as First Officer and Senior Molecular Biologist. I will need the office more than he does.”
There are a few audible scoffs and guffaws at his audacity, but Ryland isn’t surprised. Scyther’s been entitled for as long as Ryland has known him, to say nothing of his commitment to making Ryland’s life miserable.
Stratt is silent for a moment obviously weighing the pros and cons of giving Scyther Ryland’s office. No wonder Redell thought Ryland was getting fired with how this is playing out. Ryland kind of feels like he is getting fired himself. He always is saying there are people more competent to be doing this than him, but he didn’t envision it being friggen Scyther to be the one to replace him.
“Very well,” she says to Scyther, and a pit forms in Ryland’s stomach. “Dr. Grace will move his effects out of his office today and starting tomorrow you may use his office for your work.” Yeah. That doesn’t feel good does it. “Dr. Grace,” Stratt’s attention turns to him. “I will send you an email with where to move your work to.” Ryland nods his head jerkily. He fights to keep his face as neutral as possible not to let the hurt shine through.
“Dr. Grace’s work is very important to the project. Pardon me for asking, but is it wise to get rid of his office?” Dr. Lokken cuts in, sharply. Ryland is honestly a bit surprised by her speaking on his behalf, his disagreements with Lokken are known across the ship by most; he knows Lokken seems to agree with many of Scyther’s arguments. There is some grumbled agreement around the table as the other since leads nod in agreement with Dr. Lokken. For a second, Ryland is a bit touched.
“I don’t disagree,” Stratt says. “Dr. Grace will simply share an office until a new area can be cleared for him. The details will be sorted out with Dr. Grace later.” She turns her attention back to Scyther, “As for your sleeping arrangements, you will share a room with Doctor Redell and Mr. Hatch.”
“I have to share a room to sleep in?” Scyther asks, incredulous.
Stratt gives him a wan smile, “Dr. Scyther, everyone on this ship shares a room with at least one other person; I, myself, am the only exception to this.” Well, that’s a lie. A small one but still a lie. Technically there are two exceptions to the room sharing, one is Stratt and the other is Ryland. Maybe Stratt forgot Ryland didn’t bunk with anyone, or maybe she was feeling bad for giving up Ryland’s office. He’s not sure if he believes either option, but he can’t think of a better reason that Stratt isn’t shoving Scyther in with Grace since he has the room for it.
He’s not quite sure how he ended up having a private room anyways, god knows he barely uses it, but somewhere a long the way he ended up alone. Most of the leadership team knows this from the rare occasion where he passes out after a multiday research binge. When that happens, he tends to crash hard, sleeping through meetings. Inevitably, someone, normally Lamai or Dimitri, comes knocking on his door to make sure he’s still alive and to drag him to the canteen to eat something.
Despite everyone knowing Ryland has his own room, no one says anything to contradict Stratt. Redell and Hatch are both grimacing to themselves at their newest addition, but even they don’t fight it. Stratt’s word is law after all.
“That’s it.” Stratt says, when no one says anything else. “Dismissed.”
Ryland hurries out of the room before anyone can stop and try and talk to him.