Chapter Text
They were in the middle of a conference when it happened. The sound of a rocket being fired in the distance.
Everyone started talking afterward as if nothing happened. Everyone except Grace. He got a look of panic in his eyes and was now moving around the room. He grabbed a chair and started lugging it toward the door.
“Dr. Grace,” Stratt called. Whispers filled the air. What was he doing? He didn’t seem to hear Stratt because he kept moving. “Have to lock- barricade the door,” he mumbled, the chair being pulled along with him. He jammed the chair under the door knob and locked the door.
He then turned and was looking around for something. The glazed over terror in his eyes didn’t leave.
“Dr. Grace,” Stratt called again louder this time, but she couldn’t get his attention. His eyes were unfocused and his hands were shaking.
“Grace? What are you doing?” Ilyukhina tried to ask.
He looked over to where she was. But he wasn’t looking at her- he was looking through her. His expression suggested he was a million miles away
“Shh-,” he whispered brokenly, “it’s okay, don’t cry. We’ll be okay,” He finally grabbed a dark sheet of paper off of the table and worked on taping it over the lone window in the conference room.
No one had any idea what he was talking about.
Stratt looked around the room before coming to a decision. “Dismissed. We’ll reconvene at 1,” she said before promptly turning to where Grace was pacing quietly.
Everyone moved to leave. Someone moved the chair that sat in front of the door and unlocked the door.
“Please,” Grace whispered shakily, “we need to keep that by the door.” He tried to block the door but was gently moved aside. Everyone else filed out the door and as soon as they had he put the chair back under the doorknob. He seemed overly distressed by everyone leaving and was shaking his head back and forth.
Stratt moved, stopping Grace in his tracks by grabbing his wrists.
“Dr. Grace.” She said firmly. He couldn’t look at her- his eyes clouded with something she couldn’t name.
“Ryland.” She said more firmly, squeezing his wrists slightly.
Finally, his eyes cleared ever so slightly. “S-Stratt- what?,” he looked around the room and found the chair he’d put back under the doorknob. “Oh-,” his expression crumpled and he blinked back tears.
“Dr. Grace. Take the rest of the day off.” She instructed.
His eyes widened and he shook his head frantically. “No, no it’s okay. I can still work. It’s fine,” he insisted, trying to pull his hands out of her hold.
Stratt shook her head.
“Clearly it isn’t. Take the day off- that’s an order.” She said, finally releasing his wrists. “I’ll check in with you in a few hours. You’d better not be working” she commanded.
Grace dipped his head in a silent nod and awkwardly removed the chair from the door so he could leave. He left the room looking lost, but far less shaky than he’d been minutes prior.
…
Stratt felt no guilt thumbing through the files she had on everyone who worked for her. She needed to have tabs on everyone here. Having a file on each employee wasn’t uncommon. How much information that was on these files though- was a lot more than common.
She found Grace’s and pulled it free, flipping through contents until she found the page about his time at Grover Cleveland Middle.
There was a number listed on the bottom of the page. It was the school’s contact. She typed the numbers into her phone and hit call, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up.
“Hello. This is Melody- the Grover Cleveland Middle office. How can I help you?” The voice chirped.
“What can you tell me about Ryland Grace?” Stratt asked, straight to business.
“Who is this-,” Melody asked suspiciously.
“Eva Stratt, current employer. What can you tell me about him?” Stratt reiterated. She didn’t have time for this. She needed to know what had happened during the conference.
“Uhhh- well he’s worked for us for four years. The kids love him. He teaches 6th and 7th grade science. Uhhhh he’s 32-,” Melody recited, not knowing what Stratt was looking for.
“Has anything traumatic happened? A break in- an emergency?” Stratt clarified, hoping Melody would finally understand what she was looking for.
“Ohhhh- yeahhh there was a school shooting incident his first year here. He’s the one who got the gun away from the kid and everyone ended up fine. Scary stuff though - but that’s what those Alice Drills are for, am I right?”
“Mm. Got it. Bye,” Stratt said concisely before hanging up.
A school shooting- so that’s what he’d been doing. He’d heard the rocket get shot off and assumed the worse. He’d been trying to protect them. Trying to protect them from a threat that wasn’t real- but an attempt at protection none the less.
Was bringing him here a mistake? She knew he was… different from the others that worked on the boat- but that was why she hired him. He had an odd way of throwing ideas at the wall until something stuck. He had a childlike curiosity and put a new- less scientific perspective on things.
Not that he wasn’t smart. He knew just as much as most of the other volunteers, but the way he presented and handled the data he pulled- was less formal. Likely due to his time as a middle school teacher. He got used to explaining complex material to a younger audience.
She wondered if she should recommend he visit the psychologist on the boat- or let him handle things his own way unless he asked for help.
She wasn’t sure. She was sure, however, that she needed to make sure he was actually taking the day off. He had a bad habit- as most scientists did- of wanting to work and work until the project was finished or until they passed out from exhaustion.
And with the way he’d acted earlier… he would be much more beneficial rested.
She walked down the corridor pondering their most recent meeting. When they had reconvened the meeting had gone much smoother- although Grace’s absence posed some lack of morale. She needed Grace to be in tip-top condition for their next few meetings. His knowledge of astrophage would be crucial.
She needed to talk to him.