Chapter Text
Between the endless meetings and calls, Eva Stratt truthfully only skimmed Dr. Grace’s files. She felt she had learned the general gist of his story: disgraced academic, doctorate in molecular biology, and a paper arguing against the necessity of water for alien life. He seemed perfect for her task at hand.
She was able to easily navigate through the halls of Grover Cleveland Middle School, finding the room number the receptionist had given her. This, despite what many may think, was not her first time in a middle school during the hectic time of dismissal.
The classroom she let herself into was decorated to the nines, with all sorts of science memorabilia hanging off walls and from the ceiling. Ryland Grace sat at his desk, grading quizzes as she called out, “Knock knock.”
He lifted his head, seeming far younger than Stratt first imagined. He asked with a playful expression, “Who’s there?”
“Not good at jokes,” she replied curtly.
“Not good at jokes who?”
Stratt couldn’t help but question if he was really her best hope. She went on to her usual introduction, explaining who she was and the Petrova Task Force. Despite how many scientists she had contacted who were eager to join her ranks, Ryland Grace seemed hesitant, saying that didn’t do this sort of stuff anymore.
When he began to leave the school, heading to a bike rack, she told him, “I think you do care, you’re just running away because you’re scared.”
“No I’m not.”
“Do you still believe water is unnecessary for life to evolve?”
This seemed to keep him distracted, explaining how there was nothing magical about oxygen and hydrogen as he still packed his backpack to leave. Stratt motioned the car waiting for them forward, and cut him off, “I need you to come with us.”
He still tried to back out of it, citing how he was a middle school teacher who rode a bike to work, but Stratt inevitably won him over, saying, “It survives on the surface of the sun. Does that sound like a water-based life form to you?”
Grace couldn’t seem to argue with that and reluctantly told them, “I can help, but I need to get my daughter from her elementary school first.”
Stratt was sure that was the first time Carl had seen her so caught off guard. She managed to tamp down her confusion and ushered Grace to the car, saying they would get her before going to the lab.
A thorough read over Ryland Grace’s file did reveal a simple line, that he had a nine year old daughter by the name of Diana Grace, a child Ryland had with his ex-wife Linda. Ryland had full custody, and Linda seemed not to be in the picture at all.
Stratt tried not to take any interest in the notion that he was a single parent, akin to her own life. They were here to develop humanity’s last-ditch effort, not bond over being single parents.
They stopped by her elementary school, where Ryland had to guide her to the armored car, much to Diana’s confusion. The young girl sat between Stratt and Grace, clearly confused by everything going on. When she leaned over to her father to ask, “Are we being kidnapped?” Stratt bit back any amusement.
At the labs, or the warehouse with a temporary one set up, Diana sat beside Stratt as Ryland worked on the astrophage in the argon-filled rooms. The presence wasn’t too unfamiliar — Stratt had her own cling-on at home (read: on the Gansu).
What Stratt did not plan for was how long this all would take. Grace did try to warn her that this process was far from quick, but Stratt wanted to believe he would have made some progress by the five-hour mark. Wrong. It was nearly eight o’clock, and most of the government officers in the room around her had sat down or wandered away for food and entertainment.
The only two who seemed to watch him still were Stratt and Diana. The latter had pulled a book from her school bag, but put it down about an hour ago, clearly bored of reading. Stratt heard the girl’s stomach grumble, and she sighed, telling Carl to go get something for her to eat.
After an hour, during which Carl returned with pizza, Grace finally declared, “It’s a cell!”
“It’s a cell — wake up! — it’s a cell!” Stratt couldn’t contain her pride in Grace making progress; it even out ruled her irritation at the others sleeping.
Diana cheered the loudest, the most talkative Stratt had seen her since she was picked up. “Yes! You go, Dad! Woo! Best scientist ever!”
Even after Grace announced the cell was dead, Stratt was still hopeful as he tested it for what it was made of. Of course, since Grace seems to never have anything good happen to him, it was made almost entirely of water.
Many of the officials filed out of the observation room after, but Stratt lingered as Grace was decontaminated and released from his hazmat suit. She helped Diana gather her stuff, picking up her coat and gloves as she packed up her backpack.
As Stratt held the door open for the girl, she asked, “What happens now, Ms. Stratt?”
“I am not too sure,” she told the girl honestly. “I will talk with your father. You can stay back with Carl while I—“
“I want to be with my dad,” Diana told her, firm for once.
“Then let’s get over to him,” Stratt told her. The two walked over to where Grace had slumped on the rounded walkway, a thermos in his hands.
He looked up and gave a weak smile to Diana, saying, “Hey, bub, crazy day, right?”
Diana nodded, clearly a little tired. “Ms. Stratt got us pizza for dinner.”
“Really? That’s great,” Grace told her. He opened his arms and told her, “C’mere, I missed you.” As Diana fell into a hug, he mouthed to Stratt, ‘I’ll pay you back’.
She shook her head and began to ask him about the astrophage, about how it operates. His work wasn’t as helpful as she had hoped, but she let him know she was glad he didn’t die, and turned to signal her people to clean up.
She expected that when Grace followed her, it would be about a ride back to their home or even the school for his bike, but she wasn’t expecting him to want to continue with the project. He was so reluctant back at the school, but now he wanted to continue it. “I have to,” he argued. “If all this can really help save the sun and help my daughter live in a good world, I want to help. I need to. Please.”
Three dots. Plus the one he killed. That’s all she left for him.
That evening, Stratt returned to the Gansu, leaving the lab, the dots, a few workers, and Carl back with Grace. It was a lot to leave for this one man, but she tried to justify it. He was the first to find out it’s a cell. He did make a lot of progress with it. Even now, after killing one and having what was essentially a temper tantrum in the lab, she still had faith in him and his ability to discover something.
Her first stop on the Gansu was her office, planning to dump her bag and laptop before heading back to her room. She sighed when she saw the lights on under the door, and knocked before stepping, immediately chastising, “Francesca, you can’t stay up for hours in my office just because I’m off the ship.”
Her daughter was lounging on a couch in her office, sketchbook in her lap. The girl in question looked up and smiled brightly at her mother, greeting her, “Mama! You’re back! What took so long?”
Eva sighed and set her bag down, explaining, “Science is apparently a long endeavor.”
Francesca hummed, “Who was the guy who had to see? Ryan Gosling, or something?”
“Doctor Ryland Grace,” Eva corrected. “Ryan Gosling is an actor.”
“It’s the same person,” Francesca dismissed.
Eva rolled her eyes and removed her jacket, asking, “If we had to bring a girl your age into the ship, where do you think we should room her?”
This seemed to actually interest Francesca. Her eyes lit up, and she sat up fully, asking, “Another kid? How old is she? Could she share my room? We could be roommates!”
“She’s about four years younger than you,” Eva answers first. “And I think we should first consider her having her own room. Truthfully, this isn’t anything confirmed, it’s just planning.”
Francesca hummed thoughtfully, thinking before saying, “Our floor. It is nice. Not too far from the mess hall, but far away from the work areas and bar.” She set her tablet aside and promised, “I swear I will clean my room if it means she can be my roommate.”
Eva shook her head fondly, telling her, “You should clean it regardless of whether you get a roommate. I guarantee you can’t find anything in that mess.”
“Not true! I can find anything,” Francesca argued.
“Your hairbrush?” Eva recalled how the girl had to borrow Eva’s that morning. “How about your scarf? Or even your homework assignments?”
“I’ll clean it tomorrow,” she grumbled, conceding silently that she in fact had lost those things (and more).
The next few days passed in the same work- filled way it always did on the ship. More meetings. More paperwork. Francesca would stop inside her office every few hours to ramble about something she found. Who knew her hat was just at the bottom of her laundry basket? (Stratt knew. Stratt had told her that about twenty times when Francesca accused her of stealing it).
Francesca was back in her office, going on and on about this one missing shoe she hadn’t found yet, when Stratt’s phone rang. Her personal one, which had rarely handed out her number to.
She held up a finger and answered, simply, “Stratt.”
“Carl and I made a baby!” It’s Ryland Grace. Saying that he and Carl made a baby.
“...What?” Stratt was sure she would never expect anything that came from Grace’s mouth.
“We figured out how astrophage breeds.”
“Don’t move.”
Stratt hung up the phone and immediately began to call for a line of flights to the aircraft carrier for Grace, and much less intense transportation for Diana. When she finally set the phones down, Francesca, despite her clear annoyance at her mother’s stolen attention, asked, “So… am I getting a roommate?”