next stop: everywhere

I know you know who I am.

It wasn't a heavy emotional moment, it wasn't "significant" in any recognisable way. They were together, talking, and maybe they got good news, maybe last preparations were successfully finished, and the launch is so, so close now.

Grace got excited as he always does and once the messenger left, he just turned to her with a huge smile on his face and saw her smiling back. So he hugged her, hard enough to lift her off the ground a little, and she let out a breathless laugh. Eva's surprised, and it took her a moment to react, but when she did, she hugged him back without hesitation.

Because no one was watching, there was no one she needs to be Stratt for, she could be Eva with him, she could be human. (They hug, she laughs, it makes him laugh, and maybe they both haven't slept in a day, and maybe they're both starved for touch. Maybe he quietly says you're amazing, maybe she takes the compliment without resistance, maybe she closes her eyes and clings to him just a little.)

Eventually, Grace set her down, thinking maybe he should apologize, but she was still smiling, all sparkling eyes and teeth, so he didn't.

Subject 1.

"🎶 🎵 🎶 🎵 🎵 🎼 " (how was she like?)

"Eva?"

Rocky nods, waiting. He doesn't talk much about her.

He sighs, eyes scanning the horizon. Recalling what he remembers.

"she was brilliant, commanded every room she walked into." he started with the basics

"has a coffee addiction. I didn't know that much coffee consumption was humanely possible till i met her."

"nerves of steel. Talented. Kind. Loving. Smart." he was naming out qualities from fragmented memories to keep. It wouldn't suffice. He didn't want to remember someone by their characters like a checklist. He wanted memories. Moments.

"she was brought to court once, they tried prosecuting her for piracy. She, a history major, represented herself. Sat working with her tablet in court, shoved a pardon infront of the officials and left. They tried chasing after her. "you must abide with the law" or something. "only when i want to" nerves of steel.

"i remember her on a conference. Switching between languages like it was nothing

Russian, then Chinese, german, Russian again. English, French, Greek.

If i recall she can speak Arabic too, as well as her native tongue of coarse. Dutch." talented, smart.

"i saw her pet and feed a stray cat once. It was completely on accident and she swore me to secrecy. I believe her exact words were "if you breathe a word about this encounter doctor grace i assure you will be strapped to the first viable missile to antarctica" kind

" 🎶🎵🎶🎶🎵" (what did she look like?)

"she had blue eyes. Blonde hair."

(like grace's?)

"No, not like mine. Brighter, more red."

(ohh ginger?) (Rocky's been on the Internet okay?? He knows what a ginger is)

"ehh, not quite. More neutral, something like... Uhh"

"wait give me a second" he turned around, searching the ground and his pockets for something.

"ah." he pulled out a fox keychain.

"something like this." he hands it to rocky. Rocky scans it with a spectrophotometer.

Colour AA5729.

He glances back down at the keychain. Its the one stratt got him. The one that matches his sweater.

Grace is dragged up and down, east and west by Stratt and he's like "yeah, another tuesday"

How whenever she's about to do something questionable like kidnapping another scientist (Dr. Lokken) he's like "you'll get use to it."

How the movie pulls this but switched it, when Grace is firstly meets the crew and Yao says "he talks like a kid", and Stratt is like "you'll get use to it." Then followed by her telling him "you are doing great."

How once again when Stratt is about to do something questionable, like nuking the Antarctic and she says something like "I dont care about morality" and he's like "yeah, she doesn't".

And just the way they gravitated towards each other, she only smiles when he's with her, he goes to look for her whenever he feels uncomfortable in a room and after seeing people flirting. How they work together in separate stuff.

Because what do you mean Grace was dancing with a mop that has the exact shade of Stratt's hair color?

What do you mean that she only smiles when she's with him?

What do you mean the directors said Stratt never smiled again after the Hail Mary launched and only got her smile back when she watched Grace's video logs when the beetles returned?

What do you mean she had her tattoo 'life without parole' on the same spot where he was injected when he was sedated?

What do you mean he remembers her face along with Yao when he didn't have any pictures of her as reference?

What do you mean that when Stratt went to guide him to his seat after his "whoop there it is" he instinctively grabbed her hand?

What do you mean that he asked her "what are you going to do for the next twenty years, you got a plan?" on February 14th of all dates?

What do you mean the directors confirmed Stratt left him the fox keychain that were along his things that were packed when he went aboard the Hail Mary?

What do you mean Ryan Gosling said Hail Mary is bit of a RomCom in an interview?

What do you mean they were staring at each other with heart eyes throughout that karaoke scene?

What do you mean that the editors had a hard time cutting the some of their scenes because it was too romantic?

What do you mean that in 2022 draft she got him an ice cream soft serve machine aboard the Vat because he misses it and in the movie he got his supply of Twizzlers candies?

What do you mean that in 2022 draft she was the last thing he saw and her name is the last word he uttered before being sent into space?

What do you mean that in 2022 draft when Grace was in Erid and he heard that the sun/Sol survived, he looked up the sky and said 'Good work, Stratt'?

What do you mean that in 2022 draft Grace's final word to Stratt in his video logs was "Take care" with a warm look on his face?

What do you mean you casted Ryan Gosling and Sandra Huller who had so much chemistry on screen?

What do you mean with all of that huh? Screenplay, script writers, casting, director people??

she happily wears her little harness and allows him to put a leash on, sometimes he takes her to class with him and she loves the attention. not for too long but for an hour or two she will be the queen of the room.

eva makes sure she gets a comfortable flight to the vat and gets stuck cat-sitting when he's in the lab and she's watching him for hours through the glass. it's calming, really, the purring and soft fur, the way she jumps into her lap when eva starts getting tense or upset.

having a cat on a big boat works surprisingly well, and it takes less than two weeks for a cat tree, a bed, and high-quality cat food to appear in her office.

at some point, ryland walks into her office and catches her curled up around goldie on the sofa, both fast asleep, and makes sure no one disturbs for her another hour or two. (god knows she needs the sleep)