#(y'know

Simon is pretty far from the hangar at this point, so the trip will take them a while. As they travel, Grace tries to strike up a conversation to get to know Simon a bit better. It doesn't take much for him to figure out that Simon's situation is awfully similar to his own; sent on a one-way trip to find answers for a human race desperate for any solution. He finds himself relating to Simon, empathizing with him, even if his first impression wasn't the greatest. Besides, Simon is the first human Grace has seen in years, and he's enjoying finally spending time in the company of someone who's the same species, even if Simon is kinda prickly.

At the same time, Simon can't help but be grateful that Grace's appearance on the sub means he gets to leave the blood ocean, even if it's only for a little bit. Grace is also oddly non-threatening, and treats Simon so kindly that Simon doesn't really know what to think of him. He feels a bit guilty, because he knows that he's going to be delivering Grace to the COI so they can essentially enslave him, but it has to be better than dying down here in this fucking death trap, right?

Over the course of their trip back to the hangar, Simon and Grace start to bond.

By the time they actually return and the SM-13 is pulled out of the ocean, they have definitely grown a little bit attached to each other, Grace perhaps more so than Simon. So when the sub is cut open so that Grace can be extracted, he grabs Simon and drags him out too, not wanting to be parted from his new friend.

Ava, of course, orders Simon to go back down right away, now that he's brought Grace to them. He argues that he fulfilled his part of the bargain and that they promised him freedom, but Ava dismisses it and tells him that he hasn't found anything yet, so he hasn't actually served his purpose. Simon is dismayed, but not surprised, as they try to force him back into the SM-13.

Suddenly Grace is grabbing him and dragging him back. He refuses to let them send Simon down to his death, literally hiding Simon behind himself as a precaution. He's shaking with fear as the COI members surround them, but he won't budge, even when Ava orders him to stand aside.

Ava could force the issue, of course. They could push Grace aside, maybe hurt him to force him to move. But doing that would be risky, and she doesn't want any harm to come to humanity's newest hope. So she agrees that Simon can stay, but orders him to be taken to a cell.

Once again, Grace intervenes, and says, no. He's not going anywhere. Realizing he can't trust Ava not to throw Simon back into the ocean the second his back is turned, Grace demands that Simon stay with him. Ava doesn't love it, but if keeping Simon around will make her new pet scientist happy, then fine.

As long as he's restrained. He's a murderer after all. They can't let a murderer have free access to COI's new asset. That part is non-negotiable.

Grace stiffens at her words, but ultimately agrees with more than a little bit of wariness. He's not entirely convinced that Ava is telling the truth about Simon; she's given him no reason to trust her after all. But even if Simon is a murderer, sending him down in that sub to die is a cruel punishment, and Grace can't allow it to happen.

Thus he finds himself working for the COI in this strange, starless universe, trying to find a way to keep the human race going despite dwindling resources, all the while he's got a convicted murderer essentially chained to the lab bench next to him. Grace is miserable, and he hates that he's partially responsible for Simon being trapped here, but hey, at least no one is dying, right?

Imprisoned together, Grace and Simon slowly grow closer, learning to rely on each other as two people stuck in the same awful situation. Grace is determined to keep his new friend safe, and Simon is growing increasingly protective of Grace as the man continues to show him nothing but kindness, despite their circumstances.

And then, one day, there is a raid. Word has gotten out about Grace, and the other factions of humanity have decided they want him for themselves. The COI's starbase is under attack, and the target is Grace. Simon demands that Grace free him from his shackles so that he can fight, and although he's terrified, Grace helps Simon break the chains. Just in time, too, as the first raiders arrive to try to abduct Grace. Simon doesn't know who they are, whether they're from Eden or a splinter of COI or something else entirely. Simon doesn't care who they are. All he knows is that they're a threat to Grace, and Simon refuses to let Grace be hurt.

He fights like the Butcher. Nothing gets past him.

When the attack is finally over, Grace is a wee bit traumatized but miraculously unharmed. Seeing how fiercely Simon fought to protect Grace, Ava finally admits that he's earned her trust, and she officially designates him as Grace's bodyguard. His situation will essentially be the exact same, only he won't be chained up anymore. And maybe he will begrudgingly start to be accepted into the COI as one of them. Maybe.

Simon is nearly overwhelmed with relief. He doesn't care if they like him. All he cares about is that he's finally free. Ava finally kept her promise. Who cares if he's still stuck here with Grace, that's where he wants to be anyways. This is all he ever wanted, the chance to live. And thanks to Grace, he's getting that chance.

Grace is now Simon's angel and his saviour, and he will devote himself to Grace for the rest of his life.

(And eventually let's say Grace stumbles onto a way to re-open the wormhole that he fell through so that the remnants of humanity can travel through it to his universe. The people of Erid wake up one morning and are very surprised to discover that a bunch of human space stations and ships have just materialized in their orbit.