#sixstratt

AU where Stratt minored in anthropology, and was a transfer student or just studied abroad in America, and she needed to interview someone on a crime that goes against human instincts (ie, a lot of crime against family) and she ends up either being paired with or interviewing none other than Courtland Gentry.

And Court is just. Okay great. Helping out some lady with her essay, whatever. Wish I could go to college but I'm jail. Big whoop. (Eva is canonically in her mid -> late 40's in PHM, while Ryland is in his early 30's -> mid 30's, and Court is probably 4-5 years older than the twins, I feel he'd be similar to Eva if not a little younger)

But they somehow develop an actual friendship. Stratt is the first person to actually listen to him, understand him. She understands the concept of having to do something considered evil for the good of your family or the greater good.

Even after her essay is finished, they continue talking or keep in touch. They stay close, being good friends. Maybe one of courts only friends. Maybe he gets Eva to tell him about what she's learning, because he never got to go to college. She brings him bribes. Maybe a fun flavor of gum each week. A nice story. He talks about a fight he got into or a book he's reading. He speaks highly of his baby brothers. He talks about them a lot.

Then she goes back to the Netherlands or Europe I forget exactly where she's from, but they keep in touch through weekly calls. But one day Court doesn't pick up. She learns he's died in jail. A riot or something.

So imagine how she felt when she met Ryland, learned it wasn't always Grace, and kept him on board. They become friends. She doesn't tell him about Courtland. Seems like opening up a well salted wound.

It doesn't hurt me.

Do you want to feel how it feels?

Court sets off to kill Eva for killing his brother. Realizes she didn't have another choice. Decided to wait to kill her until the beetles come back so she 'knows how much she made him(Grace) suffer.' he ends up guarding her because he wants to kill her. Wants 'Grace's' face to be the last she sees. Wants her too see his brothers face looking at her with hatred. unfortunately grace, in the beetles, forgives her. Court still wants to kill her.

The moral crisis of knowing that your brother would want her dead, but you want her dead and does that make you a bad person, or do you just want your baby brother back? What would his brother think of him? Does it matter? He's not coming back. Maybe he wants them to be friends. Maybe he wants her to feel betrayed. Maybe he wants to go home.

He and Stratt both have killed people for The Greater Good.

Courtland spent most of his life being manipulated and lied too by the government, while Eva was forced to be the liar by the moral obligation of saving the world.

My court stratt au: PHM takes place just after The Gray Man.

-Six and Claire are probably bouncing around. Place to place.

-Six finds out about Stratt sending Grace to die, sets off to kill her.

-He's heavily mourning his baby brother, but regardless puts Claire and watching out for Colt first.

-He hasn't told Colt he's alive

-he has NOT processed SHIT.

-probably causing a rift between him and Claire tbh

-he finds eva

-she knows who he is and he's like. Oh what the fuck.

Rough rough scene draft🔻

-Gun pointed at her, his lips twisted into a snarl. Heat rushed through his veins, painfully behind his eyes. 'Courtland Gentry,' the she-devil herself says. Six didn't flinch. Head cocking slightly as he pressed the gun closer. 'Sierra Six.' she said in a clipped voice.

He didn't have a paper trail. Shouldn't. Apparently, his brother 'had no family', so how would she- 'you know me,' he said, voice flat as he could manage, which, after years of training was quiet flat, and didn't move his gun. 'knew you were coming, yes.' she said, staring up at him. She was sitting on the floor, overturned desk behind them.

'how?' he glowered down at her, all the while wondering how close she's been with his brother.

'you kill people. I killed your brother. You think I deserve this.'

'you deserve so much worse,' his voice cracked at the end. His hand was shaking, heat burning behind his eyes. 'I didn't have another choice.'

'you think that matters to me?'

'yes, I do.'

'my baby brother is in fucking space right now, drugged into a coma, because of you. He'll either kill himself or starve. You sent him to die. No matter what he does, he dies.'

'So do I.'

'Yeah? Fuck you. Sure you did. Cut the melodramatics.'

'i knew he had you. I knew you would kill me.'

But can I also say that I like Courtland Gentry and Eva as a weird as heck thing too? I've been tossing around the idea of Eva actually getting her power and b/c of when she got it, she doesn't actually know about Ryland being a twin because the CIA guys had gotten rid of his file and Denny Carmichael had pulled some strings so Six is dead on paper.

When The Gray Man happens, Six ends up saving Claire, but also b/c Fitzroy and Margaret are now dead, there's no record of the Sierra Program except for footnotes here and there. And then, Project Hail Mary comes along.

Soon after its launch, Six learns there's some stolen sensitive documents on a USB the black market. They don't say what it is, but only that it could upend the world as they know it. Six pays it no mind, until he hears the name "Ryland Grace" is included in those documents. Then he goes to grab it.

He's successful in retrieving it, and is able to get someone to decrypt and decipher the documents. In doing so, he find the security footage from Baikonur, and he watches helplessly as Ryland clad in his yellow jacket, is tackled to the ground, and sedated. He goes to find who was in charge of the program who did this to his brother, and he finds the name Eva Stratt.

Finding her is no small feat, but he still has his connections. He's able to find her, and points a gun at the back of her head. Eva doesn't say anything, but complies with his instructions. She'll follow his instructions for a bit, and then ask him if he's been hired to kill her. When Courtland says he's not with any government, Eva's taken aback. She asks what she did to him, and then he spins her around. He glares into Eva with those blue eyes, the same color of those haunting eyes in Dr. Ryland Grace, as he lays into her regarding what he saw and his relationship to Ryland.

Eva takes a breath and says, that her research didn't show Ryland Grace had a brother.

Then the extent to which Courtland lives in the Gray is revealed - he's alive, but technically dead. And for all he knows, so os his brother.

Anyway, thank you for reading and letting me type this all out here. XD