Chapter Text
“What's two plus two?” I recognize the voice, it's the voice of Dr. Lamai’s medical robot. I allow myself to drift back to sleep.
“What's two plus two?” The voice calls out to me again, I would respond to it but, my whole body is sore, the pain is too much to focus on anything else. Small steps I tell myself, I’ll just start with something simple. I slowly open my eyes, the ship is the same sharp white it has always been. My eyes scream at me for forcing them to be flash banged by the lights.
“Eye movement detected. What’s two plus two?” At this point I think I might as well give it a try. My body has had to have gained some ability to do something again.
“Fuurrr,” the words flop out of my mouth definitely not elegant thing I’ve said.
"What is the cube root of eight,” well looks like I’ve still not completed the pop quiz haven't had one of those for a the last one must have been minute back when Grace was, Grace, I realize he is a part of my crew not DuBois, it feels odd to know that my dear friend is gone, and even more strange that Grace is his replacement. After spending years knowing DuBois he just all of a sudden gone, just like everyone else on earth I will never see them. Never mind that I need to focus I have a mission to command.
“What is the cube root of eight,” the computer calls out again it had apparently grown impatient of me thinking, “Two,” I tell it back.
After a long period of simple questions to make sure that my brain had not fell out I had finally managed to sit up. I look around and both Ilyukhina and Grace are still resting. I think that the computer wants to wake us up one at a time, probably to see if we lost our marbles one at a time.
A few hours later after Ilyukhina had woken up and lost the haziness of the coma, she emerges with vital news.
"When do you think the computer will decide it is time for breakfast because I'm starving," I can't help but laugh of the absurdity of what she was saying, it makes me remember when I was a weird space kid and always quote astronauts and all the cool or awe inspiring things that they felt about when they were in space I feel like Ilyukhina was not like how I was.
"I think we'll live," I say as I prepare to cutoff the engines to activate the Petrovascope. I can't help feel like something is wrong with Grace it took me and Ilyukhina a short amount of time to wake up, it feels to odd.
“I feel like I haven't heard a word from Grace. Do you think he is alright?” I ask Ilyukhina, “You can't judge a guy for sleeping in you know,” She replied laughing.
Out of no where I hear a loud and quite concerning THUNK.I turn to Ilyukhina.
" Is it just me who heard that or have I gone crazy."
"Well, rest assured that we are both crazy." She says it with a humorous tone but still clearly worried. We went down to the dormitory where we had heard the noise. I hear gasping and crying, almost sounding like a dying animal and no Grace in sight.
"Oh no no no," I whisper to myself. Ilyukhina and I exchanged panicked glances. I quickly run around the room. I see him curled up next to his bed in a place where the robot arms can't quite reach him.
“Over here,” I call out to Ilyukhina, she quickly rushes to him. To my surprise Grace is awake. I think he is in a pretty rough state. There is some blood around him probably from the tubes that had been yanked out of him. He turns his pale face towards us, fear painted across his face as he managed to look up to us.
He with herculean effort opens his mouth and asks, "Who am I ?" I just stand there unable to process his haunting words.
"Who am I?" he asked again, his voice filled with more distress than before
"Hey," Ilyukhina said "How many fingers am I holding up?" she put up her hand with two fingers raised.
“Two, but that's not what I asked. Who am I, where am I and who are you?” This time he seemed aggravated by her not answering his question.
“Listen, we can tell you just give us a minute, Ilyukhina I got to talk with you for a minute.”
“Please tell me who I…” Grace stared into the distance then at Ilyukhina. He seemed almost at peace for a moment. “You're an engineer.” Ilyukhina and I stared at each other then Grace. One moment he had gone from terrified to basically having a vision. I glanced over to Iyukhina. She doesn't have her usual cheery face, instead it has a deep worry.
“Grace, Ryland Grace,” I say as an overwhelming amount of relief wash over Grace’s face, “Thank you…whoever you are,” he says he looks like he's about to fall asleep again.
“Yáo my name is Yáo.” I say as he loses consciousness.