Chapter Text
Courtland Gentry had a cell phone that he always kept charged, no matter the circumstances. This was his lifeline, one of the few things remaining from his old life. Only three people had the number, his daughter Claire, and his baby brothers Colt and Ryland. Well… only two people now.
Court didn't like to think about Ryland being gone. He was the older brother, he was the one living a dangerous life, it was always supposed to be him first. Now he's nearly sixty with gray streaks in his hair and wrinkles and Ryland was long since gone.
He's had an entire life since then, far away from Sierra. He raised Claire. He was Colt's best man at his wedding, and took care of his nephews as if he wasn't something rotten. All the while he had this phone, upgraded over the years, but the same number just in case, a precaution. In an ideal world it wouldn't ring even once.
The phone rang anyway.
Court's back stiffened immediately upon hearing that hauntingly familiar ringtone.
"Six." Court answered the phone within seconds, and even after years of playing human he slid back into the persona of the asset as easy as breathing.
"It's me." Court's heart raced. Just why would Colt call this number when he had his regular phone? "You're gonna want to sit down for this."
Court couldn't believe his ears. "Ryland is alive?" He questioned, shocked. "How?"
"I don't know…" Colt's voice sounded shaky. "He said he couldn't really explain."
"Tell me more when I get there, stay put. I'm on my way." Court hung up and grabbed his keys before running out the door. He lived about a twenty minute drive away from Colt and Jody's house. This was not the kind of conversation that was meant to be had over the phone.
The windshield wipers moved in a steady pattern across the glass, wiping away the faint dusting of snow that was all too common nowadays in California.
His fingers tapped anxiously on the wheel, a nervous tick he allowed himself. He couldn't help but spend this entire drive taking apart the facts in his mind.
If Ryland was alive, just why wasn't this all over the news? Surely it would be a miracle worth celebrating in bleak times such as these. Court didn't want to think about the all too real possibility that after surviving impossible odds that Ryland was in danger not from space but from the very people he was trying to save.
He arrived at Colt's house pulling up with a screech as he braked harshly.
Colt was already outside, holding the door open, ushering Court inside. He looked shaken.
"I guess this is good timing," Colt started. "Jody is out dealing with some post-production work, and the kids are at school."
"Good." This was serious, it was better that they dealt with it first. "So Ryland, alive. Explain." Court pulled out a chair at their kitchen table as Colt served him a cup of coffee.
"It woke me up from a good nap. The phone I mean. I answered it and there it was, Ry's voice. Clear as day."
Court looked at him skeptical as he took a sip. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Colt exclaimed. "I… cried a lot. We both did. He told me that he did it, he brought back the cure to save the world, Court."
That's his boy. If anyone could save this godforsaken shithole it would be him.
"Show me your phone," Court demanded, reaching his hand out. Colt deposited his phone in Court's hand and he looked through the call log. "Definitely seems like the government," Court surmised based on what he saw on the screen. "I can call in a favor though to find out for sure."
"There was a lady on the line talking about how this was a secure government line and it was being recorded. I asked Ry if I could see him and he said that I couldn't because of 'national security'," Colt explained.
Court scoffed. "You and I know that's a bunch of bullshit."
"Yeah I know, but I have no idea where he is! He's in trouble Court!" Colt wringed his hands, the stress exuding off of him.
"Calm down. Let's think of the facts. The Hail Mary was supposed to be a suicide mission, so how is he back here?" A suicide mission that he wasn't even supposed to be on.
"He said he couldn't say."
"Then how do we know if this is really him? Voice mimicry software is getting insanely good these days and there are plenty of video clips of Ryland floating around online."
Colt sat down at the table across from him and put his head in his hands. "He said he wanted to go swimming next time we saw each other."
Ryland hated swimming.
The worst day of his life had scarred his baby brother beyond belief.
"You weak little shit!" The voice of their father still haunted him after all these years. Even worse was the sound of Ryland drowning.
There wasn't a chance in hell Ryland would say those words unless… "You think he was trying to send a message?"
"It seemed pretty damn obvious to me that he couldn't talk freely," Colt replied. "And there's no way in hell some AI would randomly bring up swimming. He's trying to tell us he's in danger… he needs us Court. He needs you."
It had been at least fifteen years since he had last gone on a mission but for his family he'd do anything.
"I'll make some calls. If it's the government, surely someone in the CIA knows something." He had a few twenty year old favors he was ready to cash in.
~*~
It had taken over a week before Court was actually able to get any kind of reliable lead. He had been staying at Colt and Jody's spare room as he worked. Claire had long since moved out of his house, living her own life, so in a time like this he wanted to stay close to his brother, since he didn't have her to worry about.
In the meantime Ryland had actually called again.
Court had coached Colt on how to react and what to say if they somehow managed to make contact again. Now that training was managed to be put to good use.
Court kept quiet as Colt talked to Ryland on speaker. He kept calm, not at all acting as if anything was amiss, talking about things like family. Hearing Ryland's voice again even through the tinny phone speakers was surreal. It was raspy but it was still his.
"How are you doing Ry?" Colt asked. "You've been asking me about Jody and the kids and what's been going on, but I want to know if you're okay…"
There was silence for a bit. "It was touch and go for awhile," he replied. "I didn't really have much food by the end of my return trip… so I've been mostly recovering from that whole ordeal."
The sound of how small Ryland's voice had gotten by the end of that sentence said all that Court needed to know. He had hoped, prayed, fought, so that hunger, the deep aching gnawing kind, to be something that his boys never had to experience again.
He had failed.
"Please don't worry Colt. I'm doing a lot better now the doctors have been helping me. Today I was able to actually walk around my room!" He sounded so pleased about something so simple.
"That's good, Ry," Colt reassured him. "Any word on when you're going to be discharged?"
More silence.
"I don't know. Recovery could take a while…" Ryland trailed off.
"And I still can't see you?"
"Yeah sorry this facility is just as locked down as Stratt's Vat."
"Right, what are you in Area 51 or some shit?"
"Hah. Maybe. I don't even know honestly."
"I'm your next of kin though, can't your doctor at least give me some kind of medical report? Something? I'm worried about you, Ry."
"Maybe, I'll see what I can do." He didn't sound at all confident of that. "Look can we not talk about this right now?"
"Yeah, yeah of course. Sorry Ry," Colt apologized. "So when you do eventually get better, what do you want to do? Back on earth after so long? There's gotta be something you miss."
"You mean besides good food?" Ryland laughed dryly, before quieting down, his voice taking on a more somber tone. "The beach… you know I used to take walks along the beach in the early mornings on the weekend, the fog rolling in. It was serene. I miss that a lot."
Court felt his heart ache at that, Ryland wanted something so simple… and it was because of this horrible situation that he couldn't even have that.
"That sounds great," Colt replied. "Hey speaking of the beach, remember when the three of us would go as kids every summer. You loved swimming with us." Colt had seen the opening and was taking it. Court was so proud, his brother was really pulling this off.
"Wha- Oh yeah right! Yeah, I loved that," Ryland replied.
"Let's do it again, if the weather ever gets hot enough."
"Yeah… yeah I'd like that.
He had gotten the message. Ryland knew they were coming for him.
The call wrapped up shortly after and Colt just stared at his phone. Court put a hand on his back in an attempt to comfort him. "You did good. We're going to get him out of there."
"You heard how he sounded. What if they're hurting him? He's sick! He can't defend himself!"
Court shook his head. "I doubt it, they need him for this whole astrophage situation, but there's definitely something that happened on that mission, something big that we have no idea about."
"What the hell could that possibly be?" Colt wondered.
A few days later they finally had their answer.
No one was home when the call came, which considering the information that came out of it, was probably for the best.
"This was so classified it was absolute hell to dig up, you owe me for this Six," Miranda said.
"I thought you owed me," Court retorted. He did not need this right now, he was on pins and needles, desperate for information about Ryland.
"This info was so difficult to get you used up your favor and then some, but for some reason I like you despite everything, so I dug up the truth. Get ready for this doozy. Turns out your brother brought home an alien."
What?
"An alien? Like the astrophage?" Court asked. An alien could mean so many things.
"No, no, an honest to god living, talking alien. I'm looking at these pictures right now and it's kind of terrifying to be honest. Looks like a gigantic rock crab?"
"Well shit." That's definitely the kind of thing that the US government would lock someone up for.
"Well shit is right. So now what?" She asked.
"Do you know where he is located right now?"
"Planning a retrieval mission, Six?"
"The less you know the better."
"Fair point. I'll get you all the details."
Court let out a sigh of relief after he hung up the call, finally he had a lead, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Ryland could come home to them.
He didn't give a damn about any aliens. All he wanted was his brother, safe, something that he had thought was lost to him forever. Ryland returning was a miracle, and he would hold onto it for dear life.
The front door opened and Court sat up straight on alert immediately. He could hear the ruckus of Colt and Jody's twin teenage boys as they entered, having just gotten home from school.
"Hey, Uncle Court."
"Hey." They greeted him before quickly shedding their coats and raiding the fridge.
"Hey boys," Court replied casually, not giving any indication that anything was amiss. He had to protect them from this. "How was school?"
"Fine."
"Boring."
Typical teenagers. They sat at the table devouring their food. Since their household was four people they thankfully got a decent amount of ration cards. Also, since he was staying with them for the time being, he contributed his own as well to the grocery budget, but it was never truly enough. Not with two growing boys anyway. Things had gotten tough lately. The cold had truly set in, ruining crop yields and killing livestock.
Ryland had been working to bring a better world to all of them, to the twins, to his former students, to the children he hadn't even met. Court would make sure that it wouldn't all go to waste, that he'd get to see that world too.
The twins quickly absconded to their rooms once they had finished eating so Court took the opportunity to call Colt.
"You hear anything?" Colt answered immediately, not even a hello. Court could hear the ruckus of the movie set in the background where Colt worked now as a stunt coordinator.
"Yeah."
"Colt what the hell, you can't answer your phone, we were in the middle of a take?!" Court could hear someone yelling at him.
"Okay, I'm coming back now. Don't do anything without me!" Colt demanded before hanging up.
He put on his coat and stepped outside, shivering a bit at the brutal cold before he got used to it, sitting on the bench on the front porch. He pulled out his phone and started browsing through the documents Miranda sent him. Court hadn't fully processed it before but just how was he going to tell Colt that Ryland had brought home an alien…?
Especially one that looked… like that.
He supposed he'd have to cross that bridge when the time came.
More importantly in this document pack there were pictures of Ryland! Court couldn't help but gasp a little at the sight of him. He was basically skin and bones, with dark circles under his eyes, and thinning hair.
These pictures were dated from a few weeks ago, Ryland had been under critical care, the images were taken from a CCTV camera. The room was empty except for him and a robot. He took a look at the doctor's notes. Apparently Ryland's immune system was so wrecked they had to keep him in a clean room to prevent further sickness from possible infection. He'd have to sterilize the safe house the best he could. He wanted to make sure Ryland didn't get even sicker after all.
Continuing to go through the documents he took in the information about the base that Ryland was being kept in, noting the entrances, exits, and intel on guard shifts, all of his training rushing right back. The security for this place was top notch, he'd have to be extremely careful.
He saw Colt's car pull up and he stumbled out of the driver's seat, still in his uniform, tramping through the snow on the front lawn, stubbornly not using his cane. Court chose not to comment on it this time but definitely gave him a disappointed look.
"Why are you sitting out here?" Colt asked.
"The kids are inside. Figured they shouldn't hear this," Court replied. Colt sat next to him with a huff.
"Yeah, good point. Cold as fuck out here though."
"What's new?" Court sighed.
"Alright hit me, what'd you learn? Where is he?"
Court showed Colt the pictures on his phone. "He's in a secret base in Iowa." Middle of fucking nowhere. The gasp Colt made showed exactly when he had gotten to the pictures of Ryland.
"Oh my god, Court… Court he looks like death."
"He's recovering from prolonged starvation… It's not surprising. But yeah… it's a lot."
"I can't even imagine how much pain he's in and he's all alone? The government are a bunch of fucking sadists. He's the world's savior and they're keeping him locked up like this!"
"Wait til you see why."
"Just what could possibly warrant this?!" Colt exclaimed.
Court grabbed the phone from his hand and pulled up the picture of the alien, bracing himself for Colt's reaction.
"Ahhh! What the fuck is that?!" Colt's shriek was shrill enough that he winced. He should've covered his ears. After all these years Colt's fear of spiders never went away.
"That apparently is the alien our brother brought home."
"An alien, what the fuck, what the fuck…" Colt muttered under his breath. "Jesus Christ…"
"That seems to be the reason why the government has Ryland under lock and key, but I don't care about that, I just want Ryland back home with us."
"Yeah," Colt replied, catching his breath. "What do we have to do?"
"You need to keep Jody and the kids safe," Court explained. "Once I start making moves, the feds will be onto us. They don't know about me, or at least they shouldn't, since my relationship to you all was wiped once I joined Sierra, but they know about you. I can't put the kids at risk, or you."
Colt sighed. "I wish I could help… stupid damn leg!" He cursed, slapping his thigh. After Colt's accident, he was thankfully able to walk but it had never healed the same. And a few years later when he broke his leg, that was that for his career as a stunt man. The doctors had advised that any more injuries like that could lead to a permanent loss in his ability to walk, even still, he needed his cane sometimes.
"It's alright," Court tried to comfort him. "Even if you were at your prime I still wouldn't want you on this mission. You're not trained and I wouldn't be able to properly focus if I had to worry about keeping you safe."
"Way to make me feel better," Colt snapped.
"That… wasn't meant to hurt. It was only the truth."
“Well, have you considered that he's my twin, my other half…I can't just do nothing! Not when you're both in danger.”
"Ryland would want you to be safe."
Colt sighed, fight leaving his body. "I know, but you're one guy and you've been out of the business for years. This is going to be dangerous."
Like he didn't know that. Court knew what he was walking into, he knew the very real possibility that he wouldn't make it out. The possibility that he would fail and Ryland would suffer because of it. That he would leave Claire fatherless, and Colt without both of his brothers.
But he had to try. He couldn't leave Ryland to suffer alone at the hands of those monsters. He knew more than anyone what that was like.
"It's worth the risk," he affirmed.
Colt nodded. "Yeah, Ry is worth anything."
~*~