Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 53 - Your Guy

(S2:E3)
"Why would they do that? They jumped!"

"Either one of us would've made the same call." Ethan tells Jason.

"No, I wouldn't. Not without you."

"And look where that got you! We need to get off this ring."

"What happened back there?" Jason asks, frowning at Ethan looking not just tired from running but also has slightly teary eyes.

Ethan shakes his head and clear his throat. "I saw.. my mom, and Erik and Jana.. They used Yn to.." He takes a deep breath, feeling a few tears shedding. "We have to go!" Ethan starts running again, expecting Jason to follow.

But unbeknownst to Ethan, an Achaian alien gets into Jason head. He suddenly finds himself on a pier. "Ethan?"

When Ethan gets to the shuttle, he turns to Jason but he's not there. "Jason? Jason!"

Then he groans when an aliens get closer making a high-pitched shriek and he runs into the shuttle before they get him again. He turns at the entrance and see the alien appearing as his mother again.

"Looks like all your friends have abandoned you." Ava says.

"Where is Jason? Where did you take him?"

"It's sad. After everything you've done for them, I'm all you have left."

Ethan closes the door before she gets closer. "Leave Jason out of the negotiations."

Ava looks at him through the window of the door on the shuttle. "We're done negotiating, sweetheart. Don't worry. We're not gonna harm Jason. In fact, we're gonna give him everything he's ever wanted.

...

Jason finds himself on the pier in the Water City back on Earth. Then he hears a voice behind him.

"Jason."

The alien appears as his late brother.

Jason frowns at his brother, who is supposed to be dead. "Anthony?"

"Crazy, right?"

He points at his late brother accusingly. "This.. This is a trick. You're a trick."

"It's me! I'm here. I'm really here."

"My brother died."

"I'm back."

...

"Your mind tricks didn't work on me. They're not gonna work on Jason." Ethan tells Ava.

"The difference between you and Jason, vulnerability. He has an open heart. Frankly, you could learn a bit from him."

"You're full of shit. He's gonna see right through it."

"We have our work cut out for us, true. But I remain hopeful."

Ethan looks at something behind her in the distance. Something the ship is preparing for.

"You're spooling up the FTL."

"Clever boy. Your half-breed AI threw a wrench into our systems. Gave them a head start."

"You're going after the Salvare." He realises.

"Bingo." She says and he bangs on the window angrily.

...

Erik is sitting on his laptop at the table. His mother, the real Ava, walks in.

"Jana wanted to read a bit by herself. Told her, 'Lights out in ten'."

"Yeah.. Hey, Mom.." He says and she looks at him as she takes a seat at the table. "Thank you for coming. It's really good for her. A little bit of normal after all the crazy."

"I could've come sooner."

"Well, I was handling things."

His mother chuckles and he clenches his jaw. "You were handling things?"

"Yep."

"Was that before or after you left her in the hands of an alien oncologist?"

He frowns. "After I what?"

"You have no idea what they might have done to her in there."

He laughs. "Ava.. I'm sorry, but does Jana seem okay to you?"

She gets annoyed that he calls her by her name instead of 'Mom'. "This isn't some kind of scientific experiment, Erik. This is my granddaughter's life!"

"They saved her life!"

"Her life should never have been in danger in the first place."

He sighs and look away from her.

She sighs. "I'm sorry, uh.. That was unfair.. It's just that.. I have never been able to.. talk sense into you and Ethan, mostly Ethan. And that's my fault. But you.. Erik, you're the rational one. You're the one with his feet on the ground."

"I'm trying the best that I can, Mom."

"I know.. I just can't lose her too." Ava says, believing Ethan is dead.

"You haven't lost anyone."

"I.." She sighs. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll take Jana to school in the morning. I'd really like to do that."

"I will. I just have some work to finish up first. So.."

"Okay." She stands up.

"Thank you." Erik then says, she looks at him and then nod before going.

...

"I'm picking up a gravitational wave in the fabric or space-time behind our current position." William informs Richard.

"Safe to assume one or all of the Achaian rings are pursuing us?" Richard asks and he nods. He sighs. "As long as we stay in FTL they can't attack us."

"And Ethan and Jason?"

"They have a chance. Don't count them out." He tells him and then looks at Iara now in the observation. "Thank you, Iara." Then he looks at William before walking out. "Meet me in soma. Need more hands on deck."

...

"I'm confused. Why are we waking a member of team three when we have a more qualified engineer available in team two? Ivan Winfree-"

"Has no field experience." Richard interrupts William. "Dillon Connor, former combat engineer, special forces. He lost his left leg from below the knee in the Venezuela Cartel Wars."

"Yes, but Ivan graduated top of his class at the Academy. Unlike your guy, who-"

"I'm sorry? 'My guy'?"

"I'm just saying, Ethan would consider all relevant data before making a decision."

"I am. And what I'm seeing is that, once again, you'd have us wake someone not qualified for the job. My guy cleared a harbour of IEDs while impact grenades fell on him like rain. Screw report cards."

Dillon groans as he wakes up. He sees Richard as he sits up.

"Alright, Ricky. We're either on Pi Canis Majoris or things are officially FUBAR."

"Sorry to say, it's the second." Richard throws him a dehydration smoothie, then gestures to William. "This is William. He's a holo. Don't try using him as a crutch."

Dillon chuckles. "Someone gonna get me my leg from storage? Or are you gonna give me a piggyback?"

Richard chuckles and leave to get it for him.

"No piggyback?" Dillon then looks at William. "What was your name again?"

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