The Boy from the Bunker - Season 8

Episode Four, Part 3:

Episode Four, Part 3:
Small Sacrifices

Kodiak led Wynn down the hallway back to his cell, having to keep a tight grip on his arm to keep up his act as 'Ammon'.

He punched in the code to open up the door, watching as Quill stood up - overwhelmed to see his brother, but Kodiak could have sworn he was the most relieved man on the entire ship.

"Wynn," Quill exhaled, hurrying to pull his brother towards him and out of reach from Kodiak. It surprised Wynn at his brother's fearless protectiveness over him, but Quill stood in front of Wynn as if to defend him from whatever danger the guard might have had to offer.

Quill was waiting until the guard closed the door to their cell before he could ask Wynn all the questions he had been saving for him, but Kodiak remained with them in the room, sealing the door behind them.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Quill, it's okay," Wynn assured him, forcing his arm barrier down and moving out from behind him. "Just... Prepare yourself."

"Prepare?" Quill frowned, looking over at Wynn, no closer to feeling even the slightest bit comfortable with a guard so close to them. "What are you talking about?"

As Quill was trying to figure everything out, Kodiak moved out of direct sight from the door, standing in the corner so he couldn't be seen through the window, and pulled off his helmet.

It took a couple of seconds for Quill to realise who he was seeing, but once he did, it echoed a repetition of Wynn's actions: a disbelieving murmur of his name; a sudden loss of breath; heavy feet running over to him until finally, arms embracing his long-lost friend...

"Kodiak," he said, refusing to let go. "How are you here? How is this possible? Is this some kind of weird dream?"

Kodiak laughed away the tears in his eyes, prying the younger boy off of him so he could see him clearly.

"It's good to see you," he said.

"You too," Quill agreed. "But how!?" He shook his head, looking over at Wynn to see if he was just as stunned as he was feeling; still trying to determine if it was real or not. "This definitely isn't real."

Wynn seized his opportunity and pinched at his brother's arm, earning a wince of pain and a reflective hit in defence.

"What?" Wynn laughed. "I was just proving to you that this is real."

"Real..." Quill turned back around to face Kodiak. "You're alive."

"Yes," Kodiak beamed, understanding how many times he would need to say it before he realised it was the truth. "Before the flood came, Neptunum picked Bas and I up and took us onto-"

"Bas is alive!?"

"The ship..." Kodiak finished, overjoyed to see the relief in Quill's eyes only grow. He nodded, feeling a little more safer in the truth every time he confessed it again. "It's a long story; Wynn will catch you up, but yeah, we're both alive. We've been on this ship ever since. I'm one of the guards, Bas is.... Is one of the prisoners," he dropped his head, suddenly feeling all the elation of their reunion fizzle away.

"I haven't see him at rations?" Quill looked between both Sovereigns for an answer. "Is he with Harlow? Wait, does Harlow know? Does Elara know!?"

"No," Wynn spoke for Kodiak, understanding how agonising it was for Kodiak to talk about it. "She doesn't know and she can't. Not until it's safe."