The trek back to their home didn't take as long as initially expected. There they sat, adorned in well-worn armor (save the helmets), and strapped tightly into the seats of the main control room. They gazed ahead in silence, both lost in their own thoughts as the craft sped light years through a shaky path among the stars. Through the windshield, the sight was similar to a whirlpool of lights, which appeared to be flashing and stretching due to the ship's fast momentum. It was indeed beautiful, complex and moving such as a kaleidoscope. Every surface of the ship hummed intensely as the two men approached their solar system.
A grave numbness rested in the pit of Isaac's stomach as all he could think about was every disastrous situation he's faced after getting his hopes up for, well... something better. He had already felt greatly desensitized after his many missions spent in the vast universe. He didn't even need to look at Carver's expression to know how the other man was feeling. They had grown close enough for Clarke to sense the other man's anxieties, pains, anything he wouldn't admit really.
He snuck a glance down to the navigation system on his right and inspected as the cursor indicating their vessel was only seconds away from the set destination. He let out an exhale he hadn't know he'd been holding and turned his head back to the waves of other stars and galaxies.
He closed his eyes.
Suddenly the ship lurched forward, and greatly slowed down to an even pace.
He didn't hear any noise from Carver, and he wasn't sure what to assume from that.
His eyes fluttered open.
The new scenery that appeared before them was not what he was expecting, in all honesty. There were no gigantic craters of damaging impact, or entire continents demolished from alien forces. Although, he did spot some amounts of thick smoke polluting the lower layers of Earth's atmosphere. And of course, the Brethren Moon silently accompanying the planet from its side.
With what he imagined to be most rational, Isaac decided to completely surpass the Earth's Moon and the Lunar Colony and created coordinates directly to the planet. He reckoned that the Earth itself is their main priority, especially concerning the recent Unitologist and Necromorph outbreaks upon the Lunar Colony. The ship became nearer to the planet and approached its atmosphere, specifically positioned above the North American continent.
He finally glanced up to his partner whose gaze was still fixed upon their destination, then turning to meet Isaac's eyes. Carver gave a single silent nod, and Isaac carefully pushed the throttle. Despite his cautious piloting, the craft sped through the outer layers of the atmosphere, causing layers of glowing heat to form on its tip. Then came the clouds, heavy and gray as the ship broke through their densities with ease. Isaac activated various flaps upon the ship's wings and brought their fall to a slower pace. The heated outer surfaces lost their flaming glow of descent as sudden moisture from the rain drizzled upon the windows and surfaces.
Clarke was immensely focused in this landing, for he knew any simple slip of a button could end it all. He evened his breathing and trained his eyes upon the states that were coming into view. At this point he didn't have a specific area in mind.
"Carver, we gotta make this quick"- without looking he flipped a panel to activate additional flaps- "Where should we land?"
"Ah... shit... Fuck Isaac I thought you would've figured this out."
Isaac huffed in exasperation. A moment of consideration passed.
He then proceeded to specify the coordinates to a northern region of the continent.
The states become more clear in view, fields and vast lands stretching so far and seemingly-small from below. The time seemed to be early afternoon as the sun provided a moderate glow onto the grounds. Long minutes passed as the ship zipped over the lengths of states, traveling faster than any normal airplane.
After some time, Clarke disengaged the autopilot system and grasped the joystick in both hands. He began a slow manual descent towards the lines of roads and rural lands. As they neared closer, nothing seemed to be out of the usual, and he continued his light push forward towards what seemed to be a forested area.
This glide continued for several minutes until their craft nearly brushed the tips of the giant spruce trees, and Isaac slowed to a fair and even pace. All was silent between the pair as they each focused on their surroundings, Isaac's lips were pressed in a thin line as his eyes scanned the passing environment. And he finally saw it.
There, some football fields' length away was a small town. From their current distance, it understandably appeared to be deserted, but not entirely derelict. If anything, it looked like any rural village with characterizing older structures and cracked street pavement. Indeed the Engineer had curiosities and his growing wariness clashing inside of him. But he immediately turned to the usual choice of his; Logic.
He made a smooth turn the right, facing away from the civilization in hopes of avoiding any potential surveillance. Carver seemed to understand as he made no comment. In fact he unlocked his seat belt and stood, muttering to the two of them a quiet "Alright..." and going to retrieve weapons and other goods. Not many seconds have elapsed before the blue-eyed man spotted what seemed to be a decent clearing of the trees for landing. The entire open space was maybe the size of a street block, with it's entirety being surrounded by the dark green foliage. Towards the opposite end of the clearing were encompassing trees leading to mountains, providing them a hidden corner to retreat to if need be. Isaac ran out of time for observations as they were now hovering over the space, and he began landing.
هههههههههههههههههههههههههه
"Alaska? Shit Isaac, I realized we were up north but not this far... And I thought your old ass was tired of the cold!"
The brunette shifted in stance and gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I know."
The pair were standing outside of their space vessel, gathered by its rear doorway. Both clad in the same civilian clothes found days ago. Without another word, Isaac then wandered away towards the center of the field.
Wisps of silky grass brushed against his fingers as he took each step. Whispers of sweet wind breathed onto him and ventilated through the cotton shirt. It was a chill, but pleasantly accompanied by the rivaling warm rays of sunlight.
He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes. He wanted to savor everything in this moment. It has been so, so long.
Breathe.
A simple function which has felt... difficult lately...
He could not remember the most recent time he has felt so at-ease. If anything, the only similar memories were years old. He momentarily forgot everything, and gathered the mental strength to push down the clawing worries, the anxieties.
He continued standing in his spot, eyes remaining closed and fluttering lightly as he pictured old images in his mind.
What else is there left to lose?
Inner peace was suddenly overpowered by a heart beating in pain.
He thought of family memories which have been buried into his mind, and never expected to be uncovered in a time like this. His loved ones, not only in blood but in trust and friendship. He pictured his childhood home, on a nostalgic sunny day.
All of the wonderful people and things he had been blessed with, only to be replaced by the violent memories of his more recent years.
Isaac's mind blankly sifted through these thoughts as the emotions further down gave their own response.
His throat began to tighten, and his face scrunched into pure agony. It was beyond his control now.
Breathe.
He could already feel his eyes watering with tears, and he sniffled.
His heart panged against his chest like a wild bird trapped behind the iron bars of a cage. Wild but contained. Lost.
He then lowered his head and looked at his shoes through blurry vision, and let out a whimper.
Of course, he knew that he had Carver. For all he knew, he could not be here at all if it weren't for his ally's support.
The Soldier must have been concerned because as if on cue, Isaac felt a hand hesitantly grasp his shoulder. He was slowly turned around with his head still downwards. He didn't bother to look at the other or say anything. What needed to be said? He was then enveloped into a bear hug, he accepted it without second thought and closed his eyes, wrapping his arms fully around his friend. He buried his reddened face into John's collarbone and shook, sobbing quietly. He felt one hand reach up and cup the back of his head, with fingers combing through his hair. The other arm remained tightly encircling his mid-back, which held them tightly together.
"Oh, Dead Boy..." Carver's normally-playful voice gave the tone similar to a sad smile. Empathetic and knowing.
They remained in an embrace for some time. Carver's grip continuously strong as Isaac was instead loosening his hold, and eventually let go all-together. He gently placed his hands on the front of Carver's shoulders and seconds later the other man released his hold. He was not ashamed of his emotional display anymore, yet he kept his face slightly downwards.
"You gotta take a break Bud. For real. C'mon."
He tugged at Isaac's forearm to get him moving towards the back opening of the ship, and once inside Clarke retreated to the washroom where he pressed warm water onto his face. After he regained some composure he met with John again in the rear compartment. John's back was facing him as he sat in the open doorway, gazing into the outside world. Isaac took a seat beside him.
"Why here?" The Soldier inquired. He quickly changed his words in what seemed to be avoidance of portraying aggression. "I mean, I don't mind it at all, nothin' wrong with it. I'm just wondering why this region specifically."
Isaac cleared his throat. "I am honestly asking myself the same thing."
He was met with a sideways glance of raised eyebrows and amusement.
"C'mon, I know you got the smarts with your choices. Anything in particular you were concerned of, here?"
Isaac met his eyes briefly before returning his gaze out into the field.
"I figured, well... Somewhere rural and far away. Nowhere near possibly-infected cities. Maybe a few small towns every now and then, something not too risky and that we could keep under control. Also, it was a last-second decision as you saw. You wouldn't make up your damn mind so."
Normally the sass would have been easily detected in his last words, but Carver understood the humor and normality behind it. He let out a laugh and nudged Isaac's shoulder.
"Hey hey. You were the driver, I was your guest. I don't gotta do shit. If you're flying you gotta know where we're flying. If it was important enough to me then I would have beat you to it."
Isaac gave a single nod and they shared a compatible silence. They watched the tall grasses sway in the wind, leaves fluttering from trees to rest upon the earth. Mild clouds up above glowing from the afternoon light.
"Hey, everything is gonna be okay".
Carver did not feel any sense of insecurity once the words left his mouth. He realized that his once-forced optimism has become truly genuine, though of course it depended on the situation as well. After hearing his companion's quiet agreement, he concluded that their roles had changed throughout this journey. John damn sure knew that he was always seeing the darker side of things, every day waking up to the same hopeless life.
Was it always a reality, or only a reality in my eyes?
Isaac on the other hand, despite his fair share of traumatic situations, had always found a way to return to his higher levels of hope. Even when he thought himself to be completely lost and alone, a new light would spark before his eyes and he would embrace it as an opportunity. He also possessed a great sense of control, for which Carver secretly admired him.
However, their mentalities seemed to have shifted, but only slightly. Here huddling next to him was a broken man. Long-awaited tears shone on his cheeks. His narrow nose and cheeks blotched with faded pink, and usually thin lips now slightly swollen. And blue eyes, such a cold hue now reflecting only a plead for warmth. Back then it was this man who had everything in check and the dim flare of confidence which had saved them both countless occasions. Now the Soldier could only hope to help his friend regain his characteristics.
They remained in each other's company for some time, occasionally engaging in quiet conversation between longer breaks of silence. The sun had span to a lower angle in the sky indicating mid afternoon, and at this time Carver suggested that they rest instead of exploring the nearby town like he initially had anticipated. They both entered the ship once again and Carver sealed the back door behind them. Meanwhile the other man operated the ship's general systems to a reduced-power mode and eventually retreated to the washroom. John had heated up some of the decent food rations that he saved from an earlier time and poured glasses from the kitchen's water tank. Then he waited.
He was lounging on a couch outside of the kitchen area when the other man emerged. Isaac still wore his previous clothes and gave off a faint soapy scent as he neared Carver. The Soldier gave a single nod of acknowledgement and raised the cup to his lips as his friend sat down next to him. He set down the glass.
"It's cool if you don't want this; I figured I should make some for you as well while I was in the kitchen. Though I'll probably whoop your ass if you don't take any, cause I damn sure don't remember the last time I saw you eating somethin'."
A small huff was given in response. "Well, I can't disagree. Thanks."
The two finished their dishes and Isaac headed into a berthing room where he laid in the closest bed. His partner had taken a trip into the washroom himself before joining Isaac on the neighboring bed. Once again, they shared conversation, mainly Carver reminiscing on old comedic memories of his. Not only for his comfort but both of theirs. In fact he was in the middle of telling an old tale from his school days when he paused, only to hear snoring from the bed across. His mouth stretched into a grin of amusement. At least I helped him with something…
The Sergeant did not regret his decision of their temporary return to the space ship, because within minutes his exhaustion took over and he began to doze off into the grasps of unconsciousness.
ههههههههههههههههههههههههه