A/N — inspired by the song Legends Never Die by Against the Current, League of Legends, and Mako. For Scousedancer, just because. xoxo — kals
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Legends
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Legends never die, when the world is callin' you, can you hear them screaming out your name?
Rachel Scott tossed her backpack down on the table situated in the sitting area of her hotel suite. There was really no point in giving her a suite, as she was unlikely to spend any more time in this room as she did in the last room, or the room before that. But nobody ever listened when Rachel suggested that a simple room would do, insisting on the very best for Doctor Rachel Scott. And after a while Rachel stopped arguing, too worn out from the endless fight against the virus. Ten years come and gone in the blink of an eye.
Legends never die, they become a part of you, every time you bleed for reaching greatness, relentless you survive
"Thank you, Connor," she said, addressing the young man assigned to her security for the evening. They seemed to get younger and younger, although Rachel understood that it wasn't the guards who were getting younger but she, herself, who was getting older. Still, the fact that she merited a guard at all, two actually, demonstrated President Grant's commitment to the complete eradication of the virus at any cost.
The head of her security detail, and Connor's mentor, was down the block checking out the laboratory where Rachel would be spending at least the next week. The scientists claimed to have isolated a new variant of the virus, one showing resistance to the vaccine, a possibility that sent chills down her spine.
The young man beamed. "Will there be anything else, ma'am?"
"Allow me to check my email and then I will need you to escort me to the lab." Rachel checked her watch. "Say in thirty minutes?"
They never lose hope when everything's cold, And the fighting's near, It's deep in their bones, They'll run into smoke when the fire is fierce
Snapping open her laptop, Rachel connected to the secure satellite used exclusively for her work. The one that allowed her to speak to any of the now dozens of scientists doing research on the virus at the mere click of a button. If only such an option had existed back when the virus first hit, giving them the critical ability to pass information on instantly, perhaps Julius would still be alive, along with millions of others.
As her backlog of email began to load, Rachel located the small coffee maker and heated some water. She smiled as she drew out one of the precious tea bags that Bacon somehow managed to find for her the last time that she swung through St. Louis. Although the man left the Navy many years before and was now the owner of a popular restaurant, as well as the married father of two, he never failed to have a stash of her favorite blends.
Oh, pick yourself up 'cause, Legends never die when the world is calling you, Can you hear them screamin' out your name?
A flagged email jumped to the top of Rachel's mailbox, marked purple to indicate it was coming from someone connected to the Nathan James. Rachel smiled, taking a sip of her tea. Over the years, such emails had become fewer and further apart, as work and family commitments took more of their time and energy and Rachel spent more and more time traveling, rarely remaining in one place longer than a week.
Still, Rachel was surprised to see Kelly Tophet's name appear. Kelly had, perhaps understandably, distanced herself from everyone on the Nathan James following Quincy's death. In fact, she wasn't even Kelly Tophet anymore, having legally changed back to her maiden name of Robinson. And while Rachel never blamed Kelly for doing what she deemed best for Ava, Rachel did find that she missed Kelly, one of the few people she knew from before.
Clicking open the email, Rachel skimmed the words, curious to know what was important enough for Kelly to reach out. Ava will finish her residency in June...so like her father...met someone new and wanted you to know that we are getting married.
Legends never die, they become a part of you, Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Sitting back in her chair, Rachel lifted her tea, sipping it as she reread Kelly's words. Rachel knew that Ava was finishing up a residency in virology at Harvard, having kept tabs on the younger woman. But Kelly's other news was...unsettling. Not that Rachel was upset. Quincy had been dead for ten years and, even if he were not, Kelly was well within her rights to move on. Yet Rachel never imagined Kelly with another man. Kelly and Quincy had been together for as long as Rachel could remember, having started dating when Quincy was in undergrad and moved in together when he began a graduate program at Yale. Rachel could still remember popping by their apartment for spaghetti on nights when they got out of the lab too late to grab anything at the grocery store. Even after the trauma that Ruskov inflicted and Kelly refused to so much as speak to Quincy, Rachel saw the situation as a temporary aberration rather than a permanent state.
Legends never die, They're written down in eternity, But you'll never see the price it costs — the scars collected all their lives
Typing out a congratulatory reply, Rachel made a mental note as she moved to the next email. Lloyd Milowsky was proposing a modification to the current protocol for those infected by the green mist. One that might allow them to go as long as twelve months between the vaccinations, while still keeping the virus at bay in their bodies. At the end of the message, he noted that Betrise, who had moved to Japan with Lloyd to train as an infectious disease nurse, was pregnant. Although Rachel attended Bertrise's wedding two years before, she still thought of Bertrise as the shy teenager who boarded the Nathan James more than ten years ago. Rachel made a few suggestions on the new protocol before saving the proposal for further consideration.
When everything's lost, they pick up their hearts and avenge defeat, Before it all starts, they suffer through harm just to touch a dream
"Doctor Scott?"
Rachel glanced up to see Eric Miller standing in the doorway to her suite. She must have been too involved in her work to hear him knock. She smiled a greeting, knowing that even after ten years of working together, five with Eric as the head of her security, the man remained hesitant to interrupt. "Yes, Eric?"
"I've checked in at the local hospital and everything is secured for your arrival tomorrow," he reported, before hesitating uncharacteristically. Rachel cocked her head, waiting as patiently as she could, attempting not to let her eyes stray back to her laptop. "If you feel comfortable here with Connor and a few replacements from Great Lakes Naval Station, I was hoping to pay my respects to Maya."
Eric's voice cracked on Maya's name, and Rachel felt an answering ache. Rachel didn't recall ever meeting the young lieutenant before she arrived to be tested for the vaccine trial, a source of unending regret. Maya had trusted her, Rachel, and she was responsible for the young woman's death. Recalling that Maya's parents both died in New York during 9/11, she queried. "Does she have family in the area?"
"No, but she lived here as a child," Eric explained. "Some of her former classmates created a memorial."
Rachel hesitated, torn between the desire to join Eric on his pilgrimage and the dozens of unopened emails that sat before her, knowing how critical even minutes could be. But, as always, duty won out over emotion. "Please give them my regards. Perhaps I will have time to visit before we leave."
Oh, pick yourself up 'cause, Legends never die when the world is calling you, Can you hear them screamin' out your name?
Eric nodded, retreating into the hallway and closing the door behind him. Rachel's hand moved towards her laptop, only to hesitate, then minimizing her email and moving to a file marked simply Personal. Not that anyone should, or could, be using her computer, eliminating the need to mark the file as off-limits. Still, old habits die hard.
Opening the file, Rachel clicked on the most recently added photograph, filling her screen with a picture of a smiling Kara and Danny Green, surrounded by their three young children. The shot was from Kara's recent promotion to Captain, most certainly earned after five years as Captain of the Nathan James. That was where Rachel saw Kara last, in fact. Not at the ceremony, but during a refueling stop on the Nathan James on her way from Atlanta to Cairo. She was onboard for less than twelve hours, yet the visit rejuvenated her, a balm to Rachel's soul. The woman's presence a vivid reminder of the reason that Rachel continued her work.
Both to save every Kara, every Frankie, but also to avoid another loss like Maya.
Legends never die, they become a part of you, Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
This time Rachel did notice the knock at the door, somewhat surprising as Connor remained too in awe of her to interrupt. "Come in!"
The bright smile that greeted Rachel was both completely unexpected and entirely welcome. She set down her tea, rising. "Kat! What are you doing here?"
Kat entered the room, followed closely by her husband, wearing his combat uniform. Rachel's face must have reflected her confusion because Kat chuckled. "Once we heard that Eric needed some assistance, Ray volunteered as your temporary security. I just tagged along to say hello."
Rachel moved forward to hug Kat, a woman now true, but one who Rachel would always see as the determined teenager who overcame her fears to find her father in Memphis. During those first few years, when Tex served as Rachel's primary security, Rachel spent more than one night listening to Kat's chatter about life and boys and her infuriating father. In some ways, that time with Kat was the closest Rachel had ever come to raising a child, although she wasn't fool enough to believe that she came anywhere close to Kat's own mother or even Andrea in Kat's estimation. "I'm so glad that you came. It is such a pleasure to see you. And you too, Ray."
Ray nodded politely, but hung back, never having completely overcome his hesitancy around her. "Doctor Scott."
Stepping back, Rachel gestured towards the sofa and chairs. "Would you care for some tea?"
"You have coffee?" Kat replied, her voice teasing, a joke of old.
Rachel chuckled. "I suppose you are old enough."
"Actually, I don't have time," Kat admitted, nose wrinkling. "Ray will be here for the night, but I have to get back to the base. I'm picking up some VIPs later tonight." She grinned. "You might know a few of them, wink, wink."
Rachel collected her tea, sitting on the couch next to Kat. "I haven't heard from your father recently. I assume all is well?"
"Liam keeps him and Andrea on their toes," Kat confirmed. "How long will you be in Chicago?"
Fifteen minutes of chit-chat later, Kat rose with a sigh. "I'm sorry that I have to go, but if I know anything, it's that you have plenty of work to keep you busy. Perhaps we can get dinner one night if you aren't too busy."
"Whenever you are free," Rachel replied, vowing that she would take the evening off to catch up with Kat. The time between their visits had grown far too long.
Legends never die, When the world is callin' out your name, Begging you to fight, Pick yourself up once more
Sending Kat off with another hug, Rachel made herself a fresh pot of tea before returning to her computer, startled to see a second purple flagged email. Her first thought was that Kelly must have responded immediately but, instead, the message was from Mike Slattery, currently serving as mayor of Chicago, inviting her to join him for dinner tomorrow.
The invitation itself wasn't surprising. Although their paths crossed infrequently, since the day he handed her the primordial virus that day in Baltimore, Mike became one of Rachel's staunchest supporters. In addition to always publicly backing her requests for funding and research, Mike had gone so far as to testify on her behalf before Congress following the explosive expose written by Jacob Barnes concerning Rachel's role in Niels' death. He was someone she trusted implicitly, both to support her but also to tell her the truth in his usual blunt fashion.
No, the only thing surprising about Mike's invitation was the postscript. Tom will be joining me as well. He said to tell you that he hopes to see you there.
Pick yourself up 'cause, Legends never die when the world is calling you, Can you hear them screamin' out your name?
Rachel felt her heart racing, the words echoing through her mind, raising hazy memories from the past of a smile that seemed to promise so much. I'll see you when I see you. The night of the inaugural ball, Rachel had walked down the hallway feeling happy. Sensing that something she yearned for was almost within reach.
Yet that dream died, not through action but by inaction, as Tom spearheaded the effort to spread the cure and focused on raising his children, while Rachel continued to throw herself into her research. Both of them too focused on the almost overwhelming task of spreading the cure and rebuilding their world to leave space for anything else in their lives. Although, Rachel now recognized, perhaps their decision to go their separate ways was a decision. A subconscious recognition that too much lay between them, Darien's death and Rachel's choice to sacrifice Niels too fresh. Both of them needing time and space to heal before they could move forward.
Again, Rachel read Mike's message. He hopes to see you there. Before she could think on it further, Rachel drafted a reply confirming her presence, fingers hesitating on the keyboard for a mere second before pressing send and returning to her inbox. Lifting her tea to her mouth, Rachel took a cleansing breath, pushing all thoughts of Captain Thomas Chandler to the back of her mind.
Tomorrow would come soon enough and, for now, she had work to do.
Legends never die, they become a part of you, Every time you bleed for reaching greatness, Legends never die