The conversation was fully shut down before it was started. Not because they were terrified of having it. Or that they were entirely uncomfortable. Though, Ralph was finding it to be really disturbing. But the reason why they stopped it was thanks to the humans needing to sleep. Eli showed the group where he usually slept. It wasn't like how they had seen the other humans sleep. Connor was a bit uncomfortable with the whole arrangement. As he felt that it wouldn't be safe for him. Though, Eli had never mentioned aliens ever getting this deep into the ship. Or anyone on board trying to kill him in his sleep. So, Ash felt it wasn't necessary to be too terrified of this.
Still, Oliver made a mental note of it.
Feeling that they needed to know how to protect that spot. Just in case aliens did attack the ship. Or worse happened while they were on board. The very idea of Eli getting harmed seemed to terrify him. He was a good man and he wanted to keep one of the few humans he liked alive. Instead of allowing this to show, Oliver wished him goodnight. As did Ralph and Ash. Who practically dragged Connor along with them as they headed away. Trying to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.
Well, stupid for him.
'Ralph doesn't like how Eli sleeps. It's way too vulnerable.',Ralph pipped up. Sure, it was what Oliver was thinking. Thinking and somewhat worrying over as they all walked to the observation deck. With a gentle pat to his lover's shoulder, he informed,'He'll be fine. Eli's a smart guy and has a lot of tools at his disposal.'
'Kinos, knows the ship super well, and could definitely bolt if need be.',Oliver added. And Destiny was a pretty large ship. It probably had places were Eli could easily slip into. Lose whomever was after him and get to the others to warn them. Or even just get a weapon to defend himself. If there are any onboard that someone like Eli could make use of. Ash added,'And if he needs us he'll send one of the kinos to get us.'
That was true. And they all knew it. Well, Connor didn't. Though the trio didn't really give a damn about that. They just wanted to keep Eli safe. Along with the new people they had met a few seconds ago. Ralph stated,'Ralph knows. But he's one of the rare good folks that we've ever seen.'
'And Ralph intends to keep him from being hurt, ever.',Ralph continued. Everything about this was worrying for him. Ralph hoped that Ash and Oliver were right about this. Keeping his cool, they finally arrived at the observation deck. Not surprised to find a majority of the others there. Some were huddled together in a corner, not looking at anyone. Barely even taking notice that any of them came in. Though, no one was really speaking to Connor anymore.
And if they did, they weren't generally kind towards him.
Connor pretended to not notice anyone's gaze towards him. Or the sneers that he got from others. Feeling they had a right do despise him for what he did. If it weren't for him, they would be safe in Jericho. Finding ways to either fix each other or save other androids. It made him feel guilty but, he knew his guilt wasn't useful right now. Nor was anything else that he could come up with aside from helping Ash and the leaders of Jericho. He glanced around for them as he wondered where they were. Ash was the first to spot them, stopping as he stared right at Markus. Markus called,"Ash? Can we please have a moment of your time?"
With a nod, Ash walked over to the group of leaders. His lovers and Connor watching him as he walked away. When he wasn't within earshot, Ralph asked,"Do you think they'll ask about our visit?"
"Definitely. And Ash will tell them what we found out about Lucy.",Oliver answered. And knowing Ash, he'll be kind about it. And he'll try to tell Markus about her as gently as possible. Feeling so terrible that he had nearly forgotten about her. Especially, after how long they had been working together to help the wounded. Hell, he was still mad at himself for not insisting she come with them. At least not insisting harder than he had. As she wouldn't be back there if he had. She would be with them in 2009, safe and sound. Maybe even wearing something to cover her wires. Connor asked,"What? What happened to Lucy? How did you guys find out?"
Neither android answered him as they watched Ash.
Both were just feeling terrible that she was essentially being held hostage. Even if it were by someone who seemed sort of safe. Young's future self wasn't a terrible man from what they could tell. Had a lot more control of his temper then David ever could have. As far as Oliver could tell. Though he wondered if how Lucy was being held could be called that. As it wasn't like most hostage situations. There was no way for the androids to be able to convince Young to give her back to them. As far as he could tell, they couldn't.
It wasn't really Everett's fault, Oliver knew that. The Colonel, if he could be called that in the future, was just following orders. This still somewhat angered him that he was doing it. Hoping that he was treating the woman right or not. Giving her what she needed like thirium or the like.
And he hoped that Young was at least trying to protect her a little. Use some of his power to shield her properly.
"Can't you please tell me how she is?",Connor asked. Trying to understand just what had happened to her. Fearing that she was being harmed in some way. Forced to share her memories. Or had been deactivated and melted down. That being mostly his fault that it happened in the first place. And he knew that. When neither acknowledged him for the second time, he stopped trying to talk to them. Realizing that neither of them had forgiven him.
Nor would they be speaking to him anytime soon.
"So, you didn't actually see the state that she was in?",Markus asked. Hoping that Ash had at least a peek at her accomodations. If they were suitable for an android to exist in or not. An image of her being in boxes or a closet gone through his mind. Making him feel sick at the very thought. Yet, did his best to not allow this to show. Keeping his focus on Ash and frowning when the shorter android shook his head. Ash answered,"No. We didn't get a chance to see her or where she was."
"Colonel Telford threw a temper tantrum and we had to cut the visit short.",Ash continued. He didn't mention that David had grabbed him harshly. Or that he had hurt him as he dragged him down the hall. As North already looked annoyed at the mention of that man's name. Crossing her arms as she leaned against a nearby wall. Josh asked,"This version of Young didn't try anything did he?"
"No threats, demands, or anything like that?",he continued. Fearing that Young treated them like Telford did. Like they weren't anything more than fancy pieces of plastic. Not sentient beings with feelings. He felt a little relieved when Ash shook his head. Telling him that Young was actually very polite. Doing what he could to keep David from acting out. Which was a huge relief as well.
Simon gently touched Ash's shoulder as he got closer. Feeling they weren't oging to know the whole story. That Ash was holding something back. But, didn't ask. Fearing that he would make the shorter android uncomfortable. Instead, he asked,"You and the others weren't hurt during that time were you?"
"No, we weren't hurt.",Ash lied. His tone didn't reflect a lie. But he had said it so quickly that Simon knew it wasn't true. His body language was also a little tense under his hand. The urge to call this out rose up. But he squashed it to the best of his ability. There was a reason that Ash wasn't telling them what happened. That someone had gotten hurt by that David fellow. The fact he said nothing made him realize they shouldn't be asking. Instead, Simon stated,"That's good. That's very good. Maybe they're not as terrible as they make themselves out to be."
"Yeah, they might not be.",Ash agreed. Giving a sweet smile as he nodded his head in agreement. Then he turned his head slightly to Markus. Keeping that calm grin on his face. He added,"We might be going back tomorrow thanks to David cutting the visit so short."
Which wasn't terrible in his mind. Getting to see the present the way they did was strange. It sort of felt weird being in another android's body. But he liked the short visits. Also, current Young would probably want more information. Stuff that they needed to get tomorrow. At least if they wanted to know more about their mission. Ash had a feeling that David wouldn't come this time. Young probably has banned him for a little while.
It would probably be Rush next time.
"You need to go with them and find a way to get to Lucy.",North insisted. The other four turned to look at her. Surprised that she would suggest it. Raising an eyebrow, North adds,"We need to know that she's safe, right?"
"Why not have Ash sneak past them to find if she is?",North questioned. As it seemed this Young fellow slightly liked Ash. Even if he didn't approve of her, he did him. So maybe the man would take them on a tour if Ash asked him to. Possibly without a guard with them, too.
"Well, I could try to see if Ralph and Oliver would make a distraction so I could?",Ash offered. It didn't feel like the wisest decision to him. In fact, he really didn't like the idea of jeopardizing either of their safety. Getting either of them shot in the head by an officer. But he had to know how Lucy was doing. What they had done to her. There was this strange feeling that she wasn't in such good condition. Like Young had harmed Lucy or something like that.
He was so worried that she wasn't in one piece.
As Young hadn't said in that visit if she was or not. Something inside of him said that she wasn't. Why else wouldn't he take him to her. Show them that she was perfectly safe in one piece. Sure, they hadn't asked about her. But she was an essential part of Jericho. You would think he would tell all of them that she was fine. Show them that Lucy was in one piece. That way they could have some peace of mind about the whole thing. It really disturbed Ash that he hadn't told any of them. Or even tried to show them her condition. Ash asked,"Is there anything else you guys want to know?"
"Yes, aside from Eli and Everett. Did you see the other two, Telford and Rush?",Markus questioned. And he didn't need to specify for Ash to understand what he was saying. He meant their future selves. Ash shook his head at this question. Neither man were around for their first visit. Ash answered,"No. I didn't get to see either of them in that building."
"But, I did find out that Rush had written some books in the future.",Ash added. And he still wanted to read the first one. Possibly the second one when it was actually published. As he wondered what either one were about. Or how well either of them were written, too. He figured it was something really delightful. It probably was a little dry if he were being honest.
And he really, really, really hoped that it wasn't about Math.
That sort of thing was possibly interesting to Eli. If their conversations were anything to go by. But ,he couldn't find any sort of enjoyment in it. Math wasn't something he felt he would be interested in if he were human, either. Markus stated,"That's good. Now, go tell Ralph and Oliver about our idea."
"We need them to know about our ideas for the visit home.",Markus continued. It worried him that Young had Lucy in his possession. Without knowing anything about her condition. Or knowing if she was even working at all. And he was terrified what would happen to his best friend once they were there. Possibly be locked up along with Lucy. But, it would be way worse for Ash. AS he wouldn't be in his own body for that imprisonment. Or allowed to come back to Destiny.
And that was if he were lucky.
He gave Ash a hug before he walked back to his lovers. Reminding himself that Ash was a clever sort of guy. He had managed to slip out of worse situations. And was a lot more sturdy than most people gave him credit for, too. It was something that Markus was extremely proud of. Along with how clever he was as well. Markus turned to the rest of the leaders of Jericho. In a calm voice, he stated,"If we can, we need to ask Young to let one of us go."
"I want to be sure that Ash finds Lucy without getting hurt.",he added. And he just wanted to be sure she was fine or not. As Ash probably would sugarcoat how she actually was. Or find a way to lie to save his sanity. And as much as he liked Ash trying to protect him, he needed to know. Unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't go with them. As any number of those humans would use it as a reason to kill him. And ruin what they had. North, Josh, and Simon were probably fine.
Way safer than he would ever be.
"I'll go. I want to make sure that Ash finds her.",North answered. Not because she thought he would chicken out. Or that he wouldn't be able to find her. But to be sure that Ash was actually fine. As she had this feeling that David had done something to him. North just couldn't immediately think of what he did.
Nor did she want to drag it out of him.
As she feared what that could do to him. Ash was already so skittish in her opinion. If she pushed him, who knows what could happen? Simon probably wouldn't be comfortable with it. As humans with guns terrified him. And Josh just couldn't be near military men, either. This would definitely make him the most terrified. Possibly cause him to temporarily shut down if he were being entirely honest. She added,"We'll go to Young's room tomorrow and make our demands known."
"Hopefully he'll be receptive to us and how we say it.",Markus stated. Otherwise he wasn't sure what else they could do. Forcing them wouldn't be a wise thing to do. And he knew that. Much better than any of his lovers did. A whole lot better than any of his lovers did.
With this, they walked to the middle of the room and sat on the floor. Crossing his legs as he took a deep breath. This was something he did when they were back on Earth. A sort of meditation but, sort of not? He wasn't entirely sure what else to make of it other than that. He barely noticed when other androids came closer to them. Sitting around them to protect him. Mostly acting as android shields for their 'leader'. Which was something that was wearing down on him more than he anticipated. Markus shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. Feeling they were much too negative for what he needed.
The other androids had a right to be worried for his and the other leaders safety. As there was military on board would possibly shoot him if they moved. Sure, it didn't completely protect Markus or the others that well.
But it would heighten their chances of survival.
They noticed that there were a few humans watching from doorways. Some were armed. Like maybe five or so. But the majority that were watching were unarmed. The looks on their faces were somewhat fearful. But not entirely so. Some of them to be quite a bit curious. Curious but, definitely not daring to get any closer.
This was something that Markus did his best to ignore. Mentally telling everyone to close their eyes. And that they would start the exercise they had on Earth. One that they had done at least a million times in Jericho. To put themselves in a place they felt the safest. To take a deep 'breath' to center themselves. All of this was normal, at least they had this to help themselves.
The group all had their own issues with humans. None of them had been hurt by the ones around them. Only one of them had been yelled for something minor. So, not to bad so far.
They only hoped that the next day would be better. And that they will be treated nicer than today. Markus prayed it would be better. The next day, the trio were in the room with the stones. Along with Young and oddly enough Rush. Who looked quite a bit uncomfortable with what was going on. He probably was worried about what the future would bring.
If Ash were being completely generous with him. Though he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be. Since the guy couldn't extend him the same courtesy. And thought he had been threatened by him. Even if it sounded vaguely like one, he had apologized. Told him that he didn't mean it the way that it came out.
Rush still took it the way that he had.
Again, Ash had felt it was deliberate. So did Oliver. Ralph agreed with them. He had this idea that he was being cruel. That he was trying to lure one of them into some sort of trap. What kind of trap? In all honesty, Ralph wasn't sure. But he felt it was going to be sprung sooner or later. Probably sooner. Though he was unsure of the how or what he would do. Ralph just had this feeling it would be terrible. And he did his best to squash those feelings as they touched the stones.
Ralph soon found himself in the same unit as yesterday. Wincing when he saw that Oliver was in the RK900 unit. And noticed that Ash was also in the same unit from the other day. When the last person came, he had this feeling it wasn't Young. That he had just stayed behind with the stones instead of that Rush jerk. And when he heard that accent from the soldier, he mentally groaned in annoyance.
Of course Rush had to come with them. Not Young. Though he highly doubted it would be any better for them. It would be nicer to not be near Nicholas in his book. The guy who didn't try to understand what Ash had said to him. Neither himself nor the androids said a word to each other. They just took in their surroundings. This time, there weren't any of the guards from yesterday.
All there was in the room was the future versions of Young and Eli. Young was reading some book. While the older Eli was drinking coffee in a paper cup. And he smiled as Nicholas stepped towards them. Eli asked,"I that you, Rush?"
"Yes? Shouldn't you realize that since you're the future version of the Eli I just left?",Rush asked. A little snarky with this version of Eli. As the man should just know these sorts of things. He had lived through all of this. How didn't he know any of this? Rolling his eyes, Eli snarked,"Yes how dare I not remember the body you were put in for a visit I didn't see."
"And the guy who was in your body never spoke to me at all.",Wallace finished. Setting his cup of coffee on a nearby counter. Looking slightly annoyed that Rush hadn't thought this over. Or realized that twenty-seven years was a really long time. Oliver wondered how Rush expected him to just know this? Especially when he wasn't there to see the person. Or was in the room to witness the use of the stones. As he had his own things to be taking care of on the ship. Stuff that Ash hated that he wasn't taking care of.
Hell, Eli probably didn't even get to speak to the person. And even if he did, it didn't mean they would describe themselves to random people.
Oliver felt that they wouldn't.
Who in the Hell would do that to someone they just met? That seemed more than just a little silly. In fact it was kind of stupid in his book. He wished that he could properly see the look on Rush's face. Just to see if the stupidity of his question sunk in well enough. And did his best to not grin as Rush stated,"I guess I hadn't thought of that, Eli."
"I suppose it is rather stupid to think you would somehow know that.",Nicholas agreed. It felt a little strange that Eli had more of a spine. This was good in his book. That meant Wallace could properly take care of himself. As he was a sweet kid, Rush worried that he would get himself hurt. Mostly thanks to just how much of a pushover he could be. And just how unwilling he was to lie about anything. Eli nodded at this and apologized for being snarky. Which Rush accepted. It wasn't like he said anything particularly rude anyway. Young set the book that he had been reading down on the table. Everett got out of his chair and walked over to him. Grabbing his shoulders with a huge smile on his face. Then pulling him closer to him and wrapping his arms around him. In a polite voice, Everett stated,"It's so good to see you, Rush. Well, sort of."
"I'm so glad that you convinced me to let you go instead.",he added. There was a quip that he wanted to make about that. One about Young and something else that he had just forgotten. Right at the moment, the fact that Young was holding him was making his mind go blank. This wasn't anything that he had ever done before.
"Good to see you, Everett.",he heard himself say. Like he hadn't just seen him at least five minutes ago. If Young thought it was silly, he didn't say anything. Instead he just walked him out of the room as he spoke about things. Keeping an arm around Rush's shoulders as they walked. Thoughts of talking Young out of going had left as they walked. Feeling less guilty about not letting him come with.
Mostly because he just really wanted to see the future.
But decided to not allow himself to dwell on it as they walked. Instead he just focused on their surroundings. The building was something out of a dumb science fiction movie. Maybe something out of those Star Wars movies if he were being honest. Also if he ever bothered to completely watch any of that. Rush asked,"Is there any possibility of getting to meet my older self?"
"Oh? Is there any reason why you want to?",Young questioned. A tiny smile on his face. It was his normal one. One that he had seen a hundred times before on Destiny. Not directed towards him usually. But he still had seen it. It also made his cheeks flush a tiny bit. And he wasn't entirely sure of why it did. Ignoring this, Rush swallowed before he answered,"Just to check in and see how I'm doing in the future."
"Ask about things that I want to double check on about Destiny.",he continued. Which was sort of the truth. Not the entire one. As he wanted to mostly ask about where they went back to Earth. How the rest of their mission was supposed to go. Mostly wondering how things were meant to be.
And how these androids played into it.
Whether or not they were to be with them during that time. He felt it didn't seem all that likely. Nor did that seem good for them to be going with them. So, what in the Hell had happened to them? Did they stay where the humans went home from? Just where in the Hell did they even end up? Sure, he could just ask Young about it. And a small part of him wanted to, really wanted to. Though he couldn't seem to bring himself to. Instead, he added,"Also I wanted to see how I look in this future."
"See if I've grown that beard that I really wanted to.",Nicholas joked. This seems to catch the other folks in their group off guard. And it slightly annoyed Rush that they thought he had no sense of humor. Though it made him feel better that Young laughed at it. At least one person among them had found it funny.
Eli vaguely remembered Rush having made this joke. It wasn't a lot of times he would do that. In fact, he thought sometimes that he had no sense of humor. Or at least it was super dry. Like it was the dessert or something like that.
This was just so weird to see.
"So, anyway. Matthew and Chloe are married with two kids.",Eli informed. One of them is a boy and the other is a girl. The girl had just turned seven not that long ago. And the boy was only a month old. At least that's what Chloe kept telling him since she gave birth to him. Showing him pictures of his development over the weeks. All of which were adorable and in his office sometimes. As well as in his home. Along with pictures of their oldest daughter. He added,"Their names are Elisa and Phillip."
"That's really cool, Eli.",Ash stated. It was. And part of him wish they had time to go see them. See the babies that Matt and Chloe had together. Maybe if he asked nicely, he'd get to see some pictures of them. Grinning a little, he asked,"I don't suppose you have any pictures?"
"Oh, yeah. I got several saved on my phone.",Eli answered. Pulling out the said device from his back pocket. Immediately unlocking it and bringing up the album. Turning it towards the three androids. A very proud smile on his face as he did so. Even if they weren't his kids, he was definitely a proud uncle.
The trio of androids crowded his phone with huge smiles on their faces.
Making sweet comments about Matt and Chloe's children. How Phillip was practically a clone of his Mother. While Elisa looked like a tiny girl version of Scott. It was kind of sweet in Oliver's book. And he mentally made a note to tell Matthew about it later. Then scrapped it. As he realized that probably wouldn't go over really well. Oliver also felt it probably would make him highly uncomfortable, too. Mess up their future in ways he didn't really know.
There were a few more pictures of another 'kid' in his phone. One that looked a lot like Elisa. It was kind of strange in Oliver's mind. Okay this person wasn't a child but older. Quite a bit older. Though he wasn't entirely sure about this human's age. He had to at least be an adult if he were judging him right. Oliver asked,"Who's this, Eli?"
"Oh, that's their older half-brother. His name is also Matthew.",Eli explained. Matthew, his first son, was thirty-five years old. And at first when the kid had found out about Elisa, he was sort of pissed. And in all honesty, Eli couldn't blame him about that. If he were in that position he would definitely have been angry as well.
Probably more than that.
"He was a little jealous of Matthew's relationship with his half-siblings for a little while.",Eli recalled. It sort of saddened him to see that. Even if he knew how he had felt. Thank goodness Matthew's Mom and Scott talked him into going to therapy. And kept reminding him that they both loved him so very much. That having two new children wasn't going to erase the love that Scott had for him. And thank goodness it had worked well for everyone involved. Slightly feared for his friend. Okay 'feared' was a bit of a strong term for how he was. Though he had gotten a little worried about hwo things would go.
That they would have to do more drastic measures...which Eli didn't want to think of.
"It's so cool that they have an older brother like that.",Oliver stated. Ash nodded his head in agreement, though he was surprised that Scott had three kids. As well as surprised that he got married to Chloe sometime in the past. His past Matthew's future...whatever. It was also a little surprising that his kid and him had such a small age gap. Though guessed it was probably normal among human beings.
Some folks didn't have great access to birth control in the early 2000's. So why would Mr. Scott be any different? He was quite possibly a teenager then. Dude wasn't all that older then twenty-four right then. Maybe twenty-five and that felt like it was pushing it. Ash chimed in,"I'm really happy for them."
"They really seem to be good for each other.",Ash added. They did in the future at the very least. From the picture that Eli showed them with their kids. Chloe and Matthew seemed to really go well together. Treated each other with love and respect, right now at least. Then again it seems they have been together for quite a few years. How many? Ash couldn't entirely tell. But guessed it was probably around twenty-seven or so.
If their being sort of together on the ship counted for anything. Which Ash wasn't entirely sure if it did. Since they were sort of 'dating' at the moment. Their whole vibe was sort of rocky at the moment. Feeling it got better and much more steady over the years they were together.
Ralph was just the tiniest bit envious of them.
This was something that he had been wanting for so long. It was something he wanted to make for himself for years. A family of his very own. Or at least to have a child to take care of with his lovers. Part of him wished one of the android children were on Destiny. Even if he didn't like the place or how the children were created.
"Ralph hope that we can meet them sometime soon.",Ralph pipped up. If the Scotts' or Armstrongs' were fine with it. Of course. He would never want to overstep anyone's boundaries. Especially, not if they were good friends.
Like Matthew and Chloe were.
Or at least he had hoped they were going to be. Matthew was a fairly polite fellow. And he treated both of his lovers so nicely. From what he could tell, Chloe was a sweet girl. An actual sweet girl. Nothing fake about her politeness or friendliness. The young girl was just a good person. She had been so helpful when he got injured. Being very careful around the cuts on his face. And pulled the broken pieces of glass out of his skin before Eli took over.
Like a doting big sister or something like that.
"Maybe you can the next time you guys visit us.",Eli promised. When he turned to Young to confirm this, he froze. Young and Rush were gone. Having either not realized he and the androids stopped. Or decided to just let them have some alone time. Either way, he felt a little stupid as he tried to figure out where Young ran off. And hoped he just walked away without noticing he left the group behind.