Chapter Text
It's been approximately three- no- maybe four weeks since Jon discovered he was stuck on this god forsaken ship - heading off to who-knows-where - currently huddled up in a ball on the floor, crying his eyes out for the third bloody time this week while “Sign of the Times“ played on in the background.
Yes he was absolutely pathetic huddling up like a child in the “dont-go-crazy” room of all things (which he named himself, a moment among many he regrets quite a lot. He is very much aware, thank you!) But it's all he can think to do in his residual bewilderment, at the knowledge that he's stranded alone in the deep of space, and the only other people that could have explained anything to him were dead upon him waking up. The memory issues were not in his favor it seemed.
Good lord he wished he had a cigarette on him right about now…
Why is that the first thing his mind decides is the best thing to curb his nerves? Hell if he knew.
A man with barely a functioning memory, stranded in the middle of the ever expanding void has only his wits to guide him afterall, and Jon’s was just barely hanging by a thread at this point.
It makes him vaguely wonder how he would have handled this had he been under better circumstances, if he'd been able to remember more about himself at the very least.
Good god, that cigarette sounds good right about now. His face felt gross with the ungodly amount of snot and tears coming out.
Jon tipped his head down as a slow drag of smoke left his slightly cracked lips, deep in thought. The spring air outside was oddly cold and frigid, it made him shiver.
He knows he really should head back inside to the library, less there be some grubby kid left unattended enough to wreak havoc on such valuable books as the ones in his main work space. With their dirty fingers, and loud obnoxious slang, and… good lord the hormones-
Why the school insisted on keeping such old tombs with kids barely gracing pubescence was beyond him. It seemed like they were intent on making his job that much harder, even more so when he made his absolute best efforts to maintain an air of professionalism around rowdy children and pretentious adults alike.
Which most of the little trouble makers cared less about, and the adults merely scoffed at, saying he was being too harsh, too strict, that he should just let the kids be!
It's a bunch of nonsense if you ask him. He nearly caught himself scoffing at the thought.
He shook his head, slowly taking another drag of his cigarette. He doesn't hate them. No, there are a few that he's grown quite fond of, no matter how much they get on his nerves. There’s just the select few that gets on his nerves, those ones are just so testy. Especially Callum Brodie, that one’s a bloody bully-
Jon’s inner lament comes to a halt when hears the pitter patter of approaching footsteps, followed by loud voices.
“ -yeah I honestly don't know what to think. It sounds like a hoax more than anything. What’s your opinion?” Came a low feminine voice from somewhere behind him (likely Ashely from the sound of it) which made him stiffen. What was she doing back here?
He quickly finished his smoke, dropping the cigar out of his hand, letting it fall to the ground before snubbing it out with the bottom of his shoe. He didn’t want to deal with the headache of admin getting on him about smoking in a school zone again.
Then he ran a hand through his hair and straightened out his cardigan, trying to appear like the professional he prided himself in, and not the lousy mess he was desperate to hide. Only to pause once more when he heard another voice accompanying the other, this one just a little higher in pitch. Sam’s.
“Oh- god. You're asking me! really? I’m the worst person to ask about this-” There is a light sound of fabric being ruffled, followed by the shuffling of feet. Should he peek out now that he knows they’re coming this way? It doesn't seem like either of them have noticed him yet, if the smell of burning nicotine hasn't hit their noses.
“Hey. Don't say that, you're amazing at that kind of thing.” A giggle accompanies the conversation this time.
“What do you think that kickass astrology major you took in college was for? Definitely not just for a dingy middle school elective, I hope. "
“Oh. Well umm, hehe, gosh. I guess you're right. I mean- I’m… more surprised than anything? I- I just can't wrap my head around the thought of the sun losing heat. It’s just. Who- who starts a news outlet like that anyways?! That's unheard of.” Agreed. That's definitely an odd way to- wait what?
“and if it's getting as bad as it sounds, that could totally cause an ice age in the next few hundred years or so- oh thats terrifying-”
Just as Jon started really listening in - yes listening in he’s definitely not just eavesdropping - his two coworkers finally turned the corner where he stood, finally coming face to face with him.
“Ack!!-” yelped Sam, nearly jumping back when they caught sight of him, a hand shooting up to rest against their heart.
“Oh- J- Jon. Ha! I wasn't expecting to see you there. you nearly scared me half to death” They breathed out, face a shade of bright red. Ashely stood close by, noticeable brushing away from the other. She was blushing a little too, like she’d just been caught doing something she shouldn't.
Jon looked on curiously, vaguely wondering what exactly they’d been planning on doing alone in the back of the school like this. Hmmmm. before dismissing the thought, flickering his attention back to Sam.
He cleared his throat, “Well, yes. I was- was just taking a minute to myself. The library’s getting a bit drafty again.” He chimed in, attempting to cover up the real reason. Which didn’t seem to go over how he’d anticipated, gave him weird looks he got from both coworkers.
“The library’s… drafty?” Ashely inquired, seeming confused more than not. It was far, the library is anything but drafty.
“Yes…” he continued, feeling rather sheepish about the fact he's trying to hide his indulgent smoke break, especially while school's in session. “What was that about the sun cooling down?” he immediately interjected, both out of curiosity, and a need to deflect the conversation. He did not want to get in trouble with the principal again about how “smoking makes the school look bad” and “think of how the parents would react” and all that.
“Oh- its uhhh… its nothing- I mean, It's just a bunch of science jargon that you probably wouldn't get-” Sam chimed back in that same slightly anxious tone, scratching the back of their neck as they spoke. They seemed uncomfortable. But why?
“Sam, Let me remind you I am the Librarian here, I think I can handle a bit of science just fine. We’re both fully functional adults.” He interjected, waving a hand in their direction to stop them from going on further. He’s fully capable of handling that sort of thing, if those extra science courses he took during his time in college are anything to go by.
“Arrogant much” he just barely heard from Ashely, which he promptly ignored in favor of waiting for his coworker to continue, who looked a little unsure now.
“Well… it's…” they paused, struggling. “It's been out on the news for the last week or two. I’m surprised you hadn't heard” They started again, wording things rather slowly, as if talking to an incompetent child who’d just asked them how death worked, and attempting to skirt around the question to avoid the inevitable truth. He just waited, ignoring how patronizing it felt.
“From what we've been able to understand-” Ashely jumped in, taking the rains from Sam. “- is that it sounds like the sun's losing heat, or energy, or something like that. It’s from some kind of space dust that… I don't know. Is apparently absorbing the sun's solar energy? I'm pretty sure they named it.” She paused, gathering her thoughts.
“Somthing like Aaaaa uhm..” Ashely glanced over at Sam, clearly hoping for some help.
“Oh! Its Astrophage” Sam shot back after a beat.
“Yeah. That” she murmured with a small smile of approval at Sam, only for it to falter when she turned back to him.
“And…” Jon tried prompting, hoping they'd give him more than just a simple name and the vague notion that the sun's dying because of heat loss, because he wants to know more, he's always wanting to know more. Even if it’s something as catastrophic as that.
“And that's it. That's all we know.” Ashely said, a little more pointed this time.
“Are you sure, that's it. That's all you know?” He insisted, thoroughly intrigued more than ever.
“Jesus Jon, if you're really going to be this persistent about wanting an answer, just go look it up for yourself. You've got that whole library to yourself, right?” She said in a slightly annoyed tone, clearly wanting to cut the conversation short.
God the nerve of this woman, sounding so annoyed when he was just being curious. He’s aware he has a whole library! To be fair, he was getting a bit close for comfort.
“Mr. Sim’s, do you have any good science books?” Came a squeaky, hesitant voice from somewhere in front of his workdesk.
Jon paused in his typing, (He’d been doing more personal research on the whole “Sun dying” crisis in the last few months since that conversation. From what minimal research he's been able to do it actually appeared to be a thread of Infrared light traveling from Venus's surface to the sun, not just mere “space dust” as Ashely and Sam had explained. Known as the “Petrova Line”. Interesting enough name.) to lean over and glance down at the expecting student, his boxy glasses tipping down his nose with the motion.
Alice, by the looks of it. She seemed less than thrilled to stand in his presence, despite being the one to come up to him in the first place. She was always a pretty timid kid, he'd need to tone down his snippyness with her at some point, less he scared her more than he already did.
“Ah, Alice. Yes- yes, I do have a few here.” He chimed back, attempting to keep his voice just a bit on the gentler side. “What… er… what are you looking for specifically?” He inquired, turning his full attention to the 7th grader.
She looked around the school library, clearly taking a minute to think, as if the mere act of looking from one shelf to the next will jog her memory. “Books on Venus and all the other planets, and different stars out in space?” She managed in something that sounded more like a question than a statement, hands fiddling with each other anxiously. He simply nodded with a hum, scooting out of his chair and standing up with a quiet grunt. - He really needed to work on taking more breaks, his backs going to get even stiffer if he sits in that chair another hour.
He walked over to the science fiction and education sections, picking up a few he thought she might be interested in without them seeming overly daunting, before bringing them over to a stray table in the room. When she didn't move from her spot by his work space, he let out a tired sigh and beckoned her over with a wave of his hand, patting the chair across from him.
She seemed to get the memo, sitting down with a little more openness when she saw the books.
They weren't much really, just simple titles with easy concepts. “The National Geographic Science Encyclopedia for kids”, “What’s Science all about?”, “An intro to space for Dummies”, ect. Some of the newer books that hopefully hadn't already began falling apart with age yet. He passed a few books to the kid, watching her scan the titles and flip through pages at random, seemingly satisfied if the small look of awe on her face was anything to go by.
Jon quietly applauded himself at that.
After a few long moments of silence, Jon decided to make an attempt at starting up a conversation. If only to ease up the quiet, or to get her to leave so he can get back to his own investment without further interruption.
“Why space out of everything else?” He asks rather bluntly, which makes Alice jump, having gotten a little too lost in her book.
Her mouth gapes open like a fish for a good 30 seconds, clearly caught off guard by the question. He just chuckles a little, before adding. “Dont worry, I'm not going to bite.” before adding in a slightly stricter voice. “That is, unless I come back to find my books in less than pristine condition. Then I just might.” It was meant as a joke, a tease, but it seemed as if he might have gotten a little too serious, what with how pale Alice suddenly got.
Jon winces. Ok. Let’s try that again.
“It's a joke, Alice. I doubt you’d ever even think to do that. I hope. And I'm sure your parents and Principle Bouchard would have a very serious talk with me if I even dared to lay a finger on you.” He said, putting on a light smile to try and free the tension.
It seemed to work, just barely.
Alice just nodded, going back to her book before piping up, “I… Um…. I wanted to read up on science because I want to know if the sun's really dying. My parents don't want to talk about it with me. And we haven't discussed it in class yet”
Huh. What a coincidence.
“Oh. Well, it is a pretty daunting thing to think about, isn't it?” I wouldn't want to tackle that if I could help it either. He chimed back, privately keeping that last bit to himself.
“But. I do suppose I understand why it might be so intriguing. There are quite a few theories about the Petrova Line that I’ve managed to uncover after all-” He continued, gingerly sliding the kids encyclopedia over to himself, opening it up to a page of the solar system and pointing to it for emphasis. “- like the theory that our sun might not actually be the only star dealing with this issue. Although, I'm not entirely sure how true that one is. Another theory I found was that Venus might actually be using this energy to ....”
Jon slung on his green cardigan as he left the school, the air even chillier it seemed than usual. He tried not to dwell on that thought. Sure, heading into an inevitable global ice age was terrible, but it wasn't something within his immediate control. He had other, more anxiety inducing issues to consume his life, thank you very much.
He’s getting ready to head down to the Train station to head home, when he suddenly heard his name being called from somewhere behind. Just a few feet from the front doors.
He turns and Oh, great. “Jon. Good afternoon. I want to talk to you for a second before you leave” That sickly sweet smile on the man’s face. Elias was calling him. What did his boss want from him now?
“Yes?” Jon answered, trying not to let the annoyance and slight anxiety roll off his tongue. God he hates these random out of the blue talks, it’s like getting in trouble with his Grandma all over again.
No. He shook his head. This was the principle he's talking about, a rather conservative and very stuck up principle, but the principle nevertheless. Don’t be rude. The last thing he needed was getting himself fired.
“Come follow me, there's someone here I want you to meet.” The man simply stated without elaborating further, hand behind his back, waiting for the other to follow.
Jon didn't think too much of it. Elias did have a habit of calling staff late unannounced, even someone like the librarian. It did strike him as slightly odd by the fact he'd be meeting someone outside of the school. Regardless, he begrudgingly decided the best thing to do was to follow, a tired sigh about to slip. It's fine, it wouldn't kill him to stay a little longer past his work schedule. It was just something he'd rather not have to suffer through.
That is until he's actually in said room. There's nothing different about it, it's just the maths room, that stale scent of markers and sweat filling the air. Desks and chairs sat in neat rows along the wall, equipment tucked away.
No, it's the other person that now occupies the room alongside Jon and his boss.
Standing there is a woman who looks to be in her late 60’s- no, maybe 70’s?, if the gray hair and saggy skin is anything to go by. She’s dressed in a suit that screams business, round rimmed glasses set neatly over her sharp nose. There is a pressing air of authority to her, the way she carries herself speaking volumes. She was not a woman to be tested.
“Ah, Glad to see you back Elias” She answered with a clap of her wrinkly hands, turning her head to Jon’s boss in what looked like approval. Did they know each other more than he anticipated?
“And you must be Jonathan Sims, is that right?” She asks, folding her hands out in front of her, turning fully to him. Jon faltered for a second, momentarily stunned into silence, good lord this woman was intimidating, before clearing his throat. “Um- Er, Yes. Yes, that's me. Do I umm….” He faltered, feeling rather awkward.
“Do we know each other?" she finished for him with a quirk of her brow.
“No. We’ve never met, I'm afraid. My name is Gertrude Robinson, I’m with the Petrova Taskforce.” She finished, before extending a hand for him to take. Which he hesitantly in, before opting to follow along, feeling on edge. Before he could ask what exactly the “Petrova Taskforce” was, she continued.
“Mr. Bouchard here is how I know you. He’s filled me in on quite a bit surrounding your academic background. Which is what I wanted to discuss with you.’
“So please, sit down. This should only take a moment.”