[ @terrafound : continued from here !! ]
“ I … ” The weak beginning to a sentence that quickly faded.
It was a lot to take in — a lot to be expected to understand, in such a short time frame. William had only recently made it back to land; made it back home, and known for certain that he had finally, officially, survived.
Only just made it back, alive, and was being sat through the revelation that the people whom had sent him there were the same people responsible for his not coming back.
His mind pulled him one way, and his heart pulled another. Unfortunately, it was not the truth which prevailed. His loyalty, even in unkind circumstances, had never been one to prove useful for himself.
“ I … I don’t know if I can. It’s - it’s a lot to understand. They sent me there to try to find answers, they were the ones who ensured my safety, ” he said, vainly arguing. He weakly shook his head. An attempt to convince himself, more than to convince Ashton. “ Why … why would they let all of that happen ? They wouldn’t. ”
Ashton regretted having to put this all on William. They really did, it was terrible to attempt to rip someone away from their beliefs. But this couldn't just wait, and Will deserved to know what was going on. The least they could do was explain it, try to keep some other bright-eyed researcher from being lost to a corporation's greed.
" Will, I know it's a lot to ask, but please, " their voice just barely cracked on the last word, and they grimaced at the sound. Continuing, " I wouldn't ask this of you if I wasn't sure. "
The long wait for William to come back had taken its toll on Ash, stress over the lost mission eating at them. They had wanted to know everything that was being done, what could've gone wrong, how they could fix it from their stupid little lab on Earth. All the while, Will could've already been --
Ashton cried, tears silently rolling down their face. For all their composure, for all their fronts, they we're scared. " I don't want you hurt. "
