i. i think you broke my brain. i had to read this twice before i finally understood *exactly* what was going on, until i remembered the long-range sensors spontaneously coming online, and holy fuck, you're a GENIUS. (honestly, the first time through your repetition of the opening line was so beautiful and so chilling (and i mean CHILLING, i got goosebumps and clapped my hands over my mouth and, um, i think i made this little mewling noise), i thought they'd gotten stuck in a timeloop and ended up RIGHT BACK WHERE THEY'D STARTED and would be doing it all over again—again and again and again . . . and oh my god, i like your way so much better.) i have to go read this a third time now, because it was so damn bleak, but it makes so much SENSE, and oh, rodney and radek, they were still so brilliant and so brave and so utterly *themselves.* i'm going to look at their handshake scene in "the siege" a lot differently now, there's going to be so much more there. GENIUS. god, i'm almost shaking. awesome, awesome story.