A misunderstanding, plus a partially overheard conversation, and Martin is convinced he's being fired. He decides to beat them to it and leaves a resignation letter in the portacabin, then heads home, telling himself he'll get his CV in order and start really going after other flying jobs.
En route, his van is car-jacked. He is beaten unconscious and shoved out and down an embankment along an unpopulated stretch of the M5.
In the meantime, Carolyn and crew are baffled by Martin's sudden resignation, and some combination of what they think he overheard and what he's said the past few flights make them concerned he could be suicidal. Someone goes to his place to find him, he's not there. Panic mayhem and self-recriminations ensue.
Meanwhile on the M5, Martin is broken, bleeding and dying slowly at the bottom of an embankment and wondering if he should even bother trying to survive since his whole life is so cocked up and he's such a failure; in essence, retroactively becoming suicidal as he reviews his life, while struggling to stay conscious.
Happy comforty "of course you aren't being fired you daft sod" ending with group hugs preferred, but only after a great deal of work and pain on all sides to get to it.
TLDR; Martin thinks he's being fired, so he resigns. The crew thinks Martin's suicidal. Martin doesn't get home due to car-jacking. ANGST and WHUMP and PAIN and GUILT.
misunderstanding, car-jacking, whump, angst tw suicide mentions
En route, his van is car-jacked. He is beaten unconscious and shoved out and down an embankment along an unpopulated stretch of the M5.
In the meantime, Carolyn and crew are baffled by Martin's sudden resignation, and some combination of what they think he overheard and what he's said the past few flights make them concerned he could be suicidal. Someone goes to his place to find him, he's not there. Panic mayhem and self-recriminations ensue.
Meanwhile on the M5, Martin is broken, bleeding and dying slowly at the bottom of an embankment and wondering if he should even bother trying to survive since his whole life is so cocked up and he's such a failure; in essence, retroactively becoming suicidal as he reviews his life, while struggling to stay conscious.
Happy comforty "of course you aren't being fired you daft sod" ending with group hugs preferred, but only after a great deal of work and pain on all sides to get to it.
TLDR; Martin thinks he's being fired, so he resigns. The crew thinks Martin's suicidal. Martin doesn't get home due to car-jacking. ANGST and WHUMP and PAIN and GUILT.