Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Before anything can be understood, it has to be narrated many times, in many different words and from my different angles, by many different minds.

-Valeria Luiselli, Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions.

***

6 MONTHS LATER

Scarecrow had been following him for weeks. Ever since they’d landed, Will couldn’t go anywhere without at least one robot on his heels. He hadn’t minded at first, being both frightened and more than a little desperate to know they were ok. Nearly losing both Robot and Scarecrow in the same week had made his hands shake all day and his breath quick as he woke every morning. After six months, though? It was getting old. Really old. 

The constant metallic footsteps had become the soundtrack to his life, always there like the tingle in his chest where they both laid in waiting and company.

As he made his way past the other kids, most of whom kept their eyes down and backs turned, Will sighed and clenched his tablet tighter. He knew some of the kids his age were… weary of him and the robots and their reputation. It wasn’t their fault, really; he remembered being called a traitor, hunted through the Resolute’s halls. Turned out being a hero to many could be undone in less than a day, and it took a while to earn it back. Shaking his head, Will turned to the other older kids, around Penny’s age, most of whom stopped to wave or smile at him while they gathered rocks by the stream. Across the field he could see Smith gathering the younger kids, under 10, to teach them basic math or french. Judy’s idea, of course. 

“Don’t you have something better to do?”, Will looked behind him, his giant companion nearly stuck to his back.

“Protect Will Robinson.”

“That’s usually Robot’s job.” Will stepped onto the Jupiter, “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Scarecrow didn’t say anything, simply walking along. They’d had this conversation nearly every day since the crash, it always went the same. He was sure Penny would find it funny, if she were actually around enough to notice. 

Inside the Jupiter 30 were makeshift hammocks hanging from every hall and room, mattresses made out of pillows and clothes on the floor. The ship had basically turned into an obstacle course over the weeks. He dodged the mattresses and ducked under the hammocks, lips pulling upwards at Scarecrow’s groans and stomps trying to follow after him. 

“You could just go back outside.”

A bright red lens met his eyes, lights unmoving. “No.”

Right. 

Will jumped about three makeshift mattresses, not bothering to wait for his guard. Either Scarecrow would give up or he would cut down all the hammocks only to help him hang them back up later. It wasn’t like they had anything better to do all day. Hadn’t for a while. 

One of the least considered cons of being stranded in the middle of an unknown galaxy was how boring everything was after a while. Yes, the first weeks were maddening. Trying to figure out where they were, whether they could survive the planet, how to organize. But after that? Just one day after the other, each the same as the last. Like a time loop, only with far less musical numbers.

Will quickened his pace, the whisper of the hub-turned-lab calling to him. As Flight Engineer it had been his first command to set this up, with Judy’s approval. If they were going to fix the Jupiter, they would need a plan, and a method. Luckily for them all, he wasn’t the only “scientist” there. None of them were his mom, but they weren’t too bad either, all things considered. 

Scarecrow stopped the chaotic stomping behind him.

Huffing a smile, he walked into the hub, greeted with the usual commotion. 

“Will! Can you check this?”

“Will! Over here!”

“I think I did this wrong.”

“Hey, Will.”

Kids gathered around him like moths to flame. His heart still beat wildly at first, even after so long of the same. He’d never been one for crowds, even as a baby if his parents are to be believed. Directing about 12 people in a small room was… unpleasant, sometimes. 

“Uh…”, his eyes traveled from one expectant face to the next.

So many tests, all of their progress so far mostly depending on trial and error, and somehow all these bright minds trusted him to know what it all meant. Trusted him to be the genius who found and tamed an alien robot, who tricked Hastings. Some kind of walking legend he wasn’t. 

“Alright people, let him breathe.”

Carter.

The boy forced his way through the crowd, the kids parting like a sea in the old stories Penny told him about once. The kind they never learned when they were little because mom was too much of a scientist for God. After everything he’d seen, Will wouldn’t be surprised if God had actually been an alien and humanity their experiment. 

“He’ll get to you all, it’s not like we’re running out of time”, Carter smiled at him, that crooked thing that wrinkled his nose and made his brown eyes twinkle. 

The kids murmured and giggled, some going as far as pointing. Will didn’t care. He took a deep breath, heart calming for the first time all day, and walked to his defender. 

“Thanks.”

A quick shrug, “no problem.”

Warmth, gentle and calm like mist spread across his cheeks and neck. He had to be horribly red in the face. The slightly older boy did him the mercy of looking away, taking the tablet from his eternally shaking hands and reading over the report. Carter’s hair, brown and a bit longer than his own, fell across his face, shielding the dark eyes. 

“There’s not nearly enough titanium in our supply.”

A clearing of the throat. 

“Not yet, no. If we keep up this pace, though, we might have enough by the end of the year.”

They started walking deeper into the hub, to the computer they’d set up at the very back.

“Even then, it’s not just the engines we need to fix. We won’t even know where to go once we’re airborne.”

Will sighed.

Carter was right. The signal they were following when they crossed the rift was lost. Their best chance was to reunite with their parents, hope they had the proper coordinates to Alpha Centauri. Otherwise, they would just drift across the galaxy like they had been for over a year. 

“One problem at a time, right?”

Carter handed the tablet back, sitting to type away, the mathematician in him taking over. “We’ll figure it out, we’ve got you”, a sweet thought he had to go ahead and mess up, thankfully, “and more importantly, we’ve got me.”

He laughed, that mist covering him whole. 

Out of everything that had come from their crash-landing, his friendship with Carter was probably the best. What with Penny disappearing for days at a time and Judy taking over command, Will wouldn’t have any proper human interaction otherwise. Having more than one friend was nice too. 

A series of metallic footsteps, too gentle to be Scarecrow, approached the hub.

Speaking of the devil.

A chorus of “hi Robot” filled the small room. This group was much more used to their larger friends than the rest of the camp. Will was always here, and the robots were always wherever he was. The first few times, the younger kids in here  actually cried when they looked at Scarecrow, and most glanced up from under their lashes in shy awe at Robot. By now, after so long, both novelty and fear had turned into a camaraderie he’d always dreamed of watching Robot have with other humans. One he was sure Crow hadn’t thought possible, and still didn’t really know what to do with. 

“Hey man”, Carter greeted, fist extended for Robot to bump. 

Will watched them with a smile, nudging Robot with his shoulder as he stood next to him. “Hey.”

Those familiar blue lights shone on him, stars going in slow circles. “Will Robinson.”

“Need him?”, Carter asked, back to facing the calculations on the computer.

“Help, Will Robinson.”

He rolled his eyes, not surprised, but having hoped the copper robot had simply chosen to wait outside. A foolish thought, he knew, but a boy could dream. 

“Scarecrow sent you?”

“Yes.”

The others who were very much not eavesdropping laughed under their breaths. The robot’s overprotectiveness was no secret. 

Will glared over his shoulder, laughter quieting. At least his reputation had some uses. The only ones who weren’t scared of making him angry were Judy and Carter. His sister for obvious reasons, she was his Captain, and his family. There was no question about him hurting her or whatever the others feared. Carter, on the other hand, had simply never been scared of him. 

“A new batch should come soon, you could help us counting?”, the boy called out, still focused on the math. 

Robot thought about it for a second, turning to Will who shrugged. He would never order Robot to do anything again, that wasn’t who they were anymore and they were better for it. If his giant friend wanted to help, then he could. If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t.

“Yes, Carter Reyes.”

The boy smiled.

“You’re the best.”

Robot turned to walk over to the tank filled with their supply. Will was a step from following when Carter met his eyes and winked, cocky and arrogant and proud. And the mist was just starting to dissipate. 

Very much not wanting to stay or smile or whatever, Will met up with Robot by the tank, picking up the pencil by the inventory sheet tight enough for his knuckles to turn white. 

“Heart.”

“Shut up.”

Will didn’t know what Robot was implying, as far as he cared, his friend was just obsessed with the new word he had somehow managed to learn. 

***

The room was dark, stagnant. Maureen had buried herself in this cocoon days ago. Or maybe it was years. John wasn’t here, he never was. And she didn’t want him. The cold in this black hole was all that was left. Six months had passed and they were no closer to finding their kids. They weren’t even close to getting off the planet they were hiding in. 

She had spent days and nights cracking her skull open with her fingernails only to find it empty, covered in cobwebs and ash.

No solution, no hope. 

The others may not have accepted it yet, but Maureen knew the truth. They would never see the kids again. She was a mother without her children, a scientist without a purpose, a woman without a life. What was left to fight for if everything was already lost? 

Don hadn’t come in to talk at the lump she was on the bed in a while. In a stupider time she would have thought that meant he’d found something, was busy and working and light would come shine into this tomb soon. She knew better. Her body had started to rot, death in her chest stinking up the place and Don wanted nothing to do with it. Maureen didn’t blame him. If her brain was anything other than goo, she would be the same. 

Under the covers, her skin turned to water, green and putrid, spreading over the mattress, spilling on the floor. Where there was no light there was no life, that which was sucked into a black hole was forced into an infinite standstill, torn apart bit by bit into near nothingness. Freezing for eternity. 

She was the star swallowed whole, split and twisted beyond recognition. Maureen Robinson was no more. All there was left was this. Hopelessness compressed to the point of singularity. 

***

Penny walked behind Liam with a scowl on her face. Judy had called them back to camp about an hour ago, something about wanting her to run around getting updates on over 90 kids like she had nothing better to do with her life. Which she did, mind. She had a boyfriend, and a whole unexplored planet, and a lake not too far that was fresh and crystal clear and the perfect place for a swim. Or it would have been.

“Hey, it’s ok. Seriously.” 

Liam kept trying to calm her down, had been since they got the call. He wasn’t the one who had to play nanny, though. It wasn’t fair, taking care of the kids was Judy’s job, and Penny already checked on them every morning and every night. There really wasn’t much more she could do.

Her sister, on the other hand… she had no idea what Judy did all day. She just locked herself in her room all day and night, calling random meetings in the hub where Will acted like mom and Judy could loll out orders they all knew would lead nowhere. 

“It’s not. Today was supposed to be our day.”

“We’ll make tomorrow our day, or the one after that. Or any other day we want.”

She didn’t know how Liam did it. He was always so sure of everything, happy and smiling at everything. It was what had made her look at him, at first. Everyone else was always so miserable, but not Liam. He joked with the younger kids and ran around because he was just that into his exercise routine. 

Really, it was almost stupid. But the good stupid, the kind that made you laugh out loud in the middle of the night. 

“I guess.”

He turned to her, proud to have made her feel better. She didn’t have the heart to keep scowling. Liam was a good guy, she knew. He was the only reason she hadn’t lost her mind these last few months. Everyone else seemed to have something important to do except for her. Will was the scientist of all scientists and Judy’s word had become law. Even Liam had assignments that actually meant something, establishing and checking their perimeter. 

All Penny had was a sister that didn’t care enough to keep their family together and a bunch of kids who probably were starting to hate her. Smith may have been their teacher but it seemed like every lecture and time out was hers to give. God, she would hate her. 

“Tell you what. Let’s get back and play nice, and I’ll negotiate to get us a full day off tomorrow to make up for today. We’ll see the lake, have a picnic. Anything you want.”

She laughed.

“A picnic? We barely have enough rations as it is.”

“The crops are doing well.”

Penny shook her head. She would even take that over always being the bad guy for the kids.

“It won’t be a while till we can harvest it though.”

“Then I’ll use my rations of the week.”

Scandalised, her jaw dropped as she giggled. Liam was insane sometimes, which she liked.

“And what will you eat?”

“You’ll share with me, obviously.”

Penny’s chest shook, that dark cloud hovering over her gone. 

“Absolutely not. I have Chinese saved up for this week and there’s no way you’re getting any.”

He turned, walking backwards, hand on his chest, “you wound me, my lady.”

Her laughter came freely, cheeks pink and spirits high. God, she was so lucky to have Liam. Nothing could take this away from her, jokes under the sun and sweet smiles on a handsome face. Not even Judy. 

***

Judy stood over the map, Vijay at her side. The cockpit had slowly but surely turned into a strategy room of sorts for them and the other higher members of the crew. So far, the camp was doing well. But they needed more space, having so many kids crowded in the same hall wasn’t viable. The Jupiter 30 housing a hundred people was never supposed to be long term.

“How about the foot of the mountains?”

Vijay’s head shook. He’d just come back from exploration, trying to find the safest option for them to spread through. 

“It’s stable most of the time, but when storms hit there’s a high risk of boulders.”

She sighed. 

“What do you suggest?” He stayed quiet. “Vijay.”

Her eyes rose to his face only to meet a frown, his lips twisted. She followed his gaze, finding one of the few guests who was actually unwanted. She met his eyes. 

“We’ll talk more later.”

“Yeah.”

Vijay gathered the map he’d drawn, pace slow as he passed Dr. Smith, frown watching her, unwavering. 

She waited until he was out of the room, his footsteps echoing as they faded.

“How are the kids doing?”, Judy called out. 

Smith had taken to a style change. Being a teacher suited her, or her new persona, at least.

“As well as can be expected”, the older woman smiled, “some are getting antsy. And not necessarily the younger ones.”

“They’ll have to be patient.”

Judy’s arms crossed over her chest. She was aching to fly away herself. Smith knew it, she was sure. She may not like it, but the woman was a part of her crew and was higher than she was comfortable with. Not so long ago, she’d seen Will actually talk his theories over with her.

“They have been”, Smith walked closer, voice dropping, “it’s been months. Not everyone wants to make a home on this planet.”

“No one wants that”, she snapped back, “the plan is the same. But until the Jupiter is fixed we have no choice but to settle.”

Each of them stood still, unwavering. There was only a table between them yet it felt like the sea. 

“How is Will doing with that?”, that kind impersonation of a person came back. Judy’s skin prickled. 

“Fine.”

“And your sister?”

She didn’t have time for this. 

“What do you want?”

Sighing, Smith traced the outline of the table with her fingertips, hand dragging as she stepped closer and closer until they were one careless move from touching. 

“Judy”, the smile changed, now an approximation of what her mom would have given her before the best piece of advice she’d ever hear. Judy wanted to smack it off. “I am all for teenage rebellion, God knows I lived it. I also want to get out of here, and whether we like it or not, which I don’t, you Robinsons are our golden ticket.”

“What’s your point?”

“I’m not the only one who can see Penny glaring at you every day. I’m also not the only one who knows you barely leave this room. And you know Will scares the hell out of a good batch.”

Fire grew in her belly, eyes narrowed. 

“That’s not…”

“It’s stupid, I know. Out of all of us, your brother is probably the most harmless person here. At least for now.” She didn’t like this. Didn’t like Smith talking about her brother, didn’t like that Will spent time with her. Hated that she had no way of knowing if what Smith was saying was true. At least one thing was. Judy lived in the cockpit. If Smith asked, she wouldn’t be able to tell her where Will even was. Let alone Penny. 

“Your family is falling apart. I know it. You know it. Soon enough, everyone out there will know it. And nobody follows a leader who can’t even get their own siblings to back them.”

Judy raised her head, chin out. She crossed that thine line and her crossed arms bumped against Smith’s chest. No matter how deep her toxic seeds had been planted, Judy wouldn’t show it. 

“Are you done?”

Smith stepped back, face falling. She hadn’t won this round and she knew it. Judy was glad. Smith held no real power here and she would be glad to remind her every day if that was what it took for her to back off. 

“For now”, the woman walked away, not giving her a second glance as she called “think about it” over her shoulder.

That was the problem. Judy was thinking about it.

Chapter Text

John was moments away from hitting a wall. Don wouldn’t appreciate it, having closed all the holes in the metal plating only a week before. Their Jupiter was mostly unharmed, if a bit sooty. It could fly, that wasn’t what worried him. It was the others. Everyone. 

Once they were clear of the Resolute debris, Don had taken advantage of the mayhem to get them out of the battle zone. So far, the robots hadn’t found them. But they would if they didn’t move. Some Jupiters had already fallen. The Jupiter 14 carrying the Dahrs and a few others had followed them, landing not far and reuniting slowly over the first few weeks. With Don and Maureen’s skills, they had been able to connect their radios to other survivors. 

A few ships were too far away, too within the robot’s radium, for them to communicate. 

John knew the second those groups fell, SAR would go for them next. Playing sitting ducks in this rainforest wasn’t going to help them. 

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, John.”

Victor seemed as close to his breaking point as he felt. It had been mildly easier when they could still count on Maureen to help. Before she gave up and chose to sit down and die. He understood her pain, of course he did. His children were gone too, as were everyone else’s. Difference was, he was a soldier. He knew now wasn’t the time to fall apart; instead he held all the pain and loss close to his chest like fire ready to burst. Propelling him forward. No matter how hard, he wasn’t letting them go now. Not after everything they had already survived. 

“That you know what the hell we’re doing.”

“I don’t”, Victor shook his head, scoffing, “none of us do, John. Everything about this is unprecedented to us all.”

He put all the weight on his hands, eyes closing. John knew this, of course. Not even his time in the army could have prepared him for all this. As for all the civilians that made up their ragtag crews… they wouldn’t survive much longer if something didn’t change.

Dahr had no plans to get them out of here, and neither did he. 

“Captain Kamal?”

“Still MIA.”

“Damn.”

“Indeed.”

Both men stood, chests almost heaving. 

Had they survived the destruction of the Resolute to die unmarked in space? They both knew the children had had trouble closing the rift, they both made sure no one who hadn’t seen it heard about it. Panic and confusion were already in excess amongst their ranks. Any more and they might just die at each other’s throats. 

God, everything was a mess.

“What about West?”, Victor broke into his thoughts, “Surely he hasn’t run out of ideas.”

“He’s fixing the Jupiter. That meteor shower did us no favors.”

Just landing had taken its toll on the ship. But the shower? That had nearly destroyed them before they even had a fighting chance. Some nights he shuddered as he wondered what could possibly be next. The other night he’d had a nightmare of a giant slug wanting to eat them in a mud pool. 

Dahr hesitated, eyes fleeting as if checking for intruders even though no one but Don dared go into the cockpit when they were there. 

“And… Maureen?”

John’s heart dropped. Maureen. She had been a life-saver at first, everything they needed to last longer than a day. Things were different now. She hadn’t gotten out of bed in days, and all but growled when he walked into the room to check on her. Last time, about a week ago, Prisha had gone in and practically carried her into the showers. He’d needed to step out and bring up his dinner that night. His wife, who had always been the strongest, most resilient person he’d ever known, and she needed someone to help her eat and drink. 

Don was supposed to go in later, feed her at least a few bites before she dug herself back in her grave of comforters. 

“The same.”

“I see.”

He loved her, he did. He also knew they couldn’t count on her. As much as he may want to, John couldn’t help Maureen. He wouldn’t know how to begin. Prisha and Don were better at it. Their heads held themselves together when they went into that room. 

He would get them out of here, set the course to reunite with their children. That was how he could help Maureen. Help everyone. 

“Ok”, he rubbed at his tired eyes, “we can’t stay here, but we can’t just drift either, it would be just like holding a sign begging them to catch us.”

Victor nodded, arms crossing as he too went down to business. 

“What do you suggest?”

“If we’re going to reunite with the other survivors, we need to be close enough to find each other, but safe enough to last more than a week”, easier said than done if the groups within the radium were to be believed, “we need to hide our signals.”

Dahr all but jumped, shock and disbelief in his eyes. 

“That’s impossible. As long as the ship is in use there is no way to camouflage its technology.”

“But maybe there’s a way to drown it out.”

The other man circled around the computer’s map, nodding along, yet hesitant. For one painful second, it reminded him of Penny in the heat of chaos. Planning, determined, fearsome. John hoped she had nothing to fear now. 

“It would take an impressive amount of energy.”

A fair point. Impossible, if they were anyone else. If his son had made the impossible happen, then John would just have to take a page from his book.

Starting with that sun, outside the robot’s radium. 

“I have an idea.”

Now they would have to hope it worked. 

***

Scarecrow stood over a cliff, watching the humans work beneath him. The sun was falling, a slight chill descending over them all. His sensors spoke of the decrease in temperature, yet he had never felt cold before. Until Will Robinson. The connection was the strangest, most wonderful thing he’d ever known, and he was aware it was nowhere near as strong as the one the human had with Scarecrow’s family. He could understand the blind loyalty his kin had for Robinson if he’d spent over a year feeling things like cold and laughter. 

It went beyond breaking one’s programming, what Will had done for them. 

The boy who had started everything. Who would hopefully finish it. But he wasn’t ready, this he knew. All of these humans were still too busy worrying about a future far from reach, one none of them could have as long as The Controller and his army were still out there. If Scarecrow was right, Will Robinson wasn’t the only one who should be afraid.

No. Will Robinson was their chance, the best they could have ever dreamed of getting. 

He just hoped the boy didn’t take too long now. Every day spent in pointless exercises was a day wasted when they could be preparing themselves for what was to come. If only his family could understand that. If only he didn’t care to keep Will’s smile on his face more than he did to train him. 

Scarecrow could feel him coming closer. Most days, his kin spent his time with Robinson only to join him at night. It worked well, all things considered. 

Except for when they disagreed, which when it came down to their boy, was almost always. 

“Scarecrow”, his family greeted. 

Scarecrow hummed, not bothering to turn back. The sun was gone now, and the cold breeze was in full swing. None of the children were working anymore, all of them gathered around different fires outside the human ship. 

“Will Robinson?”, he asked. 

“Carter Reyes.”

“Who?”

He could feel something unknown to him coming from the other, yet constant whenever they spoke. It was warm, light. A softness, almost like succeeding in a task you’d been preparing for restlessly. Or the laughter of a boy who had doubled in size in such a short amount of time. 

“Will Robinson’s human.”

Ah. Of course. That same warmth came from himself next, and Scarecrow allowed his processors to record it, add it unto the file he had been building on this new sensations facilitated by human-mechanic connection.

“Happiness”, Robot -as he insisted on calling himself- informed him.

He nodded, happiness. What a strange thing. The sun didn’t come close to it in its brightness.  

“Will Robinson, safe”, he confirmed regardless. They both trusted that human Robinson had been spending so much time with. They could sense the same determination from him, after all, as they one they themselves held in their core. A mission, to protect and care. Once, for the legacy of a mechanic with empty promises. Now, for the legacy of a child with too large a future for such a small being. 

“For now.”

That wasn’t enough. They both knew it.

“The Controller will never stop looking for him.”

Scarecrow thought that, were he human, Robot would have expelled a puff of air, with the way his frame dropped.

“He hasn’t.”

So he had felt it too. Good. Both of them would be needed, if Will Robinson was to be ready for this fight.

“My shields are strong. As are yours. Otherwise, he would have found us all by now.”

Outside himself, Scarecrow’s consciousness stretched, a thick layer protecting them all, hiding them in this planet and anywhere else they wished to go, so long as they stayed together. The Controller’s sensors were powerful, there was no doubt he had picked up on Will Robinson’s signature already and could identify it in an instant. Would find them, if they were careless for just one second too long. 

“Will Robinson needs to make his own.”

He agreed. 

“You think he could?”

Now, Scarecrow turned to see his kin. He had faith in the boy, in what he would do. He also knew Robot was more familiar with their charge and what they could hope for.

“He has gotten stronger. The connection is deeper now.” As all three of them were aware. “I believe there is much he can do we haven’t seen.”

“Agreed”

Sometimes, it felt like Will Robinson was one of them. Not their charge, or a friend. A fellow mechanic, made of flesh and blood. One with a heart, a well of untapped power even he could feel from the top of this cliff. One he had felt from inside a box, once hopeless. The things he might be able to do, with the right training… he could only imagine. 

“Scarecrow”, his family broke in, stepping to his side, chest puffed out, “my boy is not a soldier.”

No, he wasn’t. That was exactly the problem. 

“He will be, if he is to survive”

“Family…”

“As your family, and his by extension, I am trying to make you see the only way to keep him safe is to teach him what it will take to survive The Controller when it comes down to it.”

Silence.

They had spent months dancing around this conversation. Alas, he’d said what was needed. No matter Robot’s hopes, foolish ones like the ones those small humans were so consumed by, there was only one way this would end. And when the time came, the battle wouldn’t be theirs to fight. The stars spoke of it themselves. 

“I can protect him myself, I always have”, his kin resisted. 

That was alright, Scarecrow had no doubt he would see reason. They both wanted the same, after all. To Protect Will Robinson. 

“Things change. I am certain this new age hasn’t even started, yet.”

It was as much of an admission as he would get tonight when the other mechanic said nothing. Together, they looked down at the fire, where their human sat listening to another’s song. Let him, he thought. There would be no time for warm nights by the fire later. 

This was the calm before the storm. It was bound to end, eventually.

***

Steam hit him right in the eye.

“Damn it!”

Don dropped the key, echoes of the clattering metal traveling up the vents and into the rest of the ship. He sighed, dropping on his backside as he slid down the wall. Beside him, Debby watched him with blinking eyes, her little feet carrying her forward only for her beak to start attacking the sole of his boot.

“Hey, no!”, he gently nudged her aside, “where’s your manners?”

Debby, of course said nothing, those black pools free of all thought merely observing him as he pressed his knees to his chest. God, what a mess. Fixing the Jupiter was hard enough, what with the messed up engines, drying fuel and holed up paneling. Even if it wasn’t, his excellent memory took care reminding him this was the lowest point of his life. And he’d had low points. Really low.

Still, being an orphan kicked out of school to be lectured and smacked by Sister Agnes couldn’t really measure up to being lost in the middle of nowhere, hoping a bunch of alien robots wouldn’t kill him. Or losing the kids. Or her. 

Don scoffed, picking Debby up, petting her soft feathers as he breathed in her scent. It wasn’t a particularly good one, it sure as hell wasn’t sweet. But it was his chicken-daughter, home and family and the few good things he had left. He never would have imagined he’d end up here, surrounded by heroes, one brave heart after another, raising a bird. Missing a robot twice his size. Missing children, of all things. 

Smith had been right, that day they reunited with the other survivors. The Robinsons were his family, or as close to one as he had. Closest than his brother had ever come, for sure. He would have done anything for those kids, who were good and brave and so much better people than him. He still would. Otherwise, he would just have walked outside, find a body of water and let fate do the rest. Don’s life had always been about him and him alone; he’d assumed his death would be the same.

That was before the 24th Colonist Group. 

And Judy… before Judy. 

Judy who smiled at him as if everything that came out of his mouth was precious instead of stupid. Who laughed at his jokes and listened to his songs. Who trusted him, with her family and her life, the greatest honor he had ever been given. Judy, who was gone without warning and without a goodbye and who possesed a place in his heart that could cost him everything. Who he might never see again. 

Don wiped the oil and sweat off his forehead, probably just staining his skin for his best efforts. 

“How did we end up here, huh?”

His chicken-daughter laid her head on the crook of his elbow. Jesus, even Debbie was depressed lately. 

“Yeah, me too.”

He tried so hard to do better, especially around Maureen. He had to help her with dinner later, after he showered. But here, in the dark where it was just him and his ship, he could let the mask drop. Everything was a mess, he didn’t know what to do, this people that had just started to feel like home were twice as messed up as he was or straight up missing… 

Long live Don West. 

His head thunked against the metal.

***

Smith’s words circled her mind as night fell. Judy hadn’t been able to go out during the day, plans with Vijay and progress reports taking all of her time, as well as the recordings she made for her parents for them to listen to once they reunited. It would be easier than sitting down for days catching them up in everything that had happened. 

It kept her sane, too. 

And then there were the kids; Samantha had come to her earlier, telling her all of the kids had been having awful nightmares for days. She hadn’t been surprised at first, everyone was stressed. It was what she’d said later that worried her; every single night, every single kid, had nightmares of lighting and screaming, only to wake up shaking. She’d sent Penny to check on everyone and ask them about it a few hours ago, though she hadn’t received any reports from her sister. Another reason to check on them herself. 

Taking in a deep breath, Judy walked out of the cockpit, past the hub Will and his team had taken over, past the hammocks and mattresses and onto the outside. Small bonfires spread all over the grounds, groups of kids sitting around them, sharing meals and stories. Some were even singing. Around the bonfire closest to the Jupiter sat Vijay, guitar in hand, serenading his group with a gentle smile on his face. She couldn’t help her own lips pulling upwards as she watched her crew, her people, enjoying themselves no matter how dark and difficult the last few months had been. 

Across Vijay sat Will, another boy pressed to his shoulder, whispering something with a cheeky grin, followed by a chuckle, soft and sweet, from her brother. She didn’t know that boy, but she knew she had seen him before, probably around the hub if he was this close to Will. And if what Smith said was true and her brother wasn’t close to most…

It didn’t matter. Judy knew what she cared about was the wellbeing of her family, and though she hated to admit it, Smith had a point. Preparing for the worst, she walked to the bonfire, catching Will’s eyes as she walked and smiling to herself when his face shone, wide gaze and breathtaking smile. God, she’d missed him. And it was warmth spreading across her chest that she had been missed, too. 

“Hey”, she whispered, sitting by his side, the other boy opposite of her moving back slightly and nodding in greeting, then turning to give them their space. 

She liked him already.

“Hi.”

Will’s cheeks were a light pink from up close, eyes twinkling. She had to swallow the urge to tease; usually she wouldn’t, but they hadn’t been able to just be brother and sister in a while. 

“Night off?”, Will took a bite of his rations. 

“Made it one”, she shrugged, “how have you been? We haven’t talked in a while.”

Will turned to her quickly, blue eyes searching for something in her own.

“You’ve been busy.”

“So have you.” Her brother looked back to Vijay, saying nothing. “So, anything interesting?”

“Not really”, his head shook before he took another bite, talking as he chewed, “we’re trying a new hypothesis to try and speed things up a little.”

So, no talking about his new friend. Understood, if mildly disappointing. It would be alright, though; they would talk again soon, she would make sure of it. 

“That’s good. And the robots?”

“Overprotective”, Will smiled, open and fond, “they’re ok. Happier, I think. Scarecrow doesn’t seem as on edge as he used to, and Robot’s happy to have him around.”

“I’m glad.”

The fire’s warmth licked her skin, a soft orange hue painting them all. Across from her, Vijay seamlessly changed from one song to another. Judy turned to her brother, who seemed lost in thought as he ate, his mouth moving rhythmically.

“What about Penny?”

Will jumped, head swinging to the side with his mouth half open. She tried really hard not to laugh. 

“I don’t know”, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “we haven’t really talked in a while.”

That was… odd. She knew Penny was mad at her, had been for months. But there was no reason to push their brother away, not when he was as innocent as all the other kids stuck on this planet. She pinched the bridge of her nose, grateful Will had gone back to looking at the fire. 

Judy turned her eyes to the stars, as if asking for patience. To the side, she saw the lights of the robots not so far away, standing on a cliff. At least they seemed happy. Maybe she should just go, check on the other bonfires and leave Will be, let him go back to talking with that boy. She was about to, in fact, when she spotted a familiar head of red hair. 

“Penny!”, she called out. 

Will looked at her as if she were insane. There was almost… alarm, in his shaking hands and the tense jaw. 

Judy frowned, not daring to ask and instead turning to her sister as she arrived, Liam staying behind to gather their rations. That was alright, they’d talked earlier, when he asked for the day off tomorrow so he and Penny could relax. She’d hesitated, but given her permission anyway. Maybe it would do her sister some good. 

Speaking of, Penny stopped right in front of them, blocking the fire’s light. 

“What? More orders”, she sneered. 

Judy jumped back, and didn’t miss the way Will tensed by her side. 

“I… no”, she stuttered, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “I thought you might want to have dinner with us, like old times.”

Penny scoffed, rolling her eyes. Everything about her was like poison, burning and lethal. Too much like those horrible years when dad left. 

“Yeah, well it isn’t old times, right?” It looked like her sister was aiming for a second blow, bitter and merciless. Last second, her mouth closed, eyes fleeting to Will then back to her, “I had plans already.”

Judy opened her own mouth to speak, actually considering apologizing just to keep the peace. 

“With Liam.”

Will didn’t let her. 

“With my friends.”

“But not us?”

Her younger siblings glared at each other, Penny’s fists curled. Back in the day, she always let them fight and figure things out on their own. Then again, they never shook with rage before. Judy stood, catching Penny’s attention just long enough for her to see just how badly Will was shaking, how his bottom lip trembled. How his eyes, previously bright and clear, now watered. 

“Will, don’t…”, Penny reached for him, stopping when he leant back, “I’m busy tonight ok? I can visit you later, maybe.”

She still didn’t sound too sure, though Judy hoped she meant it, at least a little. It was one thing to punish her for everything that had happened, another entirely to punish Will. 

“Sure.”

At her sister’s flinch, she stepped in again. 

“Well, maybe tomorrow we could…”

“I’m not around tomorrow.”

Penny’s voice hardened. Great. 

“No, I know, I meant later…”

“Listen, I don’t want to do this right now, ok?”, her sister got into her space, just like she had done to Smith earlier that day, “so unless you want to talk about the 97 assignments you keep giving me, I’m gonna go.”

Judy didn’t bother to stop her as she stalked away, ripping the rations out of Liam’s hands. When had everything gotten so messy? 

“What about the 97?”

Will stood now, right next to her. He shouldn’t have to worry about this, about anything. Maybe she couldn’t take the burden of science off his shoulders, but that didn’t mean she had to place this one on him too. 

“I, uh… nothing”, she shrugged, all false pliance. 

He didn’t say anything for a while, just leaned down to put his rations on some random kid’s hands, shoving his own into his pockets and nodding once, stiff. 

“Yes ma’am.”

Oh no… she hadn’t meant… damn it! “Will…”

“It’s fine, I’m just tired”, Will bumped his shoulder with hers, clearing his throat as if that could hide how badly his voice shook. With a salute, he walked away too. “Goodnight Captain.”

She sighed. That had gone… horribly. Maybe Smith was right. Maybe things were a lot worse than she thought. She’d never wanted to stop being a sister to become a Captain. She’d never wanted to be the reason for her sister’s rage or her brother’s tears. And she sure as hell had never wanted to be the person who felt so, so relieved to see someone else jumping in to take care of them. 

She watched as that strange boy smoothly stood, following where Will had gone. At least neither of her siblings would be alone after this fiasco. 

Figuring it was as good a time to check on the others as any, Judy stood, ignoring the way Vijay’s eyes followed her as she walked. Everything was too quiet, too cruel. She missed the days when, just when she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore, a stupid thing of a joke would find her and lift her spirits. Make her smile, when happiness felt impossible. 

Oh, she missed Don.

“Hey dad, mom. We’re ok. I haven’t really had the chance to talk with Will and Penny; it’s been busy. Will is still working on fixing the ship. You would be so proud of him, I know I am. He’s growing into his own kind of leader, and he’s determined. I just worry that he might be taking too much on. I wish I could take that away. Hopefully soon, once we’re on Alpha Centauri, he’ll have a chance to be a boy again. I…, hmmm, he reminds me so much of you, mom. So much. And Penny, she’s ok. I think she’s still a bit angry, but I don’t blame her. She’s always needed to feel things deeply, since she was little. And she’s not alone, Vijay looks after her, as do some others. I know things will get better. We’ll be ok, just like we always are. I miss you, we all do. Next time we see each other, we’re going to hug for a very long time, ok?... Alright, Judy out.”