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The Artemis II crew is hanging out at Christina's house when the tornado sirens go off. Sadie whines anxiously, scampering around the kitchen as the crew looks to Christina for instructions. Bobby isn't here, it's just the four of them.
"I don't have a basement…" she says, petting Sadie soothingly when she eventually plants herself between Christina's legs, "But the downstairs bathroom doesn't have windows."
"Probably a stupid question… but what do the sirens mean?" Jeremy asks, following the rest of the crew as they move towards the hall bathroom.
"Awww, is this baby's first tornado?" Christina coos playfully.
"Um… this is like a real one? I've gotten the watches on my phone before, but-" he stammers.
"If the sirens are going off, it means one has touched down in the area." Reid explains as Christina ducks over to the couch, grabbing a few pillows to make the tiny bathroom somewhat comfortable while they wait.
Sadie stays close to Christina, immediately climbing into her lap when she sits down on the bathroom floor, tossing her a pile of cushions in front of her. Reid shuts the door, and they all pack into the small room like sardines.
"How is this less spacious than the Orion capsule? I didn't know that was possible…" Victor jokes.
Christina and Reid laugh at his joke, but Sadie— and Jeremy— remain anxious. Christina picks up on it first. "We're okay, bud… it'll pass. We're safe here-" A lightning strike somewhere nearby hits the ground so hard it shakes the foundation of the house. "I think…" she laughs.
Sadie barks at the loud noise, and Jeremy shrinks into his corner of the bathroom, staring at the floor. "She's just kidding. We're gonna be fine. We used to get tornado warnings all the time in Maryland." Reid says, resting a hand on Jeremy's knee.
"This isn't Maryland, Reid! It's Texas! We're in tornado alley…" Jeremy replies. It is becoming increasingly clear that he's freaking out.
"We're actually not. Technically-" Victor starts to say, but Jeremy shakes his head.
"It's close enough!" He pulls his legs up to his chest and covers his face to hide the tears.
"Hey, Jeremy…we're gonna be okay. I know you're not used to this, but American infrastructure is built to withstand this. And we're in the safest place possible; that's what the sirens are here for.." Christina says assuredly.
"Your house is like a million years old!" Jeremy snaps back tearfully.
She gasps, fake-offended. "Don't say that! She's very sensitive!"
Jeremy doesn't find it funny.
"Okay… just breathe, Jeremy… we're gonna be okay." Victor says gently, rubbing his back. Jeremy responds with a few choked back sobs.
Another intense round of thunder booms, and Jeremy and Sadie whine at the same time. "It's okay…" Christina tells them both, stroking Sadie's head.
"I'm sorry… I just… I'm not used to this…" Jeremy says, trying to regain composure.
"It's alright. Storms like these are scary if you don't grow up experiencing them regularly." Reid shifts closer to Jeremy so that their shoulders are touching in what he hopes is a grounding gesture.
"But we're gonna be okay? This is normal?" Jeremy seeks further reassurance. "Yes," all three of them reply at the same time. Jeremy nods, taking a shaky breath.
A few minutes later, another clap of lightning and thunder echoes and the bathroom lights flicker.
"Are you sure this is normal?" Jeremy asks, his voice cracking as he leans further into Reid.
"Yep," Christina confirms without hesitation.
Thankfully, the power doesn't go out, and after a while, Christina's phone lets her know that it's safe to leave the bathroom. When they look through the kitchen windows, it's completely sunny out: the only evidence of the storm is that everything in the yard is soaked with rainwater, and a branches have fallen onto the grass.
And Jeremy survived his first big storm! His crew definitely made him feel better about American weather.