Chapter Text
"They made it!"
Maureen wasn't sure she shared Don's relief.
Her kids - her babies - were gone, separated from her by something so much more insurmountable than flash-frozen lakes or glaciers or sheer stone walls.
"How're we gonna find them?"
She glanced at her husband, swallowing back her grief and panic. They didn’t have time for it, and she wouldn’t be able to think straight with her mind clouded like that.
Every problem has a solution.
"...We'll think of something..."
A pensive silence fell over the bridge, lingering for several long moments - until it was shattered by a worker’s scream, and in a heartbeat the entire Jupiter descended into chaos. John, ever the soldier, was the first one out of his seat and out the door, with Maureen and Don hot on his heels as they bolted for the hub.
The panicked clamoring of Ava's work crew was almost deafening; it was impossible to pick out anything specific, but one word managed to stand out to her - one that chilled Maureen's blood.
Robot.
"Hey! Hey!" John had to raise his voice to a shout to be heard over the din. "What the hell is all this about?"
It took a moment for the assembled technicians - some of whom were gripping large tools like weapons - to quiet down, turning their attention towards her husband. Then, Ava stepped forward. Her complexion was ashen and her eyes were wide, her hands trembling even as she clutched her crowbar tight, motioning towards one of the ship's bedrooms.
"I don't know how it got in," she choked out, swallowing hard; "but it's in there."
"What is?"
"One of those... robot things."
"...I thought we killed all of them when we wrecked the Resolute?"
"Yeah, well, apparently one got away and now it's in there."
But something about the situation struck Maureen as odd: the robots that had swarmed the Resolute had been aggressively hostile. They would have gladly killed anyone who had gotten in their way - they didn't seem inclined to hide, and no one here seemed to be hurt...
So what was going on?
Before she could question Ava herself, though, John had taken the crowbar from her and started for the bedroom. Feeling her stomach drop, Maureen started after him. "John. John, wait-"
And before she could reach out to stop him, he came to an abrupt halt on his own, his entire body visibly tensing. The sinking sensation she felt turned into a cold knot of fear - what did he see? - only a moment before she stepped up beside him.
And then, she stopped short, as well, feeling a sense of mutual recognition pass between the two of them and the machine that had backed itself as far into the dimly-lit room as it could.
Oh.