Penny and I sit inside the med bay of the Jupiter we are staying in with blankets wrapped around us. John lays on the bed while Judy fixes him up.
"How's that feel?" Judy asks as she treats the wound on John's side with some kind of machine.
"Uh, it tingles." John says.
"Good. It means the fibroblasts are active." Says Judy.
"Gross." Penny says.
"No, it's good. It means it's working." Says Judy.
"Still gross." Penny mumbles.
Judy puts the machine down and helps John sit up.
"It's good to be back together again, huh?" John says weakly.
"Yeah." Penny smiles and hugs her father along with Judy.
"Glad you're safe, kiddo." John says to Penny.
"You too, Dad." Penny says.
John groans.
"Oh, this hug must really hurt, huh?" Penny says and Judy and I laugh.
"Yeah. It hurts." John says, his voiced strained. The girls let go. "So, I saw Dr. Smith being treated earlier. Which is strange because she wasn't being arrested."
"Yeah, I think she's turning over a new leaf." Penny says.
"Well, she can turn over as many new leafs as she wants, the tree is still rotten." Judy says as she throws some stuff away.
"She saved Mr. Jackson's life like a real doctor. Aunt Y/n was even there to see it." Penny says and John looks at me.
I nod. "She did do that. But she hasn't served any time for her crimes, so she should still be in jail."
"Well, we got bigger problems than Dr. Smith." John says as he puts his flannel on and stands up.
"Uh, hey! Where are you going?" Judy turns and asks.
John sighs. "I was sent down to that planet to do a job, and that job's not done." He leaves the med bay.
...
I decided to visit Don. As I approach I see a crumpled paper being thrown out the door. I pick it up and read it.
"It's a... a lot of customers you still owe." I say.
"Former customers, now it's just people I have to hide from." Don says.
"Hm... even though you saved my niece and I?" I ask.
Don sighs. "Former customers don't really care about that."
"You know, Judy told me once we get to Alpha Centauri, everyone will hear about your heroism and all will be forgiven. I say that they'll take it into consideration and maybe your sentence will be reduced." I say.
"Yeah. Maybe. If we get there." Don looks down.
"Well, Maureen and Will are coming back with the robot, so we're gonna get there."
"You know, you might want to share some of that optimism with your brother."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the whole thing on the bridge. What they heard, and-" He sees the confusion in my features. "He didn't tell you that?"
"Tell me what?"
"Oh... you know, it might be a brother-sister type conversation."
"Don."
"Honestly, I don't know what it is, but it concern John enough to go to Smith for help."
"Smith?!"
"Clearly he didn't tell you that either."
"Smith?" I whisper to myself
"Saying her name three times is not gonna make her disappear."
"What could he possibly need from someone like Smith?"
"Okay. Look, you didn't hear it from me, but I know where they're going."
...
I told Judy about what John is doing and she dragged Penny into it.
We walk down the hallway to where Don told me they were at.
"I take back what I said about you being an amazing doctor." Penny says to Judy as she tries to keep up with us.
"The fact that you can't keep up has nothing to do with hypothermia. Even Auntie Y/n is walking faster than I am." Judy says.
"I just think that Dad can handle this, I don't know why you're dragging me into it."
"Maybe because you and Smith have a special connection, and if push comes to shove then we're gonna need your help."
"Okay, firstly, you are way better at pushing and shoving than I am, and I do not have a special connection with Smith."
"Well, Dr. Smith never does anything without an ulterior motive."
...
We hear John yelling and when we turn the corner, we see him getting taken away by soldiers and Smith standing in the hallway.
"Dad?" Penny calls.
"Girls, it's okay, it's just a misunderstanding." John says. "Go back to the Jupiter. Your mom will be back soon."
"What's going on?" I ask.
"It's a misunderstanding." John says and they round the corner.
...
We end up in the Jupiter we are staying in with a dozen guards surrounding us. A man gives John a talk about what he can and can't do with his new ankle bracelet.
"Any attempt to leave this Jupiter will activate the electromagnet and result in an electric shock. Any attempt to tamper with the proximity sensor will result in an electric shock. Any attempt to remove the ankle device will result in-"
"In an electric shock. Yeah, I get it." John says. "Thanks."
The guards leave John, Penny, Judy, and I alone and John walks to the hub. We follow.
"Why her?" I ask.
"I needed her help." John answers.
"No! You're supposed to come to us if you need help, not her. She's conniving and manipulative." Judy says.
"Let me explain." John says.
We enter the hub where we see Smith laying on one of the couches.
"Are you really gonna let her talk about me like that?" Smith asks.
"Really?" Judy says. "You're just gonna dot there and act like you've done nothing?"
"Relax." Smith stands up. "I was invited."
"Jude. It's okay." John says.
"No. What do you mean, it's okay?" Judy asks.
"It was a set up." I realize.
Smith nods. "Personally, I thought your father's performance was a bit much," John nods. "But I can't argue with the results. Hastings trusts me. I'm in."
"So, it was all a set up?" Judy asks as Smith walks around the room.
"It was the only way I could find out what was really going on." John answers. "So..." John walks to the table. "What is really going on?"
"Hastings asked me to serve as the ship's therapist in an official capacity for the next few days to keep everyone calm." Smith says.
"If they're trying to keep the danger secret, why are they so concerned about a reaction?" Asks John.
"That's a bit of a good news-bad news situation." Smith replies.
"Why can it never just be a good news-good news situation?" Penny asks.
"As soon as Maureen and Will get back... the Resolute will be ready to leave for Alpha Centauri." Smith says. "So the good news is your family will be safe."
"Okay." John mumbles. "What's the bad news?"
"We'll be leaving with only those currently on board." Smith answers grimly.
"Currently?" I ask.
"There's only enough water to support the transport of a limited number of passengers." Says Smith.
"But there are hundreds of people down there on that planet." I say as I step forward. "Friends, family, children, what about them?"
"The decision's been made to leave them behind." Smith says. "We're abandoning them." Smith walks away with a sad look on her face and we all look at each other grimly.
...
Maureen comes into the Jupiter and talks with John while the kids and I sit at the couches and the table.
John and Maureen walk over to the table and John tells everyone what's going on.
"My dad is still down there. Everyone is still down there." Says Vijay.
"Hastings just lied right to my face." Maureen says.
"How can they expect us to just abandon our families?" Naoko asks.
"No one will be left behind." Says John.
"The Resolute's leaving as soon as that engine is in place." I say.
"And even if we can get everyone back on the ship, we don't have enough oxygen to support them." Judy says.
"The water we brought up from the planet is contaminated." Says John. "If we run it through the OGS Systems to make breathable air, it'll rot out the pipes. The Resolute will literally dissolve from the inside out."
"Speaking from personal experience, that would not be awesome." Says Penny.
"I agree." I nod.
"There must be some way to decontaminate the water." Says Maureen.
"There is, but it would take a year to collect the amount of ammonia gas we need to do it." Angela speaks.
"And there's no way Hastings and his team are gonna wait around for that." Says John.
"I need to collect my thoughts." Says Maureen. She stands and leaves.
...
Maureen points out a planet and Izabel looks at her notes and guess what. The planet is forty-eight percent ammonium. The exact thing we need to decontaminate the water we brought up from the Amber Planet, the planet that the rest of the colonists are on.
"This idea is crazy." John says.
"Never stopped us before." Says Maureen.
"Really wish it would." Says Penny.
"Look, we have to try." Says Maureen. "We have to explain to them that there is a way."
"Even if you're right about the planet out there, Hastings and Kamal will never put the Resolute at that kind of risk." I say.
"Well then let's not ask for permission." Says Judy.
"That's mutiny." I tell them.
"Is it?" Maureen asks.
"Yeah. Taking a ship somewhere the Captain doesn't want it to go? That's mutiny." I say.
Everyone stays quiet.
"There will be consequences." Says John.
"Any worse for the people being left behind?" Says Judy.
"First thing we need is a plan." Says John.
"I agree." Says Smith out of nowhere. "Totally." She takes a sip of her tea.
*1644 words.