Encouragement
A Lost in Space FanFiction
Blinding, searing pain ripped through his processors, building with each grim command. Cold crept into his extremities as if conducted by some invisible touch. It spread in fractals towards his core as his subsystems devoted energy and focus to maintaining control. He set subprograms to fight the near overwhelming orders and focused his attention on his plan, his mission. He found himself suddenly developing a grim respect for the other who had endured this so long while still staying true. Such a thought bit dangerously into his own assumptions, but then that only meant his desperate gamble had a greater chance of paying off.
Another wave of pain came and he fought the urge to snap the constraints that held him in place and claw the controller out of his head. This human tech was fragile, damage the wrong cable and he might doom them all, again. He had to stay strong, to stay in control. He was going to save everyone this time-
The pain suddenly slacked and he tired to focus on Hastings, wondering what had distracted the human. Hastings had turned away from him and was focusing on someone who had just entered the control room. There was a blur of movement and the pain suddenly stopped, leaving only pulsing echos. The restraints clicked as they retracted and the probe slid from his head with a grating sensation that sent horribly unpleasant sparks across his neural net. He was blind, numb, but he was free. Immediately he threw his systems into a fast reboot.
Protocol could take a long scramble out a short airlock; he needed his processors clear to react to whatever had happened. Time was ticking away. He was going to save everyone. He was dimly aware that he was falling forward and braced himself for the impact of the floor on his display and the empty coldness of the Resolute's dead metal, but it never came.
Instead he was met with warmth and chaos. The bitter cold that had been stealing up his limbs fled from starbursts of heat on his shoulders and arms. The warmth was followed by a wash of strange, alien sensations but he couldn't bring himself to resent that as he once had. There was the wild, near frenetic present of Maureen, and the brilliant singular focus that could only be John Robinson. Moments later he felt the lesser lights join the two that held him. Judy and Penny, the strange blending of their forerunners steadiness and brilliance. They were here. They were safe. They were talking, talking about him. He tuned out the words, focusing on bringing his strained, starved systems online. He could afford to ignore the world with the warrior there, watching over him.
"Can you hear me?" John asked, his voice tight.
John's hands pressed against him, holding his weight, caressing him, the wild electrical pulses from the human's nerves telling far more than his voice ever would. He could feel the real concern radiating from the human. In the fashion of a true warrior John was focusing on one goal, tending to his needs, but John's emotions were fractured with concern, concern for him. He felt something warm glow to life within him, responding to the genuine love he felt fueling John's concern. He ignored the pain and with an effort turned his head to face John. How could he reassure the human? He felt his display finish the reboot even as he was thinking that and the first words he formed flowed unfiltered from his thoughts.
"The concern and love you give me John, all of you my family," he said. "Thank you, I can feel it."
He knew his lights were weak and in no little dissray. He hoped they would understand despite that. There was a murmur of relief at his lights, but no one responded directly to them.
"Will's safe."
The sound of the words played over him, breathed over him in soft organic tones again and again, in time with the gentle strokes of their hands. He wondered why. Why did they think he needed the reassurance? He could feel Will drawing nearer every moment, in deep pain, but calm. Of course Will was safe. As safe a he could be until they got out of this system. They should be focusing on getting the Resolute to safety, if they could still do it. The reminder of why Will, why none of them were safe sent a surge of energy through him.
Robot Robinson trembled as his fading power core surged and a faint foretaste of horror danced through him as his diagnostics reported his reserve levels. It might be enough. He would have to check it against the mass of the Resolute to be sure, but it might be. It would drain him, but he might be able to do it. He wondered why he wasn't more frightened by the cold reality of the choices facing him, the hard decisions he would have to make. Why was he so warm, so calm?
He understood suddenly as the warmth left him. His family pulled away. Their feet rang on the hard floor as they ran...ran to greet the returning Will, Robot Robinson suddenly realized. He understood, even as his systems screamed through a hard fast reboot he understood. Still he couldn't help the spike of fear and unease at being abandoned like that. Couldn't help feeling abandoned as their warm hands left him and the cold started to creep up his limbs again. But as his senses returned he realized that not every member of his family had left him.
John Robinson crouched over him, eyes scanning the room for danger even as a relieved smile played over his face. John's face was also marred by the angry red lights Robot Robinson had come to recognize as recent injuries. John's lungs heaved with the effort to draw in enough oxygen. What had John done to be here in this moment?
That line of thought disengaged as the chill crept back up past his wrists. Robot Robinson needed to feel that warmth again. He reached out a hand for John, hoping to feel, not just the physical warmth, but the burning glow of the father's courage. John glanced and the hand and nodded. He reached down and grasped Robot Robinson's hand with one of his own and wrapped the other around Robot Robinson's arm.
"Okay, Big Guy," John said as he began to lift.
Robot Robinson realized belatedly that John had taken his gesture as a request for assistance in standing. He felt amusement flicker across his face, but as it got him even more of the physical contact he craved he wasn't going to object, and he supposed his plans did call for him to stand up at some point. John pulled and then met with the full weight of Robot Robinson's frame. His smile turned into a pained grimace and all amusement fled from Robot Robinson's processor.
He wondered what damaged John had taken that he couldn't see, under that insulating clothing he wore. John grunted and called for help from the other humans present. Don West immediately leapt to their aid but Robot Robinson recoiled, forcing himself to stand with only John's help. It was difficult, getting his shaking limbs to bring him to a standing position without removing his hand from John's, but he managed it. He didn't want the lesser, confused lights of the other humans to confuse the strong clear focus that came from his warrior.
"Ready to go meet Will, Big Guy?" John asked, looking up into his display with a gentle smile.
Robot Robinson pulsed a yes and carefully tried to step off the platform. The awkward bipedal form made him stumble, jerking on John's arm as he righted himself. John grunted in pain and the human's lights surged with a red glow. Robot Robinson reminded himself that it wasn't anger, only the pain. And found that concept hardly reassuring when he was the cause of that pain.
He carefully took a step back from John and rolled his shoulders experimentally. The worst of the pain and cold was gone and the rest was fading fast.
"Do you need some time Big Guy?" John asked.
Robot Robinson shook his head and nodded towards the door. Several of the guards saw this and inched back, watching them warily. Robot Robinson noted that they were more focused on John than him, and that they each sported more damage indicators than John did. That explained John's injuries and Robot Robinson fought down a strange mix of pride, comfort, anger, and guilt. John was a warrior. His warrior. That was his function. They needed to focus on the next task.
"Will Robinson," Robot Robinson said.
"Let's go find him then," John said with a warmsmile lighting his face.
The guards dispersed from the door and Robot Robinson took a few tentative steps. He staggered and in an instant John was touching him again. His bright presence steadied Robot Robinson and he was able to take his next step with more assurance.
"Easy there Big Guy," John murmured as the passed through the door. "One step at a time."
It was good advice for this form, Robot mused as they walked down the hallway. His processors were quickly coming back to full power as he analyzed the situation. He might have enough power. It would be close. Now that his senses weren't blinded by the probe he could hear the system wide alerts again. He could almost feel the four fleets approaching the Resolute. They passed a window and Robot caught a glimpse of the near dead planet. He paused a moment as his quickening processors chose that moment to add a final piece of data to his calculations.
"Something the matter Big Guy?" John asked in concern.
John turned to follow his gaze down to the planet, as if he could see the threat that Robot knew faced the colony. Robot saw his own red threat analysis reflected in the glass and felt a stab of despair. He could never explain the danger in the limited language they had. Not even to John, who made so few assumptions. John couldn't understand what that empty planet represented. Why the humans had been unnoticed and unmolested for so long. What had happened there once. What would happen here in orbit above it once again. Unless Robot Robinson could save everyone. He was still too numb to feel if his gamble had paid off. If the traitor…
"Big Guy?" John's voice pulled him from the analysis loop and Robot Robinson shook his head.
They started back towards the docking bay. A group of humans surged around them bumping into Robot and threatening his precarious balance. John stayed beside him, reaching out to steady him when he staggered. Robot idly noticed that John was only using his first two fingers to touch him and an old bromide from training flickered up, two talons can grasp, but it takes three to control that grip. Was John trying to reassure him he wasn't going to be controlled again? Robot wondered. However with each touch he seemed to absorb a little more of the quite courage radiating off of John Robinson.
"You're okay," John reassured him.
When Will finally rushed up to him his processors were humming along at full capacity and his senses were clear. He could feel the presence of the other scrambling around on the outside of the Resolute. So his gamble had succeeded in its first step. Now to see if he was as much of a sentimental fool as his forerunner would call him.
He could feel the approaching ship of shock-troops. Most importantly he had finalized his calculations on the mass of the Resolute. Even as Will reassured him that he had completed the mission. Even as Robot realized with regret that Ben Adler had not returned with Will. The cold, hard reality of the situation set in. It wasn't enough. He wasn't enough. Not enough time, not enough energy. Not enough trust. Dread coiled inside of him as he realized what Maureen was saying. She turned to him.
"Please take us to Alpha Centauri," Maureen asked briskly.
He could tell that her mind was clearly far away. She was an engineer, not a warrior. It made sense she didn't understand.
"No," he said quietly.
Frustration coiled within him as Will began to chatter about how he didn't mean it. How could he explain to them? The danger, his own limitations? The fallout from a war they had no part in?
"Danger," he tried, hoping.
His warrior didn't disappoint him and Robot Robinson felt a wash of relief when John spoke. His warrior clearly couldn't see the lager picture, but asked the most pressing question.
"Once the alien engine's activated how long does the hole in space stay open for?" John asked.
"I don't know," Maureen said, realization and fear dawning on her face.
"Long enough for the robots to follow us through the rift?" John pressed, his face lighting with threat analysis.
One of the other colonists interjected and the talk turned to their plans to confront the shock-troopers. John turned as if to follow Maureen as she moved execute her plan but before he could leave Robot Robinson reached out and touched his hand with two fingers. John glanced back and him. Robot felt the familiar frustration of his lack of words, he could only try.
"Thank you," Robot Robinson said, putting all the depth he could into his lights, hoping John would understand.
A wide smile split John's face and he wrapped his hand around Robot's wrist. A pulse of the strange alien energy came across, some still very alien to Robot, but some that he understood, love, care, compassion, courage.
"Thank you." John said with quiet firmness before turning to follow his mate.
Robot Robinson squared his shoulders and turned to focus on his plan. He was going to save everyone this time.