CHAPTER ONE
The Jupiter Two had been adrift in space for two and a half weeks before their craft was tugged by the gravity of this small planet. The provisions had been running low for a while and their fuel was about gone as John Robinson and Major West realized they had to go searching for a new reserve of neutronium. The fifth planet of the star Danu was rather a bit like Earth with forested continents and flora and foliage not unlike that of the Pacific Northwest of their home world. They had pitched their camp in the vicinity of a freshwater stream and had scoped out the planet for life for a few days before testing for drill sites.
"John," West strained a bit as he helped lift the equipment to start drilling. "When do you think we should have the deflectors up? Just because we found no life on this planet doesn't mean it's not here."
"They are up." John held a screwdriver in his teeth as he checked a connection in the equipment they lugged from planet to planet. "I had Smith and Will set those up the other day."
"I don't think so." West looked disgusted as he looked back. "I saw them stashed in some weeds when I was exploring the ruins in those caves. I think he dumped them off again."
"In the weeds..." John rolled his eyes and stood up straight. "I'll yell at him later. I'm too tired now." A cool breeze wafted through them as they tried to get the drill lined up. This planet was better than all the rest.
It really had purple mountains in the distance and an orange cloudy sky lit up by an obscured sun. The atmosphere was almost Mediterranean as if they were back on Earth. They heard the rock path being disturbed as John's daughter, Penny, appeared against the sun and looked down on them. On her hand, her long-eared primate, Debbie, tagged along for company.
"Father," Her voice was serene. "Mother wants to know if you'll be back for dinner or should I bring you something."
"We'll be there for dinner, princess." Father answered to daughter. "We may be late, but we'll be there."
"Oh," Penny started to turn back. "Can Debbie and I explore the caves yet?"
"I wouldn't." Don looked up as the breeze vanished as the clouds parted to let the sun shine in again. "Some of those chambers don't look safe."
"You heard that." John looked up. "Stay out of the caves."
"Okay," Penny turned back for the long trek back to the clearing. It was supposed to be half a mile, but the twisting turning around rising bluffs and between high crevasses made it felt like ten miles. She started to lift up Debbie for the narrow pass between two high formations as the alien monkey caught a glance at something and ran off through several weeds growing off the path.
"Debbie, no." She watched her drop down unto a dry creek and up an embankment to a dark hole in the sunlight. "Not the caves! You're just going to get me in a lot of trouble." She looked back the way she had come to her father setting up the drill site. She could barely make her out and it was likely they could not see her. Maybe she could just duck in, grab Penny and be out in a few minutes.
"Debbie." She hopped the wide creek and felt the loose rocks slide under her feet. Cold air was blowing out of the cave as other holes in the rock shone enough light to see by. The low gullet of the cave dropped toward the direction of an underwater lake where floodwaters must have poured through in the rainy weather, but in a higher ascending way, she saw Debbie's eyes glowing in the dark.
"You are going to get me in much trouble." She tramped up the ascent as Debbie climbed up on top of a formation carved out of the rock. From here, the cave had been carved into straight lines and perfect rooms. A city hidden in darkness existed supported by tall columns and made out of perfect rooms. It was almost like the ancient Anasazi ruins of Earth only completely surrounded, covered and entombed by the rocky cavern. Debbie climbed up through a door-like hole into another room.
"Debbie?" Penny lifted her way up to peek in. The mischievous primate had found and knocked over a container of dried fruits. They didn't look very appetizing for humans, but it was enough for the long-eared primate.
"Debbie, come here." Penny pulled herself up and tried to stand. As she did, she braced herself on a wall to keep from falling forward, but as she did, the wall seemed to move from her presence and she stumbled anyway. She put her hands up to stop the impact. Her hands hit another panel out of something other than stone. It felt like metal as several small lights lit up above her. She turned round to back up as a glass shield separated her from her pet monkey.
"Debbie!!" She knocked and struck against it. "Get me out of here! Go get someone!! Help me!!!"
Debbie continued eating the dried fruit as a few more lights lit up in the room. Blank screens began scanning Penny as her glass prison began filling with mist. Her voice screamed and echoed through the cave.
CHAPTER TWO
A wily scoundrel sitting by the bank of a shallow river at night was not the sort of picture Will Robinson yearned to find. Now pushing eighteen years old, he was starting to side a bit more with Don and his father about what to do with Doctor Smith. He glanced at the crafty devil as his eyes panned from his boot and the string tied from it and leading into the water.
"Doctor Smith," Will stood over him. "Father said the fish in the river are as tough as nails. Mostly shells and little meat."
"THAT'S WHAT I TRIED TELLING HIM." The robot slid his head to acknowledge its best friend.
"Hush those lying larcenous lips of unwanted drivel." Smith opened one eye. "Will, my boy, don't you see. That can't be the only fish in a pond that large. There must be other more delectable morsels to catch."
"MY SENSORS INDICATE THAT YOUR BAIT WAS EATEN BY THE ONLY TYPE OF FISH IN THAT POND." The robot revealed. "AND MAY I REMIND YOU THAT ROBOTS DO NOT HAVE LIPS."
"Did I ask your opinion you clanking collage of cantankerous canisters?" The doctor smiled as his line became taut. "As I said, fish for a wonderful bouillabaisse..."
Will looked to where the line was dipping and saw two mean eyes poking out of the water. The good doctor dropped his jaw at the horrible face as he felt his legs jerked out from under him as his posterior and then his abdomen was dragged down to the river's edge. Screaming his head off, Will grabbed his hand and cut the line dragging his crafty mentor into the water.
"YOU WOULDN'T HAVE LIKED HIM ANYWAY." The robot looked to the lake. "HE'S OLD AND TOUGH LIKE AN OLD SHOE."
"Who asked you?" Smith stood dusting himself off.
"I GUESS THIS MAKES YOU THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY?" The robot burst into a cybernetic laughter. Will hid his grin as his former mentor narrowed his eyes and marched the few yards to camp. The robot detected something worth scanning as Don emerged over the rocks in the river followed by John Robinson himself.
"Any luck on the neutronium, father?" He asked.
"A little bit." Don answered for Will's father. "We found an splinter underground, but not enough to make enough fuel, but it's hopeful. It does mean there's neutronium on the planet."
"John!" Maureen Robinson sighted her husband and ran down the ramp past her daughter Judy to meet her husband. They hugged and kissed as he coughed the last of the dust out of his lungs before sitting down.
"I kept your dinner warm." Maureen added.
"Thanks."
"Yours too, Don." Judy felt a bit more entranced by him since their last encounters on Veros-Four. She turned her head looking around.
"Where's Penny?" Maureen asked the question.
"She should be here." John drank his water before eating. "She left us hours ago."
"No," Will looked at his father. "Her Bloop returned, but she wasn't with it."
"Oh dear," Smith immediately feared the worst. "I hope she hasn't met up with some wild beast."
"It wouldn't be the wild beast that dumped the deflectors in the weeds?" Don looked at Smith.
"Not now, Don." John gasped and looked around. "You stay and rest. Will, come help me look for your sister." He handed his plate to his wife. "Keep it warm?" They started to turn for the Robot.
"WARNING! WARNING!" The Robot's proximity lights began flashing. "UNIDENTIFIED LIFE FORM APPROACHING.........."
"Who is it?" Judy looked up as a figure staggered from the river's edge. It stumbled tiredly and turned to the lights of camp as it lifted its hand to shield its eyes against the bright lights.
"Penny!" Maureen ran forward to embrace her.
"Unknown, huh?" Don glanced at the Robot. "Maybe your sensors need fine-tuning."
"I AM OVERDUE FOR MY FIVE HUNDRED MILE DIAGNOSTIC." The robot looked back at him.
"Penny," Father hugged daughter. "You nearly scared us to death. Where were you?"
"I got stuck in a cave." Penny dusted sliver sand out of her clothing. "I know I wasn't supposed to go in, but Debbie wandered in, and I just wanted to get her out, but I got trapped in an alien machine."
"A likely story!" Smith called out. "How do we know she's not an alien in disguise?"
"I think I know my own daughter." John shot a look at him as Penny embraced him tighter. "This sand on her must have thrown off the Robot's sensors."
"We'll have to seal the cave." Don looked to John as they turned to camp.
"Honey, you must be starved." Maureen guided her daughter back.
"Robot," Will stood with his friend. "Is dad right? Could the sand have affected your sensors?"
"I CANNOT SAY, WILL ROBINSON." The robot turned to him. "I CAN ONLY SAY THAT FOR A BRIEF INSTANCE, I WAS NOT READING PENNY ROBINSON."
CHAPTER THREE
Don and John Robinson were scanning their aerial photos of the planet for other more likely places to drill for neutronium as Dr. Smith gasped and patted his belly. He smiled happily and peered contently to Maureen as she picked up the dishes.
"My dear, lady." He tried charming her. "My compliments to our lovely chef. That was the breakfast of kings, and I should know. My family goes back to some very famous kings."
"YES." The robot heard him and turned to his direction. "THE BURGER KING." He launched into his mechanical laughter.
"Stop your cackling you misogynistic meandering machine of used pinball parts." Smith refused to be insulted.
"Well," Maureen and Will had a bit of a wry lip to the feuding camaraderie they had. "Thank you, Dr. Smith." She picked up his dishes and turned to her daughter. "Penny, why don't you get started on the breakfast dishes? After that, you can help Judy and I in the garden."
"Yes, mother." Penny took the ceramic plates and turned to their portable dishwasher. She placed the dirty dishes inside, but as she looked at the sonic controls that controlled the thing, her mind went blank as if she couldn't remember how to set it. She remembered doing it half a million times, but her memory suddenly became selective.
"Mother," She looked up as Maureen started up the ramp to the ship. "How do I set it?"
"For 30 Ephraims, dear." She looked at her. "Any higher and they'll shatter."
"Oh, yeah," Penny glanced to her father, turned the dial and pressed the button. The machine began humming as she stepped back and looked at it.
"Honey?" John stood up and looked into her big brown eyes. "Are you okay?"
"I think." Penny grinned and embarrassingly stroked her hair out of her face. "I just blacked out for a minute." She looked at the dishwasher again as she glanced to her brother. He'd been watching her closely since morning.
"Something wrong, Will?"
"No." The mop haired young man was growing a goatee as he looked to his sister. "Just hoping you was right." He turned to fine-tune the Robot's long-range sensors again.
"Will," His father called him over as he pulled his pack back on. "We're heading to the drill site. You're in charge."
"Check."
"And see if you get the deflectors set up before we get back." Don added as he pulled on his pack.
"Right." Will continued puttering as the Robot's sensors went on alert.
"WARNING, WARNING, UNIDENTIFIED LIFEFORM APPROACHING!!!!" It's arms flailed ready to fight to defend the family it was programmed to protect.
John pulled his laser as Don responded in turn. They looked around as the Robot swerved and turned to the direction of the river. Another figure had stumbled on the incline to camp then gasped and emerged into view. From behind a huge rock, Penny appeared and noticed her father. She ran up to him and reached him.
"Penny?" John asked incredulously.
"Father!!!" She was distraught and so upset she was crying. "I'm so sorry I was gone all night! I got trapped in a machine chasing Debbie into a cave and when I got out, it was morning!! Please, don't punish me!"
"I knew it!" Smith stood up. "That other Penny is a alien in disguise! This is quite obviously the real Penny Robinson!!"
"Hold it, Smith." Don shot a look at the conniving doctor.
"Penny?" John held his daughter. "Is that really you?"
"What's going on?" Maureen emerged from the Jupiter Two with her daughters behind her. "We heard the Robot screaming and..........." She looked to her daughter and did a double take. She looked from one Penny to the other. They had different clothes, but same faces. Judy Robinson gazed between her twin sisters and tried to tell them apart.
"Who's the real Penny?" Judy was startled as well as a bit scared.
"No...." The first Penny looked even more afraid. "This can't be... it's me, mother. It's me!!"
"Obviously this first Penny is the imposter!" Smith yelled at the Penny Robinson on the ship.
"No, I'm not." Penny looked at her clone. "It's me. I was the one trapped in the cave!!"
"John?" Maureen couldn't move in the face of her twins.
"Robot?" Will turned to his best friend. "Which one's right?"
"I HAVE SCANNED BOTH AND MY SENSORS CANNOT LIE." The Robot answered. "IT DOES NOT COMPUTE BUT BOTH AND NEITHER ARE THE REAL PENNY ROBINSON!!"
"Both and neither?" Don scratched his head with his laser. "What does that mean?"
"It means we're paying a visit to that cave." John Robinson didn't want to, but he kept the laser on both of his alleged daughters.
CHAPTER FOUR
It would have been too impractical to go out in the chariot for such a brief walk. Besides, the path to the caves was through rocks and ditches too narrow for the huge land rover. John Robinson led the way with both the Penny Robinson's behind him and his wife. Will and Don brought up the end along with Judy, the Robot and Doctor Smith.
"If you're me," One Penny talked to her twin. "Who was the alien we befriended on Priplanus?"
"Mr. Arcon." The two tried to trip each other up on the trivialities of their adventures. "Who was the boy we met in the mirror?"
"He didn't have a name." Penny Two revealed. "How about the silver android lady..........."
"Verda."
"And she later became..........."
"Nancy Pi Squared."
"Good heavens." Maureen gasped at the two of them as she turned back to them half way through the crevasse. "You both have the same memories. How is this possible?"
"We're going to find out." John emerged first from the tight path. He gazed the high cliff as his eyes caught something in the path ahead. Realizing he recognized it, he hurried ahead and lifted up the strewn piece of metal debris.
"The drill?" Don stood over him. "What's it doing here? It should be several yards ahead."
"Robot, are we alone?" Will asked the automaton.
"NO, WILL ROBINSON, WE ARE NOT."
"Well, why didn't you say something before you computerized ninny?" Smith turned round in fear as he scanned the high cliffs.
"BECAUSE I COULD NOT TRUST MY SENSORS." The Robot turned to Smith. "I BELIEVE MY SENSORS MUST BE MALFUNCTIONING BECAUSE WHAT THEY TELL ME IS IMPOSSIBLE."
"What's impossible?" Judy in turn saw the fleeting shadows of figures darting above their heads. John pulled out his laser as Don unclipped his. They pushed the women behind them and they feared they had made first contact with whatever race lived on this planet. The Robot extended its front claws with its electrical pulses at the ready. Ready to fire, its head swerved and scanned the surrounding bluffs and weeds for movement. One Penny held on to her mother while her clone braced with whom she thought was her sister.
"How many?" John asked the Robot.
"SENSORS INDICATE ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN OF ONE INDIVIDUAL."
"This isn't a time for riddles, you nauseating nincompoop." Smith yelled. "We're doomed. We're doomed, I tell you."
"John!!" Maureen screamed as she looked up. John had a brief moment of shock as he looked up and saw seven more copies of his daughter Penny charging at them with spears and weapons. Judy gasped as five more came from behind. Judy felt her sister's double pulled from her as the other Penny clone was pulled screaming from whom she thought was her mother. The tribe of Pennys was surrounding them with tribal intensity. Some of them were young, around eight years old and some of them were older at almost thirty. They all wore variants of Penny's clothes or improvised on animal skins and sewn rags. One of them knew to pull the Robot's power pack as it shut down. Don reared his gun.
"Don, no!!" John willingly released his gun. "I won't fire on my daughter."
"But we're being overrun by a tribe of clones!" Don protected Judy as one of the duplicates took command and started leading them away. "I mean, if it wasn't so serious, I'd be laughing."
"I know what you mean." John looked ahead as they were lead down into the riverbed and taken up the dry stream. Will was forced to leave the Robot behind while he and the many copies of his sister overcame his family and lead them all into a long cave. They emerged into a large cavern surrounded by apartments cut out of the rock. A nearby waterfall provided water as mature Pennys cared for infants created from the one true Penny Robinson held somewhere. Others cooked on small fires as the ancient underground city was being turned back into a community.
John Robinson himself was nudged unvaryingly ahead by one of the clones and looked up. The oldest clone so far looked to be in her late forties and was made up to look like a leader decorated in feathers and braided leaves. She narrowed her eyes to him as she sat back upon her throne.
"Who are you?" John asked. "What do you want?"
"Where is my daughter?" Maureen forced herself to scream out.
"I have your daughter's memories, John Robinson." The older Penny Robinson looked down on him. "My name is Sindromeda. Centuries ago, my race ruled this planet until we were invaded and killed off by barbarian hordes. To survive, we placed our memories into this computer........." She gestured toward a huge computer moved on to a high ledge. Attached to it was a glass case holding the true original Penny Robinson sleeping in suspended animation.
"Penny!!" Maureen recoiled in shock. She fell into her husband's arms crying.
"We knew to destroy our enemies would be suicide," Sindromeda continued unabated. "We left our memories in the computer to restore us to life after our deaths and that is what happened to your daughter when she stumbled upon our ruins. Her genetic imprint was used to restore us to life."
"I want my daughter back." John demanded.
"That is not possible." Sindromeda refused him. "She is our Holy Mother now. We must preserve her likeness. She will be a goddess to us."
"Penny!" The dozens of clones began chanting together. "Penny!"
"We mean you no harm." Don spoke as Judy held on to him. "Can't we share this planet in peace?"
"No," Sindromeda refused him. "Your ship will be stripped of weapons to defend us against future invaders. You will live with us as we take care of you." She leaned forward. "Do not give us a reason to kill you."
Weaponless, John looked at the hundred and so faces of his daughter in varying faces of ferocity and determination. Maureen and Judy were taken away from them as he, Don, Will and Smith were led into another direction and into what seemed to be confined quarters.
CHAPTER FIVE
Will and his father paced and searched the walls with Major West as they searched for a way out. Dr. Smith sat on a bench in the center of the room as light fell on him from a tiny shaft to the surface.
"We're doomed, I tell you. Doomed."
"Would you shut up?" Don looked at him as he glanced out through the stalactite bars looking over the vast chamber of the hidden city. Smith just shot one of his martyred looks at him as John stopped and tried to think. Will suddenly acted as if he remembered something and looked to his watch.
"Will," His father watched. "What is it?"
"I just remembered my remote." Will lifted his wrist and flicked a switch on it. "For all the times the Robot lost his power pack, I installed a ten hour battery in him that I took from those parts on the Junkman's Planet. I just need to switch it on. I just hope it will reach beyond the cave..........."
"Well, do it." Don watched in eager anticipation.
Twenty meters from them, the Robot stood abandoned. Tilting slightly to one side and its limbs hanging lifeless, a light popped on in him and he started humming. One of the Penny clones nearby jumped up as he came to life and looked around.
"WILL ROBINSON IS IN DANGER." It called out. "DANGER! WILL ROBINSON DANGER!" It extended its arms with its claws electrified and started rolling forward. Its sensors tracing its best friend's signal, it started rolling undeterred over weeds and brush. Its on line sensors computing the balance it needed to keep from becoming tilted as it descended the river banks, its treads picked up speed as it continued on its way.
"DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER." It picked up several of Penny's clones scrambling to get out of its way as it fired lightning bolts to frighten them. Still trying to fight her captors, Judy Robinson looked up and saw the mechanized marvel approaching.
"Mother," She grinned. "It's the Robot!!"
"Well, bless its galvanized heart." Maureen wasn't as worried as she was before. "Robot, save Penny!!"
"HERE COMES THE CALVARY." The Robot fired more lightning bolts to clear its path as more clones fled to get out of its way. There was a loud humming as the Robot centered its bolts into a laser and blasted the door to the cell holding the men.
"I will never live this down." Smith mumbled as the spray of dust rained over him. "Saved by that over-grown egomaniacal toaster."
"Robot, save Penny!!" John ordered it.
"SAVE PENNY. SAVE THE ROBINSONS." The robot played a bugle cry and the sounds of cowboys and old time six-shooters as it continued climbing up the incline to the old computer holding Penny Robinson. Will rushed to get the Robot's power pack with its nuclear cell as John and Don hurried for their weapons. Neither of them wanted to hurt the clones, but now it was just a case for survival.
"Don," John grabbed one of the rifles. "Don't hurt them. They may be clones, but they're still my daughter."
"Whatever you say, boss." Don played defense as Maureen and Judy escaped with Dr. Smith leading the way. The hundred and so Penny clones were evacuating the cave and ruins as two of them stopped and looked around. Still believing that they were both the true Penny Robinson, the two of them looked up as the Robot approached the clone machine to free Penny. In its path, Sindromeda dashed to meet it.
"No!" She screamed twirling a staff. "These are my people!!"
"AND I AM PROGRAMMED TO DEFEND THE ROBINSONS!!!" The Robot knocked her weapon out of her hands and simultaneously extended its separate interface limb to connect to the computer. Linking up, it continued fighting off the misguided empress as John Robinson rushed up behind them. As the Robot shut off the clone machine, the glass chamber opened and the narcotic gas poured out from within. Penny stumbled out into her father's arms barely conscious of what was happening. She opened her eyes as Sindromeda was knocked over the edge.
"Father," She gasped. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, princess." John kissed her. "Just another normal day."
The Robot was now descending the cave formation leading down from the clone machine as Will welcomed it and replaced its power pack. Don continued looking around as he saw the older Penny clone gasping and groaning to lift herself up. After tumbling the few feet, she had landed on her left arm and slid to the bottom. Bruised and battered, she realized she was defeated.
"Sindromeda," John carried his daughter. "We're not invaders. We're a family. If you have my daughter's memories as you claim, you should know this. If you are the wise ruler who you claim to be, you should find a way for us to live in peace."
"You're right, John Robinson." Sindromeda ached as her former memories overlapped with Pennies. "I wanted to be a good ruler and do what I thought was correct. I never thought that your daughter's memories would be the key. Go from here in peace. My subjects will follow me and thrive elsewhere on this planet."
"Dad…" Penny saw two more copies of herself watching from a far. It looked like their hearts were breaking while they had to stay behind.
"It's nothing, sweet heart." John turned round. "Don't look back."
Don carried his rifle over his shoulder as Will walked with the Robot. John walked out of the wide mouth of the cave before placing his true daughter down to walk on her own. As she looked back once more, she saw two watching faces like two twins removed from a mirror already missing what might have been.
END