"Penny In Wonderland"

A "Once Upon A Time – Wonderland" / "Lost in Space"

Crossover Fanfiction

Part 1: Penny in Wonderland

While looking for deutronium, the Robinsons land the Jupiter 2 on a flying island above the surface of Wonderland. But when the Queen of Hearts decides to keep Penny to be her new daughter; it's up to her family, Major West, and Dr. Smith to rescue her. But this is easier said than done after Cora sends them to the surface of Wonderland, far away from the Jupiter 2.

Disclaimer: "Once Upon A Time" is owned and created by the team of Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. "Lost in Space" is owned by Irwin Allen and filmed by 20th Century Fox Television. This Fan Fiction Crossover story is the work of a hobbyist having fun with some of his favorite, fictional characters, and nothing more. I hope that this is a sufficient disclaimer.

Historian's Note: This story is set immediately after the last episode of "Lost in Space" shown on television ("Junkyard in Space,") and is Part 1 of my own idea for how the series could possibly have ended. Part 2 will be a "Once Upon A Time" / "Lost in Space" crossover, and will take place in Storybrooke.

It should be noted that in the OUAT Universe, The Robinsons come from a 'Realm of Fiction' called the "Land of Yesterday's Tomorrows." This is a "Retro-Future" world that depicts how people in the late 1940's through the early 1960's thought that the 21st Century would be like. The Robinsons live in a world with commonplace space travel. There is a base on the moon and a colony on Mars. There are several orbital space stations. On their overpopulated, polluted version of Earth, there are crowded domed cities interconnected by high-speed monorail lines. They have hovering, bubble-top cars, household robots and laser guns.

But there is no internet, cell phones, or iPods . . . .

As an episode of "Once Upon A Time - Wonderland," the Title Card would depict the Jupiter 2 landing on the mushroom bordered chessboard.

Chapter 1: An Island in the Sky

Last week as you may recall, we left the Robinsons as they prepared to land on a strange planet in search of much-needed deutronium fuel, unaware that an alien queen had been watching them – especially Penny - with covetous eyes . . . .

The clearing in the woods was barely large enough for the Jupiter 2 to land in, but Major Don West expertly eased the ship down. Using feel more than his instruments, Don throttled back as he felt the pads on the landing legs sink a few inches into the muddy ground before they settled in. The Jupiter 2's landing radar indicated that the shallow, swampy ground was not too deep to keep it from being used as a landing field.

Don had landed in tighter spaces, both in simulators back at Alpha Control, and in a training ship designed to precisely mimic the handling characteristics of a Jupiter-Class Interstellar Spacecraft. He had landed the training ship with the controls adjusted to simulate a light gravity planet and a heavy-gravity planet. He had landed on smooth, flat surfaces, and on rocky, uneven ground. And he had even landed in shallow water, just as he did now. But one thing that his training did not cover was landing on a piece of rock floating a half mile over the surface of its planet like a disc-shaped, low-orbiting moon. Both Don and Professor John Robinson did not know what to expect when the weight of the Jupiter 2 was added to the island floating in the sky like something from an old Roger Dean record album cover painting.

Don throttled the engine back as he checked the altimeter to be sure that the island did not lose any altitude from the extra weight of the Jupiter 2. When he was satisfied that the island was unaffected by their presence, he then brought the engine to idle before shutting it down to conserve on precious deutronium. When he had done this, Professor John Robinson nodded and said, "That was an excellent landing, Don; especially under the unusual circumstances."

Don nodded back and said, "If you want to call it a "landing," John, considering that we are still half a mile above the planet's surface." John just shrugged. Of all the strange worlds that they had encountered since leaving Earth, this world had to top them all. Their instruments showed that the Jupiter 2 was sitting in the middle of a wetland only slightly bigger than the ship at its widest point, surrounded by old-growth trees. According to the landing radar, the landing pads were almost completely submerged. John checked the instruments again, smiling wanly as he watched the altimeter; frowning as he checked the fuel gauge.

"How much deutronium do you think we have left, Don?"

Don shook his head. "Maybe enough to make the Earth-Mars run two, three times maximum; but much less if we actually had to land. Thank G-d that Will found that deutronium deposit on this, ah, what do you think it's called, John? A low-orbiting moon? A sky island? What . . . ?"

"Beats me," said John sighing. "But let's not waste any more time here than we have to." John used the ship's intercom to check on Maureen, the children, and Dr. Smith. When he heard that all was well, he told them to not bother coming topside; he and Don would come down to them. Then to Don, he added, "Whatever else happens, I want to be able to lift-off at a moment's notice if we run into trouble." Don nodded, and the two men unstrapped themselves. Both men went to the elevator to the lower deck as John replayed the events of the past few days in his head. They had barely escaped from the Junkman's planet but were dangerously low on fuel and had commenced scanning nearby systems for a deutronium signature, finally finding one on the world that they had just (not quite) landed on.

But the Robinsons' hopes were initially dashed when their scans showed that the planet was heavily populated by a civilization at a technological level roughly equivalent to Earth in the Late Middle Ages. Worse, the deutronium deposits closest to the surface were very close to major settlements. Under circumstances like these, landing would be out of the question. But with so little fuel, it was unlikely that they would have enough to find another source.

Then, while scanning the planet's surface for deutronium deposits away from settlements, Will discovered a strange anomaly – mountain tops that appeared to be moving like trees swaying in a breeze. After Will adjusted the Jupiter 2's scanner array for a better look, the Robinsons were shocked to see large pieces of land rich with old-growth forests hovering between half a mile to a mile over the planet's surface; the largest ones were almost a mile in diameter. And on one large "sky island," Will found a rich deposit of deutronium barely three feet below the surface – enough to fill every canister they had and more than enough to reach their destination of Alpha Centauri.

Additional scans showed no signs that the natives had any aerospace technology – not so much as a hot-air balloon. Because of this, John was confident that there would be no chance of any encounter with this world's natives. Still, John felt uncomfortable with what they were about to do . . . .

When John and Don stepped off the elevator on the lower-level, Will ran up to his father, and said, "How are we doing, dad? Did the sky-island lose any altitude due to our added weight?"

"Not so much as an inch, son," said John, patting his son on his shoulder. "It was a good thing that you found these sky-islands, Will. Once our fuel supply is replenished, we will stand a very good chance of completing our mission to Alpha Centauri." But John sounded anything but enthusiastic as he praised his son.

Maureen sensed her husband's discomfort, and said, "You still have qualms about mining for deutronium anywhere on this world, don't you, John?"

John sighed, and said, "Whatever else we are about to do, we will be stealing deutronium from the natives on the planet's surface."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Professor," said Dr. Smith. "We have determined that the natives of this world are not capable of flight in any way, shape or form. Based on what we have observed, they would be hard-pressed to develop a Montgolfier-type hot-air balloon or a Lilienthal hang-glider, even if we generously gave them the plans! They are at least several centuries from treading on these so-called sky-islands. Ergo, there is nothing to worry about!"

"But this world is inhabited," said John. "And we are still stealing a valuable resource from them in the form of deutronium."

"A resource for which they will have absolutely no use for until they discover how to make deutronium-annihilation hyperdrive engines, and that won't be for at least another thousand years from now, Professor!" insisted Dr. Smith.

Judy said, "If you are worried that we are stealing from the natives, dad, then why don't we just try to contact them and pay for the deutronium with something?"

Before John could reply, Will said, "Don't be silly, Judy! We can't just land on a primitive world like this and say "hello." They might think that we are gods or demons or something, and either try to worship us or kill us! Besides, who would we pay? Nobody owns this sky-island or the stuff on or in it."

"That's not entirely true, Will," said John. "This sky-island and its resources belong to the natives of this world in general, even if they belong to no individual in particular. Just like our own Moon, son. How would we have felt if some aliens mined our Moon for something that they needed during our own Middle Ages?"

Dr. Smith said, "Well, Professor, I for one would have said if they are in need, then they are more than welcome to it! Surely the natives of this world would feel the same way towards us if they could be made to understand our plight?"

Professor Robinson shook his head. "Look, we can debate the ethics of what we are about to do some other time. Right now, we will take only what we need. Now, Don, Dr. Smith and I will set up the drill site and start extracting and refining deutronium. Maureen, I want you and the girls to start drawing and purifying water to fill the tanks."

"What about me, dad?" said Will.

"I have a very important job for you, son," said John. "I want you to monitor our position and alert us if this sky-island starts to lose any altitude."

"Uh, Professor?" said Dr. Smith. "Perhaps William should go with you to obtain the deutronium while I shall diligently monitor the instruments. Setting up the drill site is arduous labor and my back, as usual, is extremely delicate today."

Don chuckled, and said, "Looks like you owe me a quarter, John. I told you that Smith would play the back card! But don't actually bother. Under the circumstances, I would feel like I was stealing from you!"

"Spare me your poisonous barbs, Major," said Dr. Smith indignantly.

"It's alright, dad," insisted Will. "I want to come with you and Don! Please, Sir, it will be better than staying aboard the ship! I'm curious about what's making this piece of land hover in the sky, and I won't be able to do that if my eyes are glued to the ship's altimeter!"

John sighed, and said, "Alright, son. You can come with us!"

"Wow!" said Will. "Did you hear that, mom? Dad said that I could go with him and Don!"

"Just be sure to stay close to your father and Don, Will," admonished Maureen. "This is a strange world, and we may need to leave in a moment's notice."

"Yes, mom," said Will, grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright," said John. "I guess the job of monitoring our altitude falls to you, Dr. Smith. I want you and the Robot to keep monitoring our altitude and to warn us if we lose so much as a foot of altitude!"

"Never fear; Smith is here! You may depend on me, Professor Robinson!"

Major West shouldered a laser rifle, and said, "Won't dignify that with a reply, Smith . . . ."

Suppressing a smile, John strapped on a laser pistol, and said, "Since the Robot's treads will not work in the muddy ground, Don and I'll go out and take a quick look around, then we'll let everyone know when it is safe."

When the two men went down the ladder on the landing leg to step on the surface of the strange world, Penny said, "What do you think is making this piece of land float in the sky like this, Will?"

"I dunno," said Will shrugging. "Our scanners show no signs of opposing-pole magnetism or reverse graviton waves. But there is no fluctuation in altitude, and only a few feet of lateral movement in all directions, no matter how much wind is blowing."

"Well, something is keeping this chunk of rock in the sky," said Judy. "Whatever it is, I just hope that it holds long enough for us to get our deutronium and water before we leave."

Penny said, "Mom, do you think that we are stealing the deutronium and water from the people of this world? Surely they wouldn't mind because we need it so badly . . . ?"

But before Maureen could answer her daughter, Don came up the ladder and said, "Turns out that we won't be stealing after all, Penny. We just got permission to take as much deutronium and water that we want."

Maureen said, "Don, what do you mean? Are there people on this sky-island?"

"That's impossible, mom," said Will. "I made a detailed scan of the sky-island, and saw no signs of habitation whatsoever!"

"Well, there is someone here," said Don. "John is talking with her, now. And she wants to meet everyone else."

"Her? She?" said Dr. Smith. "There is a lady on this rock in the sky?"

"Well, I wouldn't call her "Lady," if I were you, Smith," said Don. "I would call her "Your Majesty." It just so happens that this "Lady" is a genuine Queen!"

"A Queen?" said Penny. "A real Queen, just like in a Fairy Tale, or something?"

"Come on out and meet her for yourself, Penny," said Don shrugging.

The Robinsons and Dr. Smith followed Don down the ladder, and were surprised to see an ornate, wooden bridge from the landing leg of the Jupiter 2 to solid ground on the other side of the bridge, where they could see John conversing with a dark-haired woman in an elaborate dress in various shades of red decorated with white lace and Valentine hearts.

"The Queen!" said Penny, as she ran ahead of everyone else. Seconds later, she was at her father's side, looking up at a woman of indeterminable age with a pleasant expression.

The woman regarded Penny warmly, and said, "Well, hello there, young lady." She then turned to John, and said, "And who is this lovely young lady, Professor Robinson?"

"This is my youngest daughter, Penny, Your Majesty," said John, who gestured to the rest of his family just coming off the bridge, and added, "My wife, Maureen, our eldest daughter, Judy, and our son, Will. And this man is Dr. Zachery Smith."

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," said Will with an ear-to-ear smile.

"William!" said Dr. Smith as he recoiled in exaggerated shock. "You are in the presence of a Queen! This is the proper way to address royalty. Dr. Smith made an ostentatious bow to the woman, and said, "Your Majesty, I am honored to make your acquaintance. Dr. Zachery Smith, Colonel in the United States Space Force, at your service."

The Queen's expression was neutral as she regarded Dr. Smith, but warmed a bit when she turned to Will, and said, "I am not offended by this boy's sincere greeting. And it is my honor and privilege to welcome weary travelers such as yourselves. And I am even more gratified that I am in a position to assist you with your needs.

"Professor Robinson informs me that you are in need of a substance that may be found on this sky island – deutronium, he calls it – as well as potable water; which also may be found here in abundance. And as this land is part of my Kingdom, you have my gracious permission to take as much of this as you need, as well as anything else that may assist you in your travels."

Maureen smiled, and said, "Well, we are certainly very grateful for your assistance, Your Majesty."

"Think nothing of it," said the Queen cheerfully. "And there is more. I would be honored to have you as my guests for a banquet at my palace in your honor, where you simply must entertain me with tales of your travels between the stars!"

"A banquet?" said Dr. Smith. "A banquet! Oh, joy! Oh, rapture!"

"Oh, brother," mumbled Don.

"We would be delighted to accept your invitation, Your Majesty," said Maureen. "Frankly, it has been a long time since we have had an actual meal!"

"Please, Mrs. Robinson," said the Queen. "There is really no need for you to be so formal, you know. You are my honored guests! And as such, it is permissible for you to address me by my given name. I insist on it!"

"Well, then," said John. "How shall we address you, Your Majesty?"

"I am Cora, the Queen of Hearts," said the woman smiling. "But you may simply call me Cora. And it is my great honor to welcome you all to the Royal Palace of Wonderland!"

Penny curtsied as best as she could in her green and purple outfit, and said, "I'm very pleased to meet you, Queen Cora!"

The queen smiled at Penny as she put a finger under the girl's chin, gently turning up her face to meet the girl's sparkling, hazel eyes. "Please, Penny darling. Just Cora is fine!

"But let's not waste any more time! You all must be tired and hungry . . . ."

Before anyone could say anything else, Cora waved her hand, enveloping herself, the Robinsons, Major West and Dr. Smith in thick, blue smoke. When the smoke cleared, they all found themselves in the great hall of an opulent castle, where a large table laden with food awaited them.

Everyone exclaimed in wonder at the sight. So much food! Bread, vegetables, fruits, and even real meat! The Robinsons had not seen a spread such as this except in old movies and TV shows.

On Earth, which was severely overpopulated and badly polluted, most people had to make do on less than 1,300 calories a day, supplemented with vitamin tablets and protein pills. That was the reason for the Jupiter Missions to Alpha Centauri, of which they were the first: To establish a colony on a clean world, where the mistakes of the past would not be repeated. And in so doing, bring much needed relief to the people of Earth; all sixteen billion of them, and counting.

"Well, I can see that you all have not eaten in a very long time," said Cora as she gestured to the table. "Please, let's not stand on ceremony! Enjoy!"

The Robinsons, Major West and Dr. Smith went to the table. After Professor Robinson led everyone in a simple grace, they all dug in heartily. (Naturally, Dr. Smith – an older man who remembered a time when meals like this were more common - was the first one with food on his plate and in his mouth.)

But in all the initial excitement, neither John Robinson nor Don West realized that they no longer had their lasers or their radios.

And as they ate, none of them noticed the way that Cora looked at Penny, her expression one of envy and anticipation . . . .