Penelope pressed her shoulder against the closet door and heaved it open with all of her weight, sending triffids rolling on their roots in all directions. Slipping out the door and slamming it shut, she swung her ski pole in a wide arc in front of her. Plant funnels flopped on the floor from the front line, squirting chlorophyll. More triffids swarmed Penelope, stamping on the woody boles of fallen brethren. With another wide swing and wave of venom cups severed, she ran to lead them away from the closet. Breaking for the elevator, a particularly thick vine lashed out and grabbed her ankle. She tried to kick herself free at first, while slashing at other plants that came too close. Twisting her trunk and swinging at the restraining vine, another coiled around the ski pole and pulled it from her grip. The vine on her ankle pulled her to the floor and dragged her straight into a writhing mass of triffids. Smaller specimens clicked anxiously as she slid along the floor, parting to reveal an abnormally large triffid. Its vines surged forward, binding her legs and pinning her arms down. Lumbering over to her and curling vines around the back of her head, the triffid arched its funnel closer to her face. She strained to keep her flesh from touching the sticky reserves of venom that spiraled into the center of the cone. Yet her fearful resistance was not enough and slowly the sweet face of Penelope Robinson inched closer to becoming triffid food.


Anything of moderate size or weight that was not nailed down was dragged to the sickbay exit. Don and The Professor stacked what few cumbersome items there were to keep the triffids out. "How is it coming in there?!" Major West yelled in the direction of the surgery. Judy was no longer visible from outside of Quarantine. Her delicate frame was cloaked in a series of antimicrobial surgery shrouds and both doctors were now masked figures, hovering over her. Dr. Smith held up a solitary finger without turning around. It was a gesture he often used as a stern warning to others (usually Don) to stifle themselves when he was trying to concentrate. Don frowned at Smith's response and thought of a finger he would like to give back to the grumpy old man.

The triffids had not relented for a moment, thumping the door with every ounce of their fibrous structures. The Robinsons and Major West were quickly approaching exhaustion by barricading the doors with their own weight, when Dr. Coagula cried out, "It's a boy!"

All spun around to see Dr. Smith pull a crying baby out of the surgery tent while Venus unraveled the umbilical cord from around him. Another miracle of life brightening the darkest corners of the uncharted universe. Don forgot himself in a moment of joy and walked to the windows to get a better look at his youngest son. He placed a hand on the glass and grinned as Dr. Coagula held the wailing infant up and pointed to Don, as if introducing him.

"Don!" The Professor hollered as the triffids pushed even harder. The sickbay doors cracked and splintered, rendering the makeshift barricades useless. Maureen snapped the leg off of a chair to wield against the plants as The Professor picked his machete back up. Triffids poured into sickbay, clicking stems and lashing venomous whorls hungrily. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson wasted no time in slashing furiously at the invaders to keep them away from Quarantine. Don pulled a metal drawer out of a toppled file cabinet and swung on the waddling plants that were not skewered by the Robinsons. The triffid numbers were too many for the three of them and the room was quickly overwhelmed. Retreat was the only option, yet there was nowhere to go.


Will slit the gray casing on a coax cable with his pocket knife and stripped it away from the alloyed fibers he needed. With a small pair of needle-nose pliers, he twisted them to the frayed end of the cables wired to the robots defense cell. He wiped beads of perspiration and dust across his forehead and let out an exhausted sigh, "If this doesn't work then I do not know what will..." Will stood upright and stretched his back, tight from a long day of digging and hunching over a coffin. He took his time climbing out of the grave and examined the position of the sun, wondering how long he had been at it.

"SHALL I CHARGE UP MY DEFENSE CELLS?" The Robot asked.

"Just a second..." Will responded before swapping his power pack out with a fresh one. "Okay Robot, charge the cells and when I give you the word, fire them off."

The Robot's bubble dropped down as if he were concentrating and a faint humming noise vibrated in its hull. Will could feel the heat coming off of the Robot as the cells charged to full capacity.

"READY WHEN YOU ARE, WILL ROBINSON!"

"Okay let her rip!" Will said excitedly.

"STAND BACK!" The Robot boomed over the crackle of 30,000 volts idling in its defense cells.

The connecting cables jerked and sparked as the electricity shot through them. Smoke began seeping from the eternity pod's control panel and increasing the stench of decay. After a loud pop and small shower of sparks, it was over. Will reached over to unhook the cables from the robot but they were hot to the touch.

"ALLOW ME," The Robot offered, snatching up the cables in its claw and unhooking them from its own chest.

"Well, that ought to do it...let me just put the lid back on the sarcophagus and we can head back to camp." Will said climbing back into the grave. Hopefully it would be the last time.


In the blink of an eye, Penelope went from staring into the toothy maw of the giant triffid to a blurred nothing. Finding her arms and legs once again free, she jumped to her feet and snapped her head around. It was all gone, no more triffids choking the ship with their vines, no more clicking stems and ravenous conical reserves of poison. Debris from their rampage and splattered chlorophyll still lingered but for now, it was over. Penelope hyperventilated for a moment before bursting into laughter. Her chest contracting in hysterics, she fell to her knees covered slime and tears running down her face. She counted her blessings as that Robinson Luck had saved her life yet again.


The Robinsons and Major West stood on alert after their own triffid problems had de-pixelated before their eyes. Bewilderment gripped them as they surveyed the damage that sickbay had endured.

"He did it! Will pulled it off!" Professor Robinson declared proudly.

"What a kid you got there, John!" Major West said with a relieved smile.

"Will did what? What happened?" Maureen asked John.

"Oh I'll explain later, let's go meet our new grandson!"

"Ah ah!" Venus said coming out of Quarantine. "You three need to clean this...green stuff off of you before any contact with the newborn." Don and his in-laws happily complied with Coagula's request as she retrieved the new addition to the family.

A short while later Major Donald West was admiring the wonder of holding his third child after an epic battle with alien technology just moments ago. Dr. Smith finally emerged from Quarantine looking exhausted. Don handed his son to an excited Maureen and John.

"Can I see Judy now?" He asked

"Well just a moment Major..."

"Yeah yeah we've been through this twice before. I understand she's worn out..." Don waved Smith off and started for the Quarantine doors.

"Hold on Major," Smith said putting his hands up.

"Hold on what? Where's my wife? I want to see Judy!" Major West continued looking past Smith through the glass doors.

"Major, no."

"Come on Smith, move over!" Don tried to sidestep the Doctor who continued to pivot himself in the Pilot's way.

"Major...Major..." Dr. Smith persisted.

"What's the big idea Smith? Move!"

"DON!" Smith shouted. Startled, Major West almost didn't recognize his first name coming from Smith's mouth. The old man had always been so formal. The Doctor took a deep breath, "There were complications from the cesarean, we're trying to stabilize her now."

Venus walked up to the men and snapped her gloves off, "She is going to need a transfusion, there was a lot of blood loss."

"Well do it then!" Don said rolling up his sleeve.

"You are not a match, Major..." Smith said in a cool voice trying to prevent him from panicking.

"Well who is?!"

"I am," Venus offered softly. Dr. Smith eyed her suspiciously for a moment before slipping a blood pressure cuff on her arm.

"You would do that for Judy?" Don asked Dr. Coagula. "For our family?"

"Of course, I'll be your type-O hero," She said with a tired smile.

Maureen stepped forward, "Venus are you sure? You've been on the go since the sun rose, you haven't eaten anything..." She paused to glance at Dr. Smith and lowered her voice, "And you look like you're dead on your feet..."

"And your blood pressure is dangerously low. You cannot do this." Smith added with serious baritone.

"I'm the only other type-O in camp. We don't have the luxury of passing due to a mild case of hypotension."

"Mild case?! You could go into cardiac arrest! I forbid it!" Smith bellowed aggressively. Coagula wretched in disgust while ripping the pressure cuff off.

"Can't you do anything?!" Don shouted.

"Just calm down Major West!" Smith chided, still trying to reason with Venus.

"Calm down?!" Don's voice cracked.

John stepped forward and placed a firm hand on his son-in-law's shoulder, "Now just think for a minute Don!" The Major was beginning to grow belligerent, bickering with his in-laws as Dr. Smith tried to keep things under control.

The Quarantine doors suddenly swished shut behind the four of them. They turned to see Dr. Coagula holding the small remote that locked the doors in her hand. A cold expressionless face blinked at them from behind the glass.

"No!" Smith shouted and slapped the glass doors. "You can't do this!"

"Doctor Coagula! Please don't, we'll find another way!" Maureen pleaded. "John can't you get her out of there!"

Venus rolled up her sleeve and cuffed her bicep single-handedly. She swabbed her arm after locating the vein and prepared instruments needed to withdraw blood.

"Dammit Venus! Think about what you are doing!" Smith shouted through the glass. Her head snapped to attention at his remark and she walked to the doors.

"Me? What I'm doing? You mean taking drastic, possibly foolish measures in spite of all odds to valiantly pull through at the absolutely last moment?" She asked while arching one eyebrow. "Well...I am a Smith, aren't I?" She said with a familiar oily smirk.

The Robinsons and Major West stopped at her words and stared questioningly at Dr. Smith. But the old doctor didn't notice, his eyes were locked with the woman on the other side of the glass as she inserted the cannula into her vein.