Chapter 53

Don't believe everything you see…

The communication room was small… too small to accommodate the crowd that had gathered. Lee Ann had put all three children on duty. Penny and Robert were logging every communication they picked up and Will was tracking each one on a map. The open areas were growing, but still no word from Red.

"It's amazing!" Will exclaimed. "So many places are opening up I can't keep up with them."

"Like dominoes," Mark commented. He turned to John. "Any doubt now that the crystal has been destroyed?"

John leaned against the frame of the doorway, his arms folded. "They did it," he agreed. "But why haven't we heard from Red?"

"John?" Maureen asked. "You don't think… that they've been captured. Do you?"

Lee Ann shuddered at the thought and asked, "What could happen to them if they were?"

"Well, the Saticons seem to be fond of taking hostages, but I don't see what advantage that would give them," John replied.

"To save face," Mark mused. "The Saticons failed in their mission, but, if they capture the culprits, they might escape ridicule."

John didn't reply. Mark's theory made too much sense… And the members of the rescue team had no one but each other to save them.

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Rigging Tom's cage was the easy part. The hard part was waiting for the Saticons to come down so he and Tom could ambush them. Something wasn't right. The Saticons should have been sent down to guard them by now.

Tom joined him and said, "I know what you're thinking, but it's not going to be easy to overpower the guards. They'll have weapons."

"But we'll have surprise on our side," Don argued.

"And that's about all we'll have, unless you've still got that slingshot."

They finally heard a commotion. The Saticons were coming. Don spread out on the floor while Tom reentered his cage. As long as the chief wasn't with them, Don had no doubt that he and Tom could overpower two or even three Saticons. Once he had his hands on a weapon, Tom wouldn't be able to stop him from going after Judy.

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The commander refused to accept that the mission was over. "I have contacted Aolis Umbra. We have developed another plan. With the Earth people as hostages, we can still have control."

The chief cringed. "Have you not been listening?" A blaring alarm sounded.

"The tractor beam!" the commander exclaimed.

The chief cursed.

The commander grabbed Judy and pulled her away from the chief. "Your friends have interfered for the last time." He ordered the chief, "Go below and dispense of them!"

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Red circled as close to the mother-ship as he dared. This time he was ready to put the pedal to the metal if the tractor beam was disengaged. He was determined to enter that ship even if he had to scratch his own in the process. The tractor beam caught them like a magnet. "This is it," he announced. "We're in." He turned to Rebecca and Mike. "Both of you get armed. And get that Robot ready! The faster we're on that the ship, the sooner we rescue them."

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Dr. Smith had retreated to his room as soon as he heard that the crystal had most likely been destroyed. He knew that, once the crisis was over, his chances of being jailed would increase dramatically. He had hidden his Aolis Umbra communication device thinking that he would never need it again. He was glad that he hadn't disposed of it. He knew that, if he wanted to stay a free man, he had to keep the Earth in crisis. And Aolis Umbra would be happy to align themselves with the Saticons. He almost hated to do it, but if he could arrange an agreement between the two entities to continue their quest to conquer Earth, he would be in the perfect position to negotiate a treaty. The aliens would need a guide, a Rasputin, so to speak. If he played his cards right, he could even become the ruler of the world. Yes, life could become quite comfortable for him, that is, if all went as planned.

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"Did you rig the other cage too?" Tom asked Don.

Before Don could answer the tractor beam alarm sounded. "I thought you disengaged the alarm?"

"Couldn't find a way to do it." Tom replied. "Doesn't matter. Now we have a real chance to get out of here."

"That alarm is going to bring the chief down here. Let's hope he brings Judy with him."

There wasn't just one or two Saticons shimmying down the rope – there were at least ten. And before the pod bay doors closed, the chief was down as well. Don continued to lie on the floor, pretending to be paralyzed. He silently cursed that Judy was not with him. He had to know what happened to her, but, until Red and the Robot were within range, there was nothing he could do.

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The rescue team lost no time in leaving the ship. They hurried along the colored pathway, following the blue line that lead to the detention area. They skid to a stop. Tom was in a cage and Don lay on the floor, unmoving. Saticons confronted them, armed and ready to shoot with the twitch of a finger. The chief stood by, his own weapon trained on Don, who was saying, "I didn't touch that tractor beam. I can't move!"

"Maybe one of your own men turned it back on," Tom added.

The chief turned his attention to the newcomers. "You will relinquish your weapons, or your friend will be disintegrated," the chief told them.

Red thought about what Mike Ryan had told him. Don't believe everything you see. So Red looked the chief in the eye, aimed his weapon directly at him and said, "No."

As Red raised his weapon, Don rolled away from the chief and yelled, "Robot, now!" The Robot sent an electrical current across the room, hitting Saticons in the chest. As some fell, the others turned and fled to the rope, pulling each other away in the rush to climb up to safety. Only the chief stood his ground. He turned his weapon on the Robot and pulled the trigger, incapacitating him. Tom sprang from his cage and tackled the chief, who lost his weapon as his body hit the floor. Don crawled to the weapon and used it as a crutch to stand. He stood on one leg and held it over the chief. He had only two words for him… "Where's Judy?"

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The commander pulled Judy along by the arm to his quarters. He had lost faith in the ability of the security chief to quell the uprising among the prisoners. He needed to take matters into his own hands, and so, he had. Aolis Umbra had assured him that they had an operative that, for the right price, would sell his very soul, let alone the lives of his fellow Earthlings. The sooner the Earth people knew about his hostage, the sooner he would be back in control of his mission. He opened the communications channel with Aolis Umbra and demanded that he be given a direct visual channel to the Earth traitor.

There was only one place where Dr. Smith could receive a visual communication, and that was in the very room in which the entire Robinson and West families were gathered. He had no desire to expose his involvement and hurried to the communication room, desperate to do whatever he had to do to intercept that transmission.

Lee Ann had established communication with the Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C., but Colonel West insisted that they get visual confirmation that they were indeed speaking with the Secretary. The static of the monitor gradually cleared and Mark nodded to John to continue. "And have you received verbal confirmation that the energy source for the black-out machines has indeed been destroyed?" the secretary asked John.

"Not yet, General, but there is no other explanation. The rescue team must be too involved with the rescue operation to report back to us." Just as John finished, the visual of the defense secretary distorted to horizontal lines and disappeared and another took its place. Maureen gasped and grabbed her husband's arm. The commander of the Saticon forces appeared holding Judy against his body, a laser pistol pointed at her head.

The Commander received a visual of John and Maureen just as Dr. Smith came up behind them. Smith was too late. "Which of you is the traitor called Dr. Zachary Smith," the commander barked.

All eyes turned on Smith. Dr. Smith raised two fingers and meekly responded, "That would be me."

"Aolis Umbra has assured me that you will be my conduit to the leaders of your world."

Dr. Smith swallowed hard and responded, "Yes."

"This is only one of many hostages I now hold. Let it be known to your people that this female will be the first exterminated if the people of Earth do not bend to my control… to be followed by the others."

"I'm… I'm sure there will be no need for extermination," Smith said as he nervously glanced at John and Maureen. "And I'm sure that the arrogant Major West would gladly trade places with this fair woman. Please do not harm her. She is a gentle soul."

"Gentle? She has already killed two Saticons!" the commander shouted. "No, she is as guilty as that arrogant male you speak of. I warn you… do my bidding or your failure will result in her death."

The monitor went dark. Smith slowly backed into the hallway, anxious to get away from the group, but John grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "And how did he know to contact you, Smith? Aolis Umbra?"

"It wasn't my fault," Smith stammered. "They contacted me. I was just on my way here to warn you when his communication came on the air."

"Somehow, Smith, I have a hard time believing you. Lee Ann, get the General back online. We need to discuss our options."

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The chief stared into Don's eyes. He knew that look. He, himself, had been in love once… a long time ago, but his partner had fallen in love with the lure of the tea. "The commander will not trade your loved one for me.," the chief told him.

"We'll see about that," Don told him. "Take me to her."

As Mike and Red herded the Saticons together and placed them under the guard of the Robot, Rebecca warned, "Be careful, Don. These Saticons are desperate to salvage whatever they can from this mission."

Tom nodded his agreement and added. "Make sure you're thinking straight before you go up there."

"I'm thinking straight, all right. Come on," he said to the chief as he pushed him towards the opening to the upper deck."

"Wait, let me go up first," Mike Ryan said. "I can let you know if you're facing any opposition up there."

Don nodded and Mike, weapon in hand, easily climbed up the rope and peeked across the upper deck. It was deserted. He motioned for Don to send up the chief.

"Where are they?" Don asked.

"In the commander's quarters," the chief replied.

"Take me there."

"I warn you, my life is worth nothing to the commander."

"He needs you as his fall guy. If you're dead, you die a hero… and he needs someone to pin this failed mission on."

"Dead or alive, I will be blamed."

"Dead is fine with me," Don told him, although he hoped it wouldn't come to that. This was the only Saticon he felt was worth more than a dime. Don followed the chief up the rope and surveyed the area. Not one being was in sight. He would have been happier with some opposition, but he assumed that the commander had taken every able bodied Saticon left into his quarters.

Tom and Rebecca were soon on the upper deck with them. "Is that Robot capable of guarding those Saticons we captured?" Tom asked.

"Will and Penny would be capable of guarding them," Don responded. "Don't worry. The Robot will do fine. Where's Red?"

"Gone back to the ship to report back to your father. They need to know that the crystal has been destroyed."

"Somehow, I think they already know that," Don replied.

"What now?" Rebecca asked.

"The chief takes us to his commander," Don said.

"And if I don't?" the chief asked.

"I'll find him with or without you," Don responded.

The chief respected this human. In fact, his respect for the entire species had grown and surpassed whatever respect he had left for his own. He was already a condemned man. Whether he helped the humans or not would be of no further consequence. The chief nodded to Don and said, "Follow me."

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The answer was what John had been expecting… "Our government does not negotiate with terrorists." The Secretary of Defense delivered this message with a heavy heart. That rescue team, now a 'hostage' team, had done more for the planet than anyone in recent – or even ancient – history.

"But we have someone who can negotiate with us right here… Dr. Zachary Smith," John argued.

"Who should be jailed and charged with treason," the secretary rebutted. "No. There will be no negotiations. I'm sorry, Professor Robinsons, but that is the policy of this government. And… you must hold Dr. Smith until we can organize his arrest."

Dr. Smith whimpered and moved away from the monitor. Colonel Holbrook, who had been listening at the doorway walked in and took Dr. Smith by the arm. "As the warden of Edwards Air Force Base, I will take custody of Dr. Smith."

John wasn't ready to give up. "I will get my daughter back – one way or another…"

The secretary nodded. "I understand, Professor, but you must understand that individual lives, though valued, cannot come before the welfare of the entire population."

"But negotiating will be for the welfare of the…"

Mark West stepped beside Professor Robinson and spoke. "I totally understand, General, and agree. You can rest assured that we will maintain contact with the Saticons, but not take action without your blessings." The secretary seemed satisfied with that response and the screen went black.

John Robinson, not happy with that interference, turned to Don's father and said, "Your son is up there too!"

Mark crossed his arms. "And so is Red Miles and Tom Bryce. They're the best, John. If they handle this situation the way I think they will, we won't need to negotiate with anybody…"

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They were an unlikely rescue team. Tom, scarred and partially blind, Don, leaning on him for support as he limped along the corridors, favoring his hurt leg, and Rebecca, holding her notebook more firmly than her laser, bringing up the rear. The chief led them to an area separated from the rest by a series of hallways with mirrored beads hanging from the ceilings at each intersection. The effect was dizzying – purposely, Don thought, to disorient anyone not meant to be in that area of the ship. Finally, they arrived at a solid door.

"What can we expect to face on the other side?" Tom asked.

"A small group of untrained Saticons holding rifles," the chief replied.

"Are you sure it will be small?"

"There are not many of us left," the chief responded. The chief raised his hand to wave it in front of the doorway.

"Wait. What's the plan?" Tom asked Don.

"Same as always," Don told him. "You hold off the firepower and I look for Judy."

Tom grit his teeth and turned to Rebecca. "Watch our backs," Tom told her.

The chief waved his hand in front of the door, but nothing happened. "He has engaged the internal blocking mechanism," he told Don.

"The what?" Rebecca asked.

"The lock," Tom explained. "Can you bypass it?"

"Not from without," the chief replied.

Don studied the door. "Rebecca, give me your notebook."

"Am I going to get it back?" she asked.

He reached out and demanded, "Just give it to me." He ripped the back cardboard away from the paper and stuck it between the door and doorjamb. If he maneuvered the cardboard just right, and it was strong enough, he would be able to disengage the lock – he hoped.

"Breaking in? We didn't learn that in training," Tom commented.

"No, but I had lots of experience breaking into Smith's cabin when he'd lock himself in – trying to get away from me." He continued to work a few seconds more and smiled as he heard a click.

Don placed his hand on the chief's shoulder, using him as his crutch. "Lead us in," he ordered. The chief slowly pushed the door open and, just as he had predicted, there was a small group of Saticons inside. None, however, were pointing their weapons at the intruders. They had been taken completely by surprise. Tom and Rebecca pointed their lasers at them, while Don pointed his at the chief and said, "Tell them to drop their weapons."

The chief did as he was told and all the Saticons, except one, followed his orders. The very Saticon who had complained about the chief hours earlier shouted a warning and raised his weapon, but was felled by Tom.

Don wasn't sure if that lone Saticon was aiming for him – or the chief – but he didn't care. The chief turned to him and said, "You have seen my fate."

"You could have stopped this a long time ago… You're the security chief."

The chief sighed. If only he could have. "The… situation… was not in my control."

Don knew all too well how situations grew lives of their own. A few seconds ago, Don would have said that all Saticons looked alike. He took a good look at the chief's face. As non-descript as the Saticon's features were, Don could see the pain. He pulled the gun away from the chief's head, squeezed his shoulder in support and said, "Let's go find Judy."

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