Second Search
* * *
John stood with Will and the Robot on the low ridge where the Robot had lost Penny's trail. He knew the spot, remembered standing here when they had first arrived, scanning the valley with binoculars. There was a certain beauty to this world, a newness to it that came from the powerful forces that constantly reshaped its surface. What on Earth might take a billion years to occur could happen here in a million.
Or less. He had also found during their stay evidence of planetwide catastrophes that had occurred almost overnight.
There can be great danger in great beauty.
John had not slept well last night, despite the warm presence of his wife beside him. He recalled the conversation on the upper deck of the Jupiter II, how Maureen, Judy and Will had each explained what they had done, where and how they had searched. And he had felt the ache of growing fear in the pit of his stomach as he realized they had done all that he would have done and more, and still Penny was nowhere to be found.
He remembered what Don had said during the long drive back in the Chariot.
"It's Smith. I just know it's him."
"We don't know that."
"Isn't it always Smith?"
That Don disliked Smith was common knowledge among the Robinsons. To Don, Smith was more than a traitor, more than just the man who had sabotaged them and who had betrayed his country. He had betrayed his uniform as well, a uniform that Don took seriously. And he had betrayed Don's most basic belief about participation, about each person contributing to make each venture a success, again a feature of the Major's military background.
And last night, Smith had simply picked the wrong time to come wandering up from below.
John had asked him for his report, his opinion.
"Oh, professor," Smith intoned, "Indeed I have considered this, even as Judy and I searched every inch of this desolate valley. What could have happened?"
"What did you find?"
"Alas, not a thing, dear professor."
Don watched the doctor suspiciously. "Or is that just what you want us to think?" he asked softly.
Smith drew up, almost regal in his indignation. "Are you implying that I am somehow involved in the disappearance of the poor girl, Major?"
Don matched his stare. "You tell me, doctor. Are you?"
"Don, please." It was Judy now, wrapping her arm around her young husband's. "Dr. Smith helped me look all day yesterday."
"That doesn't mean anything."
Smith looked down at the pilot, his patrician nose held high. "You are ridiculous, Major, to think I would ever intentionally hurt the dear girl." His voice dripped with his usual scorn. "Indeed."
And so the conversation had ended and the second long night begun.
#
John scanned the valley again. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Anything, something. And still, in the back of his mind, the thought remained: what if she was taken off planet?
And behind this thought was another, more terrifying.
We're still at least a week away from being able to launch, even with the new deutronium.
Behind him, he heard the approach of Will and the Robot, and John lowered the binoculars to turn and face them.
"Anything?" he asked.
His son looked back at him. Almost a man now; young, still, but almost a man. When had that happened?
"Nothing of her biosignature," Will said. "I've got the robot's scanners as sensitive as I can get them."
The Robot spoke then. "There are several billion harmless local microbes on your boots, Will Robinson."
John nodded. "Anything else?"
"Just the other biosignatures. I don't know what they are, but they don't look native. I've got the start of a trail."
"Barometric pressure has just dropped 0.002 percent, Will Robinson."
"Which way?" John asked.
Will pointed with his finger in the direction of a nearby set of hills, instructed the Robot to lead the way. They made good progress for a while.
And in that while, they found the small cave.
* * *
John stood with Will and the Robot on the low ridge where the Robot had lost Penny's trail. He knew the spot, remembered standing here when they had first arrived, scanning the valley with binoculars. There was a certain beauty to this world, a newness to it that came from the powerful forces that constantly reshaped its surface. What on Earth might take a billion years to occur could happen here in a million.
Or less. He had also found during their stay evidence of planetwide catastrophes that had occurred almost overnight.
There can be great danger in great beauty.
John had not slept well last night, despite the warm presence of his wife beside him. He recalled the conversation on the upper deck of the Jupiter II, how Maureen, Judy and Will had each explained what they had done, where and how they had searched. And he had felt the ache of growing fear in the pit of his stomach as he realized they had done all that he would have done and more, and still Penny was nowhere to be found.
He remembered what Don had said during the long drive back in the Chariot.
"It's Smith. I just know it's him."
"We don't know that."
"Isn't it always Smith?"
That Don disliked Smith was common knowledge among the Robinsons. To Don, Smith was more than a traitor, more than just the man who had sabotaged them and who had betrayed his country. He had betrayed his uniform as well, a uniform that Don took seriously. And he had betrayed Don's most basic belief about participation, about each person contributing to make each venture a success, again a feature of the Major's military background.
And last night, Smith had simply picked the wrong time to come wandering up from below.
John had asked him for his report, his opinion.
"Oh, professor," Smith intoned, "Indeed I have considered this, even as Judy and I searched every inch of this desolate valley. What could have happened?"
"What did you find?"
"Alas, not a thing, dear professor."
Don watched the doctor suspiciously. "Or is that just what you want us to think?" he asked softly.
Smith drew up, almost regal in his indignation. "Are you implying that I am somehow involved in the disappearance of the poor girl, Major?"
Don matched his stare. "You tell me, doctor. Are you?"
"Don, please." It was Judy now, wrapping her arm around her young husband's. "Dr. Smith helped me look all day yesterday."
"That doesn't mean anything."
Smith looked down at the pilot, his patrician nose held high. "You are ridiculous, Major, to think I would ever intentionally hurt the dear girl." His voice dripped with his usual scorn. "Indeed."
And so the conversation had ended and the second long night begun.
#
John scanned the valley again. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Anything, something. And still, in the back of his mind, the thought remained: what if she was taken off planet?
And behind this thought was another, more terrifying.
We're still at least a week away from being able to launch, even with the new deutronium.
Behind him, he heard the approach of Will and the Robot, and John lowered the binoculars to turn and face them.
"Anything?" he asked.
His son looked back at him. Almost a man now; young, still, but almost a man. When had that happened?
"Nothing of her biosignature," Will said. "I've got the robot's scanners as sensitive as I can get them."
The Robot spoke then. "There are several billion harmless local microbes on your boots, Will Robinson."
John nodded. "Anything else?"
"Just the other biosignatures. I don't know what they are, but they don't look native. I've got the start of a trail."
"Barometric pressure has just dropped 0.002 percent, Will Robinson."
"Which way?" John asked.
Will pointed with his finger in the direction of a nearby set of hills, instructed the Robot to lead the way. They made good progress for a while.
And in that while, they found the small cave.