Last week, as you recall, Dr. Smith and Will devoured a native plant that brought illness to the crew of the Jupiter 2. Frightened and alone, Maureen Robinson prayed that she would discover the cure as her loved ones fought for their lives.
Chapter 1
After allowing her to finish her tea, the Robot rolled up to the galley table and gave Maureen the closest thing he could to a hug by extending his arms around her shoulders.
"Do not despair, Mrs. Robinson. All of the ill members of your family continue to fight the infection. I will monitor their symptoms while you work in the lab this evening."
"Thank you, Robot. I will need your help. I'm going to collect blood and cell samples from our patients. Please check that the force field is working properly and stay alert for any intruders until I'm done."
"Affirmative, Mrs. Robinson."
Maureen returned to the lab with the vials of blood and slides of skin cells. Her last task was to collect samples from Don and Judy's coughs, but she heard the Robot's blaring warning signal, so she grabbed a laser rifle and rushed outside.
Beyond the force field was a large beast standing on its hind legs. It was growling in rage as its front paws were shocked by the electricity of the field every time it tried to approach the ship.
"What should we do?" she asked the robot.
"The force field is effective, Mrs. Robinson. The creature should leave the area when it realizes that it cannot venture past that point. I suggest that we continue to work in the lab at the present time."
"I guess you're right. Attacking this beast won't help me find a solution to the illnesses."
They returned to the ship and closed the hatch for the night. Maureen put the angry wailing of the monster out of her mind while she returned to Judy's room to complete her collection.
Both of the patients were awake, and gazing at each other, but, other than the coughing, barely moved. Maureen helped Judy struggle to a seated position and had her cough into a Petri dish that held a microscope slide. After helping her settle back onto the bed, she turned her attention to Don and collected his specimen.
Before she put the mask back on him, he whispered, "John?"
"He's resting. Just worry about yourself," Maureen replied as she glanced over at her daughter, "And Judy." She didn't want to lie to him and tell him that John was fine, but she also didn't want to worry him. She would do more than enough worrying for all of them.
Maureen and the Robot entered the lab area, and Maureen spoke aloud as she studied the slides. She was comforted by the Robot's presence and was grateful for his emotional as well as intellectual support. More and more, she was thinking of the Robot as another family member rather than just a walking computer.
"Let's see what we have so far. Penny and John's blood samples are the only ones that contain the spores. The spore clumps in Penny's blood are surrounded by white corpuscles, but they haven't been able to destroy the spores."
"Affirmative, Mrs. Robinson, and there is an 84.7 percent probability that the fever is inhibiting the growth of more spores."
"The skin samples have the spores clumped together also, but they're only in the epidermis and haven't penetrated any deeper."
"It is my observation that the rash has stopped spreading on those who were initially infected."
"I suppose I should be thankful for that. Now for the mucous."
Maureen placed Judy's slide under the microscope and peered into the eyepiece. "Oh, no." She switched Judy's slide for Don's and saw the same result. "They don't have a simple respiratory infection. The spores have invaded both their lungs."
She placed the slides into their storage unit. Her movements were sure and quick, but belied what was in her heart. Finding the solutions that would cure all six of them was a monumental task and Maureen felt overwhelmed. The Robot sensed her fear and again offered comfort.
"You must rest for a few hours Mrs. Robinson. I will stand guard until you are refreshed and ready to pursue a cure."
Maureen nodded in agreement and left to comfort herself at her husband's side.
