Will inputted the command to the uniform synthesizer a couple of times until a dozen so uniforms were steaming and ready to be worn. Will handed the uniforms one by one to the crew all except for Smith who had changed into the uniform that had aged well over the last dozen so years in storage. Smith played with his fingers looking out the window as the planet came closer to him in view with a tremble and a lump in his throat. He returned into the cabin then came back out in his regular dark clothing holding his clothing in his hands. Smith set the clothing on to the counter then Will entered and closed the cabin door behind him.
"Doctor Smith, why don't you change into your uniform?" Will asked.
Smith lifted himself up with a frown then smiled, kindly.
"Because that is not who I am anymore, William." Smith replied.
Will was amused as he grew a smile.
"What does it represent to you now?" Will asked.
Smith gave it some thought.
"A very greedy, selfish, and arrogant lonely man." Smith said.
Will folded his arms with a snort.
"Aren't you still the same greedy and selfish old man?" Will lifted a brow.
"Not anymore. I am not alone." Smith shook his head, bittersweetly, with a small smile. "Never have been since the Jupiter 2 welcomed me aboard."
"So, do you feel ready?" Will asked. "To face all those people again?"
"To savor the taste of civilization, why. . ." Smith held the nod back for a moment then did it. "I do."
"We have had close calls to Earth." Will said.
Smith scowled with a glare toward the older captain.
"Earth like planets, my dear boy!" Smith replied. "But never OUR planet."
"But, this time it is." Will grinned.
"What is your plan, William?" Smith lifted a brow.
"My plan . . . " Will leaned against the frame. "Change engines with the other Jupiter 2, hand over our fuel, and send Robot's navigation model in during the flight."
"Our modified engines?" he pointed back and forth.
"Yes." Will confirmed.
"What happens to the Jupiter 2 then?" Smith's brows knitted together,
"She will become a museum piece." Will assumed.
"A bit incorrect piece." Smith looked toward the younger man.
"Yeah, incorrect."
"William, how about I go?" Smith's comment drew alarm from the younger man.
"Doctor Smith-"
"The Jupiter 2 MUST launch!" Smith insisted.
"But not with you being alone!"
"The ship has only what-three cabins?"
"Three is more than enough-"
"No, your children WILL NOT be living another day of their lives watching their relatives rest!" Smith roared. "No! NO! That is enough of space for them! NOT AGAIN! Your mother, father, and siblings signed up for this, your family didn't." His voice came back as a sharp and furious hiss in the bitter reminder. "I won't lead the Robinsons to their doom a SECOND time!"
The roar sunk into the air.
"And don't you dare say you could go with me." Smith finished, harshly, on the issue. "You and I know both know that you cannot spend your entire life in space and with shadows of what you once had."
The elderly man was trembling, heartbroken himself at what he had to remind, his features softening.
"It wouldn't be fair to you." Smith went on to say. "The professor would try to reunite you with your family and there would be sweet failures that would break what little that is of your heart."
It was quiet between them as Will pouted then sighed and hung his head in defeat for a long moment.
"Robot can do it." Will said, finally, ending the silence as he lifted his head up.
"She must evade the route that dooms her," Smith reminded. "Robot is capable of malfunctioning and/or being sabotaged!"
"Robot is very advanced compared to most machines." Will said.
"And easy to sabotage." Smith's thin frown only deepened. "Do you not recall all those messes I had to get you out of?"
"I do but it was under very different circumstance." He paced back and forth across from the older man. "Nobody would disobey the galactic prime directive in this corner of space." he gestured toward the cabin door. "Robot can hardly be manipulated by the dancing women."
Smith's deepened frown only deepened further.
"This time, I know how to operate the console." Smith kept arguing on to the subject. "I CAN change the route to Alpha Centauri." he gestured toward the portrait of the supposed system alongside him on the board across from the bed. "Robot and I have checked the onboard star charts for our system and have found a safer route." he set his hands into his lap then became somber. "I have one year left, William! One year left before I go and I want to spend it on my own time."
"Not in a hospital bed recovering from surgery to tend to my ailment, not being attempted to be murdered by the people who hired me, not having to go back into space to evade authorities and my troubles. I want to spend that year preventing the demise of your family. I have had my time." Smith uncradled his hand then gestured toward his chest then toward the younger man. "You and your family have not."
"But alone?" Will asked, heartbroken.
"If it makes you happy then I can take Gale along." Smith said. "He is . . . a bit immortal. But, he can't go with me."
"I know what he is." Will admitted as Smith's eyes flashed open. "I have known since for the last nineteen years. But, taking Robot? That would make it a lot better letting you go."
"My dear captain, this is your life. Your command." Smith approached the younger man. "Your family. You will be fast asleep joining them in a few years. And there can't be two Robots in the same ship, you know that. He will return to his own time soon as he boards the ship."
"I don't want to let you go." Will's voice fell softer.
"Will . . . there is a younger version of me down there." Smith sighed, painfully, feeling his own heart break. "I want you to fight for him. He can live longer."
"He wouldn't be you." Will reminded.
"Right now, as the ship is preparing to land, he will be me." Smith said.
"But our presence is breaking the time loop, Doctor Smith." Will pointed out. "We never came here the first time around so. . . it's over. There is no time loop."
"Gratitude, owe, and debts mean a lot to certain people." Smith put a hand on Will's shoulder. "It's time we made our good-byes, however badly that we don't want to say good-bye."
"What are you going to do on your last hour on the Jupiter 2?" Will asked.
"Have some morphine to ease the passing, my dear boy." Smith said, softly. "I need our spare morphine with me before I go to the other Jupiter 2."
Will looked aside, wincing, at the implication.
"You will get it." Will turned his attention upon the elderly man. "I am . . . I am. . . I am going to miss you."
"So will I." Smith agreed. "Ready to wreck what I made?"
Will grinned.
"Any day!"
Smith beamed back at the younger man.
"Then let's go break a time loop for old times sake, my dear boy!"
"Right!"
Will slid the door open then they exited the cabin and Smith closed the door behind him. They turned to face the waiting family dressed in their civilian uniforms that had been generated by the synthesizer. Their uniforms were clean, new, and bright instead of dull from their long travel in space. The family were visibly excited as they were staring out the window of the Jupiter 2 with their back to the duo. The planet was up close more than it had been in recent hours. Will cleared his throat then coughed into his fist, loudly, drawing the attention of the family.
"I have a announcement to make." Will said. "Doctor Smith is leaving with the Jupiter 2 to make sure your aunts and grandparents make it to Gamma."
"But father, Doctor Smith!" Rose protested. "He-you have one year left! You will die and decompose all alone on that ship and they will find you as a mummy!"
"I realize that, my dear girl." Smith replied with a wince upon the unhappy children. "I have already carefully thought it over. . . and decided a plan to deal with that little matter."
"It is his decision, Rose." Will said. "The Jupiter 2 needs some guidance in her first year so Robot and Doctor Smith are going there. Robot will take care of. . ."
"Filling the Jupiter 2 of the necessities such as food and all the books that has been recommended for Doctor Smith to read," Robot replied.
"You will or may meet a old man but very young down there." Smith replied. "Please be kind to me as you were to me."
"So, we have to give him some passes." Will said. "And if it comes down to it; make sure he doesn't make it to the Jupiter 2."
"If we let him make it, then our future will happen and we don't want that." Mason surmised.
"Precisely." Will said.
"Negative, that is not necessary." Robot said. "I was the one who made sure the time loop continued to exist by giving a mean right hook," Robot waved his orange painted claw then his arm returned into his chassis. "I was quite aware it was a severe crime enough to bring him back."
"That was very unnecessary," Smith protested.
"Was too." Robot argued back.
"Was not!" Smith's eyes flashed open in a fit of rage.
"Was too!" Robot argued back.
"Was not!" Smith scowled.
"Was too and you came along just as I had anticipated." Then Robot let go of a mechanical aged laugh.
"Right now, it's time we made our good-byes." Will stopped Doctor Smith from continuing that conversation. "We have a little over ten minutes before we make our landing."
It was Rose who hugged Smith then it was Zachary, Rose, Mason, Vulet, Branca, and last of all Will was yanked into the group hug by Branca. Unexpectedly, Robot wrapped his arms around the crowd in the center of the residential deck. The group cried, silently. It was a long moment they were in the hug then in a small moment that ended all physical contact between them.
It was Will who's eyes were the most red while Smith's eyes were merely still full of tears compared to the younger man and the children were wiping away their tears. The elderly man's demeanor faded at the sorrow that he was inflicting upon the younger man. He shouldn't have to do this. But, it had to be done.
"Robot, get the additional morphine out." Will requested.
"Morphine?" Vulet asked.
"What do the Robinsons need with morphine that Alpha Control has?" Robot asked.
"It's for Doctor Smith's mission." Will said.
Robot's helm lowered.
"This is it." Robot acknowledged. "This is the beginning of the end."
"It's not the beginning of the end, Robot." Rose insisted.
"Doctor Smith will be leaving, Rose." Robot replied to Rose. "I cannot allow him to go alone and unprotected. And then I cannot leave you alone."
"Your younger self will be there." Will said. "Doctor Smith will reprogram him to protect him as well."
"My sensors feel better." Robot replied.
"Not even a insult for Robot, not even a distasteful comment about the end, no-" Mason was dumbstruck by the lack of words from the older man. "Are you all tuckered out, old man?"
"Says the man who has gone gray EARLY!" Smith exclaimed as Robot took out the additional morphine then clacked his claws and set the needle and morphine inside of it as the family laughed.
"EARLY?" Mason repeated. "Come on, this isn't stressful!"
"You have been living in the very definition of hell, my dear Mason." Smith replied. "And brought it upon the Robinsons time after time."
"Fine, fine," Mason folded his arms as the women patted along their head subconsciously afraid of having gone gray early and exchanged worried glances. "You're right."
With two words, "It's time to land." from Will, the family set about the crash couches and became comfortable. Robot waited in the center of the bridge as Smith looked on fondly toward the group then moved toward the chair at the auxiliary deck and buckled himself in. He watched as the atmosphere of the planet come closer. Smith grew a broad grin from ear to ear staring upon the familiar blue sky. The family cheered loudly as the Jupiter 2 flew into the atmosphere coming closer to the designated coordinates.
Lumps grew in the throats of Will and Smith observing the waiting Jupiter 2 below them for her maiden voyage with a platform that lead inside of her. Smith was quite distant for a moment as he watched the Jupiter 2 shrink in size as the present day Jupiter 2 proceeded to wail coming down to the landing pad beneath the Jupiter 2 that was on silver support beams. The Jupiter 2 landed on her landing legs. The family unbuckled from their chairs then made a bolt for the doorway. Will came to a pause then looked toward Smith.
"It's time we said good-bye." Will said as he pressed the button.
The family looked toward Smith.
"I'll start." Smith said. "Farewell."
"Good-bye, Zachary senior." Zachary said.
"Goodbye, Zachary junior." Smith said then watched Zachary descended down the stairs.
"Good-bye, godfather." Rose said with a small wave and Smith returned the small wave with a tiny smile.
"Good-bye! Take care of yourself! Make sure you eat right!" Branca and Vulet said as they descended down the stairs with a wave with their figures turned toward him waving their hands.
"Good-bye, old man." Mason said.
Gale came out of the doorway then paused and nodded toward them.
"Good-bye, Healer Smith." Gale held his hand out then Smith shook it.
"Farewell, my dear warrior." Smith said.
Then Gale descended as Smith turned toward Will.
"Good-bye, Doctor Smith." Will said as his heart felt as though it were cracking into pieces.
"This is not the end, William." Smith reminded. "My counterpart isn't leaving any time soon."
"But, he hasn't been through what we have." Will told the elderly man. "You are leaving. The one I know through and through. And. . . I don't know how I can go on without one of my best friends."
""You do have that ninny to remain by your side." Smith reminded the younger man. "Turn off the lights, please."
"I will." Will smiled, fondly, back at him.
Smith held his hand out without another word.
"If you happen to return home after you go, will you tell dad. . . mom. . . the others . . ." Will stumbled over a few of his worlds. "That I tried to come home to them?"
"I will. I will." Smith began to grow emotional. "However, I feel that they already know."
"Wherever they are." Will added, choking on his own feelings. "Whenever they are."
Smith smiled back heartbroken back at the captain then stretched his arms out.
"Another hug for your dear old Doctor Smith, please?"
Smith and Will exchanged one last tight hug that was delicate and careful. It was a short moment but one that was treasured by both parties. For Smith, he was hugging the child inside of the younger man. A child that he had failed to reunite with his parents and fulfill the mission. It was the biggest regret that he had. However that regret was going to be put to bed with the events of the night and the fact made him smile with his eyes closed.
They backed off with sniffles of their own and wiped their tears off. Smith wiped away the tears with his handkerchief then tucked them away into his pocket. Will smiled, turned away, then pressed two buttons. The inside of the ship darkened around him so Will descended down the stairs with a press of a button that closed the door. Smith sighed, heartbroken, then turned toward the machine.
"I am ready, Doctor Smith." Robot said as his grill glowed against the dark. "Let me help."
Smith smiled.
"And so, you shall, my dear bubble headed friend." Smith said.