Chapter 8
Professor Robinson set his daughter gently down on her bed. Mrs. Robinson immediately took up residence next to Penny, pressing a cold compress to her head and praying her injuries weren't severe.
Professor Robinson had tamped down his anger at Smith to focus on his daughter. He was somewhat relieved when she regained consciousness as he carried her into the ship, but he was concerned with her lack of memory of the preceding events. As he sat by her bedside, his hand sought his wife's and he held on dearly, drawing strength from her.
"I'm alright, dad," Penny said groggily.
"I think you have a concussion, dear," Maureen stated, while brushing a lock of hair from her daughter's face.
"What happened?" Penny inquired.
"Smith sabotaged the deutronium refiner. It exploded. If it wasn't for Kai shielding you…" the Professor paused to rein in his emotions. "I owe him a debt of gratitude for saving your life. And I owe Smith a little something too," he vowed bitterly.
Confusion washed over Penny's face. "Are you sure it wasn't just an accident? I can't imagine Doctor Smith would try to harm…"
"It was Smith alright. The Robot confirmed it," the Professor stated.
Penny couldn't grasp what her father was telling her. Smith had done a lot of bad things, but she couldn't imagine him trying to kill anyone, especially when she had been there in harm's way. The man who had once begged for her life at the expense of his own when she had accidentally been turned into platinum simply wouldn't hurt her. Would he?
In the galley, Judy was tending to Kai, cleaning and bandaging his cuts, while Don fumed about Smith. Will sat stunned, wanting to believe Doctor Smith had nothing to do with the explosion, but the testimony of the Robot and Smith's own admission of ill will was too damning to ignore.
"If I EVER see Smith's face around here again, I'll kill him!" Don vowed. Judy, who would normally try to calm the Major down, simply stood by, her face mirroring the conflict in her mind. She had defended the doctor many times, but now she wondered if he'd gone too far, done something she couldn't bring herself to defend.
Will spoke up, but his voice held little conviction. "Don, maybe Doctor Smith did it, but maybe he didn't mean to hurt anyone."
"Are you kidding me? Your sister is downstairs, injured by that maniac, and you still defend him?!" the Major growled.
Judy stood behind Will, hands on his shoulders, giving Don a glare that warned him not to take his anger out on her younger brother. The Major understood and took a deep breath and stepped back.
"I'm not defending him, Don," Will explained. "I'm just trying to understand this all. The refiner exploded. Even if we could find all the stuff we need to build another one, it could take years because we'd have to make it from scratch. And, all the deutronium that was near the refiner is gone. It caught fire in the explosion."
The Professor had caught the conversation as he entered the galley and added his own comments. "There isn't enough deutronium to leave this planet with everybody and get where we plan to go. Someone will have to be left behind. I think Penny was right. I don't believe it was Smith's intention to harm anyone. But forcing us to choose who to take with us, that I DO believe."
"And Smith was hoping we'd choose him over Kai," Judy added.
Kai didn't like where this conversation was going. He could see there was a chance these people might forgive the doctor, yet again. He would have to convince them that Smith was intent on harm. Now was not the time or place for that though. He had to tread lightly or he could end up banished like Doctor Smith. He would plan a few more surprises to convict the doctor in the minds of the Robinsons and secure his place on the ship at launch.
Smith sat sullen on a rock not half a mile from the Jupiter 2. He cycled through a myriad of emotions, confusion, shock, disbelief, anger. How could they believe he would purposely destroy the deutronium refiner, especially when Penny was nearby? He wanted off this planet and away from that alien as soon as possible. He wouldn't risk that by doing something as utterly stupid as destroying critical equipment. But the Robot had convinced the Robinsons he was guilty. The Robot had never lied before. Why would he lie now? It was then that the doctor had an epiphany. The Robot wouldn't lie unless someone had programmed him to. The one that stood to gain the most by his absence was Kai. The alien wanted off this planet as much as he did, to find his way home. The best way to do that was to get rid of the one person suspicious of him and secure a spot on the ship at launch.
Smith imagined Kai was relaxing in his cabin right now and it raised his ire more than the Major ever did. Unconsciously, Smith's hand squeezed tightly around the grip of the laser pistol at his side. He wanted to walk right back to the Jupiter 2 and shoot Kai right between the eyes. Such a rash act, however, would land him in even more difficulty than he was in at the moment. No, he'd have to be careful about this. He needed a plan.
"Will, you've barely touched your food," Mrs. Robinson said, breaking the boy from his quiet contemplation.
"Sorry, mom," he apologized. "I was just thinking…"
"About Doctor Smith?"
Will nodded solemnly. "He's out there with no food, no water, no shelter, no jacket." He wanted to say more, but his question "How will he survive?" went unasked. It didn't need to be. It was what everyone was thinking.
Mrs. Robinson was at a loss at how to respond. She looked to the Professor. She hoped that, like many times before, he'd relent and let the doctor come back to the ship. After all, nobody was seriously hurt and she was sure that she had seen sincere concern on Smith's face when he had discovered Penny was injured. But, she could tell from the expression on her husband's face, his mind was made up.
"Doctor Smith made his decision and now he has to face the consequences," the Professor stated coolly. Major West nodded assent. No one ventured to state any more opinions on the matter and the rest of the meal passed in awkward silence.
Night was falling and the temperature was dropping. Smith rubbed his arms vigorously with his hands in an attempt to warm himself, but he couldn't suppress the shiver which shook his whole body. He searched for a place to take shelter for the night and came across a small, rocky alcove that would suffice, as long as he could get a fire going. He gathered some dry branches for kindling and some larger branches for firewood, then used the laser pistol to start the fire. He was grateful he'd been able to keep that small luxury. He'd need it to survive until the Robinsons came to their senses and let him come back.
Smith was also grateful that this planet was turning out to be less barren and unforgiving than he previously thought. If it had been, he wouldn't have the firewood he needed to keep him warm. As he huddled near the fire, Smith's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he'd missed dinner by several hours. He wondered what culinary creation Mrs. Robinson had whipped up that evening. Sighing heavily, he decided the best way to keep his mind off his hunger was to go to sleep, but even that eluded him. He'd fall asleep for a short time only to wake up shivering or in response to the unfamiliar sounds of nature on this alien world.
After a few hours of this, Smith finally decided to give up on slumber. He made a makeshift torch and wandered about trying to find something edible to curb his hunger. He debated as to whether he should chance going near the Robinson's camp and ultimately decided he would. After all, he knew the food there was safe for him to eat. Though he knew there were areas nearby that had plenty of flora and fauna, he had no desire to test what was and wasn't edible unless he absolutely had to. Maybe Mrs. Robinson had taken pity on him and left some rolls or other food out for him. He could only hope.
Aboard the Jupiter 2, Kai relaxed in Smith's bed, waiting for the humans to fall asleep. When all was quiet, he slipped out of the cabin and made his way to the upper deck. He ordered the Robot to follow him as he headed toward the hydroponic garden. There, he ripped out a good number of the plants and destroyed the rest with a laser pistol.
"What are you doing?!" Smith cried. The garden was a major source of food for the family. What's more, it was a source of food for him. And the alien was destroying it.
Kai whirled around, aiming his pistol straight at Smith. Without hesitation, Smith dove behind a nearby boulder and took aim with his own pistol. The two adversaries exchanged fire, but Smith, with the benefit of solid cover, had the advantage. One of his shots caught the alien in the shoulder, sending him to the ground. Smith wanted to end everything right now with one more well-aimed laser shot, but knowing the Robinsons would most likely not believe his claims about Kai, he hesitated. The alien fired from the ground, hitting the rock just inches from Smith's head. The doctor quickly determined that revenge would have to wait until another time and beat a hasty retreat.
The confrontation made enough racket to wake the family. The men rushed from the ship with lasers ready. The Professor kneeled on the ground next to Kai, checking on him, while the Major went to investigate the perimeter.
"It was Smith," Kai stated. "I heard a noise, so I came outside to investigate. I found Smith stealing from the hydroponic garden. Once he'd taken what he wanted, he destroyed the rest."
The Professor stood to examine the wreckage of the garden. He picked through the charred remains and shook his head. There was next to nothing left. "I suppose you saw it too," he asked the Robot.
"Affirmative," the Robot replied. "It happened as Kai said."
The Professor clenched his jaw in an effort to control the rage he felt.
"There are fresh tracks behind that rock there," the Major tilted his head toward the boulder Smith had used as cover. "Smith was there, alright, but he's long gone." He glanced at the hydroponic garden. "How bad is it?"
"He got it all," the Professor replied. "We're going to have to keep the forcefield on."
"Let me track him down, John," Major West requested. "I'll make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."
The glare the Professor gave the Major squashed that idea immediately. Despite his anger at the doctor, the Professor would not condone what the Major had planned for Smith.
"We have to do something about him," the Major asserted. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know yet." He turned to address the Robot. "Robot, alert us if Doctor Smith comes around again. You have my permission to use your defensive circuits against him if you have to."
The Professor offered Kai a hand up. The alien clutched at his shoulder as the humans helped him back to the ship. The barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips. He was more than satisfied with the outcome of his deception.
Smith paced back and forth in front of the fire, hands clasped behind his back. He found himself in a worse predicament than before. He'd shot Kai, which only gave the alien more ammunition against him. Smith had no doubt he would be blamed for the destruction of the garden as well. Kai's accusations would be backed up by the testimony of the Robot, of course. He was losing them, losing his home of the past several years, he was losing everything he had left, and it made him angry.
