Will awoke to the sound of his father's voice. "Will? Time to get up," the Professor whispered as he gently shook his son's shoulder.

Will yawned, rubbed his eyes, and then stretched. After a few moments, he remembered today was the day they were going to mine the ore deposits. In an instant, he was wide awake as the excitement of an adventure gave him a jolt of adrenaline. He sprang out of bed. "Ready to go," he whispered back.

"You might want to change your clothes," his father smiled.

Will smiled back sheepishly. "I'll be ready in a minute."

As the two Robinson males exited the Jupiter 2, Major West was busy packing the Chariot with supplies and equipment.

"Are we ready?" the Major inquired as he threw another bag into the vehicle.

"Yeah." The Professor rolled out a printed map the Robot had generated for them. The Major and Will gathered around the table and the Professor pointed out the location of the deposits and the course they'd take to get there. Once everyone was familiarized with the plan, the Professor rolled up the map. The three of them climbed into the Chariot and got under way.

When they reached the first deposit, the Professor delegated tasks to the small group. He and the Major would unpack the equipment while Will used a detector to pinpoint the materials they were looking for. After about twenty minutes of searching, the detector began to squawk and Will announced excitedly, "I found it!" The Professor and Major moved the laser drilling rig into position and began extracting the material from the ground.

With each new deposit they found, Will's optimism grew. They would build their deutronium refiner, finish repairing the Jupiter 2, go back for Doctor Smith, and hopefully find him alive.

Howling wind and pelting cold rain awoke Smith. He pulled his sleeping bag over his head, but the assault continued, soaking everything. Artemis pressed herself against Smith's chest, her head resting just under his chin. She was trying to avoid being soaked, though only managing slightly better than Smith. "I must build a proper shelter," he said, his voice muffled in the interior of the sleeping bag. Artemis mewed in agreement.

The two huddled and shivered against each other until the storm had passed. Smith peeled the sopping wet sleeping bag off of him to find that most of the roof of his lean-to had been blown off and scattered far and wide. He sighed heavily as he surveyed the camp, dreading all the manual labor ahead of him. He didn't know where to start first. Artemis growled and pulled on a corner of the sleeping bag, which was buried under the partially collapsed lean-to.

"You're right, my dear," he said. "Proper shelter is the first order of business."

As Smith started to salvage whatever material he could, he noticed a rumbling in the distance. His first thought was the hope that he wouldn't be doused with another downpour, especially now that his shelter was decimated. He looked to the sky and, though cloudy, there didn't seem to be a threat of rain. Artemis meowed and caught his attention. She was staring off into the distance at a large flock of the iridescent pheasant-like creatures.

Heading south, Smith observed. For the winter? Then he caught sight of the source of the rumbling, a herd of elephantine creatures headed south as well. The thought of spending winter on this planet made him shudder, but he didn't have a choice. All he had was the clothes he was wearing, his jacket, and his sleeping bag, none of which would help him if temperatures dipped below freezing. He pondered for a moment if he should migrate south as well, but he had little food, no hope of traveling as far or as fast as the animals, and he had Artemis to look after, who wasn't quite fully grown yet. He was stuck there, but he also felt a need to stay there, fueled by the slimmest of hopes that the Robinsons had survived and would come back for him.

Smith didn't have much time. As he rattled off a list of things he had to do, his only audience perked up her ears and listened.

"Food and water must be stored. I'll need to stockpile a lot more wood than this if we're to stay warm all winter," he gestured to his fairly sizable stack of dried wood. "But how long will winter here last? Then there's the matter of constructing a sturdier dwelling. And I'll need warmer clothing."

He sat down on a nearby rock as panic started to seize him. He'd kept the hide of the small rabbit creature, but that would barely cover one foot. He'd need more, and a way to stitch them together. If Smith thought he had been doing well surviving on this planet, he suddenly felt otherwise as the weight of his situation bore down on him. He knew he was about to be tested as he'd never been before. A soft meow from Artemis broke him out of his thoughts and he looked at her. She pawed at the buried sleeping bag.

"Right," Smith replied. "I'll start with shelter. I'm afraid, my dear, that we'll have to move."

The doctor began packing his belongings. Smith looked at the pile of wood and decided he'd have to leave it behind, or come back for it, depending on how far they'd have to move. He hoped he could find a cave that didn't already have an occupant, but barring that, he'd have to build something. A log cabin? he brought a hand to his lower back just imagining what the manual labor involved would do to him. It would be no easy task to fell that many trees without an axe. No, a log cabin wouldn't work. Brick? There was plenty of grass from the prairie and plenty of mud, clay, water, sand... Yes, brick might work.

Smith hefted the heaviest pack onto his back and carried the other one. Artemis stuck close to his side as they made their way to higher ground. They explored a few caves, but they were either too small, too open to the elements, occupied by something they didn't want to roust out, or a combination of the three.

It was late afternoon. Smith knew he had to set up camp soon and gather firewood to stay warm. He set the packs down and rested for a moment. Artemis continued on, apparently following her nose.

"Artemis, dear, don't stray too far," Smith admonished, but the cat did not listen to him.

Smith picked up the packs once more and followed her, imploring her not to stray. "Artemis, I have to set up camp. I don't have time for games." Annoyance was creeping into the doctor's voice. But she continued on.

Up ahead, he could see the apparent object of Artemis' curiosity, another cave. It wasn't that much farther, so he followed his charge up the slope to check it out. He felt it as he neared the opening, heat. Cautiously, he entered, having to bend slightly to avoid hitting his head. There was enough light left at that hour that he could still see inside.

The cave wasn't large, perhaps forty feet to the back, he guessed. There was a small opening in the roof of the cave, near the back, that provided some light and a natural vent for any fires. Aside from it and the entrance, there was no other opening, making it easily defensible against unwanted visitors. The cave was invitingly warm, which meant there might already be other creatures there wanting to take advantage of its warmth. He gripped his spear tightly and went further into the cave. Near the back, the floor sloped downward and with the light from the roof opening, he could see the source of the heat, crystal clear hot springs.

Astonishingly, there were no animals in the cave. Smith dropped his belongings and kneeled down. He cupped his hands and, hesitantly, submerged them in the pool of spring water. It was hot, but not unbearably so. He brought his cupped hands to his lips and took a sip. The water seemed potable, there seemed to be no dangerous gases escaping from the springs. No signs of any recent flooding. No signs of animal activity. It seemed safe. Artemis joined him and lapped from the pool. Smith was not a religious man, but he offered up a small prayer of thanks for this seemingly miraculous find. "Salvation," he whispered. Artemis mewed in agreement.

Smith left his belongings in the cave, with the exception of the spear, which he carried, the knife which was strapped to his thigh, and an empty pack to haul the firewood he found. Artemis stayed behind to defend their new home from any interlopers. Smith made several trips, stockpiling more wood than he'd need for one night. He then gathered rocks to pile at the entrance, to reduce the size of the opening. He had no desire to share his new home.

In the morning, he would start the task of making bricks. He planned to build a small semi-permanent structure in front of the entrance with a door to restrict access to and from the cave. The cave would be far too warm in summer, so that structure could serve as his living quarters then, with windows and shutters, to allow breezes to cool it. Yes, this would do nicely, he thought. His hope was renewed.

Smith built a fire, filled the cooking pot the Robinsons had left him with water from the hot spring, and set it directly atop the flames. In it, he tossed the two carcasses from their meal the night before. When the pot came to a boil, he removed it from the fire and with his knife, fished the carcasses out. Whatever meat that had clung to the carcasses before had fallen off the bones and had contributed to a decent soup, if the aroma was any indication. He let the steaming soup cool a little before pouring it into two of the small plastic containers the Robinsons had also gifted him. He set one down before Artemis and then picked up his own. It wasn't as satisfying as their meal the night before, but it would do.