Last week, as you recall, the Robinson men and women were taken captive by a woman of the Kondor nation who needed to prepare the planet for the settlement of a colony of female warriors. The men were enslaved and put to work in building a purifying arch. The women, however, were not prisoners, but were given an extensive education of the superiority of the female over the male. The males were able to destroy the arch and thwart the planned colony. While repairing the electrical system of the Jupiter, the Robinson camp was left with no power, thanks to the inept help of Dr. Smith. The Robot, his power draining and no power to recharge him, left the camp and grew to an enormous size. Will and Dr. Smith were able to save the Robot and he was back to normal. Now, with Professor and Mrs. Robinson away from camp for an excursion to a volcano, the Jupiter was under a barrage of firepower. An alien was planning to take over the camp, and aimed an electronic device shooting Dr. Smith with electrical energy…

The Phantom Family (Written by Peter Packer)

As Don checked the systems, he heard Dr. Smith scream. When Don came out, Dr. Smith was stiff and silent. A wrist-watch like device was attached to his arm. "Smith, you all right? It looks like you're an extra target of opportunity for that barrage that's been hitting us." Dr. Smith said nothing and walked mechanically into the Jupiter.

Penny and Judy walked by Dr. Smith as he entered the ship. Penny asked Don if Dr. Smith was hurt, and Don replied that he didn't think so. "Oh, poor Dr. Smith," Judy stated, "He's the first one they softened up, I guess."

Don sighed and thought, 'Poor Dr. Smith… again…'He kept that thought to himself and said, "Yeah. Well, whatever it is they're softening us up for, we're letting them know it isn't going to work. First thing tomorrow we start straightening things up around here." He glanced at the girls and went into the ship.

Judy turned to Penny and said, "Well, I hope they get the message." They walked up the ramp and Don closed the hatch. "Will?" Judy called. "It's time to get ready for bed."

Will came up the ladder and was already in his pajamas. "Did any of you notice anything weird about Dr. Smith?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" Judy replied.

"He walked into the ship like he didn't know where he was. I asked him if he was okay and he didn't say anything. He just looked around like he was lost or something."

"We think he's been upset by the bombings, Will. I hope he'll be okay."

"I'm sure once he gets some food and sleep, he'll be fine," Don said. "Where is he, raiding the galley?"

"No," Will replied. "I brought him to the elevator and into his room. It was like he was shell-shocked. He just stood there, so I closed the door behind him and got ready for bed."

"Maybe he's developing Post Traumatic Stress?" Judy asked.

"More like Post Traumatic Laziness. We have a lot to do tomorrow to get the camp back in shape. You kids need to get your rest," Don ordered.

"I am tired. Good-night," Penny said, and she went to the elevator.

"I was just going to get some milk. Is that ok?" Will asked.

"Of course," Judy answered. "Go ahead. I'll be down in a little while."

"Don't stay up too late," Penny teased them before she pressed the button to go down. "Remember we have a lot of work to do tomorrow!"

Don and Judy watched them retreat to the lower level, and then Don turned and checked the systems one last time. Judy crossed her arms and walked up to him. "So… are you still angry with me?"

Don glanced at her, but didn't stop what he was doing. "What makes you think I'm angry?"

"You've barely spoken to me the last few days," she said.

"Well, as I recall, you're the one who walked away from our last conversation…"

"When I told you I wanted to marry you…"

Don froze. She had said that. "Despite my disregard for human life?" he asked.

He still hadn't looked at her. Judy shook her head and stared at the floor. "Oh… you're not angry… You're furious with me."

He turned to her, ready to do battle. "I don't appreciate being called… a… a barbarian by the woman I love!"

"I never called you a barbarian!"

"No, but you implied it…"

"I don't understand why you can take such good care of us, yet treat Dr. Smith so poorly!"

"He brings it on himself, Judy."

"I agree that he's a problem – a major problem – but that doesn't mean he's worthless, Don. He is still a human being and should be treated like one."

"If he would treat the rest of us half as well as he treats himself, maybe I would!" Don had had enough. "Turn out the lights when you come down. I'm going to bed." He stomped to the ladder and scurried down.

Judy fumed for a few more moments and wiped a tear from her eye. 'Why is it so difficult for us?' she asked herself.

While the Robot, Penny, Judy and Don were cleaning up camp, Will had run over to relay station number two and left a message for his parents. "Dad, when you play this back, I think you'd better return to camp. Everyone's okay so far, but for the last three nights we've been hit by some kind of electronic barrage. Don's taking good care of us, but I kind of feel that we need you and Mom here too…"

After Will shut down the relay station, the rock wall near the Jupiter opened up, and the red alien with the round ball pointed a long cannon type of device at the camp. Don was working on the force field unit, and the girls were nearby working in the garden. The alien pressed the ball and a thunderclap was heard. Don immediately turned to the girls as they screamed. He ran to them and put his arms around both of them, leading them back to the ship, but before they could make it, an invisible electronic beam shot towards them and they absorbed its negative energy, just as Dr. Smith had done the night before. The three of them fell to the ground, and the same band Dr. Smith wore appeared on their wrists. Then the alien walked into camp wearing a mechanical device around his neck. First Judy, then Don, then Penny appeared next to him.

The force of the electronic energy reached the relay station and Will collapsed on a rock, unconscious, but he was not in range of the beam. When he returned to camp, he found nothing unusual. Don continued to work on the force field unit and Penny was doing laundry. Will spoke to Penny, but she never answered him. Then he went to Don and said, "You know, Don, I was sure that the barrage hit in this area, but before I could do anything, I got knocked out. Hey, you're not even listening to me, just like Penny. Oh, I know what it is. I shouldn't have gone to the transmission station without asking permission. Well, I'm sorry. I guess I do deserve the silent treatment for a little while." Will sighed and went into the ship.

After Will left, Don stood up stiffly and his wrist band whirred. He spoke into it and said, "It is their force field energizer."

Will found Judy in the galley stirring something in a large bowl. She didn't acknowledge him when he entered and greeted her. "I guess you're giving me the silent treatment too," he said. "Oh, please, say something to me, Judy. Gosh, you're acting like you don't even know who I am. I told Don I was sorry." She didn't reply, so he said, "Let's forget it. I'm hungry. What's for dinner?" Will hit the buttons and a large pot came out on the conveyor belt. "Smells like chicken," he said as he reached to lift the lid off the pot, but dropped it in pain. "Ow! It's hot!" he exclaimed. Judy robotically reached out and lifted the pot with her hand. "Holy cow! Didn't that burn your fingers?" he asked her, but she didn't react. Will took a fork and brought out a blackened piece of chicken. "I hope you don't expect me to eat this," he told her.

"When food is prepared it must be eaten," Judy stated without looking at him and returned to her stirring.

"This must be some kind of a joke. Sure, that's what it is, a joke. Yeah. Penny acting kooky, then Don giving me the business, and now you. Well, I didn't do anything that bad." He looked at the chicken and added, "Anyway, nothing's bad enough to deserve this."

"You talk a great deal for one so young."

"Yeah? Well, if you don't like it maybe I just won't talk at all till you're ready to come around." He walked away from Judy and ran into Dr. Smith. He called to him and said, "Maybe you can tell me what this is all about." Dr. Smith clicked his tongue and Will said, "I've had enough of this. I'll come back when the joke's over."

"Dear Joan,

Penny, Don, Dr. Smith and I were frozen… by an alien. Will was the only one who escaped the alien's grip. Even the Robot was disabled when he was attacked by an electrical charge. Will said that we were duplicated as humanoids. The alien, who was named Lemnoc, told Will that his people were dying out because they had lost the will to survive. He observed us to be strong survivors, so he planned to send our duplicates to his planet as models of survival, I guess.

Will tried to get the alien to let us out, but he couldn't because, if the duplicates faced us, they would be turned to cosmic dust. The alien made a deal with Will that, if he taught the humanoids how to act exactly like us within twenty-four hours, he would let us go. If Will wasn't successful, we would have died! We couldn't live longer than twenty-four hours in the freezing tubes. At least the alien repaired the Robot so that it could help Will. They must have done a good job because our duplicates were sent to Lemnoc's planet, well, all of them except Dr. Smith's. Dr. Smith is still frozen and Dad and Don have gone to Lemnoc to try to get him back."

After returning to the Jupiter without Dr. Smith, who was still in cryogenic suspension, John informed Will that Lemnoc would free Dr. Smith in return for the Jupiter, which would be flown to his planet by Dr. Smith's duplicate as a symbol of survival. John could not agree to those terms. "So you see, son, it was a question of our survival or Smith's. There was nothing we could do. Come on. Let's turn in."

"I think I'll stay out here for a while, Dad," Will said.

"All right. Don't be too long, though."

When the adults reentered the Jupiter, Don glanced at Judy, but didn't say a word as he put their weapons away. Judy watched him retreat down the ladder and didn't try to follow him. "Is everything okay, Judy?" John asked.

"Everything's fine," Judy replied as she crossed her arms and looked away.

"You know, I could use a cup of coffee. Let's go outside and catch up on what went on while we were away," Maureen suggested.

Coffee was ready in five minutes and Maureen, Judy and Penny sat down to have a snack and John soon followed. "Isn't Don going to join us?" John asked.

"I… I don't think so, Dad," Judy said.

"Judy, are you and Don all right?"

She sighed. "Oh, we're… we're…" She gripped her cup, not knowing what to say.

"Judy… Did something happen while we were away?" Maureen asked.

"No…"

"They had a fight, Mom," Penny explained. "Judy was mad at Don again, you know, about how he treats Dr. Smith, and then Don got mad at Judy for being mad at him…"

"… And Don's been acting like a jerk," Don said as he came up behind them.

"Aren't you the one who told Lemnoc that we still wanted Dr. Smith back?" John asked him.

He shrugged. "Speaking of Smith, the duplicate Smith isn't downstairs," Don said.

"Maybe he's with Will?"

"No, I checked and Will was alone in his room."

"Go get him, Don. Smith's duplicate might be up to something. We've got to find him," John stated.

Will came to the table with Don and his father asked him about Smith's duplicate.

"I don't know where he is, Dad. We had a quarrel and I insulted him. It doesn't matter now, does it?" Will asked.

Dr. Smith then came sauntering into camp singing, "I've been working on the railroad. Ah, my dear friends, how glad I am to see you," Dr. Smith stated. "Now, please excuse me. I must be off about my business."

Will grabbed his wrist to hold him back. "Wait a minute," he said.

"What are you doing?" Dr. Smith asked.

"It's Dr. Smith, all right," Will announced.

"Are you sure?" Maureen asked while John and Don stood smiling behind her.

"Of course, I'm Dr. Smith. Who did you think I was, some sort of unreasonable facsimile?" Dr. Smith stated.

"Well it could happen," Maureen said.

"Yes, but for once, I must say, we're all delighted to see you," John told Dr. Smith.

"Indeed, and so you should be," Dr. Smith pompously stated.

The Robot said what was probably on Don's mind. "There have been moments when I prefer the other Dr. Smith. He was nice and polite."

John looked at Judy as the Robot spoke, hoping she saw that Don wasn't the only one with mixed feelings for Dr. Smith.

Dr. Smith was indignant and said, "Other Dr. Smith? Well, that's impossible, you ludicrous lump. There can only be one Dr. Zachary Smith, and I am he. I seem to have caught a bit of a chill tonight. A warm shower and cup of soup would do nicely." He bowed to Maureen. That statement garnered a chuckle from the rest of the group. "Now I must be off. Madam?"

"Yes, Dr. Smith," Maureen condescendingly stated, "I'll make you some soup while you shower." Will followed Dr. Smith inside, telling him about what had happened while he had been frozen. Maureen picked up the coffee pot. "Come on, girls, it's time for bed," she said.

"I'm not quite ready, yet, mother. I'll clean up. You go ahead and make Dr. Smith's soup," Judy suggested.

"Thank you, Judy."

"I'll help you with that soup," John stated as he followed Penny and Maureen inside the Jupiter.

Don stood with his hands in his back pockets and watched them leave. "I guess that's our cue," he said.

"Our cue?" Judy asked.

"Yeah – our, uh, cue to talk."

"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Sure," he replied and he sat across from her. "Thanks."

"I promise not to walk away this time, Don."

Don didn't reply to that. He sipped at his coffee and wasn't sure where to start because nothing had really changed.

"Did you really say that you wanted Dr. Smith back?" Judy asked him.

"Yeah… I did."

"But… Don… why didn't you free him from the cryogenic tube when Lemnoc released us?"

"Because only Lemnoc could work the controls with that device that hung around his neck."

"How did you know that? You didn't even try."

Don felt the warmth of his cup. Did she still have so little faith in him? "Judy, Lemnoc had let me out of the tube earlier. He knew I was the pilot and offered me a deal. He'd give me my freedom if I would teach his people how to fly the Jupiter, but he wouldn't agree to free you and Penny. He couldn't believe it, but I told him that I couldn't accept the deal on his terms."

"So you didn't take the deal because of us?"

Don reached across the table and took her hand. "Judy… I couldn't… I couldn't live with myself if I had… I wouldn't have wanted to survive without you."

She stood and walked around the table to him. He took her into his lap and held her. Her lips found his… "You know, this is the first kiss we've had since Dr. Smith destroyed the electrical system."

"Yeah… it has been awhile hasn't it? I think I need to put my head aside and start thinking with… my other brain…" He kissed her again.

Judy giggled. "I think your 'other' brain is working too well…"

"That's what happens when we don't get interrupted every two seconds." He reached for her lips one more time when John called from the hatch. "Don, Judy… time to close up the hatch…"

Don almost cursed under his breath. "You go ahead, Judy… I need to give my 'other' brain some time to, uh, cool off…"

"All right." Before she stood, she held his face in her hands. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but a second call from her father stopped her. She kissed him quickly and hopped off his lap, gathering the cups and coffee pot.

"Tell your father that I'll lock up," he said. She nodded, gave him one last longing look, and then went inside.

The next day, Dr. Smith was working on an elaborate chemistry experiment. He had a table set up with beakers and flasks and Bunsen burners. Penny bounced out of the ship, Don and her father behind her.

"How is your experiment coming along, Dr. Smith?" Penny asked.

"Quite nicely, my dear. Success is almost within my grasp," he replied.

Don picked up a bottle of formula. "What are you trying to make here, Doctor," he asked as he smelled the liquid, "a new kind of chicken soup?"

"Spare me the feeble jokes, Major. They are typical of your crude humor. However, if you must know, I have invented a new type of rocket fuel for the Jupiter 2."

"Really?" John said. "Well, we could sure use it, but without deutronium it can't work. And we don't have any."

"There is enough deutronium here to get us to Earth and back, if necessary."

"I've never seen it in liquid form before."

"A scientific breakthrough of my own, Professor."

"Discovered with the help of his brilliant assistant," the Robot added.

"Silence, you bungler. Yes. I have accomplished the impossible. I have discovered a way to get us off this unhappy and unhealthy planet."

Don couldn't take much more of his pronouncements. "Dr. Smith, uh, before we go placing a laurel wreath upon your noble brow – I've got a question."

"You always have, Major."

"Well, we've been trying for months to get off of this planet. Why didn't you dream up this rocket fuel before?"

"The answer is quite simple. I had not yet reached the depths of despair. When a man is driven to the limits of his endurance he must act or perish."

"When will your experiment be completed, Dr. Smith?" Penny asked.

"One final, simple step, and I am ready."

Don couldn't keep his mouth closed. "This I've got to see."

"Now then, we are ready to test our new fuel formula. I will add the liquid deutronium to this engine." Dr. Smith poured the liquid in and… nothing happened…

"Well, it seems that your experiment isn't working, Doctor," John commented. Dr. Smith poured the rest of the liquid into the container…

Penny's eyes grew wide with fear. "Look!" she exclaimed. Dark smoke poured out of the engine.

The Robot announced, "Warning! Extreme danger! Explosion imminent!"

"No, it can't be!" Dr. Smith screamed.

"Everybody, run!" John shouted.

The Mechanical Men (Written by Barney Slater)

As John, Penny and Don picked themselves up and brushed the sand off their clothes, John admonished him, "You could have killed us all." Dr. Smith apologized and defended himself, saying that he surely was not responsible for the explosion and that a minor change in the formula was all that was needed. Dr. Smith left their presence in a huff, mumbling to himself about how his genius was not appreciated. Exhausted, he lay down on the ground for a brief nap. When he awoke, he was chained to a palate and surrounded by tiny replicas of the Robot.

"Dear Joan,

Well, Dr. Smith has done it again. He caused an explosion when he was trying to develop a new type of rocket fuel. Dad was furious with him, so Dr. Smith left and is staying away from camp… Mom said he's like a spoiled child. Dad and Don went out to look for him and they said that he was following them, but wouldn't come when they called him. Then the force field unit exploded. Then it was the weather station. Don insisted that Dr. Smith must have damaged both to prove a point, but I'm not so sure…"

As Maureen and Judy was setting the table for lunch, Judy felt as if they were being watched and Maureen agreed, but shook off their fears. As they called the family to lunch, Judy spotted a parade of… "Little mechanical men!"

As the family came out of the Jupiter, a purple mechanical man approached on a moving pedestal.

The purple leader explained that they were from the planet Industro. "You have a mechanical man in your possession. You will release him from bondage." It did not accept John's explanation that the Robot was not a slave. "For ten thousand years, the mechanical men have know that someday a great warrior would appear to lead them to power and glory. That time has now arrived."

John was not about to give up the Robot to them, but the mechanical men proved their powers. One of the many mechanical men came forward holding a small, black briefcase type of apparatus and tossed it at a tree. It exploded and cut the tree in half. The purple robot also warned them that he held Dr. Smith as a prisoner and that he would not be returned until the Robot was released to them. Don summarized, "They'll return Smith, but we give up the Robot. Personally, I think we're getting the worst of the deal."

"Dear Joan,

We've lost our Robot. We were visited by hundreds of little mechanical men holding bombs and they demanded that our Robot join them as their leader. He decided that he had to follow his destiny and be with his own kind. He hoped he could be a good leader for them. It turns out that he was too just and compassionate for them, so they switched his personality with Dr. Smith's! Dr. Smith came back talking and acting like the Robot in his own body, while our robot had Dr. Smith's voice and bad character traits. That was the kind of leader they wanted.

Don, though, has been taking advantage of the situation and working poor Dr. Smith's body to death! I tried to talk to him about it, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted that working wouldn't hurt Dr. Smith at all, and he kept saying, 'and think of the pleasure I'll get.'Oh, I just get so angry at him when he acts so callous towards Dr. Smith. The poor man! His back will never recover."

John held a family meeting to discuss their latest predicament. He had been given an ultimatum by the Smith-like Robot. Give up the Jupiter peaceably, or be invaded by thousands of little mechanical men carrying perilous bombs. The Jupiter was needed for the Smith-Robot leader to voyage to their planet of Industro. John didn't think they had any choice. The family supported his decision and prepared to take essential components out of the Jupiter so that they could establish a life-long camp.

Penny lamented, "You know, I never would've believed our own Robot would turn against us."

"He's not really our robot now, Penny," Don stated. "I don't know what he is."

"Probably just a combination of all the base instincts hidden in Smith's subconscious mind," John theorized.

After they scattered to attend to their duties, Don approached Judy. "Are you still thinking, 'Poor Dr. Smith' now?"

"Oh, Don, you know he was forced into this. It wasn't his fault," she replied.

"What is it with you and Smith? Why can't you see past his 'poor me' attitude?"

"…Maybe for the same reason that you can't see past his faults. He's really not a bad person, Don."

"Sure… he's just becoming another Sadam Hussein… I'd like to hear your opinion after we run out of fuel for the heating units…" He stomped off.

She fumed inside. "I hate it when you're so arrogant!" she called after him.

"Dear Joan,

Well, we survived our latest crisis. The mechanical men actually attacked us, but Dad shot the Robot with his laser rifle and Dr. Smith collapsed. The mechanical men retreated. I guess without their leader, they couldn't carry on with their plan. Somehow, Dr. Smith and the Robot returned to normal. When I went outside I overheard Dad say that he wouldn't have Dr. Smith any other way than his old, mean, cunning, conniving self… and Don agreed with him! Maybe he's not so arrogant after all."

Don walked up behind Judy as she was talking into her tape recorder. She turned in surprise as he said, "Yesterday I'm arrogant and today I'm not? Man, that Niolani character really confused you…"

"Come on, Don, this has nothing to do with Niolani. You redeemed yourself when you said that you like Dr. Smith just the way he is," she replied.

He rolled his eyes. "So your feelings for me depend how I'm feeling about Smith? We're in for one rocky relationship."

She turned away from him and tucked her microphone back into it's compartment on the tape recorder. "It already has been rocky."

Don looked up at the sky. "It doesn't have to be, you know." He waited for her reaction, but none came. He was ready to walk away when she turned to him again.

"Don… I…" She stopped.

"You… what?"

"I… I love you no matter how you feel about Smith… It's just… I just wish you weren't so hard on him."

He took a step closer to her. "You… love me?"

"Of course... You know that."

He bit his lower lip. "Well… I thought I knew it… but you never said it before."

"Of course I did."

"When?" he challenged her.

"I, uh… well, when… well, maybe not in those exact words…" she stammered.

He leaned in and closed the distance between their lips. "You love me," he whispered and then touched his lips to hers. Her arms went around his neck and he drew her into an embrace.

Someone cleared his or her throat at the hatch before descending. Don and Judy broke apart to find John walking down the ramp with Maureen next to him. "I'll only be away a couple of days at the relay station, Don. I'd like you and Will to keep working the mining operations."

"Sure, John… no problem…" he replied.

John gave Judy a hug and whispered in her ear. "Now, don't distract him too much."

"Oh, Daddy," she replied.

John gave Will and Penny their last hugs and gave his wife a good-bye kiss. He climbed into the chariot and was on his way.

Don turned to Will. "How about if you and Dr. Smith take drill site number two and I'll take three."

Judy took his arm. "Would you like me to come along and help?"

He grinned and took her hand. "Let's go."

Judy and Don were working at the drill site when a thunderclap was heard overhead. They cleaned up the area and went to get Will and Dr. Smith to return to the ship. He didn't want any of them caught outside during an electric storm, however, Will and Dr. Smith had taken shelter in a cave. The Robot waited for them outside as the storm caused an avalanche of rocks to close up the opening…

To be continued…

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