"Captain Bishop," Smith said, over the screams from behind him.
He was knelt down behind a bush. He looked over toward the chaos that was unfolding before his eyes. His colleagues were running for their lives, performing a evacuation of the survivors, and a few were doing what they did best when it came to preserving their own lives: shooting the hell out of the creatures. The loud, familiar blasts were coming from all around him. The artificial lighting in the domed city went out unexpectedly. Smith had a girly scream then clung on to the large, pointy branch. There were blue bolts that made the scene glow briefly then fade once hitting the intended target. The noisy, chirping grew frantic.
"Colonel Smith," Bishop said. "Are you okay?
"I am in need of some help," Smith said. "I am quite shaken. It is nothing that tea cannot take care of."
"Ah? Sorry about that," Bishop apologized. "I can't help you."
"You told me that you would help me!" Smith ran over to another bush as another creature came toward him.
"Colonel, Colonel," Bishop said. Smith had a girly scream bolting out of the way. He picked up a long tree branch as he backed off toward a tree. "You really think I would save the man blackmailing me?"
Smith glared down at the watch.
"You will regret this," Smith said.
Bishop chuckled.
"I won't," Bishop said. "And about that colony you got sent to with hundreds of other doctors. . . " Smith's heart sank. "I made this incident happen by pulling a few strings or two. I happen to have the only nearest spaceship by Colony XY."
"What are you waiting for?" Smith asked, annoyed. "If not me, pick up the survivors at least!"
"Except, I am not getting any distress beacons from that destination," Bishop said. "Frequencies must be jammed."
"I don't know where the evacuation pods are," Smith said. "These survivors need medical attention."
"That's what makes me better than you, thief," Bishop said, Smith detached the watch from his wrist. "I command a spaceship. You don't."
Smith tossed the watch away from himself then watched a creature crush underneath its rabbit paw in horror.
For the first time in two weeks, Maureen's hope of life aboard the Jupiter returning to normal had been renewed. Smith was snoring away pressed against the side of the chair. Don was fast asleep with his arms dangling off the arm rests of the lawn chair. Judy was resting in a bright orange lawn chair fast asleep covered up by a warm survival blanket. She didn't twist or turn out of a nightmare that had plagued her for days on end regarding Will. Waking up in the middle of the night to find her daughter openly crying on Will's bedside. Tomorrow, she thought each night, Will is going to wake up and ask what happened back at the cave. Finding Don wide awake in the middle of the night comforting Judy had became a nightly occurrence in the last week. The same week where the Robot returned to the cave to make the startling discovery. Seeing John resting beside Will's bedside holding his hand had broken her heart little by little over the two weeks.
Piece by piece in this journey, her heart was coming back together.
She remembered the panic, the fear, and concern filling the Jupiter when operating on Will.
The quick, fast stitching that she had to make through the blood using bone absorption staples and the long, thin stitches to put him back together again. She used the Robot to make sure she was operating right with Judy by her side taking care of removing the small pieces of diamond and rock. Will had healed enough that she removed the stitches before coming over. Cleaning her hands up from the bloody task from putting her son back together in his room. When John came into the bedroom, he was optimistic that Will was going to wake up but as the days dragged on the hope was fading and her husband was becoming a shadow of himself. She ended up taking over for John. It comforted her that John wasn't the only member of the family who had fallen apart after the accident. She turned her attention off three right off toward the large, circular view screen that gave a good view of the warp tunnel.
I'm coming, John.
Judy was the first member of the group to awaken the following evening.
Her mother was sleeping on the console when she had first awakened.
It was Judy who lead her resting mother to a lawn chair then kept watch on the passing tunnel.
The added sonic shower was where she went in afterwards in the same gray uniform that she went out in the journey. The space pod seemed like it was a mini house Smith was snoring away turned on his side. She couldn't believe that he was sitting there alive and well. She was almost tempted to poke at him with a laser pistol to make sure that he was real. The unreal colors he was in made it not that difficult to feel. When the survival blanket moved up and down, it verified that he was alive. It felt surreal. The surreal feeling had begun to fade. For two weeks she thought that Doctor Smith had been buried in the rubble but wasn't found by the Robot upon initial scans. It had been two long weeks that were starting to feel like a distant, nasty memory. Just what she wanted it to be.
Seeing Will with his eyes open and happy was going to be worth the trip. The overall heavy cloud aboard the Jupiter 2 had consumed her in a way that felt like it was eating her alive rather than living alongside. The thick cloud from over her head was lifting hour by hour. It had started to lift when the hole was made in the tunnel. If she had to explain it in her little way, the first thing that would come to mind would be lifting a candle down to the center of a cardboard cup out of the windy, cold night and watched the flame become larger. The air around her was no longer cold and unforgiving but getting warmer. The atmosphere that dark was getting brighter around her. Don seemed to be in a better mood than he had been in in recent days. The familiar, warm stubborn man was coming back to the forefront in a better mood.
"Did we just run out of whatever fuels this thing twenty hours into flight?" Don asked.
"Someone forgot to fuel the spider pod up before we took off from the Juno," Judy said.
"The fuel meter said we had enough to make the trips," Don said. "We could have been leaking this whole time."
The Space Pod had fallen out of warp and was now drifting in space. Smith was being unlike himself: no announcements that they were doomed, none of the typical whining, and becoming hysterical that they were lost once more. Smith was staring toward the wall lost in thought. He had awaken several hours ago and hadn't been speaking since then. Don had a good look at Smith's terrified demeanor as it was replaced by regret and guilt then finally a haunted look. As though he had witnessed something disturbing. Don didn't ask. It wasn't his place to ask at all. He was in a new two piece dark outfit that his youthful glow shined against.
Don and Maureen looked toward the silent doctor then back toward each other. Judy was checking on what power they did have left on the console's systems. The console was becoming faint. Judy didn't seem to be happy about what she was getting. The very thought that they were going to choke to death in a space pod with each other was comforting and then it was heartbreaking that the other members of the Robinsons were going to be left alone with a boy who would never wake up. If they were in their corner of space, the Jupiter 2 would appear when they least expected it and hailed the lonely space pod. The Jupiter 2 wasn't around. There wasn't any spaceships nearby to rescue them.
The silence coming from Smith was disturbing.
And that's when they were really doomed.
Because when Smith said it, they weren't doomed at all.
"Smith, did you hear that?" Maureen asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Smith sighed, then looked up toward her.
"My apologies, madame. . . I was thinking on other matters," Smith apologized. "What is the matter?"
"We're out of fuel," Maureen said, then Smith's eyes grew long.
"How far is the pod from the nearest sun?" Smith asked.
"Several thousand light years give or take," Don said.
"Too far to refuel this magnificent space craft," Smith said, with a shake of his head as Don's eyes grew wide.
"You mean to say this is solar powered?" Don asked.
"Yes," Smith said, as the other members of the group's eyes widened.
"Great, just great," Don paced back and forth. "So we are not leaking." he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "We just ran out of solar energy! Jake left that part out."
Smith stretched then strolled on over toward the wide, circular view screen.
"We're in the middle of a asteroid belt," Judy said. "It will be very difficult for a spaceship to come after us and tow it out."
"Possible to be done but very delicate work," Don said. "It will take the best pilot to get us out of here."
"Someone like you," Maureen said.
"There's no one like me in space willing to help people out of kindness," Don said. "Nor as good. Remember the last space pilot who claimed to be capable of taking things out of a asteroid belt?"
The other members of the group looked back at the memory. The memory was still a irritable ulcer to Smith. Still fresh on his mind after weeks upon the initial incident. The memory was ingrained on all the Robinsons. A eventful day for a eventful mission that required the Robot, Don, Judy, and Smith in the same pod. Judy, unlike Smith, found it as a amusing story worth being told. It wasn't a ulcer to Judy but a adventure. A fond, warm expression grew on Judy's face.
"I remember that well," Smith said. "The space pod drifting into a even denser field of asteroids." He shuddered. "A very distasteful man."
"That he was," Don agreed. "Didn't get his pilot license legally."
"It was fun," Judy perked up. "I could have done without being thrown around."
"We all could have done without that," Maureen agreed. Smith leaned against the flat, dimming console. "This is just as scary."
"Oh no," Judy said.
"What is it?" Don asked, looking toward the woman.
"We have a weeks worth of oxygen left," Judy said.
"This time," Smith spoke up. "We're doomed." They turned their attention on to him. "Doomed, I say," then added with a whine. "Doomed! Doomed to die LOST IN SPACE, forever adrift, perfectly preserved, and this space craft is destined to become our final tomb!"
"We're not doomed long as we have each other," Maureen said.
"She is right," Don said.
"Normally, I would agree," Smith said. "Except . . ."
"There we go," Don said, snapping his fingers. "Realism and math thrown together to give bad news. Now that part, I didn't miss."
Smith frowned, taken back, insulted.
"You do realize, we are going to run out of oxygen quickly," Smith said.
"The more we talk, the less oxygen we have," Maureen said.
"There is four of us. Four of us will use the oxygen twice as quickly even when we are not talking," Smith said. "This pod does not have plants dangling from the cieling to give us the additional oxygen. Now does it? That cuts down survival to at least two days."
"We could send a distress call," Judy suggested. "And get oxygen tanks from helpful people."
"Someone could drop out of warp and come to our aid," Maureen said.
"Hopefully they are not going to have intentions that we don't want," Don said, as Smith sat down into the chair.
"This is Spider Pod 1," Maureen said. "Spider Pod 1, we are adrift with limited oxygen. Please, respond. We are in need of aid."
Don looked over toward Smith.
"Sometimes I wish had the restraint you had," Don said. "On the other hand, there are times I don't."
Smith slid a gray eye open that seemed terrifying with his hands clasped together on his lap. His eye aimed at Don in a way that conveyed a voiceless message raising a eyebrow. Smith didn't need to reply openly about it but Don understood. Being easily set off came with its disadvantages on adventures in space and able to set off someone else came with its disadvantages that hurt everyone around them. Smith closed his eye. The sheer panic that Smith must be in was being held inside in several, air-tight bottles. If he was made to speak then the only thing that would come from him would be the typical run of the mill screaming, announcing he wasn't ready to die, and weeping in between. It was sheer impressive self restraint. When it came down to survival, it made sense that he wasn't wasting a breath to emoting. Within minutes, Smith was gently snoring away.
"This is Spider Pod 1," Maureen repeated, her fingers pressing on the radio's button. "Spider Pod 1, we are adrift with limited oxygen. Please, respond. We are in need of aid. . ."
The women were relaxing in their chairs taking naps.
The space pod's lights had turned off hours ago.
The only light was coming from the stars.
The passing asteroids often made the inside of the space pod engulfed into darkness.
Don didn't know what to feel being left in a supposedly no-win situation.
Loss, anger, hopeless? He was experiencing a thousand feelings at the same time. There was some hope in the situation. The kind that Don had desperately wanted in the last few days for Will to wake up. To hear his side of the story on what happened. For days, Don assumed that during the collapse Smith left Will to die. Just to save himself from not being slowed down by extra weight. In many ways, Don wasn't wrong about what happened. If Smith's math was right then it seemed that two could make the return. Two of them had to make a sacrifice. Maureen was reluctant to let her daughter go. Judy was reluctant to let her mother go. Will needed a mother not a sister to comfort him over the major loss. And John needed his best friend, his partner, his wife not his other best friend who wouldn't be able to help him through the grief. He didn't notice Smith had stopped snoring.
"It's a shame we can't move this pod out of the asteroid belt into space," Smith commented, then Don looked over toward him. Smith was resting his eyes. "Free open space where a rescue mission can be easily operated."
"We can't crawl our way out of this one," Don said.
"If only we could toss our way out of here. . ." Smith mused.
Don turned his attention toward space as the thought occurred to him. Sure, they could have done that. Don hadn't thought of it. That way it would be much easier to spot them in space but the search would have to be done quickly one sector at a time. Judy awoke from her nap with a yawn then came over to Don's side. Don was processing the proposition that the man had thrown out.
"Something is on your mind," Judy said.
"We can do this," Don said.
"Do what?" Judy asked, tilting her head.
"Swing the space pod out of the asteroid belt!" Don said.
"That's a great idea," Judy said. "Why didn't we think of that earlier?"
"Some of us don't overthink our situation," Don bolted over toward the box then dropped it down to the floor where the box landed on its side. "If I am right, we got some space suits in here and rope!" He bent into the box searching around for the gear.
"Mommy," Judy said, placing a hand on Maureen's shoulder.
Maureen's eyes slowly opened to see her daughter's figure above her.
"What is it, Judy?" Maureen asked, her eyes full of concern.
"We're going to make it," Judy said.
He tore into it searching for rope. He took out long, strong green rope from the box held inside packaging. He opened the other box to see the contents of it were several black and silver outfits that had a circular net collar. Don yanked them out one by one masking the camera and then it was out of the way, the small group were clad in uniform. One by one they pressed on the buttons alongside the collar with a long thick rope that connected to the silver hooks by their side. A dark gray helmet took form around their heads with a wide, sphere window. Judy flexed her hands out inside the dark, comfy gloves.
They had a unusual, modified device that was circular on the center of their back as though it were a makeshift air tank. The remaining oxygen inside the room was blocked off preventing it from being spent even further. Don moved the leveler down toward the floor then forced the door open. He was the first member of the group to float out, Maureen was the second member floating behind him, Smith was struggling to keep himself calm all the while whimpering, and Judy was the last member out of the pod. The second long, shiny green rope was hooked onto a knob above the console. Smith was fumbling with the metal bound latches in a very clumsy manner. They were tied to the space pod while floating in space.
"Asteroid at eleven," Maureen said.
"Smith, toss me the latches," Don said.
"Working on it," Smith said, as Don turned toward Smith.
Smith tossed the neatly closed box toward Don where it flew fast toward him.
"Got it!" Don said, his fingers grasping on the box.
Don slid the laser pistol out then grasped onto the asteroid. His fingers embedded into several rounded tunnel hole. Maureen helped him open the box then took one latch out of the box and unwrapped the secondary green rope. Don held the latch above the rope that clicked against the asteroid. The latch box floated in space beside them. Smith and Judy remained by the side of the space pod. They were watching the task unfold before their eyes in real time. Three sets of thick, green rope were latched against the asteroid.
Don launched himself forward heading in the direction of a floating asteroid. The asteroids were roughly the same size and shared the same volume enough that it contrasted against the space pod. They were like ants flying toward the asteroid with hands reached out and their free hands clinging on to the rope. Don and Maureen latched on the asteroid with their fingers grabbing old into holes stopping themselves from flying off. Maureen grabbed hold onto the three ropes then pressed them against the asteroids surface. Don put the three latches on watching them automatically dig into the surface. Don turned toward the space pod then gave the thumbs up.
"Yes!" Judy cheered.
"I believed you could do it from the beginning," Smith said, pleasantly. "Madame, Major."
"Sure sure," Don said, bemused. "Bring us over."
A asteroid flew over Don's and Maureen's helmets.
"Before a asteroid comes between us," Maureen said.
"We're doing this as fast as we can," Judy said.
Smith grunted, tugging the rope forward.
"That was a little too close," Don said.
Judy and Smith pulled them back to the space pod. Judy looked down toward the screen on her forearm that indicated how much oxygen was left in her tank. Roughly, this was the same amount of oxygen each member of the group had for the little trip. They quickly pulled Maureen and Don back to the space pod. Maureen grabbed hold on to the edge of the window to steady herself. She felt a hand place on her shoulder. She looked over to see the Smith's face lit up by white gray contrasting against the black and white spacesuit. It is going to be okay, madame. Her panic faded away until it became nothingness. Don looked at her in concern as she turned in his direction.
"Let's get this show on the road," Maureen said.
"If we could power the space pod up by biomass then we would be set to go," Judy said.
"Shame that the Federation have banned this form of fuel," Maureen agreed.
"Why are you looking at me?" Don asked. "I am not a rocket scientist or a mechanic."
"A fine pilot is what you are, Don," Judy said.
"Let's send this girl flying," Don said.
"Right," the women said then went to the front.
"Hey," Don said, grabbing a hold onto Smith's shoulder. Smith turned toward Don. "Thanks."
Smith observed Don for a moment then flicked off the hand from his shoulder. That's the Smith I know very well.
"For what?" Smith asked, finally. "You are the brains of this operation," Don was smiling back at him. "Something funny, Don?"
"Turns out I did miss you, Zach," Don said.
"We need everyone to push the spider pod!" Judy called over the radio.
Don made his way over from Smith who's eyes sadly lingered on him.
Smith shoved down the feeling into a box then wrapped it in chains until the feelings couldn't come out. Don and Smith came side by side between Judy and Maureen. They pushed the pod toward the make shift sling shot. Each member of the group grunted moving the space pod forward. Smith looked over his shoulder then did mental math on how far they needed to move the object. Smith tapped on Maureen's shoulder then pointed up. The group readjusted to the other side of the space pod. The space pod was light enough to be shoved into space by a opposing force. The sounds of rope twisting and turning as the space pod pressed against it growing tighter and tighter. Judy looked over the side of the space pod and turned her attention to the others. Don glanced over toward Maureen who glanced over to Smith. Making their way over back into the space pod wasn't going to be all that difficult.
"We'll do it on the count of three," Maureen said. "One. . ."
"Smith, if we get cut off. . . " Don said. "Hang onto Judy, will you?"
"Two. . ." Maureen said.
"I shall do my best," Smith replied.
Judy looked from Don to Smith to see tense looks.
"THREE!" Maureen shouted.
They let go of the hull. The space pod tore the rope in half scattering them into two pairs. Judy watched her mother and Don float off into the distance. She screamed repeatedly for her mother watching her become smaller and smaller in the asteroid field. Smith gripped onto the woman's shoulders keeping her from chasing after them. Tears stung her cheeks, she grossly sobbed, and called for them, "MOMMMY! DON! MOMMY! DON!" She couldn't hear what was Smith was saying. If there was anything to be said, there was nothing that could be said.
From a outsider's perspective, the black and silver suit turned to black and white as the golden glow from her helmet was replaced by gray. Her vision grew dark and dark until she lost consciousness. From the background she could hear Smith's familiar voice that sounded concerned until she was the comforting darkness. When she opened her eyes, she gasped for breath inside the dark pod. She heard Smith at the console calling for Maureen and Don. A stone sunk in Judy's stomach. They had fifteen minutes worth of oxygen inside their spacesuits. The familiar coward was starting to whine even plead for reply degrading into a mumbles of "Major, madame, please respond." that was becoming over the hails: "It should have been me not him."
The space pod had lost its unique shine returning to its dark gray theme. The space pod had a bulky theme similar to the Chariot of this uniform with a large, circular center that made up for the bulky hulls that seemed to have been based off a clay design in theory. There was anger radiating off Smith. Not only guilt was shining off him. He smacked his fist on the console, repeatedly. Sparks erupted from the black console at each strike as it got harder and harder. Judy sped over to Smith's side then stopped him from damaging the panels. She made him step back as she saw his old cut was reopened.
"Stop!" Judy said, emotionally. "You've opened your cut up!"
"I've reopened a old wound for you, too," Smith said, walking away forcibly holding on to his hand.
"No, you haven't," Judy said.
"Have I?" Smith asked, looking over toward Judy. "I wish it were me instead of your mother."
"All our sacrifices would have gone down to nothing if you were in her place or Don's place," she came over toward him. "It wasn't for nothing. We have a greater chance at being spotted by someone."
"At the cost of your mother, your boyfriend, and what is left of your father?" Smith said. "Your mother's death will kill what is left of him."
"I am the oldest Robinson, after all," Judy said. "I am the next in line to lead the mission." She returned with a small collection of gauze then wrapped it around his trembling hand. She made his hand be still grasping onto his wrist. "Robinsons don't give up easily. We are going to find Alpha Centauri and everything is going to be alright."
"Gamma won't be home to you," Smith said. "Wherever you go. . . wherever the Jupiter goes. . . you're going to be walking wounded."
"You look like you've faired well with that wound," Judy said, as Smith closed his eyes painfully then opened them as she tied the knot up. "I have to take care of my siblings. Refining Duetronium. Flying the Jupiter. . . Making sure that the other chores have been done. You can teach me how to fly the Jupiter when we get back."
"If that is your desire," Smith said. "I understand. . ."
Smith didn't feel the need to drop 'Madame'.
The imagery of her mother had become forever tied to it.
Judy was a young woman ready to lead the Robinsons but under the worst circumstances.
He wasn't ready to embrace the new reality right away. Judy had accepted the new reality without any denial only acceptance. Smith came over to the console where he came to the undamaged section and placed his non-injured hand on it. He closed his eyes, closing his hands, and his head sulked down toward the panel. He straightened himself up letting go of the emotional distress. Of all the times the Robinsons had lost a member of their family, they never lost them for long despite the emotional hurt and terror at seeing them flying from their grasps. But now they had, forever. His heart was gently aching at the prospect of having to tell Will that he would never see his mother, again. Never get to ride the Chariot with Don. Never going to seek diamonds without the Robot, again, with his dear friend Doctor Smith. Judy looked up. There was a bright light from the view screen as though something had jumped. They were at least fifteen minutes away from the asteroid belt give it or take. The radio was suddenly acting noisy so she clumsy picked it up scrambling into both hands until only hand caught on to it in a firm grip. The radio traffic became alarming drawing Smiths attention out of his self-imposed misery.
"This is Juno, over," West said. "Coming to save your ass."
"This is Spider Pod 1," Judy said. "Didn't you say you don't come after people?"
There was brief silence between the space pod and the spaceship. Smith raised a eyebrow back at Judy. Judy stared at the larger spaceship that seemed larger, less rounded more oval shape, and seemed to be very complex compared to the simple saucer shaped Jupiter 2. The long, wide view screen from ahead was shining. They couldn't see what was going on back there. Every second that passed between the ships felt unnecessary. Long, thick cables came out of the spaceships underside swinging onto the four long, bulky spider legs then towed it toward the belly of the ship that was hanging open.
"Well," West said. "when I said that . . . I hadn't taken a look back at myself. I am no better than a old colleague of mine. Where are the others?"
"They're in the asteroid field," Judy said. "They slung us out of it."
"You can't-that's just-that's just not. . ." West said. "Okay, we're going to get them too."
"They have five minutes of oxygen!" Judy said, Smith was seated into the chair as the spider pod was slowly making its way toward the hangar. "Hurry, please!"
"Don't worry about that," West said, Judy looked over to see Smith was making the gesture to hand over the radio. "Jake is taking care of it."
A lone space pod ejected out of the hangar heading in the direction of asteroid.
"Why hello Mr Wickles," Smith said, then finished it off with a family phrase. "Didn't expect me to be here?"
"Why Doctor Smith," West started. "I didn't know that they had come back with you, I am-"
"Spare me the apologies," Smith interrupted. "You can never apologize for the pain. . . the pain. ." Smith added reflexively then continued on without skipping a beat. "the pain that you put my family through for not calling ahead."
Smith slammed the radio into its resting port then walked over toward the large door watching the hangar bay become closer. Judy noticed his color seemed to be getting lighter before his eyes. Steam in the form of anger was radiating off him. Even though he was in a very bad mood at the very least his living color was coming back before her eyes. A hopeful, optimistic smile grew on her face. The heavy fog that had set into the space pod began to lift as Smith rubbed his wrist noting to himself what to call the man with a slur of insults. The camera backed up to show the space pod becoming bright gray almost blindingly surrounded by a gentle gray glow.
