CHAPTER 9

Already thinking about paybacks to this latest insult upon his character, Smith smiled to himself but kept his thoughts to hidden. Instead he cautiously entered the wall of foliage, picking his way carefully between the darker shadows that probably represented trees and brush. The hand on his shoulder was presumably Don's, and no doubt, the others were tagging along in a similar fashion.

Not more than five hundred feet, while still wending their way farther from their adversaries, West switched places with Smith. A delicate, slender hand settled warmly onto his bare shoulder, making him shiver at the familiarity of the touch. It wasn't lust that encouraged the feeling, because he had no idea if it was Judy, Maureen, or Penny. What it did do was remind him of his state of undress and the necessity of his remedying the situation before it got light.

The group plunged onward, deeper in the jungle-like hillside, then they angled gradually back toward where they hoped the Jupiter 2 still awaited them. The former search party was making their return journey. The Robinson crew huddled silently, barely daring to breathe, as the group of aliens passed not more than twenty feet away from them. John held them there for an additional ten minutes, then took the lead from Don. Under his skilled leadership and sense of direction, he got them back to the beach, though so far from the village that they couldn't see any trace of it. Walking close to the tree line, the way was smooth, and free of obstacles, yet it presented a quick way to hide if they saw any danger.

As the light started to improve, Smith became the unfortunate object of a considerable number of giggles.

Maureen turned to see what the fuss was and noticed, for the first time, the state of Smith's nearly unclad state. "What happened to you?" she asked as matter-of-factly as she could manage, though the undignified part of her wanted to join in the laughter.

"Don't ask, Madame," he warned pointedly.

Before she could ignore the request, he disappeared into the forest, causing the others to stop. They gave each other a meaningful look and all burst out in laughter.

"He said something about a bath," Don offered when he could finally catch his breath. "I'm just surprised they didn't give him his clothes back the minute he was clean!"

"Don, cut it out!" Judy warned unexpectedly.

"What's gotten into you lately? I still don't understand why you are always defending him, but you've never taken this kind of attitude before."

"Never mind, Don. You wouldn't understand." The truth was that she didn't really understand it herself, especially why Smith would come to her rescue and then not admit to it.

"Try me."

Should she be honest, she wondered. Or just evasive. The latter won out. "Look, it's simple. I am just tired of the continuous trading of insults, that's all. He does it to you because he can't help himself. But that doesn't mean you have to return the 'favor' all the time."

Don raised his hands in surrender. "Okay. For you, I'll try to control myself." He sneaked a kiss when he was sure no one was looking. "But I'm warning you, it won't be easy!"

In spite of herself, Judy laughed for what seemed like the first time in weeks.

John was scanning back along the beach, trying to pierce the morning fog that was rolling in from the sea. His sharp ears heard no unusual sounds aside from the continuous noises of the jungle fauna.

When Smith finally returned, not more than ten minutes later, he was sporting a long vine and a large bundle of broad, long purple leaves. Within minutes, he had crafted a makeshift skirt of closely overlapping leaves, pierced through with a single length of fibrous vine to hold the 'garment' together. Winding the cord around his waist and tying it tightly, he looked down at his handiwork. As expected, it sufficed to cover all exposed areas. Smith finally allowed himself a sigh of relief. 'You look ridiculous,' the little voice in the back of his mind chided. 'Shut up," he curtly responded, then added. "If it was good enough for Adam, it is good enough for me."

Penny's sudden laughter told him he had probably given voice to his last thought. "Whah, Doctor Smith, y'all look Chah-ming," she told him in her best southern drawl.

At that, Will's laughter joined hers. "Yeah, Doctor Smith, you look really sweet."

Hands splayed on broad hips, Smith leveled a piercing glare upon the young lad. "William, mind your manners! Didn't anyone ever teach you it's not polite to make fun of others."

Will's first thought was a recollection of one of his Dad's expressions, that this was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. However, Doctor Smith was his friend, so he simply replied, "Sorry."

Unexpectedly, Smith curtsied in a demure fashion, then, hiking up the leaves like they were the full skirt of a ball gown, he flounced on down the beach leaving them all behind.

By the time the rest of the Jupiter 2 crew caught up to him they were all laughing and winded. John kept them marching along the beach, hour after hour, stopping only long enough to search the forest perimeter for small freshwater springs, and berries identical to the ones they knew were already edible.

Then, after estimating his lead time, and the anticipated ground eating stride of the aliens, he decided it was time to reenter the forest.

Luckily, they had little trouble finding animal paths that led them through the rougher spots. It wasn't until noon that their caution paid off. It wasn't the presence of unusual noises of the jungle that tipped John off. It was the sudden absence of it. The forest denizens weren't used to humans and hadn't considered them a threat, but the stink of hairy alien bodies was recognizable. All the local creatures grew silent and watchful. Using hand gestures, John signaled his concerns and led them closer to the hills.

Everyone knew that the slightest sound would set off an alarm, bringing their pursuers quickly upon them. Even Smith, usually incompetent, somehow managed to prowl along with them, as silent as a cougar tracking prey. All the adults, with the children between them, were careful not to break branches or step on wet ground. They left little for the aliens to track.

Maureen's unvoiced prayers were answered when John finally located a small crevice in a rock wall, large enough to fit all of them if they slid in one at a time. A large bush growing up beside it was cleverly tilted to block the entrance.

The humans, nestled between the cold, damp rock walls, waited out their pursuers. The aliens, never suspecting that they had long since been discovered, went right past the hiding place. And kept on going.

"What do we do now?" Will whispered in a tiny voice.

"We wait until we can't stand it anymore," his father replied, just as softly. He looked back at the group. All he could make out was the occasional sparkle of sunlight reflecting off of their eyes. Maureen and Judy, closet to him, looked exhausted but calm. West was silent, and unbeknownst to John, holding Smith wedged tightly into the farthest, and narrowest part of the crevice.

"Let me out, you knuckleheaded Neanderthal. You know I am claustrophobic!" For good measure, Smith threw in some heavy panicked breaths, as if he were gasping for air.

"Not a chance, Doctor," West replied, a smile noticeable through his tone. "You can't fool me. I know you're not really claustrophobic, and shame on you for pulling this sham."

"Oh sadness, oh sorrow. To have this perfidious pipsqueak intimate that I am a liar is really the insult to end all insults." He threw in a few soft sobs for good measure.

A female voice drifted back, the tone soothing. "Don't worry, Doctor. We'll be out of here as soon as it's safe."

"Thank you for your comforting words, dear lady," Smith called back as loudly as he dared, then faked another sob. In truth, he really did want out of there, but not because of its close confines. For one thing, the rock was making a nasty assault on his unprotected skin every time he shifted. Secondly, and much to his chagrin, West was still in sorry need of a bath.

Never one to pass up a chance to needle West, Smith blurt out, "Major, you are really rank! Would you be so kind as move away, as far as possible, if you please."

"You aren't exactly the freshest right now either," West growled back and suddenly slammed his body into Smith, who was already wedged as far back as his body could go.

Air woofed out of the doctor's lungs. Like any irate child who had just been pushed in a classroom scuffle, Smith retaliated by planting a hand on West's shoulder and, using the rock wall to his right for leverage, he shoved back. West knew it was coming of course, and had tensed up, but he never expected Smith to brace against the back wall, so the force of the impact caught him off guard. Unable to use his legs for better support, he wound up toppling into Judy, who practically fell over Will. The boy then landed hard against Penny, who, in turn, fought a startled shout while bumping against her mother. Maureen, the last in the line to bear the brunt of the assault, somehow managed to keep from colliding with her husband.

John eyebrows met his hairline. "What is this?" he asked incredulously, "A Three Stooges movie?" He peeked through the bush before continuing. "What is it with you two? Can't you play nice for once in your lives? We're running for our lives and you're both acting like two elementary school kids. Don, grow up! Smith, well, you'll never grow up, but at least make the effort for a change, will you?"

There was silence for several seconds, then, from the farthest recess of the crevice he heard, "You'll pay for this, Major!"

John sighed and shook his head. What could he say, except—

Don finished the thought for him, "—Shut up, Smith!" And he waited for the standard replies. When it was not forthcoming, they sighed in relief, and settled in for a long uncomfortable wait.

Just when Maureen thought she wouldn't be able to stand still a moment longer, she felt John's hand clasp hers tightly. Then she heard it, the growling garbled sound of alien speech. Another search party? She wondered, then realized it was coming from the wrong direction.

The group of aliens was bolder and less cautious on their return trek. Clearly, they were giving up the pursuit for the time being. Perhaps it was because they were wandering too far from the village. Or maybe it was because they didn't want to miss the ship taking off without them. In either case, John was overjoyed they had grown weary of the hunt, at least for the time being. One thing was certain, he wasn't going to let this reprieve fool him into dropping his vigilance.

As soon as he was assured the search party was out of earshot, he squeezed through the narrow opening into the marbled patches of sunlight. He inhaled deeply of the fresh flower scented air. Stretching cramped muscles, he arched his spine backward. Finally, he turned and reached for Maureen's arm. She fairly leaped from the entrance to the crevice. Don was right behind the children and Judy, and finally, Smith popped out with an agonizing groan that was an odd mixture of pain and relief.

"Professor, don't ever do this to me again. My muscles have kinks upon kinks and I fear I shall be forced to limp the entire way back to our ship."

"Time for a diet," West cut in. "If you weren't so fat, you would have had more room to move around in."

Smith rounded on West with an angry glare. "I'll have you know, sir, that I have spent years cultivating this physique!

"Then it's time to get out the weed whacker because this physique you're bragging on is in desperate need of further pruning."

Smith's jaw dropped, and he searched for a proper retort, but John saw it coming, and jabbed one forefinger at both men. "Enough! Save it until we are safely onboard the ship."

At first, Robinson thought the doctor was going to disobey the direct order, which certainly wouldn't have been unusual, but this time, he merely smirked and gestured for Don to move past him. Remembering the incident at the waterfront, West gave him a wide berth in passing, which elicited a smug chuckle that rumbled from deep within Smith's chest. Okay, so it wasn't winning the battle, he thought, but at least the last points went to him.

Immeasurably cheered up, he whistled a jaunty tune as he joined the group on their trek back toward the beach.