Chapter 6
Dr. Smith looked out the upper deck window and smiled. It had been nearly two full days since the Robinsons left him; and so far, all was well. He sighed in contentment and turned to the robot who was standing beside him.
"Peace and tranquility. It's wonderful. A bit brisk perhaps but hardly enough to be concerned about."
He went over to a small table that he had set up. On it was a pot of coffee which he had brewed several hours ago. He tested it and found that it was cold.
"Would you mind warming this up a trifle?" he asked the robot.
The machine rolled over to the table. "Warming time activated." It stretched out its arms and brought its pincers together. An electrical current zapped the pot several times.
Smith watched in fascination. "Splendid. That's enough now," he said.
The robot didn't stop. Smith frowned.
"That's enough! I said to warm it up, not boil it away!"
At these words, the robot finally retracted its arms. Smith grasped the handle of the pot, only to give a sharp gasp of pain and yank his hand away.
"You bumbling incompetent!" he spat out angrily while nursing his burnt fingers. "If I had any other company here, I'd have you broken down for spare parts!" He reached for the pot again; this time he had a small cloth for protection. Carefully, he poured himself a cup of coffee, went back to the window and sat down. The robot followed him.
"By this time I suppose our band of pilgrims is either well frozen, or they've been devoured by monsters," he said before bringing the mug to his lips.
"I do not have that information."
"Well, find out!"
Smith watched as the robot moved over to the scanner and began to work the controls. After several minutes he eventually grew bored and turned to stare out the window.
"Poor fools… a pathetic ending for a noble experiment. Perhaps we should have a little simple service for them tomorrow. Nothing elaborate. No flowers. I, of course, will deliver the eulogy. Simple… but quite dignified."
The beeping of the scanner brought him out of his musing. The robot turned to him. "I have located Chariot," it said.
"Hopelessly wrecked somewhere no doubt?"
"Chariot is in motion."
"What a pity," the doctor sighed. "It would have been a very beautiful eulogy. Well, perhaps another time." He shivered a little and rubbed his arms."I wonder what the temperature is out there right now?"
"Minus one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit and falling."
"There must be some way of getting me warmed up!"
"Warming circuits activated."
"Warming circuits," Smith scoffed as he continued to stare out of the window. Behind him, he heard the crackling of electricity. Realization dawned on him. "Warming circuits!" he exclaimed. He whirled around to see the robot with outstretched arms and an electrical current running from one pincer to the other.
"No! Not me you idiot! I don't warm that way! Cease and desist!" he cried.
The robot immediately stopped and retracted its arms.
From outside, a large bolt of lightning flashed, nearly blinding him. Moments later, a thunderous boom was heard,
"What are you doing?" he asked the robot incredulously. "I told you to stop! Deactivate! Cease!"
"That is not of my making," the robot told him.
Another flash of lightning and boom occurred simultaneously. Smith turned his attention away from the robot, looked out the window and saw that it was correct.
"What an awesome display! Mother Nature at her mightiest!" he exclaimed. "Unfortunately, the Robinsons will have to enjoy it at closer quarters. Perhaps I should prepare that eulogy after all." He sighed contentedly, and gave a wicked smile.
00oo00oo
Crash! Bang! Another deafening clap of thunder was heard. The children covered their ears and tried not to cry while the adults looked at one another apprehensively. Scarcely a second later, a bolt of lightning struck the ground not five feet away from the Chariot. The children screamed in fright.
"That one almost hit us!" Don's voice could barely be heard over the continual boom of the thunder as he tried to guide the Chariot away from the barrage of lightning strikes.
The Robinsons were approaching the end of their second day of travel. They had been making good time before the electrical storm hit. At first there was nothing too concerning about it. The thunder was annoying but the lightning appeared to be mostly cloud-to-air and rarely struck the ground. As they continued on however, the clouds began to grow darker, the wind became stronger and the lighting bolts started touching down all around them until they began to fear for their lives.
"We must find some sort of protection! We'll be killed if we don't!" John yelled.
They had been driving near the foot of a cliff on their left side. To their right was an open landscape with barely a tree in sight.
"I sure hope we can find something!" Don answered back.
They drove on for several more minutes. With bated breath the band of travelers waited for each oncoming lightning bolt, wondering which one would be the fatal strike to do them in. After what seemed like a very long time, Maureen pointed out the front window and cried, "I think I see a cave up ahead!"
"Where? I don't see one!" said John straining his eyes against the dark.
At that moment, another lightning bolt struck the ground up in front of them, lighting up the entire area.
"Wait! I see it too!" Don cried excitedly. "Hang on everyone!" He began to guide the Chariot at full speed towards the cave.
The entrance to the cave was enormous, making all the giant caverns on earth seem small in comparison. The Robinsons stared in awe as they slowly pulled inside it.
It was difficult to see the interior. From the continual lightning flashes illuminating the room, the Robinsons could just barely make out the silhouettes of large sculpted stone pillars and archways, continuing further into the depths of the cave.
"It's a city!" Penny exclaimed quietly.
"It almost looks like a kind of a castle," said Maureen.
"Let's take a look," John suggested.
Don stopped the motor. The door was thrown open and the family exited the vehicle. As they surveyed the dilapidated structures before them, it became clear that while this might have been a great city at one point in time, its days of glory had long since been forgotten.
Maureen looked up at her husband anxiously. "John, you don't suppose there's somebody still living here?" she asked.
"We'll soon find out," he replied. He turned to Don who had lit up one of their flares and was using it as a torch. "Don, save the flares!" he commanded. "We'll need them later."
Don nodded and extinguished the flame. "I'll get the flashlights," he said and climbed back into the Chariot. He returned a few moments later with three large flashlights. He gave one to John and another to Will.
"We'll see if it's safe to spend the night," said John as he took Maureen's hand and led the way into the city. "Stay close together now. There's no telling what we might find here."
They passed through the rows of pillars and archways, brushing away the enormous cobwebs that had begun to creep up like foliage over the stone structures. For over an hour, they searched, but found no signs of life anywhere. At last, John determined there was nothing here that could do them any harm and gave word that they should return to the Chariot for the night. Once they had arrived back safely, Maureen served up a cold supper. Then they all got out their bedrolls and went to sleep.
In the middle of the night Penny awoke suddenly. The thunder and lightning had stopped, making it eerily quiet outside. She sat up and shivered slightly. Although she could not put her finger on it, something felt off. Straining her eyes against the dark she took note of each of her fellow travelers sleeping peacefully around her. Then suddenly she gasped. The bedroll beside her, which had held Debbie, was empty. Penny's heart began to beat faster as she realized that her beloved pet had wandered off somewhere.
"Debbie?" she whispered into the dark.
There was only silence. The other members of the party continued to sleep on, unaware of what was transpiring.
Trembling, Penny got up from her spot on the ground and grabbed a flashlight. Her mind was still muddled from sleep so that it did not occur to her to wake the others up. She flipped on the light and slowly made her way back into the ruins of the city.
Less than five minutes later, Bethany sat up wide awake. Immediately she noticed that Penny was missing. Quickly, she located Will, who was sleeping on her left side, and shook him awake. He yawned several times and stretched before he sat up. He looked at Bethany and in an irritated voice said, "What is it?"
She pointed to the empty sleeping bag beside her and said, "Penny's gone."
Will gave a quiet gasp as he too saw the abandoned bedroll. Now fully awakened he scrambled to his feet and said, "We have to find her."
He grabbed a flashlight and switched it on. "Stay close to me," he ordered softly.
Bethany nodded and took hold of Will's hand, squeezing it tightly in her own. Together, they retraced their steps back to the city. They were unsure of where to start looking and at first wandered about aimlessly.
"Should we split up?" Bethany asked.
"No," Will said firmly, "we stick together. The last thing we need is for all three of us to be lost."
They continued searching for several minutes. Suddenly Will pointed at the ground. "Look! Penny's shoe print!"
They followed the prints until they came upon a part of the city which they had not explored.
From up ahead they could see the faint glow of a flashlight.
"It's Penny! It has to be!" Bethany cried.
They both hurried towards the light, calling Penny's name.
"Over here!" they heard her call back. A few moments later they had finally reached her.
"Penny, what are you doing out here all alone?" Will demanded angrily.
"Oh Will, Debbie's gone!" Penny cried.
"You women are always getting lost." Will rolled his eyes.
Ignoring him, Penny continued to call for her pet. Meanwhile Bethany approached one of the stone structures curiously. It was a wall, and carved into it were several drawings of unusual creatures.
"Hey look everyone, pictures!" she cried.
"We have no time for those," Penny scolded. "I've got to find Debbie!"
"Oh don't be such a killjoy," Will told her. He joined Bethany at the wall to study the drawings. As he was doing so, he leaned against the wall for a moment to rest. Suddenly, the wall gave way. With a cry of surprise, Will felt himself falling into another room.
"Will!" Penny cried. She and Bethany rushed over to him. "Are you hurt?" Penny asked.
"Stop fussing! I'm alright," he snapped. He got up and dusted himself off. "What happened?"
As he looked at the spot where he fell he saw that the part of the wall that had 'given way' was actually a hidden revolving door which had swung open, making him fall into this secret room.
"Where are we?" Penny asked.
"I don't know." Will flashed his light about the room in an attempt to find out.
It was a small compartment; not much bigger than one of the bedrooms aboard the Jupiter. But as to its purpose, Will was uncertain. That is, until his light revealed a humanoid skeleton standing upright in a man sized cleft in the wall. He gave a frightened gasp. Penny and Bethany saw it too and screamed in terror.
"Let's get out of here!" Bethany cried.
The three children ran back to the door that had led them in but before they could reach it, it rotated shut, and sealed them in.
"We're trapped!" Bethany cried.
The three children began banging and pushing on the door with all their might in an attempt to force the door to reopen. It was no use. The door wasn't budging.
"We're going to die in here!" Bethany began to sob. "They'll never find us! Ever!"
"Shut up!" Will snapped. "That won't happen. As soon as the others discover we're missing they'll come looking for us. They'll tear this entire place apart until we're found. I promise you."
"I just hope they find us in time," said Penny, as she hugged Bethany tightly. She sat down next to the door.
"They will. You'll see," Will assured her as he too took a seat. With his ear to the door, he waited for any sound that might indicate that the others had stumbled upon them.
00oo00oo
Judy awoke from her sleep and stretched. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, its warm rays lighting up the cave. She stared outside. The sky was clear now. That was good. It would mean no more setbacks to their travel. She sat up and sighed sleepily.
Next to her, Maureen began to stir. Finally, she opened her eyes.
"Good morning," she mumbled softly when she saw that Judy was already up. She sat up and stretched, "I guess I should get breakfast ready." Slowly she got to her feet. Her eyes fell on the three empty sleeping bags across from her. She raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Judy, where are Will, Penny, and Bethany?" she asked.
"Why they're right-" Judy stopped short when she saw their unoccupied sleeping bags. She turned to Maureen, the fear in her eyes evident. "I don't know Mother. I never saw them walk off. I thought they were still asleep until you said something."
Instead of replying, Maureen knelt down beside her husband and shook him awake. "John, John, wake up. The children are gone."
John groaned and his eyes squinted open. "What? What did you say?"
"It's the children, John," Maureen repeated. "They're not here. Judy and I have no idea where they went."
At this John was wide awake and scrambling to his feet. He ran to the edge of the city.
"WILL! PENNY! BETHANY!" he shouted.
There was no answer.
Maureen looked frightened. "John, what do we do?"
"They're around here somewhere, Maureen. Don't worry. We'll find them. Let's go wake up Don."
As soon as the major was roused, they all started back towards the city.
"We'll split up into two groups," John said. "Maureen, you and I will go left while Don and Judy go right. We'll keep in contact through the radio."
"You don't think they could be outside, do you?" Don asked.
"No, I don't think so. They're not that foolish. It's safer inside the cave than outside, and they know it."
"I hope you're right," Don muttered.
John pretended not to hear. "Alright everyone, move out!"
The two groups began going their separate ways searching frantically for any sign of the children.
Judy and Don were the ones to come across the first clue. They had been searching for several minutes when Judy suddenly pointed and cried out, "Look Don! Footprints!"
Don knelt down to examine them. "You're right!" he exclaimed. "They look like they are Penny's footprints! There's some more of them over by that wall."
"I'd better contact Dad," Judy said, taking out the small handheld radio from her pocket. "Dad! Come in Dad! Can you hear me?"
"Judy, this is Dad. What is it?"
"We found Penny's footprints! Still no sign of her or the others yet, but we must be getting close"
"What's your location?"
Don spoke up this time. "We are about fifteen minutes away from where we split up at a 30 degree angle."
"Alright, stay there, we'll join you. Over!"
"Bye Dad, see you soon!" As Judy signed off. Don cried out, "Did you hear that? Listen!"
Judy stood absolutely still and listened carefully. She gave a small gasp. A faint pounding noise could just barely be heard from behind her.
"It's coming from this wall!" Don exclaimed. He went over to it and pounded his fists against the bricks. "Bethany! Penny! Will!" he shouted.
"We're here! We're in here! Help us!"
Don and Judy could just barely make out the children's voices.
"Hang on!" Don told them. He and Judy began to push on the bricks of the wall, frantically searching for an opening. Suddenly part of the wall began to rotate. Slowly, the major and Judy pushed until it was perpendicular to the rest of the wall, revealing the hidden room where the children had been trapped. They rushed inside.
"Are you alright?" Judy asked them anxiously.
"We're fine," Will answered. "Just glad you found us."
"What is this place?" Don wondered aloud as he shined his light about the room.
"We figured it was some sort of tomb," Penny replied. She pointed to the corpse on the wall. "Look."
Don pointed his light toward the remains of the humanoid and marveled at it. "Amazing!"
The creaking of the door behind them jolted him out of his thoughts.
"The door! It's closing!" Bethany cried.
They all rushed over to try and prevent it from being shut, but it was too late.
"We're trapped!" Don shouted. He tried to force open the door but it wouldn't budge. "It's no use," he sighed in frustration.
Judy tried contacting John and Maureen on the radio but she got no response.
"The signal is jammed," she said.
"That's just great," Don growled. "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"They do have our approximate location," Judy reminded him. "Hopefully that will be enough to find us. We'll just have to wait and see."
00oo00oo
"According to what Judy said on the radio, this is about where they should be," said John as he and Maureen searched the area.
"Well they don't appear to be here now," Maureen sighed.
"I'll try to raise them again." John pulled out his radio. "Hello? Judy? Don? Can you hear me?"
Static.
"Judy! Don! If you hear me, come in!"
More static.
"It's no use!" he gave a frustrated sigh. "The signal is jammed."
Maureen was nearing the point of panic. "John, what can we do?" she asked, desperately trying to keep some level of calm in her voice.
"Bloop!" The noise from behind them caused them both to turn around sharply.
"It's Debbie!" John exclaimed. He knelt down and extended his arm, gesturing to her to come closer.
Instead of approaching, the ape scampered off a little ways then turned to look back at them.
"Bloop!"
"She's trying to show us something." Maureen looked at John. "Do you think…?"
Instead of answering, John grabbed her hand and began to follow after Debbie. She led them past several archways and over to a giant wall. When she got to the wall she stopped and began running her hands over the stones.
John approached the brick wall confused. "Now I thought for sure she was going to lead us to the others," he said. "Why on earth would she…"
An idea struck him. He began to pound on the brick wall.
"Don! Judy! Can you hear me!"
"Oh Dad!" He could just barely make out the voice of Judy inside. "You found us!"
"Are you alright? Is Don with you?"
"Yes John, we're both here" came Don's voice. "We have the children too. We're all safe and unharmed. Just trapped. There is a hidden revolving door that leads to this room. We can't open it from this side, but if you push on the stones, one of them should open the door."
"Okay!"
Setting his flashlight down, John began to apply pressure to each of the stones. He did this for a few minutes with no results.
"It's not working Don!"
"It has to! It's the only way we were able to get in! Try again. Press harder!"
John did as he said; this time enlisting Maureen's help. They pushed and pushed but it was no use. The door wouldn't budge.
"It's no use!" he sighed. "The door must be jammed."
Before he could say any more, a low rumble was heard throughout the cave. Instead of fading away, it grew louder and more prominent. The ground began to shake underneath their feet.
"It's an earthquake!" he cried as he and Maureen struggled to keep their footing.
Bits of the cave's roof came off and landed all around them. Several of the pillars of the city began crumbling. From behind the wall, John could hear the terrified screams of his children as they were being violently shaken about.
Maureen clutched his arm. "Do something John!" she shrieked. "They'll be buried alive in there!"
John drew his laser pistol. "Stay back from the wall," he told Maureen.
He fired his laser into the wall. The steady beam began to cut through it. Finally he had cut a large block from the wall.
"Push it out!" he yelled, hoping desperately that they had heard him.
It was difficult to notice with the ground shaking beneath their feet, but slowly the block began to move forward. A minute later it fell to the ground allowing Don, Judy, and the children to escape to freedom.
"Get back to the Chariot," John shouted, "before this place crumbles down on our heads!"
"Where's Debbie?" Penny cried. "I can't leave her."
"I have her Penny," Maureen handed Debbie to her. "Now come on! Hurry!"
They made their way out of the abandoned city, dodging falling arches and pillars. When they made it to the Chariot, they all piled in. John didn't even wait to make sure everyone was seated. He turned the key in the ignition and they were off.
When they had made it a safe distance away from the cave, they stopped and turned to see what would become of it. A few moments later, they got their answer. The roof buckled and came crashing down, destroying what was left of the city. The earthquake subsided shortly thereafter.
John breathed a sigh of relief. "That was a near miss," he remarked.
"Too near of a miss for my taste," said Don.
"It's too bad we couldn't learn more about the people that lived there," Will sighed. " Maybe someday we can go back and-"
"Oh no you don't!" Maureen cut him off. She looked at John sternly. "And don't you encourage him either, John Robinson!"
"Relax, Maureen!" John laughed. "I for one have had enough of that place to last a lifetime."
"Here, here!" Don agreed.
"What's our next destination, Dad?" Judy asked.
"I was hoping to get to the inland sea and cross over it tonight. In which case we had better get going and make up for lost time."
"Anything to get us further away from this awful place!" Maureen sighed.
John shifted the Chariot into drive."Here we go then," he said as they jolted forward.
00oo00oo
"Look at them," Dr. Smith scoffed as he stared at the scanner. "Poor benighted fools! Well they're no concern of mine. But you are," he turned to the robot. "Where's the orbital data I asked you for?"
"Data processing now complete. Results contradictory," said the robot. A small compartment at his lower midsection opened.
Dr. Smith reached inside and pulled out a long strip of tape on which all the data had been recorded. "Contradictory? You're not supposed to come up with contradictory conclusions. You're a robot. Where's your pride?"
"The function of any computer is to draw conclusions from provided data. If conclusions are contradictory, provided data is at fault."
Dr. Smith rolled his eyes. "Oh, so now you're trying to put the blame onto me, are you? There's a lot more human in you than I thought, my metallurgical friend."
He studied the tape for a long moment with a frown. Finally he looked up.
"There's nothing wrong with my data, but there's a good deal wrong with your conclusions. No planet could have an orbit like this. Not even this woebegone flea bitten chunk of depressed galactic real estate! Now go back to work and give me a few sensible conclusions!"
"Affirmative. However, it is necessary to point out that identical data will provide identical conclusions."
"If you can't handle an elementary computation, what in blazes are you good for?"
"The function of an environmental control robot is to supply all data pertinent to this particular field."
"That is precisely what is wrong with our civilization. Everyone is a specialist," the doctor sighed. "Whatever happened to the renaissance man?"
"By the end of the sixteenth century, the renaissance man, a model of versatility, became obsolete. Modern man's pursuits became increasingly specialized until-"
"Oh, dry up!" Smith snapped.
"Relative humidity, 47%. Outside temperature, minus 125 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping."
"I did not ask you for a weather report."
"Inside temperature, 51 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping rapidly."
"51 in here?" Smith shivered. "No wonder I'm chilly." He grabbed his parka from the pilot seat and put it on, zipping it all the way up. He turned back to the robot. "And it's dropping, you say?"
"Rapidly."
"How rapidly?"
"In one hour and fourteen minutes, interior temperature of this spaceship will drop below the freezing point."
"Obviously then, we have to do something at once. Turn up the heat!"
"Artificial heat now at maximum. Power reserve failing. Recommended action: abandon ship and head south."
"Listen my pusillanimous puppet, I have no intention of chasing after that family of lunatics! Besides, it's too cold out there now to travel." Smith sighed and began pacing the control deck. "This is a pretty mess you've let me get into," he grumbled at the machine. "You're supposed to be an environmental control robot. Well control something! Do you realize that unless I get some heat somewhere, I'll freeze to death?"
"In precisely one hour, twelve minutes, and fifty- eight seconds," said the robot.
Smith looked as if he was going to be sick. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," he muttered as he continued to pace the room. Although he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was beginning to wish that he had gone south with the Robinsons. Of course it was too late for that now.
At first, he wondered whether he could go into suspended animation inside one of the freezing tubes. But he had no idea whether or not that would protect him from the cold. There was also the problem as to who would wake him. The robot was an obvious choice but Dr. Smith was unsure if the cold would disable his circuits and render him inoperative. The other option was the Robinsons. However, Dr. Smith still had doubts in his mind on whether they would ever make it back to the Jupiter. And even if they did, what was to prevent them from leaving him inside the tube permanently? He hadn't exactly had the most amicable relationship with them. He worried that they would see it as their chance to keep him out of the way. No… he was better off trying to survive the cold than trusting himself to the uncertain fate of suspended animation.
As the minutes ticked by, the more conscious Smith grew of the cold. His hand grew stiff as he clutched the now lukewarm cup of coffee and sipped at it. At length his feet also started to become numb and he knew the ship's power reserves were failing.
"What is the temperature now?" he asked the robot.
"Outside temperature minus 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Interior temperature 19 degrees Fahrenheit," the robot replied.
"This is not good. Not good at all!" Smith groaned. He hurried down below to grab some blankets for more insolation. He returned upstairs and curled up in one of the pilot chairs wrapping himself in numerous blankets.
"You sir," he said to the robot, "I want you to report the temperature outside to me every hour on the hour. Is that understood?"
"Instructions received."
Smith sighed and relaxed into the blankets. He was still shivering quite a bit, but at least they were helping to keep some of the cold out. In order to combat his discomfort, he tried to keep his mind otherwise occupied. He attempted to read but eventually he gave up as his hands were too cold to hold the book for long. He had the robot recite to him Shakespeare's Hamlet. That also proved to be ineffective as the robot's monotone mechanical voice did not do the literary work justice. After only a few stanzas in, he ordered the machine to stop.
"It's no use," he sighed miserably. "I am doomed to freeze in this spaceship on this dreadful planet. Cut down in the prime of life. Oh the pain! The pain!"
The robot's voice interrupted his fretting. "Outside temperature now 105 degrees below zero Fahrenheit."
Smith rolled his eyes. "You mean 125 below," he sighed. "You can't even get that right, can you?"
"Outside temperature 105 below Fahrenheit. Correction…"
"You see? I told you. Oh my friend, you've lost your touch completely."
"Outside temperature 98 degrees below zero and rising."
"Rising?" Smith jumped out of his chair. He checked the ship's thermometer. "It's true!" he gasped. "The temperature is going up!"
"Affirmative."
"That means I won't freeze after all. I'll be alright! Oh joy! Oh bliss! Oh…" he paused mid sentence and turned to the robot. "But why? What's the reason?"
"Data on the orbit of this planet," said the robot. The compartment on his midsection opened again.
Dr. Smith reached in and pulled out another piece of tape. He began studying it thoroughly, his brows furrowed in confusion. "This is the same nonsense you tried to pawn off on me before," he grumbled.
"Recommend you review data on sun."
Dr. Smith nodded and did as the robot suggested. As he did, a small smirk began to form on his face. "Well, well, well." He crumpled up the tape and disposed of it in the wastebasket. He turned to the robot. "My dear friend, somewhere in your busy little memory cells is a command I once gave you."
"Eliminate all unnecessary personnel at the earliest opportunity."
"Precisely," Smith nodded. "You can forget those orders now. That little scrap of information you gave me makes them totally useless. Our little band of pioneers won't trouble us any longer." He chuckled softly. "Rather a dreadful way to die, but that's a pioneer's life."
00oo00oo
It was dark when the Robinsons approached the Inland Sea. They halted briefly at its shore and examined their surroundings.
John whistled softly. "Would you look at that! It's solid ice as far as you can see!"
"Are you sure we should cross it tonight?" Maureen asked.
"We've got no choice," said John as he shifted the Chariot back into motion and approached the frozen body of water.
Maureen looked worried. "Do you think it's thick enough to hold us?"
"Oh yeah," Don nodded. "With cold like this, I'd be surprised if it's less than twenty feet thick."
"What is the outside temperature?" John asked.
Don looked at the thermometer. "125 below," he answered. "If it gets much colder, we won't be going anywhere."
Slowly John edged the Chariot onto the ice. It remained firm underneath them. Confident that it would hold their weight, John began to drive them further away from the shore line until it had completely disappeared. For a while, the children looked out at the frozen sea in fascination. Soon however, exhaustion began to take its toll, and it wasn't long before they were stretched out on the floor snoring softly.
"I'm glad to see that they are getting some rest," Maureen said, looking down at their sleeping forms.
John nodded, "Me too." He turned to Don, "What does the scanner read?"
Don studied the instrumentation. "It's blank right now," he said.
"No sign of the shoreline?"
He shook his head, "No nothing."
"Well give me a temperature check."
Don looked at the thermometer and frowned. "That's funny," he said, "it's not as low as it was. Not by a long shot."
"Well we are heading South, aren't we?"
"Yeah, but we're not that far south yet. The temperature has risen thirty degrees in the last hour. It's 95 below now."
"But the cold season just started," John laughed.
"Yeah but if winter comes, can spring be far behind?"
Before John could answer, there was a large jolt beneath them causing everyone to be thrown back into their seats. "Well speaking of springs, I think we just broke one," he said.
"No, look at the seismograph," Maureen pointed. "That was an earth tremor."
John frowned. He looked at Don, "You know," he said slowly, "I'm beginning to think we should have stayed back at the spaceship."
"We did the only thing we could," the major replied. "No telling what's going on back there now."
"I suppose you're right," John sighed, still unsure.
He did not speak to Don again about his doubts.
00oo00oo
Dr. Smith scowled at the robot, "So you were right," he growled. "Do you have to stand there and gloat?"
The robot remained silent.
"Of course that tiresome family will be wiped out," he continued as if trying to convince himself. "Well, good riddance."
Still, the robot did not speak.
"Aren't you going to offer any comment at all?"
Nothing.
"Say something!"
"Outside temperature plus thirty degrees Fahrenheit and rising."
Smith rolled his eyes. "I'd get more companionship from a cuckoo clock," he muttered irritably.
He eyed the chessboard which he had set up on a small table. He looked at the robot again as if considering… Finally he sighed. "What's the use? You'd beat me in three moves," he said.
He turned his attention outside the window. "By this time the Robinsons should be well out of this valley. I wonder how much longer they have left to live? Of course if someone gave them a warning of what was about to happen…" The doctor's musings were cut off suddenly by a violent shaking underneath his feet. Smith gasped and held on to the controls for dear life. Fortunately it only lasted for a few seconds.
"Minor earthquake," said the robot. Value: 3.2. Epicenter: fourteen hundred yards. Bearing: Indeterminate."
"That does it," Smith finally snapped. "I'm going to warn them!" He hurried over to the radio.
00oo00oo
By the time dawn arrived, the Chariot had crossed the Inland Sea. Don shook his head in confusion.
"Daylight," he murmured, "A few minutes ago it was pitch black."
"It's a strange planet," John agreed. "I thought for sure we'd have three or four more hours before dawn."
By this time, the children were starting to wake up.
"Hey, we've crossed the ice!" Will observed excitedly.
"And it's morning," Bethany yawned.
"And it's not cold anymore either," Penny added, shedding her parka.
"Mom, I'm starved," Will said. "When are we going to stop for breakfast?"
Maureen laughed. "I don't know. We'll see what your father says. John?"
"We'll stop in a few minutes. I want to make some observations anyway,"
Beep, beep, beep! The long distance radio sounded off, indicating someone was trying to contact them.
Don raised his eyebrows in surprise, and looked at John questioningly. "Smith?"
John shook his head, "I don't know," he shrugged. "Raise the antenna."
Don nodded and did as John said. For a second all that could be heard was static. Then a moment later, a familiar voice could be heard. "Jupiter 2 calling! Jupiter 2 calling! Chariot, do you read me?"
"It is Smith," said Don. He grabbed the transmitter microphone. "Smith, this is Major West. What do you want?"
"I can barely hear you!"
"Well we're getting a lot of cosmic interference," Don told him. He tried to fiddle with the controls to increase the range but all in vain. "Get to the point, Smith."
"You must return to the spaceship at once. This cosmic interference is just the first signs of…" his voice cut out over the static.
Don only rolled his eyes. "Now why should we turn back?" he asked. "So you can get another crack at us with that robot of yours? Or do you want to save your own miserable neck?"
"On the contrary, I'm attempting to save your miserable necks. Turn back at once before it's too late. You're in terrible danger! You've got to believe me!"
John took the microphone from Don. "Smith, this is Robinson. Now why on earth should we believe you?"
"May I remind you, my dear sir, that we are no longer on earth."
"Oh that's very clever," came the professor's sarcastic reply.
"Do you not comprehend?!" Dr. Smith's voice bordered on frustration. "Unless you turn around and come back now, you won't survive the oncoming..." Again the static cut him off.
For a moment John looked genuinely perplexed. He turned to the rest of the family. "What do you make of that?" he asked.
"Well I don't know. He sounds really worried," Maureen answered. "You don't suppose that he's…"
"The only thing I suppose is that he's an expert at sounding that way," said John.
"Yeah I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw one of those giants," Don agreed. He took the microphone back from John. "Smith, this is West again. Nice try. Give us a call again sometime. Over and out!" With that he cut off the signal.
"Well it wouldn't have done any harm to listen to what he had to say," John protested. He picked up the microphone and turned the radio back on. "Smith? Smith, this is Robinson. Can you hear me?"
The only reply was the static of the interference.
After a few moments of waiting John finally sighed and flipped the radio off.
Don gave a little shrug. "Well whatever it was, it's too late now," he said.
00oo00oo
"Hello, Chariot? Chariot can you read me?" It was no use. The cosmic interference was too strong. Smith groaned in frustration as he slammed the microphone down.
"Lame-brained misbegotten skeptics," he muttered. "Now they'll all die! Well let them!" He gave a little huff and turned back to the robot. "We don't need them, do we?"
"Outside temperature 59 degrees Fahrenheit and rising," was the robot's only reply.
Smith rolled his eyes. "I've known people to make conversation about the weather, but this is ridiculous," he grumbled. "A pretty 'how do you do' this is! Stranded on an alien planet. No one with whom to exchange intellectual ideas. No one to talk to except this… this animated weather station. And I can't even beat him at chess!"
He began to pace the upper deck muttering to himself about how unfair it all was. Then suddenly he stopped. An idea struck his mind. He gazed at the robot thoughtfully.
"Maybe they'd listen to you," he said at last. "You have the sort of open face people seem to trust. Why not? My dear friend, how would you like to take a little walk? Say about seventy or eighty miles? I have a message for the Robinsons. A special delivery message."
"What message?"
"You must go to the Robinsons and tell them that it is a matter of life or death. Relay to them the information that you procured on the orbit of this planet. You will assist them in any way possible and help them return to Jupiter 2. Is that understood?"
"Affirmative."
"Good," Dr. Smith breathed a sigh of relief.
"When shall I depart?"
"There's no sense in wasting any time. You should leave right away. Every second brings them closer and closer to their doom."
"I have calculated the time it will take me to reach the Robinson party. At current pace without stopping, I estimate two days."
"I suppose that will have to do," Smith said. "Now off with you, my metallic friend. Go and warn them before it is too late!"
No preparations were necessary. The robot was fully charged and he would have no need of the essentials that a human would require. Smith saw him out the hatch. Through the window, he watched as the robot rolled off after the Robinsons. The machine faded out of sight, Smith desperately hoped that he would reach the family on time. He did not want to think about the outcome if he were to be the only surviving castaway on this planet.
00oo00oo
Two days after crossing the inland sea, Maureen, Judy and the children sat around the table finishing up supper. Don and John had eaten a little earlier that evening and were out scouting, leaving the two women in charge of the younger ones. Not that it was a big deal. They both had laser pistols strapped to their waists and were more than capable of defending themselves if trouble should occur.
Will gave a contented sigh as he cleaned off the last of the mashed potatoes from his plate. "Boy, that hit the spot," he told his mom appreciatively.
"Oh good! I'm glad you liked it," Maureen said as she and Penny began to clear away the dishes. She eyed Penny's plate suspiciously. "How much of that did you have and how much did Debbie have?"
"Well she was awfully hungry. Honest she was," Penny replied sheepishly.
Maureen just laughed. "Well come on now, we'd better hurry up and do these dishes. We've got a big day tomorrow and we need all the sleep we can get."
Judy rose to help them, "I don't see why we need to travel any further," she remarked. "Somehow it just doesn't feel as cold as it did. It's practically too warm for a fire."
"You're right about that Judy," said a voice from behind. It was John. He and Don had just returned from scouting. "The temperature's rising rapidly."
Don laid down a strange black prickly object on the table. "You know, I've got a feeling this stuff has a message for us. If we could only read it."
"What is it?" Judy inquired.
"A piece of vegetation."
John handed it to Maureen. "We found lots of this stuff frozen solid on the ground."
Maureen examined it closely, "Why, it looks as if it's been charred!" she exclaimed.
"It has been."
Maureen looked up at John incredulously. "Burned and then frozen? But that doesn't make any sense!"
"Darling, very little on this planet makes sense, by earth's standards."
As they were discussing this, Bethany happened to look over in the direction of the Chariot. What she saw took her completely by surprise. Just a little ways off, moving towards them steadily, was the robot.
She gave a surprised gasp and pointed. "Look!"
Everyone turned in the direction she pointed and immediately saw the machine. It was closer now. Maybe only twenty feet away. Its arms were extended as it continued to advance.
"Matter of life and death," it said.
"Now what's that thing doing here?" Maureen wondered aloud.
John just shook his head. "I don't know."
"Matter of life and death." It had almost reached them now. But before it could say any more, Don whipped out his pistol, took aim, and fired a laser beam straight at it.
The robot stopped dead in its tracks for an instant. Simultaneously, the lights on its chest plate went out and it slumped over. Don was about to fire at it again, but Will gave a sharp cry and grabbed onto the major's arm.
"No, don't shoot! Why did you do that? He wasn't going to hurt anybody!" He would have rushed over to the robot, but Don grabbed hold of his arm to prevent him.
"Will, listen," he said sternly. "Every time Smith turns that robot loose, it spells trouble. Now why should this time be any different?"
Before Will could answer, John stepped in. "You could have waited, Don. We always had our lasers," he said.
Don did not reply. He released Will and angrily turned away. Meanwhile, John and Will hurried over to examine the deactivated robot.
"His tape replay circuits were on," Will observed grimly. "I bet he was bringing us a message before…And now we'll never know."
John patted the boy on the arm. "Son, Major West only did what he thought was right."
"But he wasn't right! Was he?"
"We'll talk about that some other time," John answered. He was not about to make bad remarks about his second-in-command to a nine year old boy; even if he did consider Don's actions to be hasty. Instead, he turned his full attention to the robot. After a few minutes of looking over the machine he finally spoke. "It's not as bad as I originally thought. I still may be able to get the message. Will, run and get my toolbox!"
"Yes, sir!" Will bounded off. As soon he returned, John set to work trying to retrieve the message from his instrumentation. Will sat next to him and handed him the tools he needed until Maureen called for him and the other children to go to bed.
As Will trudged over to his sleeping bag, Don returned, looking visibly less angry than he had when he left. He didn't say much to the others, preferring instead to tend to the dying fire. Finally he, Judy and Maureen retired, leaving John to struggle with the machine alone.
00oo00oo
Will awoke before dawn in much better spirits. As he stretched and looked around, he saw that he was the last one up. He stood, rolled up his pallet neatly and stored it away in the Chariot. Don was outside the vehicle, giving it a quick check to make sure it was ready for travel. Will went over to stand beside him.
"Where's Dad?"
"He's been working most of the night on that tin monster," Don answered with a careless shrug of his shoulder.
Will scowled and clenched his fists at the major's words. He knew better than to speak what was on his mind.
Don saw the look and said in a softer tone, "You're pretty fond of that robot aren't you?"
Will nodded. "Did he fix him?"
"Why don't you go ask him?"
At Don's words, Will ran off to find his father. He found him right where he had left him last night, next to the robot. In his hands he held a piece of tape. Ever so often, he would glance from it to the sky with an anxious expression on his face.
"Is he all fixed?" Will asked, coming to sit beside him. "Was he bringing us a message?"
"Yes. I pulled this tape from him just now. It's quite a message."
"I hope you're not going to pay attention to anything from that robot," said Don as he joined them both.
"We'd better. This is orbital data on this planet."
"Whose data? Smith's?"
John, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, did not reply. "That explains everything…the terrible cold and the sudden rise in temperature." He looked up at Don and Will. "Allow me to demonstrate for you."
He took two small pebbles and set them down next to each other. "Here is this planet," he said, pointing at the first one, "and this is its sun," he pointed at the other. "Now the orbit of this planet is nothing like the earth's orbit. It's a flat ellipse." He drew an ellipse in the sand, starting at the pebble that represented the planet. The ellipse extended several inches past the sun, then came back again to finish at the planet. "As you can see, the sun isn't in the middle of the ellipse, it's nearer to the left side."
Will nodded, quickly understanding what his father was trying to communicate. "Then we must have been at the end away from the sun. That means we're heading back in close to it now. Is that what Dr. Smith tried to warn us about?"
"That's right Will," John nodded. "In a matter of hours we're going to be in danger of roasting alive, and there's no time to get back to the ship. We're going to have to build a shelter right here."
"Do you mean to say that you're going to pay any attention to what Smith says after all he's done?" Don asked incredulously.
"Who cares what he's done! These are facts!"
"Are they? The man's a pathological liar! Now what makes you think he's suddenly reformed? Do you think he'd lift a finger to save our lives? Now we were headed south. I'd say we keep going that way."
John folded his arms over his chest. "You're in no position to give orders," he said firmly.
"Oh but you are?" Don glared at him. "It's too bad there isn't judgment to go along with that self-confidence."
"Now that's enough out of you," John cut him off. "Whether you like it or not, I'm going to try to save your life along with the others. We get that shelter rigged now."
There was fire in Don's eyes as the professor dressed him down. Angrily, he spun around and stalked off. Will stared after him in amazement.
"Boy, you really read him out," he remarked before hurrying back to the Chariot.
John gave a weary sigh and followed his son.
Will spotted Penny and Bethany both sitting beside the Chariot doing nothing. "Come on you two. Don't just sit there. We've got to help put up a shelter," he told them.
"Alright," they both nodded and hurried after him to gather the equipment.
Maureen gave John an anxious look. She had seen the argument. Everyone had. Judy had gone after Don, so no one was in earshot when John approached her.
"We couldn't help but hear," she said softly.
"I don't know what got into him," John shook his head.
"Well that's bound to happen," she consoled. "That's bound to happen to all of us. Here on this hostile planet with danger everywhere. Fighting for our lives every moment."
"You might be right, but that doesn't sound like you," John observed quietly.
Maureen gave a tiny laugh. "A crack in my armor, eh?"
"Well we all develop a little trouble with our armor now and then," John said with a tender smile.
"I've never seen it in you."
"You saw it in me just now. I shouldn't have teed off at Don like that. It's just that we don't have time for discussion. We've got to get that shelter built before that sun comes blazing over."
Maureen nodded. "Alright. Come on, I'll help you."
Arm in arm, they joined the children in gathering the equipment. Less than an hour later, they had managed to construct a small shelter that hung off the side of the Chariot. By this time, the temperature had risen a considerable amount. So much so that the entire family had shed off most of their layers and were wearing lightweight, short sleeved, clothes. Even then it did little to help cool them down.
Judy wiped the sweat off her brow and peeked at the thermometer inside the Chariot. "108," she groaned to Maureen, "how much hotter can it get!"
"I don't dare think about it," Maureen sighed. She went over to where her husband stood installing the last piece of the shelter.
"John," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "You can tell me the truth. How hot will it get?"
John stopped what he was doing and took both of her hands in his. "I've never lied to you before," he said, "so I won't start now. I just don't know."
Before Maureen could reply, a low rumbling was heard and the ground began to shake violently, knocking them both off their feet.
"It's an earthquake!" Don shouted as he struggled to maintain the structure that they had set up. His efforts were mostly successful although a small portion of the front did come apart. As soon as the earthquake had stopped, John got up and rushed over to help Don, who was furiously working to try and reattach the front pieces again.
"If we would have kept going south we wouldn't be dealing with any of this," Don grumbled.
"Just help me get that shield tied back into place," John snapped.
With a great heave, John managed to lift the front piece while Don began to reconnect it to the shelter.
They had just finished securing it and were helping the others to spread out the insulated blanket when all of a sudden Bethany pointed up into the sky.
"Look everyone!"
John did so and immediately looked back down again. The sun had risen from behind the mountains, its blinding rays stretching toward them. Immediately the heat increased dramatically as it continued to move closer and closer to them.
John knew that there was not much time left. He began herding everyone under the shelter.
"Everyone in the center of the shelter! Get underneath the blankets and make sure they cover you entirely. No matter what happens, don't try to get out from under them unless I signal."
Everyone hastened to do as he told them. After he had ensured that everyone was safely covered, he threw himself down with a blanket wrapped around him, and waited for the impending heat to overtake them.
Within minutes the heat had greatly increased in intensity. John felt as if he were being smothered. Outside he could hear the sizzling of plant life as they all caught fire. He only hoped that the shelter would not do the same. A wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him, nearly making him vomit. Next to him, he felt Maureen stir. He reached underneath her blanket and found her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.
The last thing John remembered was the firm grasp of Maureen's hand as he slipped into unconsciousness.
00oo00oo
"Water, water, please water." A faint and groggy voice was what finally stirred John to wakefulness. The smell of smoke filled the air causing him to cough fitfully. Slowly, he pushed back the blanket and lifted his head to look around.
The first thing he noticed was that the shelter had held up. Although the heat had singed several holes on the top, it was otherwise still in good shape. Through the holes John could see that while the sun was directly overhead, its heat was not as intense as before indicating that it was safe to move about again.
"Please John, I need water," Maureen's parched voice jolted John out of his thoughts. As quickly as he could, he got to his feet and reached for the door to the Chariot.
"Aghh!" he gave a sharp gasp of pain as he tried the handle. It seemed that the vehicle was still too hot for bare hands. John grabbed his blanket and used it for protection as he opened the door. Just inside was the big insulated canteen filled to the brim with icy cold water. He snatched it up and returned to Maureen, kneeling by her side.
"Maureen," he said as he gently lifted her head and brought the canteen to her lips, "drink darling."
He waited until she had her fill and then moved on to Judy. Slowly he made his way around one at a time rousing everyone and letting them drink. Only when they had all been satisfied did he indulge in the water himself.
They were all too tired to do much more than lay around for the rest of the day. Towards the evening, however, Maureen and the girls summoned up their strength and managed to cook a simple dinner. While they ate they discussed what to do next. It was unanimously decided that they should return to the Jupiter 2. Since the danger of the cold was past, there was not much point in continuing their journey south. Even Don agreed with the decision. After supper the men volunteered to do the dishes and then they all retired to bed.
They awoke early the next morning and had a quick breakfast. After that, they began to pack up for the journey home.
Maureen sighed as she packed away the last of the sleeping bags into the Chariot. "I can't believe we're really going back to the spaceship," she said excitedly to John.
"Well it's all we can do," he replied. "This cycle of intense heat and cold is going to repeat itself and we want to be ready for it."
"Dad!" Will cried, running up to him. "Make Don stop! He's taking apart the robot! That's murder!"
John fought to hide back a smile at his son's dramatic claim. Looking up to where Will pointed he saw that he was right. On the other side of the camp, stood Don calmly disassembling the robot.
"Alright, I'll see about it," he said and calmly strode over to Don with Will following close behind.
Don looked up when he saw them approaching and frowned.
"I know! You're in command," he said quickly, "but I'm as interested in staying alive as anyone."
"You've got no right to take apart that robot," Will snapped.
John looked at Will sternly. "Now take it easy. It will go back together again."
"But Dad…"
John held up a hand silencing Will. "You're out of line, son. Let me handle this." He turned back to the major. "Alright Don, why?"
"That ice we crossed is a full fledged sea by now. If we're going to sail the Chariot across it, I going to make sure everything's battened down, and that includes this animated hunk of machinery."
"He's not an animated hunk of machinery," Will growled, "he's a robot."
"That may be true, son, but Don's right about this. It's going to have to be packed away for the trip," John told him.
Will glared at Don but he did not say any more in protest. As he walked off, John turned back to the major.
"Alright, Don, go ahead," he said, "but I want to get on the road soon, so hurry."
"Well we can't leave right away. I also want to break the solar batteries down and re-align them."
"How long will that take?"
"Two hours. Maybe more."
"No dice. We've got to get out of here."
"Another order?"
"You can take that any way you'd like."
Don sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright," he said quietly, "but I won't guarantee we get there." With that, he continued to disassemble the robot.
John frowned but did not say anything more to him. He returned to the Chariot to let him work.
Before long, everything was stowed away and they were ready to head back home. They traveled all day and into the night with Don and John taking turns driving. The next morning, they had reached the inland sea.
"There it is," John said as it came into view. "After we cross that, it'll be two more days to get home."
"I can hardly wait," Bethany said as she, Will and Penny stood up to get a better look.
They all gazed at it in awe. The ice had all melted and been replaced with giant waves crashing down on the shoreline. Beyond that there was only water as far as the eye could see.
Maureen smiled at them. "Alright children sit down. It's going to be a bumpy ride."
John shifted the Chariot back into drive and they slowly made their way down the embankment to the water.
Not only was the Chariot a good land vehicle, but it was also equipped with flotation devices and a rudder, making it possible to be piloted in water as well. As they drove into the sea, John engaged the floatation devices and put the Chariot in water mode. Instantly the vehicle's treads folded in and were replaced with two durable plastic tubes that spanned the length of the vehicle. They were hollowed out and filled with air. This and a complex matrix of inflated tubing underneath was what kept them afloat.
"Alright everyone, hang on! Here come the waves!" John cried.
No sooner had he said this than a giant whitecap crashed into the windshield. The next moment the vehicle was caught by the undercurrents and surged forward. For a few seconds they were completely submerged. Then the next moment they breached the surface only to be suddenly jerked down again in the trough of another giant wave.
The Robinsons held on for dear life as this cycle repeated itself for several minutes until finally, they were pushed out to calmer waters.
"Well that was easier than I expected," John said, breathing a sigh of relief. With Don's help, he plotted a course and began piloting the ship to the other side.
Sailing on the sea was exciting for the children at first, but after a couple hours of seeing nothing but water, they began to grow bored.
"Why don't you kids climb up on the roof and try your hand at fishing?" John suggested as they started to get restless. "I'll come with you. Don, take over the controls."
Don took a seat in the pilot chair as John got up and slid open the top hatch. He helped the children into their life preservers and hoisted them up onto the roof before climbing up there himself.
"But dad, what do we fish with?" Penny asked. "We didn't bring any poles."
For an answer, John produced a ball of twine from his pocket. He cut three long pieces off of it and gave one to each of the children. He then tied safety pins on the end of the strings to serve as hooks. For bait, he used some leftover sausage and bacon from breakfast that morning. The children cast their lines into the sea and began to wait patiently for a bite.
Unfortunately this way of fishing proved to be futile as they did not catch a single thing. They didn't mind though. They were enjoying the sounds of the sea, the warm sun, and the ocean spray on their faces.
At lunchtime Maureen poked her head up and handed each of them a ham sandwich. They reeled in their lines and quickly devoured the meal. Once they had finished, Bethany went back into the vehicle for a nap while Will and Penny resumed fishing. They were having such a good time up top talking and laughing together, that they did not notice the ominous clouds forming on the horizon, nor the way the gentle sea breeze was turning into a harsh and biting wind.
Down below, Maureen was reading aloud Ivanhoe while Don and Judy listened. She was in the middle of the fourth chapter when all of a sudden the barometer began sounding off.
Judy checked the instrument. "It says there is a bad storm coming this way." She told Don.
"Oh great, just what we needed," he growled. "How long before it reaches us?"
"Less than an hour," Judy replied.
"Get John and the children back down here. If we're to survive this thing, I'm going to need his help."
Maureen nodded and slid open the top hatch to call them in. A few moments later, they all came clambering back down below.
"Is there any way we can go around it?" John asked as he got back in his seat.
"I'm afraid not," Don sighed. "It's coming towards us too fast. We're going to have to go through it."
"Alright then, everyone strap in," said John. "It looks like we're in for a rough ride."
The atmosphere in the Chariot became noticeably more tense as everyone watched the looming wall of clouds gradually get nearer and nearer. The water became increasingly more choppy. Don and John frowned in concentration as they started making calculations and attempted to keep the vessel stable. The others talked in whispers together nervously, not even daring to imagine what the worst outcome of this storm could be.
The low rumbling of thunder could be heard now. The Chariot began to rock back and forth more fiercely. Darkness closed in upon them. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light nearly blinding the travelers.
BOOM! A loud crack of thunder followed, and as if on cue, a torrent of rain began pouring down on them. The little Chariot was suddenly being tossed about violently on the sea.
Everyone held on for dear life as Don and John struggled to guide them through the storm. Wave after wave crashed upon them, dragging them under and spitting them out. For hours the two men worked tirelessly as the storm continued to get worse.
"Something's wrong!" John suddenly exclaimed, "I can't get the controls to work. They're frozen!"
Don frowned. He quickly began pushing buttons on the control panel. No response.
"We're not getting any power!" he cried. "It must be a loose connection in the solar batteries!"
John groaned. Of course it would be those! Don had warned him that they needed to be checked but he had been too concerned about getting back to the ship to listen. Now his impatience might cost all of them their lives as they were at the mercy of the sea.
"I'll go up and see if I can fix them," said Don.
"Now?" cried Judy in dismay.
"We can't risk it," John told him.
"We have to! Without power we'll capsize!"
"It's too late, we're right in the middle of it!"
"John, we can't wait!"
Maureen put a firm hand on John's shoulder. "John, you know he's right," she said gently.
The professor sighed and then gave a resigned nod of his head. "Alright, go ahead," he acquiesced. "I'll try and hold her steady."
Don unbuckled himself from his seat and stumbled over to the top hatch.
"Maureen, you stand under the hatch and hand me what I need," he said.
"Judy, up front with me," John patted the now vacant seat next to him. "Man the scanner."
Both women nodded. Quickly, they got up and scrambled to their assigned positions.
Don opened the top hatch. Instantly torrents of water began pouring inside, drenching him and the others. Ignoring the icy water, Don climbed up onto the roof of the Chariot. Carefully, he slid towards the back of the vehicle where the solar batteries were located. A quick examination revealed that there was a small bolt loose which connected the power transmitter with the rest of the vehicle. As Maureen poked her head up out of the hatch, he made eye contact with her.
"Give me the solar wrench!" he shouted.
Maureen nodded and at once disappeared inside. As Don waited for her to return, his eyes turned to the raging sea and he saw something that made his blood run cold. Less than a hundred feet away was a giant whirlpool. They were headed straight for it.
"Don!" Maureen's voice caused him to turn back to the hatch. He reached out and took the tool from her outstretched hand.
"We're heading straight for a whirlpool!" he shouted at her.
Maureen gave a startled gasp and quickly went back down to warn John.
"Don says there's a whirlpool up ahead."
John turned to Judy, "Check the scope and see what it reads!"
Judy nodded and turned to her control panel. After a few seconds she looked back up. "Don's right! We need to cut to the left! Now!"
John grasped the steering gears, and with all his might, tried to push so that it would go left. It was futile, however, and he groaned in frustration. Desperately, he tried flipping every switch he could to get it to respond.
"I can't move it!" he cried.
"John, look!" Maureen pointed. Just up ahead was the whirlpool. Everyone watched as they were hopelessly being drawn towards it. Then suddenly, its churning undercurrents latched onto the Chariot and they were pulled into the spiraling waters.
Everyone screamed in terror as they were suddenly being spun around at a rapid pace. The vessel was plunged underwater and jerked about violently before again rising to the surface. Gallons upon gallons of water poured onto the already drenched family as they continued spinning out of control.
"Get Don back in here and close the hatch!" John told Maureen.
Maureen just barely managed to throw herself at the ladder leading up top. She climbed up until she could just barely poke her head outside and looked around frantically.
He was nowhere to be found.
"Don!" she called out for him several times. "Don!"
No response.
A giant wave crashed on top of her, forcing her to retreat back down into the vehicle and close the hatch.
"Mom, what are you doing!" Judy cried out in protest. "Why didn't you wait for Don?"
Maureen did her best to hold back her tears but her voice shook as she replied, "He's gone."
"What! No!" Judy gasped, "Don!" She jumped out of her seat.
"Judy, wait!" John shouted.
Judy paid him no mind as she stumbled towards the hatch. Before she could reach it, another violent wave washed over the Chariot, nearly causing it to capsize. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Maureen knelt down with her, holding her close. Bethany too had begun to cry and she rushed over to embrace Judy.
Suddenly they could hear a faint pounding from the roof.
"Help!" a faint voice could be heard, "help!"
"Don!" Judy shouted. She jumped to her feet. And climbed the ladder to open the hatch. The major tumbled inside, exhausted.
Judy hurriedly closed the hatch and knelt down beside him.
"Oh Don, we thought you were dead!" she cried onto his shoulder.
Don gave a weak chuckle and shook his head. "Not dead, just half drowned." He turned to John. "Try the power unit again. I managed to make a connection."
Once more, John tested the controls. He breathed a sigh of relief as they whirred back to life. "It's working!" he cried. "Maureen, check the scope for the nearest landfall! Hang on everyone, we're getting out of here!"
The Chariot lurched forward as they continued to battle through the storm. Eventually they made it past the worst part. The seas calmed and the only sound was the quiet drizzle of rain.
Even though they were all soaked to the bone, everyone managed to fall asleep, except for John and Maureen, who kept a steady watch throughout the night.
Just as the sun was beginning to rise, the both spotted a small blip of land on the horizon.
"Oh John," Maureen whispered, voice quivering. "We've made it. Look!"
"We have a little ways to go yet, darling," he replied, taking her hand in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Not too long after the others awoke. The children pointed out the window excitedly.
"Look, it's the land!" Bethany cried.
"How long before we reach it, Dad?" Will asked.
"We have a couple more hours to go, son."
"It can't go by fast enough for me," Penny sighed.
Don tapped Maureen on the shoulder, "Thank you for taking the night watch for me," he said. "I can take over now."
"Are you sure you are rested?"
"Completely."
"Well in that case…" Maureen got up and took her seat in the back with the children, while Don resumed his place at the controls.
It was mid afternoon when they finally made it to shore. Everyone tumbled out of the Chariot, eager to set their feet on dry ground again. They made camp there that night and the next, taking a much needed rest and giving a thorough inspection of the Chariot. On the evening of the second day, Don finally pronounced it fit for travel. Early the next morning, they set off on the homestretch towards the Jupiter.
The rest of the journey back was a lot less eventful, and they were able to make good time. They also managed to get in contact with Dr. Smith and let him know that they had survived. Smith growled at them irritably over the radio demanding to know why they hadn't contacted him sooner. The relief in his voice was unmistakable though, and they knew he wouldn't stay mad for long. Two days later, they pulled back up to the spaceship. Dr. Smith was outside waving at them and welcoming them back. As soon as the Chariot came to a stop, everyone undid their seatbelts and scrambled out the door.
"At last! We're home!" Penny squealed excitedly.
Before the children could run away, Maureen called after them. "Don't go too far! We still need to unload everything!"
John motioned Don off to the side, away from the others. "I guess I owe you an apology," he said meekly.
"What for?" Don laughed.
"You know what for. If I had allowed you to re-align those solar batteries…"
"Forget it," Don grinned at him. "We got back, didn't we?"
John returned the smile. "Sure, we got back." He held out his hand. Don readily grasped it.
"We all make mistakes, John. You know that as well as I do. It won't do us any good to dwell on them and get bitter. That's a good way to breed mistrust and get ourselves killed. You are my captain, sir. My allegiance is to you. Just do your part in making the best decisions possible for our survival, and I'll do my part to trust your judgment and offer advice when I believe it to be necessary. Deal?"
"Deal." The two men exchanged a firm handshake.
"You two aren't angry anymore then?" Will asked, coming up from behind, causing them both to turn around.
John pretended to give his son a stern look but failed miserably. "Now do I look angry? Huh?" he landed a playful tap to his son's arm.
As he walked away, Will turned to West. "Don, you nearly got killed in that storm. Was it because my dad wouldn't allow you to re-align the solar batteries?"
Don scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Now where did you get an idea like that? Hmm? No, it was just as I said before, a loose connection." He inwardly winced as he told the lie.
"Then Dad was right?"
"He's the boss, isn't he?"
Will grinned. "Yeah."
Don smiled back. "Come on Will, let's go unload our gear."
Will nodded. "Whatever you say sir!"