(Part 7)
by Kevin Pellew

last week as you recall :- Smith returned to the Jupiter Two.. an event that nearly ended in disaster. But for the Orion Saboteur the time has come...........

They met after dark.

They met after most had turned in for the evening. They had travelled swiftly and silently to be here. The matters that they were to discuss were private matters and not for general consumption. They met in a dimly lit quiet room far from prying eyes. They met late so that they would not be discovered or interrupted. They conducted their business in the manner of thieves.

In the Tauron Council Chambers the Councillors gathered.

Rather than congregate around the pit the Councillors sat at a large oaken table. To look at them you would think that nothing was happening.

But they were in the middle of a heated debate.

Shall we tell them? one thought.

Another answered, It is their problem. Let them deal with it.

Another thought, We will only become involved when it endangers our people..

And Tish asked, Am I forbidden to interfere?

As one the councillors nodded in the affirmative.

She shook her head in anger and disgust.

And I? asked Manya, Am I forbidden to interfere too? Do you presume to shackle me with your laws? The little woman sat forward in her chair and eyed each member contemptuously.

The dark Councillor replied angrily, we are not on Tauron, Manya, your position here is somewhat different.

Manya laughed silently, Is it? she replied. Call an election, Cal, she said naming the Councillor, Call an election and we will see who really has power here. Cal, the dark Tauron sat back as if he had suddenly been slapped. Manya smiled. She had insulted the Councillor by calling him by name. She had done this to show the others that she had no respect for him as a Councillor.

An oriental Tauron replied, Manya we know that you are fond of the Earth woman, a position that we respect, but the petty intrigues of the Humans are none of our concern.

If she is hurt, Manya replied, In any way, the words were stressed for effect, then it will very quickly become your concern!

This is madness!! Tish screamed, We were forced from Tauron because of attitudes like this and here we are repeating the actions of the Pure! Let them kill each other. Let them fight amongst themselves. She stopped aware that she had raised the anger of nearly all the Council, Why not declare war on them right now? We should warn them! She slammed her fist hard upon the table top to emphasis her point.

It is forbidden, came the reply.

And with that Tish turned and stormed out of the Chamber. *

"Hello?" the voice called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

The Robot scanned the darkness and located the caller. "Halt. Identify yourself!" he replied.

The voice replied, "I am from the Orion and I'm lost."

The Robot issued a direct order, "Stay where you are or I will fire." He had extended his claws.

But it did not matter. For the second time in as many hours the Robot was hit, square on, by a burst of laser fire. This time his chest plate exploded in a flash of sparks and fire before he slumped forward.

Oh luck, the crewman thought, be with me now.

***

Athena was floating lazily just out of his reach.

"Handsome," she was murmuring softly, "Handsome, pretty, handsome."

"Yes," Smith replied, "I am handsome, pretty handsome, Dr. Smith. Athena!"

They floated and rolled over in weightless glory. They rose and fell as if they were dancing to unheard music, music that was only ever heard by them.

Athena, her face aglow with pale green radiance faced Smith and said, "Get up or you'll be killed where you lay!" Smith was puzzled. Athena's voice had changed and had been replaced by one that was very familiar to him. "Get up, get up, get up now or you will be killed! Damn it Smith we are in trouble! Get up and stop dreaming!" The voice was his own. It was the voice of the evil Smith! He sat up, startled to find that his room was in complete darkness. Something was very wrong. The Robot always kept a light burning for him. It was for his safety. He was an old man who could easily hurt himself in the dark. This could only mean trouble. "That's right," the voice in his head said, "We are in trouble!! Get up and find that battery pack!! Arm yourself!!"

He rose from the bed and fumbled in the dark searching for the laser and the battery. He found them and placed the two together. The laser hummed softly giving away his position in the dark. Laser fire flashed past him and Smith hit the floor with a bone shattering thud. Old bones, he thought, Old bones don't break on me now. He shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?" The Evil voice inside Smith's head laughed and said, "We are stupid aren't we? What do you think he wants?"

Again the laser fired and flashed over Smith's head.

"You are an embarrassment Smith," came the reply, "The powers that hired you, created you, no longer wish to tolerate your existence. You are a mistake that is to be removed!"

That voice sounds familiar thought Smith. Where had he heard it? It was only recently, so where had it been. Then it came to him. It had been at the Jupiter. It had been the voice of one of the Orion's crew! The evil voice spoke quickly. "Listen to me," it said, "Let me save us! Fire the gun. Let me fire the gun to save us." Aloud Smith sobbed, "No. no, no, I can't, I am afraid."

The Crewman replied, "You should be afraid. Your sorry existence is to be finally terminated. You will no longer be a painful memory for the Umbra.

The Evil Smith screamed, "For God's sake, Zachary!! Give me control before we are killed!!" Smith weakly gave in. With his free hand Smith felt along under his bed for something heavy. He found it in the shape of his old reel to reel tape recorder. He thought quickly, Reflections of a Cosmic Castaway, indeed. With cat like agility the old man jumped to his feet and began firing in the direction of the voice. Something behind the Crewman, a curtain or wall hanging, caught fire and distracted him just long enough for Smith to throw the recorder at him. The appliance struck the Crewman and he fell down dragging the burning material with him.

Smith was suddenly standing above him. Light from the burning material fell upon the hapless assassin and Smith could see the fear in his eyes. Smith was directly above him. The gun was aimed precisely at the man's forehead.

Meekly the man cried, "Please, no! I was only following orders!"

"My dear boy," Smith replied, snidely, "Weren't we all?" Then his eyes narrowed, "Kill or be killed," he said as he fired the laser into the crewman's skull.

It took an instant, a mere blink of an eye, for the evil Smith to vanish and the meek old man to return. He threw the gun onto the floor as if it were red hot! "Oh no!' he cried, "What have I done?" He dropped to the floor and hid his head in his hands. He sobbed and then began to cry. "What have I done?" he cried again in a meek little child like voice. In his mind he called out for the evil persona to help him but he did not answer. It had saved him but had not told him how, now, to survive! It was still there but refused his pleas. In his mind he could see, could feel, his other persona's. His little Demons were huddled together like frightened children. His little Demons, the ones who fought for so long to gain control of his frail old frame now did not want it. They sobbed and wailed like infants.

Smith screamed and wailed like a banshee. He screamed like a child in pain!

Like a child he fled the house.

Like a child.

***

Matthew screamed.

Matthew literally screamed! His vocal chords found the power to articulate and formed a scream. The sound was like a wild wounded animal. It was a horrid alien sound, a sound that had no place coming from that throat or mouth. It wailed for just a few seconds but lasted a lifetime. Will jumped from his bed and raced to his son's room. Lenore followed closely behind. Once at the room she pushed past Will and grabbed her sobbing child. In Will's mind he could hear them but not understand them. Lenore suddenly pulled Matthew to her chest and squeezed him tightly. She looked up at Will, her eyes filled with tears.

Dr Smith, she thought to Will, Dr Smith has just killed someone! Will had so many questions but did not get a chance to ask them as Lenore already had the answers. Matthew doesn't know much more than that. Dr Smith has killed someone and is now running. She stood and looked around. Her eyes opened wide as if in total disbelief. Will grabbed her and spun her about.

"What is it?" he demanded, "Damn it! Lenore what is happening?"

Ashen faced she replied, You can't hear it! Oh of all the Gods! The Settlement! Grasping their hands tightly she dragged them both to the door of the house then pushed it open. In the dark of night they stood in the silence, straining to absorb everything around them.

Then Will could hear it.

From in the direction, not of Smith's home, but the Settlement came the sound of a scream.

No, Lenore cried silently, Not a scream. Many screams!

***

All throughout the settlement they screamed.

They screamed. They cried. Male and female. Children! Telepathic children were screaming! Non Telepathic children were crying. The children clutched their parents trying to escape the fear and pain that was now falling on them. Only the children were screaming and crying.

As Tish raced through the streets of the Settlement she saw and heard the anguish of child and parent. Now, she cursed, now it is our concern. She reached the Maser Terminal and stepped inside and an instant was transported to the Jupiter site. Hannibal the Robot was there on guard and she quickly ordered him to wake the Jupiter personnel while she attended to Captain Conway.

Within minutes they were all seated at the Jupiter's Galley table. She told them everything.

The Orion encampment had been under constant telepathic surveillance since the crew's arrival. Earlier that day, just after Smith had suffered his seizure the Taurons had detected the presence of criminal intent. They had chosen to ignore that intent as it was aimed at other humans and not Taurons. Tish had argued that the humans should be informed that there was trouble brewing but had been over ruled. Now they were reaping their just rewards.

West interrupted saying, "See Conway. I said that they were just like us."

"Well now they are suffering," Tish snapped, "What ever happened to Dr. Smith has affected the children, all children, in the Settlement."

Maureen asked, "Do you know what happened."

"All we know is that Dr. Smith has killed someone," Tish answered, "And after that we're not sure. Whatever it was, it was felt by every child here."

Maureen sat back and shook her head in disbelief, "Why would Dr. Smith kill someone?"

"For God sake, Maureen!" West laughed coldly, "The man's a cold blooded, evil minded killer."

"Well," Conway said, "We'll know more when we get to his house."

It took twenty minutes by Tauron craft to reach Smith's home. Will was already there and was waiting for them. He had a Tauron weapon strapped to his side. The Robot was working but showed signs of having been shot. Will's face was grim and dark.

"I wouldn't go in there," he said to his mother and Tish, "I've put a sheet over the body," he paused and looked at Conway, "Your man came here for a fight," he said.

Conway replied, "You don't know that."

"The Robot was shot. I reactivated him," he shouted then pointed into the house, "There's evidence of a fire fight in there," he paused and drew a deep breath, "He came here to kill Smith."

Maureen looked at her son and gasped. She had always thought that he had reminded her of John. But now, defending Smith without question, she saw that he was more like Don! Don only ever saw things in black and white, only ever saw things his way. Now Will was doing it. To Will, Smith would always be the victim.

West pushed past Will and entered the house only to return a few minutes later. He had inspected the corpse and verified that there had been some form of laser exchange. He looked at Will and asked, "So where's Smith now?"

The Robot answered for Will, "Dr. Smith is 500 metres due south. He is unarmed but injured from running in the dark."

Conway asked, "Is he alone?"

The Robot replied, "Yes."

Conway said, "Well let's go and get him." He went to move off in the direction of where Smith was when the Robot, claws raised and powered up, blocked his path. Hannibal fell in behind Conway and powered up his defence systems. Conway stopped and looked at them both, asking, "What the hell are you two doing?"

The Robot replied coldly, "I will not let you hurt Dr. Smith."

In his best clipped and calm voice Hannibal replied, "And I will not allow you to let a criminal roam free. I will not allow you to injure Captain Conway either."

The Robot's bubble rotated as he scanned those present. His sensors fell upon Will and he said, "I am Sorry, Will Robinson," and with that fired two burst of laser fire at Hannibal. The bursts tore Hannibal's left arm from its mounting and Conway was forced to dive clear as electricity discharged and split the night with crisp crackling. As this occurred the Robot backed away into the night and headed for Smith.

***

In times of war, Manya thought, a person does things that one would not normally do. A person would act and participate in things that would normally disgust them. So it had been on Tauron. It had been a war, a war to eradicate all those not Pure. She had been young then and had not wanted to leave her home planet. She was noble born and belonged to a powerful family. She had been a scientist and had been attempting to find a cure for the Pure, a cure that would raise them from mediocrity and attain the levels shared by Telepaths. But the experiments had not worked and many of the captured Pure Soldiers had died. Others that survived had suffered horrible mental failure.

She had been tried and found guilty of immoral experiments on sentient creatures. These experiments were not only immoral but criminal. She had replied that there were varying degrees of criminality and that the atrocities committed by the Pure did not make them morally superior.

After expulsion from Tauron she had used her abilities to help cure and comfort the beasts of Trimea.

Now she was searching for the most terrified beast that she had ever dealt with.

She and two other Taurons had followed the distressed mental trail that this creature had left till finally they had it cornered in a dead end gully. The creature was huddling in fear behind a rock. It wailed in fear at the site of them but they continued on. Manya crouched down before the creature and said softly, "This will hurt," she said softly, "But when the pain eases you will no longer hear those other voices." She took a syringe from one of the other Taurons and jabbed it into the creature, "This is highly concentrated Dormsa," she said, "It has been blended with Sorba and several other drugs. It is still experimental but I feel, no, I know, that it will help you. We also have to go into your mind. To search your mind. To cleanse your mind. Do you understand? It is for your own good."

In a weak defeated voice Dr. Smith replied, "I understand. It's always for my own good."

Manya hissed, "It is important," she snapped, "Do you understand. This is experimental!"

Smith whimpered, "I understand," he said, "I am a doctor."

And with that Smith just screamed.

***

The Robot's sensors detected the presence of three other humanoids with Dr. Smith. He pressed his tread motors to their limits and left behind him a clearly marked trail of destruction. He could hear the motors and treads scream in complaint of the speed that he was travelling at. The ground was harsh and uneven and several times he nearly fell. Still he pressed on. He pressed on at speed even after the three strangers had left. He deduced that they were Taurons as they just vanished from sensors. One minute there, next minute gone. His sensors also detected a change in the good Doctor. One minute his thoughts were erratic and confused and now they were just there. This was the best way that he could describe it. He was just there.

He stumbled across Smith's body.

Smith was lying slumped over a large rock. The Robot monitored every one of Smith's vital systems and came to the conclusion that Smith was asleep. He delved then into the mind of the old man and rolled slowly back. There was something very wrong with Smith.

Before he could continue, the party that he had left behind at Smith's cabin arrived. West was first through. He crashed through the undergrowth and had his laser drawn and ready to fire when Tish motioned for him not to. Will pushed past West and almost directly into the Robot. The Robot had claws extended and was ready to strike. Will stopped and stared at the Robot. Only once before had the Robot ever drawn claws at him and that had been so long ago. The memory flashed through Will's mind like an old black and white video. The Robot rolled back towards Smith's still form. He warned them back but did not fire.

Tish looked at Smith and then looked around.

"Something is very wrong," she whispered.

Will shouted, "Robot we are not going to hurt Dr. Smith but we need to check that he is all right."

Claws still extended, the Robot replied, "He is sleeping, Will Robinson."

West parroted, "Sleeping?"

Tish spoke again though this time a little louder, "There's something very wrong here."

Conway asked, "How so?"

She looked around as if they were being watched. Looked around as if they had stepped into a void. "There's something wrong here," she repeated, trying hard to think of the words needed to describe what it was she felt. "There's nothing, nothing here!. The air is clear! There's nothing, no static, no pain, no anything!" she looked at Smith and pointed, "It's him!" she said, "It's him! There's no madness."

"Explain," Conway said.

She looked and sounded confused. "He's like a loud crash of surf," she said, "Like constant static played over a loud speaker. Played over and over and over, louder and louder and louder!" she paused as if the sudden silence about Smith was painful, "I've just been so used to filtering it out. Now it's gone!" she continued, looking straight into Conway's eyes. Doesn't he understand? she thought. She repeated again, "It's gone."

"Can't a man get a peaceful night's sleep around here?"

Smith was sitting up and looking about. His face was covered in dirt and sweat. His pyjamas were crumpled and stained with blood and dirt. He rose slowly, dusted himself off and approached the Robot, "Cease and desist, clumsy clot," he said as he tapped the Robot's metallic frame. The Robot withdrew his claws and powered down, "What am I doing out here?" Smith asked, "I can remember sleeping and dreaming and now I am here!"

Will asked, "Dreaming of what Doctor?"

He smiled a smile of fond memory, "Of dear Athena, my dear boy," he said, then, "Past that nothing." There was a genuine look of confusion on his old face.

West groaned, "I've heard this all before," he said shaking his head. "Smith the maniac becomes Smith the amnesiac."

"My dear Major," Dr. Smith replied tartly, "I am certain that I do not know what you are talking about."

West just shook his head and re holstered his pistol, "Well Conway," he said exasperatedly, "You're now seeing classic Smith."

Smith retorted, "Indeed, Major, indeed!"

Tish interrupted, "No, Major," she said, "He's been changed," she stepped closer to Smith. The Robot swivelled to allowed her to pass. She had never been this close to Smith before. Never this close without experiencing some form of pain. Now nothing. She entered his mind and found nothing. "Those personalities are still there," she said, then, "But they're different. It's almost as if they are asleep."

"My dear lady," Smith said in a very tired tone, "I am sure that what you have to say is very interesting but right now I'd like to have some breakfast." He looked at Will and said, "Fried sausages and eggs, my boy," he said as he smacked his lips in anticipation, "A breakfast fit for kings, eh?"

With the Robot as a guard, Smith paraded off towards his home.

West shouted, "Smith, what about the body?"

Bemused Smith answered, "Body? What body?"

* * *