A/N Heartbreak strikes the Robinsons, terror sweeps through, and Smith's back has gotten worse. And the demon that Smith had seen so long ago in the flesh, face to face, is coming back.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"Just the two of us," Don said. "For the rest of today and tomorrow."

Judy folded the blanket on the table.

"Spit it out, Don,"

"Your family is out rock climbing, Robot and Smith is with them, and it's just the two of us," Don said, taking out a black circular disk from behind his back. "Look what I found."

"Music," Judy said, holding the disk then looked up toward him as she tilted it up facing up her direction. "Where did you get it?"

"I did some things and made some friends with a few visitors," Don said. "The new record player wasn't easy to come by but I got it."

Don picked up a large machine that was thicker than a pizza box then placed it onto the table beside the blanket.

"Don, that is sweet of you." Judy said, turning her attention on to Don. "You shouldn't have."

"It is the right thing to do for someone I love," Don said, unzipping his side pant pocket. Don knelt down taking a small box from his pant pocket. "Speaking of love. . ." He zipped it back up. "Judy Robinson, will you make me the happiest man in the galaxy by being my wife when we get to Alpha Centauri?"

Judy grew a smile on her face then knelt down to him.

"It's about time you asked," Judy said, slipping the ring out of the box. She admired the small ring with a gem on the center. "Thought I was going to be one to ask you." She slipped out a box from her waist belt, opened it up, then revealed a ring earning a chuckle from Don. "Will you do the honors of making me the happiest woman in the galaxy having a husband on the new world?"

"I would," Don said, taking the ring from the box and slipping it on to his finger. "Everyone pitched in to get this."

"No wonder father said that he was broke after giving me his silver," Judy said. "When did you get it?"

"The day before Bronius entered our lives," Don said. "I was going to give it to you the day after." he shook his head. "But after what happened to Smith . . . I decided to wait a little bit longer."

"Wait no more," Judy said, lacing her arms on his shoulders then clasped on to her hands from behind his head. "I am ready."

Judy placed a hand on the side of his face and planted a kiss on his lips that was returned by Don while squeezing her shoulders.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It was a matter of hours climbing the tallest mountain on the planet that the Robinsons called their temporary home with a name that featured numbers and letters. A name that Smith hadn't bothered to learn. It was a ordinary planet that reminded Smith of those that he had the luxury of seeing on national geographic channel and on the magazines.

The mountain was tall, gray, and formidable. The group were properly equipped for the trek up the mountain wearing their colorful jackets lined in fur when it came to the hoods. Smith's feet were aching during the long but worthwhile trek. His feet felt as though enclosed in a too tight space and needed breathing room. He had breathing room for his toes in the boots. He knew that.

Smith's fingers were clasping on to the rock sticking out from the wall. He lowered his head briefly closing his eyes pressing his forehead against the rocky terrain digging his fingers into the surface. His back was aching more than ever as though it were a spring that needed to be unclogged then spread out in its entirety clearing away the material lining the metal. He was extremely close to becoming his counterpart. He lifted his attention up toward the Robinsons then looked down contemplating his next moves. The best place to decide on something as important as this needed to be made on ground which mean detaching from the Robinson line.

He unclipped himself from the group, wincing, in pain. The agony of becoming what he hated was more irritating, furious, and tear inducing was becoming unbearable in these conditions climbing up the mountain so far from ground level. If it had been extremely foggy, perhaps, just perhaps Smith would have gone without his illusion and appeared as himself. The way that he really was. All the Robinsons had seen through the light fog was a humanoid in climbing gear determinedly climbing up the mountain after them.

Not that his lower region had returned to its previous form prior to being sculpted forcibly by the best alien surgeons in the quadrant. All they had seen of him was of a human. He had reverted back to his old cloak that had been well kept and repaired since donning once more a few days ago. Smith's pause was noticeable with the lack of whimpers, complaints, grunting, from the Robinson's current position.

Will looked down from the back end but ahead of Smith by several feet.

"Are you okay, Doctor Smith?" Will called.

"I feel like shit," Smith muttered to himself then looked up toward the boy. "My back is horrible!" he waved a free hand after the boy. "I afraid that I have to retire on this expedition."

"You have been looking forward to do this all week!" Will exclaimed.

"It's a shame but that's life," Smith said. Each wave of his hand stung, badly, in such a way that it paid a full price of deceiving the Robinsons regarding his appearance. "Go on, I will meet you at the Jupiter 2 with Robot and hear how the climb went."

"Want me to come with you?" Will offered.

"The Robot is all the company I will need with this delicate back," Smith said.

"See you soon!" Wills said, then continued his climb up.

It was a relief watching the boy continued the climb up the mountain following after the other members of his family. The doctor resumed the descent down the mountain, grinding his teeth, swearing a mile a minute to himself in a low voice. The more that he swore, the more that his back didn't hurt as much and felt better about the pain. I should start doing this often when they are around, Smith thought, I wonder why I haven't been doing it in the first place. Smith's two fingers got caught and the pain was searing from the bone.

Smith closed his eyes, then slowly looked toward the direction that his hand had been caught on, his eyes slowly growing big at the sharp rock that his inadvertently slammed on through. He looked up keeping his mouth shut searching for a sign of the Robinsons. The dense fog from above made it hard to see if they were further away from him. For precaution, Smith was silent for ten minutes bracing on to the pain vibrating his figure. They had to have vanished far from his sight up the mountain by ten minutes.

"Oooohhh ssssshiiit!"

A immediate return to the Jupiter 2 was very necessary. He lowered his head, silently, swearing. Carefully with precision, Smith yanked his hand of the disaster and nearly fell off the cliff. His non-injured hand grasped on to a rock with a short yelp. He flung himself over on to the floor across landing with a thud on his back. A short sharp pain came from his back that ached as if it were on fire in such way that he flipped on to his chest.

Smith panted then lifted himself up wincing and moved over toward the wall placing his shoulder against the rock.

"Ow," Smith whined.

Smith cradled his hand walking down the path carved in to the mountain making his descent down.

Looking on, Smith could see much of the continent's greenery and the barren areas that stood out more than the green. He can see the Jupiter 2 glinting from the distance. The bleeding stopped during the descent down toward the surface. He stopped in his tracks looking up toward a unique shaped spacecraft shaped similar to a tad pole that had a tail with glowing sides. It was a strange sight. It's hull was shiny and bright enough to draw attention. So far but it seemed so close even visible to his eyes.

Smith stood there watching the spacecraft lower toward the surface down some distance ahead of the mountain several hundred miles from the Jupiter 2 but close enough to the mountain that he could swing by and introduce himself.

His stomach squeezed at the decision and his intestines didn't feel so great. He knelt down to his knees coming toward the edge and puked. Smith turned away wiping of lunch from the corner of his mouth then got up toward his feet resuming the trek down the mountain. However, Smith was sprinting down the path.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"This is a military exercise," Nipoz turned toward the officers. "Simple and clear. I am in placement of Tsew Nod who is unable to be here as the commanding officer has switched his assignment."

Nipoz linked his hands behind his back glaring at the crowd of freshly graduated officers.

"Now, anyone who interferes will be taken back to the ship, officer or a native," Nipoz walked through the gap coming to the back end of the shuttle pod. "But if it turns out we find someone who is squatting on this planet without a permit then what do we do?"

"We take them in, sir," replied a young woman.

"Your studies have proved to be done well," Nipoz said. "And well rehearsed."

"Yes, sir," the officer nodded.

"Now, we are performing the scanning for enemy combatants," Nipoz said. "I will scan each and every one of you before we leave."

Nipoz pressed a button on the side of the doorway then directed the officers to exit. A figure lurked from the corner of the ship peering in as Nipoz took out a scanner from a thick pocket locket beside the knee. The figure darted out of the line of sight. All eight of the officers departed the pod turning on their laser rifles in a single file line.

Boulders were decorating the area that stood up up over five feet to ten feet tall acting as walls. A familiar sight for Nipoz on a Class M planet such as this. It was the most ideal place to perform survival training even crash land drills. He placed his hands on his hips scanning the area then gave the gesture.

The freshly graduated squad and Nipoz left the base. The drill went smoothly as planned and done many times under his watchful eye at different quadrants designated for the drill. The drill went over for around two hours. Territory that had been marked centuries ago as 'training practice' in standard.

Upon returning to the site, Nipoz held up a fist then they spread out hiding among the ruins. Smith descended from the spacecraft wrapping his hands in gauze. He was a cloaked figure grumbling out of the interior of the shuttle. Smoke drifted out of the inside of the shuttle. Nipoz looked down toward the arm band console indicating which system was damage. Fortunately it was only the self-defense systems that had blown out.

"Shitty stupid hellish hand," Smith said. "To think you are my number one buddy."

Smith shook his head then made his way from the craft following the path that he had came.

"Hands up," Nipoz stepped in the man's way from a hidden cavern. "Hands in the air, foul Earth man."

"And that's why," Smith lowered his head, exasperated, raising his hands up.

"Where is your troop?" Nipoz asked as the other members of the officers surrounded Smith.

"Troop?" Smith raised his brows. "You mean a family unit?"

Nipoz poked his rifle against Smith's chest.

"Ah huh," Nipoz said.

Smith lowered the laser pistol's tip away from his chest.

"Might I warn you about threatening someone you don't know---"

Smith was hit at the side of the temple then sent falling to his side and his hood fell back.

"Where is your troop?"

Smith looked up toward Nipoz from where he lay.

"I don't have a troop," Smith replied. "A apology would suffice."

The laser pistol drew closer toward his face as Smith noticed the other members of the group stepped back with widened eyes.

"When there is one of your kind, there is typically more of you," Nipoz acknowledged.

Smith placed a hand on his forehead applying pressure to the wound.

"I am a single focused person," he glared toward Nipoz. "Believe me." Nipoz stepped back lowering the laser pistol. "I am the only one."

"Your blood," Nipoz said.

"Yes?" Smith said.

"It is blue," The other officers stepped back. "Earth men have red blood."

Smith looked toward his hand then back up toward Nipoz.

"A unfortunate side effect of my illness. Bitten by a nasty space spider," Smith got up to his feet using the rock as his support. "Hit my head one more time." Smith glared down Nipoz. "Officer." was added in a intimidating tone as he stepped even closer.

"You are not a Earth man!" Nipoz said. "You're a freak of nature!"

Smith, at first, grimaced, but his eyes grew big.

"Freeeaak of nature? NNNNAATUREE?" Smith bellowed. "NATURE?"

The group stepped back as he stepped forward.

"Nature had nothing to do with the insect being made!" Smith raved. "Absolutely nothing! It was made for warfare! Conquering! Biowarfare! It was made by humanoids such as you and I determined on winning and coming out victoriously!" He pointed back and forth between them. "Instead, they designed their demise and got eaten alive over it! ALLLIIVE! Unarmed! Alone! Scared! The horror! The hoorror! Gentlemen, ladies, entities. All lifeforms in the universe were fortunate that the Proteus was destroyed! Deeessssttttttrrrrrooooyed in a powerful crash!"

The group firmly stopped walking back to their craft as the man walked away.

"I am evil. I am a monster." Smith asserted turning toward them. "Not a freak of nature. I was made by people like myself. They cheated to get rich. So did I."

Smith looked away, thinking it over, linking his hands behind his back.

"I am still changing,"

Smith walked around the large group until coming toward another path with their space weapons aimed at him.

"But . . ." Smith turned toward the group. "it is so painful." he shook his head with a tsk with a lowered gaze. "The agony. . . . The agony."

"They kicked you out," Nipoz said.

Nipoz stepped back with a trembling hand as Smith raised his head up with his attention fully focused on Nipoz.

"I left on my free will to spare those who were once a victim of my ailment,"

Smith walked closer toward Nipoz. The group were firmly planted where they stood keeping their aim on him. Smith unlinked his hands placing them into his lap as a innocent smile formed on his face and his hands loudly clapped together. The loud clap made the entire group jump back. His smile turned into a horrifying grin revealing the peeling away portions of his cheek revealing strange bone structure standing out.

"So I will ask you this. . . Would you like to live as yourself or die as a monster?"

From behind Nipoz appeared Will.

"Doctor Smith!" Will called. "Don't!"

Nipoz grinned, turning toward Smith, perfectly calm and composed contrasting the horrified man.

"Want the child to see what you really are?" Nipoz asked. "Alright then, bag them."

"Calmly stand still or risk being killed!"

Smith turned around from Nipoz then began to make a run for it as firing started to come from the officers and Robot slid out of his hiding place.

"DESTROY!"

Nipoz's attention shifted from Smith toward the sudden pop up of Robot striking down several of the officers. Smith bolted past Nipoz then grabbed Will by the back of the shirt sprinting out of the area. Smith was running faster than he normally did with a racing heart. The pain from his back was thrown into the background noise. Smith's fingers dug through the back of the purple uniform but not deep enough to pierce the skin. Will was facing the direction that Smith was running from.

"They are getting closer, Doctor Smith!" Will shouted.

Smith fell to his feet then pressed his hand against his hip letting go of the boy's shirt.

"My hip!" Smith yelped.

It felt funny. In fact, both of his legs were feeling funny.

"This isn't the time to stop and face these people," Will said. "You really angered them!"

"I am painfully aware," Smith grit his teeth using the wall as his support to continue running watching the young boy run on ahead of him. "A small mistake compared to this one."

He looked over his shoulder then skid to a stop close by a small cavern that had a thicket of tree branches and bushes somewhat blocking the inside while unsettling a layer of sand. His hip sockets squeezing against his hip bones quite strangely. He felt along his hip socket feeling more room open up alongside the leg. Not only did he lost his genitalia become lost, his bones were drastically changing in shape.

He raised his head up toward the direction of the vanished pre-teen, horrified, distraught, pained, and quite helpless.

Oh no. Not now. Please not now.

"Come on!" Will reappeared from behind the wall.

Smith lifted himself up using a rounded piece of rock of the wall.

"Coming!" Smith replied charging after the boy. A sharp pain erupted from his hips sending him collapsing against the rocky terrain once more. He landed to his side on the dirt pressing his hand against the hip.

"You have to get up," Will said, taking Smith's hand. "We got to hide."

A light bulb went off in his head then he looked up toward the young boy.

"No," Smith shook his head. "You do!"

Smith grabbed a handful of Will's shirt then tossed him in into the tunnel.

Will hit his head on the floor then rolled over landing into the cave. Smith sped from the scene with his legs giving out abruptly in a gap between each sprint. Feeling as though they were feeling loose and changing. Smith can hear the laser fire grow distant but remain just as close from behind.

He was running on fear toward the Jupiter 2. The only thoughts on his mind were: get to safety, get to safety, get to safety, this isn't safe. Smith was walking quickly using the rock as his guide continuing toward the Jupiter 2. With enough motivation, a injured person would be using all the strength they had to make it to safety. His legs felt ready to give out at any moment. More so in the next coming moments. He was too far away from the Jupiter 2 to warn Don and Judy about the visitors. He flung himself into a hole after taking a turn then fell through a shaft landing to the floor with a thud landing on his back.

He flipped over on to his chest and crawled out of the light into the darkness. He pressed his back against the wall then closed his eyes experiencing a renewed wave painful flare from his arms. Smith wanted to scream until it stopped. He wanted to split them open with a hacksaw and be done with it. His hands squeezed on to the rocky barrier from beside him. Suddenly, he couldn't feel two of his fingers. He opened his eyes feeling hot searing tears coming down his cheeks including the bony structures along his cheeks then looked down toward his hand. He had lead them to Don and Judy. He had lead them to the Jupiter 2 by simply coming to the shuttle craft. His fingers were numb even as far felt disconnected to his hand.

Smith looked down toward his hand then raised it up. His three fingers moved but the last two would not budge. He stared at the unmoving surreal reality before him. Just lumps of flesh that didn't quite belong there anymore. A single jolt of pain that was loud and clear erupted from both of his feet. Instead of screaming for everyone to hear, there was a inward scream that rung so loudly that a telepath with their barriers lowered could hear and respond to. Smith passed out on the floor.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A bad feeling settled in Maureen's gut as she paused in her tracks then exchanged a glance with the professor. It was the same feeling that she had become accustomed with during their long travel in space. A feeling that haunted her in the last adventure with their Smith. Everything felt wrong not even when they were doing the 'right thing' when the wrongness was not in the gut but i the mind and air. She couldn't pin point what this mystical 'wrongness' feeling came from but it came from somewhere.

The professor looked down toward her in a way that could be best described as empathetic 'No'. The more that John looked at the empty space beside Penny the more that he felt something wasn't right and the more that it didn't feel right the more that he trusted his gut. The change in their schedule was swift and clear what had to be done next.

"Penny, we're going down," John said.

"Yes, daddy," Penny said.

"Do you think they are okay?" Maureen asked.

"They have to be," John said. "Whatever trouble Smith has gotten into with Will, it must be less worse than his little infection."

"Little," Maureen laughed. "Come on, Penny. We're going this way."

Even as John hoped that he was right, he sensed that the trouble was worse.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Just as it always was, the darkness was a soothing reprieve from the constant agony riveting his entire being. It was the reliable part of his miserable existence that cooled down his wounds and freed his soul from the constantly changing body. He was engaged in a dream about being chased by a purple llama that was chasing after him because he was celery, not a alien spider, that ate falling pieces of him behind him. A most amusing light hearted and silly yet deadly dream in a retrospect.

"Will? Will! Will! Will!"

Smith slipped out of the dream thrust head first into a cruel reality as his head started to raise up and his mind was greeted with the all too familiar agony. The side of his head stung contrasting the usual pain with a single touch by his fingers then yanked them back. He looked up toward the light pouring out of the circular entrance to the cavern.

"Penny!" Smith cried. "I am down here!"

Penny ran toward the hole somewhat blocked by the two rocks cluttered together. Smith was hidden in the dark not quite clear to see but his feet were the only parts of him exposed in the sunlight.

"Doctor Smith is right here!" Penny hollered.

Maureen and John peered in to the opening of the tunnel beneath them.

"Are you alright, Doctor Smith?" Maureen asked.

"In constant agony, I can't tell if I broke a bone, Madame," Smith said. "No burns so perhaps a bruise or two!"

"Can you get up?" Penny asked.

"No," Smith said. "My hips are . ."

"Are what?" John asked.

"Not the same, professor," Smith said. "I feel I am ready to make a giant leap to the monster I have dreamed about."

"I will make you a swing," John said. "I am sure we can get you out of there soon and a wheelchair."

"Most kind of you, professor!" Smith said.

Smith listened to the sound of the family fleeing the scene then raised his illusion up then dragged himself forward out of the dark into the sunlight with a hiss. He crawled to the other side of the cavern until making it there and put his back against the other wall. He looked down toward his trembling hands in a fit of horror looking at the silver long claws that stood out sharply against his fingers then slashed at the wall alongside leaving a long trail of scars behind a screech.

"What was that, Doctor Smith?" Penny asked.

"Nothing!" Smith reassured. "Absolutely nothing, my dear!" he raised his illusion up within the dark. "Perhaps a disturbed bat if at all."

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Nipoz's shuttle craft lowered down to the surface of the planet. The emperor wanted it to be very certain that there was no other lifeforms requiring to be taken into custody and be brought into their enslavement system. The optimistic, the fighters, the stubborn, and the worst always fell on their attempts to escape from oppression.

They wouldn't escape now. These species were not so different from them. Finding their planet was going to require skillful interrogation. One that worked well enough to make them not regret and regret their decision at the same time. Nipoz walked out of the shuttle with three officers behind him.

"Commander?" The first officer asked.

"I don't see anyone," The second officer commented.

"Nor that machine the others mentioned," The third officer said.

Nipoz took five steps away from the three officers from behind.

"Be on the watch out," Nipoz looked around. "These Earthlings are very tricky."

The first officer rolled her eyes.

"Tricky?" The first officer commented. "These humans are sneaky."

"Earthlings," The second officer remarked.

"That's not what they call themselves," The first officer commented. "It's like calling ourselves Kavalarians when we are Soetsebo."

"Kavalar is much better than this rock," Nipoz said. "Green all around."

"Silence," The third officer drew the attention of the other officers. "I sense they are here."

The group became silent scanning the area then went down the path that Smith had gone down only hours earlier. Their weapons were long, thick, and black but sleek to the point that it appeared to be very advanced. From among the out crop of rock was the Robinsons at different points looking over the edges with their eyes dead set on the walking figures.

They stopped in their tracks when a large but tall dark cloaked figure stood in the way of their path. The officers raised their weapons then fired at it multiple times. The dark figure fell to the ground leaving behind the chariot with a tall stick waving from side to side and the sun roof lifted up.

The third officer was singed by the laser pistol blast that came from the rocks. Abruptly, their attention shifted toward the rock then fired at the direction of the blasts. Nipoz collapsed to the ground then dragged himself over to the rock wall. The laser blasts were coming from everywhere around them. They were blue and one of them was bright yellow darting to and from in the fire fight between the attacking opponents. Nipoz watched his security detail fall around him. There was no signs of life.

From among the rock came down a tall man with dark hair with a laser pistol in one hand. The man was dressed in a colorful outfit that was cool and preferred color in most of the galaxy. The laser pistol was quite long but short. One of the older models of the laser pistol that wasn't too thick, too weighed down by the additional equipment, and considerably lighter than most laser rifles seen from the galaxy law enforcement and galactic weaponry association.

Nipoz's eyes were so focused on the weapon that he hadn't bothered searching for a weapon to defend himself from the oncoming Earth man. The back end of the laser rifle hit the back of the team leaders head knocking him out to the ground. Then it was darkness.

//////////////////////////////////////////////

Nipoz's eyes opened at the sounds of voices.

"Madame, professor," came Smith's voice. "I understand you are angry but . . . I do not believe this service you ask of me is required at all."

"This is a new type of space force that we have crossed paths with," John said. "I won't take any chances of them escaping and hurting our family any further."

"Then it is required," Smith amended.

"Did we ask you to do this often?" Maureen asked.

"Fortunately, the professor had the major to perform these kind of interrogations," Smith said. "Sometimes too beaten up to be saved."

"That doesn't often happen here with Don's interrogation," John said.

"You are quite blessed with this difference," Smith said. "But when I do it. . . No matter how different the universe, timeline, dimension is. . ." Nipoz's eyes adjusted seeing two figures standing in the light but their shadows were the only thing that could be seen. There was a third figure wheelchair bound. "No one survives my kind of torture."

"I want you to do anything possible to find out about the location of their ship," John said.

"Including where we can find Don, Judy, and Will," Maureen said.

"I understand the severity of this situation," Smith said. "All too clearly." came out reassuringly. "You don't need to tell me twice why you need to do it." he wiggled his index finger. "Mark my words: it will be done."

"How can I help with that?" John asked.

"You wouldn't like to see my handy work, Professor," Smith said. "You wouldn't . . ."

The shorter figure turned in the direction of Nipoz then back toward Smith.

"John. . " Maureen said.

"We will leave you to it," John said.

Their figures walked into the light until they had vanished from view. Nipoz struggled in the chair trying to yank his arms off the arm rest but ended up falling to the side landing on the floor. Nipoz overheard the sound of wheels creaking against the hard surface of the cave.

Nipoz grit his teeth while shaking his legs trying to make the rope give away from his bare ankles. The rope dug into his flesh each time that he moved his wrists. At the sound of a throat being cleared, Nipoz stopped struggling then looked up to see Smith right in front of him holding a small container filled by fuzzy pink contents.

Nipoz felt someone wandering in his mind in a rush and he sent up the barriers blocking access. The barrier crashed with a furious roar. It felt as if there were a monster, a parasite, lurking through his neural passageways searching for the information. Nipoz screamed, throwing his head back, painfully.

The painful experience continued for what felt to be hours fighting against the invading intruder. The creature felt like it had many legs, a tough hide, claws that seared into the walls of his conscience no matter what was done to fight against it. As if it were searching through every shred of memory for specific information. The experience came to a unexpected halt as Smith wheeled away from Nipoz.

Nipoz lowered his head as Smith tapped on the container, irritated, contemplating his next move.

"Trying that way was bad enough. I cannot understand your language or read it," Smith said. "Where does your assignment go next?"

"They are never going to leave until they have everyone," Nipoz said. "And I mean everyone."

"Good news," Smith unscrewed the lid once rolling over to his side. "How many decks does it have?"

"You'll see for yourself," Nipoz said.

Smith slid on long black gloves.

"It is very important,"

Smith reached his hand into the container then slid out a pink wiggling glowing figure.

"More important than your life,"

Nipoz froze in recognition of the lifeform.

"Y-y-y-y-y--you wouldn't!" Nipoz cried.

A sinister smile appeared on Smith's face.

"I would," Smith said.

"You are never going to make it to your friends," Nipoz's comment made the older man have a pause.

"If I were in a different universe then I would happen to agree with you but that isn't how it works here," Smith swayed it above the man's hand. "Will you or will you not tell me the number of decks."

"When hell freezes over," Nipoz said.

"I found these in one of my dwelling," Smith said.

Smith dropped the worm on to the man's exposed arm.

"I have been told they are deadly and will happily feast over any kind of structure in the body let it be skin, muscle tissue, fibers, bone, and interstitium."

The worm flickered itself up then a long thin tube ejected out of it.

"But they do it by knitting in and out of the first part of the body,"

The glowing worm smacked into the man's arm then began to sink in becoming thin and thinner by each passing second before their eyes. The worm left a red bleeding hole then came out soaked in blood from beside the hole earning a long horrified and pained scream. Smith dropped on several other worms on the man's arms. Smith wheeled back from the horror as the man flipped the chair over once more landing to his side twisting and turning trying to shake the creatures off to no avail.

"Tell me what I want to know. And I shall remove them."

"THERE ARE TEN DECKS!"

"Is there a elevator necessary to get to each deck?"

"No!"

"Just needing to run from one part to another?"

"YES!"

"So it's a one deck,"

"NO!"

"That kind of ship. . ."

"YES!"

"Where is the prison deck?"

"Deck four!"

"How many twist and turns are needed to get there?"

Nipoz screamed, streaming with tears, his arms covered in hungry purple but wiggling dots.

"I said," Smith yanked the man up with one hand and the other hand wheeled himself forward then smacked him against the wall then resumed with a calm and fearless expression. "How many twist and turns are needed to get there."

"Five left turns, three right turns, go up one stair case, then take one left turn and go straight!" Nipoz shrieked. "Leads directly to the cell blocks!"

Smith dropped the man.

"Heeeelp, please!"

Nipoz fell down to his knees.

"How many guards are here?"

"One thousand four hundred forty!"

"That is a pickle," Smith then whipped around toward the purple skinned man with large eyes. "Wait. . ." he tilted his head in bewilderment. "Four thousand four hundred forty officers are stationed aboard one starship?" he raised a brow. "Sounds like a military ship."

"It is!"

Smith looked off, heavily weighing the situation, then his eyes returned on to the screaming man.

"It's a flagship, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

Smith looked at the man's eyes.

"I can't help you," Smith shook his head with a disappointed tsk. "Not after what you have done."

Smith wheeled away exiting the cave over the screams of a dying man.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

The astrogator was lifted up into the cieling from above John and Maureen at the command center of the Jupiter 2. They were in the middle of finalizing a plan in how to launch a escape mission with the information that had been retrieved from Nipoz. Among the scenery outside of the Jupiter 2 was a freshly made covered grave that had the inscription 'Nipoz' in perfect hand writing. There was a empty jar set beside the grave with a small inscription that read 'Trapazian Death Worms'.

"The Robot and I will go in, rescue Don and Judy, then make our escape,"

There was a slow clap then the attention went toward the direction of the approaching man from the elevator.

"A marvelous simple plan for a escape aboard a non-highly advanced spaceship," Smith slowly lowered his hands into his lap. "First, you need a trojan horse then you can go in and do everything you want. Otherwise, your plan can be pulled off quite easily. And I mean ridiculously easily."

"A trojan horse. . . " Maureen said. "we don't have one."

"Yes, you do," Smith said. "Right here." He gestured toward where he sat. "Things naturally explode when I am near it."

"You were in their shuttle pod," John said. "I doubt they would let you be near anything after you were in it."

"I did little to nothing, professor. Only admired how advanced their tech was compared to the one common on Earth. They are technological advanced compared to this ship," Smith said. "A virus would mess up their security systems such as a benign bar code."

"Just how . . . benign?" John asked.

"A simple mistake that could make the crew of the ship have a bad day," Smith said. "Like the bar code on my neck. Their necks had bar codes. All of them. They were in the middle of finishing scanning their bar codes when I peeked in. Bar codes are their way of life."

"Your bar code as a virus?" Maureen said.

"What is a bar code?" John asked.

"A bar code is. . ." Smith stopped. "You mean to imply that cashiers still type in the name of their products where you're from?"

"Sounds really futuristic," Maureen said.

"That is risky," John said. "Trusting a bar code to break down external security."

"If you want your family in one piece then you will love it," Smith said. "Just as I do. Much as I find myself disliking it."

"So you admit it may not work," Maureen said.

"It could," Smith said. "There is a five percent chance of failure."

Maureen and John exchanged a glance.

"Suppose if we do take that route," John said, tapping his fingers on the table turning his attention toward Smith. "How do we change that bar code to make it a virus?"

"It involves a pen and ink." Smith said. "The perfect trojan horse. Sending in a fake benign code."