THE ALTERNATIVE

This AU is based on the third-season episode entitled "Space Creature." It is a different universe from my story "Ultimatum," but it begins similarly.

            The evil space creature imprisoned the male members of the Jupiter II. The humans demanded to know why. And then, to their great regret, it told them.

            It answered chillingly to Robinson and West, "If you ever wish to get out of here, and back to your ship, the two of you will now give Smith the beating that he has long feared from you."

            "What???" Smith cried, several octaves higher than normal. He stared at Robinson and West in horror. They responded with expressive irony in their faces, as they looked back at him.

            The creature clarified, "I feed on fear. I need to feel his fear as you hurt him."

            Smith backed away from them, though they were not yet menacing him at all.

            "Now wait a minute," Robinson told the creature.

            West tried to suppress a grin. "Not that it isn't tempting, but Smith isn't guilty of anything...at the moment."

            "This is not negotiable," it replied succinctly, and then refused to participate in further discussion.

            Will visibly gathered his courage. "Dad? Don? You can't risk doing that to Dr. Smith." He swallowed hard. "You should use me instead."

            Robinson was horrified. "Will, no!"

            West agreed, "We can't do that!"

            Will steeled himself. "You can and you have to. He's old and brittle. You might accidentally break his bones. And he might never heal right."

            "And your young bones are still forming and growing," Robinson countered. "Besides, don't pretend that you're not frightened. We can see that you are."

            "I admit it. But I think he's more scared than I am."

            In the background, Smith was now huddled in the corner, crying softly. Robinson and West both turned and stared at him, at the pathetic old man, terrified of them beyond measure. By the time that they looked back, Will had squared his shoulders and tried to stand taller.

            "I'm your target," he declared firmly, but then he sagged slightly. "But I can't make up my mind whether to keep my eyes open, or keep them shut," he said nervously.

            West said hesitantly, "Well, that depends on whether you think it's scarier to see it coming...or to not know when it's coming."

            Robinson looked from West to Will and back, in torment. "This is impossible," he murmured. Louder, he continued, "But Don's right, Will. You have to judge which scares you worse."

            Robinson, West, and Will discussed the matter for long moments, hemming and hawing.

            Then, Smith raised his head and whispered, "Will, no. It can't be you. It has to be me."

            The three turned as one and stared at him, astonished and impressed. Even as tears rolled down Smith's cheeks and he shuddered in fright, he remained resolute.

            Ultimately, the wicked space creature said, "I am sated. The level of fear in the two of them together has satisfied me. I couldn't hold any more. You needn't hurt anyone. You may go."

            Abruptly back in the control room of the Jupiter II, Smith collapsed into the nearest chair, and Will leaned exhaustedly against the closest wall.

            Robinson and West exchanged a brief, low murmur, and then Robinson said, "Don and I are very proud of both of you. You were each willing to make a serious sacrifice for the other."

            Smith groaned, "Well, I meant what I said. But don't ask me to ever do that again!"

            Will confessed, "Well, I would've pushed Dr. Smith aside and taken it, but I can admit now that I'm sure glad you didn't have to go through with it." He sighed in relief.

            Robinson bent down to him, and took him into his arms in a long fatherly embrace. West's usual means of choice by which to show affection to the boy was to casually ruffle his hair, but this time, he did so in a longer, slower, more tender manner, to show his far more significant level of caring.

            Then, West approached Smith, "I didn't know that John and I were your worst fear. You never told us."

            The older man wearily replied, "I didn't want you to know. I was afraid that you'd use it against me. You know, threaten me even more often than you already do. I didn't think I could take much more of that."

            Robinson offered a sympathetic wince. "For what it's worth, we're sorry, Smith."

            "Thank you," he replied almost reverently, in a hushed voice, his eyes dashing between them, and then away again, uneasily.

            Will piped up, "But I'm glad I didn't have to find out what it's like to get hit like that. Especially by you guys." He shook his head firmly. "I don't think I want to find out how hard you two can hit!"

            Robinson cupped his young son's chin in his hand, and tilted the small face up to his. "I'm still not sure that would've been the choice we'd have made. Not sure at all."

            "I quite agree," West declared emphatically. "No offense, Smith," he added as an afterthought, with a glance at the older man.

            "None taken," Smith murmured breathlessly, still overwhelmed by emotional trauma.

            "I guess now we'll never know," Robinson concluded, with a rueful wink for them both.