Let it breathe, let it breathe, let it breathe for the space cadets

A secret dropped

Cadets were busy repairing the space academy and taking away at most of the material that made it up as a asteroid. New halls were being made thanks in part to the hand lasers that were set up in terms of settings on how much power could be used. The congestion in the space academy was loosening up for the civilians so much so that were was room to breathe and have space for themselves when sleeping. The raw material left over from the hand lasers were taken in for the mass production of Seekers. It was night outside of the space academy when it was morning for the residents inside. It was decided so to keep up with the time on the other side of the void.

It was day three being out of the present day Federation.

Laura was manning Command Control that morning.

"Jupiter 2 to Space Academy," came a young boy's voice.

"Academy Control here," Laura said.

"My name is Will," Will said.

"Laura," Laura said. "What brought you to call here?"

"I had a nightmare about Doctor Smith," Will said. "The same place that you saw."

"Hm?" Laura asked. "What kind of nightmare was it?"

"It felt real but it hadn't happened yet," Will said.

"Describe what happened, Will," Laura said.

"It was still. There was a computer monitor from above him," Will said. "And a strange little white Robot from across him. It was partially dark, but not dark enough to see. The room was trembling. The little white robot announced danger repeatedly waving its arms. The windows were breaking. There were loud booms that echoed like a building was falling apart. The little white robot came over to the Commander then there was a explosion and everything flew out. The white robot lost its head in the explosion and-and-and he was sucked out! He was sucked out into space then I woke up."

"Did you observe any planets from the view screen?" Laura asked.

"No," Will said.

"Were there any starships?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Will said. "It looked intimidating."

"Did you observe anything on his wrist?" Laura asked.

There was a short pause from over the other end.

"Why yes!" Will said. "There was! A little white watch."

Laura let out a sigh of relief growing a bright smile on her face.

"He is okay," Laura said, out loud. "He is okay."

"Who is okay?" Will asked, concerned, over the line.

Laura looked on toward the darkness of the scenery. Laura had a deliberate pause. The psychologist was choosing her words carefully so the news could be given gently blatantly and outright informing him that the man who looked similar to Smith was Smith. And he was in danger. If Dragos detected his energy signature then the next move would be to finish what had been started. Will's curiosity could have been pegged by her questions of what the contents of the dream were. He probably knew that it was Smith but was in denial about it. The temporal directive stated that people couldn't be told of the future if it were about them because they would make it happen by trying to avoid it.

"Can you keep a secret?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Will replied. "I can."

"Good. . ." Laura started. "Your friend, Doctor Smith, will lead a very long and prosperous life. He will become someone we love very dearly," Laura's smile grew smaller out of fondness and hope. "If it happens we see him again going home flying in space, we will be there to rescue him and bring him back into the space academy for medical treatment."

"He will be gone," Will said.

"He won't be, Will," Laura said.

There was a short pause from Will's side of the conversation.

"Is it because of the watch?" Will asked.

"That's actually a life support badge," Laura said. "We use them to be in places that don't support life."

"So like a different version of a astronaut suit," Will said.

"It is," Laura said.

"So he will be floating out there," Will said. "In the middle of a wreckage."

"But he isn't alone," Laura said.

"And that robot?" Will asked.

"Gampu actually built him," Laura said. "and programmed him."

"What if he rebuilt him?" Will asked.

"We doubt he used the Robot's memory tapes. He would need permission from the Alpha Centauri Space Colonization Museum's curator, Federation Council, Artificial Intelligence Council, and the Academy Council to bring the past into the present. . . " she lowered her voice that it couldn't be heard surrounded by cadets manning their stations studying the doomed planet. "We recently found out this ourselves that Gampu is Doctor Smith three days ago after a DNA test. My brother didn't want to tell your family because he is afraid that we will change everything from what it is supposed to be."

Will nodded his head.

"I understand," Will said. "I feel a lot better talking this over. I really appreciate it."

"You are welcome," Laura said, as the screen backed off from the intercom to reveal the Robinsons were standing behind Will listening to the conversation. Maureen was comforting a distressed Judy who was visibly trembling and shaken up. "Good night."

Will put away the radio over the sounds of Maureen comforting her eldest daughter.