"The Isle…"
PG 13
Summary: What "Riverdale" did to "Archie and Jughead" and "Betty and Veronica", I'm doin' to "Gilligan's Isle" ...
Disclaimer: All characters of Gilligan's Isle remain property of that series...Any resemblance of fictional characters to those living or dead is purely coincidental…
Part XXI…
"So…" Gilligan, rather cheerily despite the long trudge along the rather overgrown and steep jungle trail, to Steve just behind him… "How many of you were there when you got here?"
"About twenty…" Steve noted, without thinking.
Ummn…
"Whoa." Gilligan eyed him, pausing. "All those people died?" innocently stunned look.
Thought the guy and girl were holding things back…
Lovely Crumpt, just behind Steve, likewise startled, perhaps more sincerely…
"Well…A few." Hastily… "Some of us tried to escape on what was left of the boats…Patched them up. They preferred to take their chances on the sea."
Yes, sounds plausible…He thought.
Better than, well a mad scientist captured us all and let a few of us go free as lighting rods for anyone else appearing while brainwashing the rest…
With the freed ones, but for Danny, agreeing to cover up in exchange for some food, an offer to be left a working boat when Balinkoff completes his crazy scheme, and the understood implied threat to us and our said brainwashed comrades.
I mean it's not like we know you folks well enough yet to trust you with our and our friends' lives.
"But, of course, who knows if any made it. It wasn't likely." Steve, putting on somber face.
"That's awful." Gilligan commiserated. "How many died here?"
"Ohhh…Five…"
Yeah, five sounds reasonable…
"That is terrible, Steven." Lovely put a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, hard to endure. I buried them myself." Steve noted.
"Oh…Well, if we get rescued I hope you can find them." Gilligan, blandly. "We could take their things back, may even their remains. Are they buried near your camp?"
"Not far, in the jungle, near our camp. Of course, we've been through so much, I'm not sure if I could still locate them…" Steve, carefully.
"We'll help. The Skipper's great at that sort of thing…Tracking and all." Gilligan smiled boyishly. "And he believes in seeing the dead properly respected, that sort of thing."
"Wonderful…" Steve nodded.
"I'm sure we'll find those friends of yours and help their families." Lovely smiled wanly, patting Steve's arm.
Nice lady, really…Glad she wasn't included on the hit list with Crumpt, (Gill)igan thought.
…
"Launch control…T-minus twenty minutes and counting…Weather is excellent…All systems green and go." Owen's voice over the ship's speaker, Balinkoff eyeing various panels from his seat.
"Security control…" Jess' voice over speaker. "No security breaches, perimeter is secure. Go for launch."
"It's looking good, sir." Florence noted from her pilot's seat.
"Yes, indeed, my dear." Balinkoff nodded, beaming. "We shall be dining in orbit…And by tomorrow, the world will hear from Balinkoff again."
"Yes, sir." She beamed happily. "Just let me say how much I appreciate your putting your trust in me for this one, sir."
"Of course, Florence…I literally trust you with my life." He smiled.
"It's just…I know there was a time…" she paused. "When I didn't understand what you were trying to achieve, like poor Amanda, Steve, and Karen…Not to mention, Danny and Todd." Sigh.
"We know each other better now, dear. And you've come to understand my dream." He nodded.
"I'm totally devoted to it…And you, sir." She gave a rather rapturous look. "And I'll see we have a perfect flight."
"Absolutely…"
"Sir?" she was hesitant. "If I may ask…?"
"Dear?"
"How long do you think it will take till the world surrenders to you?"
"To us, my dear. Oh…A few days. They'll need a few demonstrations of what we can do." He noted, casually, with wave of hand.
"Of course…"
So nice of the Boss to include us in world conquest…
"Nothing too destructive I hope, but they will need convincing…" he nodded thoughtfully.
"Yes, sir. It's too bad everyone can't see the dream." She sighed.
"In time, Florence, in time. For now, fear must keep the world in line on the course to our brighter tomorrow."
"I know, sir. It's just a shame. Oh…Sir?" pause. "What about the others? The ones we're leaving behind? I know most will come on Balinkoff 4, 5, and 6 if they can but…"
"They will defend our base to the last necessary moments…But don't fear, Florence. All will be well. I've prepared for any attack."
"Yes, sir. And Karen and Todd and Steven will have time?"
"I've promised and it shall be so…"
"Yes, sir." Nod. Slight hesitation… "And…Danny?"
"The boy will have his chance to leave with the others if he takes it." Shrug.
"He's resistant to the process…" she noted, carefully.
"By then it won't matter, he'll be free to go. Don't worry, dear. I've no desire to punish him." Balinkoff sighed. "I only wish he'd joined me."
She nodded, a bit sadly.
"And I intend to keep my promise to you. I'll see his sister can do him no harm. She'll be arrested on my order as soon as possible once the new world government is established. I'd much prefer a good man, even if my opponent, in charge of such a vast fortune than one so evil. But we can hope the process will change her nature or reveal a better side to her, once she's secured and Daniel back in his rightful place." He smiled at Florence who nodded.
"Launch control requesting manual fuel pressure check…Captain?" her copilot, a small, lovely woman in her thirties, a former executive from Bombay, India, Pavani Laghari, turned to her.
"Right…Excuse me, boss." Florence, wry smile, pressing her suit mike. "Balinkoff One here, go ahead control…"
…
"Well…This should be lovely for dinner, ladies." The Skipper nodded at the fish fillets and cross-sections before them on metal panel from the boat placed on a large flat rock. "The rest we can either put with the refrigerator and ice or dry-store. Miss Karen? Did you and your friends ever find ice here? Up in the mountain area, by the volcano, maybe?"
"Afraid not, Skipper." Karen shook head. "There's some cold-water streams but that's all we've found."
"Well, we'll dry then…" he nodded. "I don't want to waste our fuel on the generator trying to keep the fridge going more than necessary."
"Oh! I've got another, Skipper!" Mary Wholesomeby cried from the beach where she'd returned to try her luck a bit more.
"That's great, Miss Wholesomeby!" he called. "Just give her a little play and reel her in carefully!"
"She's getting the hang of it…" Karen nodded, looking over. "Just let it have a little leeway to hook itself, honey!" she called. "That's it, now reel her in."
"I think I've got it!" Mary cried.
"Odd a girl like that would come out to Hawaii and take your cruise alone." She nodded to the Skipper.
"Well…I think she was with a group till she decided to come and take my charter." He noted.
"Really? I can imagine…" Karen grinned. "Some missionary group or Christian Spinsters Over 30?" pause… "I really can…I was in a missionary group and the Christian Spinsters over 30 on more vacations than I care to admit." Wry shrug.
"She seems a nice kid…" he noted, shrugging himself. "A little much but…"
"Got him or her!" Mary called happily, holding up a large fish.
"Looks like an albacore, nice…" Karen peered. "Good job, Mary…That's a big tuna."
"Bring her over and we'll get her set to rights." Grumbie beamed. "Nice job, indeed."
"Praise be!" Mary cried, hurrying over. But eyed the fish as she reached them. "This is a tuna?"
"They look different out of the can, honey." Karen smiled.
"Oh, yes…I suppose so." Mary agreed, laying the large fish down with effort. "May I do the honors?"
"All yours, dear." The Skipper handed her his knife.
"In Jesus' holy name, I gut thee." She drove the knife in.
Amateur, but not bad…The Skipper thought.
Still…Even if she's not practiced with knife…Doesn't mean she's not a possible agent. That ultra-Christian stuff can be a good blind, Putinsky and others have a lot riding on Crumpt, and it's even possible the Company might have sent back up without informing us.
Though it's Ms. Cushman here who makes me wonder the most…
Just a bit too pat for me, she and Stevie boy surviving here alone for months, especially with coma boy.
Still no need to jump the gun and eliminate her or Wholesomeby just yet. They might really just be nice, if rather odd, girls.
…
"There it is…" Steve noted as the trio of he, Lovely Crumpt, and Gilligan made their weary way up the steep trail to the native village which now spread before them on a level plateau.
"Welcome to…The Village…" he grinned, arch tone. "From 'The Prisoner', you know, the old 60s series?"
"I have never heard of such." Lovely shook head.
Actually I have but having lived it, back in Slovobia when it was Communist…She thought.
"I have." Gilligan nodded, beaming… "That was really good, just like a Number Two."
"Thanks." Steve smiled.
And no need to mention I had one of my crazy dictatorial fits here, shortly after we arrived, trying to assign everyone then with us their numbers and indeed declared myself "The New Number Two" till Danny and Karen slapped me silly.
"Nice place…" Gilligan looked around as they made their exhausted way into the central square, six huts about the square on the sides with a large hut at one end across from where they were entering. "Is that some kind of temple?" he pointed to the structure just rising above the large hut in its rear. A pyramid with flat top, about five hundred feet in height.
"Seems to be…" Steve nodded. "We thought maybe that was where they'd done ceremonies or sacrifices…Or something."
Lovely moving to nearest hut… "Careful there, ma'am!" Gilligan called, heading over to her.
"You never know what might be goin' on in a place like this…"
"It's pretty safe…" Steve noted. "The natives are long gone and there's no booby traps or anything."
"Ok…But the Skipper always says…" Gilligan began, suddenly falling through the hut door to floor.
One way to take any possible hidden assailant and his friend among us by surprise, Gill(igan) noted to himself, picking himself off the floor sheepishly.
"Sorry…But it looks ok." He noted. The others following in.
"Not exactly a four-star hotel but…" he smiled.
"No, but not bad." Steve agreed. "Unfortunately, not much in here or elsewhere in the place."
"No?" Gilligan, peering around…Affecting a casual, rather ineffectual survey while taking everything in with laser-sharp precision.
Nothing in plain view…
"I wonder, Steven…" Lovely looked about. "Why did you and the lady and that poor young man not stay here? It must be more secure than the beach or your camp."
"Too far from the coast, too much of a slog from where the food is…" Steven shrugged.
"And we weren't sure at first at least, if the inhabitants might show." He noted. "Show and not be too happy about people taking their place over."
"Yeah, I get that…" Gilligan noted.
"Maybe with more people…" Steve began.
The ground rumbling a bit…
Whoa…All three looked about…
"Is that volcano?" Lovely stared at Steven who nodded.
"Yeah, it gets a little tummy rumbly every now and then."
"It doesn't, like, erupt and explode…Or send that boiling lava down?" Gilligan, worriedly.
"We've not seen that…" Steve shrugged. "Just a hot spring or vent of gas now and then up here."
"Hope we can get the Professor up here soon to take a look." Gilligan noted.
"Explode?" Lovely stared. "Will it do that? Will the island here sink into the sea?"
"No sign of it yet…" Steve, reassuringly.
"But of course we're not volcano experts…"
"Lets have a look around and see if there's anything you guys could have missed." Gilligan suggested.
"Fine idea." Steve nodded.
Beating you to a pulp to find out what you're not telling us might also be taken for such…Gilligan thought, peering round.
"Is that place dug?" Lovely pointed, peering.
"That was the hut fire pit, best we could determine." Steve noted, stepping over. "Nothing but old charred wood and some stones.
"Yeah…" Gilligan nodded, he having joined them. "Oh, look!" innocent stare as he reached into the pile of debris.
"Careful, Mr. Gilligan!" Lovely cried.
"It's fine…It's cool, no fire or coals. Here!" he pulled out a small item.
"What is…" Lovely stared.
"A cigarette lighter." Steven stared.
"Pretty rusted and dirty, it might be old, I don't know if it works…" Gilligan clicked. Flame issuing.
"Well that's nice…" he noted.
"Keen eye, son." Steve nodded.
"Does this mean other people have been here?" Lovely eyed the two.
"Or the native people have lighters…Maybe they get to civilization…" Gilligan nodded thoughtfully.
"We've not seen any about…" Steve eyed the lighter. "Could be they or someone left it long ago."
"Well, at least it means someone was here…And we can use it…" Gilligan put the lighter in his pants pocket.
"Lets see if we can find anything else here, then check the other huts…" he turned as the floor shook…
The whole place trembling…A huge roar from outside the hut…They all ran to the door and went out.
"Careful, everybody!" Gilligan cried, turning to Lovely who stared out at the huge cloud of steam from the volcano as, in quick succession, three huge rockets, each rather like the American Space Shuttle System, rose out of the crater and appeared above, soaring quickly up, flame trailing…
"My God!" Steve cried.
"Wow." Gilligan stared.
A launch site? Here?
It can't be the Company's…They'd never let us come, especially with a traitor like Crumpt.
Unless…They've no intention of letting us return after the mission…
"Oh my God!" Ginger, below on the trail had stopped to find safety as the ground shook and the roar began, with a pillar of steam and vapor rising. The three spacecraft barely visible for a second to her…
"Skipper?!" Karen cried, standing by the Minnow in stunned shock, peering up at the huge cloud of steam above the distant volcano summit. Mary crossing herself feverishly…
Grumbie, eyeing the cloud having barely spotted the three craft issuing out of the crater summit…
Well, well, well…Company special project or the Russians or Chinese or even the Brits or Indians?
Wonder what Gill's take on this will be?
Fascinating…The Professor stared up. But given the pattern and texture of the steam and the lack of real volcano activity before, not entirely…
"Whee!" Florence, aboard Balinkoff One cried, wishing she could lift head and smile at the Doctor, he now flattened against his chair in his suit. Owen's voice crying in her and the others' suit helmet headphones… "Liftoff! We have liftoff on Balinkoffs One, Two, and Three!"
So…He actually pulled it off…A lone figure in the jungle, leaning on bamboo staff, staring up…His once large bulk a bit loose about his frame, his clothes worn and tattered, his beard long and matted. The crazy maniac has actually gone and done it…Three at once, gotta be the crew not another cargo.
His crew and my poor, deluded friends…He sighed.
Well, Daniel…Danny thought. Time to see if there's anything to be done to save the world.
At least before the world comes to destroy this place…