Meanwhile, the real Gilligan awoke and found he was naked under his hazmat suit! Where were his clothes? Where was he?
He stood up and limped over to the entrance of the cave, only to find two head hunter types, standing at the entrance with their backs to him. They had been placed there by Alien Gilligan, to keep guard.
Gilligan backed back into the cave! What was this? What was going on? Who had brought him here and left him with only this suit to wear?
Meanwhile, the Howells sat at the table, eating the lunch Mary Ann had fixed for them. Ginger was not hungry and Mary Ann had very little in the way of appetite herself. Ginger sighed, stood up and walked off aways. Mary Ann frowned and followed after her.
"Ginger? What is it?"
Ginger looked over at the Howell's, then spoke.
"I think we should sneak off the island in that boat."
Mary Ann glanced over at the Howell's herself.
"You mean leave the Professor behind?"
"The Professor and whoever else wants to stay here with those undead people." Ginger sniffed. "But I think it's silly to stay just so the Professor can experiment."
"What Gilligan can do is not normal, Ginger. And if we returned to civilization, he could end up hurting someone."
"But when something does happen to one of us around here, it usually wears off. Whatever this super strength is that Gilligan has, won't last."
Their conversation was interrupted when the Professor came out of his hut. He walked past the Howells and came directly over to the girls.
"Ladies, I need some assistance with Ms. Smith. I need someone to help me with her vitals."
"I don't want to touch her." Ginger said in a crisp manner.
"I would not ask that of anyone without their wearing gloves. But I just need someone to take some notes."
"I can, Professor." Mary Ann volunteered.
"Thank you, Mary Ann. Ginger, if you or the Howells will let me know when Gilligan and the Skipper return with that sailor..."
"If they return, Professor," Ginger corrected, "and I would like to speak to you alone."
The Professor glanced at Mary Ann who looked away. He then looked at Ginger again.
"Can this wait?"
"No. It can't." Ginger said and walked past both of them to enter the Professor's hut. Ericka Tiffany Smith was strapped to a table. She snarled in a feral way at Ginger. The Professor now looked at Mary Ann and the Howell's, before returning to his hut and shutting the bamboo door.
"Alright, Ginger. I can tell that the way I have decided to handle things, bothers you."
"Yes, Professor. And I think it's the 'I' in that sentence. We should at least vote on this."
"Why? Everyone else can understand that until we contain whatever it is, that has done this to Miss Smith and that other man, we could endanger others on the mainland. Do you really want to be a source of a world plague?"
"Oh. Please. Nothing like that has happened to any of us." Ginger said, glancing over at Ericka Tiffany Smith.
"Maybe we're immune to ending up like Miss Smith is. But Gilligan is unquestionably stronger than he should be. So it is affecting us."
"And I say we get in that boat and stop trying to doctor on ourselves! We can have a doctor look at all of us when we return!"
"What if we're quarantined? Did you ever think of that? Is that how you would like your return to civilization to end up? You couldn't get back into movies..."
"Not right away." Ginger allowed.
"But the press of it might keep you from ever working. Ginger, I don't want to be here any longer than necessary either. But the reality is that Miss Smith and someone that was probably connected to her, became very sick from something on this island. We have to find out what it is."
"YOU can waste time finding out what it is, Professor. But I'm calling a vote when everyone comes back. And if more people want to get in a perfectly usable boat and leave, then you can stay here alone and do whatever! We'll send back help." Ginger sniffed, before sauntering out of the hut. She walked right up to the Howells, and from what Mary Ann could overhear, they were very much on Ginger's side.
Mary Ann, herself, was torn. She slowly went over to the Professor's hut and entered without knocking.
"Professor. What are you going to do if everyone votes to leave? You can't stay here alone with these things running around?"
The Professor was peering in Miss Smith's deranged eyes with some sort of light. He set it aside and faced Mary Ann.
"I don't care about that right now. I am actually concerned about you. I don't know if this contagion, is airborne or works by contact. When Gilligan touched you earlier..."
"I'm fine, Professor! And why would Gilligan be very strong and Miss Smith and that other man, look as if they were about to rot away? It doesn't make any sense."
The Professor gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
"No. It does not make any sense. Which is why we need to stay here and make sure it does become clear as to what is happening. Tell me you won't vote with Ginger?"
"Oh. Uh, I don't think..."
"Please. You have always been level headed. It would not be right for us to bring whatever this infection is, back to civilization."
Mary Ann smiled wanly.
"Alright, Professor. If Ginger brings this to a vote, I will vote to stay until we find a reason for all of this."
Alien Gilligan and Skipper crept through the jungle quietly, their eyes darting about for any signs of that thing that had attacked before. After forty five minutes of nothing, Skipper began to talk of other things...
"Did you see how Ginger ran to me for protection when that thing attacked? Me and not the Professor?"
Alien Gilligan had studied the relationships of everyone on the island, before coming here. He saw nothing special about any of them, with the exception of the Howell's, who were married.
"You were the closet to her, weren't you?" Alien Gilligan answered, only half listening. These Earth beings and their 'small talk', could be trying.
"What are you saying? That you don't think Ginger is interested in me?" Skipper demanded huffily.
Alien Gilligan's eyes darted around for signs of that other being.
"Has she ever been interested in you before, Skipper? No, not that I've seen. I'm sure it was nothing and I wouldn't get my hopes up."
"Now see here!" Skipper snapped. "I don't know if that wound has addled your brain, but I say that Ginger is hiding her true feelings for me! She has this whole time!"
A suddenly growly/gurgle noise, stopped Skipper's tirade, thankfully. Alien Gilligan moved in the direction of the noise, but Skipper grabbed his shoulder!
"Gilligan, I know you have some kind of super strength, but you can't just go rushing up on one of those things! We have to come up with a plan!" Skipper hissed.
Alien Gilligan squinted at Skipper.
"We already did when we decided to come out into the jungle and look for it." Gilligan said in a no nonsense manner. He then turned and moved closer to the sound, leaving Skipper open mouthed and standing stock still. Something was wrong with Gilligan, and it didn't just have to do with being bitten by one of these undead looking things. His little buddy was like a different person or something.
Alien Gilligan came upon the sailor zombie. He had accidentally walked into a pile of quicksand and was growling and thrashing. He and Skipper just watched as it slowly went under.
"Maybe we should've tried to save it. The Professor did want to study him." Skipper noted.
"Then he should have captured him himself," Alien Gilligan said coldly, "besides he has that woman."
Skipper frowned.
"Well 'that woman' does have a name, you know!"
Alien Gilligan turned his full attention to Skipper.
"What is the matter with you? That woman left the island and was not going to come back. She returned and probably not to rescue us, ate something and has been poisoned. Or at least that's my best guess. You should not be feeling sorry for her."
And with that, Alien Gilligan began the trek back towards the huts. Skipper did not follow, as he now realized what was wrong with Gilligan. He not only sounded cold and very much unlike his self.
He also sounded smart.
Mary Ann looked uneasy, as Gilligan and Skipper returned from their hunt. The Professor came out of his hut, as did the Howell's. Ginger was already seated at the table.
"What happened?" Professor asked.
"He perished in quicksand. We would've endangered ourselves if we had attempted to rescue him." Alien Gilligan said.
The others all looked at one another. Gilligan sounded odd speaking like an articulate person just now.
"Well, Miss Smith is still in the midst of suffering. I am still holding out some hope for a cure." Professor told everyone.
Ginger felt she had to speak. She stood up.
"I don't feel we need to stay here. Ericka Tiffany Smith left a boat behind. I say we leave her behind and get back home where we all belong."
Lovie sniffed!
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree, Professor. There is nothing we can do for the poor dear, by just languishing here."
"I will have to second and third that," Mr. Howell spoke up, "besides, my money needs me."
Skipper frowned at Ginger.
"Ginger, the Professor is thinking of mankind here. Gilligan is displaying symptoms of something and for all we know, we could come down with the same thing."
Professor looked at Ginger.
"Would you like to turn into one of those things, while at sea?"
Ginger didn't answer that.
"I want to take a vote. Who here agrees we should leave?" Ginger asked.
Ginger raised her hand. Thurston and Lovie did as well. Ginger noticed that Mary Ann was silent.
"Mary Ann! You can't be on the Professor's side!"
Mary Ann sighed, then spoke.
"I think that everyone that wants to leave, should go. Please send help back. But I think what the Professor is doing is selfless. And I'm happy that Gilligan and Skipper see what he is trying to do."
Alien Gilligan sensed the trouble and backed Mary Ann.
"I think Mary Ann has a point. I think Ginger and Mr. and Mrs. Howell can be trusted to send help back."
"Can I at least examine you all so that I know you are no threat to mankind?" Professor asked sarcastically.
But Ginger was angry!
"You know good and well, that Mr. and Mrs. Howell, plus myself, know nothing about how to navigate a boat! We wouldn't even know what direction to go in! Skipper, please! You have to come with us!"
The Professor ended the pow-wow.
"Ginger, this vote was taken fairly and you lost. You have been offered two options: you can stay here and wait until I have contained whatever this illness is, or you can leave with the Howells and send help back. It is up to you."
And with those words, the Professor returned to his hut to look in on Ericka Tiffany Smith. The Howells sniffed and drifted off towards their own hut. The Skipper wanted to approach Ginger, but knew she was ticked off and refrained from doing so. He walked off by himself into the jungle.
Mary Ann tentatively walked up to Ginger.
"That was not easy for me to do, Ginger. You're like the sister I've always wanted. But I could not live with myself if I was the cause of some innocent person ending up like Miss Smith in there. Really, it won't take the Professor long to find out whatever this is. Then we can leave the island."
Ginger only nodded, her expression sullen. Mary Ann patted her arm and walked off towards her own hut. That left her alone with Alien Gilligan.
"No words of wisdom from you, Gilligan?"
Alien Gilligan smiled and walked up to her.
"You could change the Skipper's vote if you showed some real interest in him."
Ginger's eyes widened and she looked him up and down.
"What are you saying?"
"What do you think I'm saying?" Alien Gilligan countered.
Ginger smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What would it take for you to change YOUR mind?"
"About the same thing it would to change the Skipper's mind." Alien Gilligan replied. Ginger now grinned and pressed herself into him.
"And you would have to wear a dark wig."
Ginger hadn't thought she heard him right!
"I'm sorry?"
"You would have to fuck me while wearing a dark wig." Alien Gilligan said, reached around his neck and unhooking Ginger's hands from the back of it. He then walked off to God knows where, while Ginger pondered the implications of what Gilligan had just told her.
