"The Isle..."

"The Isle..." Part XXI...

"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.