Head Games "
By: Ian Hunter, Commanding Officer, [PC]
Krystal, Hologram, [RNPC]
Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist , [PC]
M'Ressha Mikaht, fighter pilot , [RNPC]
Giuseppe Silvio, Chief Engineer, [RNPC]
Teilani Dane, Chief Medical Officer, [PC]
Jonathan Wright, Executive Officer, [PC]

Stardate: 58206.15 2230

"Status report Ensign," asked Hunter.

"We've managed t'contain Birkoff in an island setting Krystal was able to find in the 'olodeck data banks, sir," Maxine reported. "which we were able to secure with an encryption key. Unfortunately I've 'ad t'ide that key as an object on the island," she continued, clearly not happy about that.

Hunter nodded, "okay..."

"The Birkoff AI is extremely smart sir. 'e'll know my key is 'idden on the island. But then so is 'is. When we find it, destroying it should reset the 'olodeck."

"Can't we just shut down the power?" asked Hunter glancing over to Silvio.

Silvio wearily, shook his head, "No sir, I tried but he has that protected as well. Every time, I get close to it his program reroutes the computer pathways."

Hunter rubbed his chin in thought.

"I propose we 'ave Krystal inform Commander Wright and Blitzer about needing t'find the key," Maxine suggested. "That way we'll 'ave more than one set of eyes looking for it."

"I agree," said Silvio.

Hunter nodded, "make it so then."

"Aye sir..." Max nodded and then a moment later Krystal appeared in the corridor with PomPoms and ponytails and the cute little cheerleader outfit.

"RAH!" The pixie hologram blinked and grinned at them, waving her pompom at Hunter. "Hihihi Captain!"

Max quirked a brow at her and shook her head. "I'm not even going t'ask...." she muttered. "You need t'let Commander Wright and Blitzer know about Birkoff's key 'e's 'idden so they can 'elp look for it," she instructed her.

"Aye aye!" Krystal saluted, which looked ridiculous with the whole outfit she had on and the bobbing pigtails and sparkling pompoms. And then she disappeared in a poof of pixie dust.

"She really is a very stable program...." Maxine offered kinda lamely as she looked from one officer to the other.

Hunter pursed his lips to keep his serious expression from slipping away.

***

The rain had let up. It was now sunny and bright and everything had dried up. Blitzer watched as the castaways, Ginger and Maryanne did laundry and baked banana and coconut pies in a makeshift oven.

"So what are we going to do now?" Krystal asked curiously as she sat on Blitzer's shoulder and proceeded to braid small locks of his hair.

Mr. and Mrs. Howell were reclining in makeshift lounge chairs sipping drinks while everyone else did the cleanup work.

Teilani walked outside, avoiding the others who were cleaning up.

"How are your fingers?" asked Blitzer pointing to Dane's hand.

"Not that good," and infact Teilani was right, somehow the meds from the ancient first aid kit did not do the job and her fingers were swollen and stiff.

"If there was only some antibiotics here, it might help some." she said.

"I don't think there is any real medicine here," observed Blitzer

Blitzer saw Gilligan across the way, trying to lift a large beam that had fallen. He helped him hoist it back into its position where it would support the palm leaves which made up the roof.

"Thank you Mr. Lion," said Gilligan matter of factly.

"Well I had expected the training flight to go different," said Dr. Dane.

Blitzer turned to Doctor Dane who was standing near. He smiled, "well, we were taught to expect the unexpected," he said with a wink.

Gilligan giggled, prompting Blitzer to turn, "What?"

"Talk about unexpected," said Gilligan, "I've heard of a talking horse, but not a talking lion and now there's one standing right here," he said pointing at Blitzer, "cool."

"Cool?" said Blitzer, "you think that is cool, check this out, Krystal, pom-poms!"

"WEEEE!!!!" Krystal giggled and poofed into the cute little cheerleader's outfit, pigtails and pompoms. "RahRahRah!" she giggled again and shook her pompoms at Gilligan. On the last 'Rah', she disappeared from sight.

Gilligan's eyes widened, and then got wider as she vanished. "Where'd she go?"

Blitzer shrugged, "I don't know."

"Oh there you are Doctor!" called the professor making his way across the clearing.

"Hello Professor," she answered with a smile. Some how this professor was refreshing, and a bit naive in some sort a way.

"Maryann and I thought you might like to accompany us for a tour of the island?"

"I would love to, thanks," Teilani said and stood up.

***

After Dane left with the Professor, Blitzer continued to help Gilligan repair the roof of the hut.

Krystal poofed back into view, hovering close to Blitzer's head. "Oooh! Oooh! I have a message!" she announced and then flitted up to the Cait's head and clung to his ear while she told him the "news".

Blitzer listened as Krystal whispered in his ear. "Let's find the commander."

Blitzer found Commander Wright with the Skipper and Ginger in the Skipper's hut.

"Sir," said Blitzer, "may I speak to you privately?"

"Sure," said Wright getting up and following the Catian out of the hut.

Once Wright was outside, Blitzer said in a low voice, "Krystal has some information from the outside."

Wright turned his attention to the little pixie sitting on Blitzers shoulder, "What have you got?"

She was thankfully back to her normal garb and out of the cheerleader outfit. She flitted from Blitzer's shoulder over to Wright's and clung to his ear as she whispered her "news" so that Birkoff wouldn't hear.

***

"And over here is the best variety of musaceae....uhm, bananas" said the Professor trying to impress his new found professional college.

"Despite you being stranded, you do have got a nice place," she responded as Teilani looked around.

"We have tried to make the best of it," said the Professor bringing her a large tropical flower.

Teilani sniffed the flower, it sweet sent was intoxicating and she smiled at the professor.

Blitzer, Krystal and Gilligan caught up with the Doctor and the Professor. Blitzer explained to them about looking for the key."

"There is no clue as how it might look like?" Teilani asked.

Blitzer shook his head, "But if we find it we can get shut this....er.. get off the island." He said looking at the professor and Maryann.

"Well we were about to make a tour over the island so perhaps the Professor and myself can look for it as well.?"

"Krystal and I will go this way," he said pointing to a fork in the path.

"We will go that way," Teilani answered pointing in the opposite direction.

Blitzer's search party headed off, turning over rocks and leaves as they went.

*********

The professor and Dane searched for more than an hour, the professor continued to talk about their life on the island, "Maryann has always had a knack for..." the professor looked around noticing that Maryann was no longer with them.

He retraced his steps and stopped, looking down he knelt down and picked up a spear decorated with beads and feathers. "Oh Dear," he said bringing the spear to Dane. "Headhunters, quickly, we must return."

*********

Birkoff had stealthily led his band of headhunters onto the island, he was frustrated, by his captivity in this absurd island program. We was clad in a loincloth. Around his neck was a necklace made up of several shrunken heads. On his head was a helmet made of a human skull decorated with feathers. His face and hard was streaked with thick black mud. He hated this restriction, and wanted nothing more than to get a hold of that pixie's key so he could destroy this island and get back to his original plan.

Birkoff shook the ornate speer he held in his hand at his men and spoke to them in their guttural language. They quickly began setting up a makeshift camp. Since they were on the opposite side of the island from the lagoon, near a large volcano he felt this was the best place to set up camp. Once that was complete he would send his headhunters out a hunting. Birkoff smiled.

*********

When the Professor and Dane returned to camp they found Maryann draining coconuts. "You are alive!" said the professor with a comical expression.

Maryann gave him a quirky look, "of course."

"Where did you go?" he asked.

"I found these," she said pointing to the large basket of coconuts, "they must have blown down from the storm."

The professor looked around, "Where is everyone?

Maryann sighed and set down coconut she was working on, "they went looking for a key to get us off the island." she said.

"The key?" said the professor arching his brows, "of course."

"Professor, the headhunters..........??" Teilani said pointing the Professor back on track.

"Oh yes, we must warn everyone," said the professor setting the spear down on the table.

Maryann gasped, "Headhunters?"

"Yes!" said the Professor as if he were saying, "eureka!" He pointed with his finger up in the air, "we must warn everyone. Let's go find the Howells."

***********

Ginger had of course tagged along with the Skipper and Commander Wright. They stopped to rest, sitting on some large boulders for a moment.

They had been looking for the key for an hour. "What did you say this key looked like again?" inquired the Skipper.

Wright was not really sure, "I am not all that sure," he admitted. "I am sure we will know it when we see it."

Ginger adjusted her skirt and poofed her hair-do, "do you have a girl friend?" she asked him.

Wright looked at the actress and smiled, "Not at the moment," he replied.

Ginger got up and walked seductively up the path a ways. There were some large flowers there she knew of. She found them and plucked one, taking a whiff of its scent. She fastened it to her hair with a bobby pin, imagining how much more she would be able to attract the Commander's attention.

The Skipper adjusted his hat, "You know Sir... I was in the Navy too."

Before Wright could answer the sound of Ginger screaming pierced the dense forest.

"Come on," shouted Wright as he headed in the direction of the scream.

"I'm right behind you," said the Skipper summoning up his courage.

Wright and Skipper came into a small clearing but Ginger was nowhere to be seen.

"Look!" said the Skipper pointing to a flower and a bobby pin laying on the ground. He looked as if he were about to run two directions a the same time. "Ginger!" he hollered.

There was no reply, then Wright heard a sound far off," Shhh, listen."

Wright and Skipper held their breath and were able to make out the haunting sound of drums in the distance, "What is that," said Wright, "Some sort of drum?"

"Oh, no.." said the Skipper removing his hat and wringing it nervously, "headhunters."

"We better get back to the others," suggested Wright.

"But we have to rescue Ginger," protested the Skipper as he set foot on the path following behind Wright.

"We will Skipper," said Wright, "But we have to make sure that the others are safe too." The two of them headed off toward camp.

****************

Gilligan, Blitzer and Krystal searched through the jungle.

"What are we looking for again Mr. Lion?" asked Gilligan stopping.

"Anything that looks like it doesn't belong here," said Blitzer turning.

"Is it bigger than a bread box?"

"For the millionth time..." said Blitzer...

"Three hundred and sixty-five to be exact..." Krystal corrected.

Blitzer put his paw over his eyes and shook his head. He turned back toward the direction they were walking and lifted a large palm leaf up, "It probably could be bigger than a bread box," he said.

Gilligan turned to come face to face with a headhunter holding a spear at him. "Oh," said Gilligan, "could it be a person?"

Blitzer strained to over turn a large stone, "uhgg..oof, I suppose it could be," said Blitzer.

"Then w--w-why would they have a spear?"

"What?" said Blitzer turning to find 4 headhunters surrounding them.

"Oh," said Blitzer. "Krystal? What's going on?"

Krystal blinked and "uth-oh'd". "I think they're called Headhunters...." she told the Cait. "Probably Birkoff because it's not in the current episode that's running..."

The head hunters began closing in and making jabbing motions with their spears. Blitzer grabbed one and yanked it from their hand. It was shorter and lighter than a ston, a caitian marital art weapon, but it would do.

This enraged the foursome.

He began welding it, spinning it around and around. The now unarmed pygmy rushed Blitzer but met the dull end of the spear right between the eyes. The pygmy stood up straight and keeled over.

"Go Warrior Toes, Go!!" Krystal cheered him on.

Blitzer turned to the other three who were trying to encircle them. Another one rushed Blitzer, he blocked the charging spearhead with the shaft of the spear he held and then with a loud thwack, broke it over the back of the pygmy as he fell forward.

The other rushed Blitzer in turn. Blitzer grabbed the spear near the pointed end and jammed it back into the headhunter's gut, thrusting him backwards onto the last standing pygmy.

As they both fell to the ground, Blitzer picked up the spear and stood over them menacingly . He snarled like a lion which had the effect of causing the headhunters comically to jump up and run.

He took a deep breath and turned toward Gilligan who was hugging a tree.

Blitzer could hear the sounds of drums and a great number of people now coming toward them through the brush. "Quick," he said pulling on Gilligan's shirt, "this way.."

"See.... It's good to have a lion around when you need one," Krystal Told Gilligan as she helped Blitzer pull on his shirt.

***

Wright and Skipper got back to the camp site at the same time as Blitzer, and Gilligan. "We have a problem Lieutenant," said Wright to Blitzer.

"Headhunters," nodded Blitzer affirming what Wright already knew.

"We better try to get everyone together," said Wright.

They continued to the center of the camp site where they found Marianne, Doctor Dane, and the Professor.

"We can't find the Howells" said Maryann bobbing up and down.

"...and they've taken Ginger too," said the Skipper as he continued to wring his sailor hat nervously.

The remaining cast-a-ways began conversion in an incoherent blurr.

Wright turned to Blitzer, "Blitzer, you and I will try to find where they are holding the missing castaways," Wright looked around, "I have a funny feeling this is related to our key problem."

"Yes Sir," said Blitzer.

Wright looked at everyone, "The rest of you should find a safe place to hide until we get back."

"If it is all the same to you Sir, we'd like to come with you," said the Skipper. The Professor, standing next to the Skipper, nodded in agreement.

Blitzer listened to the Commander as he discussed his search and rescue plan to the castaways. At the same time, he listened to the drums in the distance. They were now thrumming out a different rhythm. He wondered what that meant.