"The Isle..."

"The Isle..." Part XIV...

"Amanda...Just...Hear him out."

"I have before, it's the same old spiel..."

"Hey, Manda..." Owen's cheery voice, he coming to them.

Oh, God...She sighed.

"Hey, Owen..." you pathetic Moonie. "How are you?"

"Great, just great..." Owen, in checkered shirt and khakis, sporting a "launch controller" badge pinned to said shirt, took seat next to her. "Igor, great job rescuing Mandy here."

"Thank you, Owen." Igor nodded pleasantly. "I'm just glad she's ok."

"And how's..."

"The chicken's just fine." Amanda, grimly. "Maybe a bit disappointed losing her expanded mind...The one she gained at my expense while my friends did nothing."

"Actually the Doctor says it seems to be retaining some advanced facilities..." Igor noted.

"Great..." Amanda, sourly.

"Well, it's all for Science and it all worked out." Owen, happily. "So, all set for the big day? I know I'm psyched." His rather handsome features radiant. "We've all worked so hard for this."

"Yeah...Rah." Amanda frowned.

"Sorry you don't appreciate what the Doctor's trying to do." Owen sighed. "But if you'd just.."

"Please..." she put up a hand. "Don't give me the cult spiel. It doesn't work on me, yet." Sigh. "Though I suppose soon enough..."

"The Doctor said no...You won't be conditioned, Amanda." Igor insisted. "Just a memory wipe so he can send you home."

"Sure..." sigh.

"I'm not happy about it, you know...But if it's what you want..." he sighed.

"I don't want to stay here, slaving for Balinkoff's Brave New World." She frowned. "You want to serve him, stay."

"I understand." Igor nodded. "I know I'm not exactly a dream date...It's fine."

"Igor." She frowned. "Don't make this about you or us... You know I care about you. But what he's doing is wrong."

"Oh, that's not so, Amanda..." Owen cut in. "I'm sorry to butt in, but I have to defend the Doctor here..."

"Enough!" she put up a hand. "I can't change you or me. Lets just not talk about it. How's Jess? Is she coming?"

"She's on duty...But she's as excited as I am."

"I wonder how Todd feels about it and you two..." she eyed him.

"I'm sorry Todd chose to run and hide from us. But Jess did choose me." He noted.

"She was forced to by your wonderful Dr. Balinkoff...Well, he manipulated her so she'd choose you. And hunt down her friends, her husband."

"It was necessary..." Owen sighed. "No one wanted to hurt him, least of all Jess."

"She shot at him! I saw!"

"He was trying to stop the Project." Sigh. "She was Security Chief, she had her duty."

"Deprogram her and lets see how she feels about that..." Amanda, insistent.

"Mandy..." sigh.

A young woman in grey uniform came to the podium in the front of the room motioning for silence...

"Louise..." Amanda sighed. "So she didn't get away..."

"She would have drowned trying to sail off in that raft." Owen shook head. "And she's devoted to the Cause now."