Part 175: Cracking the Dome

Sayid sat down studying it. The large silver dome poked up from the ground with no apparent handle to open it. Why was there not a handle? Marita stood next to him, arms crossed; concentrating on the handle as well. Locke had been with the Hatch the majority of the night; digging around it. He felt he might get a better understanding of the mysterious thing if he tried to determine how far it went underground. Tony rested on top of it. He could not see it but he felt of it. He rubbed his hands all around the silver metal and the glass incasing. However, it felt no different than any type of container that he ever felt in his life. “We should leave it alone.” Sayid whispered.

Locke stopped digging. “I’m sorry?” he asked.

“It has no handle, John,” the Iraqi pointed, “That can only mean one of several things. The mechanism to open it was either never there, it broke off or someone purposedly removed it.”

“Why would someone remove the handle?” asked Marita.

“To keep others from discovering what is inside.” Tony said.

“No, Tony. It is more than likely to keep whatever is inside from being discovered, for the safety of others.” Sayid countered.

“You don’t know that.” Locke piped.

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand this type of logic, John,” the Middle Easterner stood up, “But we are on a deserted island. There is a hatch with no accessible way into it. Whoever put it here, was keeping whatever is inside from being unleashed. They put it on an island where no could find it!”

“No one was supposed to find it, “ the bald man sighed, “But someone did find it. Me. And I am going to open it.”

“How, John? How in God’s name are you going to open it?”

“I don’t know but the solution always presents itself.”

Tony placed his ear on the hull and slammed his fists into it a few times. He listened to where the sounds were going. He leaned up and sighed. “The echo’s resonate deep into the ground,” he told them, “Whatever this is, it goes very deep.”

“Which would suggest a deeper cavernous area,” Locke pointed, “Tony’s ears will show us the way.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Locke,” the blind man stood up and jumped off the hatch.

“Tony, do you think we should open this thing?” asked Sayid.

“Don’t know, Sayid. We don’t have enough information form any conclusion about the true nature of the Hatch.”

“But the fact that the handle is gone-“

“COULD MEAN ANYTHING.” Tony pointed out,:” There is no reason to assume anything. It could have made without a handle. It might have broken off. It might have worn off over time. We could all get headaches trying to come up with all the reason why there is no easy way to open the hatch.”

“I suppose you are right,” Sayid shook his head, “But I still do not believe we should open it.”

“It looks kinda like a space ship.” Marita whispered.

“It’s a silo, honey, nothing more.” The blind doctor told his girlfriend.

“Wait, Tony, the way it’s shaped and the way the glass panel is there. It kinda reminds me of those ship in 2001: A Space Odyessy. Maybe . . .there is no handle cause it was never meant to be opened. Like, what if this came from outer space and crashed here.”

“There is handle cause it’s just a view port?”

“Exactly.” The Latina smiled.

“Then by all means, let’s find a way to get it open, “Sayid smiled, “I would treasure the opportunity to see the Aliens that are inside.”

“I was being serious, Sayid,” she countered.

“So was I,” he chuckled.

She walked over and punched him in the chest. Sayid reeled from the blow but couldn’t stop laughing. Locke put down his stick and sat down next to the massive area he dug around it. “Spaceship, silo, bunker, whatever it is,” the older man said, “There must be a way to open it.”

Tony took a deep sigh. “Oh, Ralphie, where are you when I need you?”

“Ralphie?” Marita turned around, “Who is Ralphie, Tony?”

“My best friend during the Gulf War, in charge of Demolitions. He would know the amount of explosives needed to rupture this hatch. Well, wait . . .technically, we could do it with four grenades and tripwire cord. Probably center them all the hinges of the dome, so it will rupture easily.”

“Of course, we don’t have any grenades on the . . . “ Sayid then blinked and looked at his blind friend, “Wait, Tony, I thought you were a Medical Officer?”

“What are you talking about? I was a Medical Officer.”

“But yet, how do you know the amount of explosives it would take to open the hatch?”

“Remember when I said Ralphie always liked to run his mouth? He did the same thing about his job. I learned more about explosives from him like Forest Gump learned about Shrimp from Bubba.”

“Sayid, didn’t the French woman blow up her bunker with explosives?” Locke asked.

“NO!” the Iraqi said, “We are not going to go to Rousseau with this!”

“Wait, wait, “ Tony held up his hand, “Who are we talking about?”

“There is a French woman who lives on this island, Tony. Her name is Danielle Rousseau. He had been trapped on this island for sixteen years. She is sick.”

“French . . .woman?” Tony whispered.

When Sayid said the phrase She is Sick, it reminded him of someone else who told him that; little Andra from the Red Faction. She warned them to beware of her mother. And at the moment, it would seem Sayid knew her. Tony took a deep breath, thinking about what Sayid and Andra both said about this woman. “Sayid is right, “ he finally said, “This woman doesn’t sound stable. We’ll leave her out of it.”

“Finally, the voice of reason shines through,” Sayid shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if we can’t get the explosives, how do we get it open?” Marita said.

“Let’s hope Locke is right,” Tony whispered, “lets hope the solution presents itself.”