Part 183: Exodus Part 1

The sun came the next morning with it’s familiar sting of heat and light. The survivors were getting tired to being woken up by the fact that they were hot. They longed for the time when they could sleep in houses again, with Air Conditioning and wake up cold, no matter what the season. It was always the simple things people missed the most.

Mia slowly woke up. John snored loudly once again. She gently massaged his chest, making him stop within seconds. The Lakota girl leaned up on her side arm and just stared at the love of her life as he slept. She smiled over the fact that she got so used to sleeping with him that she even knew how to stop him from snoring. Some might call that the job of a wife. Mia smiled again; thinking back to her dream of seeing John reading a book on taking care of babies. She would love to give birth to his children. She almost decided to lay back down with him until a movement in the jungle caught her attention. It was Walt; the young black boy. He seemed to be following someone, then abruptly ran and woke up his father. He was getting his attention over the woman walking into the clearing. What alarmed Mia the most, wasn’t the fact that she had never seen this woman before.

But it was that she was armed.

Mia quickly shook John awake. “JOHN!” she said, “John, wake up!”

“Huh?” the archer moaned, “What’s wrong?”

“There is a woman on the beach with a rifle.” She whispered.

“A what?” he lurched up.

John saw it for his own eyes. An older woman with dark dirty black hair. She held the rifle close to her, looking at every single survivor. They were slowly gathering around her. John then flung off his blanket and turned around, heading toward Tony’s tent. He immediately grabbed the blind man by the shoulder, waking him up and Marita in the process. “Tony, I think we better come and check this out.” He told him.

“What’s going on?” He asked, straightening his blindfold.

“There is a woman on the beach with a rifle,” he hissed.

“What?” Marita gasped, “Where did she get a rifle?”

“I don’t think she’s from the plane, Marita.” The archer pointed out.

Within a few seconds, the majority of the group had woken up. McKay and Taylor were already walking down to join the group forming around the woman. Marita and John held Tony by the arms as they guided him toward the flocking crowd. Sayid was already there, as was Jack, Sawyer, Micheal and a few others. Tony didn’t catch what they had just said, but they arrived just in time to hear Sawyer say, “She's got to be the French chick.”

“French chick?” asked Tony.

“Calm down everyone. It's alright.” Sayid assured the crowd.

Claire looked at the strange woman. She looked at her as well, giving a special glance to her baby. Jenny happened to be by her side when that happened and instinct told her not to trust the look. The young blonde gently put an arm around her friend. The woman then looked the other way. Sayid was finally able to get her attention. “Danielle? Danielle?” he asked,” What are you doing here?”

She looked at him coldly, like she had no emotion whatsoever. She finally whispered, “The others are coming.”

“Others?” John muttered,” What others?”

Danielle’s face then changed from coldness to sorrow. She began speaking, almost as if she reahearsed her speech. “Our ship went aground on this island 16 years ago. There were 6 of us . . my team, 6. At that time I was already 7 months pregnant. I delivered the infant myself. The baby and I were together for only 1 week when I saw black smoke . . . a pillar of black smoke 5 kilometers inland. That night they came . . .they came and took her . . Alex. They took my baby. And now, they're coming again. They're coming for all of you.”

“Alex?” Marita whispered, “Tony, do you think she means-“

“Say nothing,” he interrupted her, in a whisper.

“Who are the others?” Jack asked her.

“The others,” she said, as if it was plain as day,” You have only 3 choices . . run, hide, or die.”



After the woman’s speech, a few of the survivors broke off into groups. Tony, Marita, McKay, John, Mia, Taylor, Shanna and Seth had broken off into their own little group. Mia looked over her shoulder to see Jack discussing something with Locke. She wanted to go to the bald man and ask his opinion of all this, but she decided to stay with her group at the moment. John looked to his friends, rubbing his five day beard. “What do you think?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Mia whispered, “There is not enough information to go on.”

“Is it just me, or does it seem like this woman is a few fries short of a happy meal?” Seth pointed out.

“I agree,” Shanna said, “This woman doesn’t sound or look sane. Being trapped 16 years on this island might do it to her.”

“Tony, what she said about her baby, the one called Alex?” Marita said, “Do you think she is crazy and she is talking about Alexander?”

“No,” the blind man whispered, “She is talking about Andra.”

“Andra?” McKay blinked.

“Alex. Andra. Alexandra. They most have chosen the second half of her name so she wouldn’t be confused when one of the Red Faction called for Alexander. It would make sense. Those kids practically raised each other.”

“Shouldn’t we tell that woman that her child isn’t lost, that she is on the other side of the island?” Taylor pointed out.

“Not yet. We’ll hold onto it and use it when we have too.” The blind doctor mentioned.

“I don’t understand, then why not-“

“Don’t you remember what Andra warned us about, Taylor?”

“Right,” McKay said, remembering he had to act as translator, “Andra warned us to beware of Mother. That she is sick.”

“What do you think sick implies? She is crazy?” Seth blinked.

“It just might, so we say nothing,” Tony held onto his cane, “Not till we are certain the information will be helpful.”

“So, what do we do about these Others, Tony?” asked John.

“I don’t know,” the blind doctor turned, “Let’s go see what Jack and Sayid think.”


After a few minutes conversation, Tony was able to learn that Jack was not concerned about the others, at least not yet. He said he needed something tangible for proof that they were in danger. His main concern was getting the raft launched today. After another discussion with Micheal, the black man said in order for that to happen, he would need the help of everybody. He was going to work on the rudder done, while everybody else laid rails down to move the raft closer to the water. Tony immediately said they would help.

Jack started rounding up as many strong men and women that he could. McKay and John helped the men lay down the railing on the beach. They then started to grab levers to hoist the raft up. John took off his shirt, flinging it to ground. He quickly grabbed a lever and got into position. McKay took one by his side. Marita quickly pulled Tony to one and helped him grab it. “Tell me when.” He told his girlfriend.

“Micheal is getting ready,” she told him.

“LISTEN! ON MY COUNT!!” Micheal screamed to the crowd, “I'll do 1-2-3, lift and then push, okay? Got it? Okay, c'mon. Once we get it down to the water line, we'll drop it and load it up. Alright. Ready. ONE, TWO, THREE, LIFT!!!”

John grunted with all his might as he started to help life the raft. Tony gritted his teething, helping to hoist up the boat. Once again, he was determined he wasn’t going to be useless. McKay held his head into the raft. The others survivors grunted as they started to move the beach. Seth felt his muscles straining as he joined them in the movement. “Push. Push, c'mon guys,” Micheal urged them, “Use the levers, use the levers. Good, good. 1-2-3, lift.”

The group continued to move the raft toward the water. Soon they had arrived on the rails and the boat began to move of it’s own momentum. McKay guided it best he could. Tony held onto, until the boat came to abrupt stop, making him fall into the sand. As Marita came over to help him, the blind doctor could hear Sawyer cursing. McKay then looked up and saw that in the crash, the mast has broken off. “AW, MAN!” he grunted.

“I don’t believe this!” Micheal said, then looked to the redneck, “Don’t believe it.”

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME FOR?” Sawyer massaged his wrist, “It wasn’t my fault!”

“You missed a lever!”

“Because you couldn't keep the raft going straight!” the southern man retorted.

“DAD, LOOK!!!” Walt screamed.

Everybody turned and looked into the direction the young child was pointing at. Most of the group drew a collective sigh of gasps and gulps. The only one who couldn’t understand was the one man who couldn’t see. Tony turned and tilted his head, wondering why no one was talking. “WHAT’S HAPPENING?” he demanded,” Marita, what-“

“Tony,” she grabbed his arm, sounding frightened, “There . . there is black smoke on the horizon.”

“Just like that French woman said,” John whispered.

McKay stared into the distance as Taylor hugged him for safety. In the distance a pillar of black smoke shot into the morning sky. The signal that it would bring these mysterious Others right to them.

But what did that mean? What would they do?

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Jack, Sayid, Locke and Mia were gathered around Danielle. She was doing nothing except cleaning her rifle. She still looked like she was a cold woman, devoid of any emotion. Hurley came up to them, getting the bottom half of the conversation. “How many of them are there?” Jack demanded.

“I told you all I know,” she whispered, her facial features not moving.

“There has been more that you are not telling us,” Sayid grunted, “How DID you know about them in the first place?”

“You have a bigger problem,” she interrupted him, “I can vanish into the jungle, but I'm just one person. You have 40 people. Where will you hide them?”

Mia then looked to Locke. The bald man immediately caught her eyes and knew what she was thinking before even telling him. He smiled at her, happy she thought of the same idea he did. The young Lakota girl tapped Danielle on the shoulder. “We got a pretty good idea where to hide them.” She said.

------------------------------------,

The group had arrived at the hatch. A few minutes walk and they were there. Locke came to one said and kneeled down to let Danielle see it. Mia then was joined by Hurley, as the large man had just seen the Hatch for the first time. The French woman slowly approached it, and gently touched his gleaming silver hull. “What is this?” she whispered.

“We were hoping you’d tell us,” Locke replied.

“Uh, question,” Hurley pointed, “How do we know we can all, like, fit in there?”

“There is no handle, Hurley, “ Mia pointed, “Means there has to be another way in. Another entrance means space.”

“This is a mistake.” Sayid grunted,” We don't know anything about these Others. We're reacting with no information, no intelligence. This hatch might even be theirs! Black smoke on the horizon doesn't mean they're-“

“It MEANS they are coming,” Danielle warned.

“Yeah, we got that part,” Jack said, hoping she would no longer state that phrase.

“You booby-trapped your shelter with explosives.” Locke said,” You have any more?”

“Dynamite,” she whispered, “By the Black Rock . . .in the dark territory.”

“OH!” Hurley shrugged his shoulders, “There is three reasons to go right there!”

“If you want to make it back before sunset, we must leave now,” Danielle said.

Sayid then grabbed Jack and pulled him aside. Locke quickly walked over to see what they were talking about. The Iraqi pointed to his doctor friend. “You are really going to do this?”

“I don’t see that we have any choice.” Jack said.

The Middle Easterner shook his head in reluctance, “Very well. Then I implore you to take Tony with you.”

“Tony?” the doctor blinked, “How could he-“

Locke patted him on the shoulder, remembering what Tony said and why Sayid suggested it. He looked to Jack and said, “Tony knows about explosives.”

“I thought . . .I thought he was a Coreman?”

“He was. He also had a best friend who worked in Demolitions, and as a result, he learned a thing or two.”

“He may be blind, Jack,” Mia smiled, “But Tony’s got a good head on his shoulders. He remembers stuff.”

“Okay, then,” Jack grinned, “Lets head back to the beach and get him.”