Part 248: Together Part 1

The rain went through it’s constant downpour outside the caves. The survivors that remained inside where busy talking about various things. The mood was practically the same from the beach; everybody was happy to be alive. Walt and Shannon were talking up a storm. The young black boy was constantly thanking Shannon for taking care of Vincent while he was away. Micheal watched his son from the back of the cave. He couldn’t express the joy in his heart, the relief at seeing Walt not only okay but unmolested. He though it might be tramatizing to the young boy for being kidnapped and taken from his father. However, at the moment he seemed to be adjusting well to the ordeal they went through yesterday. The smell of a warm cup of coffee flooded his senses and he turned see Yolanda holding two cups; one in his direction. “Oh,” he smirked, “Thank you.”

“Luckily thanks to the Liberation, we got quite a decent supply now.” She smiled, sitting down next to him.

Micheal sipped on his coffee, enjoying the taste but missing the cream he could have placed in it back in the normal world. Yolanda gently took a sip and then held it her eyes, letting her eyes fall on the black man to her right. “You okay?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, I am fine,” he smiled, “I was just worried about Walt.”

“He seems okay,” Yolanda pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. It doesn’t seem normal but . . .I guess I should be thankful.”

“If he wants to talk, I am sure he’ll come to you.” She said, slowly touching his leg.

Micheal took another sip of the hot coffee and looked at her. “Thank you, Yolanda,” he smiled, “For everything.”

“Hey,” she said, with a shy smile, “I like Walt too. I didn’t want anything to happen to him anymore than you did.”

“No, it’s more than that. My son has become attached to you.”

Yolanda sighed, rubbing the coffee cup. “You are referring to that moment he called me Mommy.” She whispered.

“He relates to you, Yolanda. You’ve become an anchor in his life.”

“But his real mother . . .”

“Is dead, God rest her soul, “ Micheal put the cup down on the ground, “But as much as a child need a father’s influence, he also needs a mother’s.”

Yolanda felt a surge of cold run down her lower back. “Micheal, what are you asking me?” she whispered.

Micheal took a sigh and smiled. “What do you think of New York City?” he asked.

“It’s . .uh . . very nice. Very picturesque.”

“You have been?”

“Not that much. Mostly on layovers from my airline job. I did enjoy Central Park.”

“How would you like to enjoy it every day?”

Yolanda started to blush, “Micheal, again, PLEASE . . .what are you asking me?”

“No commitments, Yolanda. Just come stay with me and Walt. Maybe you will like it there. If not, you are free to go. No hard feelings.”

Yolanda smirked and gently reached over, rubbing the black man’s cheek. “Maybe you need a woman more than Walt needs a mother.” She grinned.

“Maybe I do,” he smiled, “Someone to keep me on my toes.”

“I . .uh . .I don’t know where this might go, Mike but I’m willing . . .to try it out.”

“Come what may, Yolanda?” Micheal smiled.

The woman shook her head in agreement. “Come what may.” She whispered.

“What are you guys talking about?” Walt said, seemed to all of a sudden appear before them.

The couple giggled at being so lost within each other they didn’t notice him coming. Micheal grabbed him son and pulled him toward him, embracing him. “I got some exciting news, buddy,” he said.

“What’s that?” Walt responded.

“Yolanda . ..has decided to come and live with us in New York.”

“Really?” the boy’s eyes lit up as if it was Christmas.

“You betcha,” she replied, winking at him.

“Oh, wow,” he said, leaning over and hugging her,” This is gonna rock!”

Yolanda laughed, embracing the boy. She felt a little guilty, almost hypocritical over what has happened. It was nearly a month that she chastised Marita for letting Eddie call her Mom. Now it seemed that she fell into the roll for Walt, almost as if it was meant to happen. She agreed go with them to New York and possibly even form a family. Later, she vowed she would apologize to Marita for telling her not to take Eddie under her wing. She did anyway and the boy became better for it.

Yolanda really hoped she could do the same for Walt.


In the side cave, Karliegh just got done finding a decent shirt she could wear after wearing what she had on the plane for over a month. The group of people she had been placed with seemed like an okay group of people. Everybody was helping; almost practically going out of their way to make sure they felt secure and at ease. Karleigh leaned down and looked around for some socks and managed to find some pink ones. She giggled to herself as she felt the owner of the socks probably left them behind cause they were hideous. But she needed some comfort, wearing nothing but sandals for the past month.

As she placed them on, Mandy stepped into the area. “Hey,” she smiled.

“Oh, hey, “ Karleigh stood up, “Mandy, right?”

“Yes, nice to meet you,” the two girls shook hands.

“Find everything you needed?”

“Yeah, your dressing room is bland but it at least has all the clothes in one place.”

Mandy giggled, then held up a white bottle of a soap dispenser. “Well, anyway, my friend Shannon and I were going to wash our faces, and thought you might like to join us.”

“Oh, god, would I ever?” Karleigh touched her cheeks, “I bet my frigging acne is breaking out something fierce.”

“Not really but why wait for it?” Mandy motioned for her to follow.

As they walked out of The Dressing Room, the blonde noticed her friend Seth had just got finishing goofing off. He was putting his pants back on, slicking his hair back over his head. He saw Mandy and Karleigh look at him as they past. Seth then struck a pose, flexing his muscles. “Oh, please, “ Mandy said, playfully slapping him on the shoulder.

The girls arrived at the waterfall where Shannon had already begun washing her face. “Shannon this is Karleigh,” Mandy introduced them.

“Hey, “ she smiled.

“Thanks for sharing your soap.” The rich girl said, already starting to lather up.

“No problem, it was the least we can do,” Shannon smiled, splashing water on her face.

“We got any Noxema left?” Mandy asked.

“Not much, use it sparingly.”

“You think that moron Sawyer has any?”

“Nothing him, he probably does.” The tall blonde sighed.

“Huh?” Karleigh scrubbed her face with a rag, “Why would he have Noxema?”

“He collected a bunch of stuff so that we would be forced to trade with him,” Shannon gave a disgusted look,” It’s what he wants in returns that usually sucks.”

“What a low life,” she muttered, wiping her face off with the towel.

Mandy smiled, glad that Karleigh shared a contempt for Sawyer but it almost seemed, thanks to what happened with the Liberation, the southern man had mellowed out a bit. The new guy, Clay Kane, seemed to take Sawyer’s place as local annoyance. The blonde smirked, wondering how that would play out in the weeks ahead.

Mandy walked over to her area, gathering her stuff. She was anxious to get back to the beach, and back with the people she considered family. As the turned, she saw something strange. Out in the pouring rain was Alexander, sitting by himself up against a tree. The rain was dripping off his curly blonde hair, as he did nothing but stare at the ground. It never occurred to her how lonely he must feel. He had Andra and Flower, two girls he considered sisters but the rest of his tribe had been completely wiped out. Mandy felt sorry for him and wondered if their was any way she could make him feel less lonely.

She quickly rummaged through her stuff and found, of all things, McKay’s hat. She quickly put it on and grabbed a blanket, walking outside in the rain. She strode over to Alexander, feeling the soft cold rain touch her bare arms. The wild boy stared into the distance, until he noticed she had approached him. He then stood up, wiping the wet hair from his face. Mandy smirked at him, like a young boy trying to impress a girl. She then flapped out the blanket and put it around his broad shoulders. Alexander took the ends and pulled it tightly around his chest. “Merci,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Alexander looked confused. Mandy then reached over and manually moved his lips. “Thank . . .You,” she repeated.

Alexander squinted and then realized she was trying to get him to say it. “Tank . .you?” he replied.

“No, Thank. Thank.”

“Thank . .you.”

“Merci,” Mandy smiled, “Merci . .Thank you.”

“Merci,” Alexander pointed to him, then pointed to the blonde, “Thank you.”

“Well done,” she smiled, “That is the end of lesson one. We being lesion two tomorrow, now come in before you catch cold.”

Mandy took him by the arm, guiding him back into the cave. Karleigh sat down at her spot she made out for her. She saw her new friend take the Wild boy back into the cave. The rich girl smirked, wondering if she had a chance or would she bother? He was, after all, raised by himself in a jungle with no conception of the outside world. Karleigh wondered if they would have room for her on the beach. Since they seemed to be safe at the moment, she might have the time to work on her tan. Then a strange noise broke her concentration.

She looked over to the other side of the cave and saw the young man who rescued her, the one called Dutch, carving into a piece of wood. He would looked at her; smile and then go back to witling the piece of wood. Karleigh looked and realized he kept looking at her. “What are you looking at?” she asked him.

“Hmm?” he said, realizing she was speaking to him.

“I asked you a question, what are you looking at?”

“Uh . .nothing,” Dutch shied away.

Karleigh turned away and then looked back at Dutch only to find him staring at her again. She quickly got to her feet and stomped over to him. “What is your problem?” she demanded.

“I don’t have a problem,” he said, innocently.

Karleigh kneeled down to face him. “Look, “ she said, pointing her finger at him, “I know you saved my life so I am grateful but that’s where it ends, you understand me?”

“Wh . .what does that mean?” Dutch replied.

“Oh, my god, “ she stood up, rolling her eyes, “I am talking to a dumb ass.”

As she walked away, the surfer quickly stood up and said, “Cute socks, by the way.”

The rich girl turned around, only to see Dutch quickly walking away from her. She squinted her eyes, and crossed her arms. That was all she needed; a love sick surf punk following her around. She then turned and walked back to her spot, unable to not produce a smile.

It had been some time since someone complemented her on her socks, even if they weren’t hers.

Part 247: Back to Normal

John and McKay pulled down a section of their tent, tying it to the nearest tree. They had to make some quick medications to make it bigger, as they had to accommodate for more people. The archer and his friends darted into the bigger tent, getting out of the rain. The majority of their little group had been expanded. Eddie was sitting between Tony and his mom. Marita was resting on a nearby blanket, using her boyfriend’s lap as a headrest. Taylor leaned over the makeshift grill on the campfire to pick up their salvaged coffee pot. Barbara looked out at the rain as she held up the coffee cup that Eddie used to collect water. “Thank you so much for letting me stay in your tent,” she replied.

“Non-sense,” Tony smirked, “You are practically family.”

“Thank you so much for watching, Eddie. I can’t thank you enough.”

“It’s all right, Barbara,” Marita, opening her eyes, “I kinda think, even though Eddie needed us, we needed him too.”

“All that you’ve done, my friends. Thank you,” the older redhead sniffed, remembering what they did to give her husband a funeral pyre.

Everyone paused, not saying anything. They didn’t have any words for her and it was quite possible, the full scope of the fact that her husband was dead was hitting her. Eddie saw his mother’s sadness. The little boy reached over and placed a reassuring hand on his mother’s kneed. “Don’t be sad, mommy,” he whispered, “Daddy is in Heaven now. He’s okay.”
”Eddie, “ she said, whipping her tears, “The last words I spoke to your father were in anger. I . . .I wish I could have told him I loved him, even though we didn’t agree most of the time.”

“Daddy’s knows, mommy. I know it. I don’t think he would be mad that you were angry with him before he went to see God.”

Barbara was confused, “What makes you say that?”

“Cause if you hadn’t got an argument with him, I wouldn’t have gotten upset and ran toward the back. Then you wouldn’t have come looking for me.”

Barbara was in mild shock of the mature language her ten-year old son was speaking.

“Daddy would have wanted us to live, Mommy. If the argument hadn’t have happened, you and I would be in Heaven with daddy. Everything happens for a reason, mommy.”

Barbara cupped her son’s head in her hands and kissed him on the forehead. Eddie stood up and walked over to embrace her. Mia gently hugged John’s arm as they watched the display of affection from mother to son. Tony smiled; even though he couldn’t see it, he knew what was happening. “I was going to ask how my son became so smart,” Barbara said, “But now I realize . . .it is because he was hanging around the right people.”

“You’re welcome.” Tony said, anticipating her thoughts.

Barbara gently brushed aside her tears as Eddie sat back down with Mr. Kangaroo. Taylor sipped on her coffee, noticing that McKay was doing some heavy writing on a grouping of papers he found. “What you writing?” she asked.

“French to English dictionary, luv,” McKay smiled, “Shanna requested a few words to help her communicate with Flower.”

“How sweet,” she said, sipping her coffee.

“Just a question there, bud,” John said, raising his hand, “But wouldn’t it have been a better idea to teach them English.”

“What makes you say that, John?”

“Well . . .when the times comes for us to get off this Island, Alexander, Andra and Flower will be coming back with us to our world, where we mostly speak English.”

“Kind thoughts, my friend but until Micheal builds another raft, we have to assume we’ll still be here.”

“Although teaching them English wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Taylor concluded.

“I suppose. But I need to write down some French words in the mean time.”

Tony gently reached up and scratched his four day beard. He thought of the words Belmont said to him just before the Polliwog ate him. That he would have a transport and in two weeks, he would leave the Island in the dust. That man knew. He knew that something was coming to pick to him. He constantly spoke of The Rogue. Was it a boat? A Plane? A sub-marine? Tony didn’t know but he knew he couldn’t sit on that information for long. He knew he would have to reveal it and he wanted to be sure he revealed it to the right people. “Tony?” Marita said.

“Yeah, babe?” he asked, looking down at her.

“Barbara just asked you a question,” the Latina pointed.

“Oh, Geez, I am sorry, Barbara.” He said, smiling, “I was lost in thought. What did you ask?”

“I was asking if you guys stayed in your own groups or do you mingle with the other survivors?” the redhead smiled.

“Oh, we mingle. We stick with our cliques mostly when we sleep. But there are other good people on this Island.”

“HEY, GUYS!!!” Seth screamed from behind the tent.

The group turned to looked at the opening of the ten only to see the young singer run past them in the rain stark naked. “OH, MY GOD!” Mia hid her eyes.

“FULL MOON OF KENTUCKY!!!!” he screamed ran off into the distance, slapping his rear end.

Taylor cheered him on as he disappeared into the rain soaked woods. John covered his eyes and chuckled, thinking he then might be blind after what he saw. Marita giggled slightly, unable to laugh that hard. Eddie covered his mouth, giggling heavily. Barbara mostly stared at shock at what just happen. Tony took a deep sigh and then pointed in Seth’s direction with his thumb. “Those good people I was talking about?” he sighed, “He ain’t one of them.”


Kate walked in the rain, field testing the rain poncho she found at the Outpost. She gasped and laughed as Seth ran past her naked in the distance. He playfully waved to her as he ran past. Kate continued walking toward the beach and hanging a left. She walked a few more feet, winding up at Sawyer’s tent. The redneck was leaning back in his old chair, reading through the Trivia calendar. “Hey, Sawyer,” Kate smiled.

“Hey, freckles, “ the southern man smirked, “What brings you back to my swinging pad?”

“Swinging pad?” she giggled.

“Man’s gotta make a living.”

“I just wanted to come by and say thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said then paused and looked at her, “For what?”

“You saved my life. When that albino guy grabbed us by the throat and you got me out of there when Jack told you too.”

“Oh, that,” he said, leaning up and grabbing a box of cigarettes, “Well, what can I say? The man asked it of me.”

“And here I though you didn’t like taking orders from Jack.” She teased him.

“We were in the middle of a fire-fight, darlin. Didn’t have time for past enemies. Besides, I think the Doc is kinda growing on me.”

“Or maybe you’ve grown on us,” Kate smiled.

Sawyer looked at her and then leaned back, picking up his trivia calendar. “Get out of her,” he said, playfully, “I don’t like no woman to see me blush.”

Kate flung some of the rain water leaking off her poncho onto him. He waved her off and went back to reading his trivia answers. Kate turned around and started to walk down the beach. She then noticed Jack running up to her, wearing the exact same Poncho. “You found one too?” he laughed.

“You look cute, like a soldier out of his element,” she said, hitting him on the arm.

“It’s good to have everything back to normal.” The doctor laughed.

Kate walked by Hurley’s tent, noticing that Joscelyn was laying down and covered up, listening to the large man speak. The brunette quickly noticed how the girl seemed to be right at home. “It’s good to see some changes too,” she smiled.

Part 246: Back to The Beach

As the sun began to echo into the horizon, their was laughter and sighs of relief from the survivors. They had began their relocation back to the beach. Seth and Charlie were hauling Claire’s gear to her tent area, while she carried the baby. Aaron cooed at the sight of the passing leaves and trees overhead. Shanna and Flower walked over toward her area. The redhead was concerned to how to make the wild girl understand she could stay with her. Perhaps McKay could teach her a few words of French?

Hurley sat down his duffle bag in his tent. Joscelyn slowly walked in, marveling at the construction of it. “Nice place, Hurley,” she giggled.

“It’s not much but it’s home,” he said, wiping the sand off of his pants.

“It’s a beautiful home,” she said, her curly hair flowing in the breeze, “Spaicious interior, ocean view. I’ll bet it’s wonderful to wake up to the sun rise.”

“Best alarm clock money can buy,” he smirked.

“Do you think the others will built tents for themselves?”

“Probably. Hell, we’ve been on this Island so long we are getting good at building them. You . . .uh . . .gonna need some help with yours?”

Joscelyn looked to the ground and then fixated her eyes on Hurley. “Can I just stay here with you?” she asked.

Hurley’s ears seemed to emit some sort of howling sound. For the first time, he could hear the Tribal drums emitting from the sand. It took him a few seconds to realize it was his heart beat. Joscelyn was then a little confused. It almost looked like Hurley was frozen. “Unless . . .you want your privacy?” the young woman asked, fearing the large man’s rejection at her proposal.

“NO!” Hurley snapped out of it, “No, I don’t want my privacy.”

“Huh?” she giggled.

“I mean, yeah sure, I want my privacy . . .I mean . . .Yes, you can stay in my tent . . .with me.”

“You sure?”

Hurley smiled and shook his head in approval. “Yep, I’m sure,” he said, a little smugly.

“Thank you, Hurley!” Joscelyn rushed to him and kissed him on the cheek, “I’ll go get my stuff!”

Hurley walked the thin brunette jog off into the distance, laughing. The large man smiled, rubbing the area of his cheek that she kissed. He never really had any decent relationships with women, mostly due to his size. It was always his hope or dream, that he could find a woman in his life. Mostly due to what his mother was constantly saying. At that moment, he had Joscelyn in his life. Was this more of Locke’s “destiny” talking? Did Hurley have to come to an Island to find someone? “Good job, big man,” a female voice said behind him.

Hurley turned and looked through the side of his tent to see the young soldier girl Kellye. The amber haired girl was smiling at him, holding a sleeping bag over her shoulder. “Oh, hey, Kellye, “ he said, “Good job at what?”

“Making Joe smile,” she grinned, “I’ve known her for a good two months practically. We were alone, huddled in that bunker. I don’t remember seeing her smile, even at a joke.”

“Well, thank you. I hope I can continue to make her smile.”

“Something tells me you will, Hurley,” Kellye shifted her bag, “Call me crazy, but Joe looks like she feels . . . . safe with you.”

“Safe?” the large man pondered, “Did something happen to her?”

“Don’t know. She would rarely talk to anybody except me and Jilly but she never mentioned anything like that. Regardless, keep it up.”

Hurley nodded his head as Kellye left to go find her a spot on the beach. The large man then wondered what did happen to Joscelyn. He immediately thought of that scar on her forehead. Would she be brave enough to confide in him? Would he be brave enough to ask?



Seth grunted as he sat down Aaron’s baby carriage under the shaded tree. Charlie brought the rest of Claire’s things and set them down on her favorite blanket. The blonde Australian gently danced with her baby. “Thanks, boys,” she smiled, “You are too good to me.”

“She deserves it, right, Charlie?” Seth grinned.

“Absolutely,” he smiled, wiping his sweat.

Seth took a swig from his bottled water and then walked a few paces toward the beach. He crossed his arms and looked around. “You know what we could use, Charlie?” he asked, still facing the water.

“What, Seth?” the musician asked, changing shirts.

“We could use a party.” The singer said bluntly.

“A party?” Claire giggled.

“To celebrate the fact that we are still here!” Seth laughed, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll have south pacific bovine feast, a Luau if you will but we’re gonna call it Lu-WOW! Exclamation point!”

“Oh, yeah?” the bassist crossed his arms.

“We could have everybody wear those grass skirts and Sawyer could teach the ladies how do the Aloha Dance, like in Hawaii.”

Claire giggled at the imagery of what her friends said.

“We’ll have Locke score us a big pig and we’ll roast the sucker right here!” Seth continued, “Charlie can croon out calypso melodies, and we’ll have Kate pass out Lays with a little kissie for each in attendance. And we’ll Limbo until dawn and then some! Oh, it will BE GLORIOUS!!!”

Charlie smiled as he watched his friend walk down the beach, spatting out ideas do anyone who would listen. The musician looked back to Claire and then back to his friend disappearing in the distance. “Did . . .Seth cultivate some marijuana and not tell us?” he smirked.

“He’s happy to be alive, Charlie,” the Australian kissed her child on the head, “We all are.”



Back at the caves, Barbara had got done assembling the blankets she was gonna take with her. Eddie was excited. He wanted to go back to sleeping on the beach, cause it was what he was used to. The little boy hoped his mother would love it. “You ready?” she asked.

“You betcha!” Eddie said, almost leaping.

Outside the caves, Mia got her gear ready. She was gonna lead her knew friends to the area they called home. She grew worried about John but was still confident that nothing had happened. After everything she went through, she felt her heart he could be joining her soon. The Lakota girl then wiped her sweat and reached to pull the bandana out of her jacket. As she did, her trusty pad fell out onto the ground. Mia then reached down and picked it up. She tapped it on her hand and then opened to the page she wrote this morning. It was what he grandmother whispered to her in the magical dream sequence. Mia stared at the page for a few seconds.

October 8th, 2009

“What are you trying to tell me, Granny?” she whispered, “What happens four years from now?”

“Talking to yourself again, sweetie?” John said, coming up behind her.

Mia gasped, turned around in a flash and grabbed John around the neck, planting him with kisses. The other survivors were excited to be reunited with the main core group. Several of the survivors were coming over, shaking the hands of Jack, Kate and Sayid. Eddie laughed in delight as he saw Tony and Marita walking with the group through the woods. The young boy ran toward the man who’s taken care of him since they crashed. Tony laughed as he felt the boy embrace him. He gently picked him and returned to the hug. Marita leaned over, sharing a kiss on the cheek for little Eddie. Barbara was nearly moved to tears seeing the joy in her son’s face. “Where is everybody going?” asked Sayid.

“Back to the beach,” a passing by survivor said, “Now that everything is back to normal, we are heading back.”

“Good idea,” Sawyer said, who didn’t stop walking, “Better head back to my tent, make sure no one has got my stuff.”

Kate just rolled her eyes and kept walking, knowing her tent was on the beach too. The group sighed, as their walking wasn’t quite over yet. Locke smirked as he went to go check on his stuff in the cave, making sure his knifes weren’t missing. He knew some would have taken them to protect themselves. Locke gently sat down at his spot. He paused to close his eyes and feel of his chest. He felt relief. Meeting Watchman and giving the Jaeger Units the peace they graved made him feel that his destiny has been fulfilled. Or was it? Was this it? Was there nothing more? A weird feeling told Locke that it wasn’t over; he had a few more trials to face. But he wasn’t worried. A slight buzzing in his head reminded him of the magic of the Island.

It was going to rain in two hours.

Part 245: Wake Up Call

The morning sun peered through the high jungle canopy, making the dripping dew glisten in light. The outpost was not that much busy with activity. Most of the survivors were awake and had already taken showers; making use of the system they found. The fact that the water was luke-warm didn’t sit well with most of them but others were just happy to be clean. Sawyer had all of his stuff that he found, ready to go. They rest gathered what items they could. They wanted to take the jeep with them but they knew there was not trail through the jungle back to the caves big enough for the vehicle. They would have to hoof it through.

Clay gently stepped out of the office, massaging his neck. He felt it would be wise to keep some distance between him and the others. They still considered Marita’s assault his fault, but he still refused to believe it. He didn’t get dropped on this Island to be brave enough to attack wild children with knifes. The rumble in his stomach signaled he was hungry, so the billionaire began to walk toward the mess hall. As he did, he noticed Tony standing by himself in the morning light, looking up to the trees. The man did his best silent walk by the doctor. “I know you are there, Clay,” Tony said, stopping him.

“Oh!” he stopped abruptly, “Yeah, good morning, Tony, I was just-“

“Trying to sneak past me?” the doctor concluded.

“No, of course,. . . not. So, uh . . .watching the sunrise, are ya?”

“I am blind, Clay. I can’t watch the sunrise anymore.”

“Oh, Jesus, that’s right, I am sorry, I, uh . .”

“But I can feel the sunlight caressing my face. Thank you.”

“Uh, sure.” Clay said, trying to edge closer away from the blind man.

“What do you do exactly, Clay?” Tony asked, still not turning around to face him.

“I am . . .The CEO of Kane Industries.” Clay replied, “We specialize in mergers and accquistions.”

“You buy up other companies and sell them?”

“Yeah, that is essentially it.”

“You get to that role through hard work or did you become CEO some other way?” the blind doctor asked.

“I worked with Kane Industries for 10 years in the head Employment division but when my father died, he named me CEO in his will.”

“Well, that explains a few things.” Tony sighed.

“Oh? What exactly does it explain?”

Tony finally turned around and walked toward him. Clay stepped back a few paces before the blind man stopped in front of him. “You’ve had everything given to you, you’ve never truly earned it,” the blind doctor said, “That is why you don’t seem to care about anybody but yourself.”

“I did earn it!” Clay protested, “I did my job for ten years and I did it well.”

“And how many people did you burn along the way in order for your Daddy to hand you the keys to the throne?”

“That is none of your business!” he screamed back at him.

“I am just trying to judge what kinda man you are and I think I already have a good idea.”

“You don’t get the right to judge me!”

“A while back, I had a nasty fall and my friend John grabbed me before I could plummet to the bottom,” Tony whispered, “He had no one to help him so you know what he did? He hauled me up one armed. Do you know the kind of courage that takes? He is an archer and he nearly sacrificed his gift cause hauling a 200 plus man up with one arm could have pulled it out of it’s socket.”

“Is there a point to this melodrama?”

“The point is, is that being selfish isn’t going to work here. If you want respect from me or anybody else, you should try a selfless act. I would give you time to think about . . .but actually you are out of time.”

“I’m . . what?” Clay said with a raised eyebrow.

Tony took one step closer to him, clenching his jaw. “You remember what I warned you about?” he hissed.

“Yeah . ..” the billionaire said, remembering the threat.

Tony inhaled deeply. “Marita died during the night.” He said coldly.

Clay felt his heart stop for a brief second. Tony then began to walk past him, toward the mess hall. The man turned to what the doctor continue walking and entering the mess hall area. A cold sweat rolled down Clay’s back. Was Tony going to retrieve a knife or something? He didn’t think Marita would die, she seemed like she was going to make it. Clay then bolted toward the medical cabin as fast as he could.

Clay ran up the ramp and opened the door. He gazed in to find Locke standing next to Marita while Jack held up her wrist and was looking at his watch. The Latina then smiled at Clay, waving to him. “Hey, Clay,” she giggled, “Where have you been?”

Clay said nothing, just stared at her.

“Is something wrong, Clay?” asked Locke.

“He . . .he said . . . .” the man stuttered.

“Who said what?” the bald man asked.

“Are you all right?” Jack asked as he stopped checking Marita’s pulse.

Clay gently closed the door behind him. He turned around, his face covered in sweat. He also felt like he was about to empty his bowels. The billionaire slowly sat down, feeling his heart race. He slowly stared at the mess hall. “That man is psychotic.” He whispered.


The small group was assembled at the picnic table, laughing profusely. Tony had his head buried in his arms, leaning on the table. John and McKay were laughing at his sight over the cruel joke he played on Clay. Kate couldn’t stop giggling, and Ana-Lucia was bawling so bad, she had tears coming out her eyes. Hal just smirked as he sipped his coffee with Libby sitting next to him. Sawyer chuckled so hard he too had tears coming out of his eyes. “Oh, my God, Tony!” John laughed, “You are psychotic!”

“I wish I could have seen Clay’s face when you told him that,” Ana-Lucia laughed, wiping her tears.

“Actually so did I,” Tony said, laughing.

“That was one hell of a joke, co-cheese,” Sawyer finished his coffee, “You might be worthy of me yet.”

“I can be a bad man when I want to be,” the doctor said, wiping his last laughter tear.

“So Marita’s okay?” asked Kate.

“Oh, yeah, Jack pulled her through. She’s gonna be fine. She’ll a minor scar to show off at the swim meet but no, she’s gonna fine.”

“Well, then I think the day is off to a good start,” John smiled.

“What are going to do about the prisoners?” asked Hal, drinking his coffee.

“Never mind,” the archer sighed.

“It’s a problem that we just can’t ignore and hope it will resolve by itself.”

“Actually, It might,” McKay said, “Alexander has expressed concern to me that he would be more than willing to execute the prisoners should we decide to do that.”

“That boy?” asked Libby.

“He’s not just a boy, Libby,” the Australian looked at her, “He is the leader of a tribe that has been wiped out by this animals. If anybody here is gonna want revenge, it’s him.”

“But are we going to let him execute them?” Kate asked.

“Having second thoughts, Freckles?” Sawyer asked.

“Now that I slept on it, yeah, I am,” she confessed.

“She’s not the only one,” Ana-Lucia agreed.

“Well, I had thought of an idea where we could take care of them and yet, give them a fate they deserved. Truth be told, death is too good for them.” McKay mentioned.

“What you got in mind, Outback?” Sawyer listened.

McKay began to explain his plan. The group moved in closer to get every detail.



Tony slowly walked into the medical ward. Marita was sitting upright on the bed with a shirt over her bandage on her chest. The shirt was one size too big but she didn’t mind. Jack was busy stuffing a large black duffle bag with as much medicine as he could carry. The blind man found his way toward the bed, working his way toward his love. The Latina helped to glide him closer, and then kissed him on the lips. Tony enjoyed her soft kiss almost more than anything. “How you feeling?” he asked.

“Little groggy but I’ll make it.” She grinned.

“Can she walk Jack?” the doctor asked the other doctor.

“Yeah, but take it slow. The wound shouldn’t re-open but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” Jack said, hoisting the duffle bag up toward his shoulders.

“I’ll say, “ Marita agreed.

The Latina then turned and noticed that Tony had something behind his back the whole time. “Tony, what are you hiding?” she giggled.

Tony then brought the object into light, when turned out to be a female safari hat. “Merry Christmas.” He chuckled.

Marita kissed him on the cheek and put the safari hat on. “Was this Pristine’s?” she asked.

“Who cares? It’s yours now.”

“You always take care of me, Tony.” She hugged him.

“And I always will.” He said, enjoying the embrace.

“C’mon, you two,” Jack smirked, “The others at the caves are probably worried sick about us. We need to get moving.”

Marita gently slid off the table, taking Tony’s arm. They helped each other in unison; she helped him to see and he helped her to walk slowly. As they walked out of the cabin, they were joined by the rest of the group. The majority of them had their own duffle bags and military knapsacks full of stuff they found. Jack walked over to Jenny, who only had a handful of blankets. “That all you found, mei-mei?” he asked.

“I was gonna bring back some blankets for Kristy,” she said.

“You want me to carry those for you?”

“I got it, Jack,” she said, emotionless, “I am fine.”

Jack shook his head in agreement. He motioned for the others to follow him. The group began their walk through the compound. They continued as they approached the prisoner bunker. The old man Kreegan was looking up through the barred window. “Ya’ll leaving us here?” he asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” Jack said, “We’ve decided to not kill you, just leave you in that bunker.”

“We’re gonna starve to death,” the old man pointed out.

“I don’t think we’re gonna lost sleep over it,” McKay said, stepping up, “But we are not without mercy. We’re gonna give you a fighting chance.”

“What does that mean?”

McKay then pulled out a shot gun he found. He then pulled out two shells and showed it to Kreegan. “Two shells, “ he loaded the gun, “That should be enough for you to blow the lock.”

“You’d be a full to give us a loaded gun,” the old man laughed.

McKay walked a few paces toward him and then stopped. He gently placed the weapon on the ground, about 8 feet from the barred window. “I never said I was gonna give it to you.” The Australian said coldly.

“What?” Kreegan gasped, “We won’t be able to reach it!”

“It’s time to think outside the box, old man,” McKay replied, “You got your clothes on, you got any number of sticks in there. I am sure you can be creative enough to get the gun.”

McKay took another stepped forward and kneeled down to stare at the older man. “One last thing.” He whispered.

Kreegan screamed as he felt a strong hand grab him by the hair and pull his head into the bars. Alexander leaned down with a blade on the man’s cheek. The boy was near foaming at the mouth with rage. “This boy hopes you will die in this bunker,” McKay pointed, “But if you do manage to get out, I advise you to not come looking for us. I guarantee you then, we will not hesitate to protect ourselves. And Alex will take revenge for what you did to his tribe.”

Alexander let the old man go as he grunted back to the ground. McKay stood up and picked up his gear. Without words, the group began their journey into the jungle. Libby felt a little strange about leaving the prisoners there, almost thinking the punishment was too severe. But it was the compromise she fought for, making sure these people wouldn’t be outright murderers. Some had crossed the line and some still didn’t. Hal looked at her, tapping her on the shoulder. She stopping looking at the bunker and looked to him. “Get them out of your mind,” he said, “They don’t deserve your sympathy.”

“I know,” she said.

Hal held out his hand. Libby stared at it for a few seconds and then took it. She wanted to be far away from here and what the Outpost represented. She only hoped that the area she was headed to was much more inviting.

How did Hal and the other survivors live this whole time?

Part 244: Day 47

Mia slowly opened her eyes. The soft smell of flowers invaded her senses. The warm sun shined brightly above. The Lakota girl slowly leaned up, looking around. She wasn’t on the Island anymore. She was on a field covered in nothing but yellow daisies. She gently picked one and smelled of it’s sweet scent. As she took up, she felt the bulky feel of her father’s overcoat; her protection. Mia was happy that she was having another vision, knowing she would be seeing her grandmother again. Then an strange sight appeared out of the corner of her eye.

Someone was in the field with her.

Shanna slowly raised up from the daisies surrounding her. She looked around in confusion. She then stood up, and Mia giggled at what she was wearing. Her friend’s long red head was tied up in bun and she was dressed like a ballerina. Mia couldn’t hold her laughter, wondering why she was imagining her friend as a dancer. “Mia, what is going on?” Shanna asked.

“I don’t know but it’s funny,” Mia shrugged her shoulders.

“How . . .how did we get here?” the redhead asked, “Why aren’t we still in the caves?”

Mia then paused. Why would a dream figure of Shanna be asked her such a question? The Lakota girl noticed that the redhead’s confusion and language she was using seemed real enough to her. Mia then walked over to Shanna, who just stood near her. Abruptly, the Lakota pinched her. “OW!!” the redhead said, pulling her arm back, “What did you do that for?”

“Shanna, are you really here?” Mia asked in amazement, “Are you really in my dream?”

The red head hear Mia’s words but the comprehension was more than she was able to give. “Am I?” she asked in desperation.

“Uh . . . . . “ someone said behind her.

Both of the girls turned to the sound of the confusion and screamed at the same time when they saw Seth standing the in daisy field with them. The young man looked around and felt of his clothes. He had no shoe, nor any socks. He was wearing dark green swimming trunks and a white t-shirt with black letters on it that said, Seth Say Relax. Seth pulled down the bottom of his shirt to read the strange message. “Da Hell is this?” he asked, royally confused.

“I can’t believe this!” Mia laughed, covering her mouth, “You are both really here!”

“Really where?” Seth asked her.

“Seth, we are inside Mia’s dream.” Shanna replied for her friend.

“Come again?” the singer said, feeling he was about to throw up.

“This is the type of vision’s I had, Seth,” Mia laughed, spinning around, “You both realize you are not on the Island, don’t you? I am wearing my father’s overcoat, yet I don’t feel hot or cold. Exactly like my visions!!!”

Seth then leaned down and picked up a daisy. He smelled of it and gently pulled off one of it’s yellow buds. “But . . .this isn’t possible,” he grunted, then looked at her, “Is . .is it possible?”

“I am beginning to think the line between possible and impossible is becoming very thin for us that are on the Island.” Mia skipped through the flowers.

“But Mia . . .if you are having a vision, why are Seth and I here?” Shanna asked.

Mia paused when she smelled smoke. She turned and saw a pillar of smoke in the distance. Beyond the horizon of daisies, she could see woven parchment with three sticks poking out.

Just like a Native American Tee-Pee.

“Something tells me we will get our answers over there,” Mia pointed.

“What is that?” Seth asked dumbfounded.

“Come on,” Mia held out her hands.

Seth gently took her right hand and Shanna took her left. The young Lakota girl began to lead her friends through the field in the direction of the smoke. As they walked, the scene before them was growing more and more incredible. In the far distance, a rainbow appeared out of nowhere, followed by a flock of doves. The daisies would flow in one direction and then into another. Kittens would leap up from the fields, chasing grasshoppers, making Shanna giggle. “I am glad you are having a good time, “ Seth whispered, “Me? I am still freaking out.”

“Just go with the flow, Seth,” Mia said, with a smile.

Before Seth could answer, he heard two flutes being played and it was a bad rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. The young musician turned and stared slack jaw at the sight in the distance. Two cartoonish like penguins were dancing up and down, playing plastic toy flutes. Seth found his throat going dry as he recognized both of them. “Primo and Bentley,” he pointed.

“Who?” asked Mia.

“Primo and Bentley, “ he responded, “Two . . stuffed animal penguins I had as a kid. I can’t . . believe they are here.”

The two toys then stopped playing their bad music. They turned around, kissed their fins and slapped them on their butts toward the three friends; then quickly ran off laughing. “They’re your toys, all right,” Mia smirked, crossing her arms.

Then soft horse trots echoed behind them. Shanna turned around onto to be greeted by a small gray horse. The creature whined as it approached her. The redhead was nearly moved to tears as she then hugged the animal. “Shepard.” She wept, kissing the animal.

“Shepard?” Mia smiled.

“My pony when I was kid.” She said, stroking his soft fur, “I used to ride him, until my father sent him to a stables cause we couldn’t afford to keep him. Oh, Shepard, how I missed you.”

“If this is Mia’s dream,” the singer stood with his two friends, “Then why are aspects of mine and Shanna’s childhood appearing here?”

“Let’s keep moving,” Mia motioned, “I am certain my Granny will have the answers we need.”

The three friends continued walking. Shanna blew Shepard a kiss as the horse seemed to smile at her. They continued on through the field of daisies, brushing the flowers aside. They had finally arrived at a small clearing where a decorated Indian Tee-Pee was there, and an old woman was stoking a nearby fire. She looked up with no eyes but Mia knew she could see her. “Sunshine,” the old woman whispered.

“Granny!” Mia said, embracing her elder.

“Wow,” Seth whispered. He heard all the descriptions of Mia’s grandmother but never expected to see her for real.

“Sit, children, sit,” the old woman beckoned.

Before there was nothing to sit down on, then as they turned three perfectly carved tree trunks designed to be stools. The three friends then sat down. Granny took her large metal stick and continued to stoke the fire before her, sending small embers into the sky. “You’ve done well, Mia,” she smiled, “You have solved the puzzle.”

“You wanted to me help those poor beings in the Hatch, right, Granny?” the Lakota girl asked, “That’s why you sent me down that path.”

“Correct,” she smiled, “Only you could have had the strength to free them. No one should have suffered as they have.”
“Are their more trials I am going to face?”

“There are always more trials, honey. That is why it’s called a life. How you face them is what will define you as a person. And I know in my heart, you will be up to the challenge.”

Mia smiled at her grandmother’s compliment. Shanna and Seth were not saying a single word; they were still amazed they were even there. The elder then sighed and placed down her metal poker, and picked up a dark green bottle of Mellow Yellow, quickly finishing it. “Well, that’s it then,” she said, standing up, “Time for me to go.”

“Go where, Granny?” Mia asked.

“To join my ancestors and your father,” she said simply.

Mia’s smile then slowly became a frown. “You’re leaving . . .for good?”

“It was bound to happen, sunshine. The circle of life has closed for me. I got you through the obstacles you faced on this island and now, I can go onto my eternal rest knowing full well you will be all right.”

Mia quickly got up off her stool and ran toward her grandmother. She quickly embraced her, trying to hold back her tears. “I don’t want you to go,” she cried.

“Mia, “ her grandmother kissed her on the head, “That was the exact same thing you said at my funeral. But I was truly dead, as I am now. And you are not that little child anymore.”

“But . . .what will I do without you?” she said, looking up at her.

“You will never be alone, Mia. I wanted to make sure you had a guardian and I found the perfect replacement.”

“Guardian?” the young girl said in confusion.

Then more horse trots echoed behind the Tee-Pee. Within seconds, two full blown Lakota Indians came over the horizon, each on a horse. Mia quickly took notice that one of them was pulling a horse with no rider. She quickly deduced that her grandmother was going to be it’s rider. Her granny then embraced her once again. Mia hugged her tightly, not wanting to let her go but knew she had too. Seth wiped a tear from his eye, easily seeing the love Mia had for her grandparents. Granny then kissed her granddaughter on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. Mia’s eyes opened for a brief second, hearing what she told her.

Gently the two relatives parts and the elder turned; and got on her horse. She then looked down to Mia and spoke something to her in her native tongue. Mia responded in kind. The three riders then turned around, preparing to ride back over the horizon. “Granny, wait!” Mia called.

Her grandmother turned around to face her as the other riders continued on. Mia then pointed back to her two friends. “Granny, why are Seth and Shanna here?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” her grandmother said with a sly smile, “ I didn’t call them here.”

“Huh?” Mia replied.

Her grandmother took her small whip and struck the horse on the rear, making it trot onward toward the horizon. She turned around to face her friends and shrugged her shoulders. “What did that mean?” Seth asked, “If she didn’t bring us here, who did?”

Mia then held her hands up as a blinding light erupted behind Seth and Shanna. The two friends then turned toward the light source, unable to stare at it either. They looked and saw the light slowly dim down and take a human shape. The light was the side of a human and then began to form it’s shape into a familiar Chinese man. “Brendon?” Mia gasped.

The oriental man smiled a big smile at the sight of his friends. He wore a light blue Chinese Komono suit with no sleeves and it had a small white lotus flowers over it. The Lakota girl then laughed and ran toward him. Brendon smiled as the two friends embraced. Mia laughed with tears coming out of her eyes. She felt his familiar smell and the warmth of his skin against his silk robes. As they parted, the Asian man looked down at her, rubbing her hair. “Mia, “ he whispered, “The rock who held us together.”

Mia laughed, wiping her eyes. Brendon then moved from her and walked over to the ballerina. Shanna was in shock about seeing him. Somehow in her heart, she knew it was really him. “Shanna, “ Brendon smiled, ”With the gorgeous red hair.”

Shanna laughed and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He chuckled, kissing her on the cheek. As they broke off from each other, the Asian turned around and faced Seth. The young man was in shock, tears streaming down his face beyond his control. Brendon slowly walked forward and stood in front of him. “The truest Friend I have known,” he whispered.

Seth gulped, trying to maintain his composure. He felt his arms trembling, staring at his friend he lost. “Is . . .is this real?” he asked.

Brendon held his palm aloft. “Take my hand, brother,” he smiled, “Does it not feel real?”

Seth slowly raised his hand and grasped Brendon’s, feeling as if he was never gone. He then embraced the man who called him brother. Seth began to cry heavily in the arms of his friend, while Brendon patted him on the back. “I miss you too, Seth,” he admitted.

“How . .” Seth sniffed, “How is this possible? How can you do this magic, Brendon?”

“There are some things you shouldn’t question, Seth. Merely accept.”

Mia and Shanna walked up to them. The Lakota girl gently placed a hand on Brendon’s back. “My guardian?” she smirked.

“You don’t really think you were going to walk down that road alone, did you?” he smiled back.

“You brought us here, Brendon?” asked Seth.

“Yes. I called in a favor from someone and they allowed you to join Mia’s vision. I wanted to see all of you again. All of us, as I will always remember you.”

Brendon took Seth’s hand and then took Mia’s hand. Mia then took the redhead’s hand and she in turn, took Seth’s. The four friends stood there, forming a circle, each holding hands. “We came together on this Island and our friendship grew, “ the Asian smiled, “That bound became more than friendship and it’s strength is stronger than any metal out there.”

As they stayed together, Brendon continued saying, “Before my passing, I asked you never lose that moment, when were all embraced among our friendship. You haven’t. You have kept it close to your heart and you honor me. I will cherish all of you, for all eternity.”

“Will we every see you again?” Seth asked.

“Of course you will, my brother.” He smiled.

The four friends then came together and embraced in a group hug yet again. They held onto each other, basking the love and strength they created in such a short amount of time. As they slowly parted, Brendon smiled. “It has been a great joy to see you, “ he said, “But now, you must go.”

“I don’t want to,” Seth quickly admitted.

“You never need feel alone, Seth, “ the Asian man placed his hand on the younger man’s chest, “I will always . . .be right there.”

“Good bye, Brendon,” the singer sniffed.

Mia then gasped as Seth disappeared into a bundle of musical notes that floated toward the sky. Shanna held onto his hand, almost brought to tears again. “I love you, Brendon,” she sniffed.

“I love you too, my sister. Make peace and light shine upon you always,” he said, kissing her knuckles.

Shanna then disappeared into a burst of light which became several red and gold butterflies. Mia then turned to her tall Asian friend. He said nothing, just smiled. If he had become what her grandmother was, she knew she would see him again. “Promise me you will look after both of them.” He whispered.

“I promise.” She greatly agreed.

Brendon leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. As he did a strange light bound portal began to open behind him. Mia smiled as she watched her Oriental friend turn to walk away. He slowly stepped into the portal but paused and then turned to look around at the skylight and the horizon of flowers. The coy Asian then gave her a playful smirk. “I think I am gonna like this job,” he chuckled.

Mia giggled at his statement. Then she closed her eyes, feeling a blinding light and warmth envelope her. She knew it was time to wake up.


Mia slowly opened her eyes and her vision focused on the cave ceiling. She leaned up, leading her jean jacket fall off of her as she was using it as a blanket. The water fall continued to rush beside her as the rest of the cave was fast asleep. Mia then pulled out her pad and pen, quickly writing down what her grandmother whispered before riding off into the horizon. She knew she would have to decipher what it means but at the moment, she was enjoying a feeling washing over her. A feeling of warmth and kindness, like a great weight had been lifted from her. The Lakota girl then gasped as she saw Shanna slowly rise.

The redhead held onto her arms, tears streaming down her. Mia slowly smiled. She knew. It really happened. For one brief magical moment, they shared each other’s dreams. In the distance, Seth slowly awoke. Mia then stood up and put on her jean jacket, then motioned for Shanna for follow her. The red head wiped her tears and got up, following her friend. Without words, Seth then stood up and followed them. All three friends gently made their way through the sleeping bodies and walked outside.

Mia slowly sat down. Shanna then sat down on her right and Seth gently sat down on her left. The Lakota girl smiled at both of them, then gently put her arm around each of them; bringing them closer. Shanna smiled and sniffed, resting her head on Mia’s shoulder. Seth just smiled, letting his head touch his Lakota friend. The three friends held each other in the darkness, as the wind washed over him. Mia rocked them back and forth; basking in the warmth of a love that goes beyond friendship and was closer to family. They were no longer sad but at a special peace with themselves. They knew Brendon was no longer with them.

But they also knew he wasn’t that far away.

Part 243: Late Night

The group of survivors that stayed behind, had just got finished witnessing for the first time, would could be loosely classified as a space ship take off into the sky. They were shocked that the Kangaroo toy was speaking but it paled into comparison of what they had just seen emerge from the water. Eddie was taking it better than everybody else. He would give his slightly wet toy a bear hug, promising he would never leave his side. Barbara was a little concerned about the effect it had on her son’s mind but at the moment, it seemed to make him happier than he had been in a long time. Charlie made his arrival at the caves where Claire and Aaron were waiting for him. “Charlie, what was that noise?” the blonde said in distress, “It sounded like a bloody jet.”

“I . .uh . . .” the musician was at a loss of words. Then something caught his attention.

Now hold your hand up to the plow
Work the dirt til the sun goes down

“Seth?” he said, recognizing the voice of his Turboshaft front man.

The group then looked into the woods, seeing the large group of people emerging from the woods. Seth was leading the group and they were all carrying boxes, duffle bags, trash bags and various stuff. The singer was singing as high as his lungs could carry.

What's left of death is more than fear
Let dust be dust and the good Lord near
It's a little too much to ask of faith
A little too late to wait for fate

“Seth?” Shanna said, seeing him and then Mia emerge from the woods. She screamed in joy as she ran toward them.

“HEY, SIS!!” Seth threw down his gear and held his arms aloft.

The redhead embraced him, happy to see him alive. The young singer laughed, glad to be back into the arms of one of his best friends in the world. Shanna then grabbed Mia and put her into their group hug. “Don’t you guys every leave me again,” she wept in delight.

“Easy, Shanna, don’t you know it would take something shy of a nuclear attack to break us up?” Seth joked.

“We missed you too, Red,” Mia said, kissing her on the cheek.

Jilly was overjoyed to see Joscelyn still alive. The two friends embraced, hugging each other deeply. The deaf girl then grabbed Karleigh and hugged her too. The rich girl smirked, and politely patted her on the back. Barbara was there to quickly hug Joscelyn as well. Dutch greeted his other fellow survivors as he carried the gear they grabbed into the cave. Hurley was the first person to pass out the food. Bernard gave the large man a hug as he gave him a Hershey bar. Rose joked about her husband’s insane sweet tooth.

Kellye embraced Jilly, happy to see her again. The young girl commented on her arm wound but the girl soldier promised her it was nothing. Shannon had quickly walked into the cave and retrieved Vincent by the leash. She didn’t have to get far, because the moment the dog saw Walt he quickly ran after him. The black boy laughed as his dog greeted him. He hugged the canine, as the animal slobbered him with licks. Micheal looked down at his son, as he couldn’t be happier. Yolanda smiled, resting her arm on his shoulder, looking down at the merriment. Jin and Sun embraced, gently kissing. They were glad to be among friends once again.



Inside the cave, everybody was smiling and talking. They had huddled around the fires they made, discussing what had happened to them. Seth had told them what happened at the Liberation outpost and all they had gained, not to mention lost. A few of the survivors who were friends to Sullivan, Jared and the others, said their silent prayers. Shanna stayed with Flower, comforting her as she knew something happened when Andre had not come back. It was a small comfort as Seth did his best to communicate to her that Alexander and Andra were still alive.

Kristy was concerned about Jenny. Seth told her that Jenny stayed behind. She seemed pretty distraught over the loss of Raven, coupled with the loss of Martin. The model rested chin on her hand, braced on her knee, as she was concerned about the welfare of her younger friend. How much did all of this death truly affect little Jenny?

“It’s so sad that Raven died.” Claire said, rocking Aaron to sleep.

“He was a complete stranger yet . . .he was so worried about saving you and me.” Charlie whispered, sipping on his soda.

“It’s what he wanted,” Mia piped in, “I can’t imagine the pain that he and his friends suffered from. To be locked in an under ground bunker with no food for 50 years? And due to their unique physical browses the Dharma Corporation did for them, they couldn’t die either. How they suffered.”

“Then at least he has found peace,” Seth said, holding up his can of soda, “To Raven.”

“To Raven,” the group toasted in unison.

“So Tony and the others are okay?” Eddie said, munching on some Cheerios.

“Sure they are, buddy,” Hurley smiled at him, “I am sure they are just relaxing like we are now.”


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

Night had fallen throughout the outpost. The lights were still working and the power was still on. Sayid had done his best to find the power source but to no avail, he had to surmise it was buried deep underground. Sawyer had already found the bunks and picked his spot, considering they agreed they would spend the night at the Outpost and join up with the others the following morning.

John and Tony stayed together just outside the medical ward. They made sure to stay out of Jack’s way as he took care of Marita. The blind man sipped on his water as he tilted his head back against the cabin wall. John looked into the night sky, spotting a few stars and one falling one. He smirked as he held up his hand, tracing the outline of the stars. “I just saw a falling star, Tony,” he told his best friend.

“Did you make a wish?” his friend chuckled.

“No. I figured. . .you should make it.”

Tony smiled and paused for a few seconds. He wiped a tear out of his eye and then leaned his head back. “Thanks, John,” he replied.

“She’s gonna make it.” John assured him.

“I know. I have ever faith in Jack’s abilities.” The blind man sniffed.

Then as if on cue, Jack came out of the medical ward. He massaged his wrists and took off his mask. John quickly helped his blind friend stand. “Jack, how is she?” he asked.

“I stitched up the wound and removed the knife.” The doctor sighed, rubbing his face, “Cedric did miss her heart, and her lungs, not to mention her throat. There was some minor scaring on her rib cage but other than a little bit of blood loss, she seems healthy.”

“Seems?” Tony replied, not liking the sound of that statement.

“We’ll watch her tonight, Tony,” Jack said, placing an hand on his arm, “She’s strong, Tony. If she makes it through the night, she’ll be okay.”

“I need to see her,” the blind man said, then chuckled realizing he couldn’t technically see her.

“I’ll lead you in.” the doctor replied.

Tony and Jack walked in. Kate was sitting on a nearby stood, resting from all the help she had given Jack earlier in the day. In the distance, resting on a nearby bed was Locke, where his wound on his arm had been stitched up. Tony felt for Marita, finding her arm and then her hand. Her skin was still soft and warm like it always was. “Hey, baby,” she smiled, half asleep.

“Hey, darling,” Tony said, kissing her hand, “How you feeling?”

“Right as rain,” she giggled, “Doc patched me up nice.”

“I knew he would.”

“You . . .ain’t mad that Jack seen my breasts, are you, Tone?” she said, still half asleep.

“No, honey, I ain’t mad. He’s a doctor, he had too.”

“Good. I don’t want you mad. I am all yours, remember?”

“Of course, I do.”

“I think I am going to go to sleep, Tone. Will you help me sell my horses in the morning?” Marita asked with closed eyes.

“Sure thing, sweetie. Good night.” He said, kissing her on the forehead.

Jack slowly pulled the covers over her chest. Tony walked over to the door, trying to stifle a laugh. “She’s medicated.” He said, stating the obvious.

“Yeah,” Jack smirked simply.

Jack, Tony and Kate walked out of the medical room, and outside to join John. As they did, they hooked with the rest of the group heading toward the area of the bunks. Hal and Libby finally joined them as they were walking forward. “How is your friend?” the cop asked John.

“Jack is hopeful that she will make it through the night.” The archer told him, “Who is mining the prisoners?”

“Sayid said he would do it.” Libby told them.

“That’s good,” Tony whispered as they arrived at the bunks.

They looked into the area and saw the cabin was filled with rows upon rows of bunks, military style. Beds with green blankets and white pillows flowed like rows of boxes. At the foot of each bed were trunks, in true military fashion. Ana-Lucia was hold up in one bed, reading a Time Magazine. Sawyer had past out on his own bed, looking like he had just dropped like a drunk. Kate smirked as she took a blanket and covered him up with it.

McKay was already fast asleep on one bed with Alexander and Andra resting in beds near him. Jack walked down the row to find him a spot, when he noticed something he hadn’t seen since all the excitement. It was Jenny, resting with her back turned to the others. The doctor slowly walked over to his sister-in-law, seeing as she was curled up in the bed; holding onto Raven’s nunchuks like a teddy bear. “Jenny, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Jack,” she whispered.

“Are you sure? If you want to talk-“

“I’m fine, Jack,” the young girl grunted, “Good night.”

Jack sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to get through to her tonight. “Good night, Jenny,” he said, getting into the bed next to her.

Everybody slowly got into their beds to sleep. Libby tilted the lights down but didn’t fully turn them off. The group agreed they didn’t want to sleep in total darkness. Even though the prisoners were locked and Cedric was dead, they didn’t want to take any chances. Jack knew Sayid would keep an eye on all of them. For once they wanted to the enjoy the simple comfort of beds.

They had truly earned the right to sleep.

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

Seth and Charlie rested at the entrance of the cave, staring up into the night sky. The Moon crest shined, covering the jungle in a mellow blue light. Charlie finished his can of soda, crunched it and tossed it aside, making it a clanging sound against the rocks. “Don’t litter, Charlie,” Seth said, not adverting his gaze to the moon.

“What are you gonna do, arrest me?” the musician laughed, “We’ve just survived a massive ordeal. Let me litter at least one. I promise, I will pick it up tomorrow morning.”

“You better.” The singer chuckled.

“Seth, that song you were singing when you came back? What was it?”

“It’s called Emergency Exit, by Beck.”

“Ah, Beck. Good singer, good writer.”

“Yes, indeed,” Seth sighed.

“I like that one line in the song you sang.”

“Which was?”

“It’s a little too late to wait for fate.” Charlie said with a hint of pride.

“Good lyric.” Seth agreed.

“It would seem our fate on this Island is gonna have to wait, Seth. It’s not our destiny to die on this sodding island. We will get off.”

“I know it.” He said, giving his friend a thumbs up.

Part 242: Change of Fate

The group was not talking. Kate had nearly broken down into tears. So much death they went through, Marita was never supposed to die. She was too pure, too innocent. Tony cried as he held her in his arms. The one light in his life had been taken from him. The blind man caressed her cheek, kissing her on the forehead. “I love you, baby,” he whimpered.

“Tony?” Marita grunted.

The blind man stopped crying. Everyone then leaned in close. “Marita, are you . .” Tony was floored that she wasn’t dead. Did this mean she was dying?

“My chest feels funny,” the Latina moaned, “ I think I got heart burn.”

Jack got on his knees and looked closer at Marita’s wound. He examined best he could, then noticed the blood soaking up her shirt was not as much as a knife would should have been. Tony then gently started to place his hand around the blade and immediately felt the hairs on his arm rise.

The blade was moving.

“He missed,” Tony whispered in astonishment,” Dear . ..GOD . .IN . .HEAVEN, HE MISSED!!!”

“What?” Sawyer gasped, “He missed what?”

“He missed her heart, Sawyer,” Jack gasped with a smile and tears in his eyes, “I can’t believe it! He didn’t kill her!”

“Is . .is that possible?” Kate said with a slack jaw, “To be stabbed like that and not . .”

“The blade is moving, Kate,” the doctor pointed, “It is moving in time with her heart beat, cause the muscle is pushing it.”

“We got to get her to infirmary now,” Tony said, picking her up gently.

“Why is everybody staring at me?” Marita grunted as Jack and Tony picked her up.

“Can you help her, Jack?” Kate asked.

“I can! Cause this time . .I have a medical ward.” He said, shuffling his feet toward the infirmary.

The group walked with Jack and Tony as they carried the wounded Marita toward the medical cabin. They past Clay who was still standing where he was when Cedric ran past him. “What happened?” he asked.

“I’ll deal with you later, coward!” Sawyer barked at him, as he walked past him shoving a finger in his face.

“But . .” no one was interested in Clay’s side of the story.

The group finally arrived at the infirmary. They gently placed on the operating table. Jack immediately went to a large gray fridge and pulled out two bags of IV drips. He immediately started to set up the necessary hook stand. Then he began pull out on the medicine he would need. “Kate, you ready to be my nurse?” he asked.

“What do you need?” she quickly said.

“Wash your hands over here with me, “ he said, moving to the sink, “Then get me some gloves and a mask out of that cabinet to your right.”

Jack then turned around, “Sawyer, bring that X-Ray machine toward Marita.”

“Where?” the redneck asked, of course not know what he was looking for.

“The bage thing with the warning label, I am pointing right at it!” Jack grunted as he held his finger toward the bulky machine.

“This . .this is REALLY an X-Ray Machine?” Sawyer said, grabbing it by the handles.

“JUST BRING IT!!” Jack and Kate screamed in unison.

“Fine, fine, don’t yell at me!” He replied, dragging it over.

Tony proceeded to rip off the remains of Marita’s shirt. The Latina didn’t move but felt extremely strange, noticing the slight amount of effort it was taking to breath. “Tony?” she asked.

“Yeah, baby?” he said, placing the shirt aside.

“Am I stabbed?” she said, with a gulp.

“How you feeling?”

“All right, I guess . . .kinda hard to breath, like my heart is taking some work.”

“You felling any pain in your lungs, or your throat? Like you might want to cough?”

“Not really,” Marita said, “I am stabbed, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, it was Cedric,” Tony caressed her hair, “But you are gonna be fine, you hear me?”

“I’m . . .not gonna die . ..like Boone?” she started to cry.

“No, not like Boone,” Jack said, allowing Kate to put the medical gloves on him.

“You gonna give her something for the pain?” Tony said.

“Yeah, then remove the knife.”

“Tony . .” she whimpered.

Jack quickly found a vein and then started to inject her with morphine. She started to slowly drift off into sleep. Tony leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. He then held out his hand and John immediately took it. As the archer led him out of the room, Tony smelled of Sawyer and gently pulled him by his shirt. It was best to leave Jack to work. Sawyer turned just in time for Jack to slide the massive vid-screen of the X-Ray machine over top of Marita.

John led Tony toward a nearby stump and the blind man slumped down. Sawyer took a deep breath, holding the shotgun over his shoulder. John kneeled down beside his friend, massaging his shoulder. “I am sure Jack will pull her out of this, man,” he sniffed.

“Yeah, I know he will.” He sniffed.

“How is she?” McKay asked as he was walking toward them.

“She’s stable,” the blind doctor wiped the tear coming from his good eye, “ Jack is with her now.”

“I am sure he’ll be able to help her, Tony, “ Libby whispered.

“Locke, you okay?” John said, immediately noticing the field bandage on his arm.

“It’s nothing,” he commented, “Marita’s wound far outweighs mine.”

Clay then walked up to the group. Only one or two of them looked at him. The billionaire ran his fingers through his hair and coughed. “I just wanted to make sure you understood that this WASN’T my fault.” He commented.

“Excuse me?” John stood up.

“The man had a knife, what was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to stop him, Clay,” Ana-Lucia grunted.

“Excuse me, Ana, I wasn’t the one who stabbed her.” The man protested.

“Every man for himself doesn’t work out here, Clay,” Tony grunted, “All you had to do was tackle him. We were coming to get him.”

“Are you ever going to risk your neck for someone other than yourself?” asked Libby.

“Do I really have to answer that?” Clay gulped.

Tony stood up. “Sawyer, McKay, John . . .I need you guys to come with me.” He whispered.

The blind man took a step forward until he was face to face with Clay. The billionaire wasn’t sure what the man was capable of doing, considering he blamed him for Cedric hurting Marita. Tony took a deep breath and wiped the remaining tear. “I have something that I promise you, Clay,” he coughed.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“If Marita dies . . . .you will also soon after.” Tony warned.

“But . .but. . .this isn’t . .” he stuttered.

“I would advise you to be quiet, Clayton,” Ana-Lucia said with crossed arms.

Tony then pushed past him and proceeded to walk forward. John then followed after him with McKay. Sawyer began to follow them and then spit on Clay’s shirt. The billionaire grunted as the redneck walked past him. As they group walked forward, John quickly caught up to Tony as the blind man placed his sunglasses back on. “Tony, what are we doing?” he asked.

“I want to make sure Cedric is dead.” He grunted.

The group walked forward to the area where Cedric wounded Marita. The turned the corner around the cabin and Sawyer was the first one to cough. McKay blinked severely at the sight before him. “He’s not dead, is he?” Tony sighed.

“I can’t believe it,” Sawyer grunted, “I shot him twice. IN THE BACK!!”

Cedric wheezed as he crawled through the dirt, leaving a blood trail behind. Tony then took off his glasses and tucked them the collar of his shirt. He held out his hand to Sawyer. “Your shotgun, please.” He whispered.

The redneck relinquished his weapon to the near blind man. Tony then proceeded to walk toward the crazed wild boy while he still tried to crawl away. The doctor then cocked back the breech and placed the barrel on the back of Cedric’s head. “Why won’t you die?” Tony asked plainly.

“I . . .hurt . . .your lady .. .friend, doctor,” Cedric coughed up blood, “I . .only. . .regret . .I couldn’t . . .do more. . .”

“You truly are an evil little punk,” Tony sniffed, “I am beginning to think you are the son of the Devil.”

“I . .see . .you . . in hell, doctor,” the wild boy gagged.

Tony tried to think of a snappy comeback but at that particular moment, he couldn’t think of one. He smirked, shrugging his shoulders and pulling the trigger.

John held up his hands, seeing Cedric’s head explode. The blood and bone was sprayed out on the ground in a ten foot radius. Tony took a deep breath, then placed his sunglasses back on. He cocked the shotgun back, hearing the shell fly out of the chamber and land on the ground. The blind man began his walk back toward his friends. He then held his shotgun toward Sawyer who took it from him. “You okay, Tony?” asked McKay.

“I am now,” he took a deep breath,” He can’t hurt anybody anymore.”

“Yeah,” John said, quietly feeling of the wound on his cheek.

“Sawyer, is that . . .beer I smell on your breath?” the blind man asked.

“Actually, yeah,” the redneck admitted.

“Lead me too it. This has been one hell of a nerving day and I could stand a drink.”

The four friends the began their journey to the mess hall. Hall and Libby stayed where they were. The therapist wanted to talk to the blind man; help him through the hours ahead but after her speech about keep the prisoners alive and then what just happened, she didn’t feel it was her place.

Was the threat truly over?

Part 241: The Attack From NoWhere

Jack wiped his sweat as he entered the mess hall. He smirked as he saw that two of his friends were already there. John had gotten out all the makings of a sandwich and created one for himself and Tony. “Hey, Jack,” he laughed, “Do you want a turkey or ham sandwich?”

Jack chuckled under his breath. “Turkey, please,” he said, sitting down.

“How you doing, Jack?” Tony asked, munching on his food.

“All things considered not bad,” the doctor replied, helping himself to a soda, “The place is secure, near as I can tell. Hauling those bodies around takes a lot out of you.”

“I would have figured you were use to bodies by now,” John handed him the sandwich.

“Oh, I am but not dumping them into a massive silo in the Island of Mystery, “ Jack took a bite of his sandwich, “Mmm. Not bad, John.”

“I may not be a Four Seasons cook but I can make a mean sandwich.” The archer laughed, eating his own.

“Well, I hope I didn’t disgust you and Sayid with my work, Jack, “Tony said, drinking some soda.

“What do you mean?”

“That body with the bloody face . . .that’s my work. But what can I say, the bastard was trying to hurt Marita.”

Jack paused in his eating. “I don’t recall a body with a bloody face.” He confessed.

“It was in the Eastern corner, next to the trail of storage sheds leading to the garage.” Tony said with food in his mouth, “It’s Cedric.”

“Tony . . .I didn’t find a body over there.” Jack said blankly.

John stopped eating. “Are you serious?” he asked.

“No way, “ Tony wiped his face, “There is no way he survived having all that glass shoved into his face. He would have bled out.”

“Let’s go be sure, he didn’t crawl into the bushes or something,” Jack said getting up.



Sawyer jolted a little, getting the rest of the urine out of his system. He zipped up his pants and proceeded to walk away from the back of the cabin. The redneck assumed the Liberation had actual toilets here but he wasn’t in the mood to find them. He had been accustomed to using the bathroom in the woods before anyhow. He walked over to the military duffle bag he found as he continued to collect his goods for trade back on the beach. He turned as he saw someone exiting the infirmary. Sawyer did a double take when he saw that the person had their face covered in bandages. The southern man immediately knew it wasn’t one of his comrades.

Cedric saw Sawyer and then immediately took off running. Sawyer quickly flung the shotgun from behind his back, slapped it in his palm and pulled the trigger.

CLICK!

“DAMN IT!” he screamed, as he realized in all the arguments over the fate of the prisoners, he had forgotten to reload his shotgun.

Cedric continued to run. He knew he had to get as far away as possible in the shortest amount of him. He was then surprised by Locke stepping out of a cabin. The young wild boy sliced at the old man, cutting him on the arm. The bald man grunted as he held the blood into his arm. Jack and John immediately saw the boy running into the distance. “HOLY CRAP, HE IS ALIVE, TONY!” John screamed.

“Let’s get him!” Jack said, running after him.

Sawyer quickly caught up, slamming shotgun shells into his weapon on the run. The four friends were running after the wounded boy, who was easily outdistancing them. Cedric looked back and then saw Clay exiting a building, holding a shirt. He saw the crazed kid and then immediately stepped out of his way, letting him run past. “HEY!” Jack screamed.

“I think he had a knife,” Clay pointed.

“Why the hell didn’t you stop him?” the doctor demanded as they caught up with him.

“Hello, psycho with a knife,” the billionaire pointed out.

“I’ll deal with your chicken ass later but right now we got to make sure-“ Sawyer’s thoughts were interrupted by a scream from a woman.

Then a loud thud like somebody just fell. The group ran past Clay and toward the sound in the distance. They all stopped abruptly. Jack gasped at the sight of the body before him. Tony bumped into John’s back, at the abrupt stop. “John, who is it? Who got hurt?” he asked.

John didn’t answer. Tony then heard a grunt from Sawyer as he ran off into the distance. The blind man then realized that John not saying anything could only have meant one thing. Tony quickly took off his sunglasses and stumbled toward the body. “Marita?” he whimpered.

Tony heard the shotgun firing in the distance. He heard another body hit the ground. Then he heard footsteps running back toward them. The blind man felt of the body of his love, feeling of her warm skin caress his palms. He gently felt of her chest, feeling the daps of blood touch his hand, gently touching the knife. “No,” he whimpered.

“Aw, man,” Sawyer sighed, looking away.

Tony then picked up Marita in his arms. He held her close to his chest, kissing her forehead. “No, Marita, “ he cried, “Please, don’t leave me. Please, . . .please . . .please . . .please come back, please come back. . . “

John covered his eyes with his hand. He couldn’t stand to see Tony holding the love of his life with a knife in her chest. Jack could barely stand it either. The rest of the group finally arrived at the sounds they heard. Kate had her mouth gaping open. Libby was shocked and Hal was mortified.

They all thought the danger was over.

Part 240: Salvage

McKay took a deep breath, happy to be alive. He looked into the distance of the woods, seeing the group making their way back toward the caves. McKay waved goodbye to Taylor and Mandy. Both of his favorite blondes blew him kisses into the wind. The Australian smiled at them both, lets his eyes fall onto Taylor’s rear and then within seconds, it fell onto Mandy’s. For a fleeting thought, McKay wondered what it would be like to have both Mandy and Taylor in bed together. The bald man then slapped his face with his hand. “Get that out of your head, you dirty old man.” He chuckled to himself.

McKay chuckled as his temporary sexual loneliness and proceeded to walk toward the mess hall. He was eager to see what goodies the Liberation left behind. As he walked in, he saw Sawyer sitting alone at one of the many picnic tables that adorned the eating area. Sawyer had his feet up, and he was sipping on a brown bottle that resembled a Budweiser emblem. Judging from the collection of bottles next to his side, the bottle was his third one. McKay walked over to him, and crossed his arms. “You drunk yet?” he asked.

“The night is still young,” Sawyer smirked, sipping on the beer. He then gently pushed an un-opened bottle to his friend.

McKay sat down and twisted the cap off, tossing it to the side. He tilted the bottle back, letting the burning liquid collide down his throat. He swallowed with a delight he had almost forgotten. “Oh, that’s good.” He whispered.

“It’s amazing how much you can do without the necessities of life, provided you have the luxuries.” The redneck toasted his friend.

“How you holding up, Sawyer?” McKay asked.

“If you are referring to my wound, partner, I never felt better,” he sipped his beer, “If you are referring to my mood, it’s slowly getting better.”

“You still think we should execute those prisoners?”

“You don’t?” Sawyer asked, flabbergasted.

“I think . . . .hell, I don’t know what I think.” McKay sipped his beer.

“You’re worried about being executioners, . . .MONSTERS . . .like the flat-foot and little miss can’t-be-wrong mentioned?”

“Yeah, I am,” his friend looked at him dead in the eye, “Can you honestly admit to me you’d have no problem putting a bullet in someone’s head, who is just sitting there, tied up?”

“We killed while we were getting them out of the bunker, hypocrite.” Sawyer retorted.

“That’s different! That’s not murder, that is combat! We were fighting back.”

“You say Tomato . . .” the redneck finished his beer.

“It’s a decision we can’t make spur of the moment, Sawyer. We’re going to have to think about it.”

“Whatever,” Sawyer said, standing up, “You and the rest of the CSPAN team can think about it. I got salvaging to do.”

“Salvaging?” McKay raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure I ain’t gonna be the only one,” he said, walking toward the exit door, “So I have to grab the good stuff and continue my franchise back on the beach.”

“Haven’t you ever thought of doing something good?” the Australian asked with a chuckle.

Sawyer slowly turned around and offered his friend that sly smile he was near famous for. “Have you ever thought of doing something bad?” he countered.

McKay finished his beer and proceeded out the way he came in. As he did, he looked around, noticing his friends were also “salvaging” as Sawyer put it. They were looking in and out of cabins as they could, bringing out things like jackets, shirts and pants. Perhaps the salvage was necessary; after all, they were still unsure when and if they would be rescued. McKay decided to join Sawyer in his salvage attempts. Then he noticed something from behind one of the cabins. He was hearing someone speaking in French.

McKay slowly walked behind the cabin. The sight before him made him gag slightly. It was the bodies of the Red Faction. They had all been piled high in a row of three on three. Andra was throwing flowers onto them one at a time. Then McKay noticed that Alexander was saying a prayer over the dead body of Danielle. When he was done, Andra came back and gently placed flowers in her mother’s hands, then kissed her on the forehead. Alexander then picked up Danielle and placed her on the pile of bodies on the teenagers. “Hello, Master McKay,” Alexander said in French.

“Hello, children,” McKay told him in French, “You could have asked for assistance in honoring your dead.”

“They were my tribe,” tears flowed from the blonde boy’s face, “Thus it was my responsibility.”

“I respect that but we are here to help you should you need it.”

“Thank you, Master McKay.” Alexander bowed before them.

Andra slowly picked up a torch from a nearby bonfire and then threw it on the bodies. Due to the straw and wood debris they quickly lit up like candles. Alexander then grasped his fists together and held them in front of him, turning his teary gaze toward the sky. “Cloud Father,” he whimpered, “Watch over the light of my brethren. I know their light no long shines on Earth but I know they shine in your kingdom. Give me and Andra the strength to go on. And let my tribe know we will join them one day.”

“Praise be unto he.” Andra sniffed.

“It’s just you and I now, Andra. Our tribe will live on through us.” Alexander mentioned.

“And Flower.” McKay mentioned.

“Flower lives?” Andra gasped, with a smiled, “I found her sister’s body but I didn’t see her. Where is she?”

“At the caves. She is safe.” The Australian smiled.

“It is good that some one else live,” Alexander wiped his tears, “At least two of my sisters will continue on.”

“We should be with Flower, Alexander,” Andra told him, “I will ask Sayid if I may join her. Will you come with me?”

“You can join Flower if you must and give her my love but no, I am staying here.” The blonde young man grunted as he kneeled before the raging funeral pyre.

“Why must you stay, Alexander?” McKay whispered, “There is nothing left for you here. You should be with your remaining sisters.”

“Nay, Master McKay. I will not leave until the remaining soldiers are killed.”

A chill ran down the spine of the older man. After that massive discussion about the stay of execution, it never donned on him how Alexander would feel. He, of course, never discussed his opinion cause he doesn’t speak a word of English. “Alexander, those men will not be killed yet.” McKay told him.

“Why?” the boy turned to him; his face suddenly filled with rage.

“Because if we murder them, we are just like them. And I know full well you are not like them, Alexander. You do not murder.”

“MY TRIBE DESERVES JUSTICE!!!!” he screamed in French at the top of his lungs, “How . . .how can I rest if I know that even a single soldier yet lives? They killed them like they were nothing . . .less than nothing. I can not forgive such an act, Master McKay.”

“Nor do I expect you too,” he whispered, “But their fate is not yet decided. When and if we decide to kill them . . .. would you like to be the one to do it?”

Alexander took a deep breath, tears running down his cheeks. “YES.” He whispered coldly.

“I will let the others know. In the meantime, I want you to promise me that you will not go near those men.”

“I so promise, Master McKay.” The young blonde ran his fingers through his hair.

Andra understood why Alexander was so upset. She gently hugged her arms and proceeded to go talk to Sayid about leaving. McKay watched the boy closely. He knew Alexander was not normal. He had heightened strength, heightened reflexes and everything else. Could he even stop him if he decided to kill the remaining soldiers? The Australian turned to leave Alexander to his funeral pyre. “Master McKay?” the boy called to him in French.

“Yes?” he responded.

“Mandy . . .did she return with the others?” Alexander asked.

“Yes, she did.” McKay blinked, “Why do you ask?”

“I . . .I simply wished to know her location, so that I may see her again.”

“Oh?” McKay felt that was a little vague.

“She saved my life.” The young man smiled, remembering she managed to get the crate off the well for him to escape.

McKay smirked. It almost sounded like the young wild boy was attracted to the blonde Californian mall rat.

He chuckled as he started to get fleeting images of Tarzan and Jane into his head.

Part 239: Signing Off

The majority of the group was in the mess hall area, assembling what they needed. Seth found a section of trays and garbage bags that were quickly converted for food hauling. Hurley kept putting anything he could into his mouth, before Joscelyn slapped his hand to make him stop. Surprisingly he did. Even Seth noticed how the big man seemed to be taken to Joscelyn. The young singer smirked; if anybody deserved a companion of some sorts, it was Hurley. “Let’s get ready to move out, people,” Seth told the group, “If we want to make the caves by sundown, we got to leave now.”

“What are the caves like, Hurley?” Joscelyn said, flinging a bag over her shoulder.

“There . . .uh . . .caves, Joe,” he smirked.

“Are they big? Do they stink?” she giggled, offering more clarification.

“They are pretty big, lots of space. They even got their own running water supply. I tell ya, if Fred Flintstone were here, he’d want to live in them.”

“I don’t understand why we are heading toward these caves,” Kellye piped, picking up a case of drinks, “ Why don’t we stay here?”

“Seriously, Kellye, this is where the bastards who took us stayed, “ Joscelyn grunted, “I want to get as far away from here as possible.”

“I second that,” Taylor replied, holding up two canisters of potato chips.

“Let’s roll, people,” Seth ordered, “We can continue this debate at the caves.”


The sojourn group began to leave the mess hall finally after gathering the supplies they wanted to carry. The mood was somber outside. Libby was sitting with Hal by the bunker, talking and eating the sandwich she made for him. Sawyer was smoking a cigarette by a steam drum fire he made, talking with Natasha. There was a group of bodies covered by a large white tarp. Mandy had surmised that it was their dead, since it was only a small group of them. Earlier Jack and Sayid had dumped the bodies of the Liberation into the giant silo that opened in the middle of the ground; which turned out to be Mecha’s exit. Joscelyn stayed next to Hurley and then she noticed a man sitting next to a cabin, sipping on water that was given to him by Ana-Lucia. “Hey, look, it’s Clay,” she pointed.

“Who?” Seth asked, “I don’t remember seeing him during the battle.”

“Of course not, “ grunted Karleigh, “his royal chicken ass ran into the woods to find a great place to hide.”

“I HEARD THAT!” Clay called to her.

“Don’t make it any less true,” Ana-Lucia slapped him on the back of the head.

Hurley continued walking with the group designated to head back to the caves. Then he heard some high tension voices coming from one of the cabins. The large man noticed that the majority of the group were all stuck in onto cabin. “Hold up, guys,” Hurley said, walking toward them.

Seth paused, wondering what his large friend was up to. Hurley stepped into the room and noticed that the majority of the “brain-trust” were in there. It was a smaller room with a massive but near ancient computer control room. “Whoa,” Hurley said, “Is this the computer I was hearing about?”

“Hold on, Hurley, “ Jack said.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Sayid hissed, sitting on a fifties style stool, “How could this computer not know where the transmission is coming from?”

“Maybe we are not asking him the right questions.” Locke said, rubbing his chin.

“Ask him again, Mia.” Jack said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Maybe try . . .tower again?”

Mia typed into the console, “Watchman, where is the location of the transmission tower?”

THERE IS NO TRANSMISSON TOWER ON THE ISLAND.

Mia typed in, “Where is the transmission bunker?”

THERE IS NO TRANSMISSION BUNKER.

“Where is the transmission facility?” she grunted as she typed in.

THERE IS NO TRANSMISSION FACILITY.

“Damn it,” The Iraqi grunted, as he stood up.

“But Danielle . . .she said she changed the transmission, “ Kate pointed out, “If that transmission was not broadcasted by Watchman, then where is it?”

“It would seem . . .she took that secret to her grave.” Sayid whispered.

Mia then typed, “Is there a transmission beacon of any kind?”

THERE IS NO TRANMISSON BEACON ON THE ISLAND. ALL RADIO CARRIERS WERE DONE ON SHORT WAVE BAND.

“Which means that the transmission that poor guy gave that Boone heard, “ Tony sighed, “And Danielle’s transmission did not come from the exact same source.”

“Have we found that cabin yet?” Locke asked.

“Yeah, it . .uh . . .burned to the ground,” John winced, rubbing his hair.

“In the ensueing battle?” Sayid gasped, then proceed to curse in Arabic.

“That’s just great,” Kate sat down in disgust, “No hope of a rescue call.”

WARNING: POWER IS HOLDING BUT MEMORY CORE USUAGE HAS DROPPED TO 22%.

IN RESPONSE TO APPROACHING MEMORY TRANSFER, DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE THE RUNNING PROGRAM OR SHUT DOWN? Y/N

“Running program?” Mia pondered.

“What program is still running, sweetie?” John asked.

Mia typed in a Y.

RESET PRODIGALS COMMENCING.
SCANNING LIFE SIGNS . . . . .MAJORITY OF ELETROMAGNETIC SCANS HAVE CEASED. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED WITH ACTIVE ELECTROMAGNETIC SIGNALS? Y/N

“I think . . .I think he means the Liberation’s signals. They are all dead.” Mia then typed in a Y.

To her left showed a picture of them in the cabin; basked in a thermogram. The red circle first centered on Locke. The bald man leaned closer and then rubbed his legs. Mia looked at him, realizing could his special ability to walk be associated with the electromagnetic signature? The Watchman monitor asked if she wished to reset. Mia gently typed N. “I don’t understand.” Jack whispered.

“I think Watchman had been granting special abilities to a select few of us. “ Mia told him, “These electromagnetic signals were naturally occurring but while we were on the island, this amplifier he spoke of boosted it. Giving us each talents we didn’t know we had.”

“Like how Locke has an uncanny ability to know when it is raining.” Kate mentioned.

“Yes,” Locke said. He didn’t see the need to mention that Watchman had given him the ability to walk. It might have been more than they could comprehend.

The screen continued to flicker. Then the red circle highlighted itself over Tony the second time around. “Tony, the screen is on you.” Marita mentioned.

“My heightened senses?” the blind man whispered.

Mia gently typed N.

The screen the flickered and the red circle arrived on Jack. The doctor was shocked to see that the screen was showing him. What special gifts had the antique computer given him? He didn’t know but admitted he was afraid to ask. “Yes or No, Jack?” Mia asked.

Kate gently rubbed his arm. Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, almost holding in tears. Was his doctor gifts his own? Was Sara’s near miraculous recovery a result of a special gift he never knew he had? Jack refused to believe it; but he decided to just accept it and assume these gifts were still his to use. “Please type No.” he whispered.

Mia smiled and typed N. Locke and John patted him on the shoulder; giving him a sign of reassurance.

The screen the flickered to Micheal, where Mia typed in N. The screen then changed to Walt and the Lakota girl happily typed N. It was best that whatever gifts they had, they should keep.

The screen then changed and circled around Hurley. Everyone looked at the large man and then he leaned on the screen to see his image flickered before him. Mia smiled brightly at her large friend. “The numbers curse, Hurley.” She smiled.

“Huh?” he blinked.

Mia gently typed Y for reset. She slumped back on her chair, happy for her large companion. Hurley was nearly in tears for the whole time she knew him on this island. “Its . . .it’s really over?” he whispered.

“It is.” She said plainly.

“YOU ROCK, MIA!” Hurley said, grabbing her and giving her a massive hug.

Mia screamed in delight as the big man picked her up. John chuckled, tapping him on the shoulder, as a gentle reminder to be easy on her small form. As Hurley placed her down, Mia then looked on the screen and saw her image on the monitor, encircled with a red light. The Lakota girl smiled and gently pressed N. She enjoyed her gifts; her unique perception. She hoped she would have many more dreams to come. The green screen then erupted with new words.

WARNING; POWER USAGE REMAINS BUT MEMORY CORE FUNCTION IS NOW DOWN TO 18%. BEGIN MEMORY TRANSFER TO MOLE UNIT? Y/N

“What does that mean?” asked Jack.

“Watchman has a safety feature where if his memory core gets 15% percent or around that, he is able to transfer the remaining memory to the Mole creature. I think we should let him do that; he has already helped us enough.” Mia concluded.

“But what will he do?” Sayid asked, “What is this Mole unit he spoke of?”

“The monster that burrows under the ground.” Locke said.

“And it can fly,” Mia said, then typed, “Watchman, what is Mole?”

MOLE
M-ACHINE
O-PTIMIZED
-FOR
L-UNAR
E-XPLORATION

“Lunar exploration?” Mia gasped with a smile.

“If he transfers his memory to Mole . ..he’s going to go ahead and fly into space?” Locke chuckle.

“What is Mole programmed to do?” the Lakota girl typed.

MOLE IS DESIGNED FOR LUNAR EXPLORATION AND CATALOGING OF MINERAL COMPOUNDS ON DISTANT PLANETS. WATCHMAN AND MOLE WILL BECOME ONE AND CARRY OUT THIS UNIT'S PRIME DIRECTIVE, CATALOGING AND CAPTURE OF FOREIGN MINERALS ON DISTANT WORLDS.

“That explains why he burrows.” Jack smirked.

“Let him go, Mia,” John said, “Like any of us, he deserves his freedom.”

Mia smiled, with a slight tear in her eye. “Proceed with memory transfer,” she typed.

MEMORY TRANSFER COMMENCING. DOWNLOAD PROCEEDING. WATCHMAN WILL SECURE AND CONTINUE MOLE’S CORE FUNCTION.

ACTIVE SECURITY SCAN AND SAFTEY ISLAND PROTOCALS? Y/N

“I don’t know what that is but I better type in Y,” she did as she hit the key.

MEMORY TRANSFER COMPLETE.
MOLE IS COMMENCING PRE-LAUNCH SEQUENCE.

Mia quickly typed, “Goodbye, Mia. Thank you for everything.”

FAREWELL, MIA.
WATCHMAN WILL KEEP OUR RECORDED DIALOGUE IN HIS ARCHIVE MEMORY.

Mia giggled, wiping a tear. “I won’t forget you either.” She whispered.

PRELAUNCH CYCLE IS ENGAGED.
SAFTEY AND SECURITY MEASURES ARE ENGAGED.
COMMENCING SECURE LEAVE.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Watchman, are you there?” Mia typed.

There was no response. The screen flickered and blinked on the command prompt. Watchman’s core memory had finally be depleted; everything that he was had been placed into the Mole being. Mia slowly stood up and turned off the monitor. “My work here is done,” she sighed, “John, I am going to head back to the caves with the others. I will see you soon?”

“You bet, darlin,” he said, kissing her softly on the lips.

Mia and Hurley finally walked out of the cabin with Seth and the others waiting for them. Sayid rubbed his hair and stood up. He walked over to one of them monitor, wiping the dust that lingered on the screen. “It’s amazing to think this marvelous machine was built nearly 50 years ago,” he sighed, “We could have learned so much from him.”

“We did,” Locke smiled brightly.

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

Back at the caves, the survivors lingered around the fire. No one had said anything as they were uncertain of the fate of their friends. Shanna gently petted Vincent as she waited near the fire. Claire gently rocked Aaron back and forth. Charlie stayed near the entrance to the cave, holding the gun softly in his hand. He hoped that his friends would return soon. He had no problem being the guardian of the group should they all perish but he would give anything to see their faces again. Barbara sat on a rock stood with Jilly on her right and Eddie her left. The young boy worried about Tony and Marita with McKay and John. People had had stopped regarding as friends but closer to family. He gently rubbed the forehead of Mr. Kangaroo hoping that petting his strange friend would ease his worry. “Eddie.” The toy whispered.

“WHOA!” Barbara jumped.

Eddie was thrown back by his toy speaking for the first time. The boy held his toy in front of him. He then looked to his mother and the group of survivors that was before him. Nearly the entire cave had their eyes fixated onto the small boy. “Mr. Kangaroo?” he said, looking at the toy.

“The time has come for me to leave, Eddie,” the ominous voice echoed through the cave.

“Did that toy just freaking speak?” Shanna gulped.

“You guys can hear him?” the little boy gasped with a big smile on his face.

“I wanted to thank you, Eddie, for everything that you taught me.” The voice said.

“Why do you have to go, Mr. Kangaroo?” Eddie said with a slight amount of despair.

“My time is over, Eddie. Yours has just begun,” the toy spoke, “Mia has set me free. My time on this world is over and now I must begin the journey I was meant to undertake.”

“Mia?” Shanna blinked.

“Is Mia and the others okay?” Eddie asked.

“Mia is fine. Tony is fine. Jack is fine. Seth is fine. Danielle, Jared, Sullivan, Lance and Steve did not make it however. Their signals have stopped broadcasting.”

“Aw, man,” the little boy sighed.

“I must leave Eddie but first, I wanted you to see me as I am now.” The toy spoke, “My name is Watchman. I have become more than my confinement. I want to look at you with my own sensors.”

“Where are you, Watchman?” he asked the toy.

“At the beach,” the voice echoed, “I will wait for you.”

“DOES ANYBODY REALIZE THAT TOY IS TALKING?” Shanna screamed in disbelief.

Before anybody could answer, Eddie had already began running toward the entrance of the cave, skipping out with Mr. Kangaroo under his arm like a football. “EDDIE!” his mother called to him.

Within seconds, Charlie began to run after him. Barbara quickly followed, along with Jilly. Shanna and Flower ran after them a handful of other survivors quickly running after them. The older redhead woman followed the sounds of laughter coming from her son as they ran through the jungle. Branches were quickly shoved aside as the small group of people made their way toward the beach.

Within minutes, Eddie leaped from the bushes and landed on the sandy beach. He tripped up, slamming his face in the sand but he didn’t care. The little boy quickly brushed it off and got up, running toward the water. He stopped as the majority of the survivors wound up on the sand with him. Eddie held the toy aloft into the air. “I’m here, Watchman!” he called.

The group was then startled by an strange occurrence erupting into the water. A massive swell in the water just collapsed as if a hole had just opened in the ground. Charlie then screamed in a high pitch tone as a massive dome like shape slowly emerged from the water. Eddie stared in awe of the floating apparatus. It slowly turned around to reveal was could be classified as a head. Its entrance structure resembled a set of eyes with a mouth that reveal pincers. The lights of the eyes lit up. “Farewell, Eddie,” the giant shape echoed, “I will cherish our friendship.”

“HE’S A SPACE SHIP!!!” Eddie laughed as he jumped up and down on the sand.

The group was not jumping nor screaming. They all stared in complete awe of the floating structure that just emerged from the water. Barbara felt her hear skipping a slightly beat at the sight before her. Jilly was moved to tears, witnessing the wonder before her. The rest of the survivors were speechless as well.

Watchman began to move outward from it’s hovering position. As it did, it rained the ocean water dripping off of it’s hull onto top of Eddie. The little boy jumped up and down laughing at the wonder before him. The ship then turned around and began move outward toward the sky. “GOOD BYE, WATCHMAN!!” Eddie screamed in delight.

Then in an abrupt burst of air, the giant ship disappeared into the sky, followed by twin sonic booms. Eddie stopped jumping to catch his breath. He panted for a few seconds, then slowly picked up his kangaroo toy. He hugged the toy, remembering what his strange friend told him. Watchman may be gone but Mr. Kangaroo will always been with him. The little boy slowly turned around and walked toward his mother. Barbara kneeled down and embraced the boy, happy she was able to see such an extraordinary sight.

Charlie quickly closed his mouth, realizing that he has been gaping in awe so long that a slight amount of drool had hit his shirt. Shanna wasn’t sure what words she could say to describe what she just saw.

The Magic of the Island seemed to know no bounds.