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.