Part 268: The Meeting

Tony rested in a secluded section of the woods. The fire before him lit up the area as the sun was just now coming up over the horizon. Marita rested near him, covered in a blanket. McKay had just finished making the coffee; a fleeting thought of when they were going to run out. Taylor yawned as it has been a while since she had been up this early. As the Australian then poured himself some coffee, he looked up at the rustling of the bushes. John then emerged from the foliage, with Mia in hand. The young Lakota girl yawned at the early rising. “Morning everybody,” she said.

“Morning, Mia,” McKay smirked, “Coffee?”

“Oh, God, yes,” she said, sitting down, “And as much sugar as you can spare.”

“I know the feeling,” he said, handing her the packets.

“Well, Tony,” John said, sitting down, “Are you gonna tell us what this is all about?”

“Not yet.” He replied.

“Why not?”

“Because we are not all here.”

Mia sipped on her coffee, then looked to her right as another group of people emerged from the jungle. Locke came into view with Kate right behind him. Then seconds later, Sayid appeared with Jack in tow. The doctor was rubbing his hair, which seemed to be standing all on the right side. “That is a serious case of bed-head, Jack,” John chuckled.

“Shut up and hand me some coffee,” he grunted, sitting down and rubbing his hair down at the same time.

Kate rubbed her face. She didn’t like the way she looked early in the morning either. Sayid yawned and stretched. Locke handed Jack the coffee after McKay fixed it. Marita then sat up, and stretched. “We’re all here, Tony,” she told him.

“Very well,” he moaned, straightening his sunglasses.

“What’s going on, my friend?” Sayid asked, “Why the secret meeting?”

“Because, Sayid, what I am about to tell you, most of you will find disturbing. Others I hope will understand why I chose to keep this a secret.” The blind doctor sighed.

“What secret, Tony?” asked John.

“Before I start, let me first say that I trust the majority of people on the beach. The people you see gathered here today are the people I trust above all else.”

“Much appreciated, Tony, “ McKay sipped his coffee, “Now what is this secret?”

Tony slowly lowered his head. He rubbed his cheek slightly as he started to talk. “Kate, you remember when you asked me where Belmont was going when he kidnapped me and Marita?” he asked.

“Yeah, I remember.” She whispered.

“I said he wasn’t going anywhere, cause he had panicked. That was not the truth. The truth was he knew exactly where he was going.”

The group went silent. John listened in carefully, to hear every single word that his blind friend was saying. Tony took in another deep breath. “Belmont said, “ he continued, “That he was going to leave this Island in the dust within two weeks. That was six days ago. By what he was saying . . .in another 8 days, something would have arrived on this Island to take him far away.”

“Something?” Jack raised an eyebrow.

“A vessel of some kind, Jack,” Tony told him, “ By all the dialogue I overheard him say, I believe this transport’s name is The Rogue. And it’s coming to this Island.”

The implications of what was their blind friend was saying was starting to slowly sink into their brains. Mia rubbed her lips, thinking about her last night’s dream. Jack was flabbergasted; he wanted to scream at Tony for keeping this information secret, but looking at Kate, reminded him of the discretion that he himself had to deal with. John rubbed his fingers through his hair and then turned back to his friend. “What kind of transport are we talking about here, Tony?” he asked.

“That’s the major issue, John,” he replied, “I honestly don’t know. All Belmont said was he’d leave this place in the dust. What that translates too, I don’t know.”

“It’s got to be a boat of some kind,” Kate mentioned, “I mean . . .it’s probably fast, that’s why he said, leave it in the dust.”

“Hold on, Kate, “ Sayid replied, “Leaving the Island in the dust could have many implications. It could be a plane for all we know.”

“It just might be a plane,” Tony said, “The more I am thinking about it the more it seems likely. Belmont said that they were heading to a place called Broadway. Now when I think of Broadway, I think of flashing lights . . .flashing lights might mean a runway.”

“Or it might not.” John said.

“Yes, that is true. All we have here is speculation. But the reason I have gathered you here this morning, is what are we going to do about it?”

The group thought about what he said. It all made sense of why they were gathered there. There was something approaching the Island in eight days; a vessel, a plane, something. Was it the hope they were looking for? “If it’s a boat,” McKay piped in, “Then there are bound to be more members of the Liberation on board.”

“Agreed,” Locke said, “Therefore, I think it’s best if we go there and await for them. That way we can determine if we can make use of their vessel.”

“And if we can’t?” Jack asked.

“Then we stop them and we continue to be safe. Reason number 2 for venturing out to this Broadway place.”

“Fine. Then assemble a group of the soldiers we have and go to it.”

“No, we can’t do that,” Tony then pointed, “If we take John, Sayid, Kellye and any others that are good with a gun it will cause a panic among the remaining group. We can’t do that.”

“But Tony . . .we have to tell them what is happening.” Kate replied.

“No, Kate, we can’t,” Marita said, “We still do not know what The Rogue is. If we tell them that we’re in route to a foreign area of the Island to see if we can secure a ship called The Rogue. What would happen if we get there and the Rogue is . . .a submarine? With over sixty members of the Liberation? Not only would we be dead but we would be giving them false hope.”

The gathering gave a sigh of silence that they knew Marita was right. They had to be sure and if they were wrong, they would destroy what hope remained in the group. But it didn’t change the fact that the possibility existed that a group of The Liberation were on their way to the Island and they could possibly secure their vessel for their escape to the Island. “Are we in agreement?” Tony asked, “That, even though it’s risky, some chance to get off the Island is the better chance.”

“Are we sure about this?” Jack shrugged, “I mean, there is still a chance we might get a rescue boat-“

“We’re pass that, Jack!” the blind doctor grunted, “In a few days, it will become two months that we have been stuck here. I know how rescue operations work. Our families may be clinging onto hope but the coast guard and the Navy will soon declare us dead. We have to get off this Island by ourselves.”

“How long were you going to sit on this information, Tony?” John asked.

“Until I was absolutely sure, everybody needed to know” the blind man sighed, “Things have been changing here. Everybody’s emotions are becoming dried out. Jenny mentioned she wants to go home. Clay, Charlie and Seth are fighting. And recent events . . .have prompted Mandy to suggest building another raft. The time for us to leave is now.”

“Then who will go to retrieve this . . .Rogue?” Sayid asked.

“I will be the first to go,” Tony sighed, “I learned about it so I must shoulder the responsibility to whether this is real hope or false hope.”

“Tony will need a set of eyes, “ Marita said, taking his arm, “I will go as well.”

McKay finished off his coffee and sighed. “I better go,” he coughed, “I’ve handled some boats in my times, so I can pilot it out . . . .if it is indeed a boat.”

“Wait a second,” Kate piped in, “I can handle boats too. I am coming.”

“Kate, it might be dangerous, “Jack mentioned.

“How can it be any more dangerous that what we went through?” the brunette retorted, “I was hanging down on open silo, Jack. Not to mention, nearly being strangled by a 8 foot albino freak. I can handle myself.”

“Fine, Kate can go too,” Taylor said, “Who else?”

“If the Rogue is a plane, we should have somebody who knows how to fly.” Tony whispered.

“Jack knows how,” Kate pointed.

“WHAT?” he gasped, “No, I don’t!”

“You said you took a pilot’s course.” The brunette retorted.

“Yeah, TEN YEARS ago. I told you it wasn’t for me.”

“But that makes you the closer candidate, Jack,” Locke smirked, “You really should go.”

“Are you going?”

“Yes, I am.” The bald man smiled.

“Sir, why are you going?” Mia then asked.

“I’m still reading through Fender’s journal,” he sighed, leaning back.

John blinked in rapid succession. “You . . .took Fender’s journal?” he gasped.

“He wasn’t gonna need it.” Locke said, making a small joke.

“Does he mention anything about The Rogue or Broadway?” Tony then asked.

“Bits and pieces here and there. He mentioned that The Rogue’s main purpose was supplies. Maybe it is a boat? He did mention something about the Broadway that was interesting so I must go.”

“What was so interesting?” Sayid asked.

“He said that Broadway was a joke but the major purpose was to maintain The Shark Tank. Whatever that means.”

“The Shark Tank?” Jack questioned.

“Okay, so that is McKay, Tony, Marita, Locke, and Kate,” Taylor said, “who else?”

“I will go as well,” Sayid sighed, “You will need someone who knows how to work a gun. John, are you in?”

“Hell yeah, I am in. I can’t let Tony and McKay walk out there without someone to watch their backs.” The archer smiled.

Mia closed her eyes. She was warned by Brendon about this and she admired John’s loyalty to his friends. However, she knew full well that John needed to remain on the beach. She gently reached over and touched his arm. “John, you need to stay on the beach with us.” Mia said plainly.

“Huh?” John said turning to her.

“Mia, I know this is a risky venture but we need John’s skill with the bow with us,” McKay mentioned.

“No, he really needs to stay with us. I mean, HE REALLY needs to,” she hissed.

“Why, Mia?” Locke asked.

“It’s nothing. She just is scared for his safety,” the Australian retorted.

“She’s been scared before but she knew to trust I would have the skill to make it out alive,” the archer turned to face his girlfriend, “Mia, tell me; why do I need to remain behind?”

“John, please just trust me on this.” The Lakota girl mentioned.

“I do trust you, Mia but I have to hear it. I am not going to risk the lives of my best friends without damn good reason. Now, please, tell me why I should remain on the beach.”

Mia stared into his cool green eyes. She loved him and the last thing she wanted him to be was disappointed in her. She didn’t think it would be this hard to convince him but she realized, Brendon had given her a tip. He had said the easiest way for John to be convinced to stay was to tell him the truth. Was it really that easy? Mia took a deep breath and looked at him. “I had a dream that you should stay on the beach.” She whispered.

John’s face froze for a second. He literally looked like he had just seen a ghost. “Really?” he gulped.

“Yes,” she said.

John slowly turned to face the group. He breathed calmly, still holding Mia’s hand. “Sorry, guys,” he whispered, “I gotta stay.”

“Huh?” Jack coughed.

“It’s all right, John. We understand.” Tony whispered.

“Wait a damn second,” the doctor stood up, “John is not going because Mia dreamed he shouldn’t? Does anybody have any idea how crazy that sounds?”

“No more crazy than a giant robot, or a talking computer named Watchman, Jack.” John mentioned.

“Yes, I realize that was extraordinary but I saw the science behind it. Mia . . having fortune telling dreams . . .I just can’t . . .:

“I don’t expect you to believe, Jack but others do and that is what’s important to me.” Mia said, honestly.

Jack rubbed his face. The fact that the future could be foretold was a little bit more hard to swallow than what he had faced. Locke then stood up and faced the man. “Jack, Mia is right. I trust her dreams more than I trust other peoples facts. Are you upset that she has the ability . . . that she might have been able to prevent things . . .like Boone’s death?”

“We are not getting into that discussion, John,” Jack hissed.

“Why is it so difficult for you to believe?” Locke asked.

“WHY IS IT SO EASY FOR YOU?” The doctor screamed back.

“IT’S NOT EASY!!!” the older man retorted, “It’s never been EASY! It’s what I had to do to make through this, Jack. I can’t explain Mia’s gifts but I can tell she has them. I look at her . . . .and I make a leap of faith.”

Mia was nearly moved to tears; hearing how much conviction that the older man had. Jack slowly lowered his head, putting his hands on his hips. They were all waiting to see what he had to say. Kate gently touched his leg, letting him know she stood by him. Jack then leaned up and took a deep breath. “The Rogue may be a plane,” he whispered, “I will go to make sure it’s flyable.”

“Thank you, Jack.” Tony replied.

Jack then turned around and began to walk away. The others then slowly stood up, seeing as their meeting was over. “Make whatever preparations you need to,” Tony said, “We pull out tomorrow morning.”

The group began to disperse. Mia and John held hands, then were about to leave. “John, Mia, a moment please,” Tony said.

The young couple came up to their friends. Marita stuck around and was interested in Tony was going to ask. Mia looked back at everybody else as they walked away. “It’s sad that Jack got so upset,” she mentioned.

“He’s a man of science,” Tony smiled, “Everything that he has been brought up to believe has been thrown into question over the last week. He’s just having difficulty adjusting. I must admit . . .I went through the same process.”

“You do believe Mia’s dream, Tony?” John asked.

“Mia’s abilities led us to this beach. I can’t explain it but I know she has them. But now, I have to ask . . .Mia, do you have any insight as to what we are going to face?”

“Not much to tell, Tony,” she whispered, hugging her arms, “Vague images that I must interpret. I remember images of rain, Sharks, wind and other stuff.”

“Sharks?” John gasped, “Locke mentioned The Shark Tanks. Maybe it is connected somehow.”

“Mia, maybe you should go, “ Marita said, “If you have had the vision of this, then maybe you could help discover what is up with this . .shark tank business.”

“Actually, under any normal circumstances, I would jump at the chance but I must remain behind as well. I have to insure . . .other events don’t come to pass. So, on that note, Tony, I would like to make a request of you.”

“What’s up?”

“Take Shanna with you.”

“Shanna?” John raised an eyebrow, “Is that a good idea? I mean, she did pretty good to get Claire’s baby back but I don’t know if she can handle this sort of thing.”

“She has a deeper strength than most people realize. She will be my eyes in this journey. Besides, it would probably do her good to take a trip with you guys.”

“Very well, I trust you judgment.” Tony said, taking Marita by the hand and going back to the beach,.

John smiled and extended his hand; allowing Mia to take it. The young couple followed their friends toward the arising sun. Mia’s heart weighed heavily over the course of what was happening. She did not want to tell them that Shanna needed to go so she didn’t die at the hands of the Liberation. If they knew, they wouldn’t leave and possibly blow all chance to secure The Rogue. Mia had every confidence that they would get through whatever happened while they away.

She had no reason to believe Brendon would steer her wrong.