Lost Fan Fiction

What about the people in the tail section?

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Location: Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Part 275: Tale of Two Sisters

Jenny finally found a secluded area of the beach. She had been wanting some time alone for a while. Mia had let her in on the fact that Jack had left with a group of others to hopefully secure a boat for transport off the Island. Jenny was slightly upset that Jack didn’t want her to go with him; she could have been able to fend off any problem. Or was it the simply the need to be with the one person she considered family within a mile radius?

Jenny took off her shoes and stepped into the sand. She slowly pulled out the nunchuks, given to her by Raven. She let her hand glide over the silver casing with the Japanese Dragon logo on each handle. Who was Raven? Was he American or was he Oriental? Why was he dressed like a Ninja, using garments stolen from the Liberation? There was so much information she wanted to learn about him but unfortunately he took all his secrets to his grave. Jenny didn’t want him to die but afterwards, with Jack’s help, she understood why he wanted to. Raven was a unique individual; altered by whoever worked for the Dharma Corporation. It was like he had some form of cancer and he had not been allowed to die. For fifty years.

She couldn’t even fathom the suffering he went through.

Jenny began to slowly twirl the nunchuks. She was familiar with them as a weapon but rarely used them. She began to flip and twirl them again; beginning to create a sound in the air similar to a helicopter blade. The young teenager then did her Jeet Kune Do attacks, utilizing her new weapon. She swung the nunchuks through the air, fighting at her imaginary enemies. The sound was getting louder. Jenny leaned up and did a drop kick into the air and then flung the nunchuks around again. She paused for a second after hearing a loud smash echo in her ears. Jenny gulped as she stopped her exercise. She had no idea she had wound up near a bamboo tree and smashed a chuck out of it. “WOW!” someone laughed.

Jenny turned and saw Kellye standing a few feet away from her, clapping. “That was amazing.” She laughed.

“Oh, “ the teenager replied, “Thank you.”

“How long did it take you to learn that skill, Jenny?” the girl soldier said.

“Oh, two years, roughly. I’d been training since I was 8 but in the last four years, my sensei’s said I adapted quicker than most.”

“Hmm,” Kellye replied, sitting down on a fallen log,” That’s kinda interesting.”

“What is?” Jenny replied, sitting down next to her.

“I’m 20 years old. I’ve only been in the military for roughly 2 and a half years. My superiors said the same thing about me; I adapted quickly.”

“Why did you join the military, Kellye?” the young teenager said, wiping her sweat.

“Family business,” she sighed.

Jenny paused for a second, as she reached for her water bottle. It didn’t take much to notice the sadness in the soldier’s voice. She then took a sip of her water and handed it to her friend. “Is the family . . .still in the business?” Jenny asked.

“Right now . . .just me.” Kellye sipped the water, “My dad made it to Captain but he was killed while he was trying to quell some riots in a South African town. My uncle Ralph was killed by shrapnel getting stuck in his brain. And . . . .my brother Brian was . . .gunned down in Iraq.”

“Oh, man,” Jenny whispered.

“He was always brave, Brian,” the curly haired girl said, a small tear forming in her left eye, “They said, one of his regiment was shot chest. Brian . ..ran back for him and grabbed him, only to be shot in the back. He . . .was killed instantly.”

“I’m sorry, Kellye,” the young blonde took her hand.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I am telling you this.”

“Maybe you need to?” she smiled sympathetically, “I don’t mind listening. Where were you when you heard Brian was shot?”

“Digging trenches,” she laughed a little bit, “They always make the girls do the crap work.”

“Digging . . . oh, my God, Kellye . . . .you were there??”

“Yeah, I was. I did my best not to cry over his body . . but I couldn’t help it. They processed his body and sent it on it’s way back home. I attended his funeral and came back home. They were kind enough to let me have his dog tags.”

She gently pulled out the metal necklace from within her shirt. She showed Jenny the dog tags that she wore. The teenager read them both and smiled that she saw two tags; one was Kellye’s and the other was her brother Brian. “I stayed another 9 months, doing my duty,” she said, tucking the tags back in, “Then they let me go.”

“Let you go?” Jenny asked.

“Yeah, apparently . . .there is some weird clause in the military literature and laws, that no family will ever been wiped out due to War. I heard it dated back to World War II. Anyway, the rule is, if three members of a family get killed in the line of duty, then no other members of that same family will be allowed to serve.”

“Your father . . .your Uncle . . .then Brian made three.”

“That’s right. I was honorable discharged and sent on my way home. However, I couldn’t go home just yet, so I went to Australia. To get centered and wondered what I wanted to do with my life.”

“What did you come to the conclusion of?”

“:I haven’t,” she laughed, “But I am still open to suggestions.”

“What made you want to come home? Home sick?”

“In a way,” she said, rubbing her right eyebrow, “But it’s really in regards to Jesse.”

“Boyfriend?” Jenny giggled.

“My younger brother,” Kellye playfully shoved her, “He was getting into trouble. Mom gave me a call and told me to come on home when I was ready but Jesse . . .he sounded sad. I think losing Dad and Brian took more out of him then he realized. I think he needed me to be there for him. I only hope . . .he doesn’t think I am dead now.”

Jenny slowly turned her head and stared into the sand. She pushed her feet back and forth, creating more craters into the grainy substance. Kellye paused in her reflection of her family and noticed the blonde teenager was also lost in thought. “Jenny?” the girl soldier said.

“I was just thinking . .” she whispered, “You and I have something in common.”

“Oh?” Kellye inquired.

“I was going home . ..to comfort a sibling too. My older sister Sarah.”

“Oh,” the curly haired sighed, “How about that?”

“Yeah, how about that?” the blonde sighed.

Kellye gently patted on her shoulder. “Pretty nice being a sister, huh?” she grinned.

“Yeah, I like it.” Jenny agreed.

“So . . .why don’t you show me more of that kung fu chop suey stuff.”

Kellye made some hap-hazard attempts at karate moves and screamed like Bruce Lee. Jenny smirked, making the girl put her hands down. The young blonde then stood up and proceeded to continue her exercise. Since she had already damaged the bamboo tree, she continued to use it as an opponent. Kellye leaned in, bracing her head on her arm. Watching Jenny show off her marital arts flawlessly was like watching a professional dancer; her motions were perfect.

Without any enemy soldiers and giant robots, plus invisible monsters around, it made for the perfect entertainment.

Part 274: The Journeymen . . .and women

The road was looking more and more bleak. It had been a while since they started walking and as a result, the dirt road seemed like it was stretching onto forever. “Well, this might be a good sign,” Locke said, “It’s entirely possibly this make shift road will go all the way to Broadway.”

“By any chance, will it go to Broadway, New York?” asked Shanna, wiping her sweat.

“No,” the older man smiled plainly.

Tony smiled, as the group continued their walking, making slide jokes here and there. He was sorry that the prisoners escaped in time to steal the jeep but they had walked across the entire Island to get to Jack and his crew last time. Walking to the other side of the Island shouldn’t be that big of a problem. Marita adjusted her hat then took Tony’s hand again, guiding him. The blind doctor turned his head toward her direction and smiled. The Latina was a little thrown back by the direction he tilted his head. “Tony,” she whispered, “ Are you looking at me?”

“If my eyes worked, yeah,” he grinned.

“Just wait, Tone. When we leave this Island, you will get the best doctors and they will fix your remaining eye and then you’ll be able to see again.”

“Sure,” he smiled.

He kept up the positive attitude, mostly for Marita’s sake. He didn’t know the extent of the damage to his eye so he wasn’t sure if any laser or surgery procedure could fix it. He wasn’t all that sad about it; he knew he would have Marita by his side.

Locke jogged ahead past Sayid and wound up with McKay in the lead. The bald man smiled as his fellow bald man. “Excited?” McKay asked.

“The Island never fails to keep me entertained.” Locke grinned.

“Makes me wonder something about you, old man,” the Australian mused.

“What might that be?”

“Say for instance, we do find a way off this Island . . . are you actually going to take it?”

“You think I might stay behind?” Locke chuckled.

“If you did, I think Mia might be heart broken.” McKay smirked.

“Yes, “ the older man smiled, “I think I would too.”

“You familiar with the Odyssey, Locke?” the Australian asked.

“Yes, once of Homer’s best stories. I prefer it to the Battle of Troy.”

“One of things I remember about Odysseus is that what was told to him by the blind prophet.”

“He kept focusing on the end goal but it was the Journey that made up his life,” Locke answered for him, “You see me as an Odysseus?”

“In a way,” the Australian replied, “I don’t think it’s the end goal that will define you for who you are. It’s the journey that will make up your life.”

Locke smiled. “I like that.” He agreed.

Behind Tony and Marita, Jack walked along until Sawyer came up to his left. The redneck lit up a cigarette then blew out the smoke into the air. The doctor groaned a bit, as he hated cigarette smoke. Somehow he suspected Sawyer knew that. “Sawyer, would it be possible for you to be any less annoying?” Jack asked.

“Possibly,” Sawyer replied, “But something tells me . . .I’d screw it up.”

“Well, at least you are honest about it.”

“Let me ask you something, Jack.” The redneck took a drag from his cigarette.

“Yeah? What?” the doctor inquired.

“McKay mentioned that Kate suggested me for this trip and it was you that gave me a vote of confidence to the group about it. That true?”

“Yeah, it is.” Jack sighed.

“Not that I don’t mind getting on your nerves but why would you do that?” the southern man questioned.

“You know the old saying, Sawyer,” Jack smirked, “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”

Sawyer blinked. “So we are enemies then?” he asked.

Jack looked at him, noticing the sincerity in his voice. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “Are we friends?”

The redneck finished off his cigarette and flung it away. “I don’t think so,” he confessed, “But I don’t want to be your enemy either. I reckon you and me . . .are somewhere in between.”

“I can live with that.” Jack smirked.

“Me too,” Sawyer extended his hand.

The doctor smiled and took it, shaking his hand. Behind them Kate smiled at the sincere if only brief show of brotherhood between them. She would rather they not bicker over pointless things anyway. The brunette turned to her redheaded friend; noticing that her head was tilted in a downward direction. “Stop staring at his butt,” Kate whispered to her.

“Sorry,” she whispered back.

Jack and Sawyer then turned around to look at them both. Shanna and Kate returned their gaze with bright, innocent smiles. The two men turned to each other, having confusing looks. They thought they over heard what the two young ladies said but the question was, whose buttocks were they talking about? Sawyer felt like questioning it but he was interrupted by Marita making mention of something. “There is a jeep ahead,” the Latina said.

The group turned their focus onto the wrecked vehicle further up the road. It was collided with a tree, practically hugging it. “Is that the jeep the old man stole?” Jack asked.

“Naw, “ Sawyer mentioned, “It’s Belmont’s jeep, when he took Co-cheese and the chica.”

“Is Belmont’s body over there?” Locke asked.

“Nope,” Tony sighed, “The Polliwog got him.”

“Then whose body is that?” McKay pointed as he got closer.

“It’s bound to be Pristine,” the blind doctor answered, “She was killed in the jeep when it crashed.”

“She isn’t in the jeep, Tony, she’s on the ground . .OH, GOD!” McKay turned his head.

“McKay, what is it?” asked Shanna alarmed.

“Don’t come up here, darlin,” the Australian warned.

Locke held his mouth as he took a closer look. Pristine’s body was in the front of the jeep and judging by the lacerations and missing pieces all over her body, it didn’t look like anybody moved it that was human. “She’s been ripped apart,” the bald man coughed, “Probably boars.”

“Oh, gross,” the redhead felt sick.

“Close your eyes, baby doll,” Sawyer said, extending his hand.

The drummer closed her eyes and allowed the southern man to guide her past the carnage. She held her mouth trying not to get sick from the stench. Kate helped push her past the body of the former female leader in the Liberation. The group finally made it past all of that and kept walking. Sayid mentioned it would be dark soon.

No choice but to make camp. They wouldn’t be able to secure The Rogue if they were dead tired from walking.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Part 273: Time and Time

Libby wandered the beach area as the morning started to become in full swing. The therapist looked at everybody, noticing the trend that had fallen before her. The cliques; everybody had their own little groups and they huddled together. It was natural in any type of settings; military, schools or whatever. Libby wondered what clique she had fallen into to. Was it her fellow survivors of the Bunker or was it Hal’s little group he had formed involving her, Karleigh and Dutch? In the end it probably didn’t matter. Libby had finally found Hal. He was down by the beach and he appeared to be talking to Mia and John.

Libby walked up to them. John then shook the hand of the police officer. “Thanks, Hal. I knew we could count on you.” The archer smiled.

“Thanks for keeping me in the loop.” He replied.

“Morning, Libby,” Mia said as she and John began to walk away.

“Wait, you don’t have to leave on my account.” She retorted.

“It’s nothing personal, “ the Lakota girl laughed, “We have a few other people to go chat with. Hal can fill you in.”

Libby watched the young couple walk up the beach, hand in hand. The strawberry blonde turned to the man by her side. “What’s going on, Hal?” she asked.

“Have a seat, Libby,” Hal said, crouching into the sand himself.

Libby crossed her legs as she sat down, facing the cop. Hal rubbed his chin and then looked to her. “A group of us left earlier this morning,” he said, “They were following a hunch that there is an area of this Island that the Liberation used as a . . port of some kind.”

“Port of call?” Libby followed up.

“Possibly. They believe that a boat or plane called the Rogue will be there. They are going to secure us this vessel.”

“Believe?” the therapist raised an eyebrow,” They don’t actually know?”

“That’s right. It may simply be an unfortunate goose chase but they are willing to take the risk,”

“I hope they find it.” She sighed, “Thank you for telling me.”

“I trust you. You deserve to know.”

Libby then twisted around and sat closer to Hal, putting her head on his shoulder. The cop was a little taken back by her instance cuddling. But as his goose bumps faded, he slowly put his arm around her. Libby closed her eyes and smiled. “Did you see the sun rise this morning, Hal? It was a lovely mix of orange and yellow.” She said, making small talk.

“I never miss it,” he whispered.

Libby paused for a second. There was a sense of sadness in what he had just said. Libby leaned up so she could look at him. “You never miss a sunrise? Ever?” she asked.

“No,” he slowly looked down, “Cause I know . . .my boy is looking at it to.”

Libby gently rubbed his arm, as he thought about his son.

“There was a game we had played when he was young,” Hal said, trying to hold back his tears, “One morning we were off to see my mother. She lived faraway, so we had to get up early to get there at a decent hour. Ian . . .said he didn’t want to go outside cause it was still dark. I told him not to worry, cause at 7:30 am the sun was gonna rise. I knew that because I had seen it in yesterday’s paper.”

Libby smiled at Hal sharing this warm memory with her.

“Sure enough when seven-thirty came around, the sun was up. Ian was so happy. He kept saying, When’s it coming up tomorrow? When’s it coming up Tomorrow? For the next year or two, I made it a habit to know when the weather man would say the sun would rise in case Ian ever asked.”

“Oh, Hal, that is beautiful,” the therapist smiled.

“You think so?” he said, wiping a tear, “Some of my friends back at the precinct thought it was disturbing. That I was obsessing over my dead son.”

“It’s not obsessing. You are remembering the good memories, as any parent would.”

Hal smiled at her sensitive attitude. The cop then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, Libby,” he smiled, “I haven’t opened up to much of any one until you came along.”

“I am glad I was able to be here for you, Hal. I think . . .in a way, you’ve been good to me too.” She said, taking his hand.

She shifted back over to him, sitting side by side. “Now tell me about Ian,” she grinned, “I want to hear what kind of boy he was.”

Hal smiled as big as he smiled before. He always enjoyed sharing his memories of his lost son.



The afternoon was fully encompassing the jungle; by the indication of the familiar jungle heart. The group that had made their way toward the Outpost had finally arrived. Sayid kneeled behind the bushes, scanning the area of the compound with his binoculars. Jack rested behind him with Locke and McKay. Sawyer was leaning against a tree, with Kate and Shanna nearby. Tony stayed with Marita, holding her hand as they leaned in. “Any sign of movement, Sayid?” Tony whispered.

“No,” he said, lowering the binoculars, “I see nothing.”

“Then what the hell are we waiting for?” Sawyer hissed.

“Just being cautious, Sawyer,” Jack shot him a glance, “Or have you forgotten about our prisoners we left behind?”

“You guys took prisoners?” asked Shanna with wild eyes.

“Didn’t have no choice in the matter.” The redneck grunted.

“All right, we will proceed down in two by two cover formations, the first thing we will check is the underground cell, to confirm our prisoners are still there.”

“We’re one short on those numbers, Mohammed,” Sawyer grinned, “I suggest I watch over Kate and Shanna.”

“Not surprising,” McKay grunted.

“Fine, whatever, “Tony replied, “ Sawyer, you got first and Kate with Shanna will follow you.”

“I was hoping for the other way around, Co-Cheese,” the redneck grinned.

“Sawyer!” Kate squeaked, “Let’s secure the compound, then you can make jokes.”

“Fine, fine,” he grunted.

Sayid then emerged from the woods and began to walk toward the compound with Jack by his side. Locke and McKay emerged next, then followed by Tony and Marita. Sawyer pulled out his shot gun and kept it trained on anything he could see; Kate followed behind, taking Shanna by the hand who was nervous simply being there.

Jack pulled out his side arm and followed Sayid toward the bunker. The Iraqi turned the corner and then felt alarmed when he noticed the protruding door, with the blasted off door handle. The doctor beside him was alarmed as well; seeing how it was obvious the soldiers had managed to get the shotgun they left behind. Locke and McKay approached from the opposite side. The Australian was the first to reel from the smell and sight before him. Locke paused for a second, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. They had found two of the prisoners.

And they were dead.

“Is that smell what I think it is?” Tony said.

Marita buried her head in his chest. Locke slowly kneeled down. “Gun shot wounds,” he whispered, “From the smell and the flies buzzing around them, I’d say they’ve been dead two maybe three days.”

“There is only two here,” Sayid mentioned, “Where are the other two?”

“Why would the old man kill two of his comrades?” Sawyer asked.

“McKay, you might want to go check on the jeep,” the blind doctor mentioned.

McKay then turned and ran toward the area he knew to be the garage area. Sayid then motioned for Sawyer and Jack to check the other parts of the compound, in case Kreegan and the other soldier were still there. Locke then turned to the remaining people. “Why don’t we head toward the control room until they get back?” the old man suggested.

“Good idea, “ Tony motioned, “ Kate? Shanna?”

The small group made their way to the control room where Mia had communicated with Watchman the whole time of their ordeal. Locke stepped in first, coughing from the musty smell. A few dead leaves had swept in from the wind while they were away. Tony walked in and Marita directed him toward a chair. Kate walked in with Shanna less than two inches from her. The brunette thought it was amusing that a few hours ago they were arguing over two men and at the moment, due to the spookiness of the compound, the redhead was not leaving her side. “Are we safe here?” Shanna immediately asked.

“We’ll know in a few moments.” Tony replied.

Shanna looked around and found a place to sit, next to one of the bigger monitors. She sat down and looked at the keyboard, marveling at how much of an antique it was. “Kate sat there,” Locke smiled, “She talked with Watchman and helped to save our lives by stopping Fender.”

“She told me.” Shanna smiled, proud of her friend.

Then everybody jumped when they heard McKay yelling. Locke peered out the door and saw the Australian calling for the other men. The older man was able to hear what his friend was saying as did Tony. “They are gone,” the blind man whispered, “McKay said the jeep is missing.”

“So much for a leisurely drive to Broadway,” Marita sighed.

“They might be trying to get to the Rogue ahead of us.” Kate said, a little bit alarmed.

Within seconds, Jack, Sayid, Sawyer and McKay walked up to the control room. Locke looked to the men with concern. “Any sign?” he asked.

“Besides the missing jeep and the food stores that have been raided, not really.” Jack said.

“The older man and one more soldier are no longer here. Clearly they are trying to get to the Rogue before we do.” Sayid said.

“All the more reason we should leave now.” Sawyer said.

“Agreed,” Tony stood up, “Kreegan and his partner will have the jeep. He may have enough gas to get where he needs to go; he may not. But we have to make our way now and hope he doesn’t warn the Rogue that there is a group of survivors on the Island.”

“So much for a good night’s sleep.” Kate rolled her eyes.

“Hey, if you need a place to sleep-“ Sawyer grinned.

“DO NOT . . .finish that sentence.” The brunette warned.

“Oh, suki, suki, now. She’s playing hardball.” The redneck walked behind her.

The group then began their journey yet again but this time it was toward the direct path of the Broadway area. The dirt road was a little muddy due to recent rains. The friends stayed with each other, huddled together for security purposes. McKay led the way with Tony and Marita behind him. The blind doctor felt safe with his Australian companion.

Hopefully the journey will be uneventful.

Monday, November 28, 2005

Part 272: Day 54

The day had arrived almost quicker than anybody had expected. Jack yawned as he finished putting on his shirt. He quickly grabbed his backpack that he had packed the night before. He began his trek into the woods, seeing Kate’s smiling face waiting for him. The two friends just shared their smile as they walked off to meet up with the others.


Tony took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eye. Even though he couldn’t see from it, it didn’t stop him from getting the morning eye mucus. Marita rubbed his back as she waited on the others. Shanna seemed to be the only one that was up, with a happy attitude. Sayid found it amusing. “How did Flower take to your departure?” the Iraqi asked.

“She’s okay with it,” the redhead smiled, “Alexander will look after her and considering her scare she had the other day, I don’t think she is eager to venture into the woods anyway. So I don’t have to worry about following me.”

“Good,” Sayid smiled.

“How is Andra by the way?”

“She weeps at night. I fear she misses her mother but like any pain, it will fade in time.”

“The whole point is to be there for her when she needs you, Sayid.” Tony smiled.

“As I will. I promised her mother.”

Then from the direction of the caves emerged Jack and Kate. Within a few seconds more, McKay and Locke appeared into the wooded area. The group gathered around themselves, looking at each other. They all knew what they had to do and the odds were stacked against them. Tony took a deep breath. He wanted John by his side, he trusted his best friend to protect him and the people he cared about. However, in the absence of the best shot, more numbers probably wouldn’t help. “Do you think we should bring one more person?” he asked.

“Who?” asked Sayid.

“Who knows best how to work a gun?”

“Hal does,” Marita mentioned.

“He protected the group before and they trust him,” Jack said, “We should leave him on the beach. The group will look up to him.”

“Dutch did pretty good, what about him?” Marita mentioned again.

“Sawyer knows how to work a gun,” Kate piped in.

“I was reluncant to bring him in on this due to the nature of what we are after,” Tony whispered.

“He was pretty useful in the battle with the Liberation, Tony.”

“I know, Kate but I wasn’t thinking of that. I was thinking of that debacle we went through during the building of Micheal’s raft. He ousted you as a fugitive, remember? What else is his capable of if it turns out we find a real boat?”

“Still doesn’t change the fact that he is good with a weapon, Tony,” Jack mentioned.

The blind man raised his head. Due to their colorful history, he wasn’t expecting his fellow doctor to take up for the redneck. “So you are cool with Sawyer coming with us?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am cool with it.” Jack mentioned.

“I’ll go get him,” McKay said, turning around.

“Once you get him, McKay, hook up with us on route toward The Outpost.” Tony called.

“Will do,” he said, disappearing into the foliage.

The group then turned and began their trek into the dense jungle. Kate turned and began to follow the others. For a brief moment, she saw Shanna looking back toward where McKay was walking with a slight twinkle in her eye. When the redhead noticed Kate was looking at her, she quickly stopped smiling and proceeded to follow the others. The brunette was curious about what the quick but excited look was all about.


McKay stomped into the sand as he landed into the beach. He walked past all the other sleeping people and made his way to Sawyer’s tent. He then immediately pulled back the tent tarp and saw Sawyer naked. McKay immediately turned his head, grunting. “There are children on the beach, Sawyer.” The Australian hissed.

“Nice cliché, Curley,” he smirked, putting on his boxer briefs, “I got another one for you. Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“Skip the comments from the peanut gallery, Sawyer. You are coming with me.”

“Is it someplace with candle light?”

McKay smirked. “This was a good idea.”

“What was a good idea?”

“A bunch of us are going hunting. We felt we needed a extra hand, especially one who can use a weapon. Kate suggested you.”

Sawyer raised an eyebrow as he put on his flannel shirt, “Kate is on this hunting party?”

“You bet.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” the redneck bent down and uncovered his shotgun, “I am in the mood to hunt with Freckles.”

“Pack a bag while you are it. Fresh change of clothes and such.”

Sawyer paused for a second. He then turned toward his left and started to do as the Australian ordered. “This hunting party, Curly,” he coughed, “How long is it going to last?”

“A few days. Seven probably.” McKay said, finally looking at the clothed man.

“Seven days?” the redneck got curious.

“The boar are moving up into the distance of the upper valley, Sawyer. We got to go where the meat is.”

Sawyer shrugged. “Sounds like a plan.” He agreed, picking up his shotgun and backpack.

McKay and Sawyer then started to walk up the hill away from the valley. The Australian pushed his way through the bushes as the southern man followed behind. Sawyer adjusted his backpack; clipping the straps across his chest. He wondered what they were really up to. He didn’t mind hunting for boar with anybody. But he knew John and McKay were the best to hunt besides Locke.

So why was John still sleeping with Mia?



Locke led the way through the bushes, knowing the route toward the Hatch and then further onto The Outpost. If they didn’t stop, they would make it by late afternoon. Sayid followed behind with Tony and Marita behind him. Jack followed them with Kate and Shanna bringing up the rear. They were evenly spaced between each other. The brunette looked to the redhead with a slight grin. “You excited, Shanna?” she asked.

“Yeah, Kinda,” she replied, “More nervous than anything.”

“Yeah, it would be nervous wondering if we are going to find a boat or not.”

“I am dead eager to get off this Island. How about you, Kate?”

“Yes, I am ready to leave as well.”

Shanna stepped over a dead log, making sure she would miss the puddle collected near it. “Kate, can I ask you a question?” she grunted, landing past the puddle.

“Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

“What is Sawyer like?”

Kate paused of a second, “How you mean? I figured you know him just as well as I do.”

“Well, I never really spoke with him. All I know is what I learned when we played that game of I Never.” Shanna retorted.

“That’s pretty much all there is to know.” The brunette chuckled.

“But you know him better than most, right?”

Jack stopped for a second and turned, looking at the two girls. They were close by so he couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. Kate saw Jack looking at her and then she turned Shanna. “Of course I don’t!” she flustered, “What made you think that?”

“Oh, . .uh . .I’m sorry,” the redhead said, slightly embarrassed, “My mistake.”

Jack tilted his mouth up slightly and resumed his trek, following the four people in front of him. Kate had stopped to take a breath allowing Shanna to move past her. The brunette was curious about the redhead’s sudden interest in the redneck. “Why do you want to know about Sawyer, anyway?” she whispered.

Shanna smiled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her right ear. “I . . like him.” She giggled.

“You like him?” Kate said in disbelief.
“Yeah, ever since he gave me the . . . Goo-Goo Eyes when I traded that calendar for the Watership Down book. I guess . . .it probably comes from my upbringing too.”

“What do you mean?” Kate really got curious.

“Sawyer would have been the type of man . . .my dad would NOT have approved of.” Shanna giggled, “So, since he didn’t approve of him, I would have sort out that type of man. However, there wasn’t much of those kind of guys in my home town.”

“I suppose I can understand that.”

Shanna stopped, allowing Kate to get ahead of her. “You really should make up your mind, you know?” the redhead whispered.

“Huh?” Kate asked.

“Sawyer or Jack. You really should make up your mind. I don’t think both of them will wait for you.”

Kate scoffed at Shanna’s arrogance. There was no way she could know the brunette was unsure of which man to be with. She stopped for a second, then looked back at her young companion. “What makes you think I want either man?” she asked, testing her.

“That’s easy,” Shanna smiled, “You want Sawyer cause you can’t stop being around him.”

Kate then turned to see Jack disappear into the bushes ahead of him. “And you want Jack, “the redhead smirked, “Cause you can’t stop looking at him.”

The brunette felt slightly insulted and embarrassed. She was unaware that it was that obvious. She caught herself and began to continue their trek, not letting the others get too far ahead.



McKay pushed the branch aside, stepping up on the embedded rock in the ground to get his footing. He turned and offered his hand to Sawyer, who quickly took it. The two men continued their journey. The Australian would pause and look around, making sure he was on the right track. The redneck by his side quickly pulled out a small box of cigarettes and lit one up. He tapped his companion on the arm with them. “No thanks, I don’t smoke,” McKay promptly told him.

“You got any other vices, McKay, besides the Bubbly Bubbly?” Sawyer asked, putting his zippo away.

“No, not really,” McKay sighed. Somehow he knew his redneck friend would bring up Taylor.

“What’s she like, anyway?”

“She’s a nice person, who doesn’t judge anybody. She’s been through a rough-“

“No, no, no,” Sawyer grunted, “I mean, what’s she like in the sack? C’mon, spare me nothing.”

“No way in hell I am telling you that!” McKay grunted.

“Just thought I would ask, considering I don’t have a chance with her.”

“YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT, you don’t!” the Australian grunted.

Sawyer chuckled a little bit; proud of himself he was able to get under McKay’s skin. Even the Australian sighed a little bit, realizing that was the redneck’s intention from the beginning. The redneck rubbed his hair back and took a drag off his cigarette. “Well, now that we’ve gotten our little spat out of the way,” the redneck grunted, “Maybe you want to tell me what we are really doing out here?”

“We’re hunting. I told you.” McKay answered.

“Yeah, right, Big Daddy,” he spit, “ You and John are the best hunters. You sure as hell don’t need me. So what are we ACTUALLY hunting?”

McKay paused. He wasn’t expecting Sawyer to figure it out so soon. He was fully planning on telling him by the time they met up with the others. He smirked as he leaned against a tree. “I guess you aren’t as stupid as you look,” he replied.

“Glad you noticed,” he said, taking a puff of his cigarette.

McKay smirked and then continued to walk toward the direction of their friends. “Tony told us in his battle with Belmont that the scumbag was not panicking,” the Australian whispered, “Belmont knew exactly where he was going.”

“Which was?”

“Some area of the Island he called Broadway. Why it’s called that, I don’t know, so don’t ask me.”

“What is at this place?” Sawyer flung his smoked cigarette away.

“If our guesses are right, some kind of transport off of this Island.” McKay admitted.

“For real?” Sawyer hacked.

“Yes,”

“And when the hell were you gonna tell everybody else?” he demanded.

“When we REALLY saw a boat or plane and REALLY brought it back.” McKay continued to walk.

“You mean . . .you don’t know if it’s actually going to be there, waiting for us?”

“That’s right. Or how many Liberation members are guarding it.”

“Is that why you brought me along? Cause I am expendable?” Sawyer grunted.

“Isn’t that too big a word for you?” the Australian chuckled.

“Seriously, McKay, why bring me along?”

“You are good with a gun. Kate suggested it and Jack confirmed it.”

Sawyer paused for a second, squinting one eye and looking confused; yet amused at the same time. “Jack?” he smiled, “Jack . ..thought it would be a good idea if I came?”

“Honest to God,” McKay continued to walk.

Then up ahead, as the two companioned entered a small clearing, they saw on the ridge where their friends were. McKay stopped and let out a massive whistle. The group heard them and turned around. Jack waved to the two men, motioning for them to catch up. Kate waved to Sawyer and then smirked at Shanna. The redhead jumped up and down, waving to them both. The southern man stopped for a moment, looking at the excited young girl up ahead. “Shanna?” he gulped.

“Yeah, Mia asked that she accompany us.” McKay said, stepping on the rock to get to them on the ridge.

“Why didn’t you tell me the Cream Pie was coming?” Sawyer replied with glee.

“Cream Pie?” the Australian said confused.

“Yeah, cause of her pale skin, “ the redneck got on the rock with him, “Normally I go for the tanned girls but with Shanna it just . . .I mean . . .DAMN.”

“I didn’t know you were attracted to her. Wait . ..what am I saying? You are attracted to any female above 17 and below 40.”

“You are starting to know me real well, Curly.”

“You better behave, Sawyer. I will be watching you,” McKay warned, taking out his machete.

“Not my fault, hoss. You were the one who said it, not me.”

“Said what?”

Sawyer stopped to look ahead, letting his eyes fall on Kate and Shanna’s buttocks. “We have to go where the meat is,” he smiled his signature smile.

“Oh, god,” McKay groaned.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Part 271: Reflex

The door to the elevator slowly rose up. The doors gently hissed open and allowed Mia to step out, followed by Seth and Shanna. The three walked down the purple velvet hallways, to the awaiting double doors. Micheal was standing there with his massive afro, followed by Jin who still sported long hair. Mia paused in front to of them. The black man coughed as he opened the double doors. The three friends walked inside to the greetings of The Bastard Squad. Cecil sat behind the desk, calmly lighting up a cigar from a lighter which had the painting of an Hawaiian dancer. Underwood tucked his hands inside his pocket, while Poteet poured himself another drink. Calhoon munched on some peanuts next to a statue of Kate as Athena. Seth eyeballed the Sonny Bono lookalike with distain.

“Hello, Mia,” Cecil smiled, “It’s good to see you again.”

“A pleasure as always, Sawyer . .I mean, Cecil.” The Lakota girl smiled.

“Why the hell Jack Largo sending the damn Brat Pack to talk to us?” Poteet slopped down a drink,” We deserve more respect than this.”

“Respect is earned, Mr. Poteet, “Shanna whispered, “ And you haven’t even come close.”

“The reason Tony Shepard sent us is because we are efficient,” Mia smiled, “And plus, no one else is kind enough to talk to you.”

“At least it’s good to see you leading the bunch, Mia,” Calhoon said, munching on some Doritos.

“Oh?” the Lakota girl responded.

“Yeah, unlike that filthy Chinese yellow half-breed, Brendon. That scum should have-“

Before the short man could finish his sentence, Seth ran over to him, flung out his sword and chopped his head off.

“OH, JESUS!!!” Poteet ran, as Calhoon’s dancing body began to spray blood over the whole office.

Seth held his pose as the body jolted from side to side and then finally fell down. Mia smirked a little while Shanna giggled like a school girl. The young singer then flung his sword to the wall, flicking the blood off of the blade. He slowly slid it back into it’s sheath and then picked up Calhoon’s head. He calmly walked back to the corner and dumped it into a waste basket. Mia then took out a hankerchief from her jean jacket and handed it to her friend. Seth slowly began to wipe the blood that got onto his face. The Lakota girl stepped forward to the three shocked men. “Let me make one thing clear in how me and my two friends function, “ she said, in the sweetest of tones,” We function as a unit. We help each other and we stay together, through thick and thin. We welcome opinions of how we do our job at all times. And I can promise you right now, no subject is too sensitive . . . . .except what was just uttered by that sack of crap bleeding on the floor.”

Mia slowly walked over to the desk, and placed her hands on the desk. “The price you pay for bringing up Brendon’s memory as a negative is . . . Seth will collect your freaking head.”

Cecil felt like his heart was pounding through his chest. Poteet almost urinated his pants and Underwood had to really go to the bathroom. “Are we clear?” the Lakota girl whispered.

“Yes, “ they all replied in Unison.

“Good,” she said, rubbing her nose.




Seth jolted from his slumber. He coughed and leaned up, spitting out a small bit of mucus from his mouth. The burning sensation in his chest was unbelievable. Seth gagged as he leaned up and got to his feet. He massaged his face, wondering why he had such a strange dream. It felt like something out of a bad action movie. The burning feeling his chest didn’t seem to go away. Seth started to worry he had contracted some sort of a jungle illness. He then turned around and slowly began to walk toward the caves. “Time to see the doctor,” he whispered to himself.


After a few minutes, Seth arrived at the caves, walking past all the people who still stayed there. He looked up ahead, glad he spotted Jack in his medical area. The singer walked up and as he past the area of the water falls, Sawyer was there and it was easy to tell it was him by the smell of his cigarette, which didn’t make Seth feel any better. “Geez, Sawyer, “ he coughed, “Don’t you know second hand smoke kills?”

“I’m counting on it,” the redneck said, not missing a beat.

Seth ignored the southern man and walked up to the doctor. “Hey, Jack, I need your expertise.” He said.

“What’s up?” he said, turning to him.

“I got a burning sensation in my chest, damn thing won’t go away.”

“When did it start?” the doctor replied, motioning for him to sit down.

“It happed with I was taking my nap.” He said, sitting down, “I woke up with the burning pain in my chest, and I coughed up some vile mucus. I think I may be sick.”

“It felt better when you stood up?”

“Yeah, actually but not by much.”

Jack smirked as he walked over to one of his small cabinets then reached in, grabbing a small item. He walked back over and handed it to Seth. “Rolaids?” the singer scoffed.

“You’ve been eating a lot of the citrus fruits, haven’t you?” Jack asked.

“Yeah but who hasn’t?”

“You’ve been eating them most of the time. The acid content in your stomach is high. You just got a minor case of acid reflux.”

Seth began to eat the Rolaids and within seconds, felt better. He smiled as he chewed them. “Thanks, man,” he said, “I am glad it was something minor.”

“Yes, minor problems I love.” Jack agreed.

“Thanks, Jack.”

“Hey, Seth, if you got a minute, I’d like to ask you a question.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah . . .how . . .how close are you and Kate?”

“Me and Kate?” Seth raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I have seen you and her . . .you seem to share a closeness that . . that . . .”

“That you don’t have?” the singer answered for him.

Jack’s cheeks flushed red for a brief second. He then slowly sat back down, crossing his arms. “It’s that obvious?” he asked.

“Everybody can see the twinkle in your eyes when talk with her, Jack. If you are worried, that I might get in the way, I won’t. I got a girl back home and I will remain true to her.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he asked.

“Oh, come on!” Seth grunted, collapsing his face in his hands, “Why is it so hard for everybody to believe?”

“Probably cause not many men would be as loyal as you, Seth.”

“Their loss. I would do anything for my Tanya.” He leaned up, “But back to the subject at hand, if you want to make a move on Kate, Jack, don’t worry about me.”

“It’s not that easy.” He said.

“Sure it is. But if you are waiting for her to make a move, you might have a long wait.”

Jack laughed. “You speak from experience?” he asked.

“More or less.”

Jack then grunted as a cigarette bounced off his knee. He looked up to see Sawyer, letting a trail of smoke arise from his lips. “In my humble opinion, “ he smirked, “I think you BOTH need to lay off my kool-aid.”

Sawyer chuckled to himself as walked way with his backpack full of bottled water. Jack massaged his knee and calmly looked to Seth. “You know . .there are some days when I actually like him.” He doctor whispered.

“Yeah, and those days are few and far between,” Seth smirked.

Part 270: Eddie and Jilly

Eddie wandered the beach, looking for Jilly. He knew she had to be some where, he just had to find her. The little boy waved to his mom as she was enjoying a conversation with Ana-Lucia. He was happy his mother was alive and that she made friends. Then he finally spotted his deaf friend. She was up on a hill folding up clothes. He walked up the hill to get to her, passing by Clay who was reading a magazine. Eddie came up to Jilly and tapped her on the shoulder. “Hey, Eddie,” her face lit up at the sight of the young boy.

“Hey, Jilly,” he smiled, “Whatcha doing?”

“Just folding up some clothes I found. They were in the community pile and no one claimed them.”

“That’s cool. Chance of clothes is good here. Keeps your spirits up.”

Jilly giggled at the little boy’s statement. That was the last thing she expected him to say. “Yeah, I guess,” she agreed.

“Say, Jilly . . .you want to go for a walk on the beach with me?”

“Yeah, sure, “ she said, standing up, “Let me go put these in my tent and I’ll be right back.”

“Okey, dokey,” he said, smiling.

Eddie watched Jilly walk away, holding her bundle of clothes. The little boy held onto Mr. Kangaroo and took a deep breath, hoping his could pull this off. He liked Jilly and he knew if he help her, things would go well for her in the future. “Little kid and the deaf girl taking a romantic walk on the beach,” Clay muttered to himself, “isn’t that sweet?”

Eddie slowly turned to the tall man.

“I suppose he’ll do most of the talking and she’ll listen,” he chuckled.

“HEY!” the little boy grunted as he walked up to the large man, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about Jilly like that.”

“Relax, Kid, it isn’t like she can hear me.”

“Yeah? WELL, I CAN.” Eddie hissed.

“Geeze, kid, just get lost, will ya?”

Clay was about to read his magazine again until Eddie snatched it from him. The little boy then held the magazine up and ripped it right in front of him. “Ooops,” Eddie slapped his cheek, “I tore it. I guess I have a problem hearing you to tell me to get lost.”

“You smart ass,” Clay stood up and swung his hand back to hit the little boy.

Then he was interrupted by a coughing.

Clay looked up and saw John, Tony and McKay down on the beach. The archer had his arms crossed, giving the tall billionaire a severe mean stare. McKay and Tony delivered the same look. Clay slowly lowered his hand, looking at Eddie. The little boy held up his fists like he ready to fight up, with squinted eyes. The tall man then turned around and began to walk away. “The hell with this,” he coughed.

“Yeah, just like a chicken you better run,” Eddie grunted.

Jilly looked at Clay’s angry look as she past him coming back to the beach. She noticed that Eddie was looking mad at the tall man as he walked away. “Eddie?” the deaf girl said, “Did Clay say something to you?”

“Naw, “ he grinned, “I just had to teach him some manners.”

Eddie held out his hand and Jilly took it. The two friends then began their walk down the beach. John smirked at the boy, as he turned back to his two best friends to continue their discussion about tomorrow’s journey to the mysterious place called Broadway.


Eddie and Jilly had walked for a ways, then settled down near the beach. The woman smiled as the little boy insisted they sit sideways to the water, so she could see him and read his lips. “I appreciate you sitting in front of me, Eddie,” she smiled, “Not many people are considerate like this.”

“It’s cool, “ he said, rubbing his hand in the wet sand, “I wanted to make sure you could see my lips so we could have our talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“Whatever happened to your little brother.”

Jilly blinked for a second. “Eddie . . .I . . .I never had a little brother.”

“You little sister then.” Eddie replied.

The deaf woman looked away, trying to fight back the onslaught of tears that were approaching over the horrible subject of her sibling. “How . . .how do you know something happened? Barbara tell you?” Jilly asked.

“No, mom said nothing,” the little boy pointed at her face, “I can see it. In your eyes. You are happy when you are with me but you are sad too. Is it because of your sister, Jilly?”

The tears slowly began to flow down her cheeks. She placed her hand over her mouth, trying not to choke on her sadness. “You couldn’t know,” she whimpered, “There is no way, you could have known.”

“Tell me, Jilly,” Eddie looked at her with complete sympathy, “You got to tell me.”

“No, Eddie . . .you don’t need to hear such things.” She sniffed.

“It’s not so much I need to hear it, Jilly but you should really tell me. If you tell me, good things will happen to you.”

“Eddie . .I . . .”

“You’ve held this pain in for a long time, Jilly,” he said, leaned over and taking her hand, “You need to let it go.”

Jilly stared at the little boy, who was offering a helping hand to deal with her past. She couldn’t fathom how he could know that something bad happened to her sister; no one was that intuitive. She slowly took her trembling hand and cupped Eddie’s hands in hers. She cried a little bit and looked at him. “She . . .wasn’t my little sister, “ she whimpered “She was my twin . . .sister.”

“What happened?” Eddie asked.

“We . . .lived on a military base most of our lives. We moved from place to place. Daddy . . .always liked Lucy the best cause . ..she wasn’t deaf like me. He hoped she would follow him into the military and she planed too. When we were both . . .eighteen years old, these two . . .soldiers kidnapped us as a prank.”

“A prank?” the little boy replied.

“Yeah, they were going to scare us. Male soldiers . . .never really agreed with female soldiers . . .hell, I don’t know. But one of them got drunk and . . .he started to hurt me.”

Jilly closed her eyes, weeping. Eddie didn’t move; nor did his eyes. But tears slowly began to crawl down his cheeks. The deaf woman tried her best to compose herself. “Lucy . . .tried to fight them but they hit on her head . . .Oh, God, they just kept hitting her . . .Then they . . .they . . .”

“They what?”

“They started to hurt us more.” Jilly said. She didn’t want to tell the little boy the truth about the violation the soldiers did to her and her sister.

“Did someone come and rescue you?”

“Some soldiers had found us the following morning. I could barely . . .move and Lucy . . .wasn’t moving at all. The . .coroner said that she had died the previous night . . .Oh, God, Lucy . . . .”

Eddie then stepped forward and embraced the deaf woman. Jilly held onto him, crying on his shoulder. The little boy gently stroked her hair, comforting her best he could. The two friends held onto each other long enough for Jilly to slowly stop crying for a few brief moments. Eddie slowly parted from her, wiping his own tears. “Did the bad men get punished?” he asked, sniffing.

“Yes,” Jilly coughed, “The . . .military criminal crime scene investigators. . . .the NCSI . . .they examined all the evidence and the one . . .bastard who wouldn’t stop hitting my sister . . .he wore a skull ring . . .the . . .impressions stayed on her face . . .later they found his bloody clothing in a trash-bag . . .they were arrested and convicted. The trial took a long time . . .they . . had the arrogance to say it was mutual . ..that we wanted . . .them to hurt us.”

“HOW STUPID.” Eddie grunted.

“Yes, yes it was,” Jilly wiped her tears, “But the jury didn’t believe them and sent them to jail for life. Needless to say . . .I haven’t set foot on a military base ever since.”

“This happened when you were 18?” the little boy questioned.

“Yes,” she shook her head.

“What made you think of it now?”

Jilly tucked her hair behind her ears and took Eddie’s hands again. “I think . . .being trapped in that bunker and that bastard Titus . . .and that he was so keen on hurting us, made me think about it. And you . ..how you look to me . . .like a big sister.”

“As far as I am concerned, you ARE my big sister.” He said, proudly.

The bold statement given by the young boy made Jilly cry yet again. She took him by the arms and brought him closer, embracing him. He was so small but yet, his heart was huge to her. Eddie kissed her on the cheek and held her close, as she continued to cry. “Its gonna be okay, Jilly,” the little boy said, “You will see.”

Jilly then stopped crying; her eyes slowly opening wide. She gently parted from Eddie, looking at him in complete shock. “What?” he asked.

Jilly blinked, shaking her head. “I thought . . .”

“Hey, you two,” Libby said.

“Hello, Miss Libby.” Eddie smiled.

Jilly saw what Eddie said by looking at his lips and she turned to face her therapist friend. The older woman immediately saw the remnants of the deaf woman’s tears by her red soaked face. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“It is now.” Eddie smiled.

Jilly turned to the young boy, rubbing his arms. “Eddie, why don’t you head back so I can talk to Libby for a minute? When I get there, we’ll see if we can get the last of the cup cakes.”

“Yeah, we better get them before Hurley does, “ he giggled, and then ran off into the distance.

Jilly took Libby’s hand as she helped her up. The deaf woman brushed the sand off of her shorts. The amber haired woman looked at her directly to make sure she could read her lips. “Are you sure you are all right?” she asked.

Jilly looked at her and smiled. She wiped her tears and the slowly placed her hand on her chest. “Yes, I am okay,” she admitted.

“What did you and Eddie talk about?”

“I told him the past about my sister and what happened to her. I wasn’t going to volunteer the information . .but he knew it happened. Somehow . .he knew,” the deaf woman faced her friend, “Libby, what do you think about the rumors . . .that the Island is magical?”

Libby smiled, feeling the wind blow her hair up a little bit. “It’s hard for me to comprehend.” She admitted, “But some times, I think one can make their own magic.”

“He’s such an extraordinary boy,” she said, wiping off the remainder of her tears,” And he seems to even have adopted me as his big sister.”

“He saw how you and his mother bounded. It’s natural for a child to assume that aspect based on observation.”

“It’s more than that. He’s got an intuition to read people, that I don’t even see in adults and just for a brief second . . .I thought . . . .”

“You thought what?”

Jilly touched her left ear and looked up to Libby. “For a moment, I thought I could actually hear him.”

Libby raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know how to explain it. Was Jilly imagining it, due to the stress of the moment? The deaf woman touched her friend by the arm and walked off to go find Eddie and thank Barbara for having such a wonderful son. Libby pulled out her little pad from her side pocket and scribbled some notes. The therapist was left wondering; after the spin the bottle incident with Hal and what Jilly just told her about their chat with Eddie . . . .

Was the Island truly magical?

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Part 269: Preparations

Marita gathered her clothing into a backpack. She wanted to take only the necessary parts for her journey to this mysterious place called Broadway. The less she took the easier it would make the journey. The Latina then stopped when she heard a clinking sound. She turned and saw Tony sitting by himself, cleaning his gun. He didn’t even take off his sunglasses; he had gotten use to it blind. He held up the run toward his ear and cocked it back, then loaded it. “Does it still work?” she asked.

“I heard no sliding screeches, “he commented, “No foreign particles in the breech.”

“I hope you don’t have to shoot anybody, Tony,” she whispered.

“I hope not either but. . .you never know.”

Marita then stopped what she was doing and walked back over to Tony. As he placed his gun in his backpack, he felt her curl up next to him. He gently placed his arms around her. “We’re going to be okay, Marita,” he kissed her on the head, “We are going to get through this.”

“I hope it’s a boat,” she whimpered, “I hope it’s big enough to take all of us.”

“Me too,” he replied.

“What’s wrong, Marita?” Eddie whispered from outside the tent.

“Eddie!” she gasped, wiping her tears and sitting upright, “No, honey, I am okay . . .I am just feeling homesick.”

“I know the feeling,” the little boy whispered.

“How have you been, buddy?” Tony smiled, “Been a while since we talked. You taking care of your mom?”

“Yeah, “ he replied, walking over and sitting between them, “But she’s gonna be okay. She misses Daddy but I think she is strong enough to get over it.”

“Your mother has a lot of courage.” Marita said, rubbing his back, “Just like you do.”

“It’s not my mom I am worried about,” he confessed, “it’s Jilly.”

“What wrong with her?” Tony asked.

“She has a past pain, Tony. Just like you did. I think she should let it out.”

“Past pain?” the blind doctor said, “Eddie . . .I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Sure you do, remember when you said you went to Australia and you were trying to get back to your old wife but she said she didn’t love you anymore?”

Tony blushed, “I can’t believe you remember that.”

“But you remember it?”

“Of course I do. I was delirious when I was sick as I told Marita.”

“But you had to tell her. Then after you told her, Marita found the medicine and you and Marita fell in love.”

“Eddie,” Marita shied away.

“It’s true!” Eddie replied, “When people let go of the past, good things happen. I want something good to happen to Jilly, Tony. What should I do?”

Tony smiled at what Eddie had been saying. He couldn’t have been more proud of the young boy than he was at that very moment. “You really think that she should let go of this past pain, Eddie?” he asked.

“Yeah, I really, really do.” The little boy replied.

“Then you should do whatever it takes to help her.”

The little boy leaned forward and then embraced Tony. “Thanks, Tony,” he smiled, “I knew you would understand.”

Eddie then turned and embraced Marita, kissing her on the cheek. Then he ran off to find the deaf girl. Marita wiped her tears, watching the little boy run off into the distance. Tony took a side breath, leaning on his knees. “He’s such a brave boy,” he whispered.

Marita leaned forward and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. “He gets it from you,” she replied.



Shanna walked through the woods, looking for Flower. The wild girl had not arrived at their designated spot for her reading lesson. Ana-Lucia had mentioned that she had seen her in the woods earlier. The redhead turned around and thought that maybe she had missed her back at the beach. Then she heard some whispered breathing. Shanna turned around and pushes through the bushes. She found Flower sitting down and huddled against her knees. “Flower?” Shanna asked.

The young French girl turned around and looked at her redheaded friend with great relief. She leaped up and hugged her. Shanna couldn’t understand why the girl was trembling. She slowly pushed her off, holding onto her arms. What alarmed the young woman was the fact that Flower had put her red bandana back over her face. “Flower, why are you wearing that again?” she asked.

Flower turned and pointed toward the distance. “Others,” she whispered.

Shanna became scared as well. She remembered the story that the kids of Red Faction wore their bandanas in an effort to “hide” themselves from The Others or as they learned, The Liberation. They communicated with them through whispers. Shanna put her arm around Flower and quickly began to escort her back to the beach.


Shanna sat on her pillow looking at the sleeping Flower. She had given her a sleeping pill to help her get some rest. The redhead didn’t know what to make of what her friend had seen or heard. Shanna had heard nothing. Did Flower actually hear the whispering again or was it just post-traumatic syndrome over the loss of her twin sister? The redhead then turned as Mia had come up to her. She motioned with her lips to be quiet and then stood up, signaling for her Lakota friend to follow her.

The two friends took a few steps from the small tent and walked into a nearby wooded area. Shanna leaned up against a palm tree and crossed her arms; sighing. “Flower thinks she heard the Whispering.” The redhead sighed.

“Did she?” Mia raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t hear anything. I mean . . .she just lost her sister. Maybe she was just hearing thing? I mean . ..The Liberation is gone, right, Mia? They are not coming back.”

Mia scrunched up her lips; her typical thinking post. Shanna’s eyes slowly went wide, seeing how her friend thought. “You think they are coming back?” she gasped.

“A small party is. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

“How the hell can you say there is nothing to worry about?”

“Cause Brendon told me.” Mia said, plainly.

Shanna stopped for a minute, looking royally confused. Mia smiled, tapping the side of her head. The redhead smirked, and leaned back on the tree. “I am jealous,” she scoffed, “At least you get to still speak with him.”

“I never got the chance to ask you, Shanna,” Mia smiled, “In Brendon’s DreamScape, you were dressed up as a ballerina. Why is that?”

Shanna smiled, looking embarrassed. She rubbed her arms and looked up to the sky, like she had just thought of a pleasant memory. “When I was little, I wanted to be a ballerina,” she confessed.

“But you never . . .were?”

“No. My father was so obsessed about running his drug store, I had to always be there. I went to a few lessons but he never had the time to take me the rest of the way. I had to drop out.”

“Why didn’t you go back? When you were older?”

“Hello?” she laughed, “You weren’t the one living under a demanding father.”

Mia shook her head, smiling. “It’s a shame when we lose our dreams, isn’t it?”

“At least . . .Brendon gave me the chance to remember what it felt like.”

“It’s about stuff like that, that I have a huge favor to ask of you, Shanna.” Mia took a step closer.

“What favor?” Shanna sniffed.

“Tomorrow morning, a group of us are venturing out to a place called Broadway. It’s here . . .on the Island.”

“Why. .”

“Because we have every reason to believe that a boat or plane is arriving and they are going to secure it for us for getting off this Island. I doubt it will be big enough to carry everybody off but at least, we are going to have the chance.”

Shanna slowly squinted her eyes. She trusted her friend but it didn’t make sense. “Why are you telling me all this?” she asked.

“Because I want you to go with them. I need to stay on this beach but you . . you go and point them in the right direction.”

“What?” Shanna was flabbergasted, “How could I possibly-“

“Here are the things that you need to look out, “ the Lakota girl said, handing her a piece of paper,” You see those things and they will be directed in the right place.”

Shanna quickly looked over the short list and all it did was make her confused. “Butterflies?” she said, “I am supposed to look out for Butterflies?”

“Or a butterfly or butterflies in aspect. Trust me, when you see it, you will know it.”

Shanna stared at the piece of paper then back to her friend. “Its really important?” she said.

“It is.” Mia replied.

The redhead rested on her hip, tilting her head to look at her friend. “Is there something else you are not telling me?” she inquired.

“Yes, “ her friend confessed in all seriousness, “And I am not going to tell you why. You are just going to have to trust me.”

Shanna looked at her friend and slowly smiled. She then embraced her. Mia closed her eyes and rested her face on her redheaded friend’s shoulder. Shanna could tell that it was serious enough for Mia to not tell her, in fear it will effect her on the trip. “Thank you, Mia,” Shanna whispered.

“For what?”

“For caring about me.” The redhead sniffed.

“Hey, “ Mia giggled, “What are sisters for?”

Hints and Clues

Hal and Ana-Lucia have something in common.

The bond between Hurley and Joscelyn will grow.

Soon, Kellye and Locke will have something in common.

What was the last question Watchman asked Mia?

The Numbers will play a factor that will decide the future of the Survivors.

Broadway is more than it seems.

One survivor will never leave the Island.

Kate has ties . . .to the Liberation.

Monday, November 21, 2005

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.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Part 267: Day 53

Mia felt the rain pour down on her head in sheets. She ran as hard as she could into the darkness, trying to find some cover. She then stopped as she ducked under the cover of the building. Mia then caught her breath, pulling the wet hair out of her face and shaking her overcoat to get the excess water off.

Her overcoat?

Mia then blinked, realizing she was having another vision. She looked around and realized she was at the entrance to an old 70’s theater. There was no one at the ticket counter and the bulk of the lobby appearance deserted, except for one man in a movie uniform. Mia turned back toward the rain but all she could see was darkness amid the falling water. She realized that the theater represented something. The Lakota girl then opened the door to the theater and stepped in.

The smell of melted butter and stale popcorn filled her nose as she walked into the smallish lobby. Their were five video games that aligned the side wall but only two of them were working. The usher wasn’t looking at her; he was scooping up dropped popcorn kernels into a dustpan. “Excuse me?” Mia said, getting his attention.

The usher turned around and revealed himself to be Jin. The Korean man smiled and then bowed. “Ticket please?” he asked.

“Jin, what is going on?” Mia asked.

“Ticket please.” He repeated.

Mia had to remind herself it was a dream and to get to the answer, she had to play along. She then distinctly reached into her side pockets of her father’s overcoat and then indeed felt something like a ticket in her left pocket. She gave it to him and he then tore it, giving half of it back to her. “Theater Four on your right, “ he bowed again, “Thanks and enjoy the show.”

Mia sighed and turned to her right, walking over to the theater marked number 4. There were old, worn out movie posters adorning the walls. She definitely didn’t remember anything like this when she was growing up so how did she get here? She pulled open the door and walked into the theater area.

She turned the cover of the small hallway to reveal all the doors. The movie was already underway. The young Lakota girl looked up on the screen and saw two men fighting with samurai swords against hordes of ninja dressed in white. Mia then took a step forward, looking at the fighting. The two samurai were almost identical; except their armor was a different color and their kabuki masks were different as well. But it was the aspect of the movie that captivated her. “Samurai.” She whispered.

“SHHHH!!!” Brendon shushed her from behind, “You’re gonna miss the best part!”

Mia gasped; smiling as she turned around. Brendon was sitting in the middle of a row of chairs, eating popcorn. He motioned for her to come over and sit down next to him. Mia giggled, running up the stairs and then sliding over through the empty seats to join him. Brendon smiled at her then turned her attention toward the screen. Mia stared at him for a few seconds, then looked up at the screen as well.

The two samurai rushed into a courtyard, cutting ninja after ninja. Then the two warriors turned to face another man in battle arm, and his face almost looked like the devil. The warriors charged him and clanged their swords together. They danced a ballet of death and then the green samurai sliced into the villain’s back. The red samurai then cut the evil man’s hand off. The Devil Man collapsed onto his knees, leaking blood every where. He slowly leaned forward, allowing his mask to fall off. Mia gasped, as the devil man revealed himself to be Fender!

Then the red samurai took a step back and removed his kabuki mask. Mia was amazed to see her friend Seth on the big screen. The other samurai then removed his mask and helmet; turning out to be Brendon. Colonel Fender slowly raised his head and looked at Seth; then said something in Chinese. The English words were subtitled on the screen. “I will see you in Hell,” Fender told him.

Seth then flung his sword back and chopped off his head. “KIAI!!!” he screamed at the death of the evil man.

Seth then sheathed his sword, then he and Brendon ran into the compound. The Asian man then turned a corner in the building, and opened the door. The camera angle turned to reveal two girls in kimono outfits; Mia and Shanna! “Brother Brendon!” Mia said, onscreen.

“Sisters, I am so happy you are safe,” the subtitles read under Brendon as she spoke in his native tongue.

Seth came in and helped up Shanna while Mia was helped up by Brendon. Then the closing credits began to roll on the screen. Brendon put down his popcorn and began to clap with gusto. “Man, I so love it,” he smiled, “When the good guys win.”

Mia smiled at the screen as it grew white from lack of film. Brendon twisted around to look at his companion. The Lakota girl looked at him, then got a little teary eyed. “I am sorry you died, Brendon,” she whispered.

“I’m not,” he smiled, “My death had meaning. It allowed Seth to live and as I am sure you are aware, he’d been very much needed on the beach.”

Mia shook her head. “Yes, he gives so much and asks nothing in return.” She smiled.

“That is because he is one of the few on the Island that have a pure soul. Despite what he’s done. He is what I had strived my whole life to be. He is Bushido.”

“He was your favorite student?” Mia smiled.

“He was my only student. Which is why he is my favorite.”

Mia smiled. It was nice talking with Brendon in an old theater, like they were teenagers out on a Friday night in her old home town. But the Lakota girl knew better; she knew she would not be having this dream unless something was going to happen. Something Brendon needed to tell her. “Why am I here, Brendon?” she asked.

Brendon sighed, as he stood up. “Walk with me, Mia.” He replied.

Mia got up and followed him. Brendon made his way through the seats and proceeded to walk out into the smaller hallway that lead to the bigger hallway. “I used to love these old theaters,” he whispered, “They had glass. They had flare. Sure these modern movie houses are more efficient to cater to the modern movie-goer but these places . . .they have character.”

“Like the Island?” Mia asked.

“Precisely.” Brendon said, as he walked into the lobby.

Mia looked around and noticed that Jin was gone. Brendon then hopped up on the counter and then reached back; grabbing some Milk Duds. He quickly popped them open and began to eat them. He offered Mia some and she gently took one. “What is going on, Brendon?” she asked, “I thought our trials were over?”

“No, Mia. They are not over,” he said, munching on the candy, “The trials of your life are just beginning.”

“The trials of my life?” she pondered, “But I don’t understand . . .what does-“

“And that’s just it, Mia!” Brendon jumped down to join her on the floor, “You are an intelligent person but you have become just like everybody else. You believe that you can’t understand life and live life at the same time.”

“Those are deep questions, Brendon.” She replied.

“But you already know who holds the key. Locke.”

“What?” she uncrossed her arms, “What else does he know?”

“That life understood IS life lived.”

Mia was slowly starting to understand. “Something else is going to happen, isn’t it?” she whispered.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Brendon smirked, “He was considered the weakest among us when we first arrived. Do you think anybody would realize a blind man held the key to your freedom?”

“Tony?” Mia asked,” What? What does he know?”

Before Brendon could answer, a swarm of butterflies flew out of one of the corridors. Mia covered her head as the beautiful creatures flew past her. They continued on, swirling into a hurricane shape in the top ceiling of the lobby. Mia then looked as they left through the crate at the top. She then looked closely and saw that the crate was shaped like an octagon manhole cover and the word DHARMA was in the middle. Then the sky disappeared, and was replaced with water. The Lakota girl gasped as she saw a shark swim above her. “The Shark,” she whispered.

“A miracle of evolution,” Brendon said, looking above, “One would wonder why they bothered to tinker with God’s design. But then again, Fender wasn’t the more holiest person, was he?”

“Brendon, the word Dharma . . .was does it mean?”

“It’s the name of a conglomerate that was into scientific research . . . .but you already knew that.”

“Watchman mentioned it.” She tried to think back, “But it was said they build the Outpost and the Hatch. In the fifties.”

“Yeah, “Brendon smiled, “IN the Fifties. But they only haven’t been to the Outpost since the fifties. Their last visit to the Island was in 1977.”

“What?” Mia gasped.

Brendon then lowered his head and began to motion for Mia to follow him outside. Mia followed her good friend as he opened the glass doors that led out into the rain of the darkness. Once the Asian man opened the door, the darkness went away and was replaced by the light of the beach. Mia looked into the distance, as the rain continued to pour down. There was a small pillar of smoke coming from beyond the bushes of the jungle. Mia began to walk out into the rain and Brendon followed her. “This will be your final test.” He told her.

She listened as they walked.

“Every step you have taken up until this moment has brought you to this precise event.” He whispered, “What you do will define, not only who you are but what you are prepared to do.”

“What should we be prepared to do?” Mia asked as she continued to walk.

Then she stopped as she was devastated by the sight before her. Bodies littered the beach and the majority of the people she knew were dead. “Whatever it takes to survive.” He replied coldly.

Mia tried to scream but nothing was coming out. In the distance, Taylor was lying face down in a pool of her own blood. Mandy was collapsed, half on the beach and half in the sand. Libby was crying over Hal’s dead body. Dutch had collapsed on Karleigh, presumably trying to protect her but it cost them both their lives. What made Mia want to scream even more was what she saw of herself.

In the distance, Mia was holding Shanna by the head, crying over her. Clearly from the bullets holes, Shanna was dead. Seth rested on one knee, holding his sword for balance. He was covered in blood, but it wasn’t his own. “No, no, no, not her, please not her,” Mia wept.

Brendon came over and embraced her. Mia finally screamed and wanted to rush to them but the Asian man held her back. “NO, BRENDON!!” she screamed, “THIS CAN’T HAPPEN! NOT LIKE THIS!!!”

“You are right, “he said, sternly. “This can’t happen. You must prevent it, Mia.”

Mia then turned to face him, grabbing his chest. “Please, “ she gulped, “Tell me what I must do.”

“Tony begins his expedition tomorrow,” Brendon stared into her eyes, “No matter what happens, you must convince John NOT to go with him.”

“Huh?” She gasped, “John?”

“He will be the deciding factor in this battle. He will be the one to prevent the bloodshed.”

“John . . .” Mia said, trying to understand what he was saying.

“And one more thing. . . .do not let Hal agitate the Skull Man.” The Asian man whispered, “If he gets under his skin, then you won’t have time for a rescue.”

Mia shook her head, trying to remember it all. But it was becoming overwhelming. She hated the responsibility. She hated the prospect that one wrong move could mess up everything. “I can’t take this anymore, Brendon,” she cried into his chest, “How many more do we have to face? I . . . .I want to go home!!”

Then the rain stopped and Mia was filled with an flood of peace through her body. She slowly looked up and Brendon smiled down on her. “You will.” He said with a grin.

Mia turned around and saw a homestead in a part of her town, near the main distrinct. The temperature was moderately cool; the beginning of fall. The Lakota girl then marveled seeing herself exit the house. Her doppelganger was four years ago, walking out to the porch. She was wearing her familiar jean jacket and a grey flowing dress. She stepped out onto the ground, letting her bare feet crunch the dead leaves. Mia stared at herself with tears streaming down her face. Then from behind the house, someone emerged in a fun-filled panic.

A little girl was running away from an older man. Mia gulped seeing Locke running after the little girl and laughing. He looked like a grandpa chasing his granddaughter. The little Native American girl ran up to Mia, grabbing her legs. “Mommy, save me!” the girl laughed.

Locke pretended to reach around Mia to grab the little girl. The older Mia laughed as she became entangled with Locke and her daughter. Then the words rang out in her head.

Her daughter.

Mia collapsed onto her knees, unable to stand. The sight of what she was seeing was too much. She felt like the love pouring into her heart might make it explode. Then a car pulled up into the street. Mia turned to see what she had been hoping to see as she had arrived. John stepped out of the car, holding a giant size gym back. He looked even order but he was still very fit and then sported a goatee. “Daddy!” the little girl ran off to him.

“Hey, sugar!” John laughed, picking up his daughter with one hand.

John walked over to Mia and kissed her on the lips. He then parted and said, “What’s for dinner?”

“Ask Grandpa.” She said, patting him on the chest.

Locke laughed as he patted John on the pat as all four of them began to walk into the house. Mia rested on her legs, unable to stand from the beauty that she was seeing. Brendon slowly walked up to her and kneeled beside her. “You want this to come to pass?” he asked.

“Yes, “ she wept, “More than anything.”

“Then do whatever it takes to convince John not to go.”

“But how, Brendon?” she asked, “What should I say?”

“You could probably think of any number of things but in the end, only one thing will convince him.”

“What?”

“The Truth.” He smiled.



Mia then slowly jerked away. She felt a gentle hand shaking her lightly. She opened her eyes and saw John standing near her. “Morning, darlin, I just wanted to-“ John tried to say something but Mia then abruptly reached up and embraced him.

“Whoa, “ he said, holding her, “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I am,” Mia tried not to cry, “I just wanted to tell you . . .I love you, John.”

“I love you too, Mia,” he said, returning the embrace.

Mia slowly parted, trying to feel her heart slow down. John looked her over and rubbed her arms. “Are you sure you are all right?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” she finally said, “What time is it?”

“It’s almost sunrise and I needed to wake you cause Tony wanted to see us.”

Mia’s heart skipped a beat. “Tony?” she gulped, “What for?”

“I don’t know but he wants you and me to join McKay and Taylor with him in the woods.” John sighed, “He said it was important.”

Mia finally remembered to breath after two seconds. She slowly got up and motioned for John to lead the way.

She couldn’t believe it was already starting to happen.