Part 322: Newer Friends

Raven looked at the ground from high above. He rested on the tree, kneeling in a crotch position. The rain had soaked up his mask ; allowing the excess water to drip off his nose. He had been waiting for a signal from the Watchman computer for the past six hours but no luck. He knew the mainframe would openly scan for Eddie. But if the young boy was in a facility where the scans could not go, then it wouldn’t find him. Raven thought he knew of at least two places where that could happen but he didn’t have time to check them both out. So he called in a friend to check it for him.

The masked man then turned as he heard a familiar clicking sound, like electricity crackling. Soon Raven saw the black smoke rise above him. Every time a rain drop pasted through the cloud, an electric pop echoed into the wind. A pillar of black smoke erupted from Monoxide, gently getting near Raven’s face. Another series of pops and cracks erupted from the creature. “It’s still untouched?” Raven asked it.

Monoxide responded in clicks.

“Thank God, “ Raven shifted around, “The thought Goodwin put Eddie and Sebastian in the Hatch was more than I could bare. I spend 41 years in that place. I wouldn’t even wish that on Ethan.”

Monoxide circled around him, making more popping sounds.

“I know,” Raven replied, “That only means the one station left. Is it true you never ventured there, nor the others?”

Monoxide clicked loudly.

“Yeah, I’d say it’s a safe bet to say I couldn’t make it either. What is it? Electromagnetic Pulsar? Psionic Dampening Field?”

Monoxide made a series of pops and cracks, then flashed his blue eyes.

“Hey, hey, don’t get testy!” Raven held up his hands in defense, “I was just asking.”

Monoxide’s smokey blue eyes quietly faded away.

“The Lone Wolf Station.” Raven whispered, “Designed to be some sort of fortress against everything else. I suppose if Goodwin was going to hide himself from us, it would be the perfect spot.”

Monoxide said something, just kept himself afloat in the wind.

“I will be leading the others there when the rain stops,” Raven whispered, “Keep near but make sure you stay out of sight.”

The black smoke crackled a little again.

“What do you mean, Why?” the masked man scoffed at the creature’s question, “You are a cloud of black smoke that can think! That scares them.”

Monoxide made some more pops and clicks.

Raven stared up at the sky briefly; his eyes flashing blue. He then looked at the ground, feeling slightly depressed. “Now that is just silly,” he told the black smoke, “Why would I want to leave with them? I don’t belong in their world.”

Monoxide then made another series of pops, then disappeared into the trees in his familiar wisp. Raven watched his companion leaving, amazed that he made such a statement. They were able to communicate thanks to their special “interface” but all it taught Raven was that the Polliwog, Monoxide and Mecha were just as lonely as he is. Their master, The Watchman, was no more. They had no human masters to tell them what to do. They enjoyed being protective of Eddie and Mia because it gave them purpose. Raven rubbed his neck, thinking of what the smoke told him. He told Monoxide that he didn’t belong in their world. The smoke told him If you don’t belong in their world, do you belong in hers?

Every once and a while, Monoxide made a little bit of sense.


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

Eddie watched the beach with his fellow survivors. He held onto the gift given to him by the ocean. He dubbed him Mr. Kangaroo, his only companion that he could hear. He wondered if it was from his mother and father up in heaven. He gently patted him on the head, hoping they were watching from above.

Eddie then thought he heard some noise behind him. He turned around and looked up toward the beach seeing McKay. The bald man was standing in the sand with just his pants on. Then he held up his fists and proceeded to make punches and jabs at an unseen enemy. Eddie watched him for a few minutes, doing his punches in the air. The little boy got up and then walked up toward him, watching him intently. McKay concentrated on his jabs but then paused when he noticed he had an audience. “G’day, Eddie,” he laughed.

“Morning, McKay,” Eddie smiled, “what are you doing?”

“Shadow Boxing.” He answered.

“Shadow Boxing?”

“Yeah, “ he laughed, “Keeps the shoulders loose.”

McKay resumed his position and then proceeded with his shadow boxing. Eddie then placed down Mr. Kangaroo and then proceeded to copy him. The Australian then looked at Eddie who was just flinging his fists out in the air. “Shorten your stance,” McKay told him, “ Don’t clinch your fists. Just gently hold them together.”

Eddie did what he said. McKay walked over and kneeled behind him. “Tighten up your elbows.” He said, holding him up for him.

Eddie started to punch into the air. McKay smiled, happy he could teach the boy something. “There may come a day when you may have to fight, Eddie,” he whispered, “Lord knows we never want to but sometimes it can’t be avoided.”

“I’ve been in two fights.” The boy told him.

“Did you win?”

“No,” he had to admit.

“It’s because you didn’t know how to fight. It’s not your fault but now, you know how to throw a solid punch.”

“My mom always said violence never solved anything.”

“It doesn’t but I am not talking about causing violence. I am talking about landing one punch to take your opponent down for the count. Not even Karate can defend against a well placed punch.”

“Have you been in many fights, McKay?” Eddie asked.

“A few bar-room brawls growing up. It’s a past time in Australia, “ he laughed for a second, then rubbed his chin, “You want to know the secret to winning a fight?”

“What?” Eddie smiled.

“The Knees.” McKay smirked

“The knees?”

“Yep, “ he chuckled, “You smash the knee of the biggest man and he’ll drop like stone.”

……………………………………………………………………………

Eddie walked through the woods, carrying his small supply of coconuts. As he entered the beach, he heard a loud screech in the wind. He jumped at the sound of a loud thud, coming from the arrow stuck in a nearby bamboo tree. “Hey, Eddie,” John laughed, “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You practicing, Uncle John?” Eddie asked him.

“Don’t need to practice, “ John replied, taking aim, “ This easier than falling off a tree.”

The arrow shot through the air and struck the tree with ease. Eddie smiled at the coolness of the archery. “You’re good, Uncle John,” Eddie giggled.

“Thanks, buddy.” He said, aiming a third arrow.

“Were you scared when that polar bear was chasing Uncle McKay?” he asked him.

“Naw, “ John replied, “Why would I need to be scared?”

“Well, because he could have hurt McKay . .and us!” the little boy squeaked.

“Yeah, that is possible,” John fired his third arrow, “But If I was scared, then I might have missed. Fear causes hesitation and hesitation will cause your worse fears to come true.”

Eddie looked at him; marveled by the profound statement.

“When I was 15, I lost my sister, Eddie.” John whispered.

“Oh, no,” Eddie almost felt like crying.

“She was playing hide and seek in a junkyard with her friends, “ the archer aim his next shot, “ When it came night time, and she didn’t come back; my mom had told me to go look for her. I found her friends and they were telling me they thought she left. I scoured the junkyard and found her . . .in a fridge. She has suffocated.”

Eddie sniffed at the story the archer was telling him.
“I was devastated,” John fired his bow and it struck the tree with ease, “ At the funeral, my mom was distraught. I had lost my dad three years earlier. My archery teacher was there, Mr. Cole. He took me aside and told me that he would be there for me. He said my sister was taken up to Heaven to spare her from a greater pain. I didn’t know how true that was till later.”

“What do you mean?”

“My sister was not my sister; she was my half sister. And Mr. Cole was her father.”

“Oh, no,” Eddie covered his mouth.

“Yeah, the knowledge of that rocked my mother, considering it was a one night stand that she regretted. My aunts and Uncles didn’t like it either. That night when Cole confessed to my mother, she was taking us to get something to eat. A drunk driver hit us both but we lived. That was when I had my moment of clarity.”

“What does that mean?” the little boy asked.

“That even though my sister was taken, my fate had not yet arrived, “ the archer smiled at him, “God already decided my fate a long time ago. I don’t know what it is, and there is no sense in worrying about it. So, that’s when I stopped being afraid. Fear . . .is useless.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Eddie reached under Tony’s chair and pulled out the gun. He unwrapped it and examined it. John had found it on the body of a dead man in the hills. The little boy was concerned over that knowledge. If their were dead bodies already here, then someone put them here and made them dead. That someone could come at any moment. “Eddie?” Tony said, entering the tent.

“Tony, “ Eddie said, “Will you teach me how to use the gun?”

“You’re . . .holding the gun?” the blind doctor gasped, “Give it to me SLOWLY.”

Eddie did what he asked, placing it in the blind man’s hand. Tony gasped in relief went he felt that the safety catch was indeed still on. He sat down on his makeshift chair and motioned for Eddie to come near him. When the boy did so, he brought him closer and put his arm around him. “Eddie, this is not a toy,” he held the gun aloft, “ I don’t want you to hold this ever again.”

“I know it’s not a toy, Tony, “ the little boy protested, “But if you teach me how to use it, I can help protect Marita.”

Tony sighed then smiled. “I admire your bravery,” he told him, “But there are plenty of us here who can protect Marita. You don’t have to worry.”

“Will you teach me how to use a gun someday, Tony?” he asked.

Tony could tell the boy was serious. He then made him lean closer. “No, I won’t teach you and you know why?” he asked.

“No,” the boy confessed.

“Because there is no skill in using a gun,” Tony told him, “You pick it up, you aim and you pull the trigger. That’s it. Any fool can fire a gun but not every person can know why NOT to pick up the gun.”

“What do you mean?”

Tony then touched the little boy’s head. “Your brain, Eddie,” the blind doctor whispered, “That is the most powerful weapon you could ever have. You learn how to use that, and you’ll be able to protect anybody.”

“I know how to use my brain.”

“But I will teach you how to really use it,” Tony smiled, “You want to learn?”

Eddie shook his head yes.

-……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Eddie quickly woke up from his slumber. He looked around and made sure the room was still empty. All he could hear was the labored breathing of Sebastian as the boy did his best to sleep on his lap. He gently stroked his hair, hoping the others could rescue him. Then Eddie thought more of his lucid dreaming. He dreamed of three special times with the three men who took care of him during his terrible crash on the beach; thinking his parents were dead. The boy realized in that two months they were together, they taught him valuable things.

McKay taught him how to fight, John taught him how to be brave and Tony taught him how to think.

Eddie then realized that perhaps the grownups didn’t know where to find him. The Island was still heavily uncharted. The boy felt that fate and God had not decided his fate just yet; nor Sebastian’s. And Eddie felt it was his duty to protect the sick little kid. Because it’s what those three men would have wanted him to do. “Sebastian,” Eddie gently shook him.

The little boy scratched his eyes and looked up at him.

“Don’t be afraid,” Eddie said, “I am gonna get us out of here.”