Part 453: 216
10:27 am
“Four months,” Desmond coughed, “I’ve been moved around and inside this bloody hell hole for four months.”
Jack sat against the wall to the friend he hadn’t seen in over six years. Desmond looked like he was withered. He was still physically fit, sporting a beard and slightly longer hair. However, the doctor could tell it was the emotional wounds that ran deep for him. Desmond placed his hands on his head, as he rested against his knees. “In that span of four months, I’ve only seen my wife once,” he sniffed, “and my son never.”
“Where did you see Isabella?” Jack asked.
“At a cabin.” The stranger leaned his head back, “ These people treat their prisoners well. We were allowed a weekend together at this cabin under heavy lock and key. They said if we’d try to escape, we’ve been removed before the duration of the weekend was up. For our love . . .we spent ever single second with each other.”
“I know the feeling,” Jack rubbed his head, thinking about Kate.
“That was two months ago, Jack.” The former racer coughed,” I’ve not seen Izzy nor Sebastian for the past two months. Now tell . . .why have they kidnapped you?”
“They are planning something big.” Jack told him, “I think it’s got something to do with our children.”
“Children?” the stranger gasped, “Whose?”
Jack laughed briefly. “You’ve been out of touch with us for quite some time, Desmond.” He smirked, “Allow me to catch you up on the past six years.”
After nearly an hour had past after Jack had told his story. Desmond listened carefully, taken in every detail. He was happy that Charlie and Claire were getting married. He was happy that Tony and Marita were finally going to be parents. In fact, he was happy for every single person that was with him. They felt like family for the few short weeks they were all there. He knew that Sebastian had made lasting friendships with Eddie and Walt. It made him feel like he was finally back in the loop. “I’m happy Raven made it to America.” He leaned up, “Can we be expecting a rescue from him, brother?”
“Sadly, I doubt it.” Jack rubbed his cheeks, “ They got Jenny. And something tells me . . .they wouldn’t have been able to grab her, unless they took out Raven. I don’t know how but I know for a fact he wouldn’t give up Jenny without a fight.”
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” the Scotsman whispered, “If they’ve taken out Raven, I honestly can’t see how we are getting out of here.”
“We’ll worry about escape later,” the doctor shifted up again, “Now tell me, Desmond. Have you spoken to Ben?”
“You mean the wee spooky bastard with the eyes?” he raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, I’ve spoken with him.”
“Did he mention anything at all about Sebastian?”
“Only that he was going to be taken care of. I don’t know what that means but he’s still not my son’s bloody father. I am. I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of him.”
“What about what Sebastian goes through? How did he take care of the change that occurred in him every 108 minutes?”
“They already had medicine for him.” Desmond said, looking up into the ceiling, “ They injected him in the arm with it. He was unconscious on the helicopter ride.”
“They knocked him out?”
“They knocked us all out.” The Scotsman continued, “That’s how they swooped in and picked us up. It’s kinda funny . . .looks like those bloody sharks will finally get their freedom after all.”
“Did he mention what was going on with Sebastian? Did he say that your son was in this building or close by?”
Desmond massaged his neck. “I don’t think so,” he whispered, “I’ve constantly demanded to see my son and they keep saying, that’s not possible. I honestly think, judging by their expressions . . . .that my boy is very far away from here.”
“They wanted Sebastian,” Jack braced his mouth on his hands,” And now they wants the children that made it off of there. Why?”
“Because they are crazy, Jack! A bunch of lunatic, mad scientists!” Desmond yelled in frustration.
“If there was one thing that I learned on the Island, Desmond, was not to mistake crazy for stupid.” The doctor whispered, “Ben kept talking about Natural Selection. Like a man who believes that the strong, not the meek will inherit the earth.”
“What does this have to do with the children?”
“It almost seems like it’s one big experiment,” Jack whispered, “It’s almost as if . . .the kids survived the experiment of the Island. What would Ben put them into next?”
Desmond blinked. He then scratched his beard. Then he quickly tabbed Jack on the shoulder. “Jack . .you don’t think . . .he would put them on another Island, would you?” he asked.
Jack’s eyebrows slowly rose up. “What makes you say that?” he asked.
“You mentioned the Island and it reminded me of something that Izzy talked about during our weekend trip. Because of giving birth to Sebastian, they’ve been taking massive amounts of blood out of her. Almost once every two weeks. During one of the more lucid periods of blood extraction, Izzy said she overheard some of the nurses talking.”
“What did they say?”
“They mentioned that they were missing someone they use to work with. They said they hoped they got back from Isla De Verde before Christmas.”
“Isla de Verde?” Jack inquired, “Where is that?”
“I don’t know, brother. That is all Izzy was able to remember. That and some weird number they kept mentioning.”
“What . .what number?”
“They kept saying something about the 216-ers. Whatever the hell that means?”
“216-ers?” Jack raised an eyebrow,” What . . .what is that?’
“Like I just said, brother, it probably means nothing. Hell, do you have a 216 area code?”
“No, the area code for Los Angeles is 209.” The doctor tapped his head, “216. 216, why is that so familiar?
“February 16th, anybody’s birthday?” Desmond said, thinking on it.
“No, no, but I know I’ve heard that number before.”
The next twenty minutes, Desmond tried to rest. It was a little difficult because he had no furniture in the enclosed room. Sadly, what made it worse was Jack pacing back and forth, mumbling the number 216. The Scotsman opened his eyes and then leaned up; bracing his back against the cold wall. “You know, brother,” he grunted, “I know we’ve only been cell mates for two hours but if you don’t shut up, I might just hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, Desmond,” Jack stopped, “I can’t get that number out of my head. 216 means something, I know it!”
“Jack, it’s not like the numbers I had to type in the Argos mainframe.” The Scotsman pleaded, “These numbers don’t meant squat.”
“The numbers you had to type in the Argos mainframe were the same numbers that Mia typed into the Watchman system. These maniacs thrive on numbers. The 216 numbers has to have some meaning, it has to!”
Desmond crossed his arms, extended his legs and cross them too. He sighed and stared at his friend. “Okay, brother,” he glared at him, “What do you think these numbers mean?”
“Did 216 come up in the Shark Tank anywhere?”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm,” Jack closed his eyes, “ 216 minus 108 is . . . .is 108 again.”
Desmond then uncrossed his arms. Jack and him locked eyes for a second, as if they had just revealed a specific clue. “216 is 108 times 2.” The Scotsman whispered, “That’s . . spooky. That. . .can’t be coincidence.”
“108 times 2,” Jack slid down, on the wall, balancing on his knees, “ What does that mean?”
“Hey, Jack . .what other numbers did you see? During your adventures?”
“Uh . ..Hurley played the numbers in his lottery . . .there were 48 of us left . . .there were 23 in Tony’s party . . .Uh . .uh . . .we went on gate 23, after we got on . . .”
Jack’s eyes were so wide they were almost as big as quarters. Desmond stared at him and his poor doctor friend had the look of a man who had just stepped on his own grave. The doctor coughed a bit and looked around, at the two way mirror. Then he got on his feet and quickly strode over to the other end of the room; sitting down next to Desmond. “Jack, did . . .did 216 ring a bell?” the Scotsman asked.
Jack covered his eyes with his hand. He took a deep sigh. “Dear God in Heaven.” He whispered.
“Jack, talk to me.” Desmond begged.
“Flight 815 . . . .Flight 216.”
“Flight 216?” the stranger inquired, “What is that?”
“About two months ago,” Jack said, leaning against the wall, “A reporter called me about Conway Air Flight 216, out of Maui. It was a flight that disappeared under mysterious circumstances, similar to Flight 815. They wanted to get a statement on the fear and isolation of being stranded an Island. They had no idea where to search for these people.”
“Jack . ..what does this have to do with us?” Desmond asked.
“When we were in flight to America from Sydney, we pasted over the Island and the big flying robot called MOLE brought us down.”
“So?”
“So . . ..what if . . . .it’s happened to Flight 216?” Jack whispered.
“Four months,” Desmond coughed, “I’ve been moved around and inside this bloody hell hole for four months.”
Jack sat against the wall to the friend he hadn’t seen in over six years. Desmond looked like he was withered. He was still physically fit, sporting a beard and slightly longer hair. However, the doctor could tell it was the emotional wounds that ran deep for him. Desmond placed his hands on his head, as he rested against his knees. “In that span of four months, I’ve only seen my wife once,” he sniffed, “and my son never.”
“Where did you see Isabella?” Jack asked.
“At a cabin.” The stranger leaned his head back, “ These people treat their prisoners well. We were allowed a weekend together at this cabin under heavy lock and key. They said if we’d try to escape, we’ve been removed before the duration of the weekend was up. For our love . . .we spent ever single second with each other.”
“I know the feeling,” Jack rubbed his head, thinking about Kate.
“That was two months ago, Jack.” The former racer coughed,” I’ve not seen Izzy nor Sebastian for the past two months. Now tell . . .why have they kidnapped you?”
“They are planning something big.” Jack told him, “I think it’s got something to do with our children.”
“Children?” the stranger gasped, “Whose?”
Jack laughed briefly. “You’ve been out of touch with us for quite some time, Desmond.” He smirked, “Allow me to catch you up on the past six years.”
After nearly an hour had past after Jack had told his story. Desmond listened carefully, taken in every detail. He was happy that Charlie and Claire were getting married. He was happy that Tony and Marita were finally going to be parents. In fact, he was happy for every single person that was with him. They felt like family for the few short weeks they were all there. He knew that Sebastian had made lasting friendships with Eddie and Walt. It made him feel like he was finally back in the loop. “I’m happy Raven made it to America.” He leaned up, “Can we be expecting a rescue from him, brother?”
“Sadly, I doubt it.” Jack rubbed his cheeks, “ They got Jenny. And something tells me . . .they wouldn’t have been able to grab her, unless they took out Raven. I don’t know how but I know for a fact he wouldn’t give up Jenny without a fight.”
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” the Scotsman whispered, “If they’ve taken out Raven, I honestly can’t see how we are getting out of here.”
“We’ll worry about escape later,” the doctor shifted up again, “Now tell me, Desmond. Have you spoken to Ben?”
“You mean the wee spooky bastard with the eyes?” he raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, I’ve spoken with him.”
“Did he mention anything at all about Sebastian?”
“Only that he was going to be taken care of. I don’t know what that means but he’s still not my son’s bloody father. I am. I’m the one who’s supposed to take care of him.”
“What about what Sebastian goes through? How did he take care of the change that occurred in him every 108 minutes?”
“They already had medicine for him.” Desmond said, looking up into the ceiling, “ They injected him in the arm with it. He was unconscious on the helicopter ride.”
“They knocked him out?”
“They knocked us all out.” The Scotsman continued, “That’s how they swooped in and picked us up. It’s kinda funny . . .looks like those bloody sharks will finally get their freedom after all.”
“Did he mention what was going on with Sebastian? Did he say that your son was in this building or close by?”
Desmond massaged his neck. “I don’t think so,” he whispered, “I’ve constantly demanded to see my son and they keep saying, that’s not possible. I honestly think, judging by their expressions . . . .that my boy is very far away from here.”
“They wanted Sebastian,” Jack braced his mouth on his hands,” And now they wants the children that made it off of there. Why?”
“Because they are crazy, Jack! A bunch of lunatic, mad scientists!” Desmond yelled in frustration.
“If there was one thing that I learned on the Island, Desmond, was not to mistake crazy for stupid.” The doctor whispered, “Ben kept talking about Natural Selection. Like a man who believes that the strong, not the meek will inherit the earth.”
“What does this have to do with the children?”
“It almost seems like it’s one big experiment,” Jack whispered, “It’s almost as if . . .the kids survived the experiment of the Island. What would Ben put them into next?”
Desmond blinked. He then scratched his beard. Then he quickly tabbed Jack on the shoulder. “Jack . .you don’t think . . .he would put them on another Island, would you?” he asked.
Jack’s eyebrows slowly rose up. “What makes you say that?” he asked.
“You mentioned the Island and it reminded me of something that Izzy talked about during our weekend trip. Because of giving birth to Sebastian, they’ve been taking massive amounts of blood out of her. Almost once every two weeks. During one of the more lucid periods of blood extraction, Izzy said she overheard some of the nurses talking.”
“What did they say?”
“They mentioned that they were missing someone they use to work with. They said they hoped they got back from Isla De Verde before Christmas.”
“Isla de Verde?” Jack inquired, “Where is that?”
“I don’t know, brother. That is all Izzy was able to remember. That and some weird number they kept mentioning.”
“What . .what number?”
“They kept saying something about the 216-ers. Whatever the hell that means?”
“216-ers?” Jack raised an eyebrow,” What . . .what is that?’
“Like I just said, brother, it probably means nothing. Hell, do you have a 216 area code?”
“No, the area code for Los Angeles is 209.” The doctor tapped his head, “216. 216, why is that so familiar?
“February 16th, anybody’s birthday?” Desmond said, thinking on it.
“No, no, but I know I’ve heard that number before.”
The next twenty minutes, Desmond tried to rest. It was a little difficult because he had no furniture in the enclosed room. Sadly, what made it worse was Jack pacing back and forth, mumbling the number 216. The Scotsman opened his eyes and then leaned up; bracing his back against the cold wall. “You know, brother,” he grunted, “I know we’ve only been cell mates for two hours but if you don’t shut up, I might just hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, Desmond,” Jack stopped, “I can’t get that number out of my head. 216 means something, I know it!”
“Jack, it’s not like the numbers I had to type in the Argos mainframe.” The Scotsman pleaded, “These numbers don’t meant squat.”
“The numbers you had to type in the Argos mainframe were the same numbers that Mia typed into the Watchman system. These maniacs thrive on numbers. The 216 numbers has to have some meaning, it has to!”
Desmond crossed his arms, extended his legs and cross them too. He sighed and stared at his friend. “Okay, brother,” he glared at him, “What do you think these numbers mean?”
“Did 216 come up in the Shark Tank anywhere?”
“Nope.”
“Hmmm,” Jack closed his eyes, “ 216 minus 108 is . . . .is 108 again.”
Desmond then uncrossed his arms. Jack and him locked eyes for a second, as if they had just revealed a specific clue. “216 is 108 times 2.” The Scotsman whispered, “That’s . . spooky. That. . .can’t be coincidence.”
“108 times 2,” Jack slid down, on the wall, balancing on his knees, “ What does that mean?”
“Hey, Jack . .what other numbers did you see? During your adventures?”
“Uh . ..Hurley played the numbers in his lottery . . .there were 48 of us left . . .there were 23 in Tony’s party . . .Uh . .uh . . .we went on gate 23, after we got on . . .”
Jack’s eyes were so wide they were almost as big as quarters. Desmond stared at him and his poor doctor friend had the look of a man who had just stepped on his own grave. The doctor coughed a bit and looked around, at the two way mirror. Then he got on his feet and quickly strode over to the other end of the room; sitting down next to Desmond. “Jack, did . . .did 216 ring a bell?” the Scotsman asked.
Jack covered his eyes with his hand. He took a deep sigh. “Dear God in Heaven.” He whispered.
“Jack, talk to me.” Desmond begged.
“Flight 815 . . . .Flight 216.”
“Flight 216?” the stranger inquired, “What is that?”
“About two months ago,” Jack said, leaning against the wall, “A reporter called me about Conway Air Flight 216, out of Maui. It was a flight that disappeared under mysterious circumstances, similar to Flight 815. They wanted to get a statement on the fear and isolation of being stranded an Island. They had no idea where to search for these people.”
“Jack . ..what does this have to do with us?” Desmond asked.
“When we were in flight to America from Sydney, we pasted over the Island and the big flying robot called MOLE brought us down.”
“So?”
“So . . ..what if . . . .it’s happened to Flight 216?” Jack whispered.
posted by Jason | 11:17 AM
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