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Two men stood over the beaten prisoner. The prisoner’s eyes filled with fear. Jack leant forward to see the damage done by Sayid. The prisoner named Henry shrank back from Jack.
“What are we going to do?” Asked Locke
“I don’t know, nothing if he won’t let me close enough to see what’s wrong” Jack replied
“We can’t just leave him, Jack” Locke said
“Well, what do you suggest we do?” Jack asked impatiently
Locke fell silent.
“Well then!” said Jack “Just let me do my job”
“What about Lucy?” Locke asked, looking down on Henry.
Jack thought for a moment. Lucy, was only a medical student, but she had been the only one able to convince Sullivan, that Hives were not life threatening.
“How’d we get her down here without people asking questions?” Jack asked.
That was a valid point that John had missed. Lucy wasn’t a member of Jack’s loop; in fact she barely spoke to any of them. If she went down the hatch, other people would want to.
“I’ll get her” Locke replied “Steve should know where she is”
“Hey Steve” Locke shouted to a man picking fruit.
“Hey John, what’s up?” Steve replied turning around to face the older man.
“Oh, the usual” John replied “You couldn’t tell me where I could find Lucy?”
“Erm…Yeah, she’s probably with Tracy, I could go get her if you want” Steve said, brushing off his trousers.
“Yeah, if you would” Locke smiled at how easy it had been “Could you tell her we need her back at the hatch!”
“Sure, John, Catch you around!” Steve said as he sprinted toward the beach.
Lucy walked in the dark and damp underground stronghold. This had once been considered they’re one chance of survival up against “The Others”, but these “Others” never came.
“John?” Lucy shouted unsure. “John?”
“In here” came a voice from an area that she could only describe as a living room.
Lucy walked in, to see a small man in an orange shirt, lying on the floor. A hand clamped down on her shoulder and made her jump.
“John?” Lucy said “What’s going on, who is this?”
Locke put a finger on her lips.
“Jack will explain” He said
“Rousseau seems to think this man is one of them!” Jack said entering the room “Sayid, seems to agree with her.”
“Who did this to him?” Lucy asked horrified
“Well, John and Sayid both thought we needed some answers, so they locked him in the armoury….” Jack trailed off
“Sayid did this?” Lucy asked
Both nodded in unison.
“And is he?” She asked glaring “One of them?”
“We don’t know?” John said simply, shrugging
“Sayid, didn’t do it properly, he just flipped out, we had to get him out” Jack sighed
“He just kept saying that he was one of them!”
“So you just let him do it, let him torture some poor idiot, just because he lost his bimbo of a …”
“That’s enough!” Jack snapped “You’re not here to pass judgement …”
“Then why am I here?” Lucy interrupted “You bring me down here, you show me this and you expect me to be all ‘Poor Sayid’, what if this guy is innocent...”
“What if he’s not” Locke cut in
Henry stirred.
“He won’t let me or anyone else for that matter, anywhere near him” Jack explained “Maybe he’ll let you, like before with Sawyer and his band-aid changes”
“You asked me to come down here and do your job, because you frightened some guy half to death, that’s …”
“Your job, as a medical student” Jack hissed
Lucy narrowed her eyes.
“Your not God, Jack, what makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do, or question my morals!”
“You two sound too much alike” Locke sighed “ Lucy, it isn’t for you to decide who’s right or who’s wrong, but it is your job to help people, and here’s is someone who needs your help!”
Lucy sighed; she knew Locke was right, even thought she didn’t want to admit it.
She bent down next to Henry.
“Hey” she said softly “I’m Lucy, who are you?”
“My name is...”
“Henry Gale and he’s from Minnesota!” Jack spoke in a mocking tone
Lucy rolled her eyes at Jack.
“Shut up Jack-ass, I wasn’t talking to you!”
She looked at the many bruises already showing on his battered face.
“Jack, I need some equipment if you expect me to help him” Lucy snapped
Jack looked at Henry, who dropped his eyes nervously. Jack left the room, leaving Henry with Lucy and John.
The room filled with an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, while Jack was absent. Jack re-appeared holding a bag.
Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Lucy cut-in
“I believe silence is golden, don’t you?”
Locke nodded in agreement and Henry smirked. Jack rolled his eyes and handed Lucy the bag. Lucy opened it and set out a bottle of iodine and some tissue. She took a tissue and soaked it in iodine.
“This is gonna hurt!” Lucy said as she pressed the tissue gently against one of the many wounds on his face.
Henry flinched with pain and let out an involuntary hiss of pain.
“There you go, all done” Lucy announced standing up and throwing away the last of the waste.
“Thank you!” Henry replied looking solemnly at the floor
“Are you alright?” Lucy asked kneeling down beside him
“Well, let me see, I’m held captive by people who think I’m trying to kill them, in a place where a loud noise keeps happening, and no one will tell me what it is, I’m stranded on an island somewhere, my balloon crashed and my wife is dead; but other than that I suppose I can’t complain” Henry remarked looking up at her face
He looked at her simple features, her high cheekbones, her tanned cheeks, flecked with freckles, her black hair hanging in a loose plat and her azure eyes framed with black eye liner. He was surprised that she still wore make-up.
“You know, we’re sort of in the same boat!” Lucy started “I mean, unless your in Jack’s loop, you don’t get to know much, unless they consider you useful and then that’s different; I’m stuck on this island, and instead of being considered an other, I’m waiting for these “Others” to come and kill me.”
She caught Henry’s eye.
“You people are seriously paranoid” Henry replied
“You don’t know what has happened to us” Lucy said
“Do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Do you know, I mean seriously how well do you know these people?” Henry questioned
“I do know” Lucy replied “I’ve been here”
“You admitted it just now, you only know what they decide to tell you and you just seem to go along with it” Henry remarked
“You’re wrong” Lucy said with venom “You’re wrong”
“Am I, because from what I can see, and from what you say, you’re pretty oblivious, but I suppose ignorance is bliss”
“You don’t know as much as you think” Lucy snapped
“I don’t?” Henry repeated “Well let me ask you something, would you have known about me if they hadn’t needed you?”
“I would have known…”
“Eventually” Henry cut-in “They consider me a risk and still how many people actually know about me?”
“I don’t have to listen to this” Lucy told him, as she got up and went for the door
“Go, but you know that I’m right; you’ve been thinking it”
Lucy turned to face him
“And what would you know about what I think, you don’t know me” Lucy spat
“That’s true, I don’t know you, but I know you can see what’s wrong with this place and still you won’t do anything to change it, you’re lazy”
“I am not” She shouted
“You are, either that or you’re a coward, afraid of a fight that might just give you people what you need, a proper leader” Henry argued “I don’t see why you let the doctor call all the shots”
“We don’t”
“You do, is there any sort of democracy, do actually settle things together or do you all just do as Jack says”
“You know, saying all these things to me won’t change my views, it’s just looks bad on the ‘You being innocent’ front” Lucy informed him and she left the room.
She leant against the door, knowing what he said was true. They were all things she and many others had been thinking for a long time.
The Prisoner (Part/2)
Lucy was sat on a large grey rock facing the sea. She came there to think. She looked out at the vast ocean that disappeared on the horizon. This was beautiful tranquillity. Shame, she thought, that her mind wasn’t as tranquil as this scene. What Henry had said to her played over in her mind. She had tried hard to think on something else, but the image of the small man looking up at her with eyes full of questioning made her doubt everything, that she had once been so sure of. Was she a coward? Was this island more a dictatorship than a democracy? Or was Henry one of them, trying to twist her mind? She had told herself many times over the entire evening that she wasn’t going to let this get to her, he wasn’t going to change her mind; but the more she thought, the more she knew he was right.
“Lucy”
She turned around, it was John.
“Oh, Hey John, what are you doing here?” She asked as she went to get up
“Jack’s down the hatch, so I thought I’d come out and get some fresh air!” He replied, sitting next to her “So, what are you doing out here all alone, with a face like a wet weekend?”
“Oh nothing, just the usual, sitting here thinking about stuff!” Lucy muttered
“Mind if I join you?”
“No, go ahead” Lucy said, and John smiled.
“What’s bothering you, and don’t say nothing, because I can see there’s something” John told her.
“It’s nothing, I just miss home that’s all” She murmured
“We all do some times” John said putting a comforting arm around her shoulders
“John, what do you think of Henry?”
“I don’t know, he seems an odd fellow, but I can’t really say” John replied
“Do you think he’s innocent?” Lucy asked.
John looked at her quizzically.
“I’m not sure, define innocence”
“Do you think he’s one of them?” Lucy questioned
They’re eyes met.
“What’s going on, Lucy?” John asked “You’re not normally this curious, what’s he said?”
“Nothing”
“Nothing’s something, what’s he said?”
“It’s not important, it just made me question, if we’re as civilised as we think” Lucy explained
John observed her, but her body language was unreadable.
“Do you think that locking him up in that little metal room is the right thing to do?” Lucy continued
John remained silent, questioning Sayid’s actions.
“I think out here, with out any rules, our sense of right is twisted, I don’t think we’re good judges of what’s right anymore” John replied
“Can I talk to him…Henry?” Lucy requested
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, whatever he said to you last time has got you pretty worked up, I’m not sure a second visit is a …”
“Just to put my mind at rest and to clean his bandages?”
“I suppose, Lucy, but you get fifteen minutes, and that’s all”
“But”
“Don’t argue…you’re not supposed to know about this at all, and if you keep disappearing, people are going to ask questions”
“Okay, fifteen minutes”
John opened the creaky slide door that belonged to the hatch armoury. Lucy stepped inside, the dark, dingy room that served as Henry’s prison. The prisoner was lying on his bed, reading. As she entered, he sat up.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, looking confused “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again”
“I don’t scare easily” Lucy replied shrugging
“I don’t know if that’s stupidity or bravery”
“Depends”
“On what?”
“If you’re one of them or not”
“You people keep saying that, ‘One of them’ like I’d know what you are talking about, one of what?”
“Well, I could explain, but that would just leave me open to more criticism”
Henry raised an eyebrow.
“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit”
“But did you know it’s the highest form of intelligence?” Lucy asked “Plus sarcasm beats killing people”
“How would you know?”
“Well, I haven’t killed you, have I?” Lucy replied
“Why are you here?”
“Because I need to change your bandages” Lucy informed him
She took off an old bandage soaked with blood. She pressed a tissue against the shoulder wound, and re-bandaged it.
“You’re not going to get to me” Lucy said suddenly
“What?” Henry asked, stunned
“I know what you’re trying to do and it’s not going to happen, you’re not going to get to me” Lucy informed him
Henry just looked at her with innocent blue eyes.
“I don’t know what you mean”
“United we stand, divided we fall” Lucy replied “You want us to fight, you want us to doubt ourselves, because that gives you the advantage”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about”
The door creaked open.
“Time, Lucy” John said
“Okay”
“Time for what?” Henry asked “What’s going on?”
John looked down at the prisoner.
“Oh, it’s the daily sacrifice to island, we’re sacrificing Sayid today” Lucy joked “But he has a life line, if he dances well enough, he lives, if he fails, well…we burn him”
Henry eyes widened in horror. John laughed.
“C’mon Lucy”
“Okay, I’m out of here”
When she reached the other side of the door, her mind began to work over-time. Was Henry really innocent? Was she just paranoid? Was the island starting to get to her?
She sat on the couch in the hatch. She put her head in her hands.
“Lucy, can you manage the button, for a while, I just need to go and see Jack” John asked “Will that be okay?”
“Yeah, sure”
She waited until John had closed the door, before she stood up. She glanced over at Henry’s prison door. John would be gone a while she thought, that’s why he needed someone to press the button, that might give her a little extra time with Henry. She glanced at the door again. He didn’t seem the violent type and he probably wasn’t dangerous, but having said that, they had all made the same mistake with Ethan. She knocked on the door, and entered the combination.
The Prisoner (Part/3)
She took a long deep breath to prepare herself. Her mind was racing. The pros and cons of her opening the door were running through her brain. She glanced behind her, all was clear. She opened the door. Henry smiled at her.
“Two visits in one day, I am popular” He smirked
Her stomach clenched. She really wished that she had armed herself with something.
“Can I help you with something?” He asked her.
She didn’t answer, instead she propped herself up against the wall.
There were many things she wanted to ask him, many questions to which she wanted answers. She stared into his eyes.
“Who are you, I mean really?”
Henry blinked at her.
“I told you”
“No, you told Jack, Locke and Sayid” She answered “You haven’t told me anything, they told me!”
He raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.
“You know who I am”
“Okay, if you don’t want to answer that question, answer this; why did you come here?”
“You think I wanted to come here, I was caught in a trap set by that woman, if you could call her that”
“Well okay, you didn’t want to come here, well then…how’d you get caught if you weren’t coming here?” Lucy gave Henry a smug grin.
Henry glared at her.
“You’re smarter than you look…”
“Or that you’d give me credit for ordinarily!” Lucy finished “So tell me the truth, who are you?”
“I don’t have to answer that”
“Well if you won’t tell me, maybe you’ll tell…”
“You don’t understand” He replied desperately “You…You don’t understand”
“Understand what?”
“You have no idea what will…” He trailed off
She watched him carefully.
“What are you talking about?”
She heard a noise, she twisted around to investigate. It was Jack and John arguing.
“So you just left her with him” She heard Jack say.
“He’s locked in he can’t get to her” John replied
Lucy looked at Henry. His innocent face didn’t look so innocent in this new light. She grabbed the door and closed it.
She dived for the sofa. Jack and John rounded the corner and looked at her.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Lucy asked
“Nothing” Jack said “How’s Henry?”
“I don’t know, haven’t heard anything from him” Lucy replied “He’s been just as quiet as always”
“Why do you always have to question me?” Shouted Alex, Lucy’s fiancée
“Because I know you’re lying to me, she sent me this letter” Lucy bellowed back, standing in the kitchen doorway, waving a piece of paper at him. “Read it” She shouted.
“I don’t need to read it, it’s bollocks” He roared “I thought you knew me by now”
“I forgave you last time how many more times am I supposed to let you walk all over me?” Lucy cried as tears prickled down her cheeks. “You know what it says, she tells me how much it hurts her when you leave her arms to come home to mine!”
“She’s talking rubbish, Lucy, darling look at me?”
“Don’t bother, I’m sick of this”
“I don’t even remember it, it was only once and it meant nothing” Alex muttered as he put his arm around her shoulders, she shrugged him off.
“Don’t touch me”
“Honey, please, listen”
“Listen to more bollocks?” Lucy hissed “It’s over, you can call it off”
“Don’t do this” He shouted throwing his phone at her “We can fix this, we’ve just got to try”
“I’m sick of trying, I’m leaving”
“You’re not going anywhere” He growled grabbing her by the arm.
Lucy spun and slapped him had across the face. His head swivelled.
He punched her hard in the face, she hit the floor.
Lucy woke up in a cold sweat. The images of her past relived flashed through her brain, it reminded her how much she hated liars. She heard the sounds of other people talking outside her shelter. She got up and pulled her shirt on, and a pair of fresh jeans. Ana-Lucia walked straight past her to talk to Sayid and Charlie.
“Hey” Lucy shouted to her.
Ana turned to face her.
“Oh, hey, what’s up?”
“Not a lot, you?” Lucy asked.
“Er… I just had an interesting conversation with Henry”
“Really, what about?”
“A map” Ana said with a smile “A map to his air balloon”
“So you’re going to check it out?” Lucy asked “Are you taking anyone with you?”
“I was going to ask Sayid, but you can come if you want”
“Okay”
“But you’ve got to be ready to leave in half an hour” Ana told her.
Jack pulled open the door of Henry’s prison. The small man was a reading a book.
“How is it?” Jack enquired
“Men reject their prophets and slay them, but they love their Martyrs and honour those whom they have slain” Said Henry in way of reply “So what’s the difference between a martyr and a prophet?”
“Either way it sounds like you end up dead”
“That’s the spirit” Smiled Henry, nervously
“In the mood for some breakfast?” Jack asked, trying to steer the conversation to a more comfortable point.
Jack showed Henry outside, to a table. In front of Henry, had been placed a bowl and some cereal.
“Cereal?” Henry said is awe “Wow, where’d you guys get cereal?”
John sat down opposite to Henry.
“It was down here all along” John told him “The pantry’s full of food”
“How old is it?” Henry enquired
Jack and John didn’t answer.
“You guys don’t know much, huh?” Henry said “I mean, I’d be asking all kinds of questions about the stuff down here; you guys don’t even seem that curious”
“Do you want the cereal or don’t you?” Jack asked agitated
“This must be my reward for good behaviour, huh?” Henry said, satisfied “I guess I earned myself some good will, for finally drawing that map for Ana”
Locke raised an eyebrow at Henry.
“What map?”
“To my balloon” Said Henry
Jack and John exchanged horrified glances.
“Did you…”
“No” John interrupted.
Henry raised his eyebrows.
“Wow, you guys have some real trust issues, don’t you” Henry said, sounding almost happy “Guess it makes sense she didn’t tell you, I mean, with you two fighting all the time”
Henry began to eat some cereal.
“Of course if I was one of them…these people that you seem to think are your enemies…what would I do?” Henry continued “Well there’d be no balloon, so I’d draw a map to a real secluded place like a cave or some under bush…good place for a trap…an ambush; and when your friends got there a bunch of my people would be waiting for them, then they’d use them to trade for me”
Henry watched the effects of these words on John and Jack’s faces.
“Good thing I’m not one of them, huh?” Henry added “You guys got any milk?”
The Prisoner (Part/4)
Sayid walked ahead, map in his hands. Ana walked a little way behind him. Lucy followed, scanning the whole time for the slightest suspicious movement. Charlie caught her eye and winked.
“Hey, you want some breakfast?” Charlie muttered to her, holding out a papaya.
Lucy took it, gratefully. Her stomach was starting to call her in many different languages.
“Thanks, Charlie”
He grinned at her, making her feel much more comfortable. Charlie was much better company than Sayid or Ana seemed to be. The air had been thick with tension, ever since they’d left the beach. It wasn’t really that surprising. Ana had killed Shannon, and as much as Sayid claimed he didn’t blame her, but his body language said words his mouth never could.
The rain began to come down in a sudden down-pour.
Ana and Sayid decided between them to split up to cover more ground.
Ana went with Sayid and Lucy with Charlie. Lucy wasn’t keen at first. The idea of leaving Ana with Sayid didn’t exactly thrill her; in fact it made her almost certain, paranoid in a way; that something would happen. It would either be that Sayid killed Ana or she got there first, but then again, the rumours had gone around that Sayid had been given the chance to kill her before, and hadn’t taken it.
Charlie winked at Lucy, and she smiled. He had this charming ability to make her feel safe and happy even when they were surrounded by a strange eeriness and many unknowns.
Jack glared at Henry and thrust a piece of paper and a pen in front of him.
“Draw it again” He barked “The map to your balloon”
Henry began to look worried.
“I was joking…I was making a joke” Babbled Henry “There’s nothing out there except my balloon…I was frustrated…it was a stupid thing to say; I’m sorry”
John watched Henry carefully, studying his face. He was scared, any man could see that.
“It’s too late anyway” John said after a while “She’s already gone, Jack”
Jack half smirked.
“So, what’s done is done?”
“That’s right” John replied, still eyeing Henry’s body language, as if it was some enigmatic code that he might be able to decipher.
“Put him back in the armoury” Jack snapped as he left.
Henry watched Jack exit.
“Why do you let him talk to you like that?” Henry began.
He didn’t get to finish, because John sprang from his seat and grabbed Henry forcefully by the collar and dragged him to the armoury.
“Hey, wait I…”
John wasn’t in the mood for Henry’s excuses or for orders.
“Shut up” He barked at the door as he closed it on the prisoner.
“John, I’m sorry, John?” came the muffled voice of Henry Gale.
Lucy and Charlie spent some time talking as they climbed over and around the untamed mess of under bush, mass of trees and rocky patches.
“So, what brought you here?” Charlie asked “What made you take that plane?”
“Family” Lucy muttered
“Family, eh?”
“Yeah, my aunt is ill, she’s got cancer and she just needed someone there”
“So, what happened?”
“I had to get a flight back to university, it just so happened, that I had to make a stop to see my parents on the way back”
“And your aunt?”
“I crashed here, I don’t know” Lucy murmured “I’m not sure whether she’s dead or alive”
“That sucks”
“Tell me about it” Lucy smirked “So, why did you take that plane?”
“Family”
“Ooo, want to share?”
“I went to see my brother about saving Driveshaft, you know make a new album, do a new tour”
“So what happened?”
“He’d settled down, has a family, isn’t interested in the old days anymore” Charlie responded “And come to think of it, I’ve realised; I’m not either”
Lucy smiled at him.
“Maybe John is right”
“What?”
“The island helps us with our lives”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you realised that the thing you thought you wanted most, isn’t; and the island has done many assorted miracles for the rest of us” Lucy remarked
“So what’s your assorted miracle?”
“I don’t know” Lucy replied “I don’t think it’s happened yet”
“Well, maybe it’s coming soon” Charlie smiled “I mean, I’d say you were due one”
“Thanks Charlie” Lucy beamed, as she slid down muddy slope.
In front of them, there were two sticks, bound to look like a cross.
“Didn’t Henry say he buried his wife by his balloon?” Charlie asked
“Well, if this is the grave, where’s the balloon?”
Locke was exercising on the bike, left behind in the hatch. He was, as usual listening to the collection of music that served as entertainment in the dank underground stronghold. Locke heard a hissing coming from one of the many speakers situated around the hatch. Locke stopped the music and checked the computer. All seemed fine, the computer seemed normal and the timer was showing 47 minutes to go. Locke stood up on chair and tried to repair the speaker. The loudspeaker’s volume changed dramatically.
“Seventeen minutes to lockdown”
Locke jumped.
“What was that?” Came Henry’s voice from inside his prison “John, what’s the matter?”
The loudspeaker continued to broadcast a message that was barely distinguishable for static.
“Please proceed…protocol…please proceed”
Henry was alarmed by all of the noise.
“John, hey, are you out there?” Henry shouted through the door “What’s that noise, John, what’s going on…talk to me”
Locke looked around; trying to figure out was going on.
“Will you be quiet” Locke shouted to the door.
“Tell me what’s happening, what the hell is…”
“Will you shut up!” Locke yelled.
The loudspeaker continued.
“9, 8, 7, 6, 5…”
“Maybe you should get Jack” Came the quiet, nervous voice of the prisoner.
“I said shut up!”
“4, 3, 2, 1.”
Suddenly the blast doors came down. Locke slid across the floor and managed to lodge a crowbar under the door.
“What happened?” Henry shouted, hoping that John could hear him.
The lights began to flicker.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Locke tried to lift the door up using the crowbar, but luck wasn’t on his side. The door wouldn’t budge.
“Are you still out there, John, John?”
Locke looked at the crowbar, feeling disheartened.
“I’m here” Locke said, a little softer.
“What were those noises, what’s wrong; did something…”
“Nothing is wrong” Locke replied.
Locke looked around; he couldn’t see any way that he could fix this on his own. He sighed.
“We’re locked in”
“What?” Henry asked
“These blast doors came down, the whole living area is sealed off, I can’t get out” Locke informed Henry.
Henry thought for a moment.
“Did you try to pry…?”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t” John replied “Maybe…maybe if the two of us.”
“You want me to help you?” Henry asked, not sure if he understood what John was requesting of him.
“Yeah”
Henry thought some more; maybe they would be nicer to him for good behaviour, but it was his last reward that had gotten Jack and John all wound up.
“And if I do help you get these doors up, then you’re just going to lock me back in here, aren’t you?” Henry remarked.
Locke felt a little guilty.
“That’s right” John replied, as not to give Henry any false hope.
“Then I’m going to need your word, John” Henry answered “I’m going to need your word that you won’t let your people do anything to me”
Locke felt a little confused, and his suspicions began to rise.
“Well, if you’re who you say you are then what are you worried about?” Came the answer back.
“Things have happened to them…things I have nothing to do with” Henry continued “But they’ve got no one to blame except for me; So, I’m going to need your word that you’ll protect me no matter what”
These words seem to give Locke all the confirmation he needed. Locke got up and opened the armoury door. Henry was standing in the doorway.
“Who are you?” Locke demanded
“My name is Henry Gale, I’m from Minnesota, and I crashed on this island just like you”
Locke thought for a moment. If he made a promise, he always kept it, but if Henry was one of them, how could he make him this sort of promise? But on the other hand if he didn’t, there would be no way of moving the blast doors and pressing the button.
“Alright, you have my word” It was a rash decision, but Locke knew to well what they said ‘Desperate times, call for desperate measures’ and this was one of those times, where this excuse could be applied.
Ana and Sayid were in the middle of the forest. The rain had been coming down in downpour for the last few hours and both were soaked to the skin. Sayid was ready to give up, and he began to grow more impatient.
“Maybe he’s wrong, we should search the other side of the cliff” Ana tried to persuade.
“We’ve been searching for the last three hours, this balloon does not exist” Sayid barked “Charlie…Charlie…Lucy”
Lucy nudged Charlie.
“Do you hear that?”
“Yeah…Sayid”
“Over here, this way” Lucy yelled “Sayid”
Ana and Sayid sprinted towards the source of the sound. They found Charlie and Lucy crouching next to a burial mound, topped with a cross.
“He said he buried her, right?” Charlie asked “His wife?”
Charlie looked around at the faces for confirmation. Ana held out her hand.
“Why isn’t it raining here?” Ana questioned
Everyone looked up; above them was an orange coloured balloon hanging in the trees.
Locke and Henry tried hard to lift the door. They managed to wedge a thicker bar under the blast door.
“Let’s go, harder” Locke ordered
“I’m losing it” Henry groaned
“The tool box” Locke shouted to the little man “Get the tool box…that’ll hold it”
Henry looked uncertain.
“You sure?”
“Get it” Locke ordered, his voice becoming more commanding “Come on, put it under”
Henry let go and ran for the tool box. He slid it under the heavily armoured door. It appeared to handle the strain. Locke immediately began to crawl under.
“John, John, wait don’t just…”
The tool box buckled and metal spike pierced Locke’s leg. Locke cried out in agony. Henry ran to aid the old man, and tried to lift the monstrosity with his hands.
“You have to stop the door” John winced “Put something else under the door, c’mon c’mon”
Henry ran and found the weights stacked in heaps on the floor.
“Stack them, stack them” Ordered the older man “You have to stop the pressure, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon”
Henry finished stacking the weights and the door stopped moving. He bent down near Locke.
“Alright, let’s get you out, come on” Henry said soothingly, as he began to pull out Locke slowly.
“No, no, stop, stop” John shouted to Henry.
“Alright, alright, we’ll wait ‘til someone comes down, alright” He replied leaning down next to John “It’s only a matter of time, yeah”
“Yeah, but we don’t have time”
“This isn’t real…I was so…he’s lying” Sayid stuttered
“So, he was telling the truth” Charlie stated
“No, no he wasn’t” Sayid exclaimed, desperately “This is…is…it’s too real”
Lucy placed a careful arm on his shoulder. Sayid shrugged it away.
“This can’t be real…he’s a liar…he didn’t know” Sayid muttered to himself “It’s a trap…it’s a trap…it has to be”
“Right” said Charlie “And the plane full of drugs and the hatch, they must have been traps too, I mean after all they were a little bit of a coincidence”
“Charlie” Lucy warned “Stop it”
“Oh c’mon Lucy, this does sound like the ravings of a desperate madman”
Ana stood over the grave silently, weighing up the surroundings. There was no sign of a trap, or any unusual feelings or silences.
“Let’s go” Ana remarked, turning away from the grave.
“Ana, wait” Lucy called “We all go back together or not at all”
Sayid got down onto his hands and knees, and began taking up handfuls of dirt.
“Sayid, what are you doing?” Lucy exclaimed, grabbing his hands. “Sayid, Sayid, stop it”
Ana turned around and grabbed hold of one of Sayid’s arms, while Lucy clung to the other.
“Sayid, what do you think you’re doing?” Lucy shouted.
The words fell upon deaf ears, as Sayid began franticly clawing at the ground.
“Charlie” Lucy called “Don’t just stand there, help us”
“What does it do?” asked Henry, with a puzzled look on his face.
“We’re not exactly sure” John replied
“And you push it…”
“Every 108 minutes, yeah”
“How soon does this alarm go off?” Henry quizzed
“Very…which is why I need you to go up through the grate and into the vents”
“Grate’s bolted shut” Henry stated “I tried it”
“There’s another grate in the pantry” John informed “You can get up through there…take the vent into the dome”
“Maybe we should wait”
“We can’t wait; it’s going to go off any minute” John panicked “I trusted you, Henry, now you’ve got to trust me; that button has to be pushed”
Henry looked uncertain for a moment.
“Okay, what do I do?”
“Once you’re inside, you’ll hear the alarm beeping, and you just have to enter the numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 42, and then you press execute” John instructed “It has to be exactly those numbers in exactly that order; Now do you…”
“4 8 15 16 23 42, I got it”
Henry stood up, and walked tentatively into the pantry. He studied the grate for a moment, considering the best route.
“Can you reach it?” John called
“I think so” Came the reply, as the small man began to climb the shelves. He reached out and tried to open the grate.
“Be careful” The older man advised
But Henry continued to stretch to reach the grate. The shelving gave and the small man fell. John tried to sit up. The small man looked unconscious.
“Henry?” John shouted
The timer began bleeping, and John began to worry.
“Henry?”
Sayid pulled a wallet out of the remains of a body that he had recently uncovered. He opened it and found an ID card. Sayid smirked to himself, and passed it around.
“It might just be me, but I thought that his wife would be a woman” remarked Charlie.
Lucy leant against a tree, sickened at the things she had just witnessed. Ana placed a hand on Lucy’s shoulder, equally appalled.
“I told you” Sayid snapped at the three “I told you he was a liar…you didn’t believe me…but if it wasn’t for…”
“If it wasn’t for you desecrating someone’s grave we would be none the wiser” Lucy finished
“We would have another Other able to run amok…you do remember Ethan?” Sayid replied “I think you would rather that I dug up a grave, and discover the truth, than ignore my suspicions and allow people to die”
Everyone remained silent, looking on at the rotting remains of the real Henry Gale.
“What do you suppose happened to him?” Charlie asked
“Isn’t it obvious, Charlie, he killed him” Sayid barked
“We’ve got no proof that Henry did this” Lucy stated “We just found a body”
“Yes, the body of the real Henry Gale” Sayid snarled “Doesn’t that seem all to convenient”
“But we don’t know that Henry did this” Lucy pleaded “There are more than one as we’ve seen; All he did was assume his identity”
Ana looked impatient.
“C’mon, let’s get back and let everyone know” Ana chimed in, emotionlessly.
Lucy looked outraged.
“We can’t just leave the grave like this, it’s…it’s…wrong”
Sayid looked up at the three, all looked in weary agreement. Sayid sighed to himself as he began to recover the corpse.
“Henry, get up, damn it…Henry?” John shouted trying rouse Henry.
Henry began to come to. He sat up groggily.
“Henry are you alright?”
The prisoner rubbed his throbbing head.
“W-what happened?” He asked, feeling a little unsteady
“Listen to me, you have to get up into the vents and enter the numbers into the computer” John initiated
“How long was I…?”
“Please, you have to go now; we’re running out of time” John called out desperately
Henry still feeling the effects of the fall and uncertainty of his task, got to his feet.
“Okay, yeah” The prisoner responded faintly
“Be careful” The older man called, hoping that this time Henry would be vigilant.
Henry climbed up into the vent, leaving John with nothing but his thoughts and the sound of the button bleeping more urgently.
Sayid patted the last of the earth down. He stood up looking at the three.
“Are we moving or not?” He said impatiently
Ana got to her feet and Charlie helped Lucy stand up.
“Okay and we’re moving” Charlie announced, leading the way.
The rest began to follow. Lucy felt Sayid’s eyes bore into her back.
She leant close to Charlie.
“What do you think is going to happen now?” Lucy whispered
“It’s it obvious, Sayid’s going to take over the law enforcement, and hand-out Henry’s punishment” Charlie whispered back.
“But he hasn’t done anything” Lucy murmured
“You think you have to do something these days?” Charlie whispered “Just look at someone the wrong way and you’re an other or a junkie these days”
“But he really didn’t do anything and Sayid tortured him”
“Lucy, he was caught before he could’ve done anything, you don’t know what he might have done, if he’d been left to his own devices” Charlie pointed out.
Lucy looked contemplative.
The alarm was sounding furiously, and John was on tender hooks.
“Henry, Henry?” John yelled
There was no reply, instead the alarm stopped and John could hear the sound of the timer flicking back to one hundred and eight minutes. There was a sound like something powering up, and the lights blacked out.
“Please say something” John called
There was another noise, and a fluorescent map appeared on the door in front of him. John scanned it, attempting to commit it to memory. The lights flickered back on, and the door began to rise.
“Henry?”
The older man, began to drag himself into the computer room, using his arms.
“Henry?” John called “Anybody here?”
John looked around. The timer read 107.
“Is anybody here?”
Henry walked in behind John. The older man turned to face him.
“You came back”
“What, did you think I was going to leave you here?” Henry commented “Come on, can you stand?”
“I don’t…I think so”
John with the help of Henry stood up against a wall.
“Thank you, Henry” John said “Thank you for not leaving me”
The prisoner smiled.
“You’re welcome, John”
Sayid was leading them all back; Ana a little way behind him, and Charlie and Lucy side-by-side.
“Well this has certainly been fun” Charlie joked “We simply must do this again sometime”
“Nothing like a witch hunt for making friends” Lucy giggled
They walked through some bushes and found Kate and Jack, standing by a pile of supplies.
“What the bloody hell is that?” Charlie asked
No one answered Charlie’s question, instead Jack eyed Sayid.
“What’d you find?”
Henry was helping John to the couch in the living area.
“I’ve got you, easy, easy” The prisoner comforted, as he carefully placed the older man’s leg on the coffee table.
John winced and let out an involuntary hiss of pain.
“Sorry”
“What did you do…what did you do to end it…to make the doors go up?” John asked Henry
The prisoner shrugged.
“I did what you told me to; I punched in the code and pressed the execute button, but nothing happened, other than that clock flicking back” Henry remarked earnestly “I was climbing back into the vent when the lights went out; 10 seconds later the doors went up, I didn’t do anything”
“You think it was all just random?” John questioned
“Don’t look at me; it’s your hatch” He shrugged
Jack entered the hatch.
“Get away from him” Jack ordered from across the room.
“Wait, you don’t…”
Sayid aimed his gun at Henry.
“Step back, right now” Sayid barked
“Sayid, it’s okay” Locke pleaded, as he attempted to sit up.
Jack grabbed Henry and shoved him hard, up against the wall.
“I said ‘get away’” Jack spat
“I let him out…some kind of lockdown or something…he, he was helping me” John explained
Lucy and Ana watched on.
“Couldn’t you find my balloon?” Henry quizzed
“Yeah, we found it” Ana replied simply
“We did find your balloon, Henry Gale, exactly how you described it; we also found the grave you described…your wife’s grave…the grave you said you dug with your own bare hands” Sayid sneered “It was all there…your whole story…your alibi…it was true; But still I did not believe it to be true…so I dug up that grave and found that there was not a woman inside, but a man”
Sayid pulled an ID card from his pocket, and took great delight in showing it to Henry.
“A man named Henry Gale” Sayid spat
The Prisoner (Part/5)
Henry’s face noticeably changed. There was suddenly something more to him. It was hard to explain, but this Henry somehow gave Lucy the creeps. It wasn’t long before Sayid lost his temper with the little prisoner, and returned him to his lonely prison.
“What do we do now?” Lucy asked Ana-Lucia who had begun making herself comfortable on the couch.
“We wait” Ana replied simply
“For what?”
“Answers”
“What makes you think he’ll tell us anything more than before?”
“He’s been found out, he has nothing to hide behind” Ana remarked.
Jack began to attend to John. Kate and Jack took a shoulder each
and guided John to the bedroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Mama, it’s not forever” Lucy told her mother as she packed her battered leather case
“I know, I’m just sad that you feel you have to go so far to feel happy”
“Mama, I just need to get away” Lucy cringed; she hated explaining herself especially to her parents. Although they said nothing, she could see the disappointment on their faces every time someone mentioned a wedding.
“You know you could still stay with me and your Papa” Her mother told her “I still don’t see why you want to all the way to Sydney”
“Mama, Aunt Hannah is ill, this way I can get a break and help with caring for her; I am a medical student after all”
“Aunt Hannah, was so looking forward to coming to America for her niece’s wedding day; you know you’re like a daughter to her”
“All the more reason for me to go, Mama” Lucy retorted
“It’s just a shame that beautiful dress will go to waste”
Lucy began to get angry. She and her mother had discussed this too many times. She folded another t-shirt and placed it in her case.
“Mama, it’s not going to waste, I’ve taken it back to the store” Lucy snapped “They gave me the money back, if that’s what you’re so worried about”
“Lucy child, of course we’re not worried about that” Her mother mumbled, holding her child close “We’re worried about you; about you’re happiness”
“Then why do I feel like you and Papa are disappointed in my decision?” Lucy asked “I thought you’d rather I married someone I loved”
“Of course we do, child” Her mother replied “We’re not disappointed, not in you anyway”
“Then please understand, I need to do this for me, before I go out of my mind” Lucy responded
“When does you’re plane leave?” Asked her Papa
She and her mother turned to see her father in the doorway of her bedroom.
“Eh…Thursday, Papa” Lucy replied
“I’ll drive you” He declared
“Papa, you don’t have to do that, I can get a cab”
“Can’t a father drive his own daughter to the airport these days?” He remarked
“It’s not that, Papa, you’re busy and I understand that”
“I’m starting to think you’re trying to avoid us” Her father alleged
“Lucy, have we done something to send you away?”
“No Papa, I just can’t stay here and dwell on the ‘what-might-have-beens’” Lucy replied “Papa, understand I just need to leave it all behind, even if for a little while”
“I understand, my balismo bambini” Her father garbled “You just promise me that this isn’t because of anything we’ve done”
“I promise, Papa”
They placed John carefully on the bunk bed, and Lucy wandered in behind them. Kate stepped aside allowing Lucy the chance to assist Jack with John’s injured leg.
“John, can you wiggle your toes for me?” Jack asked, as he looked through his bag for the correct equipment.
John wiggled his toes, and Lucy watched on.
“Good, now try the other one” Jack commanded.
John did as was requested, but with more difficulty and pain.
Jack continued to inspect John’s leg, putting pressure on certain points; making Lucy feel like a spare part.
“Is it broken?” John questioned
Jack looked pensive for a moment as he pressed an area just below the injury, which caused John to wince in pain.
“Without an x-ray, you’re just going to have to do with my best guess” Jack replied
Kate re-entered the little room.
“How are you holding up?” She asked Locke
“That depends on Jack’s best guess”
Lucy helped Jack by wrapping John’s leg with gauze.
“There’s a small fracture; probably hairline” Jack informed “This should help with the swelling, until we can put a splint on it”
“How long ‘til I can walk?” John asked
“You’re going to have to keep off it for a while; there’s a wheelchair back at camp” Jack replied
“No” John snapped “I-I don’t need a wheelchair”
Lucy heard this and looked at Kate.
“We took a pair of crutches from the fuselage when we moved down the beach” Lucy pointed out.
John nodded.
“Okay, I’ll be back soon” Kate replied.
Kate left and Ana’s head appeared around the edge of the door.
“Lucy, can I borrow you?”
“Er…Jack?” Lucy asked
“Go on”
Ana’s head disappeared and Lucy followed her. John watched them leave.
“He could have escaped” John said simply.
“Sorry?”
“Henry…during the lockdown…I was hurt…he could have escaped” John winced as Jack pressed down on his wounded leg. “But he came back to help me, why would he do that?”
“He didn’t come back to help you, John, he came back because he thought his story would check out”
Ana lead Lucy inside the little metal prison, where Henry Gale was tied up. Sayid was questioning him. Lucy looked at his beaten face, and felt a little sorrow. ‘This is it’ she thought ‘Our decent into savagery’
“He was dead already” Henry told Sayid, who remained expressionless “Four months ago I was part of the search party; Henry Gale was hanging out of the basket, neck broken”
Ana and Lucy motioned to Sayid, who signalled to both of the girls, to remain silent.
“So he was already dead?” Sayid quizzed
“Yes”
“Then you buried him and left a grave marker?”
“Yes”
Sayid kept Henry’s eye contact as he pulled out a twenty dollar bill from his pocket.
“You really should have checked his pockets before you did that; I assume Henry Gale did not have any paper on which to compose his thoughts, so he had to improvise…There wasn’t much room for that” Sayid began to read aloud “Jennifer, well you were right; crossing the pacific isn’t easy. I owe you a beer. I’m hiking to one of the beaches to start a signal fire. If you are reading this I guess I didn’t make it. I’m sorry. I love you, Jenny. Always have; always will. Yours Henry’ So tell me, how did Henry write a note to his wife with a broken neck?”
Henry began to panic. His voice filled with fear; Lucy didn’t blame him, Sayid had a fearful temper and Henry had felt his wrath before.
“It wasn’t me…I didn’t kill him…you don’t understand” Henry babbled
“How did you know his wife’s name?” Sayid demanded “Did you interrogate him?”
“Please listen, I’m just a…” Henry pleaded
“How many of you are there?” Sayid interrupted
Henry looked around the prison, with eyes full of fear and pleading.
“If I told you about them…Y-you have no idea what he’ll do”
“He?” Sayid picked up
“You mean their leader…” Ana chimed in
“The guy with the beard?” Lucy added
Henry’s eyes met Lucy’s, causing her to instantly drop them. His looks filled her with guilt. Henry made a noise, that could a have passed for a nervous laugh.
“Him…he’s no one; nothing”
“Where are your people?” Sayid barked in questioning.
“I can’t…”
“How many of you are there?” Sayid interrupted
Henry became more desperate for someone to believe him.
“You don’t understand” He said
Rage filled Sayid, who pulled a gun from his pocket.
“Understand this…”
“Hey” Ana shouted
“You have three seconds to answer my question…how many of you are there?” Sayid barked “One”
“He’ll kill me” Henry pleaded, his eyes begging for a person to fight his corner.
“I’ll kill you” Sayid roared, as he pulled back the slide on his gun “Two”
“Sayid” Lucy yelled
“You can’t do this” Henry cried “I am not a bad person”
“Three” Sayid barked
Ana pushed Sayid just as he pulled the trigger. He missed Henry, whose face was painted by trepidation.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Ana bellowed pushing Sayid away from the prisoner
Jack appeared in the armoury.
“What happened?” He quizzed.
Lucy went to answer, but Sayid interrupted.
“He’s a liar”
“It fine, just get him out of here” Ana ordered
Jack placed a careful hand on Sayid’s shoulder and steered him out of the armoury.
“Jack, Jack!” Came a faint voice from the bunk.
Jack looked at John.
“I’ve got it covered, John”
John lied there feeling helpless. He hit the bunk above in frustration.
Henry looked at Ana and Lucy.
“Thank you” He breathed
“Shut up” Ana replied, as she and Lucy left and she locked the door.
Lucy sat outside her tent, watching the world go by. She looked at the pure oblivion that was in each person. She knew that none, but a selected few, knew of Henry. Maybe that was a good thing; no need to cause panic over someone like Henry, after all he was harmless. She couldn’t help but think that Jack was making a mistake not telling the whole truth. She watched everyone acting as if nothing was happening; Charlie and Eko working, Jin and Sun eating and Claire rocking Aaron. It seemed odd, it was like no one noticed they were stranded on an island.
“Hey” Jack smiled, sitting down next to her.
“Oh, hey” Lucy replied “And what brings you to my neck of the woods, so to speck?”
“Henry”
“Henry?” Lucy quizzed
“Yeah, I think it’s about time we told everyone about our little guest” He answered
“What brought on that change of heart?” Lucy enquired
“Well, we know what he is now, I think the time’s right”
“About time” Lucy joked
“What makes you say that?”
“I hate keeping things from people” Lucy explained “It feels like I’m lying all the time and I hate that feeling”
“Lying?”
“Yeah, lying, Jack” Lucy replied “You know that thing where you say something that isn’t true…it’s called a lie”
“Something you’d know all about then” Jack replied simply
“What makes you say that?” Lucy asked, with an undertone of rage
“Look, I didn’t come here to argue” Jack muttered
“Then, why did you come?” Lucy questioned “Because I know it’s not for the friendly banter”
“Maybe I did come for the friendly banter” Jack replied
Lucy raised an eyebrow.
“I need to tell the people, will you help?” Jack asked
Lucy smiled.
“I should’ve known”
“Known what?”
“That you wanted something, that’s the only time I get visits”
“That’s not true” Jack said defensively
“It is” Lucy returned “How would you know anyway?”
Jack rolled his eyes, and put his arm around her shoulders.
“I didn’t think you’d want a visit from me, unless it was business” Jack explained “I never knew you cared”
Lucy face split into a grin and she pushed him away.
“Hey, I never said I wanted a visit from you; and I defiantly never said I cared”
Jack scowled, and then grinned.
“Oh, you know how to make a guy feel wanted”
“I know” Lucy joked “So…what do you want me to do?”
“Lucy!” Called her aunt “Lucy, over here”
“Aunt Hannah, you made it, I was going to get a cab” Lucy explained as they embraced
“Oh I couldn’t leave my favourite niece alone in strange place” Her aunt smiled “Wow, you’ve grown”
Lucy laughed. It was always the same with relatives, they always state the obvious.
“I like what you’ve done with your hair” Lucy said, as she stroked her aunt’s braids
“Well, I fancied a change” She replied simply “It was something different; you know me, I’m a sucker for anything unusual”
“That’s why I love visiting you” Lucy grinned “You’re not like everyone else”
“I’m not sure if that’s a complement or an insult” Her aunt joked “It can’t be that bad at home”
“It is” Lucy explained “They’re so disappointed; Aunt Hannah, I feel like I’ve let them down”
“Oh Lucy, you’ve not let anyone down” Her aunt hugged her “You did what was right for you, and I admire that…it’s good quality don’t let anyone tell you anything different”
“But…”
“No buts, no one can tell you how to live your life”
“Is that why you ran away?”
“Lucy…I never ran away, I went my own way” She answered “I did the right thing for me, my parents didn’t like it at first, but they accepted it…it’s every parent’s dream to see their little girl get married, but you should only do it for the right reasons”
“Aunt Hannah?”
“Yes”
“I’m glad I came to stay with you”
“I’m glad you have too”
John strode up to Ana on his crutches.
“Jack not back yet?” John asked
“Nope, he’s telling everyone at the beach that we’ve got one of them” Ana answered “Something tells me people have a lot of questions about our houseguest”
“I want to talk to him”
“I don’t think that’s on today’s program” Ana replied
“Well, all due respect, Ana-Lucia, but I don’t care what you think”
Ana starred at him.
“5 minutes” John requested “I earned 5 minutes with him”
Ana looked at John for a moment, before standing up and unlocking the armoury. John entered carefully on his crutches. Henry watched his every step.
“What’s your name?” John asked, the prisoner “Your real name?!”
“Why don’t you just keep calling me Henry?” The prisoner replied “I’ve gotten used to it”
John looked at the small man; and knew there wasn’t much point in pursuing this subject.
“Did you get caught on purpose?” John questioned “You and your people have been here for God knows how long, and you get caught in a net…”
“God doesn’t know” Henry said meekly
“Excuse me?”
“God doesn’t know how long we’ve been here, John; he can’t see this island any better than the rest of the world can” Henry explained “May I ask you a question; what possible reason could I have for putting myself through all this?”
“Maybe your people were looking for this place”
“This place?” Henry looked confused “This place is a joke, John”
“What are you talking about?” John queried
“I crawled through your vents, I stood at your computer as the alarm beeped…and you know what happened; the timer went all the way down to zero, and then some funny red pictures flipped up in its place; they looked like hieroglyphics, but I’m no expert” Henry told John, earnestly “Then things got real interesting; there was a loud clunking and a hum like a magnet…a big magnet; it was really very frightening…and you know what happened next?”
Henry looked deep into John’s eyes.
“Nothing happened, John, nothing happened at all; your timer just flipped back to 108” Henry maintained eye contact with John “I never entered the numbers; I never pressed the button”
“You’re lying” John accused
“No” Henry replied “I’m done lying”
Lucy began walking towards the forest. She was on hatch duty soon and she didn’t want to be late. She didn’t much like the idea of a lecture from John.
“Hey” Jack shouted “Where you going?”
“Hatch duty” Lucy explained.
Jack jogged to catch up
“What…without me?” He joked
“Well, I didn’t think it was your turn”
“It’s not, but I thought you might be able to use the company”
“Okay” Lucy answered, raising her eyebrow
“What?” Jack asked, catching her eye
“Nothing” She replied with a smile
Jack beamed at her and placed his arm across her shoulders.
Sawyer smiled to himself as he watched Lucy and Jack heading towards the jungle.
“Get a load of Doctor Giggles and Lil’ Bo Peep” Sawyer smirked as he nudged Kate.
She spun around to take a look. Jack was making a joke and Lucy laughed. Kate shrugged.
“So?” She replied
“I was just saying” He explained “What…you jealous?”
“Of what?”
“Lil’ Lucy and the good doctor”
“Why would I be?”
“Well I thought y’all had a thing”
“Well, you thought wrong, we’re friends”
Sawyer rolled his eyes and pulled out a book. He knew it wasn’t worth arguing, he never won anyway.
Lucy and Jack walked towards the hatch laughing. Kate’s eyes followed them until they were out of sight. Kate couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy, she watched the smiling faces.
Jack opened the door and held it for Lucy.
“After you” He beamed
“Is this your attempt at being gentlemanly?” Lucy asked with a wide grin.
“Who says I’m not gentlemanly?” Jack replied, as Lucy walked past him.
Lucy walked into the living area and Jack followed her. The alarm was beeping urgently. Lucy gave Jack a confused look. Jack entered the computer room, to see John sitting at the computer.
“Hey, you going to get that?” He inquired
John began to hit the buttons reluctantly. Jack exited and headed toward the armoury; where Ana and Lucy were waiting for him.
“When’s the last time you went to see him?” Jack questioned Ana.
“A few hours ago” She replied “He was sleeping”
“Did he eat?”
“No…it’s two days now; no food, no water, nothing to say” Ana informed
“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of waiting” Jack answered
Jack didn’t wait for a response. He entered the armoury, where the man they had known as Henry Gale was sitting.
“I hear you’ve lost your appetite” Jack stated to Henry, who didn’t respond “Okay, don’t talk, I was never any good at bedside manner anyway; I’m going to change that dressing on your shoulder…if you try anything we have a problem”
Jack began to peel away the dressing from Henry’s bruised shoulder. Lucy handed him a clean bandage.
“So Henry…I was thinking about something you said before we found out who you are” Jack said, as if trying to make conversation “This is going to sting”
Jack put some disinfectant on a piece of cloth and began cleansing the wound. Henry flinched and let out an involuntary hiss of pain.
“Yeah, you were saying that if you were one of them you’d lead us into a trap, capture our people and force a trade…us for you” Jack continued “Pretty good idea, Henry, and since you are one of them, I thought now might be a good time to use it; I’m going out to that line we’re not supposed to cross and telling them we’ve got you, and if they want you back…it’s going to cost them, and when we get Walt back…you might just have been worth all the trouble”
Henry made an exhaling sound that sounded like he might have said something. Jack spun around to look at Henry.
“Did you say something?” Jack asked
“They’ll never give you Walt” Henry stated
Jack started getting some things together in a backpack, while Lucy and Ana observed.
“I’m not sure trading people is their thing” Ana told him
“Well, talking to him is getting us nowhere” Jack replied, with a shrug “So…I think I can get something for him”
“You want me to come with you?” Ana asked
Jack looked over at Locke.
“You need stay here” He answered
Ana made eye contact with him for a moment, then out of her back pocket she pulled out her gun and put it in his hands.
“You need it more than I do” She informed him “Do yourself a favour, man; don’t go out there alone”
“Alright”
He pulled the bag on his shoulder, and headed for the door. Lucy followed.
“Hey” she called out after him
Jack turned around to see her standing there, one hand on her hip.
“Yeah?” He responded
“You want me to go, and you can’t use Locke as an excuse; he only needs one babysitter…if one at all” She replied
“It’s okay; I got it covered”
“You sure?” She asked “It’s not like I’ve got anywhere to go”
“It’s okay, I can handle it” He said a little agitated
“Fine” Lucy answered and headed back to the interior of the swan.
“Lucy?”
She stopped and turned on her heels; she looked at him
“I want to say thanks for offering” He explained “I just have someone in mind”
“Whatever”
“I’ll see you soon” He told her
“Yeah, see you later”
John was sat by the computer, racking his brain trying to remember the map he had seen on the blast door. He scribbled out his attempt. He picked up his crutches and headed toward the armoury; where Ana was sitting on the floor fixing something.
“I need to talk to him” John stated
“The gun’s with Jack; the door stays closed” Ana informed John “But if you want to talk to him…talk to him”
John looked at her for a moment, before leaning against the door.
“Henry can you hear me?” John shouted through the door as he knocked “It’s John, Henry, Henry, did you enter the numbers; did you push the button or not?”
Ana raised an eyebrow, whilst listening in.
“Henry, I need to know; I want you to answer me, answer me” John continued to shout.
Henry sat on the bench that served as his bed, smiling evilly.
John was sat listening to the record player. Ana approached him, with Lucy in tow.
“Hey” Ana said
“Hi” John replied
“I pushed your button” She stated
“It’s not my button” He answered
“Where’d you go?” Ana questioned
“I just needed to stretch my legs”
Ana looked at Lucy who shrugged and headed toward the pantry. John sat down at Desmond’s computer and began to re-draw the secret the blast door held. This time it took him no time at all, he smiled at it’s ease.
Ana looked over at Lucy, who was curled up on the sofa reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.
“Good book?” Ana asked
“Yeah, creepy” Lucy answered “The original story of Frankenstein”
“Didn’t know that was your sort of thing” Ana replied
“You kidding, I love this sort of stuff, beats any cheesy horror film any day” Lucy smiled “Can I help with something?”
“Yeah, I’m going in to talk to Henry” Ana answered
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Keep your ears open; I need someone to watch my back” Ana replied
“And you picked me, I didn’t know you cared” Lucy joked
Ana raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.
“Well, I got your back” Lucy said, as she turned the page.
“Thanks”
Ana strode over to the armoury, entered the code and entered the little room.
“Hey Henry” Ana greeted “What do you say, how long are you going to keep up this hunger strike?”
Henry didn’t answer. He continued to stare into space.
“I ever tell you I was a cop?” Ana asked “I’ve been around a lot of killers in my life; you know what surprises me most about them?”
It was evident that this was going to be a one sided conversation.
“How much they love to talk” she continued “But you’re different, Henry, hmm, quiet”
Henry muttered something inaudible.
“What was that?” Ana asked, bending closer to the little man
Henry repeated the whisper. Ana leant closer to the prisoner.
“If you’re going to say something; you’re going to have to speak up” She informed him
Henry jumped up, knocking Ana backwards. He grabbed her throat and started strangling her. Ana gasped for air. Lucy heard a noise and jumped from the sofa.
“John, John, something’s going on in the armoury” Lucy shouted
Henry continued to grip Ana’s throat. He leant close to her.
“You killed two of us …good people who were leaving you alone” He breathed “You’re the killer Ana-Lucia”
Ana tried to struggle free, but the prisoner pinned her. Ana was starting to lose consciousness; John hit Henry in the back of the head with his crutches. Lucy dived forward, helping Ana. Ana began chocking and gasping.
“I guess he decided to start talking” John said simply, looking at the unconscious prisoner.
Lucy followed Ana onto the beach.
“Ana, at least let me check you over” Lucy called after her
“Lucy, I don’t need you to” She replied shrugging Lucy away
“Ana, please”
“Go away”
Ana walked away; Lucy stood and watched.
Ana began tending to the wound on her forehead.
“What happened?” Libby asked, her voice filled with concern
“I cut myself shaving” Ana answered sarcastically “The man in the hatch tried to kill me”
“You okay?” She asked, examining the wound
“I’m fine; but he won’t be” Ana replied
“Hey, Ana?”
“What?”
“Don’t do anything stupid” Libby requested
Lucy entered the hatch rubbing her head. John looked at her.
“Stress headache?” He quizzed
“Yeah, you could call it that” Lucy answered “Why do I even bother?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why do I even bother trying to help?” She replied “It’s obvious that no one wants my help”
“That’s not true” John remarked as placed a hand on her shoulder “Ana could’ve gotten killed, you helped put an end to that”
“John, you stopped him, I just told you something was up” Lucy muttered
“Why don’t you go lay down?” He suggested
“Yeah…okay”
Lucy went to lie down on the bunk; John began to inspect the bottom of the blast door. He walked towards the armoury and opened the door.
“If you’ve come to apologise, I forgive you for hitting me with your crutch” Henry stated “I’m so glad my head didn’t break it”
“Why?”
“Now that’s a broad question” Henry remarked
“Why’d you try to hurt Ana-Lucia, but not me?” John questioned
“I’m not sure I know what you’re getting at, John” The prisoner replied earnestly
“I was trapped under that blast door, helpless” John continued “You could’ve crushed my skull, but you didn’t do a thing; why didn’t you?”
“Because you’re one of the good ones, John” Henry answered
“What?” John interrogated “Good what?”
“None of this matters…I’m dead anyway; the doctor’s gone to make a trade and we both know he’ll come back empty-handed and then I’ve lost my value” Henry stated “So either Jack comes back here and kills me or my people find out where I’m being held and they do it”
“Why would your own people want to kill you?”
“Because the man in charge; he’s a great man, John, but he’s not a forgiving man” Henry answered “He’ll kill me because I failed, John; I failed my mission”
“What mission?”
“When that woman caught me in her trap, I was on my way here; I was coming for you, John”
In the background John could hear his name being called.
“Locke, get out here!” Jack shouted “Locke, Locke!”
“Locke!” Came Kate’s voice
Lucy woke up in the bunk, rubbing her head. She swung her legs over the edge and ran into the living area. John was shortly behind her, locking Henry in the armoury. Jack was examining an unconscious Michael.
“Michael, Michael!” Jack called, trying to rouse Michael.
Lucy bent down next to Jack.
“Anything I can do?”
“So, it worked” John stated
“What are you talking about, John?” Jack asked, ignoring Lucy’s offer.
“Your deal…the trade” John explained “If they gave us Michael…”
“They didn’t give us anything” Jack interrupted
“So it was just a coincident that he came wandering out?” John answered
Lucy’s eyes rolled, it was no use trying to talk to either of them, when they were arguing. She decided to check Michael over.
“I was shouting; he heard my voice…what, they just let Michael go hoping we would hold up our end of the bargain?” Jack replied, with sarcastic venom “You think they’re on the honour system?”
Kate entered and nodded a greeting at Lucy, who nodded back.
“Hey” Kate said to Jack
“Hey” He replied
Lucy was preparing some bandages, while Jack was cleaning some scissors. Locke was strategically placed on the sofa reading. Ana entered.
“Hey, you’re back” Ana said a little in awe.
“Hey” He answered
“So, the Others… they didn’t show up?” Ana quizzed
“No; Michael is back though” Jack replied, as he noticed the wound on her forehead “What happened?”
Locke jumped in before Ana could reply.
“My fault; I left the tap on in the bathroom sink and Ana wiped out and hit her head” John explained “And I’m sorry, again”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it” Ana answered, catching onto Locke’s charade.
Kate’s voice could be heard from the other room.
“Jack, I think he’s waking up”
Jack leapt up and headed for the bedroom.
“Hey, Michael”
“Jack?” Michael asked, as he sat up
“Hey man” Jack answered
“Wait a minute…how’d I get…?” Michael enquired
“Wait, try to take it easy” Lucy told Michael as she put her hand on his shoulder.
“You’re back in the hatch” Jack answered “We found you out in the jungle last night”
“Oh my head” Michael winced
“Welcome back” John greeted
“Hey John, I found them; after I hiked north back to where we were” He looked at Ana “I hiked to the beach; followed the shore line, a day later I saw one”
“What’d he look like?” John asked
“I think we should leave the questioning until Michael’s had a rest” Lucy suggested.
“Dirty, worn clothing, no shoes, simple” He answered, ignoring Lucy’s remark “Just like the rest of them”
“Like the rest of them?” Jack cut-in
“Yeah, his people…the Others, I followed him back to his camp; they live in tents” Michael explained “Canvas tents and tepees; they eat dried fish, they’re worse of than we are”
“How many of them were there?” Kate chimed in
Lucy’s eyes rolled, she was a little sick of being ignored; they had roped her into this place, the least they could do was acknowledge her existence. She stood up, and exited. But she managed to hear Michael’s reply.
“I counted 22”
Lucy entered the kitchen area and pulled out her bottle. She filled it with water and went to settle herself on the couch with her book, but something was pulling her into the armoury. She scanned her surroundings before opening the little door, to revel the prisoner; the little man bound by rope.
“Don’t you usually knock?” He asked
“Sorry” She answered
His eyes met hers.
“What do you want?” He questioned, maintaining eye contact.
“I thought you might like some water, considering your vow of silence is over” She sat herself down near him, holding out her bottle
“I can’t take it” He stated
“Yes you can, it’s only water”
“No, I mean, I can’t take it; my hands are tied” He explained, a smirk playing about his lips.
Lucy smiled
“Okay, sorry; John moment…I mean blonde moment” Lucy giggled
Henry smiled and said
“You got a straw?”
Lucy folded her arms
“You know, I really don’t know” She looked thoughtful “I’ll go have a look”
Henry laughed, it was a melodic laugh.
“You know I could just untie your hands for a minute” She suggested “But don’t try anything”
He looked at her with innocent eyes.
“You could do that?” He asked
“Yeah, I can do that” She replied “Don’t sound so surprised, I can make some decisions on my own”
He smiled; she lent over and untied his hands.
“Won’t you get into trouble for this?”
“What’s it to you?” Lucy enquired, handing him the bottle.
He took a mouthful
“You trust me?” He asked
“Yeah, thousands wouldn’t, but then again none are as dumb as me” She remarked
Henry raised his eyebrows as he continued to drink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucy stood by John, who was writing something down; Jack entered.
“You were right” He stated
Both John and Lucy spun round to see Jack standing in the doorway.
“Right about what?” John asked
“About Henry; what you and Sayid did to him, when you first found him” Jack replied “You were right; I don’t like how you did it, but I shouldn’t have gotten in your way”
“Well you did what you thought was right at the time you thought it, Jack” He answered simply “I just hope that next time you decide to do something you include me; and something tells me that’s going to be soon”
Lucy watched the two; for once this conversation didn’t seem like a contest for dominancy. It gave her hope for the possibility that they were partners; and dare she say it, friends.
“You heard Michael; we can take them” Jack remarked
“Our friend with the beard told us not to cross the line” John reminded
“Yeah, we don’t need to provoke them” Lucy chimed in
“Those people are liars” Jack snapped “Why should we take their word on anything?”
“I couldn’t agree more; so what now?” John enquired, standing up from his chair.
Jack left and walked into the living area. John followed, and started packing things with Jack. Lucy followed them, more certain than ever of her invisibility.
“Where are you going” Kate asked as if it was a reflex
“Yeah, is it club members only or are we invited too?” Lucy remarked
“To get our guns back from Sawyer” John answered
“We’re going to need you to help convince him” Jack stated, looking over at Kate
“Who’s going to take care of Michael?” She questioned
“I’ll stay; you guys go ahead” Ana cut-in
“I’ll stay with you Ana” Lucy suggested “I can keep an eye on Michael”
“You guys sure?” Jack asked
“Yeah”
“Give Sawyer my best” Ana smiled
“Alright; we’ll be back soon” He answered
Ana and Lucy stood and watched the trio leave. Ana turned to look at Lucy.
“Why’d you stay?” Ana questioned
“I thought you might like a med-student’s touch, when it came to a sick guy” Lucy remarked “Did I make the wrong assumption?”
“No...” Ana answered “But there’s something I’ve got to do”
“What?” Lucy asked, looking confused “What are you going to do?”
Ana looked at Lucy’s concerned face.
“Can I trust you?” She asked
“Ana, of course you can trust me” Lucy answered “Ana tell me”
“I’m going to take care of Henry, once and for all” Ana notified
“What?”
“He’s dangerous, and let’s face it; who else has the guts?”
“But…”
“Go for a walk” Ana instructed
“Ana”
“Lucy, I need to do this; for me, for all of us”
“Revenge is a dish best served cold, Ana”
“You don’t know what they did to us; to my people” Ana explained “They’re all the same; animals and you know what they do with dangerous animals, Lucy”
Lucy’s eyes met Ana’s.
“Ana, if you do this, you can’t take it back” Lucy told her “If you make a mistake, it’s going to live with you”
“Lucy, no offence; I don’t need a lecture…I know what I need to do”
“Okay”
“Okay?”
“If you’re sure, if you know this really is what you have to do”
“What?”
“Someone, a whole lot wiser than I can ever hope to be told me something; you got to do, what you’ve got to do”
“You’re not going to object; thought you were a member of the Henry fan club”
“Look, you wanna deal with this or not; because you haven’t got long before Jack gets back” Lucy answered, with an undertone of animosity “I don’t think it’s fair for us to decide Henry’s fate, but you’re right…I don’t know what they did to your people, or what they are going to do to mine; if you’re going to do this, do it…don’t mess around”
Ana smiled, and placed a friendly hand on Lucy’s shoulder.
“You know what, Lucy, you’re a good person; don’t ever lose that”
“Alright, I’m going; be back in half an hour” Lucy stated as she left the little underground fortress.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ana eased herself onto the couch. Her eyes remained on the armoury door. She knew Lucy was right, if she was going to do this, she needed to do it; no messing around. She paced over to the armoury. She took a breath and opened the door. She pushed a Swiss army knife over to the prisoner.
“Pick it up; cut yourself lose” Ana instructed
Henry looked up at her, confused.
“What?”
“Just do it”
“Why?” He asked, filled with a mixture of confusion and fear
“You know why”
He did know why; his stomach clenched as he began to cut himself free.
“He kept saying you were misunderstood” Henry stated, stalling the inevitable
“What are you talking about?”
“Goodwin; Yes he told us all about you, Ana…how he thought you were worthy; and that he could change you” Henry remarked, making every word count “But he was wrong; and it cost him his life”
“He was going to kill me” Ana answered, as if trying to justify her actions.
“Was he?”
“Are you done?” Ana asked, remembering herself
“Yes, Ana, I’m done” The prisoner replied
Ana drew her gun and aimed at Henry’s head.
“So this is it, huh?” Henry said, believing these to be terrible last words. There was something deep inside him hoping for a rescue, but that seemed quite impossible now.
“Yes, Henry, this is it”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucy took a walk around the jungle; not something that was recommended much these days, but she still felt her connection with nature. She loved the silence sanctuary that the jungle offered; it was always dangerously welcoming. She wondered if she had made the right the decision, to let Ana kill Henry. But there was no going back now; he was probably dead. It didn’t bare thinking about, knowing she was partly responsible; it sent a chill down her spine. She had never been best friends with Henry, but he had never done anything to her hurt her, and from the stories John had told her, Henry hadn’t hurt him either. Was there the smallest possibility that he was a good person? She couldn’t have second thoughts now, she told herself. Ana was right; right about the others, after all she had better knowledge than any, excepting Rousseau. She had to think of something else.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ana sat herself on the couch. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It had to be done, even Lucy had agreed. She began to observe the armoury door. The words Henry had spoken about Goodwin echoed in her mind. He had been trying to kill her, and Henry was just trying to think of a way out; he had managed it. Michael appeared, scanning the room.
“Where is everybody?” Michael asked
“What you said got them all worked up; they went to get the guns back from Sawyer” Ana replied, playing with the gun in her hands.
“Sawyer?” Michael repeated bemused “Sawyer has the guns?”
“Long story”
“At least he didn’t get that one” Michael stated
“Yeah; too bad I can’t use it” Ana reacted
“Use it on what?”
“We caught one of them…the Others; he’s locked up in there” Ana informed, indicating the armoury.
Michael eyed the armoury.
“How long has he…?”
“Over a week” Came the reply
“And you’re what…taking care of him?” Michael queried
“He tried to kill me today, so I wanted him dead; I couldn’t do it” Ana blurted out “I couldn’t even kill him; I looked at him and…I can’t do this anymore”
Michael watched her features tort with anguish.
“Then let me do it” Michael offered “They’re animals, I’ve seen these people and they are animals”
Michael caught Ana’s eye, they exchanged looks of tormented understanding.
“They took my son” He continued “Right out of my hands…they took my son and…I’ll do it; give me the gun, I’ll kill him, because that’s what they do”
Ana handed over the gun. Something deep in the pit of her stomach, told her this wasn’t the right thing to do, but it had to be done; there was no going back.
“What’s the combination?” Michael asked, examining the weapon.
“18 right, 1 left, 31 right” Ana answered, as if it was reflex.
Michael silently examined the gun for a while. Ana watched his movements, certain he was searching himself. She knew only too well that some people are killers and others aren’t no matter how hard they try, it often takes a gun to find out what sort of person they are.
“I’m sorry” Michael said
Ana believed these to be the moments, he explained that he couldn’t do it either. She thought the gun would be returned to her, and everything would be as it was. She was mistaken. Michael turned, and pulled the trigger. Her last seconds were cold, but she felt surprisingly numb; the last of her life drained away, leaving her cold and still. Libby’s figure appeared. In shock Michael fired two further shots. He didn’t wait to see the affects of his actions, instead he pulled open the armoury door. He and Henry exchanged glances, before Michael took aim at himself and pulled the trigger for the final time.
