100 Years War and Vive Le Terra Firma
It had been four years since the plane crashed. In normal circumstances, four years is not that long, but, when trapped on a deserted island with fifty-or-so strangers and a pack of polar bears, it feels like an eternity. We had things to occupy ourselves with, sure. Hurley managed to create an eighteen-hole golf course, all 10 par, admittedly for his convenience, despite Charlie's objections. Sayid, with great patience, had taught Jin a good bit of English, well, enough for Jin to solemnly consent to Michael's intentions. Katie set up a school for Walt, Ava, and the other "island babies" that popped up. Sawyer and Locke joined forces to bring forth the boar bladder barrier method. And, me? After I lost the battle for Kate, which I didn't even know I was fighting, I crawled back into myself for awhile. I emerged when the boar attacked Boone. I felt needed again, so, I emerged back into our little version of society.
Things stayed the same. We continued to search for understanding of the island. Sayid kept mapping. Locke kept hunting. Michael kept building. I kept healing. We went on until things plateaued. There was nothing left to civilize.
So, we waited. And waited. And waited. Until, we lost hope.
That day, or maybe the day after, someone saw the ship coming in. At first, we thought it was a mirage, or a piece of the plane floating back in, but slow and sure, the silhouette of a very real boat came into view. All of us camped out at the beach, trying to signal the vessel over to us. It worked, and, finally, our rescuers had arrived.
But, they were just kids.
-
It was a long journey, to say the least. A long journey, like so many other things, that made me appreciate the conveniences we had before the Virus. Back then, it would take less than two hours to get from Wellington to wherever we landed. In my interim as a Gaian, I walked many a furlong, but never did I sail anywhere. Now, I'm pretty sure why.
My tribe has been known for having a sufficient amount of drama. Love triangles, murderers, makeup, punk rockers, geeks, motor bikes, musclemen, hook ups, break ups, long haired boys, weaves, crushes, illegitimate children—sounds a lot like grade ten? Then, add confinement, stress, and scurvy to that mix. It's like pouring vinegar onto baking soda—very messy. Ram and Jack were ticking like time bombs without their precious computers, and they were only finding solace in each other. Much to Ellie's chagrin, to say the least. Slade, Ruby, and Ebony were like three cats in a bag made of cocaine. Darryl was trying to romance Trudy, which she found surprisingly sweet. Gel was… being Gel. Me? I was in great turmoil. Jay was great, but could he settle down? I had a baby, could he handle that? Would he want to? As always, matters of the heart took a backseat to my all consuming purpose—leading my people.
And, lead them I did. Right into an island. I will always remember Sammy yelling "Land!" We all thought it was a joke. He had taken to screaming that at random intervals to get a rise out of us. This time, it was no joke. Terra firma, clear as a bell.
I warned everyone that it might just be another deserted island, like the other two we found. But, when we saw the flags waving…
The next day was just a rush of hope and happiness. I've never seen a group of people so excited. Then, we landed, prepared to meet the people who welcomed us.
To our shock, they were adults.
-
It was a mixture of delight and disappointment. We finally had contact with the outside world… but with kids. How could they rescue us? Not one of them could be older than twenty-two. I could barely balance a checkbook at that age, nonetheless save a people. Everybody looked as dumbfounded as me. No one was saying a word. The kids looked shocked too. Then, one of the girls started to cry. They boy standing next to her tried to console her, but she ran up to Locke and hugged him. Locke patted her on the back, and she edged over to her friends. Another girl asked, "How-how did you survive the virus?"
No one budged, so I answered. "What virus?"
-
We all got out of the boat, and stood parallel to the adults. No one said a word. Then, Trudy started to cry. Darryl tried to comfort her, but she went up to one the adults and hugged him. He was kind, yet stern. I got a little choked up, because he reminded so much of my father. Trudy went back to Darryl and Brady. The world stood still for a moment. I snapped back, and asked the question we were all wondering. "How did you survive the Virus?"
A man, perhaps their leader, answered, "What virus?"
-
The crying girl started up again, and the whole group looked sick to their stomach.
The virus girl turned to her friends and told them to tie up the boat. I told everyone to help. The girl came up to me. "We need to talk. Is there somewhere private we can go?"
"Sure. Follow me." I walked her to the caves, and we sat down in front of the fire. "Do you want some water?" I offered her a bottle.
"Yes. Thank you." She took the bottle. "You asked about the virus?"
I nodded.
"Wow. Uh, this is going to be hard to say. About four-five years ago, a pharmaceuticals company came up with a drug that would slow down the aging process. Before it went public, people working at the company started getting sick. They figured out that the drug was the problem, but it was too late. All of the scientists who ever worked on it got sick, and then passed it on to anyone they came in contact with." She paused. "Except-except for the children. Because it was an anti-aging drug, I guess, kids were immune to the virus that came from it."
I sat silently, until it dawned on me. "Pandorex."
-
They didn't know about the Virus. How could they not know about the Virus? I had to remain calm. "Guys," I turned to my tribe. "Can you start tying up the boat?" The adults' leader told his tribe to help.
I walked up to their leader. "We need to talk. Is there somewhere private we can go?"
"Sure. Follow me."
I went with him, looking over my shoulder to see Jay watching me.
We walked through a jungle, and emerged in a clearing rich with caves. There was bonfire in front of them. Did he live there?
"Take a seat." He pointed to a log around the fire. I complied. He gave me a bottle of water. It was surprisingly cool.
"Wow. Uh, this is going to be hard to say." Maybe the hardest thing in our new world is telling someone how we got here. I can recall telling countless children about the Virus, and it never gets easier. Telling him was harder. The children were aware of what happened, but they didn't know why. He didn't even know of the Virus. Not to mention that he was an adult. Although my tribe was arguably the strongest around, having defeated Zoot, the Guardian, Ram, and Mega, I couldn't help but feel inferior. I needed to buck up. I led the two best tribes to victory. I could do this.
I did. I told him every painstaking detail. The drug. The Virus. The deaths. Everything.
He sat there, taking it all in. Then, he mumbled, "Pandorex."
-
She stared at me, like she was thinking hard about something. "What-what did you say?"
"Nothing." It was a long shot. I wasn't going to tell this girl I worked with Pandorex. That I might have caused this virus. I couldn't tell anyone, at least, not right then.
"We better get back. Who knows what kind of trouble they've gotten themselves into." She smiled.
We walked back the beach.
-
I tried to read his face. Did he say Pandorex? "What did you say?"
He denied it, but his face said differently. There was no doubt that he knew about Pandorex. I wasn't going to press the matter, though. I'd have to reconvene with the rest. "We better get back. Who knows what trouble they've gotten themselves into."
We walked back to the beach, and I watched him the whole time.