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-Part 1-
A Sacrifice the Island Demands

"Hello, John."

The group huddles together stunned and confused, thankful for breathing fresh air but feeling like sheep led to the slaughter. Jack grabs his chest and hunches over, the fresh air isn't enough to keep him from hyperventilating. Kate lifts his arm and leans her body underneath to support him. She looks into his eyes but he avoids looking back; his eyes locked in a stare with his dead father standing on the cabin porch.

They were unaware they passed through a mystical barrier formed by the perimeter ash. It extends toward the sky in the shape of a dome, encompassing the entire clearing, somehow permeable to the Losties crossing over, but acting as a powerful shield to the harsh conditions of the dying Island around them.

Locke watches his friends from the outside looking in; like watching fish in a fish bowl, the image he sees of them is slightly distorted. He pokes and pulls back his index finger through the translucent force field; the liquid-like energy momentarily sticks to his skin then snaps back into place, a circular wave of light pulsates along the field in every direction.

Locke licks his fingertips the same way he tasted the sap from the boar tree. "Unfortunately, this isn't over yet. Claire got away. I still need to track her down." Everyone is dumbfounded by his remark; apparently, Locke and Christian agreed upon a plan nobody else was aware of.

Christian approaches the group with Vincent at his side; his stride is calm, his tone peaceful and undemanding. "Do not be troubled, John. She's found her way to the cabin before; she will find her way again."


2004, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Basement floor of Towsley Medical Clinic

Daniel Faraday's eyes snap open; his pupils constrict to adjust to the fluorescent lighting shining above him. He awakens dazed and confused after several days under sedation. He looks about the room to orient himself; the walls are barren cement, various pieces of electronic equipment signal and record scientific measurements. A familiar leather bound journal is placed on the lamp stand next to his bed.

A woman leans in closely to check on him; her beautiful red hair dangles inches from his face, her fragrance tantalizing him, her blue eyes sparkling like gems. "Mr. Widmore, he's waking up," she whispers, being careful not to startle him. Her head obscures the ceiling light above her, forming an angelic halo around her scarlet hair.

Daniel's blurred vision clears to a crisp focus; he fixates on her beautiful face. "You're the woman in my dreams," he whispers, his voice dry from the hours of sleep.

Daniel's first words catch her by surprise and penetrate her heart; her eyes quickly swell, a teardrop streams down her cheek. "I thought I could save you," she responds, choked with emotion as she gathers her thoughts. "But now I understand; your sacrifice was needed for the greater good."

Charles Widmore approaches from behind and squeezes Charlotte's shoulder to comfort her. "He still must choose, Dr. Lewis. Although, whatever he decides, he will be unable to remember unless he reaches the Island."

She leans over and kisses Daniel on the cheek as the tears rush down her face. "You were always in my dreams too, Daniel." She leaves the room abruptly, her emotions too distraught for conversation.

Charles clears his throat and pulls a chair next to his bed. "Hello Daniel. My name is Charles Widmore. Tell me, what do you remember before waking up here?"

Daniel blinks rapidly, sorting through vague experiences in the back of his mind. "I was playing the piano at my Mother's house." He glances again to the lamp stand, curious to what's written in the leather journal.

Charles places the journal in Daniel's hands. "Perhaps this will refresh your memory."

Daniel opens the pages and recognizes his own handwriting. He skims over the complex equations and diagrams, his understanding of physics slowly resurfaces, and so does his memory. He looks up from the pages, the look of confusion replaced with clarity. "I can save the survivors, sir. I can save all of them and the Island."

"They detonated the bomb in 1977, just as you instructed. The scientists in the Initiative believe the energy pocket built back up."

Daniel looks back to the pages of the journal, hoping to find another solution. He shakes his head; the certainty in his eyes diminishes.

Charles takes the journal out of his hands and places it back on the lamp stand. "If we're ever going to save the survivors of Oceanic 815 and the Island, we must first find the Island. I have been trying to do so for over thirty years, and have failed at every attempt. Will you help me, Daniel?"

Daniel sits up in bed and runs his fingers through his hair. "Of course, but I'll need resources. I need measuring devices equipped.."

Charles interrupts him mid sentence. "All of my resources are at your disposal, son." He reaches inside his coat pocket and pulls out another leather bound journal, slightly worn but virtually identical to the one Daniel was just reading. "You might want to have a look at this."

Daniel opens it, astounded to see his handwriting again. He recognizes identical diagrams, but with additional handwritten explanations, and with additional equations and diagrams not found in the original. "Where did you get this?" he asks, the excitement returning to his face.

"It is the same journal, but from the future. A man named Christian told me to give it to you."

Daniel reads midway through the journal, absorbing his own future explanations of time travel, and detailed instructions he gave to himself. The symbol of the Orchid is noted with dire warnings; several pages of instructions entitled secondary protocol follow. On the next page, his explicit instructions give the final solution in case anything goes wrong:

In case anything goes wrong,
Desmond Hume will be my Constant.

Daniel looks up from the pages. "Who is Desmond?"

"Desmond?" Widmore straightens his posture and tenses his jaw; he was fretting the matter of his estranged son in law inevitably coming up. "A mad Scotsman in love with my daughter. The last thing I heard, he ventured off in a sailing trip around the world, attempting to earn my approval."

Daniel closes the journal, fully confident of a solution to the complex dilemma. "If we're going to save the Island, I need to speak to Desmond Hume."