Exodus 3.5 – Chapter 4
Eye In The Sky
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Don't think sorry's easily said
Don't try turning tables instead
You've taken lots of chances before
But I'm not gonna give anymore
Don't ask me
That's how it goes
Cause part of me knows what you're thinkin'
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"LOCKE!" Jack continued to scream the older man's name into the now-opened hatch's shaft. He craned his head closer and tried to pick up any sound.
"Jack!"
The doctor looked up and then down at the shaft again. "Locke?" He heard bushes moving behind him and he stood up with a start. He had nothing but the torch in is hand for defense, so he held it in front of him as a weapon.
"Jack! Can you hear me?" Kate's voice rang out and she approached the area near the hatch. Sayid was on her heels, trying to follow without knocking her down. Both were trying to get to Jack and Locke as soon as they could. Both knew that something strange was happening, but neither could put their finger on it.
"Kate?" Jack stepped forward from the hatch and raised the torch to see the dark-haired woman and the Iraqi emerge from the bushes. "Sayid? What are you doing here?"
Sayid stepped forward, set down his backpack, and walked over to the hatch opening. "I came to see what kind of foolishness you were planning" He looked at Jack "I guess I am too late." He then scanned the surrounding area, "Where is Locke?"
"He didn't go down there?" Kate looked at Jack and then at the shaft. "Jack, you didn't let him go down there by himself, did you?"
"I tried to stop him, Kate" said Jack as he shook his head, "but you know Locke…" He looked behind Kate at her backpack "Did you bring the rope?"
"Right here" as she pulled it from the pack, "I hope it's enough."
"It'll have to be" Jack pulled out the rope and started to drop the end down the shaft.
"What are you doing?" Sayid looked at Jack with shock.
Jack nodded his head towards the shaft, "I'm going down there."
Sayid grabbed the rope "Just wait – let's think about this for a second." He looked from Jack to Kate and then back to Jack. "We don't know what is down there" he took a breath "It might be dangerous" he looked down the shaft again "or worse."
"Worse?" Jack questioned. He shook his head at Sayid and started over to tie the end of the rope to a tree "It doesn't matter – Locke is down there and I can't let him do this alone."
"Then I should go" Kate stepped up and tried to take the rope from Jack. She pleaded with her eyes at the doctor, but Jack jerked the rope from her hand.
"No, Kate" he said firmly, "Not this time" he jerked his head at the Iraqi "You stay up here with Sayid" he paused and gave a knowing look to the other man "In case…"
"In case what?" demanded Kate, not giving up so easily.
Jack put his hand on her shoulder, "Just in case" he said softly and then cupped her cheek in is hand. "I need to know you'll be safe" He looked hard into her eyes "Do you understand?"
Kate nodded reluctantly and watched as he started down the shaft. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Sayid a frustrated look. The Iraqi put his hands behind his head and turned around in anger and helplessness. He couldn't think of anything else to say to stop this madness, so he just paced around the opening.
Jack's head was almost level with the ground. His feet found the rungs that weren't broken and he felt confident with his weight on them. Kate's flashlight shown down on his head and he motioned for her to focus it on the ladder instead. With one hand on the rung and the other holding the rope, he continued to ease himself down the hole. He suddenly grabbed the rope with both hands as his foot could not find the next ladder rung. He shouted involuntarily.
"Jack!" Kate called down "Are you alright?" There was worry in her voice.
"I'm fine" Jack replied, "Just slipped on the ladder" He could barely see her face looking down at him "It's okay – don't worry" He continued down the shaft until he was totally out of sight from the rim.
"Don't worry, he says" said Kate to herself. She looked over at Sayid who was now sitting on a fallen log "What else am I supposed to do?"
Sayid looked at her with a blank expression. He motioned her over to the log to sit next to him. Kate came over reluctantly and plopped down.
"There's nothing we can do now" he said placing his hand on her knee. She looked at him with total helplessness. "All we can do now is wait."
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Don't say words you're gonna regret
Don't let the fire rush to your head
I've heard the accusation before
And I ain't gonna take any more
Believe me
The sun in your eyes
Made some of the lies worth believing
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The walls of the shaft were smooth and cool as Jack continued hand-over-hand down the rope. He kept looking for Locke's light below, but all he saw was the inky darkness. He couldn't see the top of the hatch anymore, and the flashlight pushed into his pocket only illuminated his immediate space. Down, down, down – wasn't he there yet, he thought to himself. There has to be a bottom, right? All of a sudden he could make out a soft glow beneath him.
"Locke?" his voice echoed down the shaft "Is that you?"
"Yes, Jack" came the older man's voice in a loud whisper "It's me – now keep your voice down!" Jack could see the light getting brighter and the space around him began to glow.
"You're almost there" called Locke.
Jack could hear the man's voice getting closer to him. He lowered himself a few more feet and suddenly he could feel the ground beneath him. The shaft had opened up into a wider corridor, enough to fit two people across, and high enough that his head did not touch the ceiling. Locke was shining his light on the walls and looked intently at the markings that covered it.
Jack let go of the rope, took the flashlight out of his pocket, and walked over to see what the older man was examining so intently.
"What are you looking at?" Jack turned and looked around the corridor. "Where are we?"
"These are very ancient Polynesian petroglyphs" Locke ran his hand over the markings and pointed one out to Jack "See this?" Jack nodded "This is a symbol for an all-seeing eye" The picture looked like a large circle with a solid circle in the middle. All around the circumference of the larger circle, solid stars were placed equidistant along the "eye."
"An eye?" Jack looked at Locke with a perplexed expression "Like the Masonic all-seeing eye?" Jack remembered his father's ring which had the symbol on it.
"Yes" said Locke examining the surrounding petroglyphs "but much older" he turned and faced the doctor "The ancient Polynesians believed that this 'great eye' watched over them, protected them." He pointed to another picture "See here? There seems to be fire and smoke coming out the eye and covering the people."
Jack could see the small figures painted on the wall represented a tribe of some sort. There were also pictures of trees, some of them broken on the ground. "What do you think these mean" he said pointing at the figures.
Locke thought about this for a moment and knitted his eyebrows together. He looked at Jack with a grim expression. "This is how the eye protects his people" he pointed to the pictures of fire and smoke. He raised his eyebrows at Jack and smiled "Look familiar?"
Jack looked at the pictures again and the understanding of them was shocking. He turned back at Locke, but the man had already started down the corridor.
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I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind
And I don't to see anymore
To know that
I can read your mind, I can read your mind.