They finally calmed Aaron down and got him to talk.

"It's a very long story, so please don't interrupt me."

"Of course."

"It was a dream. Our goal was to create a large research compound where scientists from all around the globe could research several different scientific categories. About 32 years ago, while studying zoology of the ocean, our explorers found this island. They explored it and was about to head back when they found unusual electromagnetic fluctuations coming from this sector of the island."

"I was one of those assigned to research and understand the electromagnetism of the island. We built a laboratory here and we immediately went to work. During the excavation, we found a series of numbers etched into the stone. We still don't know how they got there."

"Wait," Jack said. "They found numbers etched into the underground stone?"

"Yes."

"There is no way that is possible."

"Are you on the same island as I am?"

Jack couldn't help but think that those words sounded familiar.

"Anyway, after that, we heard a transmission. We located the source and found a radio tower. The transmission kept on repeating a series of numbers. The same exact numbers we found in the stone."

"It wasn't long before the bad luck started to happen. For some unexplained reason, our equipment failed, then people started getting sick. First they had a fever, then hallucinations, and then they died. We took their blood samples, but the microscopes kept on jamming."

"Jamming?"

"Yeah, they wouldn't work. Finally, They came."

"You mean Them?" Ana Lucia asked.

"Yes, the Original Residents. At first they abducted 4 of us. Next time, they took 16 and killed 8. They were smart, ruthless animals. It wasn't long before we realized that we were cursed with bad luck. We eventually discovered that it was because of the numbers. We didn't know what to do."

"Then, one of our scientists had a dream. His name was Marvin Candel. He's the man you see in the Orientation. He kept on saying that the "island" was talking to him. He made up a system. When he was finished, he had a computer. All we had to do was punch in the same exact numbers into the microcomputer, and it would make a "defense" that would block the bad luck. He also explained that the "defense" the computer made was only temporary. In order to keep it constant, the code had to be punched in constantly."

"Well, we asked 'How many times?' He replied that he wasn't sure. So he added all of the numbers together and the sum was 108. So, he guessed that it had to be punched in every 108 minutes. We thought he had gone insane."

"However, the bad luck slowly went away. The Original Residents didn't come back and we didn't get sick as often. So, we accepted the protocol. However, within 42 days, everyone still died. There was only me and Kelvin."

"Of course, it was only natural for me to be emotionally broken. Originally, I was a strong man. Then I saw all of my colleagues die at this one site. And it was all because of the numbers. Well, I just couldn't take it. I fled away from this place. But Kelvin stayed. He remembered what Marvin said. They were both worried that the if the code was not entered, the numbers would come back. And they would be quite angry. Angry enough to spread to the rest of the world. It was delusional, yes, but they weren't willing to take any chances. So, they keep the numbers within this Quarantine."

They all stared in disbelief, slowly taking in the information. Jack was the first to talk.

"This is insane."

"Jack…" Locke started.

"No! You expect me to believe that numbers caused your entire team to die! That you arrived on this island as an adult 32 years and still look like your in your late twenties!"

"This island is powerful." Aaron replied. "You're right. I haven't aged a day since I've been on this island. Right now, I'm 51, but it looks like I'm still 28. As for the numbers, there is a way to prove that they do have power."

"Really! What is your suggestion!"

"What the team noticed is that the numbers have a tie in everyone's life. Each number is significant to each person marooned on this island. Let's take an example, Ana, what does the number 4 mean to you?"

Ana kept still, with a hard look on her face. Jack was about to say that it was a waste of time when she spoke.

"I was 4 weeks pregnant when my baby died."

Aaron looked at Jack and said five words: Let's go find more examples.