22.
Casual Understatement – That Han Solo Moment – IKEA Desks Suck – Always Doublecheck Your Luggage – The Timing of Teachable Moments – The Iceman Cometh
"That's a really big boat." Hurley felt sheepish the moment he said it; the obvious understatement sinking into dead air like a bad Looney Tune joke. Ben said nothing in response, as if he hadn't heard Hurley speak. It was possible. There was room for little else, compared to the view.
The Helgus Antonius sat on the far horizon, blocking the sunrise with its Handymax-class vessel size. Too big to go unnoticed, yet still far enough away to blur fine details, the massive container ship could have hosted several football games on its deck, if either of the two men observing could get over the notion that those football games would probably have a viral detonator jammed inside the pigskin. Hurley shook his head once, sharply, as if physically trying to shake such visions. The action was strong enough to shake his balance in the crunching sand. "I'm scared just looking at the thing, dude."
"It's merely a ship, Hugo. An insensate metal container."
"Nice try and I know that's supposed to help, but I know that, dude. The thing is the crazy guy running it."
Ben pursed his lips. "This also comes as no comfort, Hugo, but I highly doubt Mittelwerk is truly crazy, in classical meanings of the term."
"Okay, whatever. I just... I don't know. I'm scared, and the worst of it is, I don't even think I'm just scared of that thing. I'm scared for everyone."
"The evacuation orders went off without a hitch, Hugo. We'll get Ms. Hume and her child safe. Everyone on the island is safe."
Something curled in Hurley's gut. "No, they're not." He lifted his chin to squint at a few glints in the distant water. "What're those?"
Ben stood in long silence before responding quietly. "Small boats being launched."
. . .
It took longer for Kyra to rummage through Ben's desk than it did to open the locks on it. Thus far the only home on the island that bothered to lock anything, Ben still had left matters with the most basic fastener to come with an IKEA desk. She amused herself with the concept that maybe he was slipping in his later career while she banged her fingers into thickly compiled documents (all mundane business) and random artifacts. It kept her from worrying about how much time she might have before things got tense on the island and how little chance she had of getting to Doc Ellis before anyone else.
Meanwhile, she'd wanted a weapon. Of all the places on the island, Ben's home had seemed the likeliest place to gear up. While no weapon rack was in sight when she'd entered, she'd assumed something had to be lying around somewhere. It fit everything she knew of his nature.
She'd gone through three rooms of nothing so far. In desperation, she'd even checked in the piano bench. Kyra couldn't imagine the rationale behind keeping a weapon there, but if anyone might've done so, it was Ben. Instead, she'd only found sheet music for Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major. The office desk, with its multiple bad locks, was her last chance.
She found success at last in a lower desk on the left side. At first, she found nothing but a picture frame, pulling it out when her hand had banged on it. A sweet-faced little girl and a smiling Benjamin Linus (with more hair, god help us all, she thought pointlessly) filled the image; the background full of the green-goldness of the island. It took her aback, senses nearly offended with the abrupt difference in reality. The innocence of the photograph contrasted too heavily with the bastard she assumed she knew. Blinking twice, she noticed the Glock .22 that had been laying underneath. Filled with sudden hesitancy, she plucked it from its place like a dead rat and carefully put the picture back where she'd found it.
It was time to get on with it.
She slunk outside in the shining dawn and glanced around to fix her sense of direction. Loping towards the jungle cover in the direction of the Orchid; her heart dropped as the wind carried the sound of words in rapid-fire Korean.
. . .
Tsuchi knelt next to Krish, his smaller hand grasping the pale, long-fingered one as the man gasped for air. With wide brown eyes, he looked up at Renee when she sat down next to him. She looked as pale as the young Indian man and he opened his mouth to ask what had happened down below.
She cut him off before he could start, eyes only for the man laying on the ground. "What's wrong, Krish?"
Krish's grasp tightened hard as he coughed, then shook his head. Tsuchi answered for him, voice shaky. Krish had managed to explain to Tsuchi and Rose a few moments prior; the latter was now a few yards away, rummaging through supplies for something, anything to help. "He forgot some of his medications at his home. His lungs hurt because he's cramping. Random attack."
The voice, thin and wheezy, wafted upward. "I'm an idiot." Tsuchi glared down into Krish's face. While the lips were still showing pain, some bright, wry humor still glinted in the man's eyes.
Renee shook her head. "Where the fuck is Kyra? She run off to get them?"
Krish gave another cough, this one sounding more like a sick laugh. Tsuchi squeezed back. "No, she left before that to get the doc from the lab. She doesn't know it's bad."
Renee's face twisted. "That sucks, I can't be mad at anyone."
"Are you okay? You look weird."
The archaeologist waved off the question. "Not the time. I'm fine." She turned her head as Rose began to approach. The only thing in her hand was a small radio. "We have anything?"
Grey-black hair shook the negative. "I can keep him hydrated, and I can fix a headache, but I can't fix this, honey."
"Shiiiiiit." Renee breathed the word out, ignoring the brief look of admonishment from Rose. "I can go back to the cabins and get his stuff."
Rose shook her head. "Someone should, but I've just heard from the boys. We're going to have landing parties all over this place pretty soon. It's a lot of risk, sweetie, and it's hard to get back here."
Tsuchi mumbled something, but Renee missed it in another blurted curse. "Okay, I'm not Lara Croft, but I'm pretty sure I can run to some buildings and back."
"The cabins have two good landing sites close to them. By the time you get there, you will probably have to dodge someone. Still confident? I do not want to say no, because the man clearly needs help, but I'm not blithely gonna stick two butts in trouble."
Tsuchi opened his mouth, closed it when Krish started coughing up words. "I'll be fine."
Rose looked down at him, her expression as comforting as possible. "I'm sure, kiddo. Just bear with us a moment here-"
"I'll go!" It came out a lot louder than he'd intended, and Tsuchi flushed. Renee and Rose looked at him. He swallowed hard. "I'm smaller and I can be pretty quick and... and I don't like being seen much, so I can go and be fast. They won't spot me." He smiled, trying to make it look confident but knowing deep down it probably looked like he'd just swallowed a mouthful of eels. Certainly felt that way in his gut.
Rose looked at him a long while. "I bet you could." Renee leaned back, startled silent. "Come with me over here."
Tsuchi gave Krish's hand one more squeeze and got up to follow her. Rose marched them to the edge of the makeshift camp and then pressed a flare into Tsuchi's hand. "You get there, you get what you need, you head back the way you came – mostly. Avoid the big field this time, go right around to the big patch of bamboo. Get on the other side of it however you can, you'll find a big hill and a bunch of dead brush. Pop the flare there and then listen for me. I'll get you back here safe. But most of all, you keep yourself safe. Got that?"
"Yes'm."
"This is real life now, and big stakes. Krish will be alright one way or another. Listen to me."
He nodded rapidly.
"Okay. Okay. Go!"
Tsuchi fled.
. . .
Renee gave Rose a look of absolute shock and confusion when she came back. "Ro- what the. You argue with me but he can go."
"Around here, Ms. Kircher, you get a sense for when something sounds right. That sounded right." Rose looked unrepentant.
"Yeah, but-"
"This isn't just about Krish – I'm sorry, Krish," A hand flapped up from the ground, indicating his total lack of insult. "It's about Tsuchi getting something done and not just for himself. You see what I mean?"
"This is a bullshit time for that. Can we have Sesame Street hour when we're not getting Beach of Normandy'd?"
"I'd say it's a perfect time. Things have a way of working out around here if you have a little faith." She patted Renee's shoulder as she swept by. "Now come sit with me and Krish and let's hear about what you found down below."
. . .
Hurley sat alone on the beach, his bulk perched surprisingly delicately on the side of an old and broken tree. His feet were bare and they scuffed the sand in circles to match the course of the butterflies in his stomach. He'd sent Ben away towards the temple a little while earlier, to make sure that everyone there was holding together. With fewer of the island's protections around the strange bit of Cambodian architecture, he thought it'd be good to have a little more human protection to balance it out.
The temptation had been huge to have the Heart checked on instead. It was a fifty-fifty in his instincts, but overall he felt there was really nothing he or Ben could actively do there. Hurley could sense events were in motion, but resisted the sickening potential of knowing more. Rose was with them, and for him, that was good enough. He had faith in her, and her faith was boundless. It would hopefully be enough.
More than anything, Hurley wanted to believe in the basic luck and inborn rightness of people. Sitting alone, watching a single, slightly larger boat leave the massive vessel to sail directly towards his place near the beach docks, it was the only pure dogma he had left to cling to.
As the ship grew closer, Hurley at last saw Thomas Mittelwerk with his own eyes. Whatever dogma that man clung to, it settled heavily in cold, emotionless eyes.
I am so scared, thought Hurley. What if he hurts my friends?
He took one large swallow, inhaled, and rose up from his seat to greet his nightmare.