Sawyer woke up in his basement room at Kate's and looked left and right at his arms. No IVs in them, a good sign. He closed his eyes and realized he felt a little wiped but not anywhere on the verge of slipping under again.
"Mr. Ford?"
Then he was halfway to his feet and looking for a weapon, when he saw the kid in pinstriped suit pants and a white shirt across the room. He had a serious frown on his face, a gun in one hand and the other in the air as if to say all was well. He was crouching over the folding chair he'd been sitting in a moment ago, his suit coat draped over the back. Sawyer realized he was positioned in the ideal place to defend them both from the door headed upstairs, and the thin window to the outside world that ran along the opposite wall close to the ceiling.
"You an Other?" Sawyer fell back on the bed.
"Yes, " The kid sat down again. "Technically so are you now, sir. Ms. Hawking assigned me to guard you while Mr. Straume is away."
He guessed Miles was looking for clues in the attack that took down Claire and rendered him unconscious for… how long?
"His name is Miles," Sawyer said, getting to his feet slowly this time and rummaging through a dresser. "And you can call me Sawyer."
"But they told me you go by James Ford again."
He's worried about precision and accuracy and correctness, this one is, Sawyer thought. A lot too much. One corner of his mouth turned up in a mildly amused smile at the discomfort on the kid's face.
"That is my name. But although you may be guarding my life, Chipper, you ain't close enough to my friend to call me James. And I won't be called Mr. Ford," He pulled a plain grey T- shirt and some jeans out of the dresser and walked to the bathroom. "So we'll go with Sawyer. I'm used to it."
Ten minutes later he walked back into the main room.
"My name is Evan." The kid said. "And we're supposed to address people our seniors as Mr. and Ms., it's part of the training." Evan had short, clipped reddish hair that would have a wavy curl to it if allowed to grow out. He was an inch short of what you'd call really, really tall, and thin for his frame. He looked to be about 22 years old.
"You a temple Other or a jungle Other… or what?" Sawyer asked. "And what's with the suit you're wearing? The guys who came from 'headquarters' a couple of days ago were suited up too."
"I don't know what you mean exactly," Evan said, "But all of us in the sciences or on the business end of things off -island wear them. Plus all the trainers and trainees."
"Sciences?" Sawyer asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting on a pair of shoes.
"Heuristics, telekinesis, the biosciences," Evan said.
"As in Mittelos Biosciences?" Sawyer interrupted him. "Corporate fronts, like the one they used to con Juliet into going to the island."
The kid started to say something back, stopped.
"I shouldn't get into politics."
Sawyer laughed dryly and pulled himself slowly to standing. The room went a little pixelated before he was fully on his feet, and he realized that even though he felt better, he wasn't entirely over whatever he'd been shot full of.
"I grasp the idea of formal wear for business typhoons," Sawyer said. "But why the trainees?"
"Most of us are pretty heavily armed to protect whomever we're assigned to," Evan said. Sawyer just shot him a questioning look. "The suit is to make people feel comfortable near us. When you see a guy with a fifty dollar haircut and a three piece suit, do you expect him to pull a gun on you or lob a bomb at your car?"
He had a point, but Sawyer wasn't going to just give it to him.
"Well I feel safer already, just admiring that tie!" Sawyer started up the stairs to the living room, something close to a full smile crossing his face as he saw a strong wave of annoyance on Evan's.
"We shouldn't go anywhere. You've barely been conscious for a quarter of an hour."
"How do you know I'm planning to go anywhere?"
"I'm thinking you want to go to the Lamp Post and bitch Ms. Hawking out."
Sawyer already had the car keys in his hands and was grabbing a jacket. He just shot him a shrug, and picked up a couple of apples and a bottle of water to take with them.
"Bitch out," Sawyer said. "Really?"
"Easily angered and prone to violent outbursts at things he can't control. That's what your file says."
"Fantastic," Sawyer headed for the front door. "You all have time to build a file but not to figure out that maybe someone wanted to kidnap me and kill Claire."
"No one realized a threat was so imminent. You shouldn't blame yourself. And we don't know yet that Claire is dead."
Sawyer had been about to reach for the door to open it, but he stopped flat and a second later kicked it so hard the paint chipped and one of the hinges actually squeaked. His eyes teared over at the pain in his foot and he hoped he hadn't added a broken bone to his week.
'Things he can't control…' Sawyer thought. There had been a lot of those, lately. He got a flashback of the look of horror on Claire's face just before she fell, shot out of nowhere as she stood sobbing near Kate's car. He shook it off, but had to stand there a couple more seconds staring at the door before he dared to talk again.
"Tell me, Evan," Sawyer opened it and stepped out. "Who is it I talk to, to have you replaced as my bodyguard?"
"Probably Ms. Hawking," Evan said, and it was his turn to smile just a touch at Sawyer's annoyance. "But you shouldn't. I'm very good at security. And I have an analytical nature, I can help you."
"Yeah, well you can plead your case on the way," Sawyer said. "First get your cell phone and call Miles. Tell him to meet us at the Lamp Post."
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Ben, Hurley, Richard, Kate and Walt were a little more than a mile from the barracks, half way between where they lived and the Weather Vane station that sat dead center of the island. Richard was carrying a duffel bag full of small traffic cones they had found in one of the bungalow basements, remnants of a Dharma physical fitness obstacle course as far as anyone could guess. He was tossing them out in a zigzag pattern – some of them close by, others many yards out and some barely in sight.
While Richard was setting up for Walt's first training session, Kate and Walt played fetch with Vincent. The two of them were throwing sticks at the same time, and giggling as Vincent decided which one to chase first. He generally picked the one Walt threw but every so often he's run for Kate's stick first, and they laughed all the harder in appreciation of his humoring her.
"I have something to apologize for," Ben said to Hurley. They were sitting on a fallen tree nearby, watching the preparations. "When that light flashed around the island five times the night they all left on the plane, you asked me if I knew what that was about. I suspected Richard had set off the Weather Vane. But I didn't know for sure," Ben said, setting down the rifle he'd been carrying. "No one knew for sure what it'd do if we set it off. So I lied. I wasn't ready to tell you the truth about what the Dharma hatches were all leading up to. It's so complicated, isn't it?"
Ben looked at Hurley, relieved to have the truth out, and was surprised when Hurley said nothing and barely shrugged. "I thought you'd be concerned that I lied to you so soon after becoming your Number Two."
"I don't broadcast it every time the island tells me something," Hurley said, "But it's happening pretty much every day. I know Kate's thinking one of you will try to screw me over. And I know you and Richard have had your issues with each other over the decades," Hurley shrugged again and looked back toward Kate and Walt. "And hell, neither of you is a saint, I know what you've both done in the past, right? But I still know we're all good, all of us. It's everyone butus that we have to worry about."
"What exactly did you see?" Ben asked after awhile.
"I saw you and me and Richard working together here against a common enemy," Hurley shook his head, looking almost wistful about something that was decades from actually happening. "You and Richard were both very…." he looked back at Ben, "Grey. As in 75ish. So, I'm worried about some things, Ben, but I'm not worried about either of you."
Hurley had never seen such a simple, happy smile cross Ben's face before. It was like he was relieved of a weight he just now realized he didn't have to carry. Then the smile disappeared entirely.
"You're not… just saying that?" Ben asked, and Hurley broke out laughing so hard that Kate and Walt stopped their game and Vincent ran over to him, tail wagging furiously.
"I KNEW you were going to ask me that," Hurley said, scratching Vincent's head. "No, Ben, I'm not just saying that. I'll never lie to you," he said, looking him in the eye, "And you'll never lie to me again, right?"
"Absolutely," Ben said. Hurley was the only one of the two of them who was sure at that moment that it was a fact.
A few minutes later, they took their leave. Hurley wanted to see how Bernard was doing, and he asked Ben to head for The Flame to check in with Desmond and Penny. Everyone agreed to meet back up at the barracks in a few hours.
****88888888***************16**&&&****
"Here's where we start," Richard said, standing next to Walt, a hand on his shoulder and the other pointing toward one of the cones about 15 yards off. Kate stood nearby, observing.
"Focus on that one. Think about the fact that you're here and it is there," Richard said, pointing and stepping back. "And now think about standing next to it… without moving."
Walt nodded confidently, like 'piece of cake' and closed his eyes. Kate didn't think she had closed hers, but suddenly Walt was gone, until she looked over toward the traffic cone and there he was.
"Woah," Kate muttered. Richard looked at her with a smile.
"Well done, Walt." He said, and walked toward Kate.
"Can you do that, too?" Kate asked Richard, and he nodded.
"But only about twice the distance he just covered, tops," Richard said. "That's how the Others could appear right in front of you or suddenly be gone."
"Telekinesis?" Kate asked, wrinkling her nose in doubt, but Richard nodded.
"That's one word for it. When we disappeared out of plain sight, we weren't all that far away, just far enough to get to safety without being heard or leaving a trail. For most of us, it's hard work, it's draining. But for Walt," Richard shook his head. "It's like breathing in and out. I think we'll all be surprised at what he can do. Eventually, he may not need the Weather Vane at all to travel between worlds. Imagine that."
He started to turn to re-direct Walt to his next 'target' when Vincent interrupted everything, bolting from Kate's side and running from Richard to Walt to Kate over and over again, his tail down between his legs and a low growl coming out of his throat. They all looked at each other.
"What's happening?" Walt asked, and Richard raised a hand as if telling them all to listen. They heard a distant sound of feet running through the brush, headed their way. Suddenly Vincent zeroed in on the sound and ran howling straight at it.
"Let's go!" Richard grabbed Walt's hand, bolting in the other direction back toward the barracks, Kate following. Walt had no idea what was going on, and tried to break away to go back for Vincent, but Richard wouldn't let go and dragged him along.
He and Kate were both thinking about that sole survivor of the band of "Freighter People" who had shown up from another world, accidental travelers through the looking glass otherwise known as the Weather Vane, the same crew that had shot Bernard. They knew it was him they were running from and they could hear him gaining ground behind them. None of them was armed, and Kate and Richard both realized their mistake. It was the last day anyone would go out into the jungle unarmed for a long time.
Richard kept running but yelled to Walt.
"We'll catch up. Go home, warn Hurley. Tell him we need help. Now!" Walt shook his head, still running, looking at Richard and over to Kate and then back toward where Vincent had disappeared. When he looked back, Kate was nodding at him.
"Okay," Walt said, and then he was gone.
Richard and Kate nearly stumbled in shock even though they knew it was coming, but they kept running. It would be at least 20 minutes at full speed before they'd be home and near help, and they heard the feet behind them gaining ground on them. Richard looked back at Kate and saw it in her eyes: Both knew there was no way they'd out run him. At that moment, Richard stopped dead and threw an arm around her, spinning them both to the left. "Hold on," was all he said, and Kate felt her feet leave the ground.
When her eyes were able to focus again they were lying fifty yards away. Kate pushed herself up, her legs tangled up with Richard's, one hand on his shoulder and the other on the ground to his right. She turned her head to look back just in time to see the brush moving as the intruder from another world bolted by yards away from them – and kept going.
"You're going to have to teach me that, too," Kate whispered. Richard just nodded, then held one finger up to his lips, sitting up. He got up and started walking, motioning for Kate to follow.
"We're better to walk than run," his face was near her ear as he said it, but still he said it so softly she barely heard him, "Slow and sure home, okay?"
Kate nodded and they began picking their way through the jungle, not making a sound. Minutes passed and then a quarter hour, then half an hour. Just when they both began to feel like there was hope, Richard stopped. Kate looked at him and saw it: The disappointment, almost despair on his face as he raised his hands in surrender. She heard a click, and saw the camouflaged figure step directly in front of them. He'd been following them.
"Where am I?" He asked them, "And why should I let you live?"
"You're on a different iteration of the island than the one you know, Omar," Richard said, recognizing Martin Keamy's lead man, "And we have no conflict with you."
"Wrong answer," Omar said, and started to aim the weapon at Richard, but stopped when they all heard rustling sounds behind them. Omar spun around and pointed again as Vincent came charging through the grass toward him, growling furiously, his teeth showing.
Kate screamed a loud "No!" as Omar began firing toward Vincent, and then gasped with a combination of shock and relief when Omar fell to the ground, taken down by a single bullet fired into his head from behind them.
Vincent walked circles around the body, still growling softly. Kate could see the orange blood flowing from Omar's head, the same, unreal sight Penny and Desmond described the night Bernard was shot. She saw it, but found it hard to grasp.
Kate and Richard turned to see Ben behind them, looking pale, the rifle in his hand pointed to the ground.
"I was on my way to the Flame," Ben said, "And I remembered you were unarmed."
Richard nodded. Kate bent forward, her hands on her knees as if to give them some support. She was laughing and crying a little at the same time.
"Ben, for the first time in my life," she said, "I am so happy to see you."
"Well, it's said under some duress," Ben's face was straight but his eyes were dancing. "But I'll take it."
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A few hours later, 16 of the 17 members of the camp were gathered, sitting around several fires they'd started on the beach closest to the barracks. Even Rose had left Bernard's side for an hour, to hear what Hurley would have to say to them.
Hurley started with the good news, that the last of the murderous freighter people from another world was dead. But then came word about Aaron's disappearance and the attack on Claire and Sawyer, and his heart sank a little when he heard the gasps from Rose, Walt, Frank and a few of the rest.
"When I took on this job," Hurley said, "I kind of hoped we'd have a few years of peace and quiet before we faced any new threats. But we only got three months. Now we're under attack here and at home so tomorrow, a few of us are staying on the island but a lot of you are going. We need engineers who can rewire everything so we don't have to run to the Flame to communicate with the world. We need a security team. If we don't get serious and get help, we're going to get wiped out," he said. "So Frank and Richard will head for Guam and get ready to ferry people here—new recruits that Eloise will line up. Penny and Desmond, we'll need you and your crew to go help bring people here too."
He looked around and could see doubt and fear crossing some eyes.
"Today we're seventeen of us, next week we'll be thirty… and soon we'll be dealing with traffic jams." That got a laugh. "But we'll be ready for anything. I know we can do this, and I really think once we knock down these challenges we'll have the upper hand, and we can both protect the island and have a good life here. No, not a good life- the best."
After a few questions and some side conversations, Hurley, Richard and Ben walked back toward the Flame to make one more call to Eloise for the night. The sun was just down entirely and a full moon was lighting their way.
"Well done, Hurley," Richard said.
"It was no 'live together die alone,'" Hurley shrugged. "But I think I got my point across. Richard," he motioned for them both to stop. "I know we don't know yet, but what does your gut tell you? Who attacked Claire and Sawyer?"
Richard and Ben looked at each other, and Ben nodded as if to say he knew what he'd hear next and that he concurred.
"It's been 15 years and two weeks since we led the purge on the Dharma Initiative," Richard said. "We killed every one of them here, and that crippled them. But we knew it didn't mean the organization was gone, or that they wouldn't ever try to come back. Now we've set off the Weather Vane, their ultimate station, and I'm pretty sure they know it. So my best guess is that they're rallying. They still believe this place is theirs. And they're coming back for it."