604- "the Next Level"

“THE NEXT LEVEL”

Written by THUNDERSTORM

DISCLAIMER: Purely fan fiction. No infringements intended.

JUNE 26, 2009

"THE NEXT LEVEL" ACT ONE: AN EYE OPENING, IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT WE ARE ASSUMING THE POINT OF VIEW OF THIS EYE AS THE CAMERA PEEKS OUT FROM THE BRUSH. THIS EYE IS OBSERVING AN ARMED SAWYER AND KATE WALKING DOWN THE SAME TREELINE THAT FARMER CHRISTIAN TOLD THEM TO HEAD ALONG. WE ARE THEN WITH KATE AND SAWYER AS THEY CONVERSE, ALL THE WHILE WALKING ALONG. SAWYER: I SAW SOME THINGS. PIECES HERE AND THERE. NOTHING SPECIFIC, I JUST KNOW I NEED TO GO TO THIS PLACE. KATE: SO, THAT’S ALL YOU’RE GIVING ME? I THOUGHT YOU TRUSTED ME. SAWYER: THAT’S JUST THE GIST OF IT. I HAVE SOME BUSINESS WITH SOMEONE HERE AND I DON’T WANT YOU TO BE INVOLVED WITH IT. KATE: (AGITATED) THEN WHY ASK ME TO COME? WHAT DO YOU NEED ME FOR? SAWYER: (FRUSTRATED) BECAUSE THINGS CHANGED, KATE. I PLANNING ON CALLING BACK TO THE DOC FOR HELP. SEEING FINDING OUT SOME THINGS, IT JUST CHANGED THE PLAN. I YOU TO GO INSIDE WITH ME. I JUST WANTED YOU WITH ME,

WASN’T HIS DADDY, NEVER WANTED FRECKLES.

KATE: THEN WHAT CHANGED, SAWYER? HE DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING BUT TO FOLLOW HIM, TO FOLLOW THESE TREES. SAWYER CHANGES THE SUBJECT. HE KNOWS THAT IF HE SPILLS THE BEANS ABOUT CLAIRE, KATE WILL NOT LEAVE AND THEN BE IN HARM’S WAY. SAWYER: DID YOU LOOK IN THAT BAG, YET? (SHOT OF THE BAG) KATE: (SOMBER) IT’S JUST TWO STONES, ONE BLACK AND ONE WHITE. SAWYER: (CURIOUS) THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU? A CLOSE UP OF KATE’S TROUBLED FACE, RECALLING ADAM AND EVE. KATE: (RELUCTANT) NO. I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS. BACK TO A SHOT ON THE BOTH OF THEM, SAWYER IN THE LEAD, THEY BOTH SUDDENLY STOP ON A DIME, AN UNMISTAKABLE VOICE SPEAKS OUT. BEN’S VOICE: (JOYFUL) WHAT A WELCOME SIGHT, THE TWO OF YOU.

2 OF COURSE NOW WE SEE BEN, SMILING WIDE, THEN CUT BACK TO KATE AND SAWYER, WHO DON’T LOOK QUITE AS HAPPY TO SEE HIM. WE QUICKLY SWITCH SCENES AND WE ARE IN A BARELY LIT ROOM, BENJAMIN LINUS CARRYING A TORCH. HE STOPS. THEN TURNS TO HIS LEFT AND THE TORCH ILLUMINATES THE MAN STANDING NEXT TO HIM. IT’S HURLEY WITH HIS HANDS TIED. BEN: SO, HUGO, THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU TO DEAL WITH THE MAN. HE HAS SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO DISCUSS WITH YOU. (LOOKS OFF SCREEN TOWARDS THE ‘FRONT’ OF THIS ROOM, SHOUTING) JOHN, HE’S HERE! BEN THEN TURNS TO EXIT, HURLEY STARING HIM DOWN, ANGRY, SAD AND SPEECHLESS. HURLEY IS THEN LEFT ALONE. WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS THEN A VOICE. FLOCKE’S VOICE: WELCOME, HUGO. THE FOOTSTEPS GIVE WAY TO THE FIGURE OF FLOCKE, BARELY LIT BY THE FEW TORCHES HANGING FROM THE WALL. FLOCKE: I HAD SUCH PLANS FOR US BUT NOW EVERYTHING HAS BEEN MADE SO MUCH EASIER. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHAT A RELIEF IT IS TO SEE YOU. HURLEY: (QUIET) YOU’RE NOT JOHN LOCKE, ARE YOU? FLOCKE: IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK? BECAUSE, TO ME I LOOK THE SAME AS I ALWAYS DID, I FEEL THE SAME, I... HURLEY: (INTERUPTING) RICHARD SAID THAT YOU WEREN’T LOCKE. FLOCKE: (MIFFED) AND WHAT THE HELL WOULD RICHARD KNOW? HURLEY: (STILL QUIET) HE KNOWS A LOT, I GUESS. FLOCKE: NO, HUGO, RICHARD IS JUST BITTER. HE’S BEEN REPLACED AND HE KNOWS IT. HE NO LONGER HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE WITH THIS ISLAND AND HE’S FEEDING YOU LIES. HURLEY: (EXHAUSTED) WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME, LOCKE? (VOICE RAISING) WHY DID BEN HAVE TO KILL MILES? I WAS WILLING TO COME ON MY OWN. I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND? DID YOU TELL HIM TO DO IT? FLOCKE: YOUR ISSUES WITH BEN ARE WITH BEN. I DIDN’T ASK HIM TO KILL ANYBODY. AND I AM YOUR FRIEND, HUGO. THAT’S WHY YOU NEED TO COME WITH ME. YOU NEED TO HELP ME DEAL WITH SOMETHING...AS A FRIEND.

3 THAT SCENES GIVES WAY TO A CONTINUOUS SCENE, FLOCKE HAS ESCORTED HURLEY INTO THE NEXT ROOM. THIS ROOM IS WELL LIT WITH SEVERAL TORCHES. IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS ROOM ARE 6 SEPARATE COLUMNS, ALL LINED UP, STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM, EACH APPEAR TO HAVE GLYPHS ETCHED ON THE COLUMNS FACING FLOCKE AND HURLEY. FLOCKE: (POINTS) THERE, LOOK AT THAT ONE, TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE. HURLEY: (CLUELESS) I DON’T KNOW DUDE, LOOKS LIKE ROMAN NUMERALS. FLOCKE: NO, HUGO, IT’S EGYPTIAN BUT IT’S SORT OF THE SAME IDEA AS ROMAN NUMERALS ON THAT FIRST ONE. HURLEY: (SHAKES HEAD) UH, FOUR? FLOCKE: THAT’S RIGHT. AND SINCE THE REST OF THESE ARE A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED, I’M GOING TO MAKE IT EASY FOR YOU. THESE ARE ALL NUMBERS WRITTEN HERE AND THERE ARE 5 MORE COLUMNS... HURLEY: (MATTER OF FACT) LET ME GUESS, THAT’S (POINTS TO THE NEXT COLUMN) EIGHT. AND THE NEXT ONE IS FIFTEEN? FLOCKE: YOU’RE A PRETTY SHARP GUY, HUGO. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. HURLEY: AND AM I SUPPOSED TO BE SURPRISED BY THIS OR WHAT? FLOCKE: WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS? HURLEY: (FLATLY, BORED WITH IT) I HAVE NO IDEA. FLOCKE: I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IT MEANS HUGO. I THINK IT MEANS THAT YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE HERE. BECAUSE YOUR MURDERING FRIEND BEN LET ME IN ON A LITTLE SECRET. YOU WON THE LOTTERY WITH THESE NUMBERS, WHICH MEANS YOU ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. AN INCREDIBLY INTENSE LOOK ON FLOCKE’S FACE AS HE PEERS AT HURLEY. LOST TITLE CARD ACT TWO: BACK IN THE JUNGLE BEN ‘GREETS’ KATE AND SAWYER. BEN: JAMES, IT’S BEEN TOO LONG.

4 JAMES: (UNAFFECTED) SO..., YOU TAKIN’ ME IN OR WHAT? BEN: YES, IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU TOO, JAMES. (TURNS TO KATE) NOW, YOU ARE A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES. ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT (PAUSE) I DID KEEP UP WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT, WHILE OFF THE ISLAND. KATE: (PERTURBED) JUST TELL US WHAT YOU WANT. BEN: (SINCERE) ENOUGH TIME HAS PASSED, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU, KATE. (SHOT OF A SURPISED KATE) BECAUSE I JUST RECENTLY FOUND OUT SOMETHING I’D BEEN WAITING 30 YEARS TO KNOW. WE SEE KATE AND SAWYER, LISTENING WITH CURIOSITY. BEN: THERE I WAS, THIS ONE DAY, A REBELLIOUS YOUTH, TRYING TO HELP THIS STRANGE MIDDLE EASTERN MAN BREAK OUT OF A DHARMA JAIL CELL (SHOT OF SAWYER) AND THEN...(SHAKING HIS HEAD) HE JUST SHOOTS ME. AND THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER IS WAKING UP IN A TENT. (PAUSE) I SPENT THE NEXT 15 YEARS LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE. NOT EVEN KNOWING WHY I WAS STILL ALIVE. KATE: (ALMOST APOLOGETIC) YOU WERE JUST A CHILD. BEN: THAT’S RIGHT, KATE. AND WHEN I WAS A CHILD I WAS LOT DIFFERENT THAN I AM NOW. THE ONLY WOMEN I EVER REALLY LOVED...THEY ALL GAVE ME LIFE AND THEN LEFT ME. SAWYER: (AGGRIVATED) WHAT ARE YOU TRYIN’ TO SAY HERE BEN? BEN: (FLATLY) JULIET. I WAS ALWAYS TOLD THAT JULIET SAVED ME. I EVEN HAD A FRIEND DRAW HER IN A PORTRAIT, WHICH I KEPT ON MY WALL MY WHOLE LIFE. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT...I HAD SOMEONE TO LOOK UP TO, TO ADMIRE, SHE DISAPPEARED. MY MOTHER, SHE DIED GIVING BIRTH TO ME. (SHOT OF SAWYER AND KATE) AND THE ONLY GIRL I EVER FELT REALLY LOVED ME, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER (PAUSE) SHE LEFT THE ISLAND TOO. (LOOKS AT KATE) ALTHOUGH SHE CAME BACK... SAWYER: (PUT OFF) WELL IT AIN’T KATE, BUGSY, SO YOU CAN JUST STOP LOOKING AT HER LIKE THAT BEFORE I PUNCH YOU OUT! BEN: (ANGRY) I WASN’T FINISHED, JAMES. I WAS GOING TO SAY BEFORE YOU AND YOUR ‘BACKWOODS MOUTH’ INTERUPTED, THAT SHE CAME BACK...SORT OF. KATE: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

5 BEN: I’M TALKING ABOUT YOUR MOTHER, KATE. DIANE WOODS. KATE IS SHOCKED TO EVEN HEAR HIM UTTER THAT NAME. THE SCENE ENDS, WE SWITCH BACK TO THE ‘COLUMN ROOM’. FLOCKE IS SPEAKING TO HURLEY, INTENSELY, HURLEY STILL REELING FROM MILES’ MURDER IS UNAFFECTED. FLOCKE CUTS THE BINDS ON HURLEY’S HAND TO BUTTER HIM UP. FLOCKE: THESE NUMBERS, THEY HAVE PLAGUED THIS ISLAND FOR CENTURIES. ACCORDING TO SOME, THIS WAS ALL SUPPOSED TO BE SOME PROPHECY. I NEVER BELIEVED IT. THEN SOME QUACK CALCULATED THESE EXACT NUMBERS, INDEPENDENTLY OFF THE ISLAND. THIS CAUSED THE POWERS THAT WERE IN CHARGE HERE, AT THE TIME, TO ALLOW A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS TO COME HERE. TO STUDY THEM. HURLEY: DHARMA, RIGHT? FLOCKE: YEAH BUT THEY SOON LOST THEIR WAY. BEGAN STICKING THEIR NOSES WHERE THEY SHOULDN’T. SO THEY WERE REMOVED. SPEAKING OF, WE NEED TO GET YOU OUT OF THAT DHARMA SUIT, THOSE AREN’T ALLOWED DOWN HERE. HURLEY: IF YOU’RE JOHN LOCKE, HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS? FLOCKE: WHATEVER, HUGO, IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO YOU THINK I AM. WHAT MATTERS IS WHY YOU USED THOSE NUMBERS IN THE LOTTERY? WHAT WAS IT? DIVINE INTERVENTION? DID THEY COME TO YOU IN A DREAM? HURLEY: I THOUGHT I TOLD EVERYONE THIS A LONG TIME AGO? FLOCKE: (ANGERED) DAMMIT, HUGO! STOP PLAYING GAMES! HURLEY: (FLUSTERED, VOICE RAISED) I HEARD SOME DUDE REPEATING THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN, OKAY? WHEN I WAS IN THE NUTHOUSE. THAT’S IT, THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT. FLOCKE: (CONFUSED) WHAT? YOU GOT THEM FROM SOMEONE ELSE? HURLEY: (STILL FLUSTERED) HIS NAME WAS LEONARD, HE HEARD THEM BEING BROADCAST FROM THIS ISLAND...I GUESS. FLOCKE STARES INTENSELY AT HUGO, NOT SATSISFIED. SCENE ENDS BACK IN THE JUNGLE, WE RESUME THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATION WITH BEN AND KATE. BEN: YOUR GRANDFATHER, JOSEPH WOODS. WAS A COMMUNICATIONS WORKER WITH THE DHARMA INITIATIVE. HE HELPED BUILD ‘THE FLAME’, WHEN CONSTRUCTION WAS DONE, THEY LEFT. I NEVER SAW HER AGAIN.

6 KATE: (COMPLETELY INCREDULOUS) YOU’RE LYING, THIS IS RIDICULOUS! BEN: (UNCHARACTERISTICALLY EMOTIONAL) I KNEW HER AS ANNIE. AND I SORT OF LIED BEFORE, I DID SEE HER AGAIN. SPARINGLY. (SINCERE) SHE SURE MISTREATED YOU KATE, HAVING YOU AROUND THAT SCUMBAG, RAY. KATE IS EMOTIONAL, SAWYER IS SILENT, UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY. BEN: I NEVER APPROACHED HER AGAIN, I JUST...WATCHED HER. MADE SURE SHE WAS OKAY. WHEN SHE MET WAYNE, I WAS HAPPY FOR HER AND YOU. (PAUSE) I WAS GLAD YOU KILLED RAY, KATE. HE DESERVED IT. KATE: (CRYING) JUST SHUT UP, STOP IT! SAWYER: (INTERJECTING) THAT’S ENOUGH OF THIS. BEN: (FRUSTRATED, ABRUPTLY, TO SAWYER) FAIR ENOUGH. JAMES, YOU’RE COMING WITH ME, (TO KATE) YOU CAN GO KATE, WE’LL TALK AGAIN SOON. KATE: ARE YOU CRAZY? I’M NOT JUST GOING TO LEAVE HIM WITH YOU. SAWYER: YEAH KATE, YOU ARE. YOU NEED TO GO, DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. INFERRING SHE SHOULD FIND HELP, KATE THEN BECOMES RESOLVED TO LEAVE HIM WITH BEN. SAWYER, STILL ARMED, WALKS OFF WITH BEN, BEN NEVER EVEN SO MUCH AS PUTTING A GUN ON HIM. BEN: (GESTURES) THIS WAY, JAMES. BEN GIVES A LAST GLARE AT KATE, WHO’S IN SHOCK AS THE SCENE ENDS. ACT THREE: KATE IS WALKING BACK UP THE HILL, FOLLOWING THE TREELINE OUT, SHE APPEARS TO HAVE MADE IT A FEW HUNDRED YARDS. SHE DOESN’T GET VERY MUCH FURTHER WHEN SHE HEARS A VOICE OFFSCREEN. MALE VOICE: (STERN) STOP RIGHT THERE, AUSTEN. AN UNKNOWN ‘OTHER’ STEPS FORWARD ACCOMPANIED BY TWO OTHER MEN. ALL THREE OF THEM ARE ARMED, KATE IS CLEARLY HELPLESS AND SURRENDERS, A TROUBLED LOOK ON HER FACE. THIS SCENE ENDS ALMOST AS QUICKLY AS IT BEGAN AND WE ARE BACK WITH HURLEY AND FLOCKE, WITH THE COLUMNS OF NUMBERS. HURLEY JUST STANDS THERE, AS FLOCKE SITS ON A NEARBY SET OF CEMENT STEPS, THINKING TO HIMSELF.

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HURLEY: SO, UH, JOHN. (FLOCKE LOOKS UP) WHY IS THIS PLACE A DHARMA STATION WHEN IT’S ALL ANCIENT INSIDE? DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. FLOCKE: THERE ARE TWO LEVELS HUGO, THERE’S THE ONE WHERE YOU CAME IN, THE CO-OPTED DHARMA STATION, ABOVE GROUND AND THERE IS THIS LEVEL, BELOW. ALL OF THIS WAS HERE BEFORE THEY SHOWED UP. HURLEY: SO THEY TOOK OVER THE TOP LEVEL OR WHAT? FLOCKE: THEY WERE ONLY ALLOWED TO USE IT. THEY WERE STUDYING METEOROLOGY, OR MORE POINTEDLY, TRYING TO CHANGE THE WEATHER. HURLEY: AND HOW COULD THEY DO THAT? THAT’S RIDICULOUS. FLOCKE: ALMOST EVERYTHING THEY DID WAS RIDICULOUS, HUGO, I DIDN’T SIGN OFF ON IT, WE WEREN’T IN POWER. HURLEY: (CAUTIOUS) SO... I’M JUST GONNA TALK TO YOU LIKE YOU AREN’T JOHN, OKAY? BECAUSE IT’S PRETTY CLEAR TO ME YOU AREN’T JOHN. (FLOCKE NODS, APATHETIC) SO... WHAT IS YOUR NAME? FLOCKE: (DEADPAN) SEEING HOW YOU PROBABLY WON’T EVER SEE ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN, I’LL PLAY ALONG. YOU CAN JUST CALL ME SAM. A LOOK OF FEAR FALLS OVER HURLEY’S FACE AS WE SWITCH SCENES. KATE, HANDS BOUND BY THESE ‘OTHERS’ IS BEING WALKED UP A LONG STRETCH OF FLAT LAND, WHICH GIVES WAY TO A LARGE TREELINE AHEAD. KATE BECOMES A LITTLE STARTLED, SHE SPEAKS UP. KATE: (FATIGUED AND FRIGHTENED) HEY, WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME? UNNAMED OTHER: WE’RE GOING TO THE TEMPLE, AUSTEN, RELAX. THEY ENTER THE TREELINE AND WE CUT TO A VIEW OF THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS MASS OF TREES, THREE ‘OTHERS’, ESCORTING KATE AUSTEN EMERGE FROM THE TREES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN. AS THEY WALK LEFT, THE CAMERA MOVES WITH THEM AND AS ‘WE’ MOVE LEFT, WE SLOWLY GET OUR VERY FIRST GLIMPSE AT THE OUTSIDE OF THE TEMPLE. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MIGHT EXPECT, ANCIENT RUINS, PILLARS, THE WHOLE DEAL. ONLY AS THEY WALK UP THE STEPS AND COME TO THE ‘OUT OF PLACE’ METAL DOOR, THERE IS A DHARMA SYMBOL. AS THE DOOR OPENS, MORE ARMED ‘OTHERS’ GREET THEM AS THE SCENE ENDS. WE THEN ARE AT A DARKENED PART OF THE JUNGLE. AS THE CAMERA MOVES FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, WE SEE A CABIN. A MAN WALKS OUT AND WE HEAR HIM.

8 MALE VOICE: I FOUND SOME MORE FOOD, HONEY. IT’S DARK BUT WE CAN SEE THE MAN FROM BEHIND, CARRYING SOME FRUIT, HE WALKS OVER TO A TABLE AND SITS THE FRUIT DOWN. HE SPINS AROUND AND OF COURSE WE RECOGNIZE THIS GUY. BERNARD: I THINK I MAY HEAD OUT IN THE MORNING. ROSE’S VOICE: (OFFSCREEN) IF WE GOT FOOD NOW, (ONSCREEN)WHY BOTHER? BERNARD: WHY BOTHER? I DON’T KNOW, BECAUSE WE NEED TO FIND THE OTHERS? SEE IF THEY ARE OKAY? ROSE: IT’LL BE MORE TROUBLE THAN IT’S WORTH. BERNARD: THERE’S NO REASON TO BE SO PESSIMISTIC, ROSE, NOT EVERYTHING IS A NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN. ROSE: (SMART-ASS) YEAH? SAYS YOU. INSTANTANEOUSLY, WE HEAR A VERY ODD SOUND FROM A DISTANCE, THEN...TREES LIMBS BREAKING, GLASS BREAKING, SCREAMING. BERNARD TAKES OFF RUNNING TOWARDS THE SOUND, WE STAY WITH ROSE. SHE LOOKS QUITE WORRIED, AFTER A TENSE MOMENT, SHE THEN CALLS OUT. ROSE: (SHOUTING) WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT, BERNARD? A MOMENT LATER, HE COMES BACK ON SCREEN, RUNNING AND OUT OF BREATH. BERNARD: COME ON ROSE, I NEED YOUR HELP, THERE’S BEEN AN ACCIDENT! ROSE: WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WAS IT? BERNARD: (STILL OUT OF BREATH) A HELICOPTER, IT JUST CRASHED. AND, SCENE. ACT FOUR: OPEN IN A FAIRLY WELL LIT ROOM (FOR ONCE) SOME MARKINGS ABOUT THE PLACE INDICATES THIS IS A ‘DHARMA’ PORTION OF THE TEMPLE. AN UNKNOWN WOMAN CARRYING SOMETHING IN HER ARMS WALKS THROUGH THE SCENE, THE CAMERA FOLLOWS BEHIND HER INTO AN ADJOINING ROOM, KATE IS REVEALED TO BE SEATED IN THIS ROOM, HER HAIR IS WET. SHE’S

9 WRAPPED IN A TOWEL. HER HANDS REMAIN TIED IN FRONT OF HER WITH AN ARMED GUARD PRESENT, THE WOMAN SPEAKS. UNKNOWN FEMALE ‘OTHER’- (EXTENDS HER ARMS) PUT THESE ON, THE GUARD WILL LEAVE THE ROOM SO YOU CAN GET DRESSED. KATE TAKES THE CLOTHES, BOTH OF THE ‘OTHERS’ LEAVE KATE BEHIND IN THE ROOM. THE DOOR CLOSES, IN A CONTINUOUS SHOT CENTERED ON THE DOOR, SAYID ENTERS THE SCREEN TO KNOCK ON THE DOOR. WE WILL UNDERSTAND THE IMPLIED ELAPSED TIME AS WE NEXT SEE KATE. SAYID: (AFTER KNOCKING) KATE, I’M COMING IN. SAYID ENTERS TO SEE A FULLY CLOTHED, AND QUITE FRANKLY, GORGEOUS KATE AUSTEN SITTING IN THE SAME SPOT, IN A DRESS. KATE: (EMOTIONAL SHOCK, HALF-SMILING) SAYID? WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! SAYID: (SERIOUS) KATE, I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO ME AND NOT ASK QUESTIONS. (KATE IS SHOWN CONFUSED) THE PEOPLE HERE ARE UNDER STRICT ORDERS NOT TO LAY A HAND ON YOU, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU WILL NOT BE HURT. KATE: (FURTHER CONFUSED) WHA...WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, SAYID? SAYID: I THOUGHT I SAID NO QUESTIONS? (PAUSE) YOU ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN TO A DARK ROOM, WE WILL HAVE CINDY (CINDY ENTERS THE ROOM) LOOK AFTER YOU. YOU WILL ONLY BE REQUIRED TO BE IN THERE A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THEN YOU WILL BROUGHT STRAIGHT BACK UP HERE. KATE: BACK ‘UP’ HERE? SAYID: (PERTURBED) ONCE AGAIN, YOU ARE ASKING QUESTIONS, KATE. DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE. (KATE TAKEN ABACK) YOU WILL BE BROUGHT BACK UP HERE AND SOON IT WILL ABUNDANTLY CLEAR WHY YOU ARE HERE. UNTIL THEN, CINDY WILL ASSIST IN MAKING YOU AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE. SAYID GETS UP AND LEAVES PROMPTLY, CINDY COMES FORTH TO KATE. CINDY: HELLO, KATE. DO YOU REMEMBER ME? (WE CAN’T REALLY TELL IF KATE NOTICES HER OR NOT) THE STEWARDESS? FLIGHT 815? KATE: (HUSHED) OH MY GOD. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS PLACE?

10 CINDY: (PULLS OUT THE BAG) THIS WAS IN YOUR SUIT. FIGURED YOU WANTED THEM BACK, THEY’RE VERY PRETTY. (HANDS THE BAG OVER) KATE: (WORRIED) WHERE IS SAWYER? CINDY: THEY HAVE HIM DOWNSTAIRS. I CAN GO...(LOOKS BACK TO SEE IF GUARD IS LISTENING) I CAN GIVE HIM A MESSAGE FOR YOU BUT I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SPEAKING TO HIM. KATE THINKS TO HERSELF, THEN REACHES IN THE BAG AND PULLS OUT THE BLACK STONE. KATE: GIVE HIM THIS, HE’LL KNOW I’M HERE IF YOU DO. CINDY NODS IN AGREEMENT. SHE STANDS UP AND TURNS TOWARDS THE GUARDS, WHO ENTER TO ESCORT KATE DOWNSTAIRS. SCENE ENDS AND WE ARE ONCE AGAIN WITH FLOCKE AND HURLEY. FLOCKE GROWING MORE IMPATIENT WITH HURLEY AND HIS ‘ANSWERS’ WITH REGARDS TO THE NUMBERS. FLOCKE: WHEN I WAS OUT OF FAVOR WITH THIS PLACE, HUGO. THERE WERE CERTAIN PLACES I WASN’T ALLOWED TO GO. THIS ROOM AND WHAT’S THROUGH THE NEXT PASSAGE, WERE TOTALLY OFF LIMITS. HURLEY SITTING QUIET, LISTENING, COMPLETELY UNSURE WHAT TO DO. FLOCKE: SO WHEN I GOT BACK, I WAS ITCHING LIKE CRAZY TO GET INTO THE PLACES I WASN’T ALLOWED. (GETTING ANGRY) I SPENT ALL THESE YEARS, TEDIOUSLY THINKING, WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENTS, MEASURING EVERY DECISION. IT WAS FLAWLESS. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FLAWLESS. BUT NO, IT DIDN’T WORK. THERE I WAS IN THIS ROOM, REMINDED OF THESE DAMN NUMBERS AGAIN, LISTENING TO WHAT YOU SAID AND IT DAWNS ON ME. HURLEY LOOKS TIMID, AFRAID TO SAY A WORD. FLOCKE: I SOMEHOW WAS CONVINCED THESE NUMBERS, EFFECTIVELY BROUGHT YOUR PLANE HERE. THAT’S WHAT I WAS THINKING. HURLEY: (SLOWLY) UH...SAM. I, THINK THE DHARMA INITIATIVE WAS THE REASON I USED THOSE NUMBERS IN THE LOTTERY. (WINCES) FLOCKE: (STILL STEWING) FOR YEARS, I THOUGHT I CHOSE JOHN LOCKE BECAUSE HE SHOWED UP HERE IN 1954. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. HE WAS FOUND TO BE AMENIABLE, WEAK-MINDED, IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PERFECT. I KNEW I CHOSE HIM PRECISELY BECAUSE I DID CHOOSE HIM. (HURLEY IS SLIGHTLY CONFUSED) THAT’S THE THING WITH NON-LINEAR

11 TIME, YOUR ‘BRILLIANT’ CHOICES SHOW UP BEFORE YOU EVEN MAKE THEM. (DIRECTLY TO HURLEY) FASCINATING, HUH? HURLEY: DUDE, IF IT’S TIME TRAVEL, YOU’RE ASKING THE WRONG GUY. FLOCKE: YOU FAMILIAR WITH NOSTRADAMUS? THIS NUMBERS “PROPHESY” IS SORT OF LIKE HIS QUATRAINS. YOU READ THEM AND YOU THINK IT’S NONSENSICAL, THEN PEOPLE TELL YOU WHAT THEY THINK THEY MEAN AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT’S...VOILA! YOU “FIGURE IT OUT” AFTER THE FACT. IT’S A COMPLETE CHARADE. I NEVER DID BELIEVE THIS TYPE OF NONSENSE. SOMEHOW I ALLOWED MYSELF TO. (VOICE RISING) SO YOU NOT BEING SPECIAL BECAUSE OF THAT LOTTERY, AND THESE DAMN NUMBERS, IT SHOULD MAKE COMPLETE SENSE TO ME(SHOUTING) SHOULDN’T IT? HURLEY: (REALLY TIMID, UNSURE) UH, YEAH? FLOCKE: (HOSTILE) EXACTLY!!! (TAKES MOMENT TO QUIET DOWN) SO I WAS WRONG. (CONTRITE) IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT I WAS WRONG, HUGO. I STILL CAN’T TURN YOU LOOSE. (MIND RACING) NO, I CHOSE JOHN LOCKE BECAUSE HE SHOWED UP ON YOUR PLANE, THE ONE THAT WAS SUCKED OUT OF THE SKY BECAUSE SOMEBODY DIDN’T PUT THESE DAMN NUMBERS IN THAT COMPUTER. I GOT HERE AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE ‘THE KEY’, IT WAS ALL TOO PERFECT. HURLEY: I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN “THE KEY”? FLOCKE: WHAT I’M SAYING IS, HE TRICKED ME. HURLEY: WHO? FLOCKE: YOU WOULDN’T KNOW HIM. THIS WAS HIS COUNTER MOVE, HE WALKED ME RIGHT INTO IT. I’VE GOT TO COMPLETELY RETHINK. HE PUT THOSE NUMBERS THERE AS A RUSE, LONG AGO. AND HE SAW TO IT THAT DHARMA ‘BROUGHT’ YOU HERE, SO THAT I WOULD THINK THAT THE PLANE WAS SPECIAL, WHEN IT WAS ANYTHING BUT. YOU AREN’T SPECIAL AT ALL HUGO, ARE YOU? HURLEY: (DEFEATED) I GUESS NOT. ACT FIVE: KATE, IN A DRESS BUT WITH HER HANDS STILL TIED IS LED DOWN A DARK HALLWAY BY ARMED OTHERS, SHE IS PLACED IN A ROOM, WHICH IS ALSO DARK BUT LIT WELL ENOUGH. THE OTHERS LEAVE HER THERE AND CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND HER. SHE SITS QUIETLY IN THE DARK. WE QUICKLY CUT BACK TO FLOCKE AND HURLEY IN THE ‘NUMBERS COLUMN’ ROOM.

12 FLOCKE: I GOT GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS HUGO, WHAT DO YOU WANT FIRST? HURLEY: (SCARED) BAD? I GUESS.

FLOCKE: THE BAD NEWS IS, THAT WHILE I MAY HAVE BEEN WRONG ABOUT YOU, I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT THIS ‘MINOR HICCUP’ IN MY PLAN HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ONE OF YOU. SO, I’M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. I’M GOING TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS HERE UNTIL I CAN FIGURE OUT THE PRECISE MOVE. HURLEY: YOU SAID “YOUR FRIENDS”, DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU’RE GONNA GO AND CAPTURE THE REST OF THEM? FLOCKE: THAT WOULD ASSUME I HAVEN’T ALREADY DONE SO. HURLEY: (WORRIED) WHO ELSE DO YOU HAVE? SAWYER AND KATE? FLOCKE: I’M SORRY ABOUT YELLING AT YOU, HUGO, CONSIDER THIS AND THE ‘BAD NEWS’, MY GROVELING APOLOGY. I ALREADY SAID TOO MUCH, I’M NOT GIVING YOU ANYTHING ELSE. HURLEY: YOU SAID YOU HAD GOOD NEWS TOO. FLOCKE: THE GOOD NEWS IS I’M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU. NOT YET. BACK TO KATE IN HER HOLDING ROOM. SHE’S SITTING IDLE WITH A FEARFUL LOOK ON HER FACE, WHEN SHE HEARS SCREAMING THROUGH THE WALL. SAWYER’S FAINT VOICE: (OFFSCREEN) (VARIOUS SCREAMING AND YELLING, ENDING WITH)DON’T YOU HURT HER, DON’T YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON HER HEAD!! KATE RISES FROM HER SEAT WHEN SHE RECOGNIZES SAWYER’S VOICE, WE CUT TO SAWYER AND THEN (WE) RECOGNIZE A SCENE FROM “DEAD MEN WALKING” AFTER FLOCKE HAS PULLED THE BAG OFF OF CLAIRE’S HEAD. CUT BACK TO KATE IN THE ROOM, SHE BEGINS CRYING AND SCREAMING OUT. KATE: (FRANTIC) STOP! LEAVE HIM ALONE! IMMEDIATELY THE DOOR BURSTS OPEN AND KATE GROWS SILENT. THE CAMERA SWOOPS AROUND TO SHOW BEJAMIN LINUS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY.

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BEN: YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE QUIET OR I WILL WALTZ IN THERE AND SHOOT JAMES MYSELF. (KATE’S FACE GOES PALE) YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES KATHERINE AND I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN THEM TO YOU. BUT FIRST LET’S GET YOU OUT OF THIS DIRTY PLACE, YOU ALREADY HEARD WHAT YOU NEEDED TO HEAR. SCENE CUTS AND WE PICK UP WITH JIN AT THE STATUE. HE STOPS HERE TO COLLECT HIS THOUGHTS AND GET A DRINK OF WATER BEFORE HEADING INLAND. IT’S THEN THAT A MAN EMERGES FROM THE TREES. JIN LOOKS OVER TO THE RUSTLING LEAVES AND BEFORE HE CAN ACT, THE MAN WHOM WE IDENTIFY AS BRAM, SPEAKS. BRAM: ARE YOU JIN KWON? JIN: (CAUTIOUS) YES, WHO ARE YOU? BRAM: MY NAME IS BRAM, YOUR WIFE IS WITH US. JIN DROPS A GREAT SMILE. ALMOST RELIEVED BUT NOT QUITE YET. WE SEE A SHOT OF JIN, BRAM AND TWO OF BRAM’S ‘HELPERS’ WALKING THROUGH A FIELD, IT’S GETTING NEAR SUNSET. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL SKY. THEY COME TO WITHIN ABOUT TEN YARDS OF THE TREELINE WHEN BRAM TURNS BACK TO SAY SOMETHING TO JIN. BRAM: WAIT HERE, (SMILING) LET’S MAKE THIS A SWEET SURPRISE. JIN STANDS ALONE, FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE AN AGONIZING ETERNITY. THE BUILDING MUSIC HEIGHTENS THE EMOTION. IT DIES DOWN ENOUGH THAT WE CAN THEN HEAR BRAM’S VOICE TALKING BEFORE WE CAN SEE ANYONE. BRAM: YOU CAN SEE IT BETTER IN THE FIELD, IT’S A STUNNING SUNSET. DON’T WORRY, I’LL BE BEHIND YOU. A SHOT OF JIN, HIS FACE GROWING EMOTIONAL, WHEN HE HEARS HER VOICE. SUN: (OFFSCREEN) THROUGH HERE? WE THEN SEE HER FROM JIN’S P.O.V, SUN STEPS THROUGH INTO THE CLEARING, LOOKING UP, SHE SEES HER HUSBAND. THIS IS A TEAR JERKER DELUXE. SHE RUNS TO HIM AND KISSES HIM. BOTH CRYING, EXAMINING EACH OTHER. NO AUDIBLE SOUNDS OTHER THAN MUSIC. IT’S JUST BEAUTIFUL.

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ACT SIX: WE FIND OURSELVES IN THE ROOM IN WHICH KATE CHANGED HER CLOTHES, SHE SITS DOWN IN A FOLDING ‘BED’, ACTING DISINTERESTED, BEN LINUS STANDS BEFORE HER IN THE ROOM. BEN: SO DO YOU BELIEVE ME? ABOUT YOUR MOTHER? KATE SITS IN SILENCE. BEN: KATE, PLEASE. KATE: YOU CALLED HER ANNIE, YOU COULDN’T HAVE KNOWN THAT’S WHAT MY GRANDPARENTS CALLED HER. IT WAS JUST A NICKNAME FOR DIANE. BEN: (SATISFIED) I ALWAYS KNEW YOU’D BE SAFE AFTER YOUR PLANE CRASHED, SO I NEVER HAD TO LOOK AFTER YOU. SAME WITH JULIET, SHE WAS DESTINED TO END UP IN DHARMA AND SO WERE YOU. NOW, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT, THERE IS NO ASSURANCE OF ANYTHING. (SAD) ACCORDING TO JAMES, JULIET IS GONE, AND I KNOW YOUR MOTHER IS NEAR DEATH. MY MOTHER AND THEN ALEX... I HAVE NOBODY IN THIS LIFE BUT MYSELF. KATE: (HATEFUL) AND DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU? YOU STOLE ALEX. YOU BASICALLY STOLE JULIET. YOU KEPT ME HERE AGAINST MY WILL. BEN: I AM WHAT I AM TODAY, PARTLY BECAUSE OF YOU. (APOLOGETIC) DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME KATE, I AM NOT BITTER. IN SOME WEIRD WAY, YOU’RE ALL I HAVE LEFT. AND SO, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HATE ME, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU LOATHE ME, I WILL PROTECT YOU. KATE: (QUIETLY) SPARE ME. BEN: (SPOOKY) HE HAS PLANS FOR YOU KATE. HE’S GOING TO USE YOU. KATE: WHAT DO YOU MEAN? BEN: ONE OF HIS MEN JUST TOLD ME THAT HUGO WAS WALKING ACROSS THE ISLAND WITH MILES. HE’S GOING TO CAPTURE THEM, KATE. AND WHEN HE DOES, THINGS WILL BE A LOT DIFFERENT AROUND HERE. (PAUSE) IN THE MEANTIME, I WANT YOU TO FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, SO I’VE HAD THEM BRING YOU A ROOMING BUDDY.

15 KATE LOOKS UP BOTH CURIOUS AND A LITTLE WORRIED. BEN STEPS OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM AND REACHES OUT HIS ARM, WHEN HE PULLS THE PERSON BACK IN, WE ARE LOOKING AT KATE’S REACTION. TEARS. HAND OVER HER FACE. WE SEE CLAIRE AND HEAR HER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME. CLAIRE: (TEARY EYED, QUIET) LONG TIME NO SEE, KATE. SCENE ENDS, WE ARE BACK IN THE ROOM IN WHICH WE FIRST SAW HURLEY IN THIS EPISODE, JUST OUTSIDE OF THE NUMBERED COLUMNS ROOM. FLOCKE IS OFF TO THE LEFT OF THE SHOT, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, HURLEY IS BEING TIED UP AGAIN BY FLOCKE’S GOONS. SUDDENLY BEN ENTERS THE ROOM. BEN: SO? WHAT’S THE PLAN? FLOCKE: (MIFFED) WE GOT THE WRONG ONE. BEN: (PUZZLED) I’M SORRY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? FLOCKE: (AGITATED) DID I STUTTER? IT’S NOT HIM. HE’S NOT “THE KEY”. (TO HIS GOONS) TAKE HIM OUT, LOCK HIM UP DOWN HERE, FAR AWAY FROM THE OTHER MALE. THE GOONS WALK HURLEY OUT. BEN: HOW DO YOU KNOW? FLOCKE: JACOB SAID “THEY’RE COMING”. HE COULDN’T POSSIBLY HAVE MEANT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THESE PEOPLE WHO SHOWED UP HERE FROM ‘NOWHERE’. AND OF COURSE IT’S NOT HUGO, THE NUMBERS WERE A CHARADE. BEN: LET US NOT FORGET, WE DON’T HAVE ALL OF THEM YET. FLOCKE: I REALIZE THAT BEN, THE QUESTION IS, WHO WOULD HE USE? IF HURLEY HIMSELF IS NOT LITERALLY THE KEY, THEN JACOB WILL USE SOMEONE ELSE JUST AS I USED JOHN LOCKE. BEN: YOU MEAN, BESIDES JACK? FLOCKE: RIGHT AND I’VE MET SUN, JAMES AND HUGO SINCE THEY GOT BACK AND IT CERTAINLY ISN’T CLAIRE. YOU KILLED MILES AND JACOB WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING STUPID ENOUGH TO LET YOU KILL HIM AGAIN (SHOT OF BEN REACTING).

16 BEN: ACCORDING TO JAMES, IT CAN’T BE JULIET AND WE KNOW IT’S NOT SAYID. SO IT MUST BE JIN KWON OR JACK? FLOCKE: (INCREDULOUS) DID YOU THINK I WOULDN’T REMEMBER KATE? (BEN LOOKS SHEEPISH) OR DID YOU JUST HOPE I WOULDN’T REMEMBER KATE? THE SCENE SWITCHES TO THE ABOVE GROUND PORTION, AS WE CAN SEE THE OUTSIDE OF THE ROOM IN WHICH KATE CHANGED CLOTHES EARLIER AND IN WHICH BEN SPOKE WITH HER. THE TWO OF THEM APPROACH FROM OUTSIDE, A ‘GOON’ UNLOCKS THE DOOR AT FLOCKE’S BEHEST. THEY ENTER. KATE SITS ON THE FOLDED BED, WITH CLAIRE LYING DOWN, HER HEAD IN KATE’S LAP. UPON ENTRY, KATE IS BLOWN AWAY BY SEEING ‘JOHN LOCKE’ SHE’S LEFT SPEECHLESS, CLAIRE IS RAISED UP FROM HER SLUMBER. FLOCKE: (DISPLEASED) WELL, DON’T YOU TWO LOOK COMFY? BEN: JOHN, I JUST GAVE THEM BOTH SOMETHING TO HOLD ONTO TO, WE AREN’T SAVAGES, WE SHOULDN’T TREAT WOMEN LIKE WE TREAT THE OTHERS. FLOCKE: (TICKED) WHERE’S YOUR SENSE OF EQUALITY AMONG THE SEXES, BENJAMIN? AND SINCE WHEN DID YOU GIVE A DAMN ABOUT DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN THE WOMEN AND MEN? YOU FORGET ABOUT THE DHARMA INIATIVE? BEN LOOKS ASHAMED, THIS WHOLE TIME KATE IS JUST PEERING AT FLOCKE, ASTONISHED COULD BE A WORD TO USE. SHE SUDDENLY RECALLS SAWYER’S WORDS, NOT TO TRUST JOHN LOCKE. KATE: (SCARED, TO FLOCKE) WHAT DO YOU WANT? CLAIRE: IT’S NOT HIM, KATE. FLOCKE: (TO CLAIRE, FORCEFULLY) SHUT UP! FLOCKE GIVES KATE A GOOD HARD LOOK AND WALKS OUT. BEN FOLLOWS BEHIND. AS THEY WALK, THE CAMERA STAYS ON BEN’S FACE, FLOCKE IS SPEAKING. FLOCKE’S VOICE: WE’RE ROUNDING UP EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT CAN BE SPARED, EVEN MORE THAN WE’VE ALREADY GOT OUT THERE. I WANT ONE GROUP HEADING DIRECTLY FOR THE STATUE AND I WANT THE OTHER GROUP IN THE TUNNELS, TO REINFORCE WHATEVER IS ALREADY DOWN THERE. BEN: OKAY, YOU GOT IT, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? FLOCKE FINALLY STOPS AND THE CAMERA MOVES AHEAD TO CATCH HIS FACE AS HE SPEAKS.

17 FLOCKE: I KNOW YOU STILL SYMPATHIZE WITH SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, BEN. JACOB TURNED HIS BACK ON YOU BECAUSE YOU COULD NEVER TRULY BE ONE OF HIS PEOPLE. YOU ARE ONE OF US AND I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER CHANCE TO PROVE YOU DESERVE TO BE. BEN SITS SILENTY, HIGHLY CURIOUS. FLOCKE: YOU HAVE 24 HOURS, BEN. IF YOU DON’T BRING ME JACK SHEPHARD AND JIN KWON, I’M KILLING ALL FOUR OF THEM, HUGO, JAMES, KATE, CLAIRE AND THEN I’M EXTERMINATING EVERY LIVING PERSON ON THIS ISLAND NOT CURRENTLY IN THIS TEMPLE. BEN STANDS IN A SURPRISED, NUMB SHOCK, EVENTUALLY NODDING ‘YES’. FLOCKE: (TO BEN, DETERMINED) WELCOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL. LOST

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