Lost Virtual Season Three
Episode Six: Vi Et Armis

Writers: DarkHuntress, InMemoriam, Midnight_riot

Full Credits and Disclaimers: Will appear at the end of this post

Rating for Episode Six: PG-13

Special Thanks to: Leigh

Feedback: Would love it. Please Read and Feed.

Act One

SCENE ONE: A CHURCH IN NIGERIA


There was only silence in the room, a silence so deep and solemn that the only sounds that could be heard were that of his own breathing, and the quiet flickers of the candles scattered around him in the dark room. A quiet exhale of Eko’s breath escaped his mouth, his eyes focused on the crucifix that hung on the wall before the altar. He knelt before it, elbows resting on the top while his hands were entwined together in his prayer.

Prayer…

He hadn’t done that in a while, but there was a reason he wanted to.

Closing his eyes, he tried to force back the images that seemed to keep replaying in his mind over and over. It looped itself, going back to the beginning before repeating the cycle. The blame, the guilt...it all seemed to engulf him, weighing heavily on his conscience.

"Do not get on that plane, Eko. You saved my life once and now I'm here to save yours."

He wanted to suppress these memories so badly. Yet at the same time, he wanted to let them surround him. It was all his fault that Yemi was gone-every last bit of it.

"I did not tell them who was involved. Just leave the drugs and come back with me.

No! Stop! No more. No more."

The sound of a gunshot reverberated in his mind, startled him as much it did as when it had truly happened.

When it wasn’t just a hollow echo against his skull.

Was Yemi all right? Was he even alive? And if so, where was he? Why hadn't he tried to contact Eko?

There were so many questions he needed answered. But there were no answers yet, from anyone. No one could tell him if his brother was indeed alive, could bring the spark of hope back into his heart. Yet, with every moment that seemed to pass by, every second, it was slowly deflating into nothingness. And there was only one thing he could do to try and stop it from taking over completely.

Prayer.

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name-” Eko began, only to be disrupted.

A loud bang sounded behind him-the sound of heavy doors being opened and shut, feet rapidly treading on the stone ground and the bristling of robes. It all distracted him, knocking him out of the eerie reverie that his thoughts had placed him in.

Looking over his shoulder, he used the altar as leverage to stand and looked over at the young man making his way toward him.

“Father!” he called urgently. “Father Tundi!”

Moving away from the altar, Eko met the man halfway, trying to gauge by mere sight what he needed. His mind came up with a few ideas, though, each worse than the last.

“What is it?” he asked immediately. Had there been word of his brother? Was he fine? Alive? Or had he come back, now in good condition? A thousand thoughts ran through his mind then-the faintest glimmer of hope threaded its way through his chest. Yet, it became something akin to ice in his veins at the next few words.

“There are men here to see you. I’ve asked them to leave, but they refuse and insist on speaking with you,” the boy hurriedly tried to explain, making his brow furrow, though knowing instantly whom the boy was referring to. Eko put a hand on his shoulder, leading him deeper inside the church, as if to protect him, getting him as far away from the door he‘d come through.

Glancing toward the door, he nodded. “Stay here. I shall be right back,” he replied. Not taking a moment’s pause, he left the boy there, hoping he would not follow him as he went to go back outside.

The heavy door did not pose a problem for Eko, easily opening. Carefully, he closed it behind him as he emerged, instead of letting it slam. He took in the sight of the two people on the other side, and it confirmed his thoughts. These were two people that he didn’t want to see at the moment waiting for him at the church’s entrance.

Dressed in casual attire, they looked much sleeker than he did in his black priestly garb. They weren’t the men that had accompanied him before, no, but they were definitely his other comrades. He couldn’t have forgotten their faces if he’d tried.

“You are not welcome here. Unless you have news of my brother’s whereabouts, I must ask you to leave,” he told them sternly.

“Is that anyway to treat your old friends?” the one asked.

The other man-called Jengo, if he remembered correctly-stepped forward, a look of distaste on his face. “Not very priestlike, your behavior.”

Remaining passive, Eko squared his shoulders at the men, standing tall and firm. “You are not welcome here,” he repeated.

While Jengo was as unfazed as before, neither of the men seemed to take the hint. Like Eko wanted them to do.

“And you shouldn’t be here either. Have you forgotten your place, Mr. Eko? I last recalled you didn’t answer to God. You answered to greed and that alone,” Jengo stated, not harshly but, rather, matter-of-factly. Enigmatic, he would have said, if the topic of discussion was concerning something else, and in a better light.

“People change.”

His words didn’t impress the man that he could have considered a friend at one point. It was slowly starting to show, both in his stature and tone. His words were becoming more clipped in nature.

“And you so easily give up on us...for what? This place? Everything you worked for, has lead you here? You had more then this, the world was at your feet...” Jengo paused a moment, smirking ever so sleekly at Eko. “...and can be again if you return.”

“I’ve given up that life. It was never what I wanted,” Eko replied, more then easily.

“But that didn’t stop you from getting what you wanted…and knocking down every obstacle in your way to get it.”

This time Jengo’s words made him go quiet. His resolve, however strong, momentarily faltered. Jengo noticed and tried to use that to his advantage.

“Come back with us. We’ll put this place behind you.”

No, he wouldn’t go back. Not after they'd betrayed him. If they did it once, they’d do it again. Looking back up to man, defiance was clearly written on his face. “And if I don’t?”

“You'll not enjoy the outcome,” the one that had been quiet the entire time finally spoke up. He heard the sound of a gun’s hammer being cocked and looked over to see the man beside him with the gun trained on his head. The choice of what would happen was answered very clearly. “You will come back with us,” he told him, as if there was no discussion about it.

For a moment he looked into the man’s eyes, seeing no sympathy hidden in their depths. Just a man with a gun ready to shoot him. And then all too soon, the tables seemed to turn.

Reaching out, he twisted the man’s wrist of the hand that was holding the gun, facing its barrel away from its original trajectory and a shot rang out as the man cried out in painful surprise. Its target no where in particular, the bullet landed somewhere away from them. He heard the crack of bone as he twisted, trying to make the man release the gun.

Kicking him in the back of the knees, the gun was freed from the man’s grasp as he fell forward, down the few steps in front of the church, stopping at Jengo’s feet. Jengo did not move to help him and only glared holes through his head as he lifted the gun to his face. Daring him.

“I’ll ask you one more time,” Eko told them, narrowing his eyes angrily, yet his tone betrayed his look, ending up being much more calm then he felt, if for a little ice and venom lacing his tongue. “Leave this place.”

Jengo nodded then, his lips thinning into a thin line. And, looking down at the heap of a man before him, Jengo reached to help the man to his feet as he clutched his arm to his chest. It wasn’t a moment before his eyes were back on Eko. “You may fool the others into believing you’re a priest. You may even fool yourself. But I know,” he said once more, an oily grin of disgust crossing his face. “You’re nothing more than a killer.”

---------

SCENE ONE: THE ISLAND

They circle each other slowly. Eko keeping his eyes on the lithe man dressed in jeans and a dark light shirt. The man’s eyes are cold and hard but his eyes are a dead giveaway to his next move. He faints forward thinking Eko would take the bait but Eko ignores it, swinging his stick hard cracking the man on the left side of his face. Blood shoots from the man’s mouth and nose before a snapping shout resounds in the air from Eko’s stick landing on the back of the man’s neck with such force it breaks it.

The man is dead before he hits the ground.

[Credits roll]


SCENE TWO: THE CAVES


Charlie yells angrily as another bamboo pole manages to slip-from where he's so painstakingly placed it just moments before-and knocked down three or four other poles like dominos. Like a rumble of thunder the noise cracks through the air.

"Bloody...effing...duff!" he yells at the poles on the ground, kicking at them wholeheartedly. "I give up!" he yells at the sky above him. "I've lost everything! My life, my drugs...Claire! What the bloody hell d'you want from me?"

Angrily, he jabs his foot at the poles again. His anger was, for the most part, sated, but now his toe throbs in pain, making him reach down and clutch his foot.

Absent-mindedly Charlie looks over and is met with the back of Eko’s head. ‘Figures’, he thinks, ‘Sitting down while I’m doing all the work.’

“Hello, aren’t you going to help?” he asks him, his words laced heavily with annoyance as he sets his foot down again. “I bloody well can’t do it all m’self!” Charlie just continues to rant, but mostly because of the throbbing pain fluttering through his toe.

Reluctantly it seems, Eko gets to his feet again, standing up and moving back toward the barricade.

-------

Sayid observes warily as Charlie stomps down the beach, openly distressed by something. Sand flies from beneath Charlie's feet as he approaches him. Almost, it gives him the impression of the cartoon bird he once saw on a television once. The roadrunner.

"Say-Sayid. Hi." Charlie manages to spit out before grabbing at his side in pain.

"Hello, Charlie." Sayid asks, "What can I do for you?"

"Perhaps you can build me a barricade?" Charlie replies, plopping down next to Sayid. "As my only constructionally inclined companion has all but vanished into the blue."

Sayid merely lets a small but very sober chuckle out as he sits there. "I'm sorry, Charlie." Sayid says, trying to keep from smiling at the Brit's colorful description of Eko. "If you needed me to fix your transceiver then, perhaps, I could be of service. I have no useful knowledge of construction or building things, as many of the things I've tried to build break too easily."

Charlie sighs and flops the rest of the way down onto the sand and throws an arm over his eyes. "He killed two people and now he has to cease all normal communication with anyone who could possibly help him and continue his self-flagellation." He doesn’t mean to make it sound so negative, but it seems to come out that way.

"Eko did what was, at the time, necessary."

Charlie peeks out from under his arm at Sayid.

"Is that not what I just said?" he asks. He does explain, though. "Eko killed two of those Others and now he won't talk to anyone, he's stopped helping me build the barricade for the most part, he's almost vanished from our little civilization here."

But Sayid is rolling over that thought in his head, trying to discover some connection between the murders and Eko's subsequent silence.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I can't help you." Sayid says, pushing himself up and walking away from Charlie's half-propped up form toward the far end of camp.

"Right, then,” Charlie says defeated, sighing again as he looks away and down the camp again. Though, his eyes catch something coming his way. Or rather someone.

“Hey, Michael!”




SCENE THREE: THE UK, LONDON, ENGLAND


Commotion surrounded him. People fluttered to and fro, moving here and there. It was busy, but then, that was how an airport in England usually was. Though it was his first time visiting this country, it seemed to blend the way it did like so many others. It never stopped.

Eko exhaled quietly as he rode the escalator down to the main floor for Customs. Bag held firmly in hand, his eyes searched around, looking at all the people as they continued their busy little lives.

Adjusting his grip on his bag as the escalator reached the bottom, he followed the flow of the crowd as they continued to make their way from the terminal. Weaving his way through the almost massive crowds of people, it wasn’t long before he came to the area where Customs was.

Moving to the nearest free booth, he placed his bag on the conveyer belt before he moved to remove any objects he had on his person. Placing them in the little bowl he moved through the metal detector before meeting the customs agent on the other side.

Once he got the okay, he gathered his belongings once again and headed through the ranks, moving to the next person. Placing his passport on the table, he flipped it around so it faced the woman, ready to be stamped.

On cue, she flipped through his passport, taking in the many stamps that littered the pages. Her eyebrow raised a moment taking in the sight, but not questioning it aloud. "Welcome to England, Mr. Tundi. Business or pleasure?”

“Business,” he answered simply, watching her place the stamp on a clean page with a loud thump.

------------------------


“Thomas, known as Tommy to those closest to him, was a good man.”

Eko’s words echoed against the walls of the church. The microphone brought forth his words like a loud pin drop in the quiet vastness as he stood at the podium with the only other sounds that of sniffling, and quiet sobs of some of the people that sat in the pews on either side of the altar. The loudest of them all being the woman that sat nearest to the casket, her face reddened the most with tears, the woman he knew as Tommy's sister.

“While the past few years were rather rough on him, his family never ceased to support him in anyway they could. He might have strayed from a good path, but that didn't stop them from loving him. Love was a strong thing in his life. He had a passion for life, and-“ he was cut off as the front doors to the church opened.

They were pushed open noisily, the man that stumbled through them catching his leg a bit in the door as it closed. With a small grunt, he was free but stumbled a little more before catching his balance fully. It was not discrete in the slightest. Regardless of whether on not Eko had stopped, those who were there would have turned in their seats anyhow.

But now, not only just Eko’s attention was on the man, but the entire congregation glared at the man who’d interrupted the ceremony. The intensity of their stares, a mix of confusion and anger at the hold up made him shrink back into the door.

“Bloody ’ell…h-hello,” he began, his eyes going wide at being put on the spot. They were all staring at him, gluing him to the spot, making him unable to move, and for a moment also unable to speak.

“Nice...Uh…canny little ceremony we have here…Very cheeky. Wonderful day for a funeral.” Each syllable seemed to become softer, and more squeaky as everyone just continued to stare, not letting him able to move from his spot. He tried to not let it get to him, yet it seemed to fail.

Clearing his throat, he peered over the rim of his sunglasses and got a better look at the congregation, which did not at all help with finding his voice for a few more moments.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here…That’s...that’s a very good question. One that I’m asking myself, in fact. In which case, I’ll take my leave now…Very sorry for your loss, by the way,” he added as he quickly moved back toward the door, disappearing behind the wood before he embarrassed himself even more he left Eko and the congregation at a loss for words. A few people cleared their throats or sniffled loudly.

“As I was saying,” Eko began once again, managing to catch everyone’s attention back on him, he went on with his speech.

------

Leaning on the counter, Eko’s hand moved with the pen in hand, scribbling on the piece of paper. When he was done, he placed the pen down on the counter, letting the man behind the desk take it. Reaching down to his side, he pulled his suitcase off the ground, holding it firmly as he waited for the hotel clerk.

The man went off a moment, moving to the computer, and hit a few buttons to complete the checkout process. The computer beeped a few times before it spat out his receipt and the clerk ripped it off the dispenser before placing it along where his airline ticket was also propped on the desk.

“Here are your receipt and your plane ticket,” the man said as he handed him the wad of papers.

“And there‘s a car waiting for you outside, ready to take you to the airport. Thank you for choosing the Lowry Hotel for your stay,” the British man said promptly.

Nodding thankfully, he took the papers and headed toward the exit, ready to head to the airport as he’d done many times before. He didn’t get far before he was stopped by the clerk calling his name.

“Oh, Mr. Tundi! Before you leave,” the man called, making him turn around to look at him. He moved away toward where all the mail was kept organized for the guests, searching for one of the cubbies until he found it and pulled it out of the hole.

Coming around to face him again, he slid it over to the other side of the counter. “The post man delivered this yesterday evening.”

Eko merely frowned slightly in confusion at the envelope, unsure of who would have sent him mail. It wasn’t like anyone knew of his whereabouts. Yet he took it with his free hand and looked down at it, inspecting the envelope for any indication of whomever had sent it. He didn’t find one. “Thank you,” he murmured, confusion etched on his face.

Setting his suitcase back down on the floor, he looked over the envelope once more before taking it in both hands and tearing the flap open. Inside was a neatly folded letter and he pulled that free, placing the torn envelope on the counter. Carefully, he unfolded the parchment, opening it up.

What he found lit up his hart with something he hadn’t felt in a very long while. Relief. It flooded his veins like a tidal wave, crashing over his heart in an elaborate display.

Brother, if you receive this, then I have succeeded in contacting you. I might admit it has been a very hard task to perform. You are a hard man to track. Even so, I wish to tell you that I am alive. I must have worried you near to death. I wish to see you, as much, if not more then you do. If you wish to, you may find me in Sydney, Australia.

Your brother,
Yemi

His heart constricted in his chest with every word his eyes sailed over. And he must have gasped because the clerk looked at him oddly. “Sir?”

“I need to change my plane ticket.”


SCENE 4: THE BEACH


A soft sigh escapes Ana’s lips as she pulls the rope that holds the frame of her tent together. Or not so together as it seems. The one side’s wood frame was clearly broken in half. Which of course required fixing almost immediately. But that was probably going to be the easiest task of the day.

Disentangling the rope from the wood, the rest of the frame dropped to the floor where the tarp was already thrown on the sand.

“So you‘re sure in thinking that Charlie knows where the guns are?” Kate quietly asks her, standing all but two feet from her side. Having given up already with helping her, the brunette’s arms are crossed over her chest, watching the other woman work on fixing her tent. She didn’t need help with fixing it. She’d made that already very much clear.

“I don’t think. I know,” Ana replies just as hushed as Kate’s voice. Her eyes on their own accord looking toward, where Charlie was on the beach, sitting down and taking in the day’s sun. Grabbing the rope, she began rolling it up neatly, tearing her attention back to the matter at hand.

Kate isn‘t satisfied with Ana’s answer and tries to pry more, trying to find a rational reason for the way Ana is thinking. “But it doesn’t make sense. Why would he work with Sawyer, of all people?”

“Beats me. It’s not like everyone is beating down the door to work with that jackass and his plots. There’s probably something there, but whatever it is, I’m not sure I care,” she tells her. The only real thing she was caring about was getting the guns. That’s all she needs, and all she wants.

“So...I’m just supposed to go over there and chat with him?” Kate inquires, making sure that she’s getting Ana’s plan down pat, and not about to mess it up again. They can’t afford to at this point.

“That’s that plan,” Ana confirms off handedly, tossing her rope onto her blanket that serves as her bed.

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Improvise. Ask about the damn weather if you have to, just don’t get caught in another net. I’m not cutting you down again.” Before Kate can answer, Ana moves away toward the tree-line not giving Kate another moment to ask questions.

Kate watches her back a moment before looking over at Charlie.

-----

Taking a seat beside where Charlie is taking a break from building the cave shelter, wiping sweat off his brow, Kate glances around. Thankfully, Eko and Michael are off farther away, not paying any attention to them. She smiles at him and offers him a water bottle, which he accepts with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Kate. Claire brought one over earlier, but with all this work, you know, it goes fast." She hears a hint of pride behind his words, and her smile widens.

"I think it's so great that you and Claire are getting along again," she says, keeping her voice casual. "I know what it's like to need second chances, and I know how rare they are. You must be really happy."

Charlie practically beams. "Oh, I am. She's just so great, you know? I was convinced she would never forgive me, but then she did. She's got a big heart."

Kate pats Charlie on the arm lightly. "Well, she sees how much you care about her and Aaron. She appreciates how willing you are to protect them."

Charlie nods in agreement, swallowing some more water, giving Kate the perfect opportunity she needs. "With all this talk about the Others and an army, it must feel great that you have the...well...means to protect Claire and Aaron. Wish everyone else was so lucky."

Freezing in the middle of gulping down water, Charlie lowers the bottle from his mouth slowly. "What-what d’you mean?" He tries to sound natural, but Kate could see beyond it.

Scooting a little closer to him, Kate leans in slightly. "You know what I mean, Charlie. It must make you feel really powerful to know where those guns are. To know that you can use them anytime you need."

Charlie moves to stand, but Kate grabs his arm quickly and yanks him back down. "Come on, Charlie. Don't play dumb. You and I both know that you know where they are."

The Brit looks away quickly, avoiding her eyes and staring down at his hands. "I-I don't know-"

"Look, I don't really care how you know," Kate says softly, gently. "All I want is to know where they are. That's all. You don't have to show me or anything. Just tell me. Sawyer will never have to know that you told me."

"Kate, I really don't know what you're talking about," Charlie insists. "I have no idea where the guns are. You've got the wrong idea."

"I'm not going to rat you out. I'm on your side, Charlie. Please, just tell me. You know those guns don't belong with Sawyer. You know that we need them to protect the camp." Kate looks directly into Charlie's eyes. "Don't you think that Claire would want you to tell me? Don't you think she'd be proud of you doing something for the good of everyone else?" She leans in even closer, hair curtaining down to brush against his shoulder, fingers lightly splayed across his arm. She feels him take in a shuddering breath and try to move away, but his eyes don't break away from hers.

"I-I-bloody hell, Kate..."

"Come on," she murmurs softly. "It'll just be between us. Promise."

Charlie lets out a long sigh, blinks a few times, and then nods. "O-Okay. The guns- they're-they're...”


SCENE FIVE: THE BEACH, ANA’S SHELTER

Ana moves around the frame of her tent once more, moving to the one corner as she tries to tie the corner to the new pole she’d suckered Michael into giving up. Wrapping the rope around in an attempt to knot it, she lets it go and moves onto the next. However, when she pulls it to gain some slack on the other end, it comes free and floats back to the ground. She growls in frustration and another voice chuckles in amusement.

“See? Now, this is why the men always build the houses and the women just live in them. You women don’t know how to do things right,” Sawyer says as he watches her from where he stands.

Instead of smacking him in the face like she wanted to, she rolls her eyes in annoyance and ignores him. Moving back to where she tried to tie it first she pulls the tarp up from the ground and works on trying to knot the rope differently. But when the result was the same when she moves back to the second, she has to resist the overwhelming urge to hit the southerner as he laughs again.

“Like I said,” Sawyer snarks, letting her know exactly how amusing this is to him in his tone, “The men are the ones who build the houses.”

“I guess that would explain why ‘the men’ don’t have the common knowledge of how to work a washing machine without ruining their clothes,” Ana says, her comment dripping with sarcasm and anger.

Mocking a hurt expression for a moment, Sawyer moves closer, this time practically breathing down her neck. “Is Lu Lu upset cause her little ol’ Cagney and Lacey attempt failed on my guns?” he asked, his breath sending a chill down her spine that she tries to suppress as she feels his finger tips brush across her back. “I wouldn’t worry too much, muchacha. I’m sure you can find something else to keep you busy. Do something about those sharp nails you got.”

Pushing him backwards off of her, she sidesteps him, moving away and pulling the tarp along with her. “I’m pretty sure I can find something to do without breaking a nail,” she tells him, pursing her lips in clear annoyance.

This time a throaty laugh escapes him before he can help it. “Never figured ya for the dainty type.”

“I’m not,” she tells him dully, trying her best to ignore him, and focus on this task, but can’t seem to block him out completely.

A silence settles between them as Sawyer watches her continue with her struggle. Pressing his lips together as he tries to hide his amusement, his eyes still hold this fact clearly in their blue depths.

Voluntarily, he moves forward when he can’t take the scene before him anymore. “C’mon now. You’re doin’ it all wrong. Gimme the damn tarp.,” he says, taking it from her hands and doing it his way, acting immensely smug as Ana’s eyes narrow dangerously at him, but he keeps set on his intentions. “I’ll show you how it’s done.”


SCENE SIX: THE BEACH, NEAR THE PATH TO THE CAVES



“Hey,” Michael says as he makes his way down the beach, coming up to where Cindy is with water bottles in both her hands. His shirt is a little dirty, as is the rest of his clothing.

Cindy smiles softly, pausing in her steps as she meets him the rest of the way. “Hey, I was just about to head over to the caves to bring you guys some water,” she tells him.

“Yeah, well...we’re taking a break now,”

“I guess that saves me a trip then,” Cindy replies, lifting up her hand with the one water bottle, passing it over to him. “Here.”

Michael studies the bottle for a moment before taking it in hand. He can’t help but smile graciously, clearly parched. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cindy replies, shrugging it off, her face still smiling as she holds his gaze. Michael breaks their eye contact as he looks down to the beach, as if searching for something.

“So where’s Walt?,” he asks her, he gaze flicking back over her face.

“He’s with Vincent, just there. They’re playing fetch.” she replies knowingly, nodding in the direction of where he was when she last saw him. Sure enough, he was some ways down the beach, tossing a stick into the sand. Every time he did so Vincent would run off and bring it back to the eagerly waiting Walt.

“I hope you don’t mind watching him, while Charlie’s got me working on the shelter,” Michael tells her, looking back over at her, tearing his gaze away from his son again.

“Not at all. He’s a good kid,” Cindy affirms, taking the cap off her own water bottle and taking a sip.

“Yeah…he is,” Michael agrees with a murmur, though his attention at that moment not really concentrating on his son as they both glance down at him playing with the dog.

Unconsciously, both their hands that sit on their sides entwine as they stand together and watch the sight, very much content with the moment.


SCENE SEVEN: THE CAVES

Taking a seat on one of the makeshift chairs in shelter, there is only Eko left there as everyone is off taking their break. He looks tired, worn beyond his years, but yet somehow kicking and moving around. He sighs tiredly, putting his head in his hands as he leans forward with his elbows on his knees. It is quiet a few minutes, just him listening to the water as it trickled down the wall not too far away.

“I hear you’re not speaking to anyone.”

The voice nearly startles Eko as he’s lost in his thoughts. But he doesn’t turn to look over his shoulder at her, but instead resists and keeps his face looking away from Ana-Lucia.

“You wanna tell me what this about?” she asks him trying to pry, her words are kind, not rough or accusing as she normally is. Yet, it didn’t get the man to talk in the slightest. He only continues to sit there as she stares through his back.

He hears her move closer. “You’re not doing any good by keeping it to yourself, you know that?”

But there was no answer of her question and she pursed her lips in slight annoyance.

“Fine. Keep your silence…” Ana backs away and turns to leave, but not without pausing once more before going. “Just don’t wait forty days this time.”

Turning only then, he looks over his shoulder at her retreating back, his face solemn and almost grief-stricken.

Act Two

SCENE ONE: SECLUDED AREA OF THE BEACH NEAR THE SURF

Glancing around the beach, Ana’s eyes sweep over the sand, along the people, around their shelters, and around everything else that litters the beach. Popping another piece of food in her mouth, her eyes finally rest on the tent that has been keeping her attention more than she cares to let on. A more than familiar person steps out of it, his blonde hair falling in his face and almost completely over his eyes. But that doesn’t stop him from catching her gaze, holding her eyes.

And after a moment, Sawyer smirks once again at her, before moving down the beach away from his shelter.

"I need your help."

Ana looks up in surprise...at Sayid's dark face. There is an awkward moment of tension between the two before Ana looks back down at the food in her hands. She continues to stare at the ground a moment, though she looks up when he doesn’t continue on with what he was saying.

"What can I do for ya, Sayid?" she asks, quirking her brow as she returns her attention back up at the man.

"It's regarding your friend Eko," he says, sitting down beside her in the sand. "Charlie has...inadvertently...informed me that he is troubled over his defense of our hunting party and has forced himself into a type of solitary confinement."

At Sayid's statement, Ana looks up at him and they lock eyes. Confusion mends her brow and she’s unsure of how this really could relate to her. Sure, he was her friend, but he’d made it impossible earlier to do anything other then blink. Even so...

"Don't know why you're here, then." she says nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "He's the one you should talk to."

"But that is where I need your help." he says. "I am under the impression that this is not the first time this has happened. Am I correct?"

There is a moment of silence before she answers him, unsure of how he came to that conclusion. But even if she didn’t already know, she could have gathered that much. It was clearly written out in the sand if one wanted to look that far. "Yeah..." she says quietly, still not looking at him. But Sayid could tell she was uncomfortable at least-she had begun to fidget with her hands, something he hadn’t seen the woman do before.

"What did happen? The last time, I mean."

"Same as he’s doing now. He didn’t speak, waited forty days to talk." Ana says quickly. "We crashed, the Others tried to take him, he killed the guy and then stopped talking for forty days."

"But what exactly made him speak?" Sayid asks.

"Are you enjoying this, Sayid?" Ana asks almost angrily, glaring up at him.

"As much as I would like to…for what happened before, no. I am not." he replies unfazed, though unsure of why his questions seem to strike her so hard. But even if he could question it, he needed to help Eko first, not Ana… "I would, however, wish to help Eko and to do that, I have to know what happened on the other side of the island. What happened the first time?"

Ana‘s face softens slowly, her eyes looking away, becoming unfocused. She was contemplating it, how to put it into words. “I-You really wanna know?”

“Please.”

Releasing a long exhale, Ana hesitates another second before speaking.

"I-It was me. I made him talk again," she replies.

"But how?" Sayid presses again.

"I made him realize that he wasn’t alone back there… indirectly."

Ana was looking out at the sea again but Sayid studied the woman's face in the bright light and noticed how worn she looked. How tired she seemed at that moment. “Indirectly?” he repeats at her, once again pressing the matter. He didn’t mean to, but it needed to be done.

“I cracked,” she states flatly.

“There were these two kids here when we...landed. They were scared, they didn’t have anyone there to take care of them. So, I did. But they were still scared, scared about being here. So I promised I’d get them off here, get them home safely” she explains, if possible, her words were even softer, something that seems strange to Sayid’s ears. It was a change from her normally raspy one. “But they gotten taken like the rest of them.”

“I cared about them,” she admits, a half chuckle and half snort coming from her lips. It was almost bittersweet. “And I broke my promise…It hurt, you know? Weighed me down like rock on my chest. And when I couldn‘t take it anymore…” Ana was quiet for another minute before she spoke again. "That's what made him talk again."

It’s Sayid’s turn to be silent as he absorbs this information. His face looks impassive a moment before something akin to understanding shows through, and he nods at her. “Thank you, Ana.”

Ana sighed again, licking her lips, if a bit still uncomfortable slightly with her confession. “No problem,” she tells him, finishing the last of her food off, before wiping her hands on her pants and standing. Though, Sayid looks at her questioningly.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

Sparing a glance over at him, she shrugs as she goes and heads up from there. “Going to matters that need to be tended to.”


SCENE TWO: THE CAVES

“All right move that over in there!” Michael calls as he helps Charlie lift a large log up off the log. Together they move it out of the way as Cindy and Bernard come by with a long pole, moving it inside their establishment.

With a grunt they both set it down, straightening up once again. “So Bernard and Cindy?” Charlie asks, nodding in the direction of the two figures inside the caves.

“I thought we could use the help.” Michael replies as he moves off, toward one of the doors. Reaching down into their makeshift tool box, he lifts what passes as a hammer, tapping some mockup nails that aren’t properly embedded in the wood, trying to get it as secure as possible.

“Why? We have Eko, I’m pretty sure just the three of us could have gotten it done just fine,” Charlie says, frowning slightly as he stands next to him, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“But he’s not here, he didn’t come back after the break…The man’s just been off. Hasn’t been working, like, he’s been..I just thought I’d get more hands in on it so he doesn’t have to be burdened with it,” Michael tells him, tapping another nail into a spot where it was needed. Then bringing up his hands, he moves to try and dislodge one piece. Only, as planned, it doesn’t budge or even wiggle.

“I don’t think he was burdened with it…just preoccupied with other things,” Charlie tells him, sounding a bit unsure.

“All the same, maybe this will be better. Besides they offered to help,” he explains, tossing the hammer back with the others. “And who knows, maybe we’ll get it done faster.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Charlie mutters to himself as he watches the two people come back from inside the caves, his brown furrowed slightly. Where exactly was Eko?



SCENE THREE: INSIDE THE CHURCH


"I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." Eko murmurs, the beads of his crucifix clacking against one another gently in the light breeze that moved through the dark church. He looks up at the makeshift crucifix on the wall before continuing.

"Therefore I beseech blessed Mary, ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me. May the Almighty God have mercy on me, and forgive me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen." Eko bows his head once more as he finishes his prayer.

Then, he begins again.

"I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to blessed Mich..."

Eko continues to pray as the ground beside him shifts and another person kneels at the altar. Softly, Sayid began to pray in Arabic before the altar, leaning forward to place his face on the ground every so often. Another prayer from Eko and two more dua's from Sayid and the two sit comfortably in the silence that surrounds them, broken only by the sound of the crashing waves from the tide.

"When I was an officer in Iraq, I was taught ways of extracting information from those people who refused to relinquish it to the government." Sayid says suddenly, breaking the silence of the church. "I tortured many men, many women, even a few children, for information during that time in my life. Most of those people died or were killed shortly afterwards, either due to collateral damage or execution. I did it because it was my duty."

Eko remains silent as Sayid imparts this information to him, but turns his head to look at the Arab kneeling beside him. The man with the haunted eyes.

"It was my duty to protect my country and my people, and I knew that, if these people were freed-if their leaders were not caught-it would shatter the world as we knew it. It would destroy families, turn men against one another. Innocent people would have died if I had let these people roam free throughout my home."

Still, Eko remains silent as he turns back to the crucifix and kisses the beads in his fingers gently.

"Innocent people-friends-would have died had you not done what you did, Mr. Eko. Oft times, people are more similar than they wish to acknowledge." Sayid says, turning to face the Nigerian beside him who continues to kiss the beads and gaze at the crucifix. "We are alike, you and I. We are men who have sinned to prevent sin. Had we not done what haunts us now, we would have been destroyed. Decimated. Our friends would have been taken, injured, murdered, dishonored, had we not sinned."

Sayid pushes himself up from before the altar, giving thanks to Allah once more, before turning and walking down the short aisle. Nearly reaching the door, he hears Eko's voice ring out.

"I am not the man you think I am, Sayid." Eko says and Sayid turns back toward him. Eko now stands facing away from the altar, looking at Sayid. "I am a deceiver. A liar. I am not worthy to be called a man of God."

Sayid stares at the dark skinned man standing before him and studies him for a moment.

"Do you believe?"

The question was like a bolt of lightning on a clear night.

"Believe?" Eko asks, unsure of where Sayid is heading with his question.

"Do you believe in your God?" Sayid asks again, no trace of aggravation or annoyance creeping into his voice nor his eyes.

"I do." Eko replies hesitantly to Sayid's query.

"And do you trust him? Wholly? Completely?" Sayid queries again.

"I would give him my life in an instant if he asked it of me." Eko replies, this time with no hesitation.

"You are a priest, then." Sayid says simply. "If you trust in your God and would sacrifice yourself at his whim, you are a man of God and nothing can alter that. No paper, no words. Regardless of who you were or what you've done, you are a man of God, pure and simple. And that is all that is of worth to God."

Sayid turns again, to leave Eko to his prayers, and he hears the man kneel before the altar once more. Stopping again at the entrance to the church, Sayid turns back to Eko.

"A wise, young woman once told me that everyone gets a new life on this island. She was wiser than anyone I've ever known." he tells Eko softly, finally leaving the church.

After a moment, Eko begins to pray. But this time, his prayers are of thanks.


SCENE FOUR: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA


Eko's eyes flitted about as he stepped into the airport, looking for a familiar face. Hoping his brother was there to greet him.

"Sir? Sir, are you all right?" asked the pretty flight attendant with the short brown hair that framed her face. Eko looked up at the young woman, his brow furrowing in slight confusion before he realized she was speaking to him.

"I am, thank you." he replied to the young woman's question. She smiled and nodded at him before replying.

"Welcome to Sydney, sir."

----


A hand moved along a paper, in it’s grasp a pen that moved along the paper gracefully, like a dance. Each step a word, making the elaborate display of phrases for the sermon for the next day’s mass. It was something that Eko took care of, the only thing that in his life he could grasp without it dissipating from him without a trace. Very much like most things in his life.

Almost half done, there were three pages already of what he wanted to address. Here and there were a few words crossed out, but for the most part it was fairly neat and tidy. Though, no doubt it would need to be revised once more, once he was done with it.

Setting the pad on the top of the desk once again, Eko shifted back into the leather chair he was sitting in. Pushing the reading glasses up from his face, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache starting to hit him there. His mind was tired and wary, and it was finally starting to hit him when he did not want it to.

The door to the office opened, and one of the pastors came walking in then. Looking up over from his hand he looked expectantly at him.

“You said to let you know if anyone came in while you were back here, and a man just walked in for confession…are you all right to handle it? I can get Father Maurice,” the man said, looking concerned.

Shaking his head, he let his hand drop down to the desk. “I’m fine. I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked again, but Eko only deferred him when he nodded and stood.
Moving out from behind the desk, he ushered the priest out of there before leaving the room and heading towards the confessionals.

There were a few lined together in the wall, but only one door closed. Taking that as the signal that the man the priest had seen come in was in there, he moved into the adjoining door next to it.

Taking the seat inside, he shut the door behind himself and waited.

“Forgive me father for I have sinned…It’s been…well…. never since my last confession,” came the unsure man’s voice, wavering only slightly. “I’m not Catholic,” he added after another moment, sounding almost as if he thought would get his head bitten off from his admittance.

“Then why are you here, my son?” Eko asked him, though not unkindly. But rather, he sounded interested, and maybe a little confused as well, confused as to why a person who wasn’t such was there for a confession.

On the other side of the screen that separated, the man sighed. “I don’t know, I guess maybe because of my sister,” he answered.

“Your sister?”

“My sister,” he confirmed. “She called me the other day saying that she needed help…with her boyfriend. You see, she doesn’t pick the right guys, the ones she tends go out with tend to be…not exactly the right kind. They don’t treat her right,” the man explained to him, but paused a moment.

“So you went to her?” Eko asked him this time, trying to put all the pieces together.

“Not yet...I mean I came here to Sydney to help her, a couple thousand miles from home, but now that I‘m here…I don’t know why I’m here doing this again. It isn’t the first time I’ve had to come to help her out. I’m like her lap dog, I come to her if she calls. I don‘t really want to, but I do it anyway.”

There was something about this man that struck a chord with him. Not so much with the fact that his sister was in what he assumed abusive relationships. But with coming all this way to find her and make sure everything was okay. It more then vividly reminding him of himself. Even though he was unsuccessful on his part, he didn’t wish it to be anything like that with the man on the other side.

“Do you love her?” he asked, the question being rather abrupt.

There was a moment’s pause, but the answer was sure and steady from the man’s mouth. “With all my heart.”

Just as he thought, he though nodding to himself. “If you love her so, then maybe you should go to her aid.”

"What's the use? She never really accepts my help. In reality, she's a self-centered, little bi-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that…"

“Even if she doesn't accept your aid, she may need it more than ever. You are a good man to have continued helping her as much as you've apparently done. There is no shame in that,” Eko tried to sway him, uninhibited by the man’s near cursing bit. He’d heard and spoken much worse in his lifetime.

“Maybe,” came the man’s reply, though sounding unsure this time around.

There was a lengthy silence and Eko stopped his questioning. It was then up to the man to do what he wanted. He was only there to share his wisdom and hoped he helped the man with that he needed.

“Now, is there anything else on your mind?” he asked, seeing if the man wanted to talk about anything else. He thought for a moment that perhaps the young man had gotten up and left, when he didn’t hear anything on the other side, but then he heard the man’s voice again.

“Well, once I…stole a candy bar from a 7-11...”

-----------

Eko sighed as he found himself at an impasse once more. The sermon he was working on was going nowhere, his head was pounding due to his experience with the young man in the confessional booth earlier that day and any leads he'd gotten on the whereabouts of his brother had left him in an even thicker fog than before.

"Lord, give me strength..." he murmured, pulling his reading glasses from the bridge of his nose and tossing them onto the desk before him. He put his elbows on the desk and let his face sink into his hands.

"Having trouble with your sermon, Eko?"

Eko's head snapped up and he looked at the door across from the desk. The head priest, Father Maurice, was standing in the doorway smiling at him. He was a Santa-like old man, with a skin tone like fresh ground wheat and white hair cropped close to his head and face. His eyes sparkled when he was amused or excited and, in the six months or so that Eko had known him, he had never gotten angry or upset once.

"Good evening, Father." Eko said, smiling back at the man, moving to stand as the older man entered the room.

"Oh, piffle, don't get up on my account." the man said, waving his hand at Eko's gesture.

"I apologize, Father." Eko said, settling back into his chair.

"I've also told you to call me Maurice." Father Maurice said as he settled into his own chair across from Eko.

"I was raised to respect my elders, Father, whether it is by age or position." Eko said and Maurice laughed.

"I'm guilty of both counts then, my friend." he replied and Eko smiled at the man's joke. Maurice reached over and grabbed Eko's sermon from the desk. "Let's see what you've got, shall we? Then we can figure out what will help."

"I appreciate your help, Fath-Maurice." Eko said, catching himself at the last moment as Maurice's eyes quirked up at him. Maurice looked back down at Eko's work, mumbling as he read. "Wonderful use of Luke 15 and the parable of the Prodigal Son, Eko. They give me a sense of hope, your sermons do. I do enjoy listening to you preach."

"I am appreciative to know that at least one in our congregation enjoys them." Eko replies.

"Maybe you could-"

At that moment there was a loud knock upon the door frame and both men looked up in surprise. Father Maurice looked at the man in confusion but Eko looked at the man standing in the doorway with fear and hatred in his heart.

"Hello, my friend." Jengo said, a slight grin washing across his face like oil across a canvas. "Good evening, Father." he continued, nodding at the priest. "I must speak with Father Eko in private regarding some things, if you don't mind my intrusion, sir."

"Not at all, my child." Maurice said, a broad grin much different from Jengo's popping into place as he stood and returned Eko's sermon to him. "Eko, if you will excuse me, I will let you speak with your friend in private and we can talk about your sermon at a later time."

"Good night, Maurice." Eko said, nodding as the man walked out the door of the room.

"Good night, Father." Jengo called after the other man before turning and closing the door gently.

"I would have thought you would know better than to confront me again, Jengo." Eko said, quietly but dangerously low. Jengo turned and removed his hat, tossing it on the chair in front of the desk before he wandered around the office, running his hands over the many books on the shelves.

"And I would have thought that you'd have given up this wild goose chase by now, Eko." Jengo spat, turning angrily towards Eko. "You're brother is not here, Eko."

"That is not true." Eko said defiantly. "Six months ago I received a letter from Yemi-"

"One that I sent you." Jengo interrupted, his oily grin growing even wider at the look of shock on Eko's face. "I sent you that letter so that you would come here and I could know exactly where you are until I needed you again."

"I told you already, Jengo. I will not go back." Eko said, moving slowly towards the man, anger burning in his eyes. "My brother was shot for me, in my place. I will not give that up so easily."

"Your brother is alive, Eko." Jengo said a serious look crossing his face. Before Jengo could blink, Eko had grabbed him by his jacket and had him hanging up against the bookcase.

"Where is my brother, you devil?" Eko hissed into the man's grinning face. "Where?!"

"There is a syndicate in Los Angeles who are interested in your previous work, Eko. They are holding your brother there." Jengo explained and Eko dropped him roughly to the floor.

"I will not do it, Jengo."

"Understand, Eko, that if you do not, they will finish what those lawmen started the day Yemi left you." Jengo rasped, rubbing at his chafed throat. "I can guarantee that you will never see your brother again."

The silence in the room almost deafened Eko before he nodded slowly at Jengo, whose oily grin slid back onto his face.

"I will think about it." Eko replied. "Until then, you are not to enter this place again."

Jengo began to whistle as he grabbed his hat and placed it jovially atop his head.

"Until then, my friend." he said, stuffing his hands into his pants' pockets and walking out the door with a bounce in his step.


SCENE FIVE: THE BEACH, NIGHT

Sayid and Eko sit on the beach at the tree line, keeping guard over a large fire and talking with each other over the darkness of the night.

"So, the Others truly tried to kidnap you? Do you know why?" Sayid asked.

"I'm afraid I do not. They had a list of our names but nothing more." Eko said, face darkening at remembering what had happened on the other side of the island. "They grabbed most of us from behind or when we slept, but I was quicker, more alert, and I killed the man who tried to take me from our camp."

"Michael mentioned something about that-after he injured Ana." Sayid said, his memory sparked and he tried to remember what it was Micheal had said to them in the church that day.

"I was supposed to kill you. You and Mr. Eko. But-but I couldn't. I couldn't do it."

"He told us that he was told to dispose of you and Ana." Sayid said, thinking. "But, why? Why would they want only the two of you dead? Why not kill us all, attack en masse?"

"We have something in common, Ana and I." Eko replied calmly. "We have both killed at least one of their people."

"You've both killed at least one of them? That's why they want you de-" Sayid stopped suddenly, a look crossing his face. Eko seemed to read his thoughts almost immediately.

"We are not the only ones who've done this, are we? Someone in your camp-"

"Charlie." Sayid said, cutting him off. Sayid and Eko looked at each other for a moment before both stood and began walking swiftly towards the camp.

After they leave, Charlie stumbles from his hiding place in the jungle having heard the entire conversation.



SCENE SIX: THE CAVES

"I'm telling you, Jack, the barricade is a thing of beauty, even in it's unfinished state." Locke says as he and Jack walk toward the caves, where the building is taking place. Locke had suddenly appeared on the beach, telling Jack that Michael had requested his presence.

"I'm sure it's quite-" Jack almost chokes in surprise at the sight he meets in the caves-a nearly completed barricade/shelter.

Jack watches as Michael scurries about, giving people directions and pointing at various places in the barricade. Bernard is busy working, setting poles gently in place as he and Cindy try to keep them upright until they can be lashed together by Michael.

"Jack! Just the man I was looking for. Thanks, Locke." Michael said, knocking Jack out of his train of thought. Locke nodded, a small smile flitting across his face before he moved to help Cindy and Bernard lash the poles together.

"What d'ya think, doc? Is it worthy?" Michael asks, turning and opening his arms at the sight before them.

"It looks great, Michael." Jack says, crossing his arms as he watched Bernard, Locke and Cindy try to keep two poles from falling out of order. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nope, I think we got it down." Michael says, crossing his own arms, proud of the group's work.

"Is that all you wanted me for?" Jack asked and Michael looked at him, mouth scrunched to one side, thinking.

"Yeah, pretty much." he replied.

"No unexpected poisonings this time?" Jack joked and Michael looked at him for a moment before chuckling softly.

"Not this time, Jack. But, if you're really desperate for something to do you might wanna go check out Sawyer." Michael says and Jack's brow furrows in confusion.

"There's something wrong with Sawyer?" he asks.

"Yeah, man, didn't you hear?" Michael asked, brows raising in surprise. "He's certifiable."

A grin breaks Jack's face as he and Michael shake their heads in amusement.



SCENE SEVEN: SAWYER’S SHELTER

“-With a knick-knack paddy whack, give a dog a bone,” the southerner’s voice sings as he moves along. His head is tilted some to the side, boredom clearly written on his face as he moves towards his tent. The bag with some of his things is thrown over his shoulder, his one hand holding it securely in place. “This old man came rolling home,” he just continues.

Going on cue, he comes up to his ‘homey’ tarp bungalow, pushing the partially open tarp, that serves as his door, open further. Stepping inside, Sawyer lets his bag fall to the ground as he moves toward his ‘bed’. Or rather what he considers his bed.

But he clearly wasn’t interested in that at the moment as his eyes focus on a particular spot in his bungalow. A small smirk creased his lips then, and he stepped forward, coming up to where the sand is raised slightly, but not too obtrusively as to give away the precious cargo that lay underneath.

Reaching through the very much disturbed sand, he feels the hidden fabric underneath brush against his fingers before plucking it up from the ground. As he pulls, the sand slides away, exposing another blue tarp underneath, and even further, a suitcase.

Tossing it to the side, almost gingerly Sawyer pulls at the zipper of the suitcase, pulling it open to reveal all that he wanted to keep hidden, away from other’s eyes. Or most.

Eyeing his stash, his grin deepens as he reaches in for the bottle of alcohol that he was able to keep hidden thus far, for the most part safely. Though the bottle didn’t get far away from the other contents of the case as he paused mid-action, finally noticing what was missing from it.

The guns.

“Son of a-”

There is the sound of a quiet murmur of amusement, and Sawyer looks over his shoulder at the two feminine figures that stand outside the doorway. Getting up, he wipes his hands on his jeans as he looks over at them, more at one then at the other, at the one that he knows instigated this whole thing his eyes moving first over Kate and then Ana.

“Bitch.”

Ever defiant is her stance, tall and proud, with her arms crossed over her chest. Yet, he doesn’t say anything more. He can’t. There isn’t anything to say. The fact remains.

He’d lost this round.



----

"So, you got them all?" Kate asks Ana as they both make their way from Sawyer’s tent, chuckling as the fact of what they now succeeding in doing sinks in. Though, she struggles a bit to keep pace with her, Ana’s moving a little faster then she would have preferred. She was practically jogging ahead.

"Every last one,” she confirms, however, at least giving her that much. But, she doesn’t slow her steps in the slightest. Instead continues on, treading through the sand like a woman on a mission.

“Good...so where are they?" Kate asks this time. Only there is no answer, only the sight of Ana as she keeps moving up the sand. “Ana?” Kate’s voice sounds confused, but it still doesn’t get an answer out of her.

Suddenly, Kate stops, the smile that was plastered on her face gone, just continuing to stare at Ana as she walks away. Just the sound of waves as they crash over onto the surf.



SCENE EIGHT: THE CAVES, THE NEXT MORNING


There were a few pieces of wood in Eko’s arms as he comes up to the cave’s barricade. The familiar sight makes him smile slightly. He is very much glad to be back there, back to working on the project he wanted to partake in.

Before he reaches it though, Charlie looks up from his spot as Michael moves away to work on the other side of the barricade, Bernard and Cindy not too far behind. “You back again?” he asks mock-incredulously. Though, a grin breaks out on his face. “You know mate, you can make a bloke go crazy. First, you leave and now, you’re back. You better stay here this time around.”

“Not to worry, Charlie. I will not change my mind. My conscience is not clear, but it is, for the moment, relieved.”

“Good…because I’ll have you know that Michael can get quite bossy,” Charlie says, the last bit of his sentence said hushed so that Michael couldn’t overhear. Michael would know that it’s all in jest, even if he did hear and say anything to retaliate.

Eko smiles a little more, agreeing slightly as he moves ahead, picking up where he had left off earlier. Setting down the pieces of wood, he turns his back to Charlie, going straight to work.

Charlie on the other hand, just stares back at Eko, the grin slowly sliding away from his face almost. His expression becomes more troubled, his eyes holding more guilt then he’d cared to let on in a long while. But no one sees it.

They are too busy working to notice....


LOST

-----------------


Lost Virtual Season 3: Episode Six full credits:

Writers: DarkHuntress, InMemorium, Midnight Riot

Executive Producers:
midnight riot
Aimz
Scouse
nycjoc
Skayla


Brought to you by Leigh and mru-forum.com. Thank you, Leigh, for all your help and support through this. It wouldn't have been possible without you. And special thanks to all the board members who have been just as excited about this project as we are. You guys totally motivated us.

Disclaimer: None of the writers or producers have made any money on this project. It was purely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

Omg that was awesome! seriously, soooo worth the wait! loved how Ana opened up to Sayid bout the children and how she sisn't answer Kate about the guns! and Sawyer helping Ana with the tarp. its so clever!
:bow: :clap: :wub:

I love it..it's awesome :clap:

Awesome. Characterization was excellent. Loved it. So worth the extra days wait.

I loved the Ana/Sayid scene....and the Eko/Sayid scene was great too....considering everything those three had been through with eachother in terms of conflict, it actually worked.

So good. Way to go!

L.

What's that they say on the Guiness draught commercial...ah, I know - BRILLIANT!! Brilliant I say! This was an awesome Eko flashback. I'd have never thought of it. You see so few decent Eko fics, so this was really refreshing. I could really see it happening. I actually liked Jengo's character. He was very well written, I thought. He pushed all Eko's buttons and had a real attitude. Lurved that.

My absolute favorite parts were:

"There's something wrong with Sawyer?" he asks.

"Yeah, man, didn't you hear?" Michael asked, brows raising in surprise. "He's certifiable."

*Cracks up* and the very last Kate and Ana scene. OMG, that was too funny, and as I think of it, incredibly Ana-like. It's just too sad, you almost feel sorry for Kate...but...really, she kinda deserves it 'cause she's kinda a nincompoop...anyway, I love 'em all, lol. Everyone was in character, everyone was pure Lost.

I must thank you guys for this because I've been going into real Lost withdrawel, especially now that the DVD is out and I do not have it. Yeah, that's...that's kind of pissing me off. So, this helps me not go nuts, lol. THANK YA'LL! Keep up the good work!

Hehehe....Ana has the guns...*snicker*

I was so-so on this one. Eko is just so boring, and to be honest, I couldn't care less about half the characters here.
I liked the bit with Charlie though (the part where they discuss the fact Ana and Eko have both killed one of the Others) and I especially liked the ending, with Ana winding up knowing where the guns are and Kate being totally left out. Nice twist.
I suppose the only thing I would ask for is... more Ana Lucia. She's really the biggest reason I enjoy the show (and this virtual one) so much, and while I enjoy other character's plotlines when they're matched up with Ana-Lucia centric scenes, when it's just other character's plotlines I tend to get bored.
Also, more action :) With monsters, or the Others, or whatever. This episode just seemed so slowly paced compared to the rest.
Am eagerly awaiting episode seven,
~Malenkaya

I love Lost Virtual Season 3..

I can't wait for the next ep

:D this was great! really really good job ;)

i'd never even thought about why eko had been on the plane.. this is just like the real lost, but better :)

loved ana lucia and sawyer as always :D

and i can only imagine kate's face in the end xD

you just gotta love VS3 :):)

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:bow: :bow: :bow: Simply.
Eko! :wub:
SANA :wub: Just like real Lost, enjoying everything, spotting hot Sana and squeeing :lol: :wub:
And Micheal interested in something/someone other than Waaaalt - now that's way better than in real Lost ;)

Funny Hoelli. Real funny.

And Malenkaya-how can you say that Eko is boring? He's one of the most complex characters that I can think of. Regardless of what you think of Eko, your (and everyone else's) criticism is appreciated-it makes us write better!

Glad you guys all liked at least one part of this ep. Give props to Ashley. :bow:

You guys did an awesome job with this. This episode sets the stage for so much drama that will follow. I love how Ana was portrayed in this. We got her interacting with several people and it all was authentic. Poor Kate. LOL She was a willing pawn in Ana's game. She manipulated Charlie and got manipulated in return. It all comes full circle very nicely with Ana ending up being the one with the guns. It was so perfect. I also loved that Sayid is being utlized in different ways. He is as wise as Eko so that was a great scene.

I am glad Eko is talking now, because he is way more interesting when he speaks. I think Adewale is the biggest reason why Eko is not at all boring. If it were any other actor playing him it wouldn't be the same. It's a challenge to translate that on paper.

Malenkaya, I truly appreciate your feedback about what you antcipate and expect. It will help us alot with future episodes.

Complex, or not-- every character (on television, anyway, or script) is boring when he or she is not talking, and Eko is no different :)
I'm glad that you appreciate the criticism. I'm a writer myself, so I certainly understand how much more useful it is than simple notes of "Awesome!" or such and such. As long as it's not too harsh, which I hope mine wasn't.
~Malenkaya

Hey, you two: you did awesome, seriously. Great job. You already know that I loved this, but I'll say it again: awesome, awesome job.

And thanks to everyone else for the feedback: so appreciated.

So glad everyone likes it. Happy to see that all this hard work we did paid off. :D

amazing!
can't wait for more

HOLY CRAPOLA that was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

can NOT wait for the eppy

*Two Thumbs Up*

wow...brilliant episode...and what a set up for lots of exciting stuff to come!!

awesome job all of you talented writers you!!!

You are doing a great JOB!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

I enjoyed this