"Hello Jack," Not Locke says as everybody walks out, "I was hoping you'd come."
Locke takes the torch from Hurley, "I think we have some catching up to do."
Jack goes to talk to Locke alone.
It's the morning now and Sawyer and I are catching Hurley up on everything that has happened.
"He's got a submarine?" Hurley says.
"Keep your voice down, damn it," Sawyer whispers, "Yeah, Widmore's got a sub. We're using it to get off this rock."
"Are we gonna tell Sun?" Hurley asks.
"Kate's tell her now. We thought we might want to avoid huddles."
"What about Sayid?"
"Sayid isn't invited," I say.
"He's gone to the dark side," Sawyer says.
"Yeah, but you can always bring people back from the dark side. I mean, Anakin-" Hurley says.
"Who the hells Anakin?" Sawyer says.
Hurley and I both look at each other shocked.
"Look, just keep your mouth shut. Don't say nothin' to no one," Sawyer says.
Just as Sawyer says that Claire walks over.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey, Claire," Hurley says.
"Hey Hurley."
"You look great."
They hug and Sawyer and I see Locke and Jack coming out of the jungle.
Jack sits down.
"It's so nice to have everyone back together again," Locke says.
*
I'm talking to Sawyer and Hurley when Zoe the girl Sawyer and I met on the other island shows up. Two guys point guns at her.
"Who's she?" Hurley asks.
"That's Widmore's number two," I say.
Locke comes out from his tent.
"What can I do for ya?" He asks Zoe.
"You took something from us, and we want it back."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're taking about."
She's goes to get something from her back pocket and some people cock their weapons.
"It's okay," Locke says.
She pulls out walkie talkie and says, "Do you have a fix on my position?"
"Roger that," says the man on the other side.
"Show then what we're capable of."
We hear something overhead.
Then behind us is a loud explosion.
Sawyer pushes me behind him to try to protect me from the explosion.
Locke doesn't even flinch.
"You have until nightfall to return what you took or next time, we won't miss."
She throws the walkie talkie at Locke.
"Call me when you're ready for us to pick him up."
And she leaves.
Locke throws the walkie talkie on the floor and crushes it with his stick.
"Well...here we go," He says.
*
"Listen up everyone," Locke says.
"This oughta be good," I whisper to Sawyer.
He chuckles.
"All of this is happening a bit sooner then I expected. But these people have forced our hand, claiming we stole something from them, trying to provoke us into a confrontation. Well, if that's what they want, that's what they'll get. Gather your things. We're going to the other island and we're getting on that. James, Hayley I need your help with something."
We walk over him.
"There's a half moored just a few hours down the shore from here." he hands Sawyer a list, "I want you two to get it and meet the rest of us on the other side of these bluffs. We'll all sail over to the other island together. Can you guys do that?"
"How come we're not all heading for it together?" Sawyer asks.
"The bigger the group, the slower it moves."
"All right, we could use another pair of hand." Sawyer says.
"Take whoever you want."
"How about Freckles know anything about sailing?"
"I know enough."
"Good we'll be waitin' for ya."
*
We finally make it to where the sail boat is. When we were at Dharma we didn't have to go on hikes in humid weather, I definitely don't miss this.
"Thar she blows," Sawyer says, "You guys ready for a swim."
"Oh yeah, I love to swim in freezing cold ocean water," I say very sarcastically.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Kate says.
"You see a bridge?" Sawyer says.
"Going back to get Locke," Kate says.
"Of course not. It's a terrible idea, which is why we ain't doing it."
"What?"
"We're gonna ditch Locke. You, me, Shorty, Jack, Hurley, Sun and that pilot that looks like he's stepped off the set of a Burt Reynolds movie."
"When were you planning on telling me this? Hayley, did you know?"
"I mean, it's James what did you expect," I say.
"Wait you didn't say Claire," Kate says.
"Cause she ain't comin'. The Claire you came back for is gone."
"I promised I would bring her back."
"That was before she started drinking Locke's kool-aid. She's dangerous. You really want her around Aaron?"
Kate doesn't say anything.
"Lets go. We ain't got much time."
So we swim out to the boat in the freezing cold water. I swallow way to much salt water and after what feels like an entirety we back it to the boat.
*
After an hour or so of waiting we finally see everyone who's supposed to meet us here.
"All right. Let's go. Everybody board. Let's go!" Sawyer says.
"We sailin' home on this, huh?" asks Lapidus.
"Won't work. Not without a bearing," I say. "For three years the only way the Dharma people ever got on or off this island was by sub, so that's what we're doing."
"Nice job, doc," Sawyer tells Jack.
I hear a rifle cock behind me.
"Uh oh," Hurley says.
I turn around and it's Claire.
"Where you going?" She asks.
Kate gets off the boat and starts slowly walking towards her.
"Claire...it's okay...we're leaving the island."
"Then, uh, why aren't you waiting for John?"
"Because that's not John, and whoever he is, he's not one of us. Claire...come with us. I can get you back to Aaron."
"Wait a damn min-"
"Sawyer, shut up. She's coming or I'm not. Come with us Claire."
"John promised me-"
No, I'm promising you. I was there when he was born. And I never should've raised him. It should've been you. I came back to get you so you could be with him again. It's the only reason I came back to the island, Claire. So, please, come with us. Let's go home."
Claire puts her gun down, Kate takes her gun and they both get on the boat.
*
Sawyer is driving the boat and I'm looking out onto the beautiful blue ocean.
Lapidus comes over to ask Sawyer what his plan is.
"The plan, Chesty, is to land on hydra island, get ourselves nice and cuddly with Widmore until we get a chance to jump on that sub then I'm gonna put a gun in someone's face and make 'em take us home."
Home. I don't even know what home is anymore.
"I like that idea, I saw some canned food down in the galley. Anybody else starving," Lapidus says.
I go down there to get some food, Sawyer, Kate, and Jack stay.
I come up in time is hear Jack say, "I'm sorry I got Juliet killed." Then he jumps off the boat.
"What the hell?" I say.
*
We finally make it to Hydra island.
We had to swim.
Again.
"Everybody stay close. The camps over here," Sawyer says. "We're not gonna have much times before Locke's figures out we made of with his ride."
People come out of the jungle with guns.
"Hands up!"
I pull my pistol out.
"Hey! Whoa!" Sawyer yells back.
"Drop you weapons!"
"Woah! Take it easy!"
"Drop em' now!" Zoe yells.
All of us who had weapons dropped them.
"It's all right I know him. Who else is with you?"
"Nobody! If you're wondering where Locke is, he's still back in the main island." Sawyer tells Zoe.
Jin walks out.
Sun and Jin see each other for the first time is three years.
They all point their guns at us.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sawyer says.
"What's its look like I'm doin'? Hands up now."
We put our hands up.
"On your knees, all of you!"
We all drop to our knees.
"We has a deal!" Sawyer yells.
"Deals off."