Let's dispense with a lengthy intro to this week's Brief story! As our LOST bonanza continues, our hero Desmond finds himself in some unlikely company. Will this stranger be his savior or his destruction? Read and find out!
Constants
and Variables (Part 5/?): LOST, Desmond
Hume-centric, PG-13, prompt - “Do you know what you’re doing?”
Canon
note: Takes place during season five of LOST,
albeit an AU take on said events in episode six, "316".
It's actually ridiculously AU because it fucks with two
major plot points, one involving Desmond and one involving Daniel,
both of which will become evident as soon as the story kicks into
gear. Spoilers for the rest of season five and events in season six
are within. Eventual Desmond/Daniel and implied Juliet/Sawyer &
Jack/Kate.
In
these recent chapters, events will run concurrent with the events of
"Whatever Happened, Happened" and "Dead Is Dead"
in season five.
Previous
chapters: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
>>>>>>>>>>>>
"So
you must be Desmond."
Desmond
Hume stops, one foot out in front of the other. He doesn't know the
voice, but somehow, the voice knows him. He has the feeling that the
other person, a man, has a gun trained on his back but he has no
proof. So he keeps his back turned, lest he be greeted with a bullet
in the chest.
"You've
got me, brotha. You know me, but I don't know you. Have we met?"
The
other voice is very matter of fact, each word to the point. "No."
"Will
we ever meet?"
"Probably
not. Then again, I can't see your future."
A
wrinkle forms between Hume's brow. He'd said your
future. He'd made it specific. And that
worries him. "What does that mean?"
"It
means your path is unknown to me. It's interesting. It's also
dangerous."
"Who
are you?"
The
mystery man laughs. "Oh, it's much too early for that. I'm
really breaking the rules being here, but I persuaded Richard to let
me in. I had to see for myself how the variables were shifting."
"Alpert?"
A hundred questions bubbles up inside Desmond and he manages to keep
them from spilling out all at once.
"Mmm.
Maybe. He'll never tell, though. He's been around too long. Don't
turn around just yet."
Desmond
curses mentally. He's been slowly turning his body to see his
mysterious guest, but the other man's words stop him yet again. "Did
you come find me for a reason?"
The
man laughs again. This one sends a chill down Desmond's spine.
"Actually, yeah. I'm here to lead you through the fence. You
know, the big bad fence that keeps the smoke out? And then you'll
have to get to where you're going. The tower, right? Do you even know
what you're doing?"
Desmond
does not even bother asking how this other man knows where he's
going. Someone probably ratted him out. "It was Jack, wasn't
it?"
"The
doctor? No, it was Hurley. He's a nice guy. Gave me an Apollo bar. He
didn't look very pleased to see me though."
"Who
are you?" Bugger this, Desmond thinks, and turns on his heel to
face his guest—and
his face drops. There is no gun, no weapon at all, just a lone man in
homespun clothes who looks like he's been living on this island for
an eternity.
The
moment of silence that passes between the two men stretches for what
feels like an eternity.
"Sorry
to disappoint you, Hume." Jacob's mouth twists into a wry smile.
"But right now, I'm your best chance of bringing you closer to
your goal."
Every
atom in Desmond Hume's unusual body screams at him one very loud
message: this man is up to no good. Luckily for Jacob, Desmond
ignores them all.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
With
a great reluctance, Desmond is following Jacob through the trees,
although he's also watching the other man move forward with envy. The
man who had introduced himself as Jacob is a natural in the jungle
terrain. Trees seem to bend and twist out of his path. Sunlight falls
upon his silhouette like a heavenly raiment. It would be beautiful if
he were not so troublesome.
"I
don't normally do this," Jacob explains, stepping over a shallow
stream that Desmond misses and soaks a boot in without looking.
"What
is that?"
"Leave
my habitat to lead someone across the island. That's usually
Richard's job, but you're not part of the plan. I had to come here
myself to keep an eye on you."
"And
what exactly is your plan?"
Much
to Desmond's irritation, Jacob smiles and puts one finger against his
lips. "Not yet. That will come later."
Desmond
sees that the trees are cleared out up ahead. He sees several tall
towers, like electric poles, forming a fence in the clearing. He had
heard about the fence during the orientation, but this was his first
time seeing it up close.
"What
time is it?" Jacob asks.
"I
don't know, I haven't wound my watch since 2007," Desmond
answers sarcastically.
Ignoring
Desmond's sass, Jacob examines a tall rock standing out in the short
grass. "Almost time."
"For
what?"
Jacob
looks over his shoulder at Desmond, who is now standing with his
hands on his hips, bag balanced against one shoulder, sweaty and
irate. "In a few minutes, this fence will come down and Richard
will be picking up a delivery."
"A
delivery?"
"Yes,"
Jacob says, clarifying nothing as usual. "And if you—we—do
not cross through at the correct time, the fence will come back down
again."
"And
then what?"
Jacob
scoops up a handful of dirt and rubs it between his fingers. "Well,
if you're caught in the fence when it falls down, you'll look like
this."
Desmond
watches the dirt fall from Jacob's grasp and into the island breeze,
and agrees that it's not a fate he's looking forward to. He also
agrees that, obnoxious and vague as he is, Jacob is good at making a
point.
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