Hope is not Such a Bad Thing
Hope is not Such a Bad Thing
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Don’t own Lost, Desmond or Daniel (sadly enough)
Characters: Desmond Hume, Daniel Faraday, Sayid Jarrah, Charlotte S. Lewis, Jack Shephard, with the occasional appearance and guest performance of other Lost characters
Summary: Desmond finds himself in desperate need to go back to the island… but how? And yeah, for the first time in his life, he gets lucky!
Part 1
A ghost ship… this place resembled more and more to one. Desmond didn’t like horror stories but the boat looked just like the set of a Stephen King novel. That woman in chains, jumping overboard; Minkowski the communications officer who gave his last breath in his arms; blood on the walls; the unnerving, infuriating noises; the incidents that were numerous and mysterious; the creepy doctor and even the crew and the captain himself were increasing this perception. This was the boat of Charles Widmore, the materialized ambition of the man who was responsible of his misery of the last eight years. It shook him to find out that he was behind this, but he wasn’t truly surprised. In fact the events of the last few years were starting to make sense.
He was walking down the corridor alone, the blinking lights reminded him of the Swan.
“Dharma. This place must have something to do with them” he thought not very rationally. He had no real reason to think that after all…
There was not one single soul to be seen and the silence was penetrating. Just as he had been previously annoyed by the noises, now he wished for a sign of life… anything. He found it hard to breathe, he thought that it was little surprise the crew was starting to act oddly in a place like this.
The deck was just as deserted; he couldn’t see anybody in the darkness that was thick as a wall around him. Heavy mists were falling upon the freighter and he walked to the bow a little dazed. The inky water was glittering under the ship, it reflected the billions of stars that were shining upon them. Desmond looked down at the dark waters and he thought he saw something underneath… en eerie light glinting dreadfully below… was it the Looking Glass? It couldn’t have been, they were nowhere near the island… but then… what… He thought of Charlie’s lifeless body hovering in the water somewhere, along with the blond woman who jumped in only a few hours before to keep him company.
He covered his face and turned around. There was nothing, he saw nothing. Cabin fever? Island sickness? Radiation?
“I’m fine” he said out loud rubbing his eyes and straightening his back.
Then he saw him. He was standing a few yards away, and he thought it odd how the mists were circling him, almost caressing his skinny figure. Desmond felt the blood rush down to his legs, an icy chill was making its sluggish way down his spine, it made the hair on his neck prickle.
“Charlie…” he whispered with stiff jaw.
“Finally you come out, geez, I thought I’d have to haunt this place forever” the Brit grinned and walked closer. Desmond made a few steps back, his eyes widened with fear.
“You’re not here” he said loudly.
“Oh, not again” Charlie sighed heavily. “I thought I’d have an easier job with you”.
“This is a dream, right? Am… am I sick again?” Desmond muttered fearfully.
“ Don’t be a prat. I hoped we wouldn’t come to this. Oh well.” Charlie said shrugging, then he slapped him mightily.
“Hey! What the bloody hell?!” he shouted out unnerved but not at all convinced, covering his itching cheek with the palm of his hand.
“This usually has the desired effect” Charlie said, leaning next to a pile of crates.
“What effect? Is this the past? It can’t be the past… or the future. What is this?” Desmond was quickly becoming hysterical he was backing away with his arms stretched out to keep the apparition at a distance.
“Poor Dessie, you’ve been through a lot, haven’t you? And now you’re haunted by the dead” Charlie smiled mischievously. Then he continued more seriously. “I wouldn’t do it, it’s not much fun mate, but I have to.”
Desmond only blinked with a painful expression on his face. He was shrinking away as if he’d expect that Charlie was going to blow up any second.
“You must return to the island, Claire and the baby are in danger.”
Desmond stirred at this.
“They are safe, Locke took them to the…”
“I know where they are. Their camp is about to be attacked.”
“Attacked? By whom?”
“Quite many people actually. They are coming after Ben - the others AND the crew of this ship. They are going to be trapped between enemy lines. We must take them out of there”
“How do you know all this?” curiosity took over fear with the Scot.
“Being dead has its benefits” Charlie put on a smug face that was funny to watch and it had a soothing effect on his companion.
“We are 80 miles off shore, the helicopter is gone how are we supposed to go back?”
“It’s 40 miles actually. The island is drawing the boat closer.”
Desmond shook his head.
“There is no way… sorry brotha but…”
“You promised, Des!” Charlie looked at him furiously. He looked quite a bit taller than Desmond remembered him. “You promised that if I die, Claire and Aaron would be rescued!” Desmond sank his head in shame.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t want you to die… I want them to get rescued!” he said slowly.
“Then you must pull yourself together, brother, because you must figure out a way to make at least that second one happen!”
* * *
Daniel Faraday was crouching beside his large trunk full to the brim with strange and mysterious equipment. He was poring over his diary, flipping the pages feverishly. It had to be there somewhere…
“Dan, they are here” a voice startled him from his searching.
Mmm… who is here?“ he asked in a dragged voice looking up to the woman who was staring down at him. The sun blinded him and he was squinting, the woman looked impatiently into his blank face.
“They” she tossed her head meaningfully toward the ocean. Daniel stared at her and at the ocean, then at her again.
“Oh, you mean…” he made a vague hand gesture indicating the blue water out there.
“Yes Dan. So if you would put off the experimenting to after…”
“After what?” a new, unwelcome voice joined the conversation, it startled her slightly but she was trained enough for not to show it. Jack was staring at her with raised eyebrows.
“After what, Charlotte? What’s happening?”
Her answer was prompt, she gave it without blinking.
“Nothing is happening. I just think he shouldn’t do his thing with all these people around”
Jack looked at her suspiciously, but he decided to let this go for the time being. He had more pressing matters to discuss with the red-haired woman.
“Did you try calling the boat again?”
“The phone is dead, and Daniel says that this unit is fine, something happened to the other receiver”
“We haven’t heard anything from our friends since the side-effects” he pressed the word ironically. “Why haven’t they returned by now?”
“Your friends are fine” Charlotte tried soothing him.
“Desmond must be fine, he… followed my instructions” Daniel said, wording it very carefully, indicating his diary with a vague gesture. “They can’t come back now, the helicopter is not…”
“Daniel!” Charlotte interrupted on a sharp tone and looked at him furiously.
“The chopper is not WHAT?” Jack stepped closer to him and attempted to look him in the eye. Daniel turned his head aside, and touched his forehead in angst with his long fingers.
“They are fine, you have to believe me” he said sheepishly, looking at Charlotte who was still glaring at him warningly.
“What’s going on?” asked Kate stepping between them with her hands on her hips.
“Nothing is going on” said Charlotte after a short pause rolling her eyes and she walked away, with Jack on her tail. Kate looked after them frowning, then looked at Daniel for answers who only shrugged helplessly. Kate measured him for a while but she decided to go investigate the matter further to his great relief. They were all nice people, he meant them well but they were a handful.
He turned back to his diary that was tossed to the sand, his face enlightened when he saw the page where it was open. He ran to his trunk and made a few adjustments to the device that was on top of it. Before he turned it on he had a slight hesitation… maybe he shouldn’t try it out in this place… no telling what would happen… But the excitement overwhelmed his caution, this was why he agreed to this mission after all: to investigate the powers of the island… His hand was steady when he pushed the little yellow button.
* * *
“Calm down, and start again. I can’t follow your meaning” said Sayid looking at the Scot with his arms fold.
Desmond was walking up and down inside their narrow room in agitation.
“We have to go back, they are in danger! The camp is going to be attacked… Claire and the baby… Hurley… all of them!” he stopped his pacing and looked the Iraqi in the face desperately.
“And how did you find that out?” Sayid responded to his steady gaze.
Desmond hesitated. Sayid was a rational man usually open to explanations who wouldn’t dismiss an idea even if it sounded outrageous but perhaps the ghost of Charlie walking around slapping people was a bit too much for him, especially after his odd experiences on this boat. He was very grateful to him that he didn’t ask stupid questions when he was in trouble, he helped even if he didn’t understand what was happening. So Desmond didn’t want to lie to him now.
“I need you to trust me, brother. We have to go back.” He said pressing every word.
Sayid shook his head.
“We should warn Jack…”
“Jack would never go to Locke’s rescue” Desmond said loudly in exasperation. “And even if he would, he’d never arrive in time. And we don’t have the phone anymore.”
“But what if you get sick again? I still don’t understand what happened and how it got solved…”
“It only happened because we didn’t stay on the bearing… Lapidus and Faraday both mentioned the bearing” Desmond said pensively.
“We don’t even know what the bearing is!” Sayid opened his arms helplessly.
“But Lapidus does” he was pacing again agitatedly. “We need the helicopter!”
Sayid put a hand on his arm to stop him for a second:
“Are you sure?” he asked meaningfully.
“Aye” the Scot answered firmly.
“Let’s see the captain then” said the Iraqi and he led the way.
It was still dark outside but dawn already painted a pink line on the horizon. They climbed up to the captain’s booth, they weren’t very surprised to find him up already. He greeted them with cheer.
“Well… what do I owe the pleasure? You discovered any new plot lately? A mutiny perhaps?”
The two of them looked at each other with raised eyebrows, they couldn’t understand his joviality on this particular ship considering the situation they were in. Sayid stepped forward letting the irony bounce off him.
“We want to know when the helicopter will come back!”
“It comes back when its job is done” he said without even looking at them. “I’m afraid it may take a while”
“And what would that be? Kill Benjamin Linus?” Sayid asked skeptically.
“Capture, actually. Not that it’s any business of yours” the captain stood up from his chair, he clearly didn’t want to discuss his agenda.
Sayid shook his head with a small smile.
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with. But you are correct. It’s not our business. We only need a ride back to the island”
“Why would you want to go back there?” the captain asked bewildered.
“When it is so nice here?” Sayid was still smiling. “We have our business too”
“At least you are safe here” Gault offered
“You’re serious, brother?” Desmond stepped forward. So far he’s been following the conversation in silence but this he thought was a gross lie.
“In any case, you can’t leave.” He said flatly. “The lifesavers won’t do you any good, we are 80 miles off shore”
“40” Desmond interrupted.
“How do you know?” Captain Gault looked at him apprehensively. “Well, never mind that. 80 or 40, you can’t paddle that far.”
He left his cabin inviting them out as well.
They walked out in frustration. Dawn was taking over the sky already, rosy clouds were swimming on a pale, liquid sky.
“We need to call Lapidus” Desmond stopped when the captain was out of earshot.
“The communications’ room is down, I can’t fix that phone again.”
“There must be some other phone on this boat! Maybe… maybe Michael could help locate one”
“Michael won’t help us anymore. I’m afraid we don’t have that chance…”
“But there must be a way…” Desmond ran his hands through his hair helplessly. He turned away, looked out at the endless blue. “I can’t let him down again…” he muttered to himself.
“Charlie?” Sayid asked simply, Des nodded, swallowing hard.
“I promised him that Claire and Aaron would get rescued. They can’t get hurt!” he looked at the Iraqi with manic eyes.
“Maybe they won’t” Sayid smiled and he pointed at a dark spot on the horizon that was seemingly approaching fast.
Desmond looked at it in all amazement, a twitchy smile changing the desperation on his face.
The helicopter landed smoothly, and only one man jumped out of it: Frank Lapidus.
“I’ve got the message, let’s go then” he said to the Scot. Desmond blinked bewildered.
“What message?” he asked frowning.
“Your message of course” Lapidus answered raising an eyebrow.
Part 2