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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 18, 2008 22:09:12 GMT -5
Ben could think of no words befitting her comment, and so simply nodded and led her down the steps, taking her hand to help her down the last one, reluctantly feeling their fingertips part ways again. He was bringing her to three sites in particular today. First, to see Mikhail and show her their links to the outside world. That was really only to explain how they knew so much, to show her where their link to the outside was. Secondly, she would have to see The Staff. Not the greenhouses she had been so fond of for so many years, but the real station, the real crux of everything happening here.
Finally, she would take her to see Him. At least to see the house. No one else had seen Jacob except for him. He didn't think they were really able to, and yet they were. They were all a part of it after all. But Claudia was different. She wasn't one of the natives. So maybe...
"Firstly, I want to bring you to see Mikhail at his post. There are some resources there that may not necessarily surprise you so much as give you even more unlimited resources for your research. He's living in a house just outside the sonar line, about a half mile. Once we're there, I can explain more. Follow me, Cloud." He said the pet name under his breath, so she would not hear it if not really listening for it. He didn't know where they were, and didn't want to push things when he was on the cusp of tearing down many of the well inforced beliefs in her head.
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 18, 2008 23:27:25 GMT -5
Claudia heard him call her by a name no other had ever uttered and for a brief second she heard nothing else. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, she would say nothing, just blush slightly and enjoy the moment, which she did freely since she walked a few paces behind Ben and he could not see her. Claudia was slightly hesitant to meet Mikhail again, it hadn't gone perfectly the first time, it was early on in her time here, she had been wandering around and suddenly Mikhail was there, his scary eyepatch in her face, Mikhail had mistaken her for one of the children as many had in those days, she was small and silent it was an honest mistake, none the less she was a bit frightened much like that day.
She had no idea what Mikhail's purpose was, and now that she did, it really didn't make much more sense, she had supposed there had to be a source of outside information, she just hadn't pinned it there, or focused much on it, though now that her mind had been set on that course many things began to click. She wondered for a brief moment if they should just turn back, if she was better off simply fulfilling her duties and not knowing the specific hows and whys. She continued on the path, her hands shaking lightly as the sun glinted off nearby foliage casting light over Ben's back. "Ben, why are you showing me these things," she whispered softly.
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 19, 2008 12:49:58 GMT -5
"I'm showing you, because you are supposed to know, Claudia. You were meant to know." They continued on in silence for sometime. Ben occasionally let his hand bounce off his hip as he walked a little further than normal, in an attempt to grasp her own hand, but the most he ever did was brush her fingers. He turned the fence off and on as he had the other day. They were in wilder territory now, where some of Jacob's creatures were perhaps outside of even Ben's control, but Ben strode confidently nonetheless. Before long they were face to face... with a cow.
Ben stroked the cow's soft brown fur gently and then looked up to the dilapidated old house which was their destination. He called out tenderly. Mikhail was always a little jumpy. "Mikhail, it's me Ben. I'm with Claudia. We'd like to come inside now."
"Well come in then, if you're going to," Called a gruff voice from inside the house.
Ben nodded to Claudia, hoping she wasn't too nervous. Before long they were at the door and Ben was leading her inside, where Mikhail offered them both some lemonade. Ben turned his down and spoke. "Mikhail, Claudia is to be shown. Everything. The monitors, the computer... The basement."
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 19, 2008 23:29:05 GMT -5
Claudia nuzzled her face against the very domesticated cow, the animal's coarse hair pressed into Claudia's cheek, and the familiarity of the sensation made Claudia relax. The only kind of life Claudia had ever known was this, touches of civilization amidst a wild landscape, first the desolation of the Siberian outpost, then the mostly uninhabited coastal area in Africa, her family's island, ile de terre, and now this island. A hunter gather lifestyle suited her, well as long as it included clean running water, Claudia did love a good long shower after a days work. She smiled as she stroked the tame spotted cow, before being led into Mikhail's house.
Everything was moving so quickly, Claudia's head was practically spinning. She remained silent, just giving appropriate nods in affirmation when it was needed. As she gazed at monitor after monitor and file after file, Claudia was like a kid in a candy store in many ways, she was raised to gather and decipher information, and here lay more information than she had ever seen. She knew her brain was keeping things light in order to maintain her sanity.
Not much of what she was being shown bothered her, but Mikhail's extensive row of weaponry turned her stomach. Claudia knew they were necessary, she just hated them all the same. She didn't mind a fight, especially when it was needed to convince the person on the wrong end of her fists, but she preferred it just that fists and skin. At one point Claudia reached and interlocked her pinkie finger with Ben's under Mikhail's desk as the large Russian man spoke and glared. She was scared, bt did't want to express it, the contact with Ben made it all a bit easier.
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 20, 2008 0:10:17 GMT -5
"As you can see, it's not the most high tech system, but it all gets us by." Ben spoke gently, not wanting to overwhelm her. This was the most tame thing she would see today, and she was already looking worried. Perhaps Richard had been right. But no, Ben refused to believe that. Claudia was ready, and didn't she look the same as he had when he had discovered what was really happening here?
He felt her hook her small finger in his and squeezed it gently. She would be okay, he knew right then. She would be just fine. Her small frame didn't keep her from being intimidating at times, but right now she did look nervous. Mikhail did tend to have that effect on people, Ben supposed. He leaned down to her level and whispered softly when Mikhail's back was turned to change monitor channels once more, showing them pictures of the Oceanic coverage.
"He doesn't mean to look so angry." He whispered to her softly, "It's kind of hard to look nice though, when you wear an eyepatch, you know?" He smiled and kissed her cheek quickly before the big Russian could turn again. When he did, Ben spoke quickly and solemnly, knowing it was what Mikhail liked.
"Thank you, Mikhail, your help is always appreciated. Claudia may be out here more often, and she has my permission to be, as well as His, if she wants to, okay?" Mikhail nodded and Ben gave his final goodbyes, leading Claudia to the door so she could get back out in to the open air where she seemed so much more comfortable.
He knew she would be comfortable at their next stop as well. Or well, at least at first she would be. The greenhouses. The Staff. More importantly, what lay underneath it.
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 21, 2008 21:28:37 GMT -5
Claudia breathed freely for the first time in a good hour as she was lead outside under Ben's protective arm. She knew that some sort of station had to exist linking Ben and the others of their group to the 'outside', she just hadn't imagined the one-eyed Russian sitting at the wall of monitors and other communication equipment amidst a pasture of long haired cows. It was quite comical now that Claudia was removed from the situation. The girl smiled silently instead of chattering idly with the man in front of her. She watched his feet, counted his steps, and let him lead to their next destination.
She let her hand trace over a few large open leaves and wondered what revelations the greenhouses could bring. She'd been there many times so perhaps it simply built on the knowledge she'd already acquired. She tried to stop trying to guess and simply be in the moment. If everything was going to change, then she knew she should savor the peace she felt right then, she hadn't felt like that in some time. She'd been racing to and fro for weeks, and it wasn't only because she loved work, if she was being truthful, keeping busy kept her from missing her family, and trying to solve the unsolvable mystery of her brother's disappearance. She watched Ben's shirt get caught in the wind and blow to his left, making her giggle slightly.
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 21, 2008 21:43:04 GMT -5
Ben led the way, his shirt blowing and ruffling in the wind, illiciting an intoxicating giggle from behind him. She was walking behind him all the way there, and he let her, wondering what she was thinking. It was unlike her to be so quiet, and he wondered if she was already double guessing herself. If she was, she would surely never believe what he was about to show her, but he had promised he would, and he took her hand to help her up the hill that led to The Staff.
As they neared the entrance, Ben took one final look around them, making sure all those on duty had been called away, as he had arranged it. He took her down one long row of plants, many of which were maintained by Claudia herself, and then pulled a switch, revealing an elevator that looked as if it hadn't been used in years, and for good reason. It hadn't. Ben stepped in first and held a hand out to her, inviting him to join her.
"This is where everything changes, Claudia. Once you step on here, there is no going back..." He smiled at her, hopefully reassuringly. He was ready to show her these things. He hoped she was ready to see. "The hourglass you mentioned. How it means you can look back and forth in time... Well, we can Claudia. We can look back and forth in time. Come with me. Let me show you."
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 21, 2008 22:01:38 GMT -5
All Claudia could think was "what the hell is an elevator doing there?" and then before she knew it she was being ushered inside. Science had no solid evidence of any sort of time travel being possible, but then again it couldn't prove it to be completely impossible either. She was already calculating a few equations in her head both in favor of and against Ben's most recent statement. She looked at his smile, that though was exactly enough to make her take the leap she had know this morning she would take, she wondered what the anxious tension behind it meant. His nervous smile surely meant she would find death, or enlightenment, or possibly even both. The one thing Claudia could not doubt was if Ben wished it so then it was the best fate she could come to, so she stepped closer to the man.
Claudia pressed her hand to Ben's, the hourglasses of their palms touching, and she wondered if anything like that had ever happened before. She also wondered what the heck had happened to her that she'd turned into a jelly headed ninny, becuase even though she was faced with perhaps world changing, cosmos altering information the thought that remained in the forefront of her mind had nothing to do with knowledge, science, or even the greater good. All she wanted was to press Ben against the wall of the elevator and kiss his lips again. To simply be in his arms and have him call her his. She steadied herself as the light grew dark and purple around her, "perhaps that's a frivolous notion at the moment" she thought a bit nervously......and then she saw nothing but light.
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 21, 2008 22:12:55 GMT -5
Ben felt her tension in the grasp of her hand, felt it in the quiver of her arm, so close to his in this small enclosed space. Their world became dark for a moment, and then the light of the real Staff shone through. Ben turned a handle and pushed the rusty old doors open. He wondered if he should show her the video first, or the capsule. He decided on the video.
He pulled up a chair for her in front of the small rolling television, like those you would find in high school classrooms. He gestured her in the direction of the chair and pressed the button marked power on the television, then slipped in the video tape. He watched her as the tape played, saw the reflection of the glowing picture on her face as her eyes widened, as she learned that time travel was not only possible, but achievable. Of course, this instance was only the surface. This man was talking about a matter of seconds. Ben listened as he gave the warning. "No metal objects must be placed inside the capsule for any reason." Except for one reason Ben surmised, and not one that would require him to do anything today.
Ben looked around the dark room at a musty old computer screen and some other odd instruments. He knew how to use them, when the time came. His woolen parka was hanging there as well. He looked at Claudia, wondering how she was taking it all in. The Kazimir Effect was often linked to time travel, but never truly proven until now.
"Do you understand everything you've just seen Claudia?" Ben asked as the video finally cut off, somewhat abruptly. "We can do it. We can see through time... And not just to the extent of what was said in the video. We can... well, we can move far larger things through far greater spans of time." He was hesitant to tell her he could move the island through time, part of him perhaps still worried she would scoff and laugh, part of him still worried she believed none of this, part of him hopeful and knowing that she did.
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 21, 2008 22:30:00 GMT -5
Claudia silently moved around the small space, for the first time ignoring the amazing man who was staring at her. She fumbled around albeit carefully, looking around for a pen and paper. Finding none, she immediately sat on the old, obviously not much used floor. She pulled her hat down tight over her ears blocking out any residual sound and ran her slender pointer finger through the heavy layers of dust and dirt that coated the concrete in front of her. Furiously she scribbled and erased, and scribbled some more. She said nothing to Ben except when she mumbled a few times for him to play and replay the video.
Claudia was very excited, most of this Kazimir Effect made perfect sense, it was not hard for her to wrap her mind around the possibilities as she worked until she was satisfied that the ideas were in fact sound. But as she caught her breath and sat still on her feet beneath her the 'other' variables that did not make perfect sense came flooding in. Claudia looked up at Ben, she wasn't sure if she should ask....but then if anyone would know he would. She crawled over to where he sat and searched his eyes to not have to ask aloud for fear he didn't know. " What I don't understand is why Ben...I can calculate the hows, just not the whys...."
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 21, 2008 22:43:58 GMT -5
Ben looked at the ground, somewhat surprised that was the question that came from the straight forward scientist. He thought she would simply be fascinated, unable to comprehend as everyone else was at first, but she had already accepted it and moved on to the ethics portion of the debate. He looked at her solemnly, and then smiled. She was truly amazing.
"Why... Why is always the big question Claudia. It's always the one that requires more than a three word answer on the test. It's also always the one we oft need discover for ourselves. Sometimes the shortest path and the longest path are different. Sometimes, not so much. Why we do things, is always a subjective question. Jacob has his own reasons, I don't question them. I believe he is doing what is best for us always. I don't want you to take my word for it though... You can ask him when you meet him."
Ben smiled, hoping to illicit some sort of reaction with his heavy final words. He was indeed going to bring her to Jacob. It was a final step really, to see if she was indeed worthy of all this newfound information. Ben believed she was, moreso than he had believed it of Tom, even. That did not mean he was going to take it for granted either.
"That will be our next and final stop today. There is still so much more, but before I can show you any of that, well... You must meet with Him." Ben walked up to her and took her hands into his own, his facade wearing slightly thin as he did so. He wasn't sure which of them was shaking anymore. "Nothing will happen to you. I promise it will be okay. Do you trust me Cloud?"
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 22, 2008 21:10:46 GMT -5
" Of course I trust you Ben," she said and she did. If this is what she was meant to do than she'd do it, she would meet Jacob. Claudia knew it did not always go well, the few that dared to speak his name were hesitant to even look you in the eye when speaking of Him. Claudia had no expectations other than being confronted with great power, and as she had seen before, great power was often difficult to contain. She touched one of Ben's cheeks with the back of her hand and then took a step away and nodded slowly, signifying she was ready to follow him once more.
Claudia followed behind Ben as he walked, much closer than earlier, only a step away. She tried to make mental notes of where they were and where they had been should the pair become separated, the girl had learned early on living in the wild so to speak, one had to be prepared for anything. She looked down at the dirt and it appeared as if they were beginning to come upon a worn pathway, and stones here and there were much smoother than they should have been, like they had been tumbled by water for some time.
This puzzled Claudia, many things did at the moment, but they were fleeting problems that she let pass quickly by, she kept her head empty of everything save the one thing she wanted Jacob to hear her ask....why was Ben sick, and could he be fixed......
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 22, 2008 21:35:41 GMT -5
Ben smirked as he saw her following close behind her. She was trying to mark their path, as everyone who went to see Jacob did. They didn't want to forget should they ever need to come back. It wasn't that easy though. The island had a way of making space and time a bit... well... fuzzy. That was really the only word to describe it accurately. Things moved differently here, on it's own schedule.
"Counting trees and stones won't do you any good. Fact is, I'm leading you to where nowhere meets everywhere Claudia. The key... is the ash." As he spoke, Ben knelt before her, causing her to almost stumble over him from walking so close. He laid his fingers on the hard ground just a few inches from the circle that always signified the location of Jacob's hut. "We're close now. You should leave anything in your pack that might... upset him. Flashlights, electronic equipment, anything like that if you have it." With those words of warning, Ben furtively crossed the line, the final threshold of the island.
He led the way up the small hill to the hut. He was feet from the rickety door when he pulled a match from his pocket, lighting the lamp outside the door and pulling it off the hook. "Jacob... It's me, Ben. I've brought someone with me to meet you. Her name is Claudia. She's ready, I think you'll agree..." Ben turned and nodded towards Claudia as he pushed the door open and stepped through first, motioning for her to follow.
"Jacob. How are you tonight? I was wondering if you would just... uh... speak, to Claudia. I asked her to come here with me. I think... I think she's ready to know."
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Post by Claudia O'keefe on Jul 22, 2008 22:29:07 GMT -5
The small rustic cabin was not exactly what she had expected to see, it was very out of place in the thick of the jungle landscape. It's shabby planks of pine and spruce were clearly not of native origin, and it's square design left little to the imagination, it wasn't exactly fit for anything or anyone but an old man with a banjo and a skinny dog counting fireflies at his back. Claudia sighed, if this was her last moment it was a strange one. Ben was urging her to rid her pack and being of the modern century, sh hadn't packed anything but food and water, so she just stood as Ben fumbled around in her bag for her.
Ben spoke aloud, and his voice was different than she'd ever heard it....he was scared, which meant then so was she, and yet she wasn't. Though she shivered, she accepted the things that were being brought to her attention, what other choice did she have after all. In moments she'd either be welcomed by a benevolent being with great answers, killed by rabid island raccoons, or perhaps there'd be nothing at all, perhaps Ben wasn't what she thought......
She held her breath as she stepped into the musty air of the old cabin. It was sparsely furnished, but it felt lived in, it felt...warm. Claudia almost never felt warm. She relaxed a bit as she took another step in. Perhaps this was good. She found herself drawn to a large mirror towards the back of the cabin, it was covered in years of dust and cobwebs that Claudia did not brush away as she stared back at a refection that she didn't at first realize was not her own. Looking back with the same light colored eyes that she remembered perfectly was her brother.
He was older now, 22, just as he should have been, and though Claudia hadn't seen him since he was still a boy really, she knew him immediately. She palced her hands on the old glass and the old glass pressed back. Claudia nearly had the wind knocked from her as she whispered his name....."Gavin" she called softly, and then a breeze whipped through the seemingly closed cabin. Claudia felt the rush of tears, the ache in her chest, the fear of ever leaving the place in which she had just found her missing brother... and then it was gone. There was light, there was peace, but there was utter and complete sadness. Somehow Claudia was outside again, barefoot, and crying, and bewidered.
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Post by Ben Linus on Jul 22, 2008 22:44:15 GMT -5
Ben watched as she stepped to the mirror, as her eyes widened and became beautiful orbs. But her mouth was curling into something that was sadness and joy and horror that he couldn't stand as her hands moved to the glass. He heard Jacob's voice, solemn and powerful, sweeping through the cabin like a wind. This was not the right time. He grabbed her around the waist as The White came and overtook them both. The White scared Ben. The White was nothingness. It was erasure. It was end. He dove outside with her body still in his arms, but felt her slip loose as they hit the ground together, bodies pressing together momentarily in a moment even Ben was not too terrified to enjoy.
He saw now that her shoes had been knocked off when he tackled her. Had become part of The White that he would not dare go near now. What had happened? Why had Jacob reacted this way. It made no sense to him. She had shown every sign of being ready, and in fact Ben thought still that she was. Perhaps something was wrong with him, some force from the outsiders here. Some force, or someone.
He noticed for the first time Claudia was crying, and he noticed for the first time he was in love with her. Ben moved towards her and tried to wrap her up in his arms to stop the crying. He didn't know what she had seen, and he certainly wasn't going to ask now, or probably ever. That was between her and Jacob, as his first time had been with his mom. He assumed it was something similar, but one could never know.
"Cloud, shh... It's ok, it's over. I'm sorry, you're okay... Nothing's happened to you... Well, except your shoes. It's ok... please... please I need you to be okay because I... I love you."
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