[We see Locke's eye open. We see him lying on the jungle floor. He turns to see Desmond running by, and he tries to call out but can't. He stands and Eko's stick falls on him, apparently from a tree above. The scene switches to the beach camp. Locke is dismantling his shelter while Claire and Charlie look on.]

CLAIRE: When did John get back? And what's he doing? Where's he been? Where's everyone else? Don't you think you should go find out?

[We see Locke bringing bits of his shelter to where the frame of Eko's church stands. Charlie approaches.]

CHARLIE: So you're gone for a whole day after a massive hatch detonation -- you don't call, you don't write? [Locke doesn't respond] Sorry, am I interrupting something?

[Locke looks at Charlie like he wants to talk. He gestures to his throat.]

CHARLIE: What, you can't speak John? You're mute? [Locke nods] I am sorry about that. So where are Eko and Desmond? Are they off being mute and building structures, as well? [Locke gestures to his throat again] I know; you can't speak. [Locke continues gesturing while Charlie guesses what he's saying] You need to speak? To me? What do you want to--? [Locke grabs a handful of sand] Sand? You need to speak to the sand? [Locke gestures toward the tree line] Trees? Yeah, I've heard they're wonderful conversationalists. [Locke walks toward Charlie] Hey! I don't understand! Who do you need to speak to? [Locke spreads his arms wide and spins around] Church? Sky? [Locke draws a circle on the ground] Island? [Locke points to say "that's right"] Island? You need to speak to the island?

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[We see Locke approach Charlie back at the beach camp, carrying a pen and pad of paper. He's written "I need your help" on the paper and shows it to Charlie.]

CHARLIE: I need your help? Since when do you need my help?

[Locke writes something else on the paper.]

CHARLIE: I need you to stand guard? Oh yeah, so you can talk to the island. Dangerous. Well, amusing as the mute game invariably is, you are aware, John, that I detest you, aren't you? You do remember repeatedly punching me in the face and accusing me of using heroin when I was not.

[Locke writes "@ the sweat lodge" on the paper.]

CHARLIE: What the sodding hell is a sweat lodge?

[FLASHBACK]

[We see Locke driving down a rural road in a pick-up truck in the rain. He stops to pick up a hitchhiker.]

LOCKE: Where you headed?

EDDIE: Eureka.

LOCKE: I can get you as far as Bridgeville. Come on, hop in. Come on.

[Eddie gets in and they take off.]

LOCKE: My name's John.

EDDIE: Eddie.

LOCKE: Hi, Eddie.

EDDIE: Hey.

LOCKE: Nasty day to be hitching.

EDDIE: That's for sure.

LOCKE: You don't mind my asking -- what's in Eureka?

EDDIE: I heard that was some work there cutting timber.

LOCKE: Oh, is that what you do?

EDDIE: That might be what I do. I don't know. All I know is I had to get out of where I came from. Mom's dead. Dad's a drunk.

LOCKE: Hey look at that, the rain is passing.

[We hear a cop siren and Locke pulls over.]

EDDIE: What, did you rob a bank?

LOCKE: [smiling] Afraid so.

[We see a Sheriff approach the truck.]

SHERIFF: Can I see license and registration, please?

LOCKE: Was I speeding, officer?

SHERIFF: Tail light's out. Can you both please step out of the vehicle? [he points to the truck bed] What you got back here?

LOCKE: Guns and groceries.

[The sheriff uncovers the guns and we see a few rifles and handguns.]

LOCKE: Now, the transactions logs and the paperwork for all of them is in the red notebook right there in that duffel. [the sheriff looks at the logs] So are we free to go?

SHERIFF: I could still take you in for picking up a hitchhiker.

EDDIE: That's my uncle. I called him. He picked me up.

SHERIFF: Get out of here. [he exits]

EDDIE: So what is with all the guns, uncle?

[Back on the island, we see that Locke has built a sweat lodge inside the frame of the church. He's mixing something in a coconut bowl, as Charlie looks on.]

CHARLIE: What's that? You're not taking drugs are you, John? I only ask because of the strict zero tolerance policy you've enacted, and I wouldn't want you to have to start punching yourself in the face.

[Locke shows Charlie a note that says: I need u 2 stand gaurd [sic]].

CHARLIE: Yeah, I know, I get it. You're going to go in your little magic hut and I'm going to stand out here in case you devolve into a monkey.

[Locke writes on the pad, and Charlie reads it as he's writing.]

CHARLIE: Don't come in -- okay. Okay, I get it.

[Inside the sweat lodge we see Locke eat some of what's in the bowl and ladle some water onto hot stones. Suddenly someone grabs Locke's shoulder and the camera reveals Boone in the sweat lodge with Locke.]

BOONE: Hi, John. It's good to see you again. [Locke wants to speak, but can't] What's that, John? [Locke mouths/whispers: I'm sorry] Oh, you're sorry. That's okay. I was the sacrifice the island demanded. [Locke mouths something else] Don't worry; you'll speak when you have something worth saying. I'm here to help you find your way again. So you can bring the family back together. Come on, I want to show you something.

[Locke tries to move, but his leg doesn't work. He looks at Boone, panic stricken, and tries to move his leg again.]

BOONE: [pointing off camera] John, you're going to need that.

[We see a wheelchair lying on its side with the wheel spinning. We see trippy flashes of superimposed images of Locke's face. We see the wheel chair rolling along with Locke at the Sydney airport, Boone pushing him.]

BOONE: John, someone in this airport is in serious danger. You are the only one who can save them.

[We see Charlie and Claire cooing over Aaron and Locke points at them.]

BOONE: Not them, they'll be fine -- for a while.

[Locke sees Sayid, Sun and Jin. He points as Jin and Sun argue. Sayid pats Jin's back.]

BOONE: I think Sayid's got it.

[Locke sees Hurley working as an Oceanic counter person. Hurley types the numbers into the computer.]

BOONE: Not Hurley.

[Locke sees Desmond dressed as a pilot walking and laughing with some beautiful flight attendants.]

BOONE: Forget it. He's helping himself.

[Locke sees Kate and Sawyer, very chummy in line. He sees Jack going through a metal detector, and getting wanded by Ben. Locke starts waving his arm frantically.]

BOONE: There's nothing you can do for them. Not yet. First you have to clean up your own mess.

[We can hear "clean up your own mess" being repeated in the background. Boone stares intently into Locke's face, then disappears. Locke is suddenly alone in the airport sitting at the bottom of three escalators. Boone appears at the top.]

BOONE: Come up here, John.

[We see Locke dragging himself up the escalator using his arms. When he gets to the top he puts his hand in a pool of blood and then sees Eko's stick.]

BOONE: Clean it up, John.

[We see that Boone is covered in blood with his shirt torn. He looks as he did in Locke's dream from Deus Ex Machina.]

BOONE: They've got him. You don't have much time.

[Suddenly Locke is back in the sweat lodge. He starts to leave and suddenly we see the image of a snarling polar bear's face. Locke stumbles out of the sweat lodge, frightened.]

CHARLIE: John! What happened? Are you alright?

[Locke picks up his knife and pulls it out of the sheath.]

CHARLIE: What are you doing?

LOCKE: I'm going to save Mr. Eko's life.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[We see Locke and Charlie walking through the jungle. Locke finds Eko's cross in some bushes.]

CHARLIE: Eko's cross.

LOCKE: He was dragged this way.

CHARLIE: Dragged? By what?

LOCKE: By a polar bear.

CHARLIE: Sawyer killed the polar bear.

LOCKE: He killed a polar bear.

[They continue walking. Locke comes upon a pool of blood.]

CHARLIE: What's that, John? Blood?

LOCKE: I'm going to go on alone, Charlie. You go back to Claire.

CHARLIE: Well, I'll take my chances.

LOCKE: You don't want to go with me, Charlie. Bad things happen to people who hang around with me.

[FLASHBACK]

[We see Locke and Eddie pull up a dirt drive. A boy opens a gate and Locke hands him a bag.]

LOCKE: [smiling] Hey, Bobby.

[They park next to a large tent-like object, and exit the truck.]

EDDIE: [gesturing to the "tent"] What's that?

LOCKE: That, Eddie, is our sweat lodge.

EDDIE: A what?

LOCKE: Anybody who wants can go in there, light a fire, get it nice and hot -- meditate.

EDDIE: Then what?

LOCKE: And then you're supposed to figure out what to do with your life -- you know, what direction to take -- go on in there and figure out if you're a farmer or a hunter.

EDDIE: So, which are you, John?

[The scene switches to a big group sitting at a picnic table getting ready to eat.]

LOCKE: Hey, Mike, Jan, this is Eddie. He's looking for some logging work, but I convinced him to come home and have some supper with us first.

MIKE: Nice to meet you, Eddie.

EDDIE: Nice to meet you.

JAN: Any friend of John's is a friend of ours.

MIKE: John's a very special guy.

JAN: Grab a spot.

MIKE: [referring to Eddie's shirt] So, you like Geronimo Jackson, huh?

EDDIE: Uh, yeah, yeah, they're alright. It's one of my dad's old shirts.

MIKE: Your dad has excellent taste. [he stands] Listen up, people. John brought a guest to supper. So everyone, this is Eddie [people say hi]. Eddie, this is everyone.

EDDIE: Nice to meet you.

MIKE: John, you want to say some grace?

LOCKE: Yeah. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the food and the friends. And thanks for the rain today so that Adam will stop grumbling about the drought [people chuckle]. And for me, thank you for helping me stop being so angry. And for helping me find a real family -- because they're a hell of a lot better than the one I used to have. So, let's eat. Amen.

JAN: Amen, let's dig in.

EDDIE: [quietly to Locke] Thank you. Thank you.

[Back on the island we see Locke and Charlie walking in the jungle. They come upon a large hole in the ground.]

CHARLIE: Is that the hatch?

LOCKE: What's left of it.

CHARLIE: What happened?

LOCKE: Looks like it imploded.

[They continue walking. Locke finds a dead boar lying on the ground.]

CHARLIE: What's that?

LOCKE: It's an active kill -- meaning that whatever was eating this is going to be back for more.

CHARLIE: If you want to say polar bear you can just say it.

LOCKE: [picking up a tuft of white fur] Alright, polar bear.

[They hear a growling sound.]

LOCKE: Run!

[They run for a minute and then stop. They hear rustling in the bushes nearby. Locke draws his knife and throws it in the direction of the rustling. We hear a cry. Locke carefully approaches, pulls some branches aside, and discovers a terrified Hurley holding a canteen in front of him with Locke's knife buried in it.]

HURLEY: Dude.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[We see Hurley walking with Locke and Charlie.]

HURLEY: They kept Jack, Kate and Sawyer. And they sent me back to tell everyone else that we can't ever go over there. Oh, and that dude we had in the hatch, Henry -- he was there. He's, like, their leader. [Locke stops and looks around] So, what do we do?

LOCKE: Do what they told you. Go back to the camp and tell the others.

HURLEY: You're not going to do anything?

LOCKE: I am doing something. Go back to the beach, Hugo.

HURLEY: Wait, where are you guys going?

CHARLIE: The island told Locke he has to save Eko.

HURLEY: Save him from what?

CHARLIE: Well, apparently, a bear's got him. It's just made an active kill. You may want to hustle.

HURLEY: Bear? What bear?

[Locke and Charlie continue on. Locke finds another tuft of polar bear fur.]

CHARLIE: What's that? More fur?

LOCKE: This way.

CHARLIE: You know, when I used to get high, I'd watch nature programs on the Beeb. Polar bears are meant to be quite clever. Very clever. They're like the Einsteins of the bear community.

[Locke doesn't respond, but keeps moving until he finds the entrance to the bear cave.]

[FLASHBACK]

[We see Locke and Eddie walking together at the "commune." They pass by a pretty girl.]

EDDIE: She likes you, man.

LOCKE: She does not.

EDDIE: Oh, yeah, she does.

LOCKE: She does not.

EDDIE: Yeah, she does.

LOCKE: She's, like, half my age, man. You'd be better off with her.

EDDIE: Uh-uh, no. Lizzy's too granola for me. What she really wants is a daddy -- like everyone else here. You should take advantage of that.

LOCKE: That's not really funny, Eddie.

EDDIE: It was a joke. It was a joke. I'm sorry.

[Locke and Eddie grab some baskets to go pick peaches.]

EDDIE: How come you never talk about your dad, John?

LOCKE: Nothing worth talking about.

[We see people carrying bags of fertilizer into a greenhouse.]

EDDIE: What's going on in that greenhouse over there? Maybe they need a hand with that fertilizer?

[Eddie starts to walk toward the greenhouse, but Locke stops him.]

LOCKE: No, no, no, no. They're okay. They're okay. Come on, we've got orchard duty.

[We see Eddie and Locke walking with their baskets full.]

EDDIE: What's the big secret, John?

LOCKE: Sorry?

EDDIE: The greenhouse -- what have you guys got in there? What are you hiding? Because every time I go near it, you and just about everyone else acts all weird.

LOCKE: Look, you're a guest here. These things take time.

EDDIE: I've been here for 6 weeks.

LOCKE: Nothing's...

EDDIE: I'm not blind, man. Did you forget you had a duffel bag full of guns when you brought me here?

LOCKE: Mike and Jan welcomed you here with open arms. They feed you. They give you a place to stay.

EDDIE: And Mike and Jan fold their hands every night before chow and talk about how we're family. But your family's got too many secrets. Now, I see the fertilizer going into that greenhouse. I know what's going on, and I want in.

LOCKE: In on what?

EDDIE: Whatever you guys are trying to blow up. [Locke laughs] What's so funny?

LOCKE: I'll talk to Mike and Jan.

[Back on the island we see Locke preparing to enter the cave.]

CHARLIE: You really think Eko's in there? Let's hurry up and do this, maybe the bear's out finishing his lunch.

LOCKE: You're not going in there, Charlie.

CHARLIE: What?

LOCKE: I'm going to do this alone.

CHARLIE: You don't get to tell me what I can't do. If I want to go in there, I'll go in there.

LOCKE: Why?

CHARLIE: What?

LOCKE: Why do you want to go in there?

CHARLIE: I don't need a reason!

LOCKE: Then go back.

CHARLIE: You go back. You don't have a good reason to go in there either.

LOCKE: I'm going in there because I'm supposed to go in there.

[We see Locke putting mud on his arms and face.]

CHARLIE: If it all goes to plan, we probably won't even see the bear, will we?

LOCKE: And hopefully, he won't smell us. [Locke grabs a spray can and puts it in his pocket]

CHARLIE: Hairspray? Now, I hate to be the one to point this out to you...

LOCKE: [smiling] It's not for me.

[Locke lights a torch he's made and steps into the cave.]

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[We see Hurley walking in the jungle. He stops when he hears rustling in the bushes.]

HURLEY: Bear? Is that you? Who's there?

DESMOND: You alone, brother?

HURLEY: Uh, yeah.

[Desmond stands up and Hurley sees that Desmond's naked.]

HURLEY: Whoa! Dude! I'm not alone.

DESMOND: Beach camp's right over there. Can you get me some clothes?

HURLEY: What happened to yours?

DESMOND: I woke up in the jungle like this.

HURLEY: So, like, the hatch blew off your underwear?

DESMOND: [coming closer] Fine, you want to discuss this in great detail right now? Let's do it.

HURLEY: No, no, that's okay. I've got something in here. [He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a shirt] How do you feel about tie-dye?

[We see Locke walking in the cave. He bumps something on the ground and discovers a toy dump truck.]

[FLASHBACK]

[We see Locke approaching the greenhouse which is being guarded.]

LOCKE: Hey Kim! Hey, Mike and Jan in?

KIM: Yeah, they were looking for you.

LOCKE: Good, good. Good timing then, huh?

KIM: [opening the door] Go on in.

[Inside the greenhouse, we see that they've been growing marijuana. Mike and Jan are quickly boxing up files and baggies of pot.]

MIKE: Got all the cash?

JAN: In the bag.

MIKE: What bag?

JAN: The one with the money in it!

MIKE: What about the bank records?

JAN: Leave them.

MIKE: Shouldn't we sort out what they can trace?

JAN: There's no time, Mike.

LOCKE: [approaching] What's going on?

JAN: What does it look like?

LOCKE: I don't...

MIKE: You screwed up, John. You blew it, big-time.

LOCKE: [looking completely perplexed] What are you -- what? What are you doing? Are you leaving? Why?

JAN: [shoving a folder at Locke's chest] That is why, you idiot.

MIKE: John, your friend's a cop.

[Locke looks in the file and sees a picture of a sheriff's ID with Eddie's picture on it.]

MIKE: Do you know how much jail time we'd get for this much weed?

JAN: Nice picture, huh? Got him fresh out of the academy.

LOCKE: No -- that -- he was hitchhiking. He told me he was going to Eureka. How could he possibly--?

JAN: He was waiting for you, John. He has been here for 6 weeks gathering evidence because you brought him here.

LOCKE: Mike, that's impossible.

MIKE: He played you for a sucker. Now it's over.

LOCKE: No, wait. No, wait, wait. Stop! We don't know what he's told them. He hasn't even been in here yet. If he's still gathering evidence and trying to make a case then it's not too late.

JAN: Not too late for what?

LOCKE: To protect us. To protect all of us. It's not too late to fix this. I can fix this.

MIKE: How are you going to do that, John? Huh?

[Back on the island, we see Locke in the cave. He comes across the bones of many animals, including human. There's a human skull and some cloth with a version of the DHARMA Pearl logo on it. Locke looks up and sees Eko lying on the ground, barely conscious.]

LOCKE: Eko!

EKO: John.

[There's some noise from the other end of the cave and suddenly Eko is being dragged away. Locke grabs Eko's arm and throws a rock at the bear's head to make him let go. Locke makes a flamethrower out of the hairspray and torch and sends the bear running. He drags Eko out of the cave to a waiting Charlie.]

CHARLIE: Is he okay? Is he alive? Is he alright?

LOCKE: He's alive.

CHARLIE: Turn him over. Turn him over.

LOCKE: Charlie, we've got to get out of here.

CHARLIE: Okay, let's get him up.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

[We see Desmond and Hurley walking in the jungle.]

HURLEY: So, when you say "turn the key" you mean like key, key?

DESMOND: It was a failsafe key.

HURLEY: That seems kind of convenient.

DESMOND: I'm sorry?

HURLEY: I'm just saying, if you had this magic key the whole time why didn't you, like, use it?

DESMOND: I didn't know what would happen.

HURLEY: So what did happen?

DESMOND: The failsafe key must have detonated the electromagnetic anomaly -- made the hatch implode.

HURLEY: You didn't implode.

DESMOND: No.

HURLEY: You're not going to, like, turn into the Hulk, or something. [Desmond sort of chuckles] So is that what made the blender noise? And the sky turn purple?

DESMOND: I'm afraid I missed that, brother.

HURLEY: Right, you were failsafing. Well, FYI, the whole island vibrated. And Kate and Jack and Sawyer saw it, too, right before they got bags pulled over their heads.

DESMOND: Don't worry. Locke's going to go after them. He said so in his speech.

HURLEY: What? What speech? All he said was he was going to go save Eko and kill bears.

DESMOND: Right. Right, of course. I'm sorry. I'm just a bit shook up.

[We see Charlie and Locke dragging Eko through the jungle.]

LOCKE: I burned that bear pretty good. I don't think he's going to be coming after us.

CHARLIE: Now that we've survived this suicide mission are you going to tell me what you saw?

LOCKE: What I saw?

CHARLIE: In the spirit tent.

LOCKE: I saw Boone.

CHARLIE: Boone? What did he have to say for himself?

LOCKE: He told me I had to clean up my own mess.

CHARLIE: Well, dead as he may be, I agree with Boone. If you kept pushing that button like Eko told you to...

LOCKE: We wouldn't have had to save him in the first place. Yeah, Charlie, that's what cleaning up your own mess means.

CHARLIE: Spoken like someone who's had a few too many messes to clean.

[FLASHBACK]

[We see Locke and Eddie walking in the forest, carrying rifles.]

EDDIE: No deer, huh?

LOCKE: Nope.

EDDIE: You talk to Mike and Jan yet?

LOCKE: Yeah, I sure did.

EDDIE: What did they say?

LOCKE: They said that I should bring you by the greenhouse tonight after supper and that they would explain everything.

EDDIE: Cool, that's great.

[Locke points into the distance, and Eddie turns to look, shouldering his rifle.]

EDDIE: What, did you see something?

[Locke aims his rifle at Eddie.]

EDDIE: What are you doing?

LOCKE: Did you know it would be me?

EDDIE: What?

LOCKE: In the truck? Did you know it would be me driving? Did they choose me?

EDDIE: They? John, I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Eddie starts to raise his rifle.]

LOCKE: I didn't load that one. So how about you just answer the question, Eddie?

EDDIE: Yeah, they chose you, John.

LOCKE: Why?

EDDIE: Because you hadn't been here long, didn't have a criminal record, and psyche profiles said you would be amenable for coercion.

LOCKE: Amenable for coercion?!

EDDIE: Hey! Lower the gun, John. Okay? This isn't personal.

LOCKE: What's not personal?!

[Locke is upset, his eyes tearing up; he's pointing the gun at Eddie, trying to shoot. Eddie starts backing away.]

LOCKE: Stop. Stop.

EDDIE: I'm sorry, John, but you're not going to shoot me. You're not a murderer. You're a good man. You're a farmer.

LOCKE: Nope. Not a farmer. I was a hunter. I'm a hunter.

EDDIE: I'm going to walk away now, John.

[Eddie turns and walks away. Locke eventually lowers the rifle without shooting.]

[Back on the island, we see Locke and Charlie carrying/dragging Eko.]

CHARLIE: Hey, John? You hear something?

LOCKE: It sounds like a stream.

CHARLIE: Yeah.

LOCKE: Let's put him down -- maybe get some water in him.

CHARLIE: I'll go. You stay here. [he exits]

LOCKE: [to Eko who's unconscious] I'm sorry. Sorry I ever doubted you. Sorry I gave up on my faith in the island. I messed up. Now our people are captured -- if I'd just listened to you -- if I'd just let you keep pushing the button. I could have gone with them, protected them. I could have saved them.

EKO: You can still protect them. You can still save them.

LOCKE: I don't even know where they are.

EKO: You will find them. After all, you are a hunter, John.

[Charlie approaches and Locke looks away from Eko.]

CHARLIE: Did you say something?

LOCKE: He's awake. Eko? [Locke sees that Eko is unconscious] Eko?

[Locke tries to give Eko some water, but Eko doesn't respond at all.]

CHARLIE: Maybe we should just get him back, John.

LOCKE: Yeah.

[We see Claire doing laundry at the beach. Charlie and Locke enter camp dragging Eko.]

CHARLIE: You alright?

LOCKE: Yeah, just keep walking.

CHARLIE: [to Claire] Hey!

CLAIRE: John? Charlie?

PAULO: What happened?

CHARLIE: We got him.

HURLEY: [approaching] Is he alive?

NIKKI: We need Jack.

LOCKE: [to Charlie, indicating a shelter] Take him in.

HURLEY: Jack's not coming back. They've got him.

CLAIRE: What? What are you talking about, Hurley?

NIKKI: Jack's gone? I don't understand. Okay, when were planning on telling us this, Hurley?

PAULO: What do you mean "they"? Who's "they"?

LOCKE: They are the Others. And, yes, they've taken Jack, and Kate and Sawyer.

PAULO: How? What happened?

CLAIRE: What about Sun and Jin and Sayid? Are they okay?

LOCKE: I don't know. I'm going to find our friends. [we see Hurley eying Desmond who's standing at the shore throwing stones into the ocean] I don't know how yet, but I will. We're going to find them. All of them. And then we're going to bring them home. But first things first, we've got to look out for Mr. Eko. So, Paulo and Nikki, bring towels and water. Claire, we've got to clean him up so bring all the first aid supplies. [he exits]

CHARLIE: [to Hurley] Not a bad speech.

HURLEY: Whoa.

CHARLIE: Whoa, what?

HURLEY: I just got hit with, you know, deja vu. [Hurley looks at Desmond again]

CHARLIE: [looking at Desmond and back at Hurley] Okay. Well, when that wears off can you get bandages from the kitchen?

[Hurley continues staring as Desmond. The last shot we see is of Desmond looking out to sea -- worried and slightly crazed.]