Ben's Flashback - Ben and the Hostile

Ben walks through the jungle. He's holding a piece of paper with the number 54439. He goes to the sonic fence and types in the code from the paper and then turns off the fence. He puts his rabbit down and it hops across the fence without getting injured. Ben goes on the other side and puts the rabbit back into his bag.
He walks through the jungle and hears whispers. "Mom?" He looks around. "Mom?" He runs, yelling for his mother. He stops, listening to the whispers. A man startles him. Ben backs up.

It's Richard Alpert. "Wait, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you lost? Wait."

"Are you one of them?"

"One of who?"

"A hostile."

"Do you even know what that word means? What's you name?"

"Ben."

"Ben. So you want to tell me what are you doing in the middle of the jungle all by yourself?"

"I left home and I'm looking for my mom."

"She's out here?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

"She's dead."

"Did she die here? On the island?"

"No. When I was a baby."

"Did you see her, out here Ben, in the jungle?"

"She talked to me."

"What did she say?"

"That I couldn't come with her. That it wasn't time yet."

"You should go home now. Your people will be looking for you."

"I don't want to go back there! I hate it there! Take me with you."

"Maybe that can happen. Maybe. If that's what you really want, Ben, if that's what you want. I want you to think about it. But you're going to have to be very, very patient."

Jacob or Show?

Ben and Locke continue through the jungle at night.

They come upon some ruins. "We're here," Ben says. "You'll want to turn off your flashlight, John."
"Why?"

"Jacob feels the same way about technology as you do."

He turns off the flashlight and they both take off their packs and walk to the door. Ben lights a lantern with a match. Locke puts his hand on his gun.

"Once I open this door," Ben says, "there's no turning back. Are you sure this is what you want? So be it." Ben puts his head to the door. "Jacob, I'm here with John Locke. We're coming in now."

They go inside. Locke looks around. There is a table and a chair. There are jars with red liquid by a window.

"Jacob," Ben says to the empty chair, "this is John." He looks at Locke, who stares back at him. "Aren't you going to say hello, John?"

"What?"

"I told you he wouldn't," Ben says to the chair.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Locke says.

"You can't see him?"

"See who?"

"Jacob. He's sitting right here in this chair." Ben looks at the chair. "Yes, I know, but he insisted."

"What is this?" Locke says.

"You wanted the secrets of the island, well here they are. This is the man who can answer every single--" He looks at the chair. "I am not! He made me bring him here! Did you think that that was my-- Will you let me finish?"

"You're crazy," Locke says.

"Excuse me?"

"You don't know anything about the island, do you? You just made it all up." Locke says.

To the chair, Ben says, "Jacob, please, I can't hear him if you're going to talk--"

"Stop. Shut up! You're putting on a show for me! Or, do you really think there is someone there?"

"I know there is someone there."

"You don't know anything."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, John. And I'm sorry that you're too limited to see."

"You're pathetic."

Locke walks to the door but hears a strange voice say, "Help me."

Locke turns. "What did you just say?"
"I didn't say anything."

Locke shines the flashlight on Ben. "Oh yes you did. You said--"

The door closes, things shake, a window breaks, the lantern falls on the floor and starts a fire. Ben grabs the chair and says, "That's enough, you've had your fun!" He's thrown backwards.

Locke looks at the chair and sees someone. Locke runs outside.

He waits and Ben comes out and hangs the lantern back in its spot. He stumbles over to Locke.

"What was that?"

Ben shakes his head. "That was Jacob."

The next day, Ben and Locke walk through the jungle. "What did you hear in there, John?" Ben asks. "What did Jacob say to you?"

"He didn't say anything to me. You did."

"What are you talking about?"

"There is no Jacob, Ben. I'm not going to be taken in by the little show you put on last night. You're a fraud. And it's time your people were told the truth. And this is not the way we came!"

"I'm taking us back another way. I wanted to show you something first."

"I've seen enough."

"You know, John, you're not wrong. Some of the things I've told you, some of the things I've told everyone, are not true."

"Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I wasn't born on this island."

"Then where did you come from?"

"That's what I want to show you."