Three Years Ago…

As John Locke ascended in the elevator from the hidden level of the Orchid station and set out to finally take up his role as leader of the people who, until very recently, he had referred to as the 'Others', Benjamin Linus was still making his way downward into the heart of the Island. Through the fissure he had created in the back of the vault and down the rickety wooden ladder into the concealed ice chamber, he slipped the last couple of rungs and came crashing to the frosty floor with a crunch of ice. He stood up gingery and with a little difficulty on the slippery surface of the cave and looked down at his arm which was concealed by the sleeve of his Dharma Parker. A splinter of wood from the ladder had buried itself deep within his arm and a small amount of blood was pouring out from the wound. Ben reached down and pulled out the sharp piece of wood as he advanced on the far wall of the cavern. It was covered in hieroglyphics and had an old, wooden wheel embedded in it, like a donkey wheel.

Ben knew instinctively that this was what he was supposed to do. Jacob had said this to John, and he was now paying the price for failing to serve the Island. He had not known exactly what it would look like: as far as he knew, none of his people – even Richard – had ever come this close to the source. When he stopped to think about it properly, there were quite a lot of mysteries which even he did not know the answer to, and in some respects he was no better off than the survivors of Oceanic 815. He didn't even know where this frozen donkey wheel had come from or who had constructed it, but he knew that it was a method of last resorts by which to move the Island. He knew that all of the past leaders of his people – including Widmore and Hawking – knew this too, but he had no idea what this action would have on some of the inhabitants of the Island.

'I hope you're happy now, Jacob' he murmured, almost to himself. Self-pity and melancholy could be heard clearly in his voice and seen in his face as he gripped the wheel and, after dislodging it from its previous position where it had become frozen in place; he began to turn it in a clockwise direction. It took considerable physical and mental strength to move it, and the slippery texture of the cave floor made it even more difficult. As he began to make progress, a bright light shone from the wheel itself and as he was enveloped in it and disappeared into the unknown, he felt a fear which he hadn't felt since his early childhood, before he had arrived on the Island. He was almost positive that he would never return and as he was transported through space and time, the Island was experiencing a similar movement.

From their position on the Helicopter, the Oceanic 6 saw their former home disappear, leaving open sea in its place.

Present Day

'So, let me just get this right' Donna was saying to the Doctor as he ran around the TARDIS, flipping switches and turning wheels, 'We're going to an island?' Disbelief was evident in her voice, as was a touch of disappointment. She had become used to travelling with the Doctor by now and was accustomed to his journeys into the past or distant future, or to exotic planets in other galaxies. If she wanted to go to a boring island on present day earth then she would go on a package holiday with her mum.

Donna was an adventurer at heart. Even before she had met the Doctor she had been moving from job to job working as a Temp, unable to settle anywhere for long. And after she met him, her life changed forever. She saw the creation of Earth from on board the TARDIS and left the Doctor to explore her own back yard. She began an investigative career with hopes of meeting the Doctor again, unwilling to let him go again. She had become addicted to the drama and adventure which was associated with the Doctor and which seemed to follow him around. She was going to stay with him forever and the prospect of going back to a normal life was laughable. With this in mind, the idea of going to a sparsely populated island in the South Pacific was a little dull to her. She watched the Doctor make some final adjustments to the controls and then went to sit beside him as he settled down on the bench against the wall.

'It's not just and island' he said as he turned to her. He had an excited twinkle in his eye and was smiling broadly. This convinced Donna more than anything else that she had been wrong to suspect a boring trip – the Doctor was even more into drama and adventure than her.

'Go on then, lets have it' she said, smiling as well by now, 'what is it about this island that's got you all worked up?'

'Well, it seems to be travelling in time' he said.

'What, the whole island? Like the TARDIS?'

'That's the thing though' he said, becoming serious again. 'Only the Time Lords ever had control of the technology capable of time travel. Sure, the Daleks knew how to perform emergency temporal shifts but nothing as precise or localised as this. And that makes me think that something is happening on that island which has something to do with my people. I know for sure that I am the last of the Time Lords – at one point I would have suspected the Master but I watched him die…it's always a possibility though…'

His train of thought trailed off as Donna took in what had just been said. 'So, if you're so sure that it isn't a Time Lord then what do you think?'

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, as though he had been deep in concentration, and looked back at her. 'I'm not sure' he admitted, 'but were gonna find out' he said, smiling again as he jumped to his feet and clapped his hands together. The TARDIS had arrived at its destination and he ran to the doors and flung them open.

Donna could see a sandy beach through the doors and knew that if the TARDIS's protection didn't stop extraneous weather conditions from affecting those inside, she would be able to feel the heat of a warm sun on her face. This heat, as well as the dampness of the humid air and the sound and spray of the sea all assaulted her as she stepped out onto the sand. The Doctor took off his long brown overcoat and threw it back into the TARDIS before locking its doors and putting the key around his neck. They walked a short distance down the beach and then turned back to look at the TARDIS. It looked absurd stood in the sun on a tropical beach, looking for all the world like an English Police Box. The Doctor sighed and looked a little sheepishly at Donna. 'It's times like this that I really wish I had taken the time to fix the chameleon circuit' he said with another sigh.

Donna was busy thinking. The Doctor had set the TARDIS to land nearby the largest congregation of people on the island, so that they could begin collecting information and evidence immediately. However, as she looked around the beach and squinted into the darker jungle which bordered it, she could see nobody besides the Doctor and herself. She expressed this concern to the Doctor.

'Look down' he said with a grin.

'What?'

'Just look down'. He was smiling at her like a Cheshire Cat and so she looked down and immediately saw what he was talking about: there were multiple sets of footprints in the sand heading in the same direction. It was mid-morning so the footprints could have been from the night before but the Doctor had begun to follow them so Donna hurried along in his wake.

They continued for quite some time, until the TARDIS was out of sight and they still had no idea where the footprints would end. At last they rounded a corner of the beach and saw something in the distance that made Donna's jaw drop: a group of people were crowded around the base of a statue of a giant foot. Muffled shouts reached her ears and she could tell that an argument was going on. One group of these people were surrounding an upturned metal container with something inside it. She turned to the Doctor.

'Now What?'

He looked at her and smiled again. 'Now, we go on another adventure', and with badly contained glee he began to walk down the remaining stretch of beach towards the statue with Donna hurrying to keep up.

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