Desmond Hume’s Time Jumps Part 5

Exponential Progression

"Oh, you're back," Daniel says. He checks his watch. "Out about 75 minutes."

"Out?"

"Oh, yeah, you were catatonic right in the middle of a sentence. I had to carry you to the chair. So, I take it you were in the future again?"

"Aye."

"For how long?"

"Five minutes."

Daniel goes back to the chalk board.

"Why does this keep happening?" Desmond asks.

"I'm guessing that in your case, progression is exponential. Each time your consciousness jumps, it gets harder and harder to jump back. I'd be careful crossing the street if I was you."

Desmond sees that Eloise is dead. "What happened to her?"

"She died."

"I know, but how?"

"Brain aneurysm, probably. I don't know. I'm going to do an autopsy on her later."

"Is that going to happen to me?"

"The effects seem to vary from case to case, but, uh-"

Desmond grabs Daniel and pushes him up against the chalk board. "If this keeps happening, am I going to die?"

"I don't know. I think Eloise's brain short circuited. The jumps between the present and the future, she eventually, she couldn't tell which was which. She had no anchor."

"What do you mean 'anchor'?"

"Something familiar in both times. All this, see this," he points to the chalkboard, "it's all variables. It's chaotic. Every equation needs stability, something known. It's called a constant. Desmond, you have no constant. When you go to the future, nothing there is familiar. So if you want to stop this, you need to find something there. Something that you really, really care about, that also exists back here in 1996."

"This constant, can it be a person?"

"Yeah, maybe, but you'd have to make some kind of contact."

Desmond picks up Daniel's phone and starts dialing.

Daniel says, "Didn't you say you were on a boat in the middle of nowhere? Uh, who you calling?"

"I'm calling my bloody constant."

Desmond gets a message that the number he is calling has been disconnected. He goes out of the room and down the stairs and falls.

Charles Widmore

At an auction, the auctioneer talks while some look at a painting of a ship. "The Black Rock set sail from Portsmith, England March 22, 1845 on a trading mission when she was tragically lost at sea. The only known artifact of this journey is the journal of the ship's first mate, discovered among the artifacts of pirates seven years later. The contents of this journal have never been made public nor are known to anyone outside the family of the seller, Tovard Hanso. We open the bidding on lot 2342 at 150,000 pounds."

Charles Widmore raises his paddle. Other people continue bidding, and Charles Widmore wins the journal for 380,000 pounds.

Desmond comes in, but he's not allowed to go to Charles. After winning the journal, Charles gets up.

"Mr. Widmore," Desmond says.

"Desmond?"

"Can I have a word, sir?"

"Walk with me," Charles says, and they go into the rest room. As Charles relieves himself, he says, "Your word, let's have it."

"I need to get in touch with Penny. I don't know how to reach her and her phone's been disconnected."

"There was a time when if you'd have asked her to marry you, I'm certain she would have said yes." He zips up. As he washes, he says, "I take it you've had second thoughts, you'd like her to give you another chance."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"It's not me who hates you. Here's her address. I'll let her tell you herself." He hands Desmond a card with Penny's address on it and leaves the men's room without turning off the water.

Desmond reaches for the faucet.

Penny's House

Desmond goes to 423 Cheyne Walk and bangs on the door. Penny answers and asks what he's doing there.

"I tried to call you, but you disconnected your phone."

"Yeah, because I moved. I don't know if you're getting the signals, but I'm trying to make a clean break from you, Desmond, so if you don't mind," she tries to close the door, but Desmond stops her.

"Penny, wait, I just need to get your new phone number."

"Why would I give you that?"

"I made a huge mistake. I never should have broken up with you. I know that now and I'm sorry."

"Don't," Penny says and tries again to shut the door.

"I know it's too late to change things, but I need to tell you something. I want you to listen to me. I know it sounds ridiculous. Please, Pen, I need you to listen to me."

She lets him in and says, "Just say what you need to say and go."

"I know this doesn't make any sense, because it doesn't make sense to me. Look, eight years from now, I need to call you and I can't call you if I don't have your number."

"What?"

"Look, Penny, just give me your number. I know I've ruined things. I know you think things are over between us, but they're not. If there is any part of you that still believes in us, just give me the number."

"What's to say you won't call me tonight or tomorrow?"

"I won't call for eight years, December 24, 2004, Christmas Eve. I promise. Please, Pen."

"If I give you the number will you leave?"

"Aye."

"79460893"

Desmond begins repeating the number and Penny says, "All that and you're not going to write it down?"

"It wouldn't do any good. You have to keep that number, you can't change it."

Penny throws him out and he says, "I'm not crazy, Penny, you have to believe me! You have to-"

Success

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