Destiny

Category: Drama, missing scene
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Walkabout
Characters: Locke
Disclaimer: All Lost characters belong to ABC and the creative Genius J.J. Abrams. I derive no profit from this and no copyright infringement is intended.

The sun shined brightly in a sky that was almost painfully blue. A soft breeze caressed Colonel Locke's hairless head. All around him a battle raged. He could hear the shouts and cries of wounded men and smell the heady scents of gun oil, cordite, blood and sweat. Locke had never felt more alive in his life. A mortar shell whizzed overhead, too close for comfort. Locke reached into one of the pockets on the Kevlar vest he was wearing over his BDU and pulled out the high definition binoculars he was carrying. Scanning the far horizon he could see where the enemy had concealed themselves."What is the plan, Colonel?"His second in command, an officer known as GL12 whispered, stepping close to be heard over the gunfire.
"We wait them out." Locke replied. "With all due respect sir, I disagree." GL12 replied. " I say we strike now and strike hard. Catch them before they know what hit them."Locke looked at his subordinate. He was a good soldier, but too quick to turn to blowing things up as a way to fix problems in battle. He needed to learn that the mind was as much of a weapon as a gun or knife. A much more deadly weapon when used properly."Patience." Locke said. "It's something you young people lack, and something you need very much." He put the binoculars back in the pocket they had come from and picked up his P90. There was something about warfare that exhilarated him. It wasn't the killing, although he had no problem with that. It was the planning and strategizing, outthinking your opponent. Locke loved that as much as he loved playing backgammon, and for the same reason. He turned to GL12. "Patience." he repeated. "It's the hallmark of a good leader."
"What do you know about leadership, old man?" a voice said. Locke raised his head and looked around. The battlefield was gone. In its place was the dreary sameness of his office's breakroom and his jerk of a boss staring at him. "Care to enlighten me, Colonel?"Randy said derisively. Locke glanced at the game board in front of him,then back at his boss. He felt dead inside again, ripped from the excitement and thrill of the game. He sometimes wished his mind could be as devoid of feeling as his lower body. It would make things a lot easier. Sighing, he turned to Randy. "I'm just playing a game. It's my breaktime and I can do that."
Locke looked around the small room. Beige carpeting, institutional looking tables and chairs, vending machines, sallow fluorescent lighting. How different it was from where his mind took him.From where he wanted to be. He thought about the walkabout he'd be going on soon. Finally, he could experience what he only imagined. He would be free. More importantly, he would be happy. Everything would change when he went to Australia. It was his destiny. No one would ever tell him what to do again.