Lost Rewind - Chapter 1 - The Consultant by Scott Gingold

Lost Rewind goes back to the beginning of the show and revisits the story from the perspectives of other characters and fills in the gaps the show left out. I try to remain as consistent as possible to the original story. It's written in novel format.

Story below


Lost Rewind

by Scott Gingold

Chapter 1 - The Consultant

Walt read the free airline magazine, pretending to ignore his father Michael who was seated next to him. As Flight 815 soared through the clouds, Walt could not help the feeling that his choices had been taken away from him and this left him with a deadening feeling of resentment towards Michael. Walt looked around the plane hoping that maybe someone else there felt as lonely and as isolated as he did. He caught the eye of a bald man who was reading a book about the Australian outback. Walt had been living in Australia for the last several years and couldn't imagine why anyone would find Australia interesting.
"How're doin'?" asked Michael as Walt stared down at his magazine.
"Fine," Walt responded.
"We'll be home soon enough."
"Whose home?"
"Both of ours."
"It's not my home. My home's in Sydney."
"Walt, you better get used to the idea of living with me now."
"Whatever."
"Fine, yeah, whatever," said Michael as he slouched back in his seat angrily. As he sat there in silence, feeling sorry for himself and his estranged son, Michael slowly nodded off to sleep.

***

In late August of 2004, Walt had gone to the office with his adoptive father Brian to pick up a couple things that Brian had left there. The office was empty as everyone had already gone home for the day. Brian was at his desk, searching through papers, as Walt went wondering the darkened hallways. As Walt passed by office after empty office, he caught a glimpse of a man sitting behind a desk in the dark. He walked back to the office and curiously stepped inside. As he moved closer, Walt could see that the man had blonde hair and a deadpan expression on his face. He was dressed neatly in a business suit with a red necktie.
"Why are you sitting in the dark," asked Walt to the man behind the desk.
"Waiting for you," replied the strange man.
"What do you mean? I don't know you. Do you work with Brian Porter?"
"Yes I do. I know your father very well."
"He's not really my father. I mean sorta."
"I'm sure he wouldn't like it if he heard you said that."
"Listen, I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
"I'm not a stranger, I'm a consultant. Brian and I were talking just this morning, in fact."
"What about, business?"
"Actually we were talking about you."
"Did you say before you were waiting for me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Walt, do you feel different than your friends?"
"I don't really have any friends."
"Than the other children at school, do feel different?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever been able to do things out of the ordinary?"
"I guess."
"Brian told me about the bird."
"What?"
"He told me that you made the bird fly into the window the other day."
"No I didn't. It was an accident. I didn't make ..."
"Yes you did."
"Look, I've never met you before. And I don't want to talk about this."
"Walt, we have met before. In fact I came to see you when you were very little. I held you in my arms when you were just a baby."
"But Brian didn't know my mom, when I was a baby."
"No he didn't, but I've known your mother long before she met Brian. Who do you think introduced them?"
"Okay, so you're my mom's friend. Fine. Why are you asking me about the bird?"
"You're special Walt."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"How do you know that?"
"Because you're just like me."
"Oh yeah, how are you special?"
"Walt, would you believe me if I told you that there's a place in this world, a place of great energy and power and that only a few people in the entire world had the ability to harness that power?"
"No. What are talking about."
"I'm talking about you Walt. You have a gift. The bird, you were able to make the bird come to you."
"But I didn't want to hurt it. It just happened."
"Because you were angry."
"Yeah. I guess so."
"Sometimes that's how it works Walt. It can happen when we don't want it to, but if we learn how to control it, it can also happen when we do want it to."
"I'm not sure I'm following you."

"Walt," called Brian's voice from the hallway, "Walt, where are you?"
"I'm in here with ... what's your name?," but as he turned to the man behind the desk, he was gone. Walt looked around but the man was no where to be seen. Brian walked into the office and looked around.

"Walt, what were you doing in here," asked Brian.
"I was talking to your friend, the consultant. He said he knows Mom."
"I don't know what your talking about. I don't know any consultant. There's nobody here, everyone's gone home for the day."
"But I was just talking to him."
"Look, let's go home, maybe you're just tired."

Walt looked around, upset and walked out the empty office.

***

The airplane had hit some turbulance and the oxygen masks popped down from above everyone's heads. Walt was terrified as Michael helped put an oxygen mask on his face, before Michael placed one onto his own face.
"It'll be okay Walt, it's just a little turbulance," said Michael as the plane started to rumble.
Almost immediately the back half of the plane ripped off and several people flew out into the open cavity. Walt saw a man get hit in the head with a briefcase and blood pour out. Walt grabbed Michael and held on tightly until the plane hit the ground.

Walt woke up surrounded by lots of green plants and small red flowers. He was disoriented and dizzy. As he rose to his feet, he could hear people's screams. He walked a little further and saw a man in a suit running through the trees.
"Hey," he shouted, but the man did not hear him.
He ran himself until he glimpsed water on the horizon. Walt ran out of the jungle and was bombarded with the sight and sounds of the plane wreckage. An asian man was screaming in a foreign language. A blonde woman was crying and clutching her belly. And then he heard Michael screaming his name. Walt ran over to his father and wrapped his arms around him.
"Walt, are you okay."
"Yeah I'm fine, you?"
"Fine, man, where were you?"
"I woke up in the trees. What happened?"
"Our plane crashed, man, it's all over the place. I didn't pass out, I saw the whole thing. It was horrible. Are you sure you're okay Walt."
"Yeah, I'm fine.