Desmond is a man who was living in the "Swan"
Dharma Initiative research station under the mysterious
hatch. He crossed paths with Jack years before being stranded
on the island when both men were running the bleachers of
Dodger Stadium. The two have a brief but meaningful conversation,
in which Desmond explains that he is training for a race
around the world. During the race three years later, Desmond's
boat crashed on the island and, as he tells Jack, a man
named Kelvin emerged from the jungle and took him back to
the hatch. Desmond watched as Kelvin input the numbers into
a computer. When Desmond asked, "What was that all
about?", Kelvin just replied, "Just saving the
world". Later, Kelvin died, leaving Desmond in solitude.
When the survivors enter the hatch, they accidentally break
the computer. Convinced that the world is going to end,
Desmond frantically flees the hatch. Jack catches up with
Desmond, and Desmond tells him the code, and to enter it
every 108 minutes. Desmond then soon vanishes with his backpack
into the jungle.
Desmond returns in his sailboat in the season 2 finale.
He tried to escape but never made it. We are then given
his history. It seems Des was in the British armed forces,
but was dishonorably discharged and imprisoned. His girlfriend,
Penelope (or Pen) never received his letters which were
intercepted by her father.
In order to regain some of his honor, he decided to sail
around the world. A chance encounter with Libby provided
him with the sailboat. When a storm brewed, he crashed the
boat and was discovered on the island by Kelvin Inman, the
American soldier who taught Sayid to torture. Kelvin introduced
Desmond to the hatch and the procedures, and we discover
it was Kelvin who painted the UV map on the blast doors.
He also teaches Desmond about the "safety precaution"
key and the destruct mechanism. Later, he and Locke decide
to try and test the timer, after Locke tells him about the
other station and what he believes is the "farce"
of the button. Desmond, after reviewing the paperwork found
at the Pearl hatch, believes that he may have caused the
plane crash. At this point, the timer has already hit zero,
and Locke has destroyed the computer - it's too late to
stop. Desmond decides to sacrifice himself by activating
the EMP destruct to save the island.
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