Hmm, wish I had a good answer for this one, but yeah I instantly think of Locke's old job. Perhaps the Tempest Station is used for more than one purpose, i.e. preparing food drops. Does its location on the island lend itself to preparing packages for export? Also, great thread! Hanso, Whidmore, Linus - I'd love to know the story there.

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That's why I loved the Lost Experience - it was terrific back story to the whole show, with money and power and secrets and all of that stuff! Yeah, I know what you mean when you are talking about "box." It's like playing Lost word assocation - we see box and the first thing that comes to our minds are: John worked for a box company; Hurley owned stock in said box company; Ben Linus made reference to a magic box from which John Locke's father appeared. Now we have a box maker - what could need boxes on the island?

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`Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!'

-- Alice, from “Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland”