As much as I want to believe that the losties changed the past, I'm afraid that WHH is the only theory that fits with the evidence. Here's a rough sketch of what I think happens after the Incident:
1. The nuke neutralizes the electromagnetic leak, but only partially. At the beginning of season 6, the swan station will be built to manage the remaining leak. The concrete poured around the base of the station is to contain the effects of the radiation on the station itself.
2. The dharma initiative, fearing radiation exposure, refuses to send new people to the island. It begins dropping supplies to those who are left behind via airplane or helicopter to avoid exposing more people.
3. The surviving losties, with the help of Jacob, travel back to the future. Faraday's mother will possibly turn the wheel to cause this to happen. During the time jump, a Dharma drop gets caught in the window/wormhole/whatever and ends up in 2004
3. The dharma initiative delivers another nuke to be used as a failsafe at the swan after observing the effects the first nuke had on the initial leak.
4. After the purge, the DI recruits Kelvin to help maintain the Swan, ordering him to wear a radiation suit whenever he is outside the station.
5. Radzinsky kills himself after he begins showing the effects of radiation poisoning. He realizes that a only painful death awaits him on the island.
6. While many of the others survive the radiation exposure, they are rendered infertile.
While there is a certain logic to all this, it still seems, by Lost standards, fairly mundane. I imagine that the losties will also, a la Desmond, become unstuck in time due to their exposure. This means that they will have flashes of the past and future, and like Desmond, possibly an ability to change events within the scope of course correction.
On this note, Jacob may end up becoming their constant, hence the significance of his touching each of them.
I still believe that Locke will return, somehow, since otherwise, why go through the trouble of having Jacob touch him in The Incident? Plus, come on, it's Locke.
1. The nuke neutralizes the electromagnetic leak, but only partially. At the beginning of season 6, the swan station will be built to manage the remaining leak. The concrete poured around the base of the station is to contain the effects of the radiation on the station itself.
2. The dharma initiative, fearing radiation exposure, refuses to send new people to the island. It begins dropping supplies to those who are left behind via airplane or helicopter to avoid exposing more people.
3. The surviving losties, with the help of Jacob, travel back to the future. Faraday's mother will possibly turn the wheel to cause this to happen. During the time jump, a Dharma drop gets caught in the window/wormhole/whatever and ends up in 2004
3. The dharma initiative delivers another nuke to be used as a failsafe at the swan after observing the effects the first nuke had on the initial leak.
4. After the purge, the DI recruits Kelvin to help maintain the Swan, ordering him to wear a radiation suit whenever he is outside the station.
5. Radzinsky kills himself after he begins showing the effects of radiation poisoning. He realizes that a only painful death awaits him on the island.
6. While many of the others survive the radiation exposure, they are rendered infertile.
While there is a certain logic to all this, it still seems, by Lost standards, fairly mundane. I imagine that the losties will also, a la Desmond, become unstuck in time due to their exposure. This means that they will have flashes of the past and future, and like Desmond, possibly an ability to change events within the scope of course correction.
On this note, Jacob may end up becoming their constant, hence the significance of his touching each of them.
I still believe that Locke will return, somehow, since otherwise, why go through the trouble of having Jacob touch him in The Incident? Plus, come on, it's Locke.
