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When Rousseau seeks out Sayid to present him with a mysterious prisoner, the former Republican Guard flashes back to a crucial juncture during the first Gulf War. The setting is an Iraqi bunker, and the Americans are dropping bombs all around. As the Iraqis attempt to destroy crucial documents, the Americans kick in the doors and capture numerous enemy combatants including Sayid. At first Sayid lies to the Americans, telling them that his commanding officer Tariq fled before the invasion. Subsequently led to a room where Tariq is bound to a chair, however, Sayid realizes that his captors are one step ahead. It seems that the Americans are searching for a missing helicopter pilot, and Tariq is the only man who knows the location where the pilot is being held. Tariq won't talk to the Americans, so now it's up to Sayid to extract the information by using more nefarious tactics. Back on the island, Sayid spots Rousseau on the beach. She says that she want to show Sayid something, leading him back in the jungle to a man caught in net. Later, down in the hatch, Sayid is forced to revert to tactics he swore he would never use again in order to get the prisoner talking. What the man says leads Sayid to believe he may be a victim of circumstance, just like the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Still, Sayid needs to be sure, and he knows a few foolproof methods of discovering the truth no matter how hard a prisoner tries to hide it.