The Hydra

The Hydra
First seen	"A Tale of Two Cities"
Last seen	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"
Number	Unknown
Purpose	Zoological research
Status	used as a shelter by the survirors of Flight 316

The Hydra is a DHARMA Initiative station located on a much smaller second island next to the main Island. A sprawling collection of buildings and subterranean facilities, it is the largest station known to exist.

DHARMA Initiative

During the time of the DHARMA Initiative, the purpose of the station was zoological research. The station was connected to the Barracks by a ferry that ran three times per day. (Barracks video) The station had research facilities for experimentation on polar bears and marine animals such as dolphins or sharks.

The Hydra, the Tempest, and the Flame are unique in that the DHARMA Initiative did not build these secretively underground, but with out-buildings and, in the case of the Hydra, walkways spanning all over the land. In this sense, the entire Hydra Island could be considered part of the station.

The Others

Since the Purge, the station has presumably been under the control of the Others, and from Karl's testimony, is a place where they work on projects, away from their home (the Barracks) on the main Island ("Stranger in a Strange Land"). Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were held captive in this station. Room 23 also implies that the station is now used by the Others as psychological facility. According to Juliet, the Others were constructing a runway near the station.

After Kate, Sawyer, and Karl escaped, the Others evacuated the station and returned to the Barracks. The station at present is abandoned.

316 Survivors

Ajira Airways Flight 316 crash landed on the same island as the Hydra. The survivors moved their injured into at least one of the buildings. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

The station

Underwater section

The aquarium ("A Tale of Two Cities")

The Hydra station appears to have areas both above and below sea level. In the underwater section, Jack was a prisoner in the aquarium.

Aquarium

Juliet stated that the room Jack is being held in was an aquarium for sharks and dolphins. ("A Tale of Two Cities") At least one hatch leading from the station, opened by Jack during an escape attempt, holds back thousands of gallons of water, presumably seawater. A red emergency button also activates a pumping system to flush water from the station. Oddly, Juliet refers to the button as "the yellow button", though this may refer to the casing around the button, which is yellow. Nearby was stored the Hydra television which was brought in to show Jack videos. The playback device appears to be a U-matic format 1985 SONY UMATIC VO-5800. The code name for the aquarium is DIHS-A2B. ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Intercom

Jack listening to Alex on the intercom ("I Do")

In the aquarium, there is an intercom. Though Jack was told by Juliet that it did not work, he heard messages from it several times. Jack appeared to hear his father telling him to "let it go," a phrase he had spoken in a flashback off the Island. ("A Tale of Two Cities") Jack also heard Sawyer's screams, and part of a discussion between two unknown Others, talking about Karl and someone else (most likely Alex, and how "it was a mistake bringing those two here"). ("Every Man for Himself") Jack also heard Alex tell him to try to open the door to his cell. He found the door unlocked, and was able to temporarily escape, before meeting Ben and agreeing to perform his surgery. ("I Do")

Benjamin Linus in the surveillance room ("I Do")

The Advisory Room ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Depository ("Worth A Thousand Words")

The zoology lab ("Worth A Thousand Words")

The shark tank ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Surveillance room

Also in the underwater section is a small observation room, mainly used by Ben. Similar in construction to the monitors in the Pearl station, the room has six monitors, each with live video and audio from several cameras in the compound. Each camera has its own control panel with two knobs, three switches and a small red light. The Others can monitor areas of the second island, including underwater rooms and walkways, the operating room, and most notably, the cages. Ben has been seen listening and watching Kate and Sawyer in their cages, and analyzing them. A gun locker is located next to the observation equipment containing 3 SKS rifles, three WWII Walther P38 pistols, and several boxes of ammunition. This weapons locker is far smaller than that of the Swan, and may not be intended to serve multiple people. Tom refers to the area as "the surveillance room" in "Stranger in a Strange Land". Camera number 1 is fixed on Jacob's cabin.

Advisory Room

In the video game Lost: Via Domus, Elliott Maslow enters a room called the "ADVISORY ROOM". The Advisory Room has a code name which is DIHS-AR16. Ben and Juliet were waiting inside when he arrived. The purpose of this room is unknown. It is likely that this is a restricted section of the Hydra, and can only be accessed by high ranked members of the Others. ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Depository

The Depository is a storage room for the Hydra station. The room is equiped with various materials, including food and animal equipment. ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Research lab

In the video game Lost: Via Domus, Elliott explores a room in the Hydra that is filled with zoological equipment. This room has a code name which is DIHS-R38. The room was used for various zoological research and experimentation. There are several animal cages, as well as laboratory equipment. There is also a wall that has x-rays from a shark. It is likely that many experiments with dolphins, sharks, and other marine animals were done in this laboratory. ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Staging Tank

In the video game Lost: Via Domus, there is a large aquarium that contains two large shark tanks adjacent to each other. Above the tank there is a large metal machine that can carry the sharks and suspend them in mid-air. The Staging tank has a code name which is DIHS-ST1. ("Worth A Thousand Words")

Aboveground section

Aboveground, the Hydra has a number of other areas. Kate and Sawyer were held here for five days ("A Tale of Two Cities" to "Not in Portland"). It is significant that this is the first station discovered that has an above ground, unhidden section, perhaps indicating that concealment is not considered a priority on the smaller island.

Sawyer's cage

Cages

See main article: Cages

A notable section in the aboveground compound is two cages situated by a walkway. The cages seem reminiscent of the works of B.F. Skinner into operant conditioning, with required actions results in a "reward" of food and water. It was revealed by Tom that the cages formerly housed bears, presumably the polar bears observed on the main island. There are other cages made of weaker looking material in the surrounding area that Sawyer passed during Karl's break out attempt. These most likely housed other species as part of the DHARMA Initiative's zoological program.

Locker rooms and walkways

The shower room

Away from the cages, a walkway seems to separate areas of the Hydra compound. Inside what appears to be the main building is a locker room, first seen by Kate when she awoke after her kidnapping. The room contains a large number of lockers, as well as shower blocks.

Operating room

Also apparently in the main Hydra building is an operating room. This was first seen by Jack, who was brought to the room to try to help save Colleen's life. The area most likely has X-ray facilities judging by the images in the room, as well a supply of other clinical apparatus. With an observation deck above, it is possible that the room was originally used for teaching or observation during animal operations.

Ben and Jack talk about the status of the Operating Room - Ben reveals that it is a fully equipped facility, with all of the tools, devices, and chemicals a surgeon would need. However, it was earlier established that its Cardiac paddles and crash cart were broken.

Ben is taken here to undergo spinal surgery late in the episode. ("I Do")

Runway

See main article: Runway

Kate and Sawyer at the Quarry.

Nearby to the Hydra compound is a small rock quarry where the Others are working to clear the area for some kind of construction or excavation. The project appears to be overseen by Pickett, who is present during every scene at the location. Kate and Sawyer were forced to work on the site, ("The Glass Ballerina")  ("Every Man for Himself")  ("I Do"), whilst the Others seemed to lay what appeared to be a concrete foundation. Juliet later told Sawyer that the land they were clearing would be used to build a runway. She claimed that she hadn't been told what the runway would be used for. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")

Aldo guards the smaller Hydra facility building

Hydra facility

Also on the Hydra Island is a rundown building which seems to be quite large, and is guarded by Aldo. Room 23 is the room in which Karl was being held prisoner. In the room, Karl was forced to watch a video while strapped to a chair with a possibly drug-laced IV in his arm, wearing LED goggles, and being subjected to extremely loud drum-and-bass music. The video contained various images and featured a short glimpse of Gerald DeGroot and Alvar Hanso. it also states several religious statements, such as "God Loved You, As He Loved Jacob. (may refer to Jacob on the Island). ("Not in Portland")

Deliberation room

Juliet in the Deliberation room.

Also within the Hydra compound is a room with a lectern, likely used for discussion and lecturing. Juliet was seen here whilst on trial for Danny's murder. ("Stranger in a Strange Land")

Zoology office

Within the Hydra complex is an office apparently used by a zoology researcher. It is unclear where this room is in relation to the rest of the complex. The office contains a desk adorned with an animal skull and other samples, bookshelves and filing cabinets. Caesar searched this room and found issues of Life magazine from 1954 and several documents including maps of the Island and what appeared to be a photocopy of a page from Daniel's journal, showing a time-related diagram. He also found a sawed-off shotgun hidden under the desk. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

Name

• The names of the stations seem to be related to Apollo from Greek mythology. There is a story where Apollo sends his bird to fetch water. The bird is late returning the water. Because he fears Apollo, he captures the Hydra, takes it back to Apollo and blames it for his mistakes. Apollo sees through the deception and punishes them both.
• The Hydra, itself is a many-headed monster from Greek myth, and was killed by Heracles as one of the twelve tasks he was given after a terrible crime. Theoretically it could not be killed - if a head were cut off, several more would grow in its place.
  • The monster was a sibling to Chimera and Cerberus. It is of note that in medicine a genetic Chimera is a product of both natural and artificial genetic mixing, and can relate to the Hydra Station's purpose in genetic experiments on animals.
• The word HYDRA also means "Any persistent or ever-increasing evil with many sources and causes"
• HYDRA is also a constellation. "Hydra is the longest constellation in the sky and is also the largest in terms of area. It is so long that it takes more than six hours to rise completely. Along its northern side, we can observe the zodiacal signs of Cancer, Leo, Virgo and Libra.The stars in the serpent's head appear to be at the same distance but they are really very far away from each other. The northernmost of the six stars in the head of the serpent, Epsilon Hydrae, is a quintuple star - a system of five stars. Alphard (Arabic for "the solitary one") is Hydra's brightest star."
• The Hydra is a genus of a freshwater invertebrate possessing radial symmetry and capability to regenerate amputated appendages, and biologically immortal. This sense of hydra appears to be the source of the station's symbol.
• In Greece, there is an actual island named Hydra, 38 nautical miles south of Athens.
• Ὕδωρ (hydor) is Ancient Greek for "water". The word Ὕδρα (Hydra) means creature of the water.

Other references to the Hydra

Hydra collar

• The Hydra symbol can be seen on a metal collar found by Charlotte with a polar bear skeleton in Tunisia. ("Confirmed Dead")

Logo

The Red Hydra Logo

The Red Hydra Logo has appeared on all of the Hydra gear on the ABC online store. Damon Lindelof was seen in the first video podcast wearing a hat with the Red Hydra Logo. It is unknown which is the "real" Hydra Logo (the "white" logo or the "red" logo), but the Red Logo never appeared on Lost. The white Logo is considered canon since it appeared inside and outside the Hydra station.

Status

As of "Stranger in a Strange Land", the status of the Hydra is abandoned seeing as the Others rowed out to a small motor boat shortly after Ben's surgery, en route to the Barracks. ("Stranger in a Strange Land") As of "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2", the Hydra's status was declared moved as Frank Lapidus could not seem to spot it after the main island was moved. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2"). In The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham The Survivors of Flight 316 were revealed to have crashed on the Hydra Island in presumably the present and now occupy the island. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")

Notable Visitors

Almost all of the Others have been seen at the Hydra because they work there.

Picture	Name	First visit	Last visit	Reason for Visit
	Jack	"A Tale of Two Cities"	"Stranger in a Strange Land"	Was held prisoner in the aquarium where he conducted surgery on Ben. Jack was also held in Sawyer's cage above ground.
	Kate	"A Tale of Two Cities"	"Not in Portland"	Was held prisoner in polar bear cages opposite Sawyer.
	Sawyer	"A Tale of Two Cities"	"Not in Portland"	Was held prisoner in polar bear cages opposite Kate.
	Locke	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	Crashed on the Hydra Island on Ajira Airways Flight 316
	Caesar	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	Crashed on the Hydra Island on Ajira Airways Flight 316
	Ilana	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"	Crashed on the Hydra Island on Ajira Airways Flight 316
	Elliott	"Worth A Thousand Words"	"Worth A Thousand Words"	(*Non-canon*) Was held prisoner in the aquarium and then made a deal in the Advisory Room with Ben and Juliet to bring Jack to them for a boat off the Island.
	Lisa	"Worth A Thousand Words"	"Worth A Thousand Words"	(*Non-canon*) Appeared in a vision inside of the aquarium cell that Elliott was held captive in.

Trivia

Hydra viridissima

• On the first official video podcast, the Hydra logo can be seen on Damon Lindelof's hat. This was shown before "A Tale of Two Cities" was aired, and was the first official mention of the station.
• In the orientation video that was shown to new arrivals for The DHARMA Initiative, it was mentioned that the Pala Ferry would take people to the Hydra if they were assigned a zoological position. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Hydra/Theories

• Why was the station located on a separate island?
• What animal research was being conducted at the station?
• What happened to the hydra when the island was moved by Ben?

See also

• Hydra Island
• Hydra television
• Hydra Orientation
• U-matic