The Discharge, or the implosion of the Swan happened when Desmond turned the fail-safe key. Locke had destroyed the computer, making it impossible to reset the countdown. The countdown reached to zero, causing a system failure. Desmond was forced to turn the fail-safe key, which was kept inside his book, Our Mutual Friend. When he turned the key, their was a bright light, and the sky turned a violet color, and the entire island shook. There was an electromagnetic pulse, which disabled all communications on the island. The pulse was so strong, that it was detected at a listening station, possibly in Antarctica. The people there told Penny that they found it.

The Swan imploded, only leaving a crater where it once was. Desmond, Locke, Mr. Eko, and Charlie managed to survive the implosion. Desmond relived part of his life during the discharge, and had acquired the power of premonitions, in which he sees flashes of the future.

Questions:

• How did they survive the implosion?
• How was the discharge detected at the listening station?