OK, so, in the grand tradition of over thinking this show, AGAIN, I have a nagging voice in my noggin' trying to reconcile the digging with what we have already seen on the show, in the context of my own ideas and wonders.

I must admit, I was leaning toward "victims of an experiment gone awry" after the finale of last season, keeping in mind that we knew nothing of the others besides a few very odd details, it seemed to fit the goings on of the show just fine.

Well, after tonights episode I have found myself really questioning any "experiment" theories I had before. Breaking rocks could probably be some sort of oddball social experiment, but what we saw tonight felt less like an experiment than any scene we've had before, to me. They are clearing the land FLAT to build or unearth something there.

Pickett was looking at some sort of blueprint too.

So, how does clearing out and levelling property tie in?

After Ben's conversation with Jack, I am even less inclined to think "social experiment" too. Ben is not experimenting on Jack, he obviously needs him for something, and it seems to be a straight up offer of "Join me or sit in this cage, but you ain't going to camp." There was no master social experimenting I could see in that offer. Just a carrot on a string.

I think they are building something there, and the Sawyer and Kate labor was just a bonus to help them build what ever they are building. They had blueprints at the forman hut.

Also in the www.abc.com/lost (http://www.abc.com/lost) they point out the blue prints and question what are they building.