Trigger
Summary: What would you do for love?
Spoilers: "Two For The Road", "Three Minutes"
Disclaimer: iLost/i belongs to J.J. Abrams and Co. at ABC.
For a moment Michael stood in shock. In the armory sat a man in the corner, wearing torn clothes with a bandage over his shoulder. That would've been Jack's doing, he thought. The man stared up at him confusedly, and Michael almost forgot his task. This guy was affiliated with the Others. The ones who took his son. Anger raged through him, and the gun trembled in his hands, the trigger scratching into his skin. It hurt, but Michael ignored the pain. What came next would be even worse. The thought made him hesitate. What if his arm fell off? Was that possible? Would Jack be able to get the bullet out? He fixed Sawyer..
Michael caught himself before his breathing became to rasp. He had to calm down. Any moment now footsteps would pound on the floor. Jack would immediately begin trying desperately to save the already dead victims, in denial that it was out of his hands. Kate would watch tearfully, fearfully, as he worked himself to his own death to save nothing. Eventually Jack would have to give up, and that's when things would really begin to stir. Accusations would be made. Words would be shouted. And Michael would be laying on the ground, shriveling into darkness as he prayed his plan would work. Because it had to. He was tired of failing as a father, constantly letting himself down in his attempts to form a bond with his son. He was tired of being told it would be alright when he knew different. He'd seen different. They hadn't been out there. They hadn't seen the Other's camps, experience the confusion of the horrific truth. Being threatened. Having his own son's life threatened before his eyes.
Feeling his eyes water, Michael knew it was time. Tearing up like this would just be the icing on the cake for his act. The man in the corner watched in anticipation as Michael fought to steady the gun, catching the trigger in a firm grip. He closed his eyes, thinking former darkness would ease the pain. As he squeezed his eyes shut, he began to pull the trigger closer to him, inching his way to his son's freedom. Justification wrapped around his mind, finding a way into reality. He'd do this to save a life. He'd do this because he loved his son, and he wanted to prove it. Because when it came down to it, and the gun was in your hands, and all you needed was to bring that trigger forward one more inch, Michael believed a person could do anything. He'd seen it. He was experiencing it right now. He'd do this for his son, because he loved him. Because now, it was his turn to win.
So he pulls the trigger. It hurts, but he can deal with it. Before darkness he was only given a split second before he would fall into an unconscious mind, and in that split second, he couldn't help but to smile a little to himself, because this was it.
He would win.