As she looked around, little bits of memory flitted through her mind. She was in a darkened room with a dusty dirt floor. Little streams of light came in through an overhead vent showing her the emptiness of the cell she was enclosed in. All there was in the room was a lone mug filled with musky water she suspected had been drugged.
How else could she explain her lack of memory over the past several weeks? She knew she had been in the cell for weeks because each time she woke up she had scratched a notch mark into the wall to help keep her bearings.
Goodness, she was angry. She could not remember the last time she had been so mad – perhaps when the disgusting Marshall had caught her in Australia. No, not even then.
Perhaps she admitted to herself deep down that the anger was rooted in fear, but she much preferred the power of anger to the shakiness of terror.
The Others. Oooh, she would kill them if she could. Although she had been somewhat reformed since landing on the island, she could see herself becoming the person she was before when it came to dealing with the Others. She had killed before…she could do it again if it was necessary. And in this case it definitely was.
But first, she had to get her strength back. She regularly drank the murky water they provided her, even though it knocked her out. When she was unconscious, they left her little scraps of food. Not enough to stay strong. Kate knew she needed to take action soon. The question was, what could she do?
She had never felt so helpless in her life. For just a moment she let that fear overtake her anger. Not fear for herself (no, she didn't care enough to fear for herself), but fear for Jack, Sawyer, and all her friends back at camp. They didn't deserve this. But, as she had learned long before, life isn't always fair. In fact, she thought, it almost never is. She learned that in order to get anywhere in life, you have to fight for what you want. What you need. Well, fight she would.
First things first, she needed to figure out where Jack and Sawyer were being held. She thought about the two of them for a moment, confused as always concerning her feelings. They both had their moments. They had both upon occasion made her smile, made her laugh, made her lust, made her wish things could have been different, and made her furious beyond belief.
Jack, with his God complex, she thought wryly. She was beginning to understand him a little better. He was a man with little care for himself – except for the fact he always had to be right. He was a doer. Most of the castaways worshipped at his feet. And she knew they had a right to feel that way about him. He had found them water. He had saved Charlie and bandaged countless others. He had comforted Rose- comforted most of them at one point or another. He had inspired hope in all of them. Basically, he was a natural born leader although he hated that role.
However, he was special to her. Jack had given her a fresh start and had been a real friend. Kate knew Jack was confused about the state of their relationship. She had run away the first time they kissed. God, she had been so confused and her flight instinct had set in. She was still confused, but was making a little headway in the right direction. She knew she wanted another kiss. Jack said he didn't regret the first one! Well, first she had to get them out of there.
Her thoughts turned towards Sawyer. What a frustrating man! What a sexy, in your face, funny, annoying, hunk of a man. Sawyer could make her want to laugh and punch him at the same time. She found all of his nicknames and dry remarks amusing although she tried not to encourage him by laughing. Kate thought she understood Sawyer, at least to a point. She understood why he wanted everyone to hate him, and sympathized with him. She also knew that he was not nearly as bad-ass as he wanted everyone to think he was. In fact, he was quite sensitive inside.
Couple that sensitivity with those dimples, abs, and that quirky smile of his and you have quite a package. He was also a steamy kisser. She thought smoke had been coming out of her ears after that kiss he had forced on her. No, not really forced, she thought. She had definitely been a willing participant once their mouths had connected.
Even with all their chemistry, Kate most appreciated their friendly banter and the smile he could bring even under the worst circumstances. She could certainly use that now.
She needed to stop daydreaming! She needed a plan. Hmmm…
Well, it is kind of hard to plan when you're in captivity and have nothing to use as an aid for escape. She would just have to use her brain.
Kate suspected she was being video-monitored constantly in her cell. She knew the Others were more high-tech then they would want her to think. So, she would have to be very crafty.
She would pretend to drink the water and pass out nearer to the door this time. When they came to bring her food, she would surprise them.
It wasn't the most creative or ingenious plan, but what else could she do?
Careful to act as she normally did so not to arouse suspicion, Kate sipped the water in the corner of the cell, then spit it out when she was in a lying down position. Hopefully they would not see the puddle by her head. Kate had no idea how long she would have to fake sleep before they came with her food.
Ten minutes passed…45 minutes passed… Kate began feeling sore from staying in the sleeping position…finally after an hour and twenty minutes, Kate heard a key to her cell door enter the lock. She prepared herself for action. She was going to hit whoever came on the head with her water mug. As the door swung open, Kate stayed limp for a moment… waiting for them to fully enter the cell. She peeked through the corner of her eye and saw that her captor was facing away from her. Ok, she steeled herself. Here goes nothing!