Crimson
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost but I'm using the characters anyway – what are you gonna do about it? It's not like anyone reads this.
Summary: After an encounter with Cerberus leaves Kate injured and alone, she makes a deal with something she really shouldn't...
Rating: I'll put it as Teen, because I don't think there'll be anything really explicit... it is now getting darker, and (many) character deaths are guaranteed.
A/N – Okay, what happened? Did some government conspiracy crop up, where all the people who reviewed my stories were suddenly assassinated? I feel so lonely... and depression causes long waits between chapters. (Apologies to the three of you who did review last chap.) I was so uninspired, that this took way too long to write, and I'm still not exactly happy with it. It feels forced. Don't be afraid of hurting my feelings, if that's what you think too.
Chapter Thirty-six
Kate stumbled to a halt, her mind still reeling from everything she had just learnt, her hands shaking slightly. She may not have known why she had gone there, but she had certainly found the answers she was looking for.
Walking onwards, her legs shaking, she wondered what the voices would say if they knew she had met Jacob.
Oh, we don't mind, one/They said. Finally, Kate was able to hear the difference – they all spoke, but one was louder, slightly out of phase with the others. And it was male.
Jacob was always a good tool. But he isn't as special as you.
Why not? she asked. The only answer she got was a mental shrug.
We know what's going to happen next. Just keep in mind – do what we say, and you'll be fine.
Kate didn't reply, but there was a tacit agreement involved.
You're curious about this island. We could have told you about it. You didn't have to ask Jacob. Kate wondered whether that was a reprimand. In fact, we could show you something.
What? she asked cautiously.
We could tell you all about the Dharma Initiative. Just go south-east for a while, and you'll hit one of their stations, one you haven't seen before. There'll be information about them there.
Kate considered. There weren't likely to be people there, and that meant no more blood on her hands, for a while. Okay, she agreed, and changed direction. What harm could come from it?
Kate pulled the lever to the side of a large metal door, and it rolled up smoothly. Intrigued by the sophistication, she took a few tentative steps inside. She saw the familiar octagon, and wondered what this station was called.
The Tempest, sounded the voices, and she nodded vaguely, walking forward more confidently. It was quiet inside, and as far as she could tell, nothing was moving.
What was this place for? she asked, coming around a corner to see a variety of computer and chemistry equipment, all hidden in dark shadows. Where's the light switch? she thought, but there was no answer. There was a lever that might be what she was looking for, and she pulled down on it. There was a vague hissing sound from all around, which stopped after a few seconds.
"Not the light switch, then," she muttered. From the voices, there was a sense of agreement, and something else she couldn't identify. Undeterred, she continued exploring. Locating another lever, she tried it, too, and this time fluorescent lights sprung to life all around her.
There are books about them through there, They hinted, and Kate followed the direction indicated. As she left the main room, she didn't notice a flashing light on one computer screen that hadn't been there previously.
Contamination completed. Air will clear in forty eight hours.
Then it abruptly changed.
Contamination completed. Air will clear in forty seven hours, fifty nine minutes.
Jack paused, and then added another water bottle. He didn't want to waste time looking for rivers. He had some dried meat strips and a few mangoes. He had a compass, more to satisfy his own pedantic need for reliability than the actual value of the thing. He had a few standard medical supplies. He had a lighter and some cloth to make torches out of.
And he had a knife. He didn't always carry a knife when he went into the jungle, but he was going to today. Because he wasn't exploring, or going on a rescue mission. He was going hunting.
As he left the beach, he was looking around himself almost furtively. He didn't want anyone to know where he was going. It would, after all, be slightly hypocritical. He made it to the tree line without anyone speaking to him, and took one last glance at the beach. The air seemed different, suddenly. Thicker. It smelled... off. Like mouldy eggs.
Jack shrugged, and headed away from the beach.