Author's Note: Well, all Locke fans please do not kill me, as he is portrayed very negatively in this chapter. (I did warn you guys!)

Morticia Black Rose: Glad that you are another Locke fan who forgive me for making him evil.

October Sky: Yeap, Sawyer is being set up and the problem is that he doesn't have definite proof of what he was doing, and things are about to get worse for him. Right now, it is just whether people would believe his words instead of Locke's 'suggestion'.

5:00pm

Minta quickly light the firework, letting the stream shoot through the sky like a trail of gold. Sayid would be starting his part of the plan soon.

"Hello Minta."

She spun around, her hand almost reaching for the knife in her pocket. She barely relaxed when she saw Locke, even though many others on the island trusted Locke, she did not.

"Yes?" she asked calmly.

"Lighting up fireworks?" the man asked back, sitting in front of her purposely with a cool deliberation. "Now, why would you do that?"

"Because I want to," she answered calmly. Inside her mind she was debating furiously, should she run out of here and join a crowd, or remain in the cave. Already she was feeling very nervous at the prospect of spending more time alone with this strange man. But she hated even the idea of breaking a promise to Sayid.

"So Sayid is at the plains, while Sawyer is in the jungle, and you are alone here." Locke said, his voice suddenly rather cold.

"Yes, but I am sure…" Minta's sentence ended abruptly as Locke pulled out a gun and without missing a beat, aimed it at her.

"Have you gone mad?" she finally whispered, not daring to even budge a single step as the gun was pointing at her womb- aiming at their child.

"No, although the gun might be accidentally fired, so if I were you Minta, I would be very careful."

"What do you want with me?"

"You will find this out later, for now…you better remain quiet."

Minta had to obey all Locke's instruction, which included putting a blindfold on and marching. She didn't dare to make any sound or struggle, as it was not just her life at stake.

She was guided into a cave, the way the ground's material changed slightly told her that. She felt a strand of slender rope tied around her hand, afterwards she was forced to sit down.

But she cried out when Locke took her hand and tried to grab her wedding ring off her finger.

"No! Please, not my wedding ring!" she begged, since the day Sayid first proposed to her, she had only took it off once, and that was to put it on once more at their wedding ceremony.

The piece of metal was cruelly wrung out of her finger, leaving her sobbing at last. The ring had always served as a reminder of Sayid whenever he was absent. Sayid doesn't know, but often his wife would think of him by pressing the ring against her cheek, or gently touching it.

"Why are you doing this?" she finally whispered.

"Because," Locke said simply, "I need Sayid to be on my side."

6:00

Minta tried to free herself by rubbing her tied wrist against a piece of rock repeatedly, but it was useless.

Surely Sayid would notice her absence now! Although they might not believe she was kidnapped as there would be so signs of a struggle.

At the approaching of the footsteps she tried to grab the knife in her pocket but it was no use, the ropes were too tight.

The blindfold was tore off but much to her surprise, it was not Locke or even Bonne. She knew it was not Sayid because he would surely tell her. Instead, she saw a woman.

The woman had long brown hair that was slightly tangled, falling over her stained top. A knife was jammed into her belt, while a rifle slung over her shoulder. Her eyes was dark and grim, but yet it was not unkind.

"Danielle, Danielle Rousseau." She whispered. "I have heard about you from Sayid."

"Sayid…" the French woman in equal softness. "I might have heard about you from Sayid too. Are you not Minta? His beloved wife.

Minta nodded. "Will you help me?"

Danielle grabbed her knife out and sliced off the rope around Minta's wrist, but with her free hand she pushed Minta downward, forcing her to remain sitting down.

"I cannot take you back to the cave as that might result in both our death." Danielle said grimly. "You don't know what John Locke is capable of. The best solution is for you to wait here with a weapon while I go and fetch Sayid. Hopefully, they will not kill you with a gun, so you might have a chance of fighting back."

Minta shivered slightly, she was afraid, but understand that she must be brave. Wrapping her hand over Sayid's pocket knife she nodded in agreement.