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Several hours earlier…

Sawyer was thrown back into his cell and into the chair. Not soon after, his interrogator walked in.

"I am getting damn tired of being shoved around, manipulated and then shoved around some more. Do you people have a point or are ya simply just bored?"

The woman stared at Sawyer, then wrote something down on her clipboard, like his behavior was part of the experiment. "Would you like to leave, Mr. Ford?"

Sawyer stared at her for second, trying to decide if it was a joke or not. "Yeah, I'd like that very much. Obviously I'm not a big fan of being kidnapped!" Sawyer growled sarcastically. He hadn't quite figured out her deal yet but he was working on it.

The woman untied his restraints, then stood back from him. "You're free to go."

Sawyer stared at her like she had sprouted a second head.

"Except you'll be the only one leaving. You leave, we keep your friend." She turned and walked out the door, leaving it fully open.

Sawyer curtailed his instinct to flee, why would they make it so easy for him? Did they only really need one of them? We'll he'd just go find Kate, couldn't be that hard to get them both out of there.

Sawyer was just about to stand up when he realized that wasn't a possibility. There was no way they'd let them both walk out of there, especially after all the trouble they had gone to. He had two choices and none of them involved getting Kate out of here.

Kate was still struggling with what to believe when Santa walked back into the room.

"Listen, I feel for you, that guy, Sawyer, he isn't a good person." Santa looked around and then lowered his voice, "We had a reason for bringing you two here, specifically. We judged you and Sawyer to be the worst of the island. Sure, there are others that have killed, tortured, done some pretty terrible things. But see you…" he pointed at her, smiling a little, "…and this was before I knew you personally, you and James Ford were bad. Right to the core. I don't know, maybe with some people it's just…genetic, instinctual.

"I can see in you though, that you want to be a good person, you want to change." He pulled something out of his pocket, "But Sawyer, well, he just proved that he doesn't care about anybody but himself." He undid the ropes around her wrists and placed a small gun in her hands. "I know what you want more than anything. We can get you off this island, the police will never be the wiser."

Kate's eyes had been stuck on the gun but she finally dragged her eyes up to his. "What about everyone else?"

Santa grinned, "See, I knew you were a good person. When and if, rescue comes, that's when we'll get you away. You just wonder off to the jungle, everyone else will be fine."

Kate nodded, she was sure there still some catch to this but he was right, it was the only thing she wanted, she needed.

"One catch. Like I said, that Sawyer is no good, in fact he's probably a danger to the rest of your crowd."

"You want me to kill him."

"Not like you haven't done it before and besides, you'd be doing everyone, including himself, a favour."

Kate shoved the gun back at him, "I'm not a murderer."

Santa stood up, not taking the gun. "That, my dear, is something you'll always be." He walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"So, you're still here."

Sawyer glared up at his torturer, "Yeah, I'm still here."

"Did you get lost?"

Sawyer smiled sarcastically, "Funny."

The woman smiled at him, "Well it's too late anyways. Your friend made your decision for you."

Sawyer eyed her suspiciously, "Are you playing more games with me, Crazy?"

"We view you as equals, so we gave her the same deal. Except she was smart and took it. Probably half way back to your camp by now."

Sawyer cocked his head to the side, "Do you really think I'm going to fall for your stupid bullshit?"

The woman just grinned back at him, "I'm surprised at you, you even knew her background, you knew her better than anyone. Yet you still trusted that she wouldn't run. We're all creatures of habit Mr. Ford, there's no denying it."

Sawyer tried to ignore the incessant nagging in his brain, telling him 'I told you so.' Would she really do that, Sawyer thought on it a minute. Damn, he was a stupid man. Of course she would, that was what Kate did. She ran.

"I'll tell you what," she moved closer to him. "I think we're done here. You can go."

Sawyer started to leave but she grabbed his hand. It had to be his imagination but Wild Woman was starting to look a lot like his mother. She pulled her hair back and Sawyer could swear his was looking into the face of his mother.

She placed something in his hand, "She makes you weak James, since she came into your life, everything has become so much harder." Sawyer looked down to see he was holding a gun. "Take your revenge James."

Sawyer felt tears burn his eyes, this wasn't his mother, rationally he knew that. But there was no denying it now, she looked exactly like her.

She raised her hand to his cheek, "Go."

Sawyer took one last look at her before turning and leaving the room.

Still holding the gun.