Chapter 5: Return to the Black Rock

A cool mist brought Jack back to consciousness. At first he luxuriated in the soothing mist, letting the water cool his face. Then the memories from the past day came back, flooding into his mind like an uncontrollable tide of pain, suffering, and frustration. He snapped open his eyes.

He was back outside in the jungle, surrounded by dense walls of vegetation. A light mist was falling, blanketing the jungle in a film of water. Jack sat up and grimaced. His shoulder still hurt; and now on top of it, his head pounded. Squinting against the pain stabbing behind his eyes, he surveyed the immediate area. He recognized the area, but he still had no idea where he was. Crawling forward, his hand bumped something metal. Brushing off some of the plants growing on it, he uncovered a metal door embedded in the ground. Slowly sitting back down, Jack looked around again.

That's where I am. This is where the monster attacked us. Where we found the hatch. How did I get outside? He looked back at the hatch. Kate!

"Hey, Doc. We'd thought you'd never get up." Jack recognized Sawyer's voice from behind. Turning around, he saw the man standing there, flanked by Locke and Sayid.

"How are you feeling?" Locke came forward and knelt down, offering Jack a canteen. Jack took the canteen and drank. The water streamed into his mouth, soothing his parched throat. Swallowing the drink, he handed Locke back the water.

"What happened?" Jack asked. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them.

"Not really sure, Jack." Locke took a drink of his own. "We woke up about an hour ago here in the jungle."

"Where's Kate?" Jack looked to each of the men in turn.

For a long moment, everyone was silent. Only the light pattering of the falling mist sounded the jungle. At length, Sayid spoke. "We believe she is still inside the hatch."

"What? I…I don't understand." Jack stood up on wobbly legs. You lost, Jack, his brain screamed at him. You failed her. "We have to go back in. We can't leave her."

"No can do, Doc," Sawyer strolled over to the hatch. He bent down and pulled on the handle. The hatch didn't budge. "It's locked up tight."

"We have to get back down there," Jack steadied himself. "We have to…"

"It's locked, Jack," Locke said. "We can't get inside."

"You got your hatch open." Jack paused, thinking. "We have to go back to the Black Rock."

"The what?" Sawyer asked.

"Come now, Jack." Locke stepped toward him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What the hell is the Black Rock?" Sawyer asked again.

"Why, Locke?" Jack asked, his tone accusatory. "What's the difference? Is it because I want the hatch open and not you? Is that the difference?"

Locke was silent for a moment. "We don't know what happened in there. We could have been killed."

Jack walked toward Locke, until both off them stood face to face. "I know what happened in there. If we don't go back in, Kate will be killed."

"Hey!" Sawyer yelled. Both Jack and Locke looked at him. "What the hell is the Black Rock?"

"It's a ship," Jack replied.

"Oh, well ain't that just great! We've been sitting here on a deserted island waitin' to be rescued and the whole time you've know about a ship!"

"It's not that kind of ship," Locke said. "It's an old slave ship. Beached inland."

Sawyer looked incredulous. "A slave ship? Why are we goin' there?"

Jack spoke up. "Dynamite."

"So we are going to the Black Lands?" Sayid asked. The four were hiking through the jungle, which was becoming progressively more rocky and steeper.

"That's where the Black Rock is." Jack was climbing up a hill.

"What do we know about this area?" Sayid helped boost Jack up the sheer incline.

"Only what Danielle told us," Locke said. "This is where her signal was broadcasting from. Oh, and there is a ship beached a mile inland."

"The Black Rock is beached a mile inland?" Sayid asked. "How is that possible?"

"Come on, Omar," Sawyer said. "Have you forgotten the polar bear already? How does that happen?"

"Point taken. What else do we know about this place?"

For a long moment, everyone was silent. Hesitently, Jack spoke. "This is where the sickness Danielle talked about came from."

Jack's statement hung in the air for a long while. They stopped for a short break after another mile of hiking.

"What do you guys think happened to Michael?" Locke asked between drinks.

Jack stiffened. "I don't know, Locke." Venom dripped from his words. "What do you think happened?"

Locke locked eyes with the doctor. "I know you still blame me for Michael's disappearance, Jack. But it was Michael's decision. I had no right to interfere with his choice."

"You thought it was smart to let him run around the jungle alone, Locke? He could be dead, or worse by now."

"Both of you need to stop this." Sayid spoke for the first time in a while. "We cannot change the situation. There is no sense arguing about it. We must do what we can to help Kate now."

"He's right ya know." Sawyer smiled wryly. "You two are acting like me."

"Let's get going, then." Jack strapped his canteen back onto his belt. "The Black Rock is close."

The ship sat there, tall and imposing in the jungle. It was an odd sight, with no water being anywhere around, for a giant 19th century masted ship to be shipwrecked there. The sky above had become overcast and dark rain clouds threatened in the distance. Winds funneled through the trees, causing eerie sounds to echo throughout the jungle. At least once during the trip, Jack swore the winds were causing whispers.

"So that's the Black Rock," Sayid said. "There is dynamite there?"

"Oh, yea." Locke sounded happy. "Lots of dynamite."

The wooden crate was sitting outside the ship, where the castaways had left it before. As the four walked toward it, they passed a large black spot on the ground.

Sawyer stared at it as they passed. "What's that?"

"That's Arzt." Jack didn't look back.

"What's Arzt?"

"He was a science teacher." Jack reached the crate.

"We used all the dry dynamite on the other hatch," Locke said. "All of these sticks are soaked in nitroglycerin. Perhaps there is another way to do this."

"It's the only way." Jack was firm. "Kate's still down there and we can't leave her. She wouldn't leave any of us. Don't worry, I'll carry all the sticks myself."

"No, I'll carry some." Sawyer spoke up. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"You know this stuff could get you killed. Boom, just like that," Jack said.

"I'm aware of the risks, Doc. How much do we need?"

"Last time we took three," Locke said. "The same should do the trick this time."

"Will you help?"

"Jack, if there is one idea in all of this that I can get behind it's to never leave a man behind." Locke moved toward the crate. "That's the first rule in the army."

"You were in the army?" Jack asked.

"Something like that." Locke quickly changed the subject. "Let's do this."

He looked in and tried to pick out the driest of the leftover dynamite. "Okay, who's first?"

Jack slipped off his pack. "Me first."

"First, we need something to wrap it in." Locke took out a towel from his pack and poured water on it. He handed the towel to Jack and reached into the crate.

"Another game of Operation, huh Locke?" Jack laughed nervously.

"No, Jack, this isn't a game." Locke mocked seriousness. "You shouldn't joke around like that."

He pulled up a stick of dynamite and placed it into the outstretched towel. Once the stick was wrapped carefully, Jack put it into his backpack. Slowly, he zipped up the pack.

"Next." Locke looked at Sawyer.

Sawyer slipped off his pack. "Just be careful with this, okay Mr. Clean?"

Locke reached in and brought out another stick. The yellowish dried nitro was encrusted all around the dynamite. He wrapped it into another damp towel and handed it to Sawyer. "Be careful with that."

A few minutes later, Locke had the third stick secured in his own pack. "Okay, let's go."

The four started back into the jungle toward the hatch; each was separated by a long distance.

"Just in case," Locke had said.

"I just don't know what to do." Charlie was sitting with Sun in her garden. "I guess it's kinda funny, huh? To come to you with a problem like this. We don't really even know each other."

Sun was planting a new cycle of plants. "It doesn't matter, Charlie. I know about love."

"Love? Oh, no, I don't think you understand. I'm not in lo--," Charlie was interrupted.

"Here," Sun handed him a white lily she had picked. "Try this. It works every time."

Charlie took the flower and smiled. "Thanks, Sun."

He was just about to stand and go when the jungle behind them erupted into noise. Charlie turned just as a man crashed through the foliage and hit him. He toppled to the ground and rolled away. "Get off me." He stood up and opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he saw the man. It was someone he had never seen before. "Who are you?"

The man got to his feet and took a deep breath. He was ragged and dirty, with holes in his clothes. His eyes, though, were bright and captivating. "My name is Ray, Ray Ponthes. Danielle sent me. I have to speak to Jack. I have an urgent message for him."

"Jack's not here," Sun said. "If you want I can take you to--,"

"Wait a second, Sun." Charlie eyed the man suspiciously. "I don't think we should do anything for him."

"Please," Ray's breathing was in short, quick bursts. "I need to talk to Jack."

"You said you were sent by Danielle. She tried to kidnap Clair's baby. Why should we believe you?"

Ray looked from Charlie to Sun, then back again. "Please, I need--." His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell limply to the ground.

Sun's eyes widened. She stood up and ran out of the jungle shouting. "Help! Help! We need help!"

Ana-Lucia came rushing over. Right behind her was Eko and Jin.

"What is it?" Ana asked.

"A man collapsed. We need help."

They rushed back to the garden, where Charlie was leaning over the unconscious form of Ray, unsure of what to do. Ana immediately began CPR.

"Come on, wake up!" Ana shouted. She turned to Jin. "Bring some water, now." Sun quickly translated the order.

Jin was back swiftly with the bottle of water. He handed it to Ana.

The man's eyes fluttered as the water was poured on his face. He coughed violently. Ana gave his some of the water to drink. Still coughing, he sat up.

"Whoa, calm down." Ana held his shoulder. "You need to breath slowly."

The man fought through the coughing fit. "No!" He shouted suddenly. The people around him, surprised, stepped back. "I'm, I'm sorry. I just need to speak to Jack."

"For what?" Ana gave him the canteen so he could drink more.

Ray hesitated. "I can't tell you. Danielle said to only tell Jack, or a man called Sayid."

"I don't like him," Charlie said. "He's a bloody liar!" He was shouting adamantly.

"We need to be careful not to overact," said Eko.

"He's probably one of them!" Charlie said. "Come to attack us again."

"Charlie could be right," Sun agreed. The failed kidnapping attempt on her still hung fresh in her mind. "We should be careful."

Ana looked at Ray. "Why do you need to talk to Jack?"

"I told you: I can't tell anyone but Jack or Sayid." Ray took another drink and looked up at Charlie. "Look, I know you don't trust me and me not telling you anything makes it worse, but I'm not lying and I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"What do you think?" Ana looked to Eko.

"I think we should be careful. But we should not be paranoid."

Ana nodded in agreement. "Jack and Sayid aren't here right now. You can come back and wait with me. I'll watch you."

Ray seemed annoyed. "I need to speak with Jack now."

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. He's not here and I don't know where he is."

Ray looked around to each person. "I'll wait then."

Eko eyed the man. "I'll will wait, too."

Jack sat down slowly and took a drink. The leaves behind him began to crackle. "Hey, Sayid, stop for a second. And tell the others to stop too."

With another drink, Jack began to think about the past month and a half. It was amazing how they had gotten to this point and all that they had been through. Sayid came up to Jack.

"Hey, Sayid, you should stay back. This stuff could go at any moment." Jack jerked his thumb at his pack.

"I'm not worried," Sayid said. "I need to talk with you."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"I was thinking that one of us should go back to the camp and let everyone else know what is going on. We might be able to get help there."

Jack took a drink. "I was thinking that too, Sayid. But the hatch is close; maybe six, seven miles from here. And we could really use your help."

"It was just an idea." Sayid looked back into the jungle. Locke and Sawyer were only a few paces behind him, getting close.

"We taking a break, Jack?" Locke asked.

"Just for a minute or two. It wouldn't make sense to get to the hatch dead tired."

Locke sat down and took out his own canteen. "Makes sense to me."

For a few minutes they sat and drank. At length, Jack stood up clipped his canteen back onto his belt. He made sure to move carefully and avoidsudden jerks.The thought of the dynamite never left his mind."Okay, let's go." Jack turned around and froze in mid-step. His eyes hardened as he gazed ahead.

"Hello, Jack. How ya doin'? It's been a while."

From behind Jack, Sawyer spoke up. "Hey Zeke."