Chapter 24
The cliff was at least 150 feet high and sheer from the base to the top, almost like a wall. It stretched as far as they could see into the jungle and part of it ran out into the ocean, effectively blocking their route along the beach. Vines and trees and roots were tangled all over it. About halfway up there were two wide circular openings; drains that emptied out over the ocean.

Jack shielded his eyes and looked up at the drains. "Well, I guess that's that." He sighed and glanced at Locke. "We're going to have to go into the jungle. We can't get over that."

Locke nodded. "So much for the drains. I wonder where they go?" He was interrupted by Kate, who was slipping her pack off. She undid her belt and slid her knife and sheath off then rebuckled it, smiling at them.

Sawyer was watching her suspiciously. "What are you doin', Freckles?" He was afraid he already knew. She was naturally curious, he knew, and she also loved to climb. That was a dangerous combination. Dread suddenly flooded his gut, turning it icy.

"I'm checking it out." She took her gun out of her waistband and started to hand it to him; hesitating, she decided against it and kept the gun, sticking back in her jeans. Jack started to say something to stop her, but the look in her eye dissuaded him, and instead he unzipped his pack and dug around, handing her a flashlight. "Thanks." She stuck it in her pocket and kissed Sawyer quickly, then started scaling the cliff, using the bushes and roots as handholds.

Kate was in heaven. She loved climbing; it was something that came effortlessly to her. Her eyes sought out handholds and footholds and her body responded automatically; she was practically scampering up the wall. It was so freeing; happiness flooded through her and she glanced back quickly to the beach; Sawyer was staring at her with awe. Her elation doubled and she flashed him a dazzling smile before turning back to the climb.

Sawyer couldn't take his eyes off of her. God Damn, he breathed to himself; she was lithe and supple and her sweaty skin flashed in the sun as she ascended the cliff. As he gazed at her she turned to find him watching and she flashed him a smile that made his knees weak. "Be careful, Freckles," he called, needlessly; she waved.

She was even with the drains; they were about twenty feet to her left. She started edging over, being a little more careful. She glanced down; the ocean rolled and crashed beneath her. Smiling, she scooted the last few feet to the drain opening and reaching over carefully she grasped the edge of the hole and hauled herself in, sliding in on her stomach.

On the beach, Sawyer let out his breath in relief as her feet disappeared into the drain. Glancing at Jack he saw the same look of relief and he suddenly felt very friendly towards the Doc. Kate stuck her head out and waved at them, "I'm okay!" She disappeared back into the hole.

As bad as it had been to watch her climbing the cliff, this was ten times worse. He kept his eyes glued to the drain, and his ears strained to hear anything over the crashing waves. Dread sat in his stomach like a stone; he stared at the hole trying to bore his eyes through it so he could see.

Kate could almost stand up; the drain was large. It was also dry; her footsteps echoed eerily as she took a few tenative steps. It grew dark a few feet in; she took the flashlight out of her pocket and flicked in on, nervously scanning the walls. They were smooth; she ran her fingers along them- concrete. She shone the light in front of her, noting that the drain seemed to be going up. Stooping slightly, she started walking, running the light over the walls as she went. She climbed higher and higher; the incline was becoming sharper. She figured she had come about a half-mile when she came to a dead end. A metal grate blocked the drain; she tugged on it to see if it would move. It didn't. Flashing the light around the edges, she noticed it had been cemented in. Looking closer she also noticed something that turned her stomach; all around the edges of the grate were stamped the numbers: 4...8...15...16...23...42. She swallowed hard and let the flashlight drop, pointing it at the ground. Her eyes followed the beam and she gasped.

A skeletal hand was lying stuck through an opening in the grate; its fingers were curled around the bars and as Kate's eyes moved up she saw the face crushed up against the bars, as if it were trying to breathe through them. She felt a little sick, but she knelt down to investigate closer. The body looked old; it was completely skeletal with just a few shreds of cloth clinging to it. She noticed a small pouch next to its arm; reaching between the bars she grabbed it and tried to pull it to her; the skeleton's arm rustled and cracked and came off in pieces. Gagging a little as she realized that the pouch had been tied to its arm, she stared at it, a little queasy. "Sorry," she whispered, and then rolled her eyes at herself for apologizing to a skeleton.

She started to rise, but the beam from her flashlight flickered across something bright and she stooped again, looking closer. Something was attatched to the rotted shirt on the breast of the body; Kate reached in and plucked it off, trying not to gag as she touched the moldy material. She held it under the light, turning it over, it was some kind of badge; like a security badge. She tried to read the writing on it, but it was spotty with mold and the flashlight wasn't that strong; she stuck it and the pouch into her pocket and started back down the drain.

Sawyer and Jack were both agitated; Sawyer's eyes hurt from staring at the drains with such intensity. Jack was shuffling from foot to foot, barely restraining himself from trying to climb up after her. She had been gone for forty-five minutes; he looked at Sawyer and felt a wave of sympathy for the guy- he looked terrified.

Kate stuck her head out, smiling and waving; Sawyer nearly fainted and Jack bent over, letting his breath out in relief. "Will you get down here, Freckles?" Sawyer shouted. I am gonna wring her neck, he thought, watching with apprehension as she slid out of the drain feet first; finding a foothold she slid out and grasped some vines above her, moving to her right slowly. She moved clear of the drain, then started going down just as quickly as she had gone up.

She grabbed a bush that was growing out of the wall; four birds burst from it, squawking loudly and startling her; she lost her footing and the bush ripped out from the wall as her weight fell on it, tumbling them both into the water twenty feet below.

Sawyer and Jack both hit the water at the same time; they surged through the surf looking frantically for Kate; Sawyer's stomach was icy cold with panic. She spluttered up in front of them, smiling and shaking her hair from her eyes. "Hey guys."

Sawyer wanted to shake her senseless; instead he grabbed her and hugged her close, squeezing her with all of his strength. "Damn you, Freckles," he snarled in her ear. She laughed, gasping for air as he crushed her against him.

"Sawyer," she panted, "I can't breathe. You're crushing me." He finally let her go, glaring at her as she trudged through the surf up to the beach. She flopped on the sand and Sawyer joined her, grimacing; his adrenaline had slowed and now he could feel his back burning where he'd gotten in the salt water. She glanced over at him, grinning; her smile faded as she noticed his discomfort.

Jack got his pack and pulled out some fresh gauze; Sawyer's bandage would have to be changed. Glancing up at the sun he considered; it would be dark in two hours and by the time he took care of Sawyer they wouldn't make much time into the jungle...he looked at Locke. "Should we make camp here?"

Locke looked around; everyone seemed tired and the beach was better than the jungle. He nodded at Jack then turned to the others. "Okay, guys, we're making camp here. Ana, Michael...will you guys help with wood? Ok, great..." his voice faded as they got to the business of making camp.

Sawyer was still sitting on the beach next to her, staring straight ahead. Kate could feel the waves of anger radiating from him, and while she knew why he was mad it irritated her. Jack was kneeling behind him, and he touched Sawyer's shoulder. "Take your shirt off Sawyer."

Sawyer smirked. "What, no dinner first, Doc?" He reached up and tried to pull off his shirt, hissing in pain as the salt in his bandages rubbed into his raw skin. Kate stood up quickly and tried to help him but he pushed her away and finished the job himself, grunting through clenched teeth. Kate looked a little hurt, but then her eyes narrowed and she stalked off to help the others.

Jack watched her go, silently. He didn't say anything to Sawyer, whose shoulders were slumping sadly now that Kate was gone. He gently pulled on the tape holding the bandages in place and Sawyer groaned; Jack wasn't sure it was all pain. "You okay?" he asked.

Sawyer stiffened. "Yeah, Doc, I'm just fine."

Jack smiled to himself. "It's okay to be scared for her, you know."

Sawyer turned his head up, giving Jack a look of disgust. "Excuse me?"

Jack grinned and unfolded some gauze, placing it over Sawyer's wounds. "It's okay to be scared. For her." He nodded at Kate, who was viciously breaking branches by holding one end and stomping them in the middle. "You don't have to try to hide it."

Staring at the ground, Sawyer tensed up. Damn Jackass. What the hell did he know? Well, he thought, he knows that she scared me senseless just now. He growled at Jack, "I ain't hidin' anything."

Jack shrugged, and finished taping Sawyer up. "I'm just saying, it's okay if you're scared. You should be. She's...dangerous."

Sawyer had to laugh at that. He grinned through his fringe of hair; the terror in his heart was fading and he felt like he could breathe again. "You have no idea, Doc," he snorted.

"No," Jack said thoughtfully, standing and patting Sawyer on the shoulder and grinning. "I probably don't." He glanced over at Kate, who was scowling at Sawyer as she stomped a particularly large branch with relish. "I think you're in trouble."

Sawyer grinned at Jack, and turned painfully to look at Kate. She sneered at him, then stomped another branch in half staring at him the whole time. He smiled, a devilish light flaring in his eyes. "Oh, yeah, Doc," he murmured. "I am in trouble."

-----

She plucked a piece of fruit from the branches and shoved it roughly into her bag; she was still pissed at Sawyer. She was sorry that she scared him but she was fine; he was overreacting as usual. That wasn't even what bothered her; it was that instead of talking to her his first reaction was to push her away. She stuffed another mango in her bag and started to slide down the trunk, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around the tree.

"Freckles, now that is a sight no man can resist." He was leaning against a nearby tree, his pack at his feet, eyeing her up and down as she clung to the trunk. She paused for a minute, savoring his sexy drawl before she remembered that she was ticked off at him. She slid down a little farther, earning a cocked-eyebrow "Wellll..." from him too. She dropped to the ground, staring at him with disdain.

"What do you want, Sawyer?" She didn't even glance at him as she passed him going back towards the beach. Her body screamed at her to turn around but she ignored it, forcing her legs forward.

He was behind her and his arms circled her waist, pulling her back against him. "I think you know the answer to that, darlin'," he whispered, and her insides turned to water at the feel of his breath in her ear, his body pressed against hers.

Taking a deep breath she pulled away and kept walking; she could feel him behind her staring at her back. She heard him sighing and she slowed her pace, waiting for him to call her. "Kate." Smiling to herself she stopped and turned around. He was right in front of her; he grinned and caught her around the waist, crushing his lips to hers. She struggled for a second, but it was half-hearted, and as his tongue slipped between her lips she gave in and kissed him back.

He finally broke it off and held her face in his hands, staring into her eyes. She gazed back, then hung her head a little; she lifted her eyes to him, her hair hanging in her face in sweaty tendrils and she smiled. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

He grinned at her, and cut his eyes away. "Freckles, I wasn't scared." He leaned into her and whispered softly in her ear. "I was terrified."

She kissed him, slowly and deeply; it lasted forever. Sighing, she broke it off, looking around them. "Where's a bunk bed when you need one?"

Grinning, Sawyer let her go long enough to grab his pack from beside the tree. He opened it up and pulled out a blanket; Kate rolled her eyes and laughed. "Freckles," he said, grabbing her again and nuzzling her neck, "I always come prepared."

-----

They all sat around the fire that night. Kate told them about the drains; finding the body and the pouch. She handed the pouch to Jack, who opened it and dumped the contents into his hand.

Two stones- one white, one black -smooth and polished fell out, glowing in the firelight. Jack glanced at Kate; they had seen similar ones before, in the caves. Jack reached down and picked up another item: it was a vial of liquid, with a label wrapped around it. Jack peered at it closely, trying to read the tiny writing; the firelight was too dim. he turned the bottle over and his eyes narrowed...stamped along the bottom of the label were the numbers 4815162342. He glanced up sharply at Kate, then handed her the bottle. She handed it to Locke, who studied it closely.

"I saw the numbers in the drain, too," Kate said. "They were stamped all the way around the grate."

Eko gazed into the fire for a few moments. "Have you ever heard of numerology?" he asked quietly. No one answered. He smiled. "Numerology has many forms, the most common is taking the numeric value of each letter in a word and adding them together. For instance, the word..." he looked around at the camp and his eyes fell on Vincent, who was cuddled up between Ana and Michael, getting his ears scratched from both sides. "...Dog. The letter values are 4,15, and 7. Add those together and the sum is 26. What each number means is dependent on each individual sect's Key; but say for instance that 2 means life and 6 means success. Therefore we may deduce that Vincent will live long and prosper." He grinned at his little joke, and a few people around the fire chuckled. "The Biblical Numerology process is somewhat the same, but it is a little more complicated; too complex for me to explain here. But I can tell you what the numbers mean in the Biblical Key," he said, his eyes glowing in the fire. He had everyone's rapt attention. "The number four represents the Earth, the physical realm, the real world; the number eight represents new beginnings, as God created the world in six days and on the seventh He rested...the eighth day began His work anew." He paused, looking around the fire. "The number fifteen means rest, the pause between changes; the number sixteen means love," he glanced at Kate and Sawyer, who were staring at each other, smiling. "Twenty-three is death. And the number forty two...the most important number of all... is redemption." He fell silent, letting them all digest what he had said. "Redemption."

They all stared silently into the fire, making their own deductions.