Chapter 29

The hallway to the left didn't go far; fifty feet in it ended abruptly in a pile of rubble and jungle undergrowth where the roof had fallen in. Sunlight filtered in giving the hall a gloomy glow; Jack stopped and stared at the roof with disappointment. "Well, I guess this is it. We can't get past that." He glanced around the hall; there was one double door a few feet away from the rubble that looked undamaged, maybe they could get in there. He glanced at Ana, who was gazing at the long, jagged cracks that ran through the walls and the ceiling; he motioned to the door and said, "I'm gonna check that out."

"I don't know, Jack," she replied, pointing at a particularly large, gaping crevice that ran parallel to the doors, "That doesn't look too good." The image of the demonic gargoyle snapping at Jack's heels flashed through her mind making her shiver; she sighed to herself; saying anything to him was pointless because he was going to do it anyway.

He proved her point by reaching out and pulling the right side of the door; it creaked but swung easily open and he smiled at her before going through it, leaving it wide for her to follow. She cast another uneasy glance at the fissure in the wall and the pile of rubble and shook her head; seeing the gargoyle had given her a bad feeling about this.

Jack turned on the flashlight Ana had given him earlier and aimed it at the walls; finding the light switches he flicked them on- nothing. No power here, he thought to himself. The room was small and dark but for the gloomy light from the hallway, he slowly moved the flashlight across it and smiled. Bingo. He heard Ana come in behind him and he turned to her, smiling. "Lucky us. This is the veterinary ward." He flicked the flashlight up against the far wall illuminating a gigantic glassed in cabinet; the vet pharmacy. Something gleamed in beam of light and he slid it down; in front of the cabinet was a large stainless steel examination table, big enough to hold a very sizeable animal. He handed Ana the flashlight and skirting the table went to the cabinet trying to open it; it was locked. "Dammit."

"Here." Handing Jack the flashlight she pulled off her blouse, leaving her in just a tank top; she pulled her gun from her waistband and wrapped the blouse around it and her hand then slammed the butt of the gun into the glass, shattering it.

Jack looked a little impressed; and a little something else too, Ana thought, smiling at him. "Nice job."

Ana shrugged, smiling. "I used to get to do that a lot. Part of the job." She unwound the shirt and shook it out; broken glass tinkled to the floor and she grimaced and tossed the shirt on the table. She wouldn't be wearing that again. Jack watched her stick the gun back into her pants; without her blouse he could see the muscles in her arms ripple as she moved. She glanced up and caught him staring; she straightened slowly, a slight smile playing around her lips. "You see something you like, Jack?"

He didn't move for a second; then he nodded and ducked his head grinning. Realizing he had been holding his breath, he let it out and turned to the cabinet; if he looked at her...well, he wasn't going to. He started rummaging through the bottles, using the flashlight to read them. "Most of these are twenty years out of date. Damn." Shoving bottles aside he kept looking though he knew it was useless; maybe there would be some peroxide or alcohol. Ana's eyes were on him, the feel of them was distracting him; he said something just to break the tension. "So, how come you're not a cop anymore?"

The question startled her, she hadn't expected him to say that; surprise was quickly replaced by anger and sadness and she answered, "I was shot. No longer fit for duty, unless I wanted a desk job. I passed, you know, sittin' still isn't really my thing." It was a lie, of course, but an effective one; she'd used it frequently in the real world.

Some of the glass in the top of the cabinet hadn't broken; Ana saw something flicker in the weak light reflected from the hallway. She spun around and looked toward the double doors and He was there, leering at her through the weak light. She let out a gasp and panicked; running to the door she slammed it shut, blocking him from her sight.

Ominous cracking and groaning started coming from the walls; Jack turned and it was dark, he couldn't see her. He swung the flashlight around wildly, the walls were about to buckle, plaster and dust were raining down casting a deep smoky haze in the already dark room. The flashlight couldn't penetrate it; he groped around in desperation, choking from the debris. He could hear the walls crumbling; his arm finally closed on Ana; he jerked her back and they dove under the exam table as the cabinet, roof and walls came crashing down around them.

It was dark and the air was thick; they coughed and choked until the dust finally began to settle. Jack reached around and took off his pack carefully, it was covered in broken glass from the cabinet; his elbow knocked into the rubble and it shifted making the table creak and groan. The table was large; there was room for them to sit, side by side, but that was all. He could feel pill bottles and glass all around them. "Be careful of the glass. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

He handed Ana a water bottle, then flicked off the flashlight. It was pitch black.

"How much air do you think we have?"

"An hour; maybe a little more if we're careful. I hope Locke heard that."

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Jack couldn't see her but he could feel her pressed against him. He leaned over and found her lips in the dark; she returned his kiss, her hands sliding up under his shirt; the kiss quickly became almost frantic. Ana's fingers clutched into his skin beneath his shirt as he held her face, pulling her closer.

"Jack! Ana!" Locke's voice was muffled.

Their breathing was ragged as they pulled apart; Ana left her hands lingering as Jack panted a few seconds before answering. "Locke! We're here!" Her fingers slid out from under his shirt; he wished he could see her; all he could hear was her breath.

"Okay!" Locke called to them. "We're getting you out. Just hold on."

They didn't speak. The silence was heavy; the darkness was suffocating. They waited alone, together.

-----

The projector whirred to life; a few scratchy frames flicked by, then the title screen: Introduction to The Dharma Project- Zoology Research Center. A familiar face popped up and started narrating. "Hello. I am Dr. Marvin Candle." Locke glanced at Eko. This looked familiar. "Welcome to the Zoology Research Center. If you are watching this film it means that you have been chosen to be a part of a groundbreaking experiment that is sure to change the progress of mankind for the better."

The picture left the doctor and different kinds of animals flashed on the screen; polar bears, a giraffe, a chimpanzee. Candle's voice kept narrating. "The animals that we keep in this center are an extremely important part of this project; it is imperative that the directions for their care be followed exactly. We are experimenting in ways to increase their strength, intelligence, communication abilities, stealth, and life expectancy; in the future these experiments may be used to benefit man as well."

The doctor was back on screen again. "There are six of you for this phase of the project. Each of you will be in charge of multiple animals; as few as four or as many as eight. You will be on call for your charges at all times, night or day. Remember, instructions for their care must be followed exactly. Thank you for your time. Namaste. And good luck." The screen flickered and went dark.

Michael turned the lights back on. None of them spoke for a minute, then Locke said, "I think I am going to watch that again." He glanced at Eko, who nodded, smiling.

"I think that is a good idea." Michael shrugged; he didn't need to see it again. They were up to their eyes in some crazy sht and he didn't need to see the movie again to know it. He started wandering around, looking at the shelves. He pulled out a few files, then flipped through them, nothing caught his eye. He set those down and pulled out another sheaf of folders; flipping through them he saw some diagrams and paused to look closer.

The lights flickered and a rumbling groan shook the building; Michael stuffed the pages in his pocket as he, John and Eko ran into the hall; a cloud of dust was already billowing out, choking them as they ran towards it, coughing and sputtering. Eko stopped and grabbed Locke's arm; he shook his head as another rumble and crack rolled out of the dusty gloom. Covering his mouth and nose with his shirt, Locke tried to walk slowly; as the dust finally began to settle his gut twisted with dread - the entire hall had collapsed. "Jack! Ana!" He shouted, trying to pick his way through the rubble. He waited. Nothing. He moved farther into the chunks of debris, calling again. "Jack! Ana!" Still nothing. He glanced back at Eko and Michael; they both looked very worried.

"Locke! We're here!" It was faint, but he heard it.

"Okay! We're getting you out! Just hold on." Locke gestured to Michael. "Check it out, tell us where to dig." They got to work.

-----

It seemed like hours, though Ana knew it had only been twenty minutes or so. The darkness and the silence stretched time out forever. The feel of Jack's hands lingered on her skin; she was glad of the darkness as she flushed a little. She wasn't sure why he elicited such a response in her; part of it was her need, since Danny she had sworn off men for a while and it had been a while. There was something else though, something frenetic about it; she couldn't put her finger on it.

He wanted her though. Her skill at reading people wasn't necessary to tell that. She smiled, flushing a little deeper.

Jack flicked on the flashlight. He could hear them getting closer. He moved the light along the floor looking at a few of the bottles; still hoping against hope that there would be something useful, he picked up a small box that didn't look like it quite belonged. It was the type of box that jewelry comes in; he opened it and there was a small piece of cotton batting with two stones nestled in it. Black and White. He shut the lid, wondering for the millionth time what the hell was going on on this island. Slipping the box into his pack he turned off the flashlight, handing it to Ana who took it wordlessly; she was careful not to touch his hand. Shaking his head in the dark he zipped up his pack and waited for Locke to get them out.

-----

She was reclined on a bench, staring at the leaves fluttering idly in the canopy. He would come back, she hoped; the decision he was making was a hard one and she wasn't entirely sure which way he was going to go. It hadn't been an ultimatum, exactly; she hadn't said 'It's me or him' but it felt kind of final. If he didn't come to her now; if he chose to be alone, outside of even them, then what did that say?

"Hey Freckles." She closed her eyes with relief, then sat up on the bench; he was standing a few feet away, staring at her. She noticed the letter still clutched in his hand.

"Hey. You okay?" The rage was gone; he just looked tired and worn. The bruises on his face had faded to shadows; they added to his haggard look.

He hesitated, not meeting her eyes. "No." Her heart fell. "I want to make a deal with you."

"Okay," she said, her heart beating again. "What's the deal?" Grinning, she raised her hand up. "And I've already got carte blanche so that's off the table."

He almost smiled; she saw the corners of his mouth twitch. "I want you to go with me. Take me to him. I...I have to see him myself." She flooded with relief; he wanted her to go. He didn't want to do it alone. "I need to see him for myself." His eyes finally met hers and held them for a long moment; grinning, Kate went to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, I don't know, Tex," she said, squeezing him gently. "You still haven't said what's in it for me."

He hesitated, then he hugged her back, holding her tightly; she could feel his hands balled into fists pressing into her back and she grasped him tighter trying to help him. His body convulsed slightly and he pulled away from her, staring at his hands. "I can give you this." She stared at the letter, shaking slightly in his hand. "Take it, Kate."

She reached out and grasped the letter; he held it for another second, then let it go, sighing as he did. "I'd say we got a deal," she whispered, and she kissed him, softly and slowly, savoring the moment; the letter crackled, forgotten in her hands. Reluctantly she pulled away, and sighed, "Guess we better saddle up, Tex. Got a long way to go back to the beach." He was staring at her, a small smile finally breaking through. "What?"

His dimples flashed just a little. "Nothin'. I was just thinkin' something when you said 'saddle'."

She rolled her eyes out of habit, but she had never been so glad to hear him crack a joke. ""Did it involve spurs and a blanket?"

His eyes widedned in mock surprise. "Well, well, Freckles. I never knew you liked to ride...horses."

She nodded, wickedly. "I'm actually more into saving horses, Cowboy."

"Oh, really?" He cocked his eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes at him again. "Yeah, really. Come on. We better go if we're gonna make it to the beach before sundown." She hoisted her pack onto her back. "You ready?"

He was, in more ways than one. She was smiling at him, her hand out; sweaty tendrils of her hair clung to her skin and sudenly nothing mattered but her, at least for a few minutes she was his existence. He could almost let go, let her be his reason for living but something made him hold back; he wasn't ready to let Sawyer go, not yet. He had to see it with his own eyes, be sure that he was dead because once he gave up on that path and gave himself to Kate he could never go back again. He took her hand. "Oh, I'm ready," he said, pushing a sweaty strand of hair from her face. "Giddy-up."