Sorry to leave you on the cliffhanger last chapter, but here's the update… and I'm sorry that someone dies… but (sigh) it had to be done.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.
Chapter Twelve: War, Part II
Search for the Psychics
"JACK!" Kate screamed when the bullet pierced him. She couldn't tell where from the window, but she could see him fall to the ground.
Sawyer's eyes looked pained, but he pulled her away from the window. "He did it for a reason," Sawyer said in an urgent voice. He'd had a feeling Jack would get shot protecting them. "Do you want it to be for nothing?"
Kate shook her head, tears streaming, as she stared out the window. No one was in the building they were in, so they were safe from anyone there. "No… we can save him…"
Sawyer shook his head, keeping his hand in hers, as he scanned the room. His eyes flickered back to the window every so often, but he knew going out there now would be suicide.
"Look," Sawyer said, seeing a rug that was slightly overturned. "Trapdoor." He knelt down and opened it, revealing a narrow tunnel. "We have to go."
Kate's eyes were fixed on Jack's body, abandoned and alone. She knew Sawyer was right, but she couldn't leave yet. She opened the door, but the Others weren't nearby. "SOMEBODY COME HERE!" she screamed. Ellie and Charlie, who were the closest, glanced at her. Ellie couldn't get up (she was taking care of Charlie, who Kate realized with a sinking heart had also been shot), but one of the people from her group left to get Jack. Kate sighed in relief and entered the hut again. She didn't want to leave Jack's body there, but at least someone else was there now.
"Okay," she said with a sigh to Sawyer.
He smiled supportively, but it was a grim, fake smile that covered up doubt and fear. They took each other's hands again, but Kate's grip on his hand was faint and distant as they entered the tunnel.
Charlie's Group
One of the two mid-thirties guys in their group, Albert, had left to help Jack. Ellie had felt even worse when she saw their doctor and basic leader sinking to the ground, but her main focus was on Charlie, who looked like he was going into shock. She frantically took apart her bullet and spread the powder over his gunshot wound. He winced in pain, but he didn't object.
"It's just your ankle," she said desperately, more to reassure herself than him. He can't die because of his ankle being shot, she told herself over and over again. Finally the gunpowder settled, and the bleeding slowly stopped.
A smile spread across her face, but she wasn't sure about anything. She just hoped for the best and wrapped her Driveshaft shirt around the wound. She took some hair ties and wrapped them around the shirt to keep the bandage on him.
"How do you feel?" she asked him, her eyes boring into his, begging him for hope.
He still seemed knocked out, but she had a feeling he'd be okay.
"Brilliant," he joked.
She wondered how he could possibly joke when he was in such pain and desperation, but he made her smile, and it was a trait that she admired.
"I'll be fine," he said, touching her hand gratefully. "Thanks to you."
Ellie's smile made her tears stop running, and despite his position and pain, she gave him a huge hug. For a moment, she'd thought she'd lose him, just like her parents, and that would've been too much. But Charlie was different from everyone else, and as such, he pulled through. He wasn't leaving.
Sayid's Group
Everyone in Sayid's group panicked, but they managed to keep level hands, keeping their guns raised and circling around him, just as everyone else in danger had. Zach, the one who Sayid had been helping, dropped to the ground in desperation. "What do I do?" he asked frantically. Sayid's eyes were shut, but his head was quivering, and he was still conscious.
"What do I do?" Zach repeated, looking desperate. He was blaming himself, and Sayid wasn't saying anything.
"It's too late," Sayid choked. "Just… fight."
Zach shook his head. "No. I've got to get you to the beach. There are vaccines there." The briefcase had been too big to take with them to the camp, but Zach was beating himself up about not having suggested that they bring it despite its size.
"Just fight," Sayid repeated. His consciousness was drifting, and his blood was streaming.
Zach looked far off to see if Albert was taking Jack to the beach for a vaccine. But he wasn't. Apparently he had some medical experience, because he was removing the bullet and applying alcohol, just as Ellie had. But Zach didn't know how to do that, and he feared that his only hope was to take Sayid to the beach.
"C'mon," Zach begged. But he knew Sayid couldn't stand. Zach glanced around frantically and finally decided that no one could help him. He knelt down and hoisted Sayid onto his back. He knew it wasn't a good position for someone dying to be in, but it was his only hope.
"Stop…" Sayid moaned, but Zach didn't. He had to save him, or he'd never forgive himself.
Outside the Hut
Jack was gasping for air as Albert carefully removed the bullet. He was a real estate agent back in the real world, but he'd taken several medical classes on surgery and biology, as well as plenty of health classes, and he was pretty sure that he knew what he was doing.
He wasn't sure, however, that Jack would make it. He'd been shot almost directly in the heart, and even with the best medical care, people usually didn't survive that.
Albert wasn't sure about the vaccine. He'd seen it work on Jenny, but he didn't think Jack would survive if he was moved and then had a needle put into him. He decided to let it run through here and hope for the best. After all, the island was on their side, right?
"Kate," Jack said, his voice cracking. "Sawyer."
"They left," Albert said, surprised that Jack could say anything. "Should I get them?"
Jack's head moved the smallest measurement from side to side. "No," he managed. "Tell them… tell them they saved everyone they could." Albert nodded, paying rapt attention, as Jack continued. "Don't let them blame themselves for my death."
Albert shook his head. "Don't think like that!" he objected. If Jack gave in to death, there wouldn't be a chance. And whether or not the war worked, he doubted they'd survive without him.
"And don't let this break them apart," Jack added, his voice soft. Albert had to work to make out his words. "They belong together… tell them I give them my best."
Albert shook his head again, faster. "I would, but I won't have to. You'll pull through!" he said in a set, certain voice, even though his tone wavered. He put pressure to the open wound, praying to the island to help them. If it was really on their side, couldn't it help Jack?
But the island had done a lot already, and Albert wasn't sure that it could do anything now.
Charlie's Group
"Who else?" Charlie asked after Ellie gently spilled a bit of water into his mouth.
Ellie bit her lip. She knew what he meant: who else was shot? She decided that shielding him wasn't going to help. Charlie was going to be all right, and that was enough for her. "Sayid was," she said, "and someone took him to the beach for the vaccine."
Charlie's eyes flickered. He'd been friends with Sayid for a long time, and his memory flashed back to the time he, Sayid, and Ana Lucia had followed Henry's map to the parachute. He and Sayid had been close for a long time, and like him and Hurley and him and Eko, they had drifted. Now he instantly felt guilty for letting their friendship go.
"And Jack," Ellie added in a shaky voice, her eyes staying locked on his. She wanted him to know she was there for him, and even if they wouldn't be all right, he would.
"Jack?" Charlie repeated. He started to sit up, but he quickly laid back down in pain. Still, Jack? He wasn't any more frustrated by the fact that Jack was shot than the fact that Sayid was, because he couldn't pick favorites with them, but Jack had been their leader. He found it impossible to believe that Jack could die. "Is he okay?"
Ellie shrugged, glancing past him. There was a far-off view of the doctor with Albert leaning over him, but she couldn't tell. "I hope so," she said.
"At least you are," Charlie said with a sigh, thanking the island as much as possible for keeping Ellie safe.
"I wish I could say the same for you," she said, glancing down at his calf. "Do you think you can get up?"
He frowned and tried. He grimaced in pain and sat back down. Ellie blushed, mad at herself that she would try to make him. "Sorry," she mumbled. She glanced around, and conveniently there was a thick, tall walking stick. She handed it to him and hugged him, pulling him up. He splayed his weight against the stick and lifted his right leg, the one that was shot, off the ground.
"You're standing!" Ellie squealed, letting go of him. Charlie wobbled, but steadied himself.
"Now can you walk?" Ellie asked hopefully.
Charlie started, but he had to jump to move. Instead he smiled at her and put his arm around her. He was putting a lot of his weight on her, but she didn't mind, and she enjoyed the situation. They walked back toward their group together. Everyone in their group was thrilled to see that Charlie was saved.
The Tunnel
"Is he going to be okay?" Kate asked as Sawyer helped her down. Once they dropped down, the opening was tall enough for both of them to crouch but not have to crawl.
Sawyer didn't say anything. Kate had been acting weird to him ever since they left Jack, and he knew that if anything happened to the doctor, it would change everything with him and Kate.
"I don't know," Sawyer finally said with a heavy sigh. "I hope so."
She knew he was honest, but she kept her eyes focused on the clouded, dirty dark ahead of her. If Jack died, she didn't know what she would do. Staying with Sawyer would be like being disrespectful to the dead. No matter how much she wanted to be with Sawyer, she couldn't ever live guilt-free with him if Jack were dead.
"Freckles?" Sawyer asked after a moment of silence except the sounds of their shoes clanking against the dirt on the ground.
Kate kept a hand above her eyes, as there were still clods of dirt falling from the ceiling. Whatever the tunnel was, they didn't use it much. "Yeah?" she asked, trying to ignore his nickname for her. It made her feel proud whenever he said it, but now it brought more guilt to her already guilty conscience. How could she reject Jack without a second regard for his feelings? How could she be doing this to him?
"What're you thinking about?" He was pretty sure he knew the answer: Jack. He wasn't jealous; he knew she had every right to think about him. But he also didn't want her to, because he knew that her thinking about Jack would be her doubting her relationship with Sawyer. And after all that had happened, he didn't think he could deal with losing her.
Kate crossed her arms, trying to come up with something and not thinking of anything. "The Others," she finally said. They were the ones who did this to Jack—to all of them.
"Right," Sawyer said, nodding. That was better than saying "Jack."
Kate couldn't help it. She turned back around, her eyes wide and sad, and said, "We have to go back. Jack… he might be…"
But before she finished, her walking was cut off. Her back rammed into a stone wall and metal ladder rungs, and she jumped and turned around. Sawyer ran up to her and looked up the ladder rungs. At least sixteen feet up was a room, dark and sinister, yet alluring and almost peaceful-looking.
"Damn," Sawyer said in awe, glancing up.
"The psychics," Kate said, her jaw set. She put her hands and feet on the ladder and began the climb.
The Beach
Claire was the first to see Zach and Sayid. She was taking Aaron for a stroll on the beach, talking with Rose, when Zach came barreling out of the jungle. He almost collapsed at Claire's feet, but he managed to stay upright, Sayid's weak body still on his back.
"Oh, my God," Claire said. "So the war… it's really happening?"
Zach nodded, out of breath, and said, "I need the vaccine!"
Claire didn't need to be asked twice. She gently but swiftly handed Aaron over to Rose and ran back to her tent to get the briefcase with the vaccine in it. When she got back, Rose had spread out a blanket, and Sayid's nearly dead body was lying on it.
"Does he have any phobia of needles or any medical conditions?" Claire asked before she gave the shots to Zach.
Zach glanced down at Sayid to answer, but he was far too knocked out to respond. Zach turned back to Claire and said, "I'd say it's worth the risk."
Claire gulped and glanced one last time at Sayid. Hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake, she handed the briefcase over to Zach. He undid the latches and loaded the needles. He took a sheet of tissue and wiped off a place near the vein he was going to insert it. Once it was clear, he inserted the needle and pushed the liquid into Sayid's bloodstream.
"Cross your fingers," he suggested to Claire.
Outside the Hut
"You're done."
Albert didn't mean Jack was going to die, and he didn't mean he was cured. He simply meant he had done all he could possibly do, and now he was exhausted. Sweat was pouring off Albert's face, his chest was heaving, and his brain was swimming with questions. Had he done everything right? Was Jack okay? Would he survive? Would Albert have to deliver Jack's message?
"Thanks," Jack managed, his dark eyes fluttering, not deciding whether to stay open or to close. "Just remember… to tell Kate."
Albert nodded. "I will," he said, "but should I go get them? Is there anyone I can get? Jack, you can't just leave us. We need you. I don't care about Sawyer's stupid jokes, but you are the hero. Without you, we'll just fight with each other and die and not even care."
"Lucky that rescue's coming," Jack breathed.
"How do you know?" Albert demanded desperately. The thought of Jack dying was much too great.
Jack looked up at him, his eyes managing to stay open. "Kate and Sawyer will find the psychics," he said, his voice almost clear. "And you will get off this island."
The Ladder
"Freckles, much as I enjoy the view, shouldn't we make a plan first?"
Kate ignored his joke, definitely not in the mood for it, and thought about the latter suggestion. But the plans they'd made so far had ended up getting Charlie, Sayid, and Jack shot, and Jack and Sayid were both in critical condition—for all she knew, maybe even dead. She was sick of plans. She had a gun in one hand, and at this point, that was good enough for her. She finally reached the top of the ladder and jumped up, landing in a small rectangular room. Three older people, two females and one male, were sitting in various sections of the room, eyes closed and mouths mouthing words.
"Look at me!" Kate ordered sharply, her gun pointing at one of them. "If you don't, your friend dies." She was past politeness, past decency, and past civility. She would do whatever it took to find the psychics, order them to get them off the island, and find Jack again.
Sawyer clambered up and rose, gun poised, and aimed at another of them. "You heard her," he said. Despite their issues, he wasn't about to leave her hanging.
They slowly opened their eyes and stood, hands up. They obviously hadn't expected to be found.
"How did you know about that entrance?" asked the male slowly.
"By looking," Kate snarled. "Are you the psychics?"
"No," the two females said at once.
"Don't you dare lie to me!" Kate shouted. But as she said it, thoughts began swarming in her head. Just because of your past, just because you killed you dad… does that really give you a right to kill us? And we didn't shoot Jack. You might want to go to the source if you want revenge.
"It's them!" Kate spat to Sawyer. "Get the hell out of my head," she commanded to the psychics, but thoughts were still swarming in her mind. Sawyer noticed the same thing.
You don't have to follow her. Things are over now. The doctor will die, and she'll never forgive herself or you. You might as well go back to being the heartless con-man—but don't take it out on us.
"Stop!" he shouted. No one was convincing him to turn on Kate.
"You're the psychics," Kate said. "Well, you know what? We only need one of you. So if any of you do anything else to our heads, we'll both shoot."
"And the third?" asked one of the girls.
"We'll toss a coin," Kate hissed seethingly.
The three psychics glanced at each other and nodded. Finally the man spoke. "What is it," he asked, "that you want us to do?"
"I want you to contact the psychic that Claire and Eko talked to," Kate ordered. "Malkin. And I want you to tell him that if he doesn't tell the police our exact coordinates, I'm going to find a damn way off this island myself and kill him."
"We would die," the man said, "before giving away the island's whereabouts. It is our peoples' legacy to live here."
"In case you haven't noticed, Buddha, your people are out there, dying. We're winning the war. So if you don't tell him, you'll die. But it won't be for a good cause, 'cause there isn't gonna be anyone else left to protect."
Again, the three psychics glanced at each other, probably telepathically debating what to do.
"Tick-tock," Sawyer said, gun at the ready. Kate couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she was thankful for the help.
"Fine," one of them said. "Will we do it here?"
Sawyer glanced at Kate for what to do next. She shook her head and said to them, "We'll bring you back to our hatch, tie you up, and then deal with you. Having you is the important part." She took a deep breath. "Do you have handcuffs here?"
They shook their heads, but Kate shook her gun, and the younger girl retrieved three pairs. The older girl and the man looked at her disappointedly but said nothing. Kate and Sawyer strapped the handcuffs around their wrists.
"Is there another way out of here?" Kate demanded.
One of them motioned to the stone wall to their right. "You can kick it down."
Kate glanced at Sawyer, who nodded. She aimed a kick at the middle of the wall, and sure enough, the fake stone came crumbling. There were doors behind them, and Kate wondered what purpose doors served when there was a stone wall behind them, but she said nothing. After all, they were probably just to keep the psychics safe.
She kicked down the doors, taking the younger girl's handcuffs, and walked back to the outside. Several guards had their guns on her, but they lowered them when they saw the psychics.
"We're done," a few of them mumbled. Kate felt a proud smile amidst all the pain.
The Beach
"Is it working?" Rose asked.
Zach frowned, scanning Sayid for changes.
"Well?" Claire asked, frantically pacing.
Finally Sayid's head turned and he let out a moan.
"I think it cured him!" Zach said happily, a smile breaking onto his formerly stressed face. "We're okay!" He looked down at Sayid. "You're okay!"
Sayid smiled. "You didn't listen to me. Thank you."
Zach beamed, but the pleasure was cut short when Kate and Sawyer emerged from the jungle with three more captives.
"These," Kate sighed tiredly, "are the psychics and our only way off the island. Use your knives and guns and get them to the hatch. Keep them in the food storage room and keep a guard there at all times."
"Freckles," Sawyer said, "don't you think we should do all this, just to be sure?"
But Kate had already left, and Sawyer knew where she was going.
The second Kate reached the Others' camp again, all the survivors seemed to look at her with respect and obedience. Kate glanced at them in confusion, unsure of what it meant.
"Congratulations, Freckles," Sawyer said. "You're their new leader."
But this wasn't comforting to Kate. It meant that they had given up on Jack. She stopped moving and decided to do something useful with her unwanted power. Now that she had everyone's attention, she could make an announcement.
There were a lot of dead and/or disabled bodies on the ground, but every single one belonged to the Others. There were still at least ten aiming and trying to shoot, but they stopped to listen.
"We have your psychics," Kate shouted. "We have one of your young girls, and we have your leader. We also have hostages. If you keep fighting us, we'll kill you. But we don't want to. Drop your guns and stop, and we'll take you to the hatch."
The fact that they had the psychics hit all the Others hard, and one by one, the clashing of guns hitting the ground was heard. The Others came forward in defeat, and Kate could hardly believe it as they did. But this wasn't what she had come for.
"Take care of this," Kate shouted to Ellie and Charlie, and they nodded in response. Then Kate ran as hard as she could.
"Oh, my God," Kate gasped when she reached him. Albert was still there, looking grave but desperate, trying to heal the doctor. "What did you do? How is he? Has he said anything?"
Sawyer was running to catch up, but he stayed behind at a distance. This was what she had come here for, and no matter how much it broke his heart to do it, he would let her be. He knew she had chosen him, and that her heartbreak was only because Jack was gone, dying with that choice on the weight of Kate's shoulders.
"Yeah," Albert said, "he wanted to tell you something." He glanced down at Jack, whose eyes were still fluttering, fighting to stay awake and alive. "Can you talk to her?" he asked Jack.
Jack slowly nodded, and when he did, Albert knew he should leave. He walked back beside Sawyer, whose electric gaze was locked on the sad sight of Kate kneeling in front of Kate. As much as Sawyer loved her, he wondered if she had made the right decision.
"Kate," Jack breathed, "you can't blame yourself for this."
Kate shook her head, her face tight and her eyes fogged up with tears. "But we left," she said, tears tugging at her eyes, making them feel heavy. "You didn't have to do that… why did you do that…?"
"Because you deserved it," Jack said softly.
Kate shook his head. How could such a good person have this happen? "Jack…" She looked more than hurt or sad. She looked miserable, and she looked confused. "Don't leave. Don't do this to me."
"Kate," Jack said in a strained voice, "don't do this to yourself. Don't regret any decisions you made, and don't pull away from Sawyer."
He knew her too well.
"But you're not going to die," Kate said desperately, "right?"
Sawyer looked sadly at the two of them, knowing the answer.
"I am," Jack managed. "Kate, don't regret your decision. When I die, my only wishes are for you to be rescued and for you to be happy."
Kate considered this beneath the cries. She knew she'd eventually be happy with Sawyer, and if that was what he really wanted…
"We were meant to be friends," Jack said in a scratchy voice, "and we'll always be friends. I don't regret your decision, Kate, and I don't want you to."
"Jack…" Kate whispered.
"Promise me," Jack said, "that your feelings won't change for Sawyer when I die."
Sawyer stared at him in surprise. After all their fights, was it really possible that Jack would do this? He was glad for the reassurance, but he felt almost as guilty as Kate, and he hated that the doctor's last words were about the couple he probably despised.
Kate wanted to say something else, but she nodded, turning her head for a millisecond to send a small smile at Sawyer. "I promise," she sniffed back to Jack.
"Be happy," Jack said, and his eyes finally closed. "Be free."
And he died.
The Hatch
The psychics were tossed into the gun room, thanks to Claire and Zach. Aaron was still with Rose back at the beach.
"You've lost the war," Zach said proudly. "And you're going to lose your lives if you don't contact Malkin and get us off this island."
They all shook their heads. "I'm not exposing this island," the older girl said, "ever."
"Stay with them," Zach said to Claire. She nodded, knife poised, as Zach left. When he came back, Henry was next to him. Zach had a gun at the leader's head.
"I repeat," Zach said, "contact Malkin and get us off this island."
Henry said nothing, obviously wondering which he valued more—his life or the island's secrecy.
The man and the older girl eyed each other skeptically, but the younger girl's eyes were already closing, and she starting mouthing words a mile a minute, whispering under her breath.
"Stop!" the older girl hissed, but the younger one didn't move.
Claire shot a hopeful look to Zach. "Is that it?" she asked. "Once she tells Malkin, will we be free?"
Zach smiled. "I think so," he said with a sigh.
"Okay," the younger girl said, her eyes opening. "I told Malkin our situation. He doesn't want to get into any more trouble. He left to tell the police where you are. You'll be free soon."
"We'll keep them here overnight, just in case," Zach told Claire.
Claire nodded speechlessly, her mind reeling. They were getting off the island.
Outside the Hut
Kate broke into sobs again, pounding the ground with a fist. "Jack!" she shouted, pleading for him to wake up, but his eyes stayed closed.
Sawyer slowly rose and walked over to her.
"He left," Kate gasped, hardly seeing Sawyer with all her tears. "He's gone."
"He died in the most honorable way possible," Sawyer assured her, trying not to cry himself. But his face had shadowed back to the sad face Kate had seen before, and she knew that he was hurting, too. "He led us to victory with the war… and he saved us so that we could find the psychics. Kate, we're getting off this island."
"But the island… it was the last place he saw," Kate objected, her fingers tugging at the patches of grass amidst the dirt. "A man as good as him should be able to face the world again before he died," she said. She wanted him to see the world. It was what he fought for.
"I know," Sawyer said, and he gently brought her into a hug. He knew she felt guilty about being with him, but he had to do everything he could to make her feel better. As guilty as she felt, Kate loved having him there to be with her, and she gave into his warm embrace, her head resting on his chest as she tried to stop herself from shaking with sobs. "But there was nothing you could do."
Kate calmed slightly, knowing he was probably right. "We should bury him here," she said. "We should get a real gravestone from the real world and… and build a memorial."
"But you'd come back here," Sawyer reminded her.
"I know," Kate said, sniffling quietly. "This island has treated me better than the real world ever did."
Sawyer knew she was right. "Okay," he said, "then I'm coming with you."
Kate smiled up at him, and finally her tears stopped running. "I'm sorry," she managed to say. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just… I chose you, and I didn't want Jack to die with that…"
Sawyer nodded. "I know," he said softly, looking back at the doctor's body. "But he said it was okay, and Freckles, I think he meant it."
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE
(shields myself from Jack fans) I tried to make him die as respectably as possible, and the respect for Jack isn't over yet. And I know it was a HUGE death, and I'm sorry, but I think, for my story, it had to be done.
On a more positive note (even though it's very hard to be positive after writing that), here are my review responses. And be sure to come back to read THEIR RESCUE next chapter! And then there'll be Homecoming, Pt. I and II, followed by Return and Epilogue. I know it's a lot after the main points, but I have a good plan, and I hope everyone likes it. Anyway, here are your responses...
astronomylover: Yeah, Jack is too hot to die...sorry. Anyway, thanks so much for your comment, it was REALLY sweet.
xlostangelx: Jackit was. Anyway, I love your HurleyLibby story--it's really good. Thanks for the review!
CharliesHoodie: You're all caught up! Thanks SO much for all your sweet comments, they make me happy. :) Your reviews have corrupted me, too, hoodie! I think I love you too! ;)
Thanks everyone. Review please!
Love, KISSBANGX3
