In the End
Chapter Twenty
Reminder: I don't remember which fic it was or what the circumstances were, but Kate did find out about the hatch and what was inside it. Jack still doesn't know. If anyone needs a brushup on the Locke and Boone backstory connections, just let me know. I won't be offended, that story hasn't been brought up in a long time.
Author's Notes: The reference to 'Sloane' is in reference to the character Arvin Sloane on Alias, who always seems to have these secret plans and things he's doing. Also, usually I try to make the plots of my stories as original as possible, but there was one reason mystery on the show that I loved so much, that I just had to use it. If you don't like me doing this, feel free to tell me. I'll try and make it different though:-p It also may remind you a little of Sphere by Michael Chriton, and it was sort of inspired by that.
Chapter Twenty: The Truth
"Haven't seen you in awhile," Locke commented, approaching Boone at the caves.
Boone started to go back to the hatch, but half way there he changed his mind, and went back to the caves. He had this gut feeling that he shouldn't go there right then, and the feeling was so intense that he almost ran back to the caves.
"Enjoying your time off?" Locke said jokingly when Boone didn't reply.
"Yeah," Boone replied honestly, "I am."
He wondered what Locke was doing there, and found himself hoping that it didn't have anything to do with the hatch. Then Boone realized that Locke didn't even know about Callum, or anything else under the hatch. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable in Locke's presence. Not to mention he just blabbed what could be Locke's new "special friendship" to two people, one who was not the best to tell secrets like that to.
"Did you need something John?" Boone asked to try and get to Locke's point quickly.
"Actually," Locke said, "I was thinking maybe you and I could go out and do a little hunting-" he smiled to himself, "for real, this time."
"Hunting didn't seem to be that important to you before," Boone pointed out, standing up from his spot on the ground.
He walked towards the waterfall, even though he had no real reason to do so. Locke followed.
"I thought it might give us a chance to catch up," Locke explained, "give us something to do. Sitting around and waiting for the next thing to happen won't do you any good. And people need food."
Boone knew that Locke had good points. He sighed. It seemed like Locke would drag Boone out to get him into the jungle if he had to. There was no way out of it. Maybe staying with Kelsey wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Fine," Boone agreed dully, "you got an extra knife?"
Locke smiled, and pulled one out of a holster. Flipping the knife over, he handed it to Boone, waving to the exit to signal the start of their hunt. They brushed by Jack and Kate as they left, and something about their presence made Locke stop. Boone looked up from where he had been watching his feet, and he too stopped. Jack had an arm wrapped around Kate, who's face was streaked with tears, eyes heavy and swollen. There was a thick cut on her cheek. Jack didn't look any better, his exhausted demeanor complete with a fading black eye.
"What happened?" Locke asked, his voice wavering in surprise of their sudden and beat appearance.
"Not now," Jack said, pushing Locke out of the way as he led Kate into the caves.
"Jack?" Locke said in a second attempt.
Jack's head spun around, furious.
"Not now, John!"
Jack ushered Kate into their cave, disappearing from everyone else's view. Boone half-expected Locke to continuing walking into the jungle, but Locke stayed against the side of the caves where Jack pushed him. Boone, Locke, and a few other castaways stood for what seemed like hours, waiting for what seemed like hours for Jack to return with some explanation. Whispering could be heard from inside the cave: Jack talking to Kate. It sounded like he was comforting her. Another moment passed and still they waited for Jack. And another moment. And even after a few minutes, they still didn't come back out. The crowd turned to Locke for answers.
"Just give them some time," Locke suggested to the stunned, worried, crowd.
Against the far wall stood a man and his wife, arms wrapped around each other, both equally worried. The wife was shaking. It was like they knew something was wrong. Alex appeared from another cave, brought out by the sudden silence.
"I'm sure everything's okay," Locke finished.
Locke gave the crowd a reassuring smile, and then stepped out into the sunlight. Boone realized the castaways were now staring at him. Maybe they were thinking he knew something, since for the first few months, Boone had been like Locke's right hand mind. But Boone was just as confused as they were. Not knowing what else to do, he echoed Locke's actions, giving them a forced half-smile, and followed Locke outside.
Sayid listened carefully as he ran through the jungle, not yelling out Sawyer's name in fear of missing the smallest cries for help. But all he heard was the casual bird chirp or a random gust of wind. Up until now Sayid tried his best to count the distance between him and the Black Rock. Now he had lost count. Surely Sawyer wouldn't be out this far. Suddenly Sayid stopped. A sound caught his attention. A small sound, but still a sound. Like feet shuffling. Sayid's hand fell on the gun at his side, closing around it. He listened closely, trying to make out what the sound was. Breathing. Heavy breathing and feet pounding on the ground. Like someone running for their life. The feet were coming towards him, the pounding sound echoing close by, becoming more and more desperate with each step. In a blink of an eye a form rushed passed Sayid, breathing quickly and heavily. Sayid grabbed at the person's arm, jerking them around before they could get away. It was Sawyer.
"What do you think happened to Jack and Kate?" Boone asked Locke, tearing a leaf off of a branch and crumbling it into his palm as they walked down the slop.
"Whatever it was," Locke began, "it wasn't good."
"I got that part," Boone said lightly.
He looked around, observing the part of the jungle they were in. The trees stood tall, blowing gracefully, causing the leaves to shake to the ground around him. It felt like fall: cool weather, falling leaves. Coming from LA, Boone admitted that he was slightly fearful of the island suddenly turning cold, blowing in the full effects of Old Man Winter. Adapting to weather wasn't something he was good at, and with Shannon, it would've been even worse. He definitely wasn't looking forward to her complains.
"Where do you think the boar is?" Boone asked, wondering how far out Locke was planning on going.
"Depends," Locke replied simply.
"On what?"
"On whether or not they think we're gone," Locke explained, "but we're not looking for boar."
Boone nearly stumbled in surprised.
"We're not?" Boone said, trying to control his anger.
Somehow he knew what was coming.
"No," Locke continued, "Jack caught a good one last night."
"Then what are we doing out here?" Boone asked.
Locke stopped and turned around.
"I thought it'd give us a chance to talk," Locke began, "about the hatch."
Boone's face fell as he stopped in his tracks, feelings of anger and betrayal rousing within him.
"You tricked me," Boone accused flatly.
Locke smiled.
"I didn't think this conversation needed to be overheard," he said.
Boone remembered the knife Locke gave him earlier, and seriously considered using it. He decided against it, figuring what Locke had to say was nothing worth killing over, but he felt better knowing that he had a weapon with him.
"There's nothing to talk about," Boone said, meeting Locke's eyes.
It was like a parent and child game: look me in the eye and tell me that you're not lying. Over the years, Boone had become a pro at this game.
"There's always something to talk about," Locke protested.
He had lost. Boone mentally kicked himself for falling into this trap. Locke definitely knew something was up, and very possibly knew what that something was. Who was he to assume that Locke didn't go back to the hatch after they closed up shop?
"What do you think about what's going on?" Locke asked him.
Boone was startled at the sudden subject change.
"It's weird," Boone forced himself to say, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
Locke leaned against a tree, placing a hand to his chin thoughtfully. It was a perfect replica of pictures of wise old guys Boone remembered studying in high school.
"I just find it funny that all of this started after you stopped going to the hatch," Locke commented.
Boone noted the 'you' and not 'we'. Maybe he did go back. A feeling of dread suddenly came over him. How much did Locke know? Better yet, how much did Locke know Boone was keeping from him?
"So you think it has something to do with turning off the machine?" Boone asked, playing innocent.
"It seems plausible," Locke said.
Something about the simple tone of his voice told Boone that Locke knew exactly what he was thinking, and was waiting for Boone to catch up. A trap. Boone swallowed nervously.
"Maybe if we turned it back on," Locke began thoughtfully, "kept an eye on things, some of this would stop."
"What do you think the computer has to do with anything?" Boone asked, actually pondering the answer to that question despite the innocence of it.
Ever since Callum mentioned 'the code' Boone wondered just how important that computer was.
"I don't know," Locke said, "but I don't think we should've turned it off. Have you thought about going back?"
"Yeah," Boone lied, knowing it was what Locke wanted to hear, "but it's just a thought."
"Maybe you should think harder," Locke suggested coldly.
Boone was taken aback by the sudden change in Locke's voice. He was suddenly serious and determined.
"I will," Boone said, and looked away from Locke.
A moment of awkward silence passed by, and Boone knew why: Locke was waiting for him to confess something. And when Boone didn't, Locke urged him on with more questions.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Boone?" Locke asked, studying him.
"No," Boone replied, a little too quickly.
Locke took a step forward, and Boone once again remembered the knife at his side. His hand subconsciously inched towards it.
"Look," Boone said, "about the computer, Sayid and I tried but-"
Boone cut himself off, realizing what he said. He couldn't believe it. After all the time he spent making sure he didn't spill anything, he just went and blurted everything out. He could've kicked himself. Boone could've sworn a flame of fury flashed in Locke's eyes.
"What did you say?" He asked darkly.
"I-" Boone stuttered.
"Sayid knows?" Locke cut off.
Locke had the eyes of a madman and the stance of an attacker. Boone had the sick feeling that this conversation would end with him six feet under, buried alive.
"He found out that time when you were locked in," Boone admitted, knowing it would be useless to further his lies, "I didn't think you'd want him to know."
"I wouldn't of," Locke agreed sternly.
Boone felt like an ashamed kid, caught in a whirlwind of lies by his parents.
"Does anyone else know?" Locke asked before Boone could defend himself. Boone didn't reply. "Boone?"
"Kate," Boone admitted, "but that was a long time ago! She probably doesn't even remember! And she promised she wouldn't tell.."
"She's in love," the phrase seemed to sound so awkward coming from Locke, who seemed like the type that had never been in love.
Except at a point in time long ago, Locke had been in love. He even had a family. A family that Boone had murdered. And now Locke was going to kill him.
"She's going to worry about keeping things from Jack, and she'll tell!" Locke finished abruptly.
"She hasn't yet and she won't!" Boone argued. "Anyway, it's a lost cause. The system's down, and that's that."
"Then who's Callum?" Locke challenge.
Boone almost fell backwards in surprise.
"What?" He asked, shocked that Locke knew about that.
He had considered the possibility that Locke knew about Callum, but he never actually thought he did.
"Did you know Shannon's been reading your journal?" Locke asked him.
Boone raised an eyebrow. Truthfully, he wasn't too surprised.
"She confronted me the other day," Locke went on, "she came across an entry where you talked about someone she never heard of before. A guy named Callum. His named was mixed in with vague descriptions of the hatch."
Boone's face fell. He knew it wasn't healthy to keep everything about the hatch inside his head, and he couldn't exactly talk about it to anyone, so he would write it in the journal, describing it as 'the place'. His face fell.
"Shannon knows," Boone muttered to himself in disappointment.
"Who's Callum?" Locke asked again.
Boone sighed, knowing he had no choice, and began the story.
Despite his running, Sawyer's face was a deathly pale instead of red, and reeked of cold sweat. He stood there, unmoving, and just stared at Sayid as he tried to regain control of his breathing. Sawyer's breaths eventually became steadier, but he still didn't look away from Sayid. He seemed to be having trouble forming words. Trying his best to keep his patience, Sayid stared back, waiting for him to say something. The only sound that came was Sawyer's rasp breaths. He was terrified.
Impatience nagging at him, Sayid knew that for both his and Sawyer's own good, he needed to be brought out of the shock. Sayid pulled a hand back, and swung it forward, slapping Sawyer across the face. The smack left an echoing ring in the jungle, and Sawyer's cheek immediately turned a stinging red. Sawyer recovered slowly, glaring at Sayid. Sayid expected him to lash out for hitting him like that, but he never did. He didn't even seem to notice. Sawyer's haunted gaze never changed, not even as he finally spoke up:
"Where's Rebecca?"
His voice was just as rasp as his breathing, though not as unsteady. Sayid raised an eyebrow at the question.
"Rebecca's back at the beach," Sayid told him slowly. He tried of think of what he could say to bring Sawyer out of the shock. "She's okay-" Sawyer looked neither disappointed nor relieved. His expression never changed. "You were with me, Jack, and Kate. Do you remember what happened?"
It was possible that Sawyer was experiencing a mild form of amnesia, which could've been worse. His memory could've been like Claire's, resetting to the time of the crash. But Sawyer clearly remembered Rebecca. Unless the two somehow knew each other before the flight. It was possible, but not likely.
"That guy was going to kill Jack," Sawyer recalled gloomily, "I killed him."
So maybe that's it, Sayid thought, could he possibly just be in shock from the murder?
"That thing came," Sawyer continued, without having to be urged to do so, "Jack stayed for Charlie and Claire. I ran." Sawyer paused a moment before going on. "That thing..it was right over me. It wanted to eat me. It threw me. I landed about thirty feet away. I got up and ran."
When Sayid didn't reply, Sawyer got the wrong idea.
"You don't believe me," Sawyer said, just as dully as before.
"No," Sayid said truthfully, "I believe you."
He was just a little surprised. If that thing wanted to eat Sawyer, why didn't it?
"Where's my stuff?" Sawyer asked himself, noticing it was gone.
"It probably fell off when you were thrown," Sayid suggested.
Sawyer let out a curse of frustration, and then looked around.
"Where're Jack and Kate?" He said, noticing that they were missing too.
"They went back to camp," Sayid explained. He hesitated before continuing. "They think you're dead."
Sawyer stared at him in disbelief.
"What?"
"We just assumed that-"
"And now they're going back to tell everyone I've been eaten, right?" Sawyer said furiously.
His hands balled into fist at his side. Sayid realized what he was so upset about: Rebecca.
"Maybe if we hurry-" Sayid began.
"Yeah, we're gonna hurry," Sawyer cut in, already starting off down the trail.
"Sawyer!" Sayid called after him.
Sawyer spun around.
"Camp's this way," Sayid said, pointing west of them.
For a moment Sawyer looked like he was about to lash out, scream, yell, maybe kick at something in frustration, but he simply nodded, and followed Sayid down the right path.
Jack and Kate sat in their cave, neither one talking nor moving. Neither knew what to say. Sitting with his hands on the edge of the cot that had been left abandoned for weeks, Jack debated on what he should do, what he should say. Even after he talked to Kate, he still had to confront the rest of the camp.
"They're getting restless," Kate noted quietly from where she was sitting behind him, turned towards the wall to hide her tears, "they'll want to know what's going on."
"What should I tell them?" Jack asked her, desperate now more than ever for someone to tell him what he should do.
"The truth," Kate whispered.
She sniffled, and ran an arm across her face to keep herself from crying again. Jack knew that they were out there waiting, probably gathered right outside the entrance, waiting for him to come out. Jack didn't want to go. Behind him, Kate let out another sob, failing at controlling her emotions. It broke Jack's heart to see her so torn up. Turning in his seat, Jack place his hand on Kate's arm, turning her towards him. Kate's eyes met his, filled with pain and hurt. Gently, Jack caressed Kate's cheek with his hand.
"It'll be okay," he promised her quietly, trying to get himself to believe it.
"Stop saying that," Kate said hoarsely.
Jack brushed back a strand of hair just before it fell into her face, hating that there was nothing he could do to make things right.
"He'll be okay," Jack said, this time with more emphasis, "and a doctor never breaks his promise."
A small smile escaped Kate's lips, and Jack instantly returned it.
"I could argue that," she said sorrowfully.
Her smile slowly faded, and a distant, sad, look developed in Kate's eyes. Jack's face fell at his failure to cheer her up, and feeling the need to make up for it, he leaned towards her, kissing her softly in apology. Kate broke the kiss sooner than he had hoped, though she kept her hand rested on his chin, looking down.
"You should go," Kate said quietly.
Jack looked down as well, feeling slightly hurt. Was she trying to get rid of him? Or was she just reminding him that he was avoiding the situation?
"I won't be long," Jack promised, standing up.
He realized for the first time that he was holding Kate's hand. Jack gave it a squeeze, not letting it go until the last possible moment. He reached the exit more quicker than he thought he would, and Jack found that he was unable to step out of it. His muscles weren't corroperating with his mind, which wasn't too keen to walk out itself. Resting his hands on either side of the doorway, Jack took a deep breath, closing his eyes, before walking out. Just as he predicted, a crowd of eager and scared castaways awaited him. Jack looked around at them all, meeting each of their fearful eyes. Jack cleared his throat, swallowing his nerves.
"We went out to the Black Rock," Jack began, fighting to keep his voice steady, "to look for Charlie and Claire. While we were searching, I found this room. There was a man in there." Whispers immediately aroused amongst the castaways. "He told me his name was David. He appeared to be from the island."
"You mean he was born here?" Sun spoke up.
Jack's eyes fell on her. He realized that during the course of the passed few weeks, he hadn't said so much as a word to Sun. Not even expressing his mourning of Jin's death. Feeling guilty, Jack tried to express his sympathy as he met her eyes.
"He didn't say," Jack said truthfully, "but he seemed to know the place. He told me that it isn't safe here. He tried to kill me." A few gasps escaped the women population of the crowd. "But Kate came in, so instead, he took her captive. He tried to get me to do it, but I couldn't, so he did. He hit her."
The crowd was deathly silent, looking at Jack with intense sympathy. From the side of the caves, Hurley offered him a half-smile of sympathy.
"He took me outside," Jack went on, the story playing through his head as he called it, "he tried to kill me again. He told me that it was better if I died this way."
"Better than what way?" A man he didn't know asked.
"I don't know," Jack said regretfully, wishing he had the answers, "but things are going to get bad, worse than they already are, and we need to be prepared for that. These things may not happen to just us-" by this, Jack meant the normal rescue parties: Kate, Sayid, and himself, "it could happen to anyone, and as much as I hate to say it, we need to prepare. We need to know what we're going to do, we need to have some kind of.." Jack searched for the word, "game plan. He was right, we're not safe here."
Jack fell silent, hoping to stall time before telling the next part. His plan failed.
"Where's Sawyer?" Asked a shaking voice, approaching him from the crowds.
Jack felt his heart sink to his stomach, creating a sickening pit. Rebecca. She was shaking as she stepped forward, arms wrapped around her chest to try and sieze it. Rebecca's eyes looked red and puffy, and Jack got a horrible feeling that she already knew what was coming.
"Where's Sawyer?" Rebecca asked again.
Her lower lip began to tremble. Jack opened his mouth only to close it, knowing there would be no easy way to tell her. As she walked towards him, Rebecca and Jack met eyes, and she was studying his every move. Jack knew that she was realizing what his silence must mean.
"No," Rebecca whispered in disbelief, shaking her head in denial, "no..no.."
She repeated the single word over and over, walking towards Jack almost mechanically. Rebecca stumbled as she finally reached Jack, and Jack caught her before she hit the ground. Instead of letting go, Rebecca collapsed onto him, clinging onto Jack's arms. Her fingernails dug into his skin, but Jack ignored the pain, and held onto her. Jack tried to ignore the fact that he was hugging someone other than Kate, knowing that she would understand. What was important now was being there for Rebecca, being there for everyone. As flattering as it was to be looked up to, it was hard, and it took a lot out of him.
"Sayid's looking for him," Jack told her quietly, "he said that even if he isn't alive, we could at least have a body to bury." Rebecca didn't seem to hear him. "There's still a chance..you've got to have some faith."
He knew it was a hypocritical thing to say, but he knew that it was important now to keep Rebecca calm. Jack spoke quietly, not wanting everyone to hear. He wished they would turn away. When Rebecca finally loosened her grip on Jack's arm, leaving light red nail marks on his skin, Jack let go as well.
"Why don't you go inside?" Jack said, nodding towards his cave. "Stay with Kate."
Rebecca nodded quickly.
"Take a deep breath," Jack instructed, placing his hands on Rebecca's shoulders to help her keep her balance. Rebecca obeyed. Her frantic breaths calmed, and her eyes once again met Jack's. "It's going to be okay."
Rebecca nodded again, though she obviously wasn't too ready to believe him. Jack watched as Rebecca took what would feel like to her as the long walk to the other cave. His eyes lingered on the entrance a moment longer, and Jack found himself wishing that Kate would walk out to him, even though he just sent Rebecca in their to her so they wouldn't be alone at a time like this. Of anything, Jack wanted to go and be with them, but the crowd's eyes were still watching him. Turning back to them, Jack offered them a fake half-smile.
"You know," Sawyer said as he and Sayid made their way back to camp, "I'm thinking that me and you need to stop taking these little walks through the jungle. Nothing good ever seems to come out of them."
"At least they give us a chance to discuss things," Sayid said, though he was thinking along the same lines.
"Like what?" Sawyer inquired.
"Like the hatch," Sayid replied, quickly changing paths before running into a tree.
Sawyer did the same.
"What?" Sawyer snorted. "You're not gonna start asking me if I'm havin' nightmares, are ya?"
"Have you?" Sayid asked curiously, looking back towards him with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't have nightmares," Sawyer lied with a simper.
After his parents died when he was a kid Sawyer had nightmares for years. Whether it was replaying the murder/suicide or being haunted by what could've been happy times with his parents, nightmares plagued his minds for years. Even now, on the island, the occasional bad dream would float back, and he'd jerk awake, breathing heavily and sweating. When he was a kid he'd sometimes wake up screaming. He just prayed it wouldn't result to that here on the island.
Thoughts of sleeping, even bad ones, made Sawyer feel restless and tired, and his eyelids began to droop heavily, threatening to close. Sawyer allow himself just one moment of peaceful rest, and then snapped his eyes back open, determined to stay awake.
"I thought you might like to know about the hatch," Sayid said, bringing Sawyer out of his thoughts.
"Thought Boone wanted to keep things on the hush-hush," Sawyer replied dryly.
"It's your call," Sayid offered.
"Go ahead, Sloane," Sawyer said with sarcasm.
"You watch too much tv," Sayid commented, amused at the reference.
Sawyer snorted again.
"Boone doesn't want Locke knowing that other people know what's down there," Sayid said, "but I think it's only fair to tell you what's going on."
"Aw," Sawyer said with a smirk, "stop it, I might just begin to think that ya like me."
"It's odd how different people react to trauma," Sayid's comment seemed to come from nowhere, "some people sink into depression-" he paused before continuing, "while others laugh it off. They pretend that nothing happened."
"You tryin' to say somethin'?" Sawyer demanded, clenching his jaw.
As much as he hated to admit it, that was the perfect description of him. After the traumatic events of his childhood, Sawyer knew that he had to come up with some way to deal with it all, and he wasn't exactly the touchy-feeling type.
"Boone and I didn't find the tunnel for weeks," Sayid said, ignoring Sawyer's comment, "when we went through it, we found a room. I was knocked unconscious. A man approach Boone. Boone said that he kept saying the same thing, over and over again: 'Are you him?' Then he started asking about something, a code."
Sawyer stopped short.
"What?" He said, forget about trying pulling off the 'tough guy' appearance.
Sayid turned towards him, noticing Sawyer's sudden change in tone.
"He kept asking Boone if he knew what the code was," Sayid explained slowly.
"Tell him to use the code."
Sawyer remembered the note being shoved into his hands. The guy had been frantic. Then he had jumped into the ocean, and shot himself. Now he couldn't remember where he had put that note.
"Well damn," Sawyer muttered with a shake of the head.
"What?" Sayid wanted to know.
"About a week ago," Sawyer began, recalling the story, "when Kate and I..you know. This guy came up to us, when we were up talkin'. He was limpin'. This guy, he was frantic, and he kept sayin' 'Tell him to use the code.' He gave me this note, with these numbers on him. Then he threw himself into the ocean and shot himself."
Sayid's face contorted in surprise.
"Do you remember the numbers?" Sayid asked him after a long pause.
"No," Sawyer admitted in true regret, "don't remember what I did with the paper either. Sorry."
At first Sayid seemed like he'd let it slide, but anger suddenly overcame him, and Sayid let out a fierce cry of frustration, kicking a nearby rock at least fifty feet. Sawyer looked away as an awkward moment of silence passed. Sayid finally opened his mouth to say something, but instead of speaking, quickly closed it, and spun around swiftly to continue down the path.
Miles away, Locke and Boone were having a similar conversation. Locke let Boone tell the story without interruption, taking all the information in as it came, deep in thought by the end.
"So our code wasn't the right one?" Locke asked when Boone finished.
"Didn't seem like it," Boone replied.
As they talked they walked, not really knowing where they were going. Now they had to complete the task of finding their way back to camp, preferably before nightfall.
"And he didn't tell you anymore?" Locke asked.
"No," Boone said truthfully.
"Then there's only one plausible solution," Locke said, "we go back."
"What?" Boone said, stopping.
Locke turned around.
"You're going to take me back there," Locke said, the tone of his voice dead serious.
Boone stared at him in disbelief.
"No," he said, shaking his head, "we can't. Callum, we kidnapped him. If we go back-" Boone didn't even want to imagine the things that could happen, "no. We can't."
Locke looked down to Boone. The flame flashed in his eyes again.
"We are."
Even though they sat beside each other on Jack's cot, neither had said a word. Each wanted to to express their feelings towards Sawyer, the things they'd miss about him, the good things. It was hard to say which had it worse. They both knew Sawyer well, but Kate knew him since day one. The tears started again. Rebecca listened as Kate cried softly, she herself to in shock to cry anymore. Just this morning she and Sawyer had been together. Just a few hours ago. And now he was gone. Rebecca closed her eyes tightly as the tears threatened to come again. She needed to talk, even if no one was listening. Sitting here in silence was just going to make her even more depress, entrapping her in her thoughts, a place she didn't need to be.
"He told me last night that he thought he was cursed," Rebecca said quietly, "because everyone on the raft died. I told him not to worry. He wasn't going to die."
Rebecca let out an ironic snort.
"It's not your fault," Kate whispered.
Rebecca looked towards her. She never thought that Kate would actually listen.
"Did you love him?" Kate asked her.
The question caught her by surprise.
"I don't know," Rebecca replied softly.
Did she love him? They hadn't been together more than two weeks, but yet it seemed like she had known him all her life. She really cared about him, but did she love him? Jack stepped into the room just then, cutting Rebecca away from her thoughts. Both she and Kate looked up, and both were stricken by his appearance. Jack looked exhausted. His face was pale and eyes were red. Jack looked at Kate, meeting eyes with her before clearing his throat to speak.
"I'm going to go to the beach," he told them, "someone has to tell Shannon, she'll be worried about Sayid, and I want to talk to Alex, make sure she's okay."
They both nodded, though neither processed all of what Jack just said.
"Will you two be okay?" Jack asked them, concerned.
"Yeah," they both muttered, both lying.
Rebecca could tell that Jack was hesitant to leave, probably because of Kate. She felt another sob threaten to escape her throat as she was reminded how she could've had someone like that. Jack gave each of them a sympathetic smile, and left. His footsteps could be heard echoing through the caves: the camp was deathly silent.
Jack had never been so grateful to be on the beach. He would've gotten sick, had he had to stay in the caves one more moment. But as he entered the camp that was slightly unfamiliar to him, Jack found himself wishing that he had brought Kate along. They could've gone for a walk, maybe talked, done something. Now Jack was being stared at again, and it was only when he passed by a burnt out fireplace that he remembered Sawyer had stayed at the beach. He remembered back to the first week of the island, when he first found the caves. Sawyer didn't want to go, but Jack had the feeling that he was only staying because Jack was leaving. He wanted to prove him wrong.
"What are you doing here?" A shaky voice asked.
Looking up, he saw that Alex was also at Sawyer's camp. A hand was wrapped around her stomach, as if she were sick. Her eyes were swollen red from crying.
"I actually came to see how you were doing," Jack admitted.
"I'm doing fine," Alex said, probably more harshly than she meant to.
It was obviously a lie. Jack shook his head.
"Don't start this," he said warningly.
"I want to be kept alone," Alex said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
"Alex-" Jack began desperately.
"I want to be left alone!" Alex cried, tears forming in her eyes.
Jack looked down to the ground, knowing his good intentions would be proven useless.
"I'm here if you need to talk," Jack said quietly, and turned around.
Behind him, Alex wanted to call him back, admit that she was lying, but she couldn't form the words. So instead, she just let him go.
Walking into the adjacent room from the hatch for the first time was a surreal experience for Locke. The place was dark and damp, but yet it possessed a certain mysterious feeling. Locke couldn't quite place his finger on it.
"What is this place?" He asked himself, not meaning for Boone to hear.
"You might want to get your knife ready," Boone warned.
Locke just chuckled. One thing he was sure of was that he wasn't going to end up in the same kidnapping ordeal as Boone and Sayid. He was more careful than them, more aware of his surroundings, he was sure of that.
"What the hell?" Boone said suddenly.
He didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong before Boone took off, running towards some tables sat up on a side wall, lined with computer screens and one long keyboard.
"You better come see this," Boone said, sounding in shock.
Quickly walking over to where Boone was standing, hovering over one of the middle computers, Locke squinted through the darkness to see what he was looking at: writing. White writing.
"What is it?" He asked Boone as he approached them.
"I don't know," Boone said, mouth fallen agape in awe.
Locke stepped into the space beside Boone, getting a better view of the screen. Writing was definitely on the screen.
Who are you?
Boone could do nothing but stare at the screen.
"I think they're wanting an answer," Locke said, jerking Boone out of his daze.
Scanning the keyboard, Boone looked for the letters he needed. At last he found them.
I'm a survivor of a plane crash.
Flight 815?
Boone looked at Locke in surprise, wondering if he should reply. Locke nodded in approval.
Yes.
Where are you?
This was it, he thought, for real this time. We're going to get rescued..perfect timing too. But this seemed a little too perfect of coincidence for Boone's liking, once it got right down to it. All of a sudden a computer just starts talking to them?
On an island in the South Pacific
There was a puse, and then..
And you have a computer?
Boone realized for the first time how odd this must be for the person they were talking to. For all they knew, it was someone on some instant messenger in a big city somewhere. Some little kid who was messing around in chat rooms while their parents were out.
Yes
There was another pause.
"Do you think they're thinking?" Boone asked Locke when the pause lingered on.
"I don't know," Locke replied simply.
"Going to get help?" Boone suggested hopefully.
"Maybe."
A long moment of silence slowly passed by. Water dripped from what sounded like a leaky pipe in the distance, and Boone glanced around worriedly. Everything appeared to be the same as it was when they left the place the first time, down to the chair Callum tied Sayid to. Boone was sure that at any moment Callum would come running in, ready to kill.
"Look," Locke said suddenly.
Words were forming on the scene. It took Boone a moment to realize what he was reading, and when he did, he was certain that it had even caught Locke off guard. Maybe it even scared him, as it scared Boone. What he read was the last thing he expected. What was written was impossible. But yet, he wasn't that surprised. He learned to accept that anything and everything could happen on the island, but like now, it just took some to process. But now..it was just unreal. He reread the statement, just to make sure he read it correctly, feeling himself freeze up in fear:
GET OFF OF OUR ISLAND
All in caps. Simply said. Simply demanded. Impossibly demanded. Before Boone had anymore time to force himself out of shock, the computer screen went blank, and then turned to static. After that, even Locke was left speechless.
Author's Notes: Okay, I know what you're probably thinking, that this is ridiculous, but I think it'll turn out okay. It's kind of my take on the computer IMing thing/the end of(SPOILER WARNING FOR NEXT EPISODE) "The Hunting Party"'s promo. The next part of the story will probably be intense, with those at the caves and beach thinking Sawyer's dead, Boone and Locke getting in over their heads with this computer thing, and of course, the monster. And yes, I realize a great deal of this chapter was spent by people following others to paths..maybe this chapter should've been called 'follow me':-p Thanks so much for the reviews! I do hope you guys stick with me to the end, and aren't too disappointed. You guys rock anyway!
Coming up next, on "In the End":
(singing) People laughing, people crying, people living, people dying..okay so trust me, you don't want to hear me sing, and I don't even know if I got the words right. By the way, I don't own that song, but I believe the Black Eyed Peas do. Honestly though, like I said, things are going to get intense, for everyone, including an OC couple that is going to be introduce soon. These guys aren't going to take over, but as the fuselage population slowly decreases, other characters will feel the need to say something every now and then. This couple even have their own back story which, personally, I'm fond of. I think it's "Lost-like". I hope it is, anyway. As for what's coming up in the immediate future? Callum's back and not happy, and that's all I'm sayin':-p
Thanks again!
Until next time..
October Sky
