Ok I'm back I swear I didn't forget you; I was having some problems with this chapter. As surprising as this may seem but I've never been involved in any high stakes reconnaissance missions where I had to rescue someone in the jungle, I know you're shocked to hear that but it is true. So I was trying to write it and not make it lame and I'm not sure that it worked. Ok onto the other thing, the last time I checked I had 91 reviews which is freaken awesome and I was excited to be so close to 100 so I thought hmm how should my reviewers, especially my 100th reviewer be rewarded, so here's the thing whoever turns out to be my number 100 I will write a one-shot Jate story for you. It's got to be Jate because if you wanted me to write Skate it would start off with Sawyer dying in the first sentence and that would be the end of the story. Anyway sorry ADHD moment there. So I will write a story for you, you decide what it's about, or where the characters are, it can be pre, on or post island or it can be totally AU, funny sad, scary whatever you want. So if you're the 100th reviewer yay! And to everyone else thanks so much I appreciate all the support. Another note, this chapter is going to be dark and could be disturbing to some with violent themes so please be warned.
CHAPTER 15
Sayid sat by his tent and looked out at the ocean, since Jack left he had been very busy. With the help of the other survivors they had started planning on a defense in case the Others attacked. They had look outs and weapons set up. Sayid knew that they were as ready as they could be but he couldn't help but be nervous. Everyone believed that this plan was to start now but they shouldn't expect anything until after the teams went in for Walt after Jack got back. That was a lie though, he and Jack had devised a plan that no one knew about and that plan was the reason Sayid felt slightly nervous. There was never to be any kind of team mission to get Walt out that had been discussed in case somehow Michael got out or any other traitors existed. The real plan, the plan that Sayid and Jack had come up with the first night of talking was that Jack would go in and get Walt out himself. Sayid had actually found the Others camp weeks ago and scouted it out. There were only about 10 to 15 people there, from what he could see there was a mass grave leading Sayid to the conclusion that the other tailies who were taken were now dead. He didn't know why, but that wasn't important. The objective was for Jack to get in, get Walt and get out.
He had thought it was crazy at first but after speaking to Jack about his military experience he knew the doctor was best for the job. Jack had worked jungle recon missions before and knew he could get Walt out. They also discussed what should they do about the Others. There were only three options. The first was the optimistic one where Jack would get Walt and the Others would just let it go and stay on their side of the island, not very likely. The second was for Jack to get Walt and to get back quickly because the Others would most likely retaliate against them for the loss of the boy. This option was a little more legitimate. The last option was that Jack would get into the camp and kill all or enough of the Others to disable their camp. That mission would mean Jack would have to single handedly take out 10 to 15 men, that was another thing Sayid noticed there were no females with the Others. This option would mostly likely be the best because it would take out the threat of the Others for good and Sayid knew Jack was capable of completing the mission. The only large problem with this was not only would Jack be out numbered but who knows what this mission could do to Jack's mental health.
He glanced up and saw the girls returning from their slumber party. Sun walked to meet Jin who was fishing. Shannon smiled and headed toward him, he watched as Kate and Claire went towards Claire's tent where Charlie had been babysitting Aaron. He felt guilty watching Kate, he and Jack had both decided no one could know what they were doing not even Kate. Jack was afraid if she knew the plan she might try to intervene or follow him and Jack couldn't have that kind of distraction. He was worried that Jack might not come back and then he would have to be the one who has to break the news to Kate.
"What are you thinking about?" Shannon asked plopping down onto the sand next to him.
"Just hoping Jack is all right" Sayid said with a weak smile. Shannon knew immediately something was up but she knew better than to ask because he wouldn't tell her until he wanted to anyway "How was your night?"
Shannon smiled, "It was fun, I think it was good for Kate, kept her from dwelling to much on Jack. Do you think he'll be back tomorrow night?"
Sayid sighed to himself, the actual plan was for Jack to return any minute now, the latest by one if he wasn't back by then, well that meant plans had to change. "I hope so"
"Good" Shannon said, "Kate really needs him so the sooner he's back the better she'll be."
Sayid rubbed his forehead, "Shannon, please come with me" he said gesturing her to follow him inside of he tent. When they got in Sayid shut the flaps and gestured her to sit. Shannon noticed his serious behavior and waited for him to talk.
"The plan that Jack and I made about him going to scout the Others in order for us to go after them later as a group was a lie. It was a decoy." Sayid said, realizing she was about to interrupt, he held his hand up to stop her. "We couldn't tell anyone about the real plan because it was far too dangerous we couldn't risk any other spies overhearing the real plan so we came up with the fake one and let it travel through the camp we even had fake discussions in the open just in case. Jack didn't go to scout the Others, he went to get Walt himself. I'm telling you this because even if word traveled to the Others now it would be too late. Jack was going to go in to the camp last night, get out and bring back Walt today." Sayid said.
"Oh my gosh, no wonder Kate has been so distracted she must be terrified." Shannon said.
"Shannon, Kate doesn't know, no one does" Sayid said. "Jack didn't want her to know he was afraid she'd follow or try to interfere. There's more, a couple weeks ago I found the Others camp, from what I could tell they are monsters and have killed the people from the tail end of the plane."
Shannon gasped and held her hand to her mouth, calming herself she spoke, "What? But why? And what the hell were you doing out there by yourself Sayid?" Shannon asked suddenly feeling angry at Sayid and Jack and not knowing why.
"Shannon, I know you're upset but please believe me I was cautious the same way I know Jack is being. I have to tell Kate the truth and I need you to come with, she is going to need you, especially if Jack doesn't return today." Sayid said softly.
"Why now, why couldn't you tell her earlier." Shannon asked.
"Because what is done is done. Jack has either succeeded or failed,
there is no reason to keep it a secret now. People need to be made
aware because if Jack failed than we are at risk." Sayid said
trying to make her understand.
"That's why you have all the lookouts up and running they're
not early, they're right on yours and Jack's schedule" Shannon
said. She was still a little angry about being left out of the loop,
but she couldn't imagine how Kate was going to feel. Shannon stood
to her feet, "Come on let's go tell Kate" she said quietly.
The two made their way to Claire's tent where Claire and Charlie were laughing as Kate was holding Aaron making faces at him. Shannon felt like she had eaten a weight as she watched Kate who might be pregnant with Jack's baby right this minute. If he didn't come back, what would Kate do? When they approached Sayid spoke, "Kate would it be alright if I spoke to you in private?" Kate looked up and smiled nervously.
"Uh sure" she said handing Aaron back to his mother. Kate was worried and her first instincts were of Jack, but it was too early in his mission for anything to have happened right? She glanced over at Shannon who was busily kicking the sand with her shoes. Sayid gently took her arm and gestured for Shannon to come with. When they reached their shelter Shannon took a seat next to Kate and Sayid knelt in front of them. Kate felt like she was in a bad dream as Sayid started telling her about the real plan and what Jack was risking as they spoke. She felt like she couldn't breathe, he had lied to her, he told her he would just scout and stay out of the way. He had promised her he would come back. Kate could feel the tears filling her eyes.
"When is he supposed to be back?" she asked trying to hold back the tears.
"Anytime, but no later than 1:00pm" Sayid said.
"One o'clock" she whispered looking at her watch, it was eleven now, that meant Jack had two hours to get back, if it was later than that it meant they would have to assume he failed, to assume he was dead. Kate couldn't handle that thought and the tears bubbled over. She remembered thinking of the last time she saw him. she had been a nervous wreck just thinking of him scouting, the thought that he was right in the middle of the danger sent blind panic racing through her. She didn't know what to do; all she could do was cry. She noticed Sayid get up and say he had to tell everyone else, but Shannon stayed behind with her.
When she had calmed herself down she felt the panic being replaced by numbness.
"We wanted a baby. He knew that I could be pregnant and he went anyway." She said quietly with a monotone voice, all Shannon could do was comfort her. "What if he doesn't come back Shannon? What if he's gone? I don't feel it though, I still feel him. If he were gone, wouldn't I know? He can't be gone because I'm supposed to have his baby. I have to be pregnant Shannon, it's all I have of him, there has to be a baby." Shannon could hear the tension and slight hysteria start creeping into Kate's voice.
"Shh it's ok" Shannon said pulling Kate into a comforting hug. "If you still feel him, than that's good. He's going to come back Kate, and you are going to have a baby together, you just need to hang on and be calm for the baby."
"I don't even know if there's a baby or not" Kate whispered. "We were just hoping, but maybe there is no baby. Maybe God is punishing me for all the bad things I've done, what if he took Jack away and didn't leave me with a baby?"
"God doesn't work that way" Shannon said trying to convince the brunette that everything was going to be ok when she wasn't sure she believed it herself. "God would never do that to you, no matter what you've done in your life" Shannon said stroking her hair. Soon word got around about Jack and the real plan; a couple of people like Sawyer and Locke were upset that there was no plan to go out to get Walt. The men had gathered together and to work on a strategy. Most of the women gathered around Kate to support her and help ease her worries. The one person who comforted Kate the most was Rose. She had told Kate that her and Jack reminded her of herself and Bernard. She had a soothing presence that calmed Kate. Soon all the discussions dried up and sounds stopped, and everyone was left looking and waiting for a glimpse of their leader.
At this point Jack was indeed heading back to the camp. In his right hand he was carrying a revolver and on the left his hand was being grasped by a scared sixteen year old girl named Alex. Over his shoulder he was carrying an unconscious Walt. He kept an eye out but knew deep down that the Others were gone and that danger has passed. However that didn't make the polar bears or the Security System any less of a threat. Jack was tired and looking forward to getting back to camp. He wanted nothing more than to hold Kate and to taste her sweet mouth. He was nervous though because he knew by now Sayid had told Kate everything and she was probably furious with him. It was funny that a man like him could be nervous. Jack thought back to the events that had led him to this point. He had reached the camp quickly yesterday and had spent most of daylight in crouched in the trees watching and learning about everything going on in the camp. He had only counted eight men, their numbers were dwindling since Said had scouted.
As night fell, Jack had quietly and stealthily dropped from the trees and approached the camp. As he drew closer the smell that hit his senses was unmistakable, it was a smell he knew well. Death. As he approached he saw a large hole in the ground and before he looked in he already knew what it was. It was a mass grave. Judging by the appearances of the bodies the men seemed to have had their hands tied behind their backs, mostly killed execution style. It was the condition of the women that made Jack's blood boil, they seemed to have been thrown in and most were missing their clothing. Jack had seen this type of thing before and knew these women had been violated before death. Pushing his anger down and forcing himself to go cold Jack had kept on. He had taken out the first four men by simply snapping their necks, it was quick and quiet. He had noticed one of the men had gone into a hut and hadn't returned. Jack recognized him as the man Sawyer called Zeke, the one who had threatened Kate. Thinking of the women in the grave, Jack was grateful that they hadn't had the time to injure Kate the way Jack was sure they were capable of.
He managed to grab another man as he passed by Jack's hiding spot and had eliminated him as well. He had a problem when it came to the last two men, they had heard their friend fall and were prepared for a fight. Jack had fought with the both of them for a good two to three minutes when he finally got the upper hand. Unfortunately, Jack had been forced to use his knife and their deaths were messier than the other men's. He had been slightly injured but nothing serious. Jack then quietly made his way to the hut knowing for sure there was at least one man inside. As he approached the entrance he heard arguing and was shocked to hear a girl's voice.
"He's just a child leave him alone!" the shout was followed by the sound of someone being backhanded hard.
"Shut up you stupid girl!" Jack recognized Zeke's voice. He crept to the door and managed to open it quietly enough to gain a look inside. He saw Walt tied to a chair and he seemed asleep. He was battered pretty badly but Jack was relieved to see his chest rising and falling, he was alive. The young girl looked to be a teenager and was dressed in ratty clothes just like the Others. Her face was swollen and bruised and Jack also noticed marks along her body. Someone had been using her as a punching bag. At the moment she was cowering from Zeke who had just delivered the hit that Jack had heard.
"He was supposed to be special!" screamed Zeke hysterically, "He isn't special he's a liar he's nothing!"
Jack chose that minute to make his presence known. He opened the door and slammed it hard behind him. Both Zeke and the girl jumped looking at Jack shocked. Zeke recovered quickly and gave Jack a sickly grin.
"Well well if it isn't Jack, how are you doing today?" Zeke said his eyes shining dangerously.
"Not bad, yourself?" Jack asked coldly.
"Much better knowing that you have about thirty seconds until my men come in here and kill you, or maybe better yet we won't kill you Jack I'm sure there are things we can do, experiments to run on you." Zeke said smugly.
"Oh I hope you aren't talking about the men who were all out there, yeah I killed them. Rather easily in fact, they didn't put up much of a struggle at all." Jack watched as disbelief crossed Zeke's face. "You don't believe me do you Zeke? Come on I know you've read my file, I know you're read up on all my military deeds and of course my extracurricular activities I participated in over in Asia and South America. You know what I'm capable of Zeke so I think you know that your men are dead. What's the matter?" Jack asked his eyes flashing with fire, "Are you afraid of me? Is it too hard to fight with someone on your own level? I see how you like to beat on young kids" he said gesturing to the girl and Walt. "And I know what you did to the women in the grave out there. So come on Zeke, how about it why don't you fight a real fight?" Jack had entered the room and was approaching Zeke slowly like a stealth panther.
"Sure Jack" Zeke said "I'd love to but there is only one problem, I don't have time for this." Out of Jack's sight Zeke and reached for a gun but the young girl saw him move. Realizing what he was going to do left the girl with having to make a choice, let Zeke shoot the stranger or save him. She chose to save him. Screaming she launched herself at the Other and hit him hard as he had whipped out the gun. He managed to pull the trigger but with the girl's interference the bullet was off course and only grazed Jack's arm. Zeke shouted in anger and sent his elbow back into the girl's face sending her sprawling to the floor. He turned and raised his gun again at Jack but was shocked to see Jack already there with his own revolver raised.
"Sorry Zeke," Jack said coldly and pulled the trigger. Zeke flew back and landed on the floor a bullet placed perfectly between his eyes. Jack looked at the body for a second, then he quickly turned his attention to Walt, who seemed to have come back to consciousness with the loud noise of the gunfire. Jack quickly knelt to the boy and began cutting off his ropes. He noticed the young girl watching him warily as if not sure what to make of him. Jack felt the same way about her. Suddenly Walt groaned and opened his eyes. He looked at Jack and his eyes focused.
"Doctor Jack!" the boy exclaimed though his voice was harsh and hoarse. The boy quickly launched himself at Jack hugging him tight. Jack was surprised by the sign of affection for a second but returned the boys hug truly glad to see the young man. Walt quickly looked up, "Where's Alex?" he asked panicking. Jack wasn't sure who Alex was but was soon informed.
"I'm right here, Walt." The young girl came to his side. "We're safe now Walt, your friend rescued us." She gave Jack a shy smile. Walt grinned and looked back at Jack.
"Are we going home? Where's my dad?" Jack noticed Walt's voice was fading and soon saw Walt's eyes roll and he soon passed out. Concerned, Jack quickly checked Walt's eyes and pulse. Satisfied that Walt had only passed out from exhaustion. Jack gathered the boy up and placed him over his shoulder. Jack glanced up at Alex and quickly put the pieces together, this girl could truly be the French woman's daughter. She looked at him as if not sure what to do.
"What now?" she asked looking at the dead man on the floor.
'We go home" Jack said. With that Jack reached his hand out to the girl. She took it and didn't release it again.
That was how Jack found himself entering the camp with Walt and the strange girl who had said nothing the whole trip back but had held his hand tightly. He felt Walt stir and wake, he realized Alex wasn't going to let him go so he tucked the gun into his pants and with his arm slightly bleeding from the bullet graze, Jack gently lowered Walt to his feet with one arm.
"You ok?" he asked the boy as Walt steadied himself.
"Yeah, I feel better" he said. He looked around and his face lit up, "Doctor Jack, we're home!" Walt exclaimed.
Jack chuckled at the resilience of children, "Yes we are just over that hill is the camp and everyone on the beach. What do you say we get over there?"
Walt grinned and looked at Alex, "We're home Alex, we're safe. This is where all my friends live; you can meet my dad, and Vincent and Mr. Locke and Shannon and Hurley too. They're all really nice, I promise." Jack watched as Alex curiously tried to see over the hill still not relinquishing her hold on Jack. She looked at Walt and nodded. "Ok let's go then." Walt said. He was surprised to see he wasn't quite a hundred percent on his feet so he ended up taking Jack's other hand. Jack led them over the hill and the camp came into view. As they drew close people began to recognize their leader and Walt and started yelling and hollering to everyone else. Suddenly Vincent came sprinting down the beach and Walt let go of Jack just in time to hug the running dog. Jack laughed as he watched the dog tackle his young master and turned to see Alex was watching with a small smile. Jack turned to look back to the beach and came face to face with Kate.
There you go, please note all my action knowledge comes from movies (mostly bad action movies) so please forgive the lameness and don't forget the 100th reviewer gets to give me a story idea and I'll write them a fic. That's only if they want to if they don't maybe I'll have to pick number 101 as the winner. :)
