Title: In Admiration - Part 14
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Jack Shephard, Boone Carlyle
Prompt: #45 Storm
Author's Notes: Written for the LiveJournal community slash100 (underscore between "slash" and "100" – for some reason FFN deletes it)
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Boone was starting to think volunteering to help search for Claire was a bad idea. When he asked John if he could help, Boone hadn't considered that Jack might be joining them. Boone definitely didn't mind spending time with Jack, but on the trek through the jungle, following a trail that only Locke could see, Jack was hell-bent on finding Charlie and Claire and not really paying attention to much else. Even that, however, wouldn't have bothered Boone so much if Kate hadn't tagged along, as well, and kept on making a point of getting Jack to notice her.
Then the trail split and Kate magically obtained tracking skills, and Boone could tell before any decision was made that he was going to get stuck with Locke and Kate would head off with Jack in the other direction. He was slightly curious as to what getting stuck with Kate would have been like. They had an awkwardness between them that, the best Boone could determine, started during their hike to get the transceiver signal and he had to give Kate the gun. Boone might have trusted Sawyer more with the gun than Kate because at least Sawyer had proved he knew how to use it. Kate had said herself that she didn't know how to use the gun, and what was the point of using it for protection if the person that had it wouldn't be able to do anything about it?
But now it was dark, pouring rain, and Locke had admitted a while ago that the trail was cold and he was just following his instincts. Boone could have gone back but he didn't. He still wasn't sure why that was. He wasn't feeling entirely useful out here, following John in the dark and soaked to the bone, and part of him didn't want to return to the caves to see that Jack and Kate were still gone. He also wasn't feeling quite up to dealing with Shannon at the moment. Boone was having a harder time sorting out feelings with her constantly around and her attitude yo-yoing between really nice and really bitchy.
Boone was starting to feel a little cold, though, and very tired, and climbing up a rocky hill in the rain didn't seem like a good idea to him. "Are we lost?" He tried not to chuckle at the stupidity of the question. Of course they were lost - they were on an island with no hope of rescue.
"No, Boone, we're not lost." John sounded slightly annoyed, which made Boone feel like a kid that had been in the car for too long and was wondering if they were there yet.
"Sorry. It's just... I don't see how you can still be following his trail." Locke wasn't turning around to look at him, so Boone kept talking. "I think we should go back, man."
"Don't you feel it?" The tone in his voice was poorly concealed excitement, and for some reason that made Boone uneasy.
"Feel what?"
"It."
Locke was starting to seem more than a little weird. All Boone felt was cold, wet, and tired. "All right, John, I'm gonna follow the strips back."
"Suit yourself."
Locke started to continue onward as Boone looked back the way they came, trying to figure out the best route without slipping and seriously injuring himself. "Boone!" He turned around to look at Locke, see what the other wanted. "You need this more than I do." He tossed the flashlight, but Boone missed and it fell to the ground, making a heavy clanking sound when it landed.
Boone and Locke both looked at each other before kneeling down to look at the ground. Boone picked up the flashlight, looking back up at John. "What is that?"
He watched as Locke pulled out his knife, using it to push away the dirt and leaves on the jungle floor. He hit the tip of his knife against what was underneath, a clanking sound resounding from below them. "Steel," John said simply.
"Could that be part of the plane? Part of the wreckage?" Locke kept tapping at it with his knife, and whatever was under them sounded really big and really hollow. They started to move away more of the dirt, revealing more of the steel plate. "What is that?"
John looked at Boone, a glint in his eyes. "That's what we're gonna find out."
They kept on pushing the dirt away, and Boone couldn't help but feel a little excited. Locke had said "we." Boone knew how to dig. This could be his project, his contribution, his way of not being useless. As they continued to dig, Boone forgot about their search for Charlie and Claire, the fact that Jack and Kate were off somewhere, and that Shannon might still be at the caves waiting for him to return.