Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews Deanna, Pip4, October Sky, and Zombie Kitty!
Pip4, you are not weird, if anyone is it is I, because I have taken the lack of Walt appearing in any of the season 2 cast photos, and various rumors, badly. I fear that he will have a greatly diminished role, and then may be written off entirely because the writers and producers won't be able to deal with the aging problem satisfactorily. It will be horrible if he gets replaced by another actor, which would never be the real Walt, or if he ends up living some unrealistic happy magical existence with the Others, never to be seen again. So I have created this story. I may have gone overboard, but I wanted to build up the character by having him overcome several tough obstacles before … well, it wouldn't be right to spoil my story here. I also had the idea for the Walt-Locke parallel in the last two chapters for some time, and it's too late to change that now. Walt has been roughed up in some other post-Exodus fanfics, but I don't think any of them have persevered like I have.
Zombie Kitty, there will be more chapters on the other characters. Thanks for the suggestions. I hope my Charlie one is unique. But next up is my Michael – Locke scene, which I am really hoping turns out well.
The Others test Walt to determine if he really has been broken.
After a length of time he couldn't begin to determine, Walt woke up starving, but with a new sense of confidence. Having gone through what he had just experienced without losing his mind made him feel that he had a good chance of eventually getting out of this place in one piece. His father and friends would certainly be looking for him, trying to reach him another way. They wouldn't give up after that thwarted attempt. However, he was well aware of the difference between confidence and overconfidence, and he would have to keep his wits about him. He most definitely did not want to undergo another experience like that again. The Others were likely to try to verify that he had been broken, and it would be bad news if he didn't convince them that he had. Walt would do all his talking in a sad, resigned voice.
Soon Alex appeared carrying a meal, but her appearance was dreadful. She looked like she hadn't slept, eaten, or washed in a couple days.
"Oh, no, what did they to do you?" Walt enquired.
"It was nothing compared to what they did to you," Alex replied. "The Others locked me in a small box for twelve hours, with one break in the middle."
"That's horrible! Why would they do that to you?"
"Because I failed to convince you to follow their instructions."
"Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for anything like that to happen to you. Those Others have got to be the meanest people in the world." Walt paused for a few seconds, and then added, "So you know what they did to me?"
"Yes. They took me to a window to that … chamber … that you couldn't see. This was about an hour and a half after we finished dinner last night. They told me you had been secured like that for an hour, and you were still there six hours later when I had my one break. It was difficult to see how you were because you were not moving at all. Apparently you were stretched out just about eight hours. You really are very brave. I would have been crying to be released within a few minutes. You since have slept through the rest of the day, and it is dinnertime once again."
"Uh, thank you. I didn't think anyone was there, and didn't think of crying out to be let go, but I doubt very much that they would have."
"I have to agree with you on that. I believe the Others checked on you only occasionally; they are constantly busy with other things."
"Well, at least that's over. I couldn't stand going through anything like that again."
Alex hesitated, and gave Walt the impression that there was more bad news. "It isn't over. Two days ago you told me that the injection appeared to be wearing off. The Others have decided you need a booster shot of sorts. If they administer it, it will keep you from working for another full day, so they want me to give it to you."
"Oh, I was just saying that to explain why I didn't get much otherite that day. I don't really need another injection."
"That does not matter. The Others see two possibilities: either you told the truth, in which case you need the injection, or you lied, in which case you need to be punished, with the most appropriate punishment being the second injection."
Walt could tell he was in a no-win situation. But thinking quickly, he realized that this did present an opportunity to convince Alex, and then the Others, that he had been broken by his recent harrowing experience.
"Let me guess. If I refuse, the Others are going to throw me in their torture chamber again. And then they'll inject me with that stuff anyway."
Alex opened her mouth, but no words came out. That was plenty of indication that Walt had an accurate grasp of the situation.
With a resigned expression on his face, Walt continued, "Let's just get this over with. "Do you know what they did for that first injection?"
Alex answered, "I have the general idea. Apparently they had to tie you to a chair so you wouldn't hurt anyone. I have to prepare for that now." They had just finished dinner, and Alex collected the dishes and departed. Walt took the opportunity to use his bathroom, and braced himself for another unpleasant experience.
Within a few minutes Alex returned with a collection of ropes, a bottle of iodine, and a syringe. She had quite a sad expression on her face, definitely wishing that she did not have to do what she was being forced to.
Continuing from where they left off, Walt noted, "The way they injected me the first time was awful. Those goons tied me really tight with my arms down behind my back. They didn't need to do that. Here let me show you how it should be." Walt suddenly grabbed two of the ropes, sat down in one of the chairs, and tied his legs rather loosely to the chair legs. "That's all that is necessary." Then he placed his forearms on the chair arms. "And there's no reason to bend my arms backwards. "Now just tie my arms like my legs."
Alex was surprised by Walt's gestures, but after a moment's thought they made sense. She wrapped two more ropes several times around Walt's arms, binding them to the arms of the chair more tightly than Walt wished, but Alex was justifiably afraid that more harm would come to both of them if he weren't secured well enough.
Walt then strained against the ropes, but he was trussed up well enough. Maybe if he worked very hard at sliding his arms back and forth he could get loose, but that would only land in him more trouble. At least this time he wasn't uncomfortable. When Alex asked him which shoulder he had been injected the first time, he answered his left, so now Alex swabbed his right shoulder with the iodine. As she was ready for the injection, Walt asked,
"What happens after this?"
"You are to be chained to your bed for the night, and start working again tomorrow morning."
Sensing another opportunity to convince Alex that he really had been broken by being by the water torture, Walt responded, "Nooo, I really couldn't stand being chained up again like that so soon. I'd rather just sit like this all night. It may seem weird but after that it feels better to be able to bend my elbows and knees."
Alex offered, "That does not sound weird to me; actually it seems quite logical. I'll check to see if that is possible." Then she steeled herself, and emptied the contents of the syringe into Walt's shoulder.
Knowing what to expect was very useful, so Walt was ready for the pain. However, it was still great enough that he jerked violently around in his chair, and not being tied to it exceptionally firmly, wound up falling over backwards. In a few seconds more the pain subsided, leaving Walt breathing heavily on his back, with his feet in the air over the ends of the chair legs.
Alex then sullenly clamped a manacle connected to the bed onto Walt's right ankle. "You understand I have to do this. I'll go ask the Others if it's okay to leave you like this tonight."
Walt wasn't expecting this, but this could turn out to be okay. He was giving the impression that he was so terrified of being helplessly spread-eagled again that he would rather spend the night in this awkward and undignified position. Besides, sleeping on his back would probably be more comfortable than trying to sleep in a sitting position.
Alex gave her report to the Others, displaying the empty syringe. In a sad but otherwise emotionless voice she stated, "The boy appears to be in satisfactory condition physically, but his mental state is another matter. He went through with the injection quite willingly when he realized what could happen if he refused. In fact, he is so terrified of being stretched out again that he is begging to be allowed to sleep tied to the chair in his room, which fell over on its back."
The Others were silent for a few seconds, and then the leader burst out laughing, an evil, wicked laugh. He was soon joined by his confederates. The breaking of Walt appeared to have been successful. "Well, I think we can be gracious this one time," the leader sarcastically proclaimed. "But tell him no more favors until he has collected enough of our precious mineral."
Alex returned with what would have to pass for good news. "The Others have graciously consented to let you sleep like that for tonight only. Of course it is back to work tomorrow." She then left to get some badly needed rest herself.
Despite his silly position, Walt figured that would count as a victory. Had the Others thought he was faking being broken, they would have him stretched out on a bed or table again. Now it actually felt good to be able to squirm a bit, flexing his knees and elbows as far as the ropes would permit. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was plenty to keep Walt going with his mind fully intact.