Author's notes: Thanks Zombie Kitty, but please don't feel any obligation to review. I anticipate churning out about a chapter a week whether I get reviews or not. A few dozen hits every time a new chapter appears is enough to keep me going.
To October Sky, I definitely got the angles of the sun's reflection and such right in the last chapter. It just is a long shot to be able to reflect the rays so accurately over a long distance.
Also, I will say I found something different for Sayid to do in the next chapter. And I couldn't help myself sticking in a Star Trek phrase near the end of this chapter.
Walt learns more consequences of his communication and resumes work in the mines.
When morning came, Alex found Walt still lying on his back tied to the overturned chair, with one foot chained to the bed, just as she had left him. She removed the manacle around his ankle, and stood there a while, until she heard him making moaning sounds, indicating he was waking up. Alex untied his arms and legs, and asked, "How are you?"
Walt rolled over to one side and stood up, then stretched and bent his arms and legs to determine what kind of shape he was in. Before answering, he remembered that he had to give the impression that his spirit was broken, but not overact in doing so. He would respond in a quiet, resigned voice. "Mostly okay, I guess, but my shoulders are still a little sore. At least I got to move them around a little last night."
"Sit down," Alex ordered.
Walt picked up the chair and sat in it immediately. That was part of his plan, to promptly comply with any order of Alex, most if not all of which would be given by the Others. In some cases a tiny bit of resisting should be okay, to be believable, but this was not such an occasion, because Walt knew what was coming. He had to be in as good as shape as possible for the upcoming workday, and he had just told Alex that his shoulders weren't in perfect working order.
As expected, Alex stood behind the seated Walt and began rubbing his shoulders. He started in pain once or twice, but then Alex adjusted, and soon was massaging the poor shoulder muscles that had been stretched in an unnatural position for so long. She continued this treatment for several minutes, but couldn't do so indefinitely on orders from the Others. But Walt told her that he felt as good as he was going to get.
"Thanks, Alex," he offered. "I wish I could do something for you."
Alex had a vague impression that Walt had been holding something back from her, but didn't want to tell her under these circumstances for fear of retribution by the Others. So she merely said, "Maybe you can tell me more about your friends on the outside some time." Her face then turned very sad. "But I have to show you something before you get to work."
They had breakfast, and proceeded to the mines. The wheelbarrow had been left outside Walt's room and was loaded with tools as it had been two days before, and he wheeled it well into the main corridor leading southward from the central cavern. However, on this occasion Alex led Walt all the way to the last tunnel on the right, where he had communicated with Locke, but with disastrous consequences. Alex showed him that the ceiling of that tunnel was now completely caved in, and informed him, "Yesterday the Others sent someone here, and he placed some dynamite through a crack at the top of the rockslide. He ignited a fuse when he heard your friends getting close. That caused the collapse you see now. We do not know their fate; apparently your settlement is too well guarded now for any of the Others to get close enough to find out exactly what happened."
The news made Walt feel terrible, as if he wasn't already feeling bad enough. Who would have been trying to dig their way through that? Most likely Locke or his father. More likely Locke, Walt thought, who probably wouldn't have wanted to put Michael at risk like that. He might have had help; that looked like a very big job. It was frustrating not knowing or having any way to find out. At least he didn't have a feeling that anyone died there, though it was almost certain that someone had been hurt, probably badly.
Alex then led Walt back to the penultimate tunnel, now on their left as they walked back toward the central chamber. "We know you have looked at this," she said, indicating the heavy metal door at the end of that tunnel. The Others have instructed me to tell you …"
"I know," interrupted Walt. "Stay away from there or I'll be totally stretched out again. Believe me, I'm not going through that again no matter what."
Alex hesitated, and then said, "Possibly, but it is more likely they would do something worse."
"Worse?" thought Walt. That sounded really bad, but was that possible? Then Walt thought back to his first day awake at this place, actually his second day here, when he had been chained up facing a wall, and was terrified the Others were going to whip his bare back. History lessons at school and various movies and television shows he had seen indicated that such whippings happened all too frequently to slaves throughout time. He acknowledged that he was definitely more fortunate than those poor souls, at least so far. Why did there have to be so many cruel people in the world?
Returning to the present, Walt answered, "You mean they'll whip me, don't you? And if it's anything else I don't want to hear about it."
"Walt really is completely intimidated by the Others," thought Alex. Now she was saddened to see the boy who was once filled with so much spirit now in such despair. Before she was concerned about not getting into trouble, but seeing him this way made her reconsider. The way he was being treated was beyond horrible, and could leave him permanently damaged. But they couldn't do anything about now. Then aloud, she replied quietly, "Yes, whipping is the most likely punishment for a second offense. As I explained before that would prevent you from working for several days, and the Others prefer not to lose that much time if at all possible. So from their point of view they let you off easy for your first transgression."
"Their point of view stinks," thought Walt, although he saw that it did make sense with respect to their twisted logic. Without really thinking he rubbed his lower back with the back of his hand, grateful that his skin was smooth and undamaged. As bad as things were, they could have been much worse. He would just have to remain focused.
"Enough of that," spoke Alex, "it is time to get to work. The Others have told me to keep a closer eye on you, though I don't think that is necessary."
Walt thought it was time for another careful response. "Just do whatever won't get us into any more trouble." He then strode to the wheelbarrow, picked up the pickaxe, and waited for Alex to go far enough away so that the humming inside his head returned, indicating the presence of that otherite so precious to the Others.
The remainder of the day proceeded like so many others, but Walt found out that there would be a change in his sleeping arrangement. When bedtime came, Walt lay on his back with his arms folded across his stomach and a sour look on his face. He felt a manacle being clamped on his right ankle, and thought that would be that. However, a couple seconds later, much to his dismay his left ankle was clamped as well. Next, Alex moved around the side of the bed and picked up Walt's left wrist, and then he resisted.
The first time he saw that bed with all those chains, Walt had a fear of being pinned down by all four limbs. He had been relieved that the Others felt only one chained extremity was enough, and had become complacent. There was that one occasion where both his hands had been chained for his forced back rub, and another where both feet had been chained for a foot rub so that he wouldn't kick Alex when his feet were tickled. He had been uneasy on those occasions, but nothing more became of those. Now he was in for it, with that helpless feeling of vulnerability, and all too similar to that diabolical punishment the Others saw fit to give him.
Still, he had to be convincing that his spirit was broken. Being too willing to be chained up might be a giveaway, so Walt concluded that resisting having his hand chained for several seconds was the right course of action. It would give him time to think, and then realize that resistance was futile. So after an appropriate pause and a melancholy gaze into Alex's face, Walt said, "Fine, just get it over with," and placed both hands on the bed to the sides and above his head.
"Please don't look at me like that," replied Alex, "I don't want to do this, but the Others say this is part of your punishment." But following the Others' orders, she snapped a manacle on Walt's left wrist, and then the last one on his right.
There was a fair amount of slack, so it wouldn't be nearly so bad as before. Walt had plenty of room to wriggle, and the most comfortable he good get was to have his hands alongside his head, with his elbows bent at right angles and his legs mostly extended. He would be able to sleep like that.
"So how long do I have to be chained up like this?"
"Until the Others feel they can trust you again."
"So that means, I have to sleep like this every night as long as I'm here?"
"We can't be sure of that. Also, actually you have your choice of sleeping on your back or your stomach."
"Oh, great. I guess I could alternate every day."
Alex was distressed over Walt's tone of voice, and offered, "Hang in there. Things will get better." As she left, she couldn't help herself from patting the captive's mass of hair. The more it grew the more fascinating she found it. She then went on to make another report to the Others reconfirming Walt's loss of spirit.
Walt was left chained up in the dark. It was difficult, but he would have to try to remember anything positive about his situation. He had been doing a good job of fooling Alex and the Others about his state of mind, and Alex now seem genuinely concerned about his welfare. He wasn't in pain any more, and had the chance to keep it that way. That would have to do for now, while his friends determined how to rescue him. He just had to be able to assist in the effort when the time came.