Author's notes: Thanks for the review notabandgeek, and thanks to you new readers who had the perseverance to read this all the way through. The hit counter for all chapters really spiked with the addition of the last chapter. It looks like the key to getting a lot of hits is to mention Sawyer in the preview. He will be seen in future chapters.

Alex attempts to get outside and look for Danielle.

Alex took her time deciding on what course of action she should take. Now that she knew her mother was up there outside, and probably looking for her, she simply had to try to find her. The exit to the waterway where the powerboat had entered wasn't always guarded due to the Others' other important tasks, like refining the otherite and using it for whatever purpose they had in mind, probably something to do with that machine. Perhaps she could just walk out? She was too smart to realize that it might not be that simple.

She pondered the consequences of her intended actions. Mainly, what would happen to Walt? If Alex escaped at night, the Others might not notice that she was missing until noon the next day. That would be the time when they would notice that no otherite had been mined all morning, and find Walt still chained to his bed. They would interrogate him, but then what? If the boy didn't know of her plans, he wouldn't be able to tell them anything. Consequently Alex decided that she had better keep her plans secret.

One more day of the usual routine passed. The two of them barely spoke a word. At bedtime, as Alex snapped the last manacle on Walt, she reconsidered her plans. She was condemning Walt to perhaps an additional five hours in the chains, but there was no question he could handle that. He had proved himself plenty tough on several occasions. The Others would question him, but should find out he was blameless. In any event they would still need him for their mining operations, and wouldn't hurt him badly. She could return with a larger force for the rescue. But before she left, she couldn't fight off an impulse to plunge her hands into fifteen centimeters of thick bushy hair grown in fifty days of captivity. For some reason running her fingers through Walt's ever-growing Afro and scratching his head gave her a satisfied feeling inside, as if it were a kind of release. She might not ever get this chance again.

Once again Walt was left helplessly staring up in the dark. But what was disturbing was not so much being left in this position, but having become so used to it that it wasn't bothering him. In fact, recently being chained up was becoming a relief that nothing worse was happening to him for one more day. He shook his head and took some deep breaths to clear his mind. What was up with Alex? The scalp massage felt good, but what was the reason behind it? Walt guessed that Alex was frustrated by his recent lack of cooperation, and was taking it out on him in a physical, but harmless manner. Still, he wasn't ready to give up his act of having his spirit broken. He had to be absolutely sure before letting Alex in on that secret.

Unable to sleep, Walt thought about all the crazy things that had happened in his life. Why couldn't it have been simpler, without having to move all over the world so often? If things were different, his parents would have married and he might have lived in New York his whole life. He would have been able to make long-lasting friendships. Another large difference would be that his surname would have been Dawson, like Michael's, instead of his mother Susan's of Lloyd. He thought more about his mother. So often ignoring him, and spending almost all of her time with her career and his stepfather, that Brian. Never telling him about his real father. But what bothered him the most was her hiding Michael's letters to him, and throwing them away. If it weren't for his nanny, who picked them out of the trash every year, he never would have seen them. He missed his nanny; that woman was a saint. On the other hand, his mother's actions were just plain cruel. Walt was grateful for the opportunity to get to know his father first hand. How awful it must have been for him to write all those years and never get a response.

The more Walt thought, the more he realized how evil his mother had been. How could a mother have been so heartless and selfish? His father was obviously loving and caring; he had just been merely incompetent for the first few weeks of their acquaintanceship. Given the circumstances, it was not surprising how overprotective he was. In fact, it would have been surprising if he wasn't. The relationship got off to a bad start when Michael lied right at the beginning, telling Walt that Brian wanted him. Brian was such a miserable excuse for a parent that he ran off to New York within hours of Susan's death, not even having the decency to grieve with Walt. And then Brian wouldn't even be there to introduce Walt to Michael; instead, he just sent Walt off to live with a total stranger. That stuff about legal guardianship was a bunch of bull; Brian was a high-powered lawyer who could easily have retained custody if he wanted to. Walt had to admit that Michael was trying not to hurt his feelings, but it didn't work in this case. Still it was an admirable character trait that Walt could appreciate now. His real father would be trying to rescue him now. Brian would be content to stay where he was, thousands of kilometers away.

Walt's mind was more at ease after this reflection. Still, he got a small sense of satisfaction by pulling on the chains with all four limbs. The release of emotion and energy allowed him to fall asleep for the night.

This night after finishing her usual chores, Alex walked up the corridor toward the exit. One of the Others was standing guard there.

"What do you want?" he asked in a rather unfriendly tone.

Alex answered, "I wish to be doing something more useful around here. That boy has become a complete robot. Work, eat, sleep, and that's it. There really isn't any point in my being around him any more."

"You are doing a very useful job just keeping him going. You can't be of any more help."

"Couldn't I do something like help process the mineral ore? Make this whole operation go faster? By the way, wouldn't it go faster if you were helping? I assure you the boy is safely chained up for the night."

"We have decided that it's best to maintain a twenty-four hour guard here after that incident with the outside communication. Nobody comes or goes through here."

That was disappointing news to Alex, but she persevered with, "That sounds like it applies to me as well, though I have to reason to go outside now. I would just like to get this operation over with as soon as possible."

"Like I said, nobody is coming or going through here. Things are going well now, and we're going to keep everything the way it is. There's an old saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Now good night."

Alex turned away and went back to her room. This wasn't working out at all. A permanent guard meant she wasn't leaving any time soon. Any further effort or inquiries would arouse suspicion. It may have already, but she would just go through many more days of the same routine to remove the Others' suspicion and before trying something else.

Alex didn't sleep well that night, and awoke early. She went to Walt's room, and just watched him silently for nearly half an hour. He lay motionless except for his steady breathing, and looked too comfortable in Alex's opinion. They were both in the same situation, prisoners against their will. They should be working together, but was it the case they were each keeping secrets from the other, and prolonging their captivity? Alex would think carefully on how best to proceed.