Red In The Morning
By Sinking815
August 7th, 2006
A/N: I tried to make this update longer. There isn't much Jack/Kate/Sawyer action in this one but the Other's are starting to discuss what will become of our favorite three. (Yes now would be the time to insert the creepy smile of one Henry Gale.) As usual, I do not claim affiliation or ownership with Lost; it was merely another episode-less Wednesday and I needed a fix of some sort. I'll drop a hint for the next chapter, nothing too spoilerish though: Because of all the positive responses to the last chapter, Chapter 14 will probably be one of those written from all three POVs again. As always, please read and review!
Chapter 13: Secrets
The sounds of night were evident among the stillness of the few members seated around the pit, but Alex was not one to complain. Small talk was never one of her strong suits so it was just as well that they all seemed to be content with listening to the whirring of the jungle night life to their backs and the rushing surf across the beach just beyond their camp's edge. Aside from the occasional readjustments of arms and legs, everyone gathered seemed worn out from the day's events.
The stiffness across Alex's neck and shoulders made her realize just how trying a day it was. Subconsciously, she brought her hand up to twist the delicate hairs that had escaped from her ponytail, not really feeling pain when she pulled to hard. She was focused intently on the dancing flames in front of her, relishing in the almost too intense heat the glowing orange embers threw at her bare arms and face.
"You're late."
Startled at the sudden voice, Alex glanced up to see a shamefaced Tom and grinning Pickett squat to take their seats on the empty halved-log. Seeing her staring, Tom nodded a slight greeting to those around him, catching her eye specifically and letting the nod expand to his eerie grin. The gleam she saw reflected there chilled her through to her core despite the crackling fire. Did he know?
"Were there problems?" Henry asked.
She pushed the wayward thoughts, blaming the long day in the sun for her heightened paranoia, turning her attention with a dutiful purpose to the speaker, an act any other day she would have cringed at. But right now, it was easier than staring any of her companions in the eye.
"It's been handled, boss," came Tom's gruff reply, sounding ridiculous next the whining pitch of Henry's voice. The slight elbow he threw into Pickett's side did not escape her watchful stare.
"Ford?"
"Shephard."
"I see…" Henry trailed off, the light fading from his eyes like it always did when he was thinking over something with fierce concentration.
The whirring of jungle insects seemed magnified in her head and Alex forced herself to breathe lest she betray her uneasiness. Tom looked too pleased with himself. So did Pickett for that matter, and her mind was drawn to the shadow she had seen earlier in the afternoon. Maybe…
"Are they settled and fed then?"
Once again, Henry's voice was a welcome distraction.
The smug look on Tom's face fell faster than a coconut dropping from its high seat in the palm trees. He and Pickett exchanged a glance, like two kids that had somehow forgotten to do their homework. That look was all she needed.
"I'll do it!" Alex called suddenly, her voice alarmingly loud. She started to rise before Henry waved her back down.
"No," he said. "They can wait a few more hours." The malice in his voice was not lost on any of them and she felt her eyes drawn back to the multitude of healing scars that seemed deeper in the light of the fire.
Finding her seat again, Alex chastised herself for her eagerness to disappear. Since when had she become she edgy? Even when she had helped Claire escape, maintaining her composure among her peers had never been this difficult. Then again, helping three people escape was certainly little more than a chore…
Hold on! When had she even decided she was going to help them get out?
"Today went well," Henry started, surveying his companions with an approving nod. "I didn't expect Shephard to break that easily, but we got what we needed from him." He allowed himself the luxury of a self-applauding pause, his eyes losing focus once again.
Alex glanced down at her lap and immediately stilled her roving hands. A side glance told her Bea had noticed her restlessness, but Alex couldn't tell what the woman was thinking. Her face was as composed as ever.
"But that doesn't mean we're out of Phase One yet," Henry continued. "Tomorrow's another day and hopefully another step in the right direction. Let's do…"
The stillness returned, like silence falling over a green when the crowd watches the golfer in question calculate his hole-draining putt.
"Let's do Austen tomorrow," he said with finality, a barely there smile turning up the corners of his lips. "She might be a little more willing after her experience today. Which reminds me… have you learned anything from Austen?"
He turned his unblinking gaze towards Alex and suddenly the world was collapsing with the following eyes of everyone around her.
"I'm sorry, what?" Alex stammered, trying to buy herself time to cover her tracks.
"I asked if Austen had said anything," Henry repeated. Alex's continued silence prompted him to say more. "Has she expressed any preference?"
"No, she doesn't talk much," Alex said, her words sounding forced and rushed to her own ears. Images of Kate sitting noticeably closer to Jack and memories of their extended pause before she gagged him flashed in Alex's head, the harsh defensiveness at her line of questioning resounding in her ears. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice her unease, as he distanced himself from the flames.
"Well," he replied, "She still has a few more days to figure things out. Tomorrow will definitely help that indecision."
Alex fought back the retort that she never claimed Kate had singled out a favorite, but that would have a dangerous implication that she had a hunch who the girl might worried for. She already felt like she had betrayed her once today. Alex didn't feel like making an encore performance.
Bea's smooth voice interrupted the musings of them all.
"Have we found anything from the labs yet?"
Henry smiled a wide grin, the one that made him look insane, the excitement in his nasally voice making the toothy expression adopt an ever more crazed look.
"Concerning Phase Two, they were all negative to each other, which makes things easier for us. However…" He paused for dramatic effect and even though she was trying to not be as interested as the rest, Alex felt herself leaning forward to catch the words he was about to speak.
"Shephard was positive with someone else we've already tested. Seems to me, he has a family secret I doubt he even knows about."
A restless murmur passed through the group and Alex could only hear the lie she had inadvertently told to Kate only a few hours before.
"The main reason, you're here is because you are his weakness."
Even though she had been clearly in the dark about this whole captive situation being large enough to merit phases, Alex still felt the sickening lurch of betrayal. Kate may be able to forgive once; she doubted she'd be able to get out of it twice.
"The tests confirmed that Shephard and Austen are definitely the strongest candidates, but we'll have to see how the next few days play out."
There was a round of nods before Henry dismissed them for the evening with instructions to be ready the next morning at sunrise.
Alex rose steadily, still caught inside her own bubble of tumbling emotions and confusion. As she walked from the group, not quite sure where she was headed, she realized, along with her own voice, she was hearing Tom's again in her head.
"You wear your heart on your sleeve, girl. In this business, it's easier to not feel. This process is painful enough for them, your sympathy only makes it worse."
Watching Tom and Pickett quickly make an exit to what was now becoming known as the "Boy's Hut", Bea stood slowly, the picture of calm and composure amidst a sudden flurry of activity. Her mind was elsewhere and she failed to notice her companion that paused alongside her, watching over the campsite with the attentiveness. His eyes were focused on the teenager heading towards the other captive's hut.
"You think she's going to jeopardize this again?" he asked.
Bea turned to regard him, and then glanced towards the swishing dark ponytail. Now would probably be the time to tell him what she had overheard.
"I kept an eye on her today," she said evenly. "She did her job."
Henry breathed a sigh of relief next to her. He relaxed a moment too soon.
"She's been talking to her," Bea continued. "I heard their voices today when she took Kate back. There was definitely some discussion going on."
He was looking at her for further explanation but she kept her dark eyes staring across the yard to the spot where Alex had disappeared.
"Anything I need to know about?" Henry straightened a little, recovering his composure.
Bea paused, evaluating what she knew and what she suspected.
"Alex told the truth tonight," she finally said.
Henry seemed to think that was enough, nodded and turned a few steps away. Thinking better of it, he looked back at Bea, finding her in the same position when he had first left.
"Keep an eye on her," he ordered, then stalked away into the night.