"This is how it's gonna' go. You're letting our friends go right now, or you can watch Ben bleed out on the operating table" Kali announced, as Tom entered the room with a nervous expression.
"…Juliet, stop the bleeding and stitch him up" Tom exclaimed, disregarding Kali's threat.
"She's not a surgeon. She can't fix this" Jack pointed out, as Juliet took a step forward, removing her mask.
"He's right" Juliet agreed.
"Then what the hell do you suggest we do?" Tom questioned, in an exasperated tone.
"It's a bluff. Jack won't let Ben die. That's not the type of man he is" Juliet went on, as Krissy gave a harsh scoff.
"You see, the thing is Juliet, he's not in charge. I am. And I have no problem watching the man who's been torturing me for the last week die a slow, painful death. Now, call Pickett and tell him to stop whatever he's doing" Kali insisted, in a firm tone.
With a reluctant sigh, Tom brought the walkie talkie up to his face, his eyes not leaving Kali's for a second. He had no idea what the girl was planning to do next.
"Danny?" Tom said into the device, receiving no reply for a few seconds.
"Pick up, Danny" Tom repeated, hearing a static sound from the other end of the call.
"I'm sorry, Danny's not here right now. Please leave your message after the beep" A familiar voice replied, making Tom's eyes almost pop out of his head.
"Ken?" Tom gaped, watching as Jack shared a concerned look with Kali.
"Hey Tommy. You mind putting my little sister on?" Ken asked, as Kali was already marching forward to grab the walkie talkie.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Kali exclaimed into the device, not giving Tom a chance to reply.
"As much as I'd love to chat and catch up, Kal, I think we've got bigger issues. Where are you?" Ken questioned.
"In the operating theatre. We just started surgery on Ben. How…is Sawyer okay?" Kali couldn't help but ask, feeling panic clawing away at her.
Ken couldn't help but roll his eyes, giving Sawyer an unimpressed look, who was leaning against the metal cages, still trying to get himself together after his near-death experience. Hearing that after everything Kali still cared enough to ask if he was alright, brought a smile to his lips, despite himself.
"Yeah, blondie's fine. Little bruised, but he'll live. I'm at the cages, think you can make your way here?" Ken inquired, when the walkie talkie was suddenly grabbed from Kali's hand.
"Now hold on a god-damn moment. Ben's currently bleeding out, his nurse ain't going anywhere" Tom insisted, as they heard Ken click his teeth.
"Alright, how about this? You send Kali out of I kill one of your boys?" Ken suggested, as Tom grit his teeth.
"You won't do anything while we have your sister—" Tom was cut off by a gunshot on the other end of the device.
Sawyer flinched violently as the sound echoed throughout the jungle, his gaze laying on where Ken had just shot the already dead man who he had killed moments before. Ken then brought his hand up to his lips, giving Sawyer a shushing gesture, and waited for the reaction of the Other's.
"That's one hostage dead. I'm thinking about prolonging Danny's torture a little longer…how about I shoot him in the dick? Man, I've always wanted to do that" Ken admitted, excitedly into the walkie talkie.
"Ken, it's Juliet. You want to talk? Then let's talk" Juliet's soft voice replied, bringing a grin to Ken's face.
"Are you asking me out on a date, Jules?" Ken teased, hearing an exasperated sigh from the walkie talkie, which he knew came from Kali.
"I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed. You can take Kali…but Jack stays. That's the deal" Juliet went on, as Ken pursed his lips.
"Sounds good to me" Ken agreed.
Inside the operating theatre, Kali was shaking her head at Jack, who she could see would not be putting up a fight. She ripped off her surgical mask and stormed over to the older man, her mind already set. She was not leaving without Jack.
"No fucking way. We're a team, Jack. I don't leave people behind" Kali insisted, as Jack gave her a small smile.
"I don't want to go back, Kali. What's there for me?" Jack pointed out, making Kali's forehead wrinkle.
"What about Kate—" Kali began, but Jack cut her off quickly.
"You weren't the only one who got told some harsh truths. I'm not the one for Kate. She's made that clear" Jack explained, as Kali's frown deepened.
Kate had broken things off with Jack too? It didn't make sense. Kali was sure she knew how Kate really felt, could she really have been that wrong? She was growing more and more convinced that Ben had something to do with their heartbreak.
"Let him die, Jack. He deserves to die" Kali stated.
"No one deserves to die. And even if he did…I won't stand by and watch a man die who I could have saved" Jack told her, as Kali's eyes softened.
"You're a better person than me, Jack. Always have been" Kali mumbled.
"Can you finish the surgery alone?" Juliet inquired, as Jack weighed up his options.
"I'll need your help, Juliet. You'll need to do everything I tell you to" Jack exclaimed, as the blonde nodded quickly.
"This might surprise you but I'm actually pretty good at following orders" Juliet stated, making Kali huff out a laugh.
"You could stay, you know. We could finish the surgery. Leave this island. You know it's our best chance" Jack suggested.
"No. I'm not finished with this island yet…and it certainly doesn't seem to be finished with me" Kali insisted.
"But going with your brother? Are you sure you can trust him?" Jack pushed, as Kali gave him a small smile.
"Hell no. But he has Sawyer. Ken's not going to take no for an answer" Kali explained.
"My trigger finger is growing itchy out here people" Ken's voice came through the walkie talkie.
"Case and point" Kali rolled her eyes, taking the device from Juliet's hand.
"I'm coming out now. Don't do anything stupid" Kali sighed, pulling off her dirty surgical gown and throwing it in the bin.
"What about the Doc?" Sawyer's voice came through a moment later.
"Last chance, Jack. I know my brother's not a good guy, but he might be the lesser of two evils" Kali insisted, as Jack gave her a small shrug.
"I've got a surgery to finish" He stated.
"…Jack's not coming. His choice" Kali spoke into the walkie talkie, before turning to Juliet.
"Where's Kate? And don't pretend like you need her, she was only ever your insurance with Jack. She's coming with me" Kali all but ordered, as Juliet pursed her lips.
"You got any more demands?" Juliet asked, placing a hand on her hip, as a smirk grew on Kali's lips.
Sawyer was glad when the rain finally lifted, and the sun started to peek through the leaves of the tree's that surrounded the cages. He eyed Ken with suspicion, who had been standing still for the last few minutes, his eyes never leaving the door of the base. For the first time, Sawyer realised the man was nervous. Maybe even worried about his sister?
"Why are you doing this, man?" Sawyer inquired.
"Thought it would be best to take a hostage rather than go in all guns blazing" Ken shrugged, dismissively.
"No. I mean, why have you come back for Kali? What do you want from her? Forgiveness?" Sawyer couldn't help but scoff.
"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not actually insane. I know that's never going to happen. I want her to listen. Just once" Ken mumbled.
"Listen to what?" Sawyer frowned.
"The truth" Ken replied, as the door to the base swung open, causing Ken to immediately raise his gun in the air.
The relief on both men's faces was clear when they saw Kali being pushed forward, seeming unharmed. Juliet had a gun pressed against the brunette's back, while she kept a firm grip on Kate's arm, who appeared to have tears in her eyes. Ken lowered his gun slowly, not wanting to antagonise the situation for once.
"You okay, sis?" He called out, receiving a sharp nod from the brunette.
"So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way, Ken?" Juliet announced, eyeing the gun in his hand.
"I think you know which way I'd prefer" Ken winked at her, as Kali made a gagging noise.
"Okay, that is gonna' have to stop" Kali grimaced.
In response, Ken grabbed a barely conscious Danny by the collar of his shirt, hauled him upright and then grew him at Juliet's feet. The older man fell down with a thud, letting out a loud groan. Juliet gave Ken an unimpressed look but nudged Kali forward, who quickly rushed over to join Ken's side.
"You good?" Kali asked Sawyer, her eyes flickering over his form for injuries.
"Never better" Sawyer mumbled, stumbling towards the pair.
"Is he dead?" Juliet asked, ushering over to her the crumpled body of one of her friends from behind Ken.
"As a doornail" Ken nodded, watching Juliet's claw clench.
"Kate has nothing to do with that. Just let her go, Juliet" Kali insisted, as the blonde shook her head.
"He killed one of our own! My friend—" Juliet began, but Ken was quick to cut her off.
"Alright. Counter-argument…" Ken trailed off, pulling something out of his pocket, which Kali stumble back a few paces.
"Holy shit!" Kali gaped, realising her brother was holding a grenade in his hand.
Before anyone could do anything, Ken had pulled the pin out of the weapon and had thrown it towards Juliet, who instantly twisted around and set off in a sprint. She then threw herself to the floor, clutching at her head, waiting for the blast to go off. She was still shaking as she slowly pulled her hands away and turned around to find the group was nowhere to be seen. The grenade was still on the floor, having rolled right in front of Danny's face.
"Goddamit" Juliet cursed, realising Ken had tricked her with a grenade that didn't appear to work.
The four had been running for almost twenty minutes when they finally came to a halt at the edge of the jungle, now able to see the golden sands of the beach and…another island in the distance?
"What the hell is that?" Kali panted, gesturing towards the sea.
"That would be your island" Ken answered, as Kali turned to him with a shocked expression.
"So, we're trapped?" Sawyer questioned, watching a smirk grow on the other man's face.
"Not quite. I've got a plan" Ken exclaimed, ushering them to keep moving, following the coastline.
"That doesn't fill me with confidence, Ken. And where the fuck did you get a grenade anyway?" Kali pushed, suspicious.
"A friend" Ken shrugged, eyes darting around the jungle, keeping an eye out for anyone following them.
"You don't have any friends" Kali scoffed, as Ken gave a mocking gasp, placing his hand over his heart.
"You okay? They didn't hurt you?" Sawyer questioned, coming to walk beside Kali.
"I'm just peachy" Kali muttered, picking up her pace to walk in front of him.
"You're not gonna' talk to me anymore?" Sawyer huffed.
"Isn't that what you want? We're over, remember?" Kali retorted, sharply.
"What I wanted was you to take up Ben's offer! Why are you here? You should have stayed with Jack!" Sawyer insisted, as Kali let out a harsh laugh.
"Well, I'm so sorry to disappoint but I'm not going anywhere" Kali pointed out.
"What for? The people back at our camp? They probably haven't even realised we've been gone!" Sawyer exclaimed.
"I'm not staying for them!" Kali retorted, in a louder tone.
"Like it or not, but I'm not leaving this island without you, James. So, suck it up and stop whining" Kali complained, as Sawyer shook his head, his lips twitching into a smile.
"You two remember we're running from armed maniacs, right? Probably not the best time for a domestic" Ken muttered, twisting around to quirk an eyebrow at the pair.
With a mocking smile, Kali raises her middle finger up at her brother in response, who rolled his eyes and turned back around.
"Do you think they'll really let Jack go?" Kate asked, after a few moments of silence.
"I expect they're planning on slitting his throat after he's saved their leader…" Ken trailed off, when he saw the glare he earned from Kali.
"…Or maybe this once they'll stay true to their word" Ken shrugged.
"They need Jack. He's the only doctor on this island. He'll be okay" Kali insisted.
"Are you saying that for my benefit…or yours?" Kate retorted, crossing her arms.
"You'd still be locked up with no chance of escape if it wasn't for me, remember. A little bit of gratitude goes a long way, Kate" The younger girl huffed.
"Alright, we're here" Ken announced, as they came to halt in a clearing, looking around to find whatever Ken had seen.
Just as Kali opened her mouth to question what he meant, Ken began to make a bird call, bringing his hands to his mouth. Sawyer gave Kali a concerned look, once again questioning her brother's sanity. They were all surprised when a similar bird call echoed through the jungle only seconds later, followed by a twig snapping to their left. Kali's eyebrow's rose when she recognised the newcomer, who was holding a slingshot in her hand.
"It took you long enough" Alex murmured, marching towards them.
"Team, meet Alex. Alex, meet team" Ken exclaimed, gesturing between the group.
"We've met. Sorry about who you ended up with in the father department by the way" Kali informed Alex, who let out an amused huff.
"Who's her dad?" Kate frowned.
"Ben" Kali and Alex stated at the same time, as Kate's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"Yeah, nice to meet you and all, but I think we might be forgetting we're stranded on this damn island! You got any plans on how to deal with that, smiley?" Sawyer pointed out, as Ken's grin got wider.
"We have a boat" Ken announced, smugly.
"Then what are we standing around here for? Let's go!" Kali insisted, as Alex held a hand up to stop her.
"No. Not without Karl" Alex told her, a pleading look in her eyes.
"Your boyfriend? They caught him?" Kali guessed, receiving a nod in response.
"I know where they've taken him. With all five of us, we can get him and get to the boat before they catch us" Alex explained, as Ken let out a long sigh.
"Alex, honey. You're sixteen. You're gonna' meet much better guys, with better names…any chance you'll just…let this kid die?" Ken suggested, as Alex crossed her arms giving him a death glare.
"I think you just got your answer" Sawyer muttered.
"Do I at least get to kill whoever's guarding this place?" Ken asked.
"No" Kali and Alex insisted, at the same time.
"Alright, that's just getting weird now—" Kali was cut off as a bullet whizzed through the air, only missing her head by an inch.
Another bullet followed seconds after, as Sawyer lunged for her, pulling her to the ground alongside him. The others all ducked for cover, with Ken grabbing Alex and shielding him with his body, as he attempted to return fire. Kali and Sawyer crawled over to hide behind a tree, while Kate had to stay lying on her ground, being too out in the open to risk moving.
"Dammit, can't get a clear shot" Ken murmured, ducking to avoid another bullet that barely missed him.
His eyes scanned their surrounding's before realising that the figure that was shooting at them was standing underneath a tree. His eyes flickered up to a bent branch just above the man, a smirk playing on his lips. Ken lined his shot up, taking a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bullet broke the branch in half, which slammed down onto the man's head a second later, throwing him to the ground, knocked out cold.
"That was so cool" Alex gaped, with wide eyes.
"Lucky shot more like" Kali scoffed, from where she was peaking out from behind the tree.
It was only then she realised Sawyer still had his arm wrapped around her waist, chest pressed against her back as if he was ready to pull her behind him at a moment's notice. She was quick to brush his hands away, almost pushing him other as she stood to her feet, her lips drawn in a fine line.
"You're welcome" Sawyer mumbled, dusting off his knees and pushing himself to his feet.
"I didn't ask for your help" Kali pointed out.
"You never do, blue eyes. Doesn't mean you ain't getting it" Sawyer replied, as she gave him a questioning look.
"Shit, he's bleeding a lot. Do you…do you think he's dead?" Alex frowned, taking a step towards the unconscious man, who was bleeding from his scalp.
"Well, he will be in a second" Ken exclaimed, aiming his gun at the man's head and pulling the trigger.
He let out an exaggerated sigh when no bullet left the chamber and realised he was out of ammo. Getting Alex's boyfriend back was about to get ten times harder, he realised.
"So, how exactly did you meet my brother? Cause he's not usually the friendly type" Kali mumbled to Alex a few seconds later.
"Some of my people were trying to take me back to my Dad, Ken showed up and stopped them. I'd heard the rumours about his past…God, I thought he was going to kill me…but he's been good to me. Helped me hide from them. He talks about you a lot, you know" Alex informed her, making Kali frown.
"About how he wishes I had never been born?" Kali suggested, as Alex gave her a sad smile.
"About how he's missed you. I think…I think I remind him of you actually" Alex admitted.
Kali could see why, they looked similar, weren't that far off each other's ages, not to mention their boyfriend's seemed to get them in a lot of trouble.
"Yeah, you do seem like a bit of a bitch" Kali teased, making the younger girl giggle.
Alex soon brought them to a massive building not far from the coastline, which had the Dharma symbol painted on the door and along the walls. It appeared to be old, but the building was sturdy and there appeared to only be one way in and out. One lone guard stood outside, who Ken vaguely recognised, was reading a book, his rifle by his side.
"Alright, hoss, you want to tell me how we're going to get past the guard with one guard and no bullets?" Sawyer questioned, as Ken turned to his sister with a grin.
"…Oh no. No way in hell" Kali replied, as Ken began to pout.
"C'mon! The old routine always works!" Ken insisted, watching Kali run a hand down her face.
"When, Ken? When has it ever fucking worked?" Kali grumbled, as Ken grabbed her arm and began pulling her out of the bushes they were hiding.
"Wait, what are you two…" Sawyer trailed off, ducking when the guard turned their way.
"Hey! Lookie who I've found out in the jungle!" Ken called out, making the guard jump to his feet, raising his rifle in the air.
"W-what…what are you doing here? They said you went missing—" He stuttered, as Ken made his way towards the building, still holding onto Kali's arm, pressing the gun into her back.
"And then I wasn't. C'mon, man. We need to get this psycho under lock and key!" Ken insisted, as Kali gave a mocking gasp.
"Psycho?! Take's one to know one, asshole!" Kali cried, as they wandered closer, coming to the steps of the building.
"Oh, very mature" Ken retorted, snidely.
"Hey, wait. Wait! Don't come any closer!" The guard warned, aiming his gun on Ken.
"You can't seriously be thinking about trusting this guy?! He'll kill me and then turn the gun on you!" Kali suggested, as the man's eyes darted between the pair.
"Don't listen to her. You know me, right? We're pals, Andy" Ken exclaimed, as the man pursed his lips.
"…Andy?! My name's Aldo!" He gaped, as Ken started pushing Kali up the steps.
"Oh…really? That's rough, mate" Ken mumbled, before suddenly throwing Kali towards the older man, the pair falling to a heap on the floor.
Ken immediately lunged forward to grab the rifle, aiming it at Aldo, who was busy shoving Kali off him. The girl in question, ran a hand through her messy hair, glaring up at her brother.
"What, it worked, didn't it?" Ken grinned, as the others rushed out of the bushes.
"Where's Karl?" Alex questioned, racing to the front of the group.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Aldo replied, as Kate grabbed the gun from Ken.
"We don't have time for this. Tell us, or I'll shoot you in the knee" Kate warned, pointing the barrel at his joint.
"I've got a better idea, Kate…" Kali trailed off, pushing the rifle a little higher, so it was now aimed at his crotch.
"If you're attached to your balls…or rather, you'd like to stay attached to them…I'd start talking" Ken smirked.
"Woah, woah! He's at the end of the hall, Room 23! The key's are in my back pocket!" Aldo cried, holding his hands up to shield his crotch.
"Thank you for cooperation" Ken exclaimed, before slamming his foot down on the man's face, knocking him out.
The group soon unlocked the door to the compound and raced inside, wanting to find Karl as quickly as possible. Kali stayed at the back of the group, keeping an eye out for whether they were still being followed. If they were ambushed inside the building, there would be no way out.
"Damn good con, if I do say so myself. I almost believed you were going to shoot that guy" Sawyer admitted, as they looked for the mysterious Room 23.
"It wasn't a con" Kate replied, surprising Sawyer a little.
"Heh, I like you" Ken exclaimed, as they arrived at the end of the long corridor.
"Here it is!" Alex yelled, finding a door with the correct number painted on the outside.
23.
"It's one of the numbers from the hatch" Kali realised, as Alex ripped open the metal door, and they were deafened by loud music.
Kali's eyes widened as they entered the room, quickly spotting Karl tied up, an IV drip attached to his arm. A projector was playing opposite him, different pictures flashing on the screen in a random fashion. The music screeched around them, almost sounding like screaming at some points. Alex rushed over to her boyfriend, immediately trying to rip away his bindings. Kali followed her, taking a closer look at the IV drip, which was only labelled as sodium chloride. She was quick to disconnect the line from Karl's hand and took a sniff of the liquid that had been running through his veins. She grimaced at the strong smell it omitted, clearly being more than just saltwater. Karl's head had been strapped to the chair, so he couldn't look away from the images that flashed in front of him.
"They're brainwashing him" Ken mumbled, forcing his gaze away from the projector.
"Why?" Kali frowned, as Alex reached up to touch Karl's cheeks, who appeared barely conscious.
"Karl? Karl!" Alex sobbed, as his head lolled forward.
"C'mon, we need to get out of here. Now!" Sawyer insisted, grabbing Karl and hauling him over his shoulder.
"Is…is he gonna' be okay?" Alex whimpered, as they began to march out of the room.
"I'll take a look at him once we're somewhere safer, okay? We have to get to your boat, Alex" Kali told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
Kali breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it to the beach and spotted Alex's wooden boat, which seemed it pretty good condition. At the very least, seaworthy. Ken and Alex worked on pushing it towards the water and attaching the sail, while Kali looked Karl over, who was still being held in Sawyer's arms. The boy was a little more alert now, but it was clear the drug was still in his system. He wouldn't be able to tell them anything, not for a while.
"Let's go Cheech. Going for a little ride" Sawyer exclaimed, carrying him towards the boat and then placing him inside with surprising gentleness.
"Danny…" Karl trailed off, as Sawyer's forehead wrinkled.
"No, Sawyer" He replied, as Karl's eyes flickered to something behind him.
"Danny!" Karl insisted, as a gunshot rang out.
Kate dropped her rifle to the ground; a bullet having scraped against her forearm. She tried to lunge forward to grab the weapon, but Danny had sent bullet's raining down on her, causing her to fly for cover behind the boat. With their weapon out of their reach, Danny then turned his attention to Sawyer. He took a deep breath, his finger itching to pull the trigger, as Kali let out a scream. Just as Danny fired the gun, Kali leapt in front of Sawyer, the bullet whizzing through her stomach. She stumbled backwards a few paces, clutching at her bleeding wound, all but falling into Sawyer's waiting arms. He held her close to his chest, helping to keep her upright, the guilt clear on his face.
With a growl, Danny went to fire the gun again, only seeing a shining object flying towards him at the last second. He stumbled backwards as the object cut through his neck, causing a strange hot sensation to run down his chest. His eyes flickered down to see red beginning to stan his shirt, his hand flying to where he now felt a knife implanted in his neck. Danny flopped to his knees a second later, seeing Ken storming towards him.
"Why the hell did you do that?" Sawyer questioned, who had his arm wrapped around Kali's waist.
"I've still got your back, James…that's never gonna' change" Kali mummured, allowing herself to lean against him more.
Just as Danny's vision was fading, he felt the younger man rip the knife from his neck, pain exploding over his entire body. Danny then fell into the sound, letting out a choking sound as his clutched at his bleeding neck.
Kali had watched this with narrowed eyes, before she pulled herself away from Sawyer, gathering her remaining strength. Danny's eyes flickered up as he saw Kali limping towards him, leaning down to pick up the rifle, her face contorted in pain as blood dripped down her own shirt. She came to a halt in front of him, holding the barrel of the gun to his temple. Everyone in the group apart from Ken flinched when a gunshot rang out moments later. Blood dripped down Danny's forehead, a bullet hole clear right between his eyes.
"You should have let him bleed out. He didn't deserve a quick death" Ken suggested, as Kali turned to him.
"I was keeping a promise" She muttered, thinking back to when they had drilled into her for her bone marrow.
She had promised she would kill all the men in that room. That was a promise she planned to keep.
