A photograph.
That was what she had travelled halfway across the island to find? That was somehow what was going to cure her? Her eyes narrowed as she realised it was a picture of Ben and another man, standing side by side, tension clear between them. They appeared to be standing outside the same house Kali now found herself in. Letting out a harsh scoff, she grabbed the photo from where it was lying on a shelf in the closet and whipped around to face Ben, gripping her handgun tightly in her palm.
"What is this?" Kali muttered, throwing the picture towards him.
"It's a photograph that was taken in 1987" Ben answered, as Kali shook her head.
"I thought I said no more games, Ben. Do you think I'm bluffing?" Kali exclaimed.
"The man in that picture is very similar to you, Kali" Ben informed her, as she quirked an eyebrow.
"In what way?" Kali retorted.
"He can't die either" Ben announced, watching as Kali faltered for a moment, taking a closer look at the photo now lying on Ben's bed.
"...Do you recognise him?" Ben queried, in a curious tone.
"Why, is he my long-lost brother or some shit?" Kali mocked, earning a small chuckle from the bedridden man.
"You've been watching too many movies" Ben stated, reaching out to pick up the photo with a strange expression on his face.
"He has the answers you need. And I believe he will be more than willing to give them to you" Ben went on.
"Where is he?" Kali asked.
"Four houses down" Ben replied, as a realisation hit her.
"How convenient. You get me and my gun out of your house and probably figure you'll have time to warn someone that I'm here, huh?" Kali guessed, as she walked over to his bedroom door.
"That's not gonna' happen, Ben" Kali informed him, pulling the door open to reveal Locke, Sawyer and Desmond all standing guard outside.
"He given you the cure yet?" Sawyer questioned, sending Ben a glare, coming to stand in the doorframe.
"Where do you think I'm hiding it? Under my pillow?" Ben mocked, as Sawyer clenched his jaw.
"Maybe you need some more motivation-" Sawyer began, but was cut off as Kali placed her hand on his chest, ushering him back out of the room.
"I need to speak with someone. Keep an eye on Ben. He moves, shoot him. In fact, he makes one more snide remark...shoot him" Kali exclaimed, causing Ben to let out a huff.
"Woah, woah. Where are you going?" Sawyer asked, reaching out to grab her arm.
"You trust me?" Kali replied, as Sawyer gave her a look.
"You know I do" Sawyer sighed.
"I need to do this by myself. I'll be back soon...don't let Locke out of your sight" Kali whispered the last bit, as Sawyer reluctantly released his hold on her arm.
"Be careful" Sawyer told her, receiving a quick nod and a smile in return.
There seemed to be little to no security around the barracks, making it easy for Kali to slip out of Ben's house, dim porch lights being the only thing to illuminate her way. She soon came to the house she was searching for, finding a back window open, and sneaking inside quietly. She crept through the bedroom, finding it to be empty apart from the single bed inside. No pictures, ornaments, not even a chair inside. She could see dust was gathered on the doorknob, realising no one had been inside in a while. Slowly, she opened the door, peeking her head out to find a lamp in the living room was on. She brought her gun up close to her chest as she tiptoed down the corridor, finding a man sitting in an armchair, his back to her and a glass of whiskey in his hand. She took the safety off the gun, watching the man tense, sensing her presence but doing little else.
"I thought you'd come here sooner or later" The man said, taking a sip of his drink, before turning around to face her.
Kali's eyes went wide, almost dropping the gun from her hand when her eyes connected with the man's. He looked exactly the same as he did in 1987. Ben could have been no older than his mid to late twenties in the photo, there was no way it could have been taken recently. Which meant...
"So, it's true then? You can't die?" Kali questioned, as he slowly nodded.
"And neither can you" He stated, making her frown.
"What's your name?" She queried, lowering her gun cautiously.
"Richard" He informed her, his brown eyes never leaving hers.
"How...how long have you been living on this island?" Kali asked.
"Since 1867" He admitted, as Kali inhaled sharply, her hand shaking a little.
"Jesus Christ. This...this is fucking insane" Kali murmured.
"Do you want a drink?" Richard questioned, gesturing over to his tumbler of whisky.
In response, Kali marched forward to grab his own drink from his hand, swallow the contents of the glass in one quick gulp. She needed something to help numb all the emotions she was feeling at that moment. It was that or have a panic attack.
"What happened to you?" Kali pushed, as Richard let out a long sigh, leaning back in his armchair.
"I made a deal" Richard mumbled.
"With who?" Kali pushed, still keeping the gun at her side.
"Jacob" Richard replied, causing Kali's forehead to wrinkle.
"I've heard Ben talking about him. He's the one he answers to, right?" Kali suggested, as Richard let out a small laugh.
"He's the one we all answer to, even if we don't realise it yet. I'm a...intermediator between the people here and Jacob" Richard went on.
"And in return, he's what, made you immortal?" Kali scoffed.
"You don't believe?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How could one man have that much power?" Kali stated.
"Well, that's just it, Kali. He's not a man" Richard smirked, pushing himself to his feet.
"I want to meet him" Kali announced quickly, as Richard walked over to her, pouring himself another glass of whisky.
"And why would you want that...when you've already met" Richard told her, as Kali's eyes snapped up to his.
"What?" She frowned, as Richard took a gulp of his drink.
"Before you boarded the plane. You had a choice..." Richard trailed off, as she thought back to that time.
Kali paced outside the toilets of LAX, not sure what she was doing there in the first place. She took out the photocopy of the plane ticket which had been bought by one of her brother's aliases. He had to be here. She could feel it. But what was she going to do when she found him? It's not like she could bring a weapon onto the plane. Is that what she wanted, anyway? Another fight. She just wanted the brother back she remembered from when they were kids. A loud crashing sound had her head snapping up, finding a blond man had been wheeling a stack of boxes past the bathroom, only for them to topple over, the contents inside spilling out onto the floor. Instinctively she rushed forward, crouching down to begin helping him place the boxes back onto his trolley cart.
"Thank you, Miss" He exclaimed, giving her a grateful smile as she passed a box to him.
"No problem" She murmured, crouching back down to pick up the plastic bags that had spilt out of the boxes.
She quickly realised they were stewardess uniforms, her hands faltering for a moment. It was perfect. No one would look twice at her if she was dressed up as if she worked at the airport. She grabbed the nearest uniform and stuffed it under her jacket, before picking up the remaining bags and twisting around to face the blond. She frowned when she saw the sad expression on his face, as he reached out to take the bags from her hands. Like a flip of a switch, he quickly forced a beaming smile onto his face, taking her hand in between both his palms, giving a tight squeeze.
"...You have a good day now" He murmured, not meeting her eyes as he pulled away.
"That was Jacob?" Kali inquired, vaguely remembering his face.
He hadn't been particularly memorable. Average even. That was the man all the people on the island seemed to worship? Out of all the events of that day, her minute encounter with the blond never seemed important.
"You made the wrong choice, Kali. You weren't meant to come to the island" Richard went on.
"Everyone keeps bloody saying that! Why? Why was I not supposed to come to the island?!" Kali exclaimed, angrily.
"...Because you died on the plane" Richard confessed, after a few moments of tense silence.
"Bullshit" Kali mumbled, unsurely.
"You hit your head, remember? You suffered a cerebral haemorrhage on impact. You were dead within minutes" Richard explained, as Kali began to shake her head.
"No. No, you're wrong. I woke up. I was fine" Kali insisted, feeling her heart beat quicker in her chest.
"Because Jacob touched you. At the airport. The second you died; he was able to bring you back. And he'll keep doing it until he's no more. To keep the world balanced" Richard told her.
"Plenty of people die every day. If he can go around saving people, then...then why me? I'm nothing special" Kali pointed out, as Richard gave her a sad look.
"Because you went against the plan made for you, Kali. The number of people even capable of doing that...well, it's a very small list. And that does make you special. You lost your life out there, but on this island, you can keep living" Richard exclaimed.
"Ben said there's a cure. That there's some way for me to leave the island..." Kali trailed off, watching as Richard's eyes dropped to the floor.
"You made your choice to come here, Kali. Your fate was sealed as soon as you stepped onto the plane" Richard murmured, sadly.
"So, that's it? I'm just supposed to accept that I can't ever leave this place?" Kali asked.
"You've been given a blessing that many could only hope for-" Richard started, but she quickly cut him off.
"A blessing?! It's a goddamn curse! I'm nineteen! I was supposed to have a life, a family! And it's all fucking gone now!" She yelled, marching up to him.
"You can have all those things here. It becomes...bearable" Richard told her, a little more honestly.
"W-wait you...you look the same as you did in 1987. You haven't aged. But everyone else has. Is that what's gonna' happen to me?" Kali realised, the blood draining from her face when Richard nodded.
"You may age a few years, you're only young after all. But eventually, it will stop. Everyone else will keep ageing, and you'll just be...frozen" Richard sighed, running a hand through his hair.
Kali could feel bile rising in her throat as another realisation hit her. James. They wouldn't be able to grow old together. One day he would be in his sixties and she would look like a teenager. All her friends. They would all be gone one day. She'd be the only one left.
"No. There has to be something. Some way to stop it...change me back!" Kali insisted, grabbing the collar of Richard's shirt.
"Kali. It's too late" Richard stated, watching tears well in her eyes.
"Please. I just...I just wanted to see my brother again. I never wanted this" Kali cried, releasing her grip on his shirt.
"I know" Richard nodded, sympathetically.
"I'll have to watch him grow old. James, too. Everyone I've ever met. And...w-what about kids? If I have a child..." Kali trailed off, feeling like she was close to hyperventilating.
"You can still live a good life. Maybe not what you hoped for but-" Richard began, but she cut him off instantly.
"Hoped for?! Watching everyone I love die? That's not a fucking life, it's hell! It's...it's not fair!" Kali screamed, grabbing the bottle of whisky and throwing it against the wall, the glass shattering on impact.
She dropped to her knees a second later, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed. She could have coped with being trapped on the island, but losing her friends? How was she supposed to be able to deal with that? How could she go on knowing what she did now?
"It will get easier" Richard exclaimed, having stood up from his chair and approaching her.
"...I'm not going to be alone. Not again" Kali announced, rubbing at her tear-stained cheeks.
Richard watched with a frown as Kali's eyes darted around the room, finding a pouch of water on one of the desks and making a beeline for the object. She took it in her hand, finding it was half full and turned back to him with watery eyes.
"This is the cure" Kali told him, only confusing Richard further.
"I don't understand" He mumbled.
"Jacob gave you this. You don't know where it's from or how he got it, but he said if I drink this, I'll be able to leave the island" Kali explained, as Richard's eyes went wide.
"Why would you want me to say that?" Richard questioned, a bad feeling settling in his stomach.
"Because my friends are leaving this island. And I'll be going with them" Kali exclaimed, as Richard shook his head quickly.
"Kali, if you leave this island, you'll die. Worse than that, all the deaths you've escaped from, they'll all be forced upon you! It would be torture!" Richard insisted, marching over to her.
"And this isn't?!" She shouted.
"You've been given a second chance" He went on, making Kali scoff.
"You don't get it, do you? I tell my people that there's no cure, that I can't leave this island...you think they'll go without me? My brother? James?" Kali explained, as Richard gave her a look.
"You really think they'll be happier escaping the island without you?" Richard retorted.
"It's my choice. That's what this is all about, right? The choices we make? Well, I choose for them to get away from this place. And I'll make sure they will if it's the last thing I ever fucking do" Kali spat out, before shoving past him, clutching the pouch of water in her hand tightly.
Sayid strained against his handcuffs, which were keeping him bound to a swing set in the barracks. He and Kate had been discovered sneaking around the barracks some time ago, but seeing as none of the others had joined him yet, he assumed they hadn't been found. His eyes flickered over to the two men guarding him, one armed with a shotgun. Even if he could escape from his handcuffs, he would be shot on the spot. He would have to wait for one of the men to get close-
"What the hell is that?" One of his guards announced, head snapping up.
Sayid frowned as he too could hear a strange bird call from nearby. It seemed to be getting closer. Suddenly, a rock flew through the air, hitting the nearest guard directly in the head, as he stumbled backwards, blood dripping down his forehead. Before he could react, his gun had been pulled out of his hands, and slammed into his head wound, knocking him out cold. Sayid's eyes widened when he saw who the newcomer was, feeling a rare shiver of fear go through him.
Kali's brother. Whose attention seemed to be more on Sayid's pack rather than the man himself.
"Hey!" The other guard yelled, aiming his gun at Ken.
"Hey, yourself!" Ken grinned, raising his gun in the air.
Instead of shooting, Ken's gaze flickered to something behind the guard, as another figure came out of the shadows. The guard's gun was quickly shoved out of his hands, before a muscular arm was wrapped around the man's neck, choking him as he clawed at the unknown attacker. Ken crouched down to the man he had knocked out, grabbing the handcuff key from his pocket, as if he knew it had been there. He then rushed over to Sayid, who backed up a step as he approached.
"It's been a long time, Sayid" Ken greeted, watching Sayid's jaw clenched.
"Not long enough" Sayid muttered, reluctantly allowing the younger man to free him from the cuffs.
"Now, don't be like that, man. We're on the same side now" Ken explained, as Sayid rubbed at his sore wrists.
"I highly doubt that" Sayid replied, his gaze turning back to the other guard who was now unconscious on the ground, or maybe even dead.
"Ken, we need to go" A familiar voice announced, as Sayid could now see the identity of the other attacker in the dim light.
"Boone...you're working together now?" Sayid frowned, as Ken backed up a few steps, reaching down to grab Sayid's pack.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?" Ken smirked, slinging the backpack over his shoulder.
"I think you'll find that's mine-" Sayid began, cutting himself off when Ken raised the shotgun to Sayid's head.
"Finder's keepers, mate. Don't follow us" Ken warned, patting Boone on the shoulder before the pair disappeared back into the shadows of the night.
Kali stayed outside the back door of Ben's home for a few moments, taking a deep breath, and wiping at her cheeks one last time. Would they really believe her? Realistically, Jacob would have no reason to give her a cure. And even if he had, would she really believe it would work? She just hoped her group would overlook the flaws in her story. Pushing the door open, two sets of eyes snapped over to her, concerned expressions on both their faces.
"Are you alright?" Sawyer inquired, rushing over to her, looking her over for injuries.
"Better than alright" She smiled at him, holding up the pouch of water.
"...You got it?" Sawyer asked, with wide eyes.
Kali nodded quickly, not trusting herself to speak. She hated seeing the look of hope in his eyes. The beaming smile on his face. It was like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. All of a sudden, he was pulling her into a tight hug, wrapping his strong arms around her, letting out a small laugh. Kali circled her own arms around his waist, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She would miss this.
"I knew we'd find a way" Sawyer murmured, brushing his hand through her hair.
"They just...gave it to you?" Desmond frowned, sceptically, as Sawyer and Kali pulled away.
"Why wouldn't they? I've been more trouble than I'm worth on this island" Kali shrugged, but Desmond still didn't appear convinced.
"How do you even know it's real? That it'll cure you?" Desmond pushed, as Sawyer gave him a look.
"It's got nothing to do with you. So, why don't you just stay out of this, mate?" Sawyer scoffed, sarcastically.
"The person who gave it to me...they were telling the truth. I could tell. They believe that this will give me a way off the island" Kali went on.
"Who did you meet?" Desmond questioned.
"Someone like me. Richard. Their leader gave him this" Kali explained, gesturing to the object in her hand.
"Then what are we waiting for? Down it and let's go" Sawyer suggested, watching as she shook her head.
"No, not yet. Not until we're actually on our way off this island. It's too dangerous" Kali told him.
"Well, you might not have to wait for long. Locke's in there with Ben right now. He has a submarine" Desmond informed her, causing her smile to falter for a second.
They had already found a way home? Already? She thought she'd have more time...
"How long has he been in there?" Kali frowned.
"About ten minutes or so, why?" Desmond replied, watching as Kali tiptoed towards the door, pressing her ear against the wood.
"If you met Mikhail that means you were in the communications station. Which means you found the explosives. So, you're not planning to pilot the submarine anywhere, are you? You're planning to destroy it...I know you, John Locke" She could hear Ben announce from inside, her mouth going slack.
"What are they saying?" Sawyer whispered, as Kali placed a finger to her lips, trying to listen.
You don't know me at all" Locke scoffed.
"I know you were born in California. I know you were raised in foster care. I know you wasted a big part of your life in Tustin, pushing papers at a company that manufactured industrial boxes...I know you spent the four years prior to your arrival on this island in a wheelchair" Ben went on, as Kali's eyes snapped to Sawyer's for a moment.
"What?" He questioned, seeing the look of shock on her face.
"He was in a chair!" Kali mouthed, making the blond frown.
"An electric chair?" Sawyer queried, as Kali gave him a look of disbelief.
"A wheelchair" Kali whispered, as Sawyer shook his head, still not being able to understand her.
"A what?" He insisted as she turned away from the door.
Sawyer continued to give her a look of confusion as she tried making a gesture of turning the wheels on a chair, as even Desmond looked lost now. Charades was clearly not her thing.
"A train?" Sawyer guessed, as Kali face-palmed, with a groan.
"A wheelchair!" She finally exclaimed, hearing a creaking sound from behind them.
Locke was now standing in the doorway, his lips pursed in annoyance, as Kali gave him an awkward smile. Ben was sitting on the edge of the bed, appearing far too amused by the scene.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to eavesdrop, Kali?" Ben mocked, as she glared at him.
"Why don't you walk over here and say that to my face, Benjamin? Oh wait...you can't" Kali retorted smugly, watching his jaw tense.
"Are you done?" Locke questioned, his attention on Kali.
"When exactly were you planning to tell us you were in a wheelchair?" Kali scoffed, crossing her arms.
"It didn't seem important" Locke shrugged.
"Oh, sure. What could be important about that?" Sawyer muttered, sarcastically.
"It's not-" Locke began, when the front door to the house was suddenly ripped open, and a panting Sayid came racing through.
"Ken. He was here. He has the C4" Sayid announced, as the group shared a terrified look.
"...I think I know where he's taking it" Desmond admitted, a few seconds later.
Locke offered to stay with Ben while the others raced off towards the docks, where they had been told the submarine would be. Kali still couldn't understand why Desmond seemed so convinced her brother would want to destroy their only way home, but she didn't have the time to argue. She had to get her people off the island. Nothing else mattered.
"Why the hell would you give him the C4?" Sawyer complained, as they raced through the jungle.
"I wasn't in a position to say no" Sayid retorted.
"What if you're wrong, Des? We haven't even tried looking for a trail-" Kali began, but Desmond was quick to stop her.
"I know your brother. This is the only thing that makes sense" Desmond told her, as she came to a halt.
"What do you mean, you know him?" Kali frowned, as Desmond shook his head.
"We don't have time for this. C'mon!" He insisted, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along.
"Hey, hey. Keep your hands to yourself" Sawyer muttered, giving the other man a shove, breaking his hold on Kali's arm.
Desmond seemed annoyed, throwing his hands up in the air before quickening his pace, now racing ahead of Sayid. Sawyer stayed towards the back with Kali, a smile growing on his lips, which she noticed. It seemed a strange time to be so happy, considering Ken may have already destroyed their way home.
"What?" She inquired.
"I was just thinking about where I'm gonna' take you when we leave here" Sawyer admitted, causing Kali's steps to falter a little.
"Not England that's for sure" She murmured.
"Or America" Sawyer added, pursing his lips.
"Somewhere new. A fresh start, right?" Sawyer went on, reaching down to intertwine their fingers, as she forced a smile onto her face.
It was going to kill him when he found out the truth, but what was the alternative? She couldn't have him staying on the island just for her. Not when she knew he could do so much more. When he had the chance to go home. She gave his hand a squeeze, as they finally arrived at the docks.
"There he is!" Desmond exclaimed, spotting Kali's brother walking up the pontoon.
They all ran forward, stopping the younger man in his tracks, who was drenched from head to toe. He groaned loudly when he spotted them, his eyes flickering down to a digital watch on his wrist. He dropped Sayid's pack to the ground, which sounded far too light to still be carrying the C4.
"What have you done, Ken?" Kali sighed.
"What I had to" Ken murmured.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from behind Ken, destroying part of the pontoon which was blown to smithereens. Ken seemed to barely flinch at the sound, not bothering to turn around as the flames rose in the air. Sawyer grabbed Kali, pulling her back a few paces as wood from the pontoon continued falling from the air for a few more seconds until the fire began to dissipate.
"You just killed us all" Sayid spat out, as Ken gave a small shrug.
"Maybe. Maybe not" He replied, as Kali let out a harsh scoff.
"Enough with the riddles. Why would you do that? Why don't you want us leaving the island?" Kali insisted.
"It's too soon, Kal" Ken stated, his eyes flickering to something behind her.
"What the...hands up! All of you!" A familiar voice yelled, as Kali turned to find Danny and a group of Others racing towards them.
"Oh, shit" Sawyer groaned, slowly dropping his gun to the floor, seeing they were completely outnumbered.
Kali stilled when she spotted Jack and Juliet in the group, neither of who would meet her eyes. They must have been planning to leave on the submarine. What were the chances of it being blown apart just minutes before they could leave? It was all too much of a coincidence.
"Jesus Christ..." Danny trailed off, realising what had happened.
"The sub...it's gone" Juliet exclaimed, panic clear in her voice.
"Hey, don't look at us. We wanted out just as bad as you" Sawyer scoffed, his eyes then snapping over to Ken's.
"You son of a bitch!" Danny yelled, pushing past the group to loom over Ken, his handgun raised at the man's head.
"Now, now, Danny. Mind your blood pressure-" Ken was cut off, as Danny hit him in the face with the handle of his gun.
"You're gonna' pay for this, kid. We're bringing you back to Ben" Danny told him, as Ken wiped away at his bloody lip, before letting out a laugh.
"Actually, you're not gonna' do a thing" Ken stated, looking back down at his watch.
Kali followed his gaze, realising the watch had a countdown on it. Fifteen seconds? What happened then? A strange shiver went down her spine, as she ushered to her group to back up a few paces, glad when they did so without question.
"And why's that?" Danny huffed.
"...Boy, you really are slow, aren't you?" Ken smirked, before placing a hand over his eyes.
His watch began beeping then, as there was a sudden bright light, blinding the entire group momentarily. It was just like the light that they had seen on the other docks. Maybe even the same as Rousseau's group had once seen, Kali realised. She blinked a few times as her sight returned, finding her brother was now nowhere to be seen. He had completely vanished. Sayid's pack and a few drops of blood were all that had been left behind. Danny stumbled back a step, his jaw dropped open as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen. He then turned back to them, an angry expression growing on his face.
"Uh...I'd just like to point out that we're not with him" Kali announced, as Danny's group closed in on them.
A second later, she felt something hard hit her in the back of her head, before everything went black. She fell to the floor with a thud, hearing Sawyer shout her name before his own voice was sharply cut off. She really hoped they wouldn't wake up back in the cages.
Ken's eyes shot open, jerking awake with a start, feeling a hand shaking his shoulder. He rolled onto his back, coughing up a large amount of blood. something which didn't surprise him much. He shook for a few seconds, before pushing himself up onto his knees and turning to the person still touching his shoulder. He wiped away at the blood coating his mouth, before realising the red substance was already dribbling down his nose.
"I'm not sure how many more of these jumps I've got left in me" Ken murmured, his eyes connecting with Boone's.
"You have to do this, Ken. You know what happens if you don't" Boone insisted, earning a small nod in return.
"They saw the explosion. They think the submarine's gone" Ken murmured, running a hand through his still wet hair.
"You left it where we agreed?" Boone asked.
"I did everything you told me to" Ken stated, as they pulled his arm over their shoulder, pulling him off the ground.
"Good. They have nineteen days left. We need to make sure everything is ready before the helicopter comes" Boone pointed out, feeling Ken still beside them.
"...You're sure there's no other way?" Ken asked, sadly.
"If Kali doesn't leave on the helicopter, he'll win. We can't let that happen" Boone told him.
