4x02: Second Chances (Ben Centric)

A teenage boy who looked around the age of sixteen opened his eyes, awaking in the night and staring at the ceiling of his room. It hadn't changed much since he was a kid except there were more scientific models around on his shelves and more books in his cabinets. He sat up and looked out the window where he could see the forest trees swaying in the cold night air. Sitting there for a few moments in silence, he thought of something before eyeing his clock. 11:15pm. Getting up, he walked to his door and opened it. He saw his father asleep on the couch with cans of dharma initiative beers spread all around him in a mess. Turning back around, the boy opened his window and carefully climbed out of it.
He landed like a cat in the grass outside, shivering slightly at how cold it was. He stood up straight and ran into the jungle leaving his home behind. After a minute or so of running, he burst through the trees and arrived in a separate valley where he could see the sonar fence surrounding the village. He ran toward it and knelt down by one of the dividers, taking out a sheet of paper and copying the numbers on the paper into the outlet at the bottom. Since the numbers changed every day, he had to find a way to get the numbers for each day. He'd managed to pick-pocket Horace earlier on, however. And without further ado, he stood up and walked past the fence without worry for he knew it'd work. He'd done it so many times already. Once he was past, he ran off into the jungle once again...
It took a while, but in time he was out of the jungle once again and this time he was by a shore-line. There were many hills and bumpy rocks in which the waves of the ocean splashed against ruthlessly. He walked up a cluster of rocks and knelt down in the shadows. Up ahead he could see it. There was a small village bellow what looked like a giant rock with a big hole in the middle of it. With a smirk, he looked back down at the village where he could see some of the hostiles sleeping and heating fish up over fires on sticks.
"Right on time." said a voice behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Richard Alpert with his long, dirty black hair and his black-lined eyes looking down at him with a blank expression on his face. "What do you think?"
"Not much of a civilization." He said truthfully.
Richard smiled. "All to true, Ben."
"Have you spoken to them yet?" Ben asked.
"Yes, most of them." Richard said, eyeing the village. "But I haven't convinced them all. It'll take more time."
"When do you think--?" Ben started.
"Soon." Richard interrupted him.
"How soon?"
"I don't know, Ben." Richard said. "Josh still hasn't given any signs of caring about you at all. To him you're nothing but...well, one of them."
"I'm not one of them." Ben said, frowning darkly. "I hate them."
"I know, Ben." Richard said, kneeling down. "If I could have my way I'd let you come but...it's Joshua's word, not ours..."
Ben looked down at the ground in disappointment. Richard patted his shoulder and said "You should head back to your people now."
"They're not my people..." Ben muttered under his breath, getting up and walking away, back into the jungle to leave Richard watching him in his wake...

LOST

Ben opened his eyes and saw the rest of Jack's group taking a break as night began to fall over the island. He watched as Claire held her baby tightly, calming him down and looking around worriedly. He saw Rose sitting by a tree holding her wedding ring with a smile on her face. Sun was talking with Kate and Jack was looking around to check his bearings. And then Ben saw Rousseau and Alex walk by. He watched with interest as they sat down and talked. He was somehow glad to see that they were getting along. He'd known Alex for sixteen years and even though he wasn't her real father like he'd lied to her about, she still meant something to him. Even if she wasn't of great importance, he was glad to see her getting along with her mother at the least.
Ben was taken out of his trail of thought when Jack took a seat next to him with a heavy sigh. "Hey there, Ben." He said.
"Hello, Jack." Ben said, looking down at his feet.
"We're about to head off soon." Jack said, looking around at his people. "And there's just one thing I wanted to ask."
"What's that...?" Ben asked without looking up.
"Why didn't you kill Sayid, Jin, and Bernard when you had the chance?" Jack asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes. Ben looked at him as well and smiled.
"Well for one, we're not cold-blooded murders." He said simply. "We could've used them as prisoners. Not only that, but I was actually expecting you to say stop and hand over the radio to me. I had no idea you were willing to kill off your own people just to get what you wanted..."
Jack frowned, not liking this answer at all. "I was doing it for everyone, not--"
"You did it for yourself, Jack." Ben interrupted him. "And you can go ahead and beat me up again like a school-yard bully if you really wish but...you're going to regret not listening to my proposal in the end."
Jack stood up and walked away, unable to be around him anymore as he headed toward Kate, glaring back at Ben who continued to sit against the tree with a monotone expression on his face.
"How'd it go?" Kate asked.
"How do you think?" Jack muttered. "We're moving out. Get everyone together."

That night, the dharma van was park at the top of a valley. They had stopped because at night it would have been too dangerous to be driving through the forest. Juliet and Sayid both knew the way to the village making their drive there easier but at the moment everyone was asleep. Everyone except Sawyer, who sat inside the van with his arms down by his side. He was staring at the ceiling with a disgruntled expression, thinking of what he'd done a few days earlier thanks to Locke. And then he thought of what Kate had said to him, about how he'd been acting recently. He couldn't blame her. He knew how he was acting, but he didn't care. His goal in life had been completed on the one place he'd never had expected to complete it on. With a sigh, he looked down and nearly jumped when he found Juliet looking at him from across the van with a blanket over her shoulders.
"Hi." She whispered with a smile.
"Hi, yourself." Sawyer muttered in a low growl.
"Can't sleep either?" She asked, adjusting herself against the wall, keeping her voice low in case she woke up the other four.
"How can I?" Sawyer said. "What-with you asking me questions every five minutes it's kind of difficult to count the sheep, darlin'."
Juliet's smile widened. "I'm sorry if I seemed to be getting too personal for you." She said. "But you're the only one here who seems to be having some kind of conflict still."
"I'm fine." Sawyer grumbled, looking away.
"You can keep saying that...But when you can't look me in the eye and say that...That's when I know you're lying." Juliet said, catching his eye as he frowned guiltily. "I saw you fight with Kate right before we left the group...I heard you...you couldn't even look her in the eye when you spoke--"
"Shut up..." Sawyer hissed.
Juliet blinked, ignoring his rudeness and saying "James, if you feel sorry or guilty about something...the best thing to do would be to talk to Kate about it...Nothing can ruin a relationship like a secret."
"Thanks, Opera." Sawyer muttered, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Despite looking like he didn't care what she had to say, Juliet could tell by the way he shifted uncomfortably in his place that he was thinking of her words. And with that, she closed her eyes and peacefully went to sleep as well.

Claire walked up to Rousseau as their large group hiked through the jungle in a line. Aaron was asleep in her arms as she caught up to the French woman and Alex. "Hey, Alex..." She said.
Alex stopped and looked at her for a moment before smiling. "Hi...Claire." She said.
"Um...I-I just wanted to thank you." Claire said awkwardly. "Y'know...for helping me get away from that hatch...and Ethan."
Alex smiled and said "Don't worry about it."
"I just wanted you to know...I'm glad you helped me...Even if I seemed a little reluctant." Claire said, smiling weakly.
"Well they drugged you." Alex said. "You weren't thinking clearly, obviously."
"Yeah..." Claire agreed with a little nod. "Thanks."
"Yeah." Alex said and with that, they continued onward with the rest of the group.
Ben was being led by Jack now in the front of the group. He was tired, bloody, beaten, and defeated, but still somehow managed to find the strength to keep moving his legs. As he did so, he looked over his shoulder briefly and saw, to his great surprise, John Locke following the group in the back.
"Ah..." Ben said, catching Jack's attention.
"What?" Jack asked. "Keep moving."
"Nothing, it's just..." Ben smirked, looking down at his feet as he walked. "John is still with us. I mean, he did just try to shoot you after-all..."
Jack frowned but didn't look back to see if he was lying.
"Kind of odd..." Ben said. "I wonder where he got his gun."
"Shut up." Jack muttered.
"We're here." Kate said, looking up ahead of them.
The group came to a halt in a clear valley. Ahead of them were the tall posts sticking out of the grass making the sonar fence that surrounded the other's old village. Jack, Kate, and Ben all walked forward in front of the group and stood in front of the fence.
"Juliet gave you the code, right?" Kate asked.
"Yeah." Jack said, handing Kate the rope to hold Ben and bending over in front of the nearest post. He examined it closely for a few seconds before finding a panel box and opening it. Typing in 4-9-1-3-2 into the box. He stood up and looked around.
"How do you know Juliet didn't lie to you?" Ben said suddenly. They all looked at him accusingly.
"What do you mean?" Kate questioned.
"Juliet doesn't know this, but I changed the code to the fence." Ben smirked evilly.
Jack studied him for a second as the rest of the group exchanged glances of fright. A few people were muttering with disgust.
"We'll just have to see about that." Jack said. "Won't we." He grabbed the scruff of Ben's collar and led him toward the fence.
"Jack!" Kate yelled.
"Don't!" Jack told her, forcing him in front of them and shoving him toward the fence.
"Jack." Ben said calmly.
"If you changed it, then walk through and we can see for ourselves." Jack spat.
"If I do that I will die!" Ben said loudly.
"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take!" Jack said angrily.
"If I die, how do you plan on getting through, Jack?" Ben asked, looking at him expectantly.
"We'll find a way." Jack said. "Now go through!"
Ben looked at Jack, shaking his head in disappointment before facing the invisible barrier between the two closest posts. Without another word, he walked forward...

FLASHBACK

The teenage Ben sat in a cafeteria with a carton of white milk and a sandwich on his plate. Across from him sat a girl his age with long, blonde hair. They were laughing heartedly about some joke one of them must've made as they ate their lunches in peace as dharma people walked past them carrying their food and taking seats at tables to talk about their day and their lives off the island.
"My dad is taking me outside the village to go see this new station called the "Staff" or something." Annie was saying to him as she ate a potato chip. "It's supposed to be some sort of medical station or something and since I want to be a doctor once I'm old enough he's going to show me some of the stuff they do there."
"That's cool." Ben said, smiling and drinking his milk.
"You know, Ben." Annie said. "You're a lot more talkative lately. Is there something going on with you?"
Ben's smile faltered a little but he shook his head. "No, there's nothing."
Annie smiled and looked down at her food. "I've always wanted to get out of this village for once. Sometimes I like to sit down by the fence and just look at the mountains."
"You shouldn't be doing that, Annie." Ben smirked.
"Oh like you can talk." Annie rolled her eyes, making him look up at her in surprise.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked.
"I beg your pardon" She mocked him with a little laugh. "I've seen you looking at the mountains during class. I can tell, Ben..."
Ben didn't smile this time, taking a bite of his sandwich in silence. When he was finished he muttered "I didn't know you watched me."
"I've always watched you...Ben." Annie said, making him look at her in surprise. She turned red and looked down.
There was an awkward silence between them for a few minutes as Ben wiped his mouth clean and took another drink of his milk. She looked away for a few seconds giving him time to stare at her safely, as if contemplating something in his head.
"Annie..." He said finally.
"Yeah?" She said, glancing at him.
"Would you like to know a secret?" Ben asked.

End of Flashback

Ben paused in front of the fence for a moment or two before slowly taking a step through. He paused again and took another step, wondering briefly how many times he must've walked through this fence wondering if it'd be the last step he ever took. But today was not his day it seemed as he made it all the way through.
He turned around, as if to explain to Jack why he lied but before he could say anything, Jack was already there and the next thing he knew he felt a great pain in the side of his face as he was knocked to the ground and fresh blood gushed from his nose and cheek.
"That's for lying." Jack growled, picking him up forcefully by his collar and making him stand.
"Jack..." Kate muttered, grabbing his shoulder soothingly but he shrugged her off.
"If he's going to continue lying to us I'm going to beat him each time!" Jack shouted. "Maybe he'll finally learn to tell the truth for once!"
"Jack." Kate said again, not liking his attitude at all, even if he was right.
"He doesn't deserve any second chances, Kate!" Jack said. "I think he's proved that to us."
Ben's eyes were half-closed as he stood there being held tightly by Jack. He was forced forward as Jack lead the group through the fence and into the forest on the other side where the village lay just over yonder. In the back of the group, Locke stood watching with a frown on his face and his arms crossed as he contemplated something...

Jack led his group through the forest in silence, his mind bubbling with anger toward Ben as they merged through the bushes and into the infamous otherville. People who hadn't been there to see it before looked at it in amazement, unable to believe that there was a civilization on their island the whole time they've been there.
"Everyone stay here." Jack told the group. "Kate, Rousseau and I are going to check out all the houses and make sure they're safe and that this place has been completely evacuated.
Ben smiled, amused by their precautions. Of course, after the little stunt he pulled by the fence he couldn't really blame them. And so the three of them set off and explored each of the homes, turning on the lights and looking around. Everything looked a mess because it had been evacuated not that long ago.
When they returned and told them the coast was clear, everyone walked around eagerly and still cautious. They were looking for a place to sleep for the night until the next morning when Sayid's group arrived.
Jack forced Ben through a pair of double doors that entered into the very same room where Kate had been tied up. There was a pool table along with a few posters here and there hanging loosely from the walls. Jack took the rope and tied it to one of the legs of the pool table, forcing Ben down on his knees.
"Good night, Jack." Ben said as Jack started to walk away. He didn't respond. Instead he slammed the doors behind him in frustration.

FLASHBACK

The teenage Ben was running full speed through the jungle, breathing heavily as he sprinted out from between two big trees and arrived into the hilly area by the ocean's shore where the giant rock with the hole in the middle stood standing over the hostile's village. He crouched down and cat-crawled along the rocks until he got to where the giant stone formation stood. Richard Alpert was standing there, looking back at his village with a worried expression. "You're late, for once." He muttered.
"Sorry, my father wouldn't shut up." Ben said shortly. "Did you talk to Joshua?"
"Yeah." Richard said. "It's been difficult, Ben...he's a very suspicious man and doesn't trust you, or me to be exact." He added with a slight chuckle. Ben did not return the smile making Richard's expression fall at once.
"Well I have another request to make." Ben said in a serious tone.
"What?" Richard raised his eyebrows.
"There's this girl..." Ben said, lowering his eyes because he knew just from saying that, that Richard would start assuming something that he really did not want to discuss with him. "And she's a lot like me, she wants to be free from my people and wants to know more about this island. I think it'd be fine to have her come with me when we eventually take dharma over."
Richard sighed through his nose and put on a grim smile. "What's her name?"
Ben paused for a second. "Annie..."
"Look, Ben." Richard started but Ben already knew the answer from the tone of his voice. "Convincing Joshua to let one of you come with us is one thing, but to bring you and another...it...it doesn't seem very possible to me."
Ben frowned, not liking this answer at all. "I want to meet him."
"What?" Richard asked, taken aback.
"I want to meet Joshua." Ben said again. "Can you arrange a meeting for us?"
"Ben, I don't think--"
"Can you!?" Ben demanded angrily.
Richard frowned. "Yeah...I can."
"Good." Ben said. "Tell him I'll be waiting for him at the "temple" tomorrow at 8:00pm."
"Joshua isn't just someone you demand meetings with, Ben." Richard told him warningly. "He's our leader and has been on this island longer than anyone else here. He has a high authority over our people and if you get on his bad side...you can die."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Ben muttered, turning his back on his friend and walking off into the jungle.

END OF FLASHBACK

Ben awoke with a start to a noise outside the front doors to his room. There was someone standing there on the other side. He gulped and looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as the doors opened and someone stepped inside.
"Who's there?" Ben called out calmly as the shadow of the man came closer to him. And then Ben saw his face reflected in the moonlight from outside.
It was John Locke. He was standing over him with a knife in his hands and a gun sticking out of the back of his pants. He was frowning down at Ben with such a hateful stare Ben wondered whether or not Locke had become truly insane overnight.
"Have you come to kill me for what I did to you, John?" Ben asked, looking down.
"No, Ben." Locke said and a smile stretched across his face. "I've come to free you."
Ben blinked and looked slowly up at him with a questioning stare. "Why?"
"Because." Locke said, bending over and cutting the rope with his knife around the pool table's leg and standing him upright but keeping his hands tied. "I'm going to take you back to your people and we're going to have a nice little chat with them about what you've been doing."
Ben stared at Locke with his mouth slightly open in surprise, unable to say a word as Locke looked back at him with a vengeful smirk. "And I've got a feeling..." John continued. "That they're not going to like what they hear."

Jack awoke in a bed inside of his house to the sound of murmuring outside. He rolled over, fully-clothed and ran out the front door. Everyone was gathered around talking in animated whispers of shock and disbelief.
"What's going on?" Jack asked breathlessly.
Kate approached him looking confused and afraid. "Ben and Locke, they're gone!"
"What?" Jack said in disbelief.
"Locke, he's gone." Kate said. "So is Ben. It looks like he was cut loose!"
Jack frowned, looking out into the jungle that surrounded the village in anger. Reaching to his waist to grab something he fumbled around with his hands but found nothing. He looked down in surprise and growled under his breath.
"What is it?" Kate asked worriedly.
"The walkie-talkie." Jack said. "It's gone."

Locke led Ben through the sonar fence after deactivating it briefly once again. They continued on into the jungle in silence for awhile, while Ben looked down, his eyes traveling back in forth as if thinking fast. Locke was behind him pointing the gun at his back. There was a smirk on his face to show that he was somehow enjoying this.
"How does it feel to be bound and captured once again?" John asked finally.
Ben rolled his eyes and muttered "It's wonderful, John. You should try it sometime."
Ben continued in silence for a moment before saying over his shoulder "Besides the obvious, is there a specific reason you're doing this?"
"Doing what?" Locke asked, tilting his head.
"Going against your people, bringing me back to mine." Ben said. "And acting out in revenge for me shooting you at the grave...It just isn't like you, John."
"You don't know the real me." Locke said coldly.
"I think I do." Ben disagreed. "I'm sure you'd love to kill me with that gun of yours...but if you can't even kill the man who ruined your life then how do you expect to kill me?"
Locke chuckled under his breath. "Your mind games are useless." He said. "You can try them on Jack and get beaten senseless as many times as you want but nothing you can possibly say will change my mind."
"Change your mind about what?" Ben asked, looking at him weakly.
"You embarrassed me in front of all of your people." Locke said. "Richard told me that was your plan. You knew I wasn't going to kill my 'father' and you were certainly not expecting me to come back with his body on my shoulder."
Ben paused for a second in silence. "You're sure right about that." He admitted in a monotone.
"You think you know everything, but you don't." Locke said. "And you certainly do not know me."

FLASHBACK

Ben tapped on a window, peering through the glass. It was still very dark outside. He waited patiently until there was a click and the window rose upward. Annie was standing there behind it looking out at him with a tired expression.
"Ben? Wha--?" She started with a yawn.
"Annie, I've got a surprise for you." Ben said with a smile.
"What?"
"Just come with me."
"Where?"
"Just trust me." Ben said, holding his hand out to her.
Annie cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. "This better be good, Ben." She said as she jumped out her window gracefully and landed next to him.
A few minutes later he was leading her through the jungle at a quick speed where she could barely catch up to him. "What is this about, Ben!?" Annie called up to him.
"Remember the secret I told you about?" He asked.
"Yeah?"
They emerged out into the valley where the sonar fence stood in front of them. Ben turned and looked at her with an eager smile on his face. "I talked to him." He said.
"Who--that Richard guy?" Annie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I know, I went out last night and he said he can hook me up a meeting with their leader, Joshua." Ben told her hastily.
"What?" Annie said in shock.
"I'm taking you to see him with me. Maybe we can join them and--"
"Whoa, wait, whoa, Ben." Annie said, holding her hands up in front of her. "You said you talked to one of them but you didn't tell me you were going to join with them!"
Ben's face fell slightly. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure, and now that I can go, I can take you with me!"
But somehow, Annie wasn't acting as delighted as he'd hoped for. In fact, she looked outrage. He looked at her confused at first as she eyed the sonar beams and then looked back at him with her mouth open. "Ben, this is insane!"
"What?" Ben asked, taken aback.
"We can't just 'join' with them! They're the enemies!" Annie said. "They're just a bunch of hill-billies running around in the jungle. How could you possibly think this is a good idea!"
"I thought you would like--" Ben started, blinking in confusion. How was this happening?
"You thought I'd come with you!" Annie said loudly. "I can't join them! I have a family here! I can't just leave them!"
"But-But I thought you--" Ben stuttered.
"You're crazy!!" Annie said, glaring at him. "You think I'd actually want to leave this place for them!?"
"I thought you would leave for ME!!!" Ben yelled at last, outraged as well by this shocking turn of events.
Annie's face fell, shaking her head as if disappointed. "Then you don't know me, Ben..." She turned and walked back into the jungle, raising her hand to her mouth as she slowly disappeared between the trees and into the darkness. Ben remained standing in the valley, watching her go with wide, horrified eyes. A tear slid down his face before he slowly turned and walked in the opposite direction toward the sonar fence...

END OF FLASHBACK

Ben stopped in his tracks, forcing Locke to stop behind him. He turned and looked at him with a grim expression. "John..." He muttered. "You once made a decision, didn't you...?"
"Excuse me?" Locke asked with a raised eyebrow, holding the gun up cautiously in front of him.
"You made a decision once..." Ben said. "Between the person you loved most and the thing you wanted most..."
Locke blinked, at first wondering how Ben could have possibly known about Helen but then remembering quickly that the others had profiles about each of them. "Yes..." He said. "Why?"
"I had to make that decision once as well..." Ben sighed. "Though I was considerably younger than you when I made it...but..." He smiled weakly and looked at him. "We both ended up making the same mistake in thinking we could have both..."
"Why are you telling me this?" Locke asked with a frown.
"I gave up the only person I've ever loved for this island." Ben said. "And I suffered the consequences...I've never been given a second chance..."
Locke studied him quietly as Ben talked. It was the first time he'd ever heard the man before him talk so sincerely. He wasn't sure if he could even believe what he was hearing.
"The decision I made..." Ben went on. "Cost me everything...and now the only thing I have left are the people I control because of that decision. And if you, John, tell those people the truth about what I did...they won't trust me anymore. I will have lost the only thing I have left..."
Locke's frown tightened. "And why, Ben, should I care?"
"Because John...you were given a second chance with this island." Ben said. "I will never get a second chance...so please, John...I beg of you, please...do not tell them the truth."
Ben's hands shook as he looked at him, blinking back tears as Locke studied his face with narrowed eyes.
"You're pathetic..." Locke muttered, with a mix of pity and disgust in his tone as he walked on past Ben, forcing him along in his wake.

FLASHBACK

Ben walked down the hills of the rocky beach by the rushing waves toward the hostile's village under the giant rock formation in the distance. His eyes were wide behind his round glasses and his hands were hanging limply down by his side. They were stained crimson with blood...
As he approached the village and the sun started to rise overhead, Ben saw Richard run up to him from the center of the town looking shocked and in a panic. More of the hostiles were waking up in their beds, including the woman known as Mrs. Klugh, Mikhail, Tom, Pickett, Brian, Ethan, Goodwin, and many others until around forty of them surrounded Ben from all sides.
"Ben! What are you doing here?" Richard asked, walking up to him cautiously.
Ben simply smiled and looked at them all. Mikhail still had two eyes, Tom wasn't so large and he really did have somewhat of a beard growing. They all looked a lot younger.
There were a few murmurs from around the group as they all discussed what was going on. "His hands are bloody..." Mikhail observed, crossing his arms.
"Where's Joshua?" Richard asked urgently, looking at Ben's hands and then up at his face. "What did you do?"
"I killed him..." Ben said quietly.
There were a few gasps from the crowd and a cry out outrage. Their leader was dead...by a mere teenage boy?
"What?" Richard asked, unable to believe his ears. "You killed him! That wasn't the agreement, Ben!"
"He tried to kill me." Ben said simply.
"Why didn't you just run!" Richard said, running his hands through his hair as a few angry whispers were heard amongst the crowd.
"Because he wasn't going to let me join you." Ben said simply. "And I wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of me leaving them..."
There was a silence amongst the group as they all looked at the teenage boy before them. "Why, Ben...?" Richard asked, shaking his head.
"Because I want to be rid of them just as much as all of you do!" Ben shouted, this time to everyone. "And I'm the only one here who can go in and out of their village! You can kill me now if you want, I honestly have nothing left right now. But you should know that if I am killed, it will only enrage them and will cause even more fighting!"
"So unless you all can trust me." Ben said at last, looking at them all as if daring them to defy him. "You will all die."

END OF FLASHBACK

Ben and Locke arrived at last in the clearing where the other's camp was. But there was something wrong. All of the tents were gone and nobody was there except for an abandoned fire pit and a few debris hanging about.
Locke turned his gun and pointed it into Ben's neck. "Where are they!?" He demanded ruthlessly.
"Calm down, John..." Ben sighed.
"Where!?"
"I'll take you there." Ben said. "But you have to promise me something!"
Locke frowned, taking his gun off him. "First you must untie my hands." Ben said. "And then you must give me your word that you will not tell my people the truth about me."
Locke considered him quietly for a moment before saying "Alright, but on one more condition."
"Fine." Ben sighed as Locke moved behind him and took out a knife to cut his binds. "You will answer everything that I want to know before we leave."
"What?" Ben asked.
"Do it or I will bring you back to my people and let them have their way with you." Locke said. "Because I had a feeling you were going to pull something like this so I came prepared." He reached into his back-pocket and pulled out the walkie-talkie that Jack had once carried. "All I have to do is switch signals and call them to find out where they are."
Ben frowned. "Why did you do that...?"
"Because I wanted to see you beg." Locke said coldly. "I wanted to embarrass you not in front of your people but in front of me. I wanted to see the real Benjamin Linus."
Ben frowned, glaring at Locke in spite of himself.
"And now," Locke said. "I want to know everything you can tell me."

LOST

Next time on LOST

4x03: Parting of the ways. (Kate + Sawyer Centric)
Turmoil amongst the survivors rise when half of the group wants to continue north and the other half wants to go after Locke and the 'others'. Meanwhile, Kate and Sawyer reunite and have problems of their own...

I hope to get more reviews for this chapter. Even constructive criticism will do. '