Chp 16

"Hello Jack," Margo Sheppard said a stern expression on her face.

"So it is true, you're the one behind all of this," Jack said stunned.

"Don't speak of things you don't understand Jack."

"Then explain them to me mom."

"There's nothing you need to know other than I'm doing what's best for you," Margo told him.

"What's best for me?"

"Yes, you and the world."
"The world?" Jack said, "So you're just saving the world then."

"Don't be sarcastic son, it's unbecoming."

"Tell me about Infinity, tell me about DNA mapping."

Margo looked at him, "Your father was a fool to give that silly wife of yours the key to the deposit box."

Jack's eyes grew wide, "Dad? Dad's dead."

"No son, he's very much alive."

"But I, I saw him."

Margo waved her hand in the air, dismissing Jack's comments, "You saw what we wanted you to see. It's a long story. Complicated."

"But why?"

"To get you here, on the island with Ana Lucia. We even orchestrated a chance meeting between the two of you at the airport, knew you'd bond over your grief."

Jack looked at his mother; she was a complete stranger to him. His whole family was.

"You're crazy."

"No Jack," she said very seriously, "I worked very hard at making sure you and Sarah didn't make it, after your father indulged you and let you marry her. I made sure you had a reason to get on flight 815 but you Jack, you had to ruin everything!"

"Ruin?" Jack asked perplexed.

"Your father did say you weren't a leader, said it from the moment you were born but I refused to believe him. Tried to make you strong, build you up to be hard even in your weakest moments. I tried to make you into the leader that science says you are."

"Mommy, Daddy," Jack called from his bedroom.

Margo Sheppard walked into her young son's bedroom to find him cowering under his covers.

"What is it Jack?" she asked void of emotion.

"I, I saw a monster," he said.

Margo sighed, "It was just a nightmare Jack."

Jack shook his head, "Where's Dad? I want Daddy."

"Your father is at the hospital Jack, he's an important man, a great man. He doesn't have time to deal with your silly fears."

"But the monster," Jack cried stopping his mother from walking out of the bedroom.

She turned back, "Where did it go?"

Jack pointed a trembling finger at his closet.

"Then get up Jack," Margo said.

"What?" Jack asked wide eyed as his mother threw off his blankets.

"Get up Jack and be the leader you're meant to be. Leaders lead Jack, leaders slay the monsters."

Jack shook his head in fear but Margo pushed him to the closet door. Pushed him to face his fears.

"It would have worked too but you had to go and find that trollop enticing," Margo said with disdain.

"Juliet isn't a,"

"I don't mean Juliet. No, she's simply meek. I was referring to Kate."

"But Kate is on your precious DNA list," Jack snarled.

"Yes, but not for you!" Margo yelled.

….

"How are you feeling?" Sawyer asked Juliet.

"For the hundredth time James, I'm fine. They're really only vitamins, I feel just fine."

"I still don't trust him," Sawyer said.

"Well he's our only hope out of here," she told him.

"Hmm," he grunted just as the steel door opened.

"The boat is ready, it's time you two to move," Christian said.

Juliet got up and took Sawyer's hand. Sawyer relented and followed Christian out. They walked through a maze of underground tunnels.

"What is this place?' Sawyer asked in the dimly lit corridors.

"It's very old. It's been here long before Margo and her people discovered the island," Christian said.

"Dharma," Juliet said.

Christian looked back at her.

"No. Older than that. Much older."

"So how come you came to know about this place and your wife don't?" Sawyer asked him.

Christian stopped and looked at them both before deciding on an answer.

"I have friends," he said.

"Of course, these mysterious friends of yours," Sawyer snarled.

"Is one of them Jacob?" Juliet asked.

Christian's eyes grew wide for a moment, "Jacob's not to be tru…"

"Dr. Sheppard are you there?" a voice came from the walkie hooked to Christian's belt.

"Yes," he said picking up, "Go ahead."

"We have a problem."

"What is it?" Christian asked.

"It's Austen and your son."

Juliet looked worriedly over at Sawyer.

"They're on the island and your wife's got them."

….

"Where's Juliet?" Jack asked tired of the games his mother was playing.

"You should forget about her," Margo said calmly.

"Because she doesn't have the right DNA?" Jack scoffed.

"Yes Jack," Margo replied.

"I want to know where my wife is!" Jack demanded and got dangerously close to his mother.

"Don't do anything stupid son, the guards are right outside."

"What do you want from me?" Jack asked losing his patience.

"For you to come to your senses. For you to become who you were born to be."

Jack's eyes misted over. He was so tired. Tired of fighting, tired of trying.

"I'm not a leader," he cried.

Margo looked at him, "You're wrong. Your father is wrong, science doesn't lie Jack."

"Mom please, I just want to live my life."

Margo Sheppard left him, the cold sound of steel shutting behind him, leaving Jack alone in the dark.

….

"I should have known my son would come to play the white knight," Christian said in exasperation, "Always the hero."

"Is he alright?" Juliet asked frantically.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure he's fine. Margo wouldn't actually harm him."

"What about Kate?" Sawyer asked.

"She too is one of Margo's protégées. As long as she doesn't misbehave too badly, Margo will keep her alive."

"Well isn't that a relief," Sawyer said sarcastically.

Christian just nodded, moving forward.

"Come now, it's even more imperative we get you two off the island now that Margo is here and her wrath has been stirred."

"I ain't leaving without Kate," Sawyer barked.

"Or Jack," Juliet added quickly.

"Listen you two, I told you they're fine, now we must go."

"But what about Jack?" Juliet pleaded.

"I'll deal with my son," Christian said then looked over at Sawyer, "And Kate later. I'll come back for them."

"You expect me to take you at your word?" Sawyer cried, "Some guy who fakes his own death, lets his son think he died hating him?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Christian said defensively.

"Well maybe I do and maybe I don't but I ain't leaving this damn place without Kate, we get her and the Doc Jr., then we all get on this boat together."

"We don't have time to argue," Christian pleaded with them.

"I'm with James, I'm not leaving without Jack," Juliet said.

"Guess you better have a plan B then Lazarus."

….

"Psst, psst," came a soft voice in Kate's ear.

"What?" she said groggily being awakened from a fitful sleep.

"It's me Kate, wake up."

"Sun?" Kate said then shot up wide awake.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh," Sun said and placed a hand over her mouth, "We only have a couple of hours."

"A couple of hours for what?" Kate asked.

"I drugged the guards, yours and Jack's. I put some herbs in their tea."

"Why?"

"So you two can escape."

"I don't understand do they have you prisoner too?" Kate asked quietly following her out the door and along the corridor to Jack's cell.

"No, I'm here because I want to be."

"What?" Kate asked astonished.

"I always knew what they would ask Jack to do. To take my baby. It was always the plan."

Kate just looked on in shock.

"It was the only way to be with Michael."

"What about Jin?" Kate asked.

"I stopped loving Jin a long time ago. The island, it's my second chance. My second chance at freedom, at love. I don't expect you to understand Kate."

"Good because I don't."

"Maybe one day when you really do fall in love."

"I already love Sawyer."

"We both know that's a lie Kate."

"Listen here Sun," she began.

"Shh! We're here."

Sun unlocked Jack's cell door, cringing at the loud squeak it gave before opening. The guards groaned in unison but they were out cold and didn't stir. Kate and Sun let out a breath of relief.

"Jack," Kate whispered but he was already at the door giving her a start.

"You scared me," she said to him.

"Sun," Jack said, "What's going on?"

"Quickly before Michael realizes I'm gone," she said and ushered them along a hallway to their left.

"What?" Jack asked.

"She's helping us to escape," Kate said as she jogged along to keep up with Sun's quickened pace.

"But your baby, I," Jack said stopping her.

"It's okay Jack. You did what you had to, I know why," Sun said.

"But you and Michael, the baby, Walt, in this place. I don't understand," Jack said confused.

Sun gave Kate a look to hurry them along.

"I'll explain later Jack," Kate told him getting him to move again.

They came to what appeared to be a dead end when Sun pushed a yellow button on the side of the wall. A chute opened from the ceiling and a rusty ladder clanged its way down.

"When you climb the ladder to the top, climb out. You'll be outside on land. In the jungle, a few miles from our old camp. You'll be on your own from there so be careful," Sun told them.

"Thank you Sun," Kate said already half way up the rungs.

"Wait," Jack said grabbing Sun's arm, "Juliet. Where is she?'

"I don't know Jack," she said then seeing the fear and defeat in his eyes squeezed his arm reassuringly.

"But your mother doesn't know either. She's somewhere on the island. Her and Sawyer but Margo's men haven't been able to find them. I hope you get to her before they do."

Jack gave her a weak smile.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" he asked her.

"Yes Jack. My life is here now."

Jack gave her a darkened look but nodded in acceptance before following Kate up the ladder.

….

"This is madness I hope you know," Christian said as the three of them walked through the darkness of the jungle.

He refused to let them use torches, their only light, the moon and stars to guide them. Juliet clung close to Sawyer's side.

"I can't just leave him here," she said.

"Fine, but I have a bad feeling about all this," Christian said.

"On this island if doom and gloom, there's nothing but bad feelings," Sawyer said stumbling his way through the foliage, a gun in one hand, Juliet in the other.

"Christian, can I ask you something about Jack?" Juliet said.

"Of course," he replied.

"Sure, lets all have a get to know you party," Sawyer chimed, "I know a great game, it's called 'I never'."

Juliet gave him one of her icy stares before ignoring him.

"Back in the foot, you said you know Jack would come and play the knight."

"Yes," Christian said in his deep authoritive voice.

"But Jack always said you never believed in him. He said you never thought he was a leader."

….

"So your father is alive?" Kate asked trying to take it all in.

Jack nodded as they tried to find their barings in the thick of the forest.

"My mother told me. Said he was the one that helped Juliet back in Switzerland."

"But why? Why help and not say who he was?" Kate wondered aloud.

"Who knows? Guess he figured I wouldn't be able to take it. He never did believe in me."

"I had a boy on my table today," Christian said while Jack stood there knowing he was going to get another lecture from his dad.

"I don't know, maybe a year younger than you," he continued.

Jack wasn't even listening, not really. His father was going on about saving some kid, being heroic, taking charge, being the leader. Doesn't he know that's what Jack was trying to do, to be? Today in the school yard when her stood up to those bullies who beat up on Marc Silverman, he was trying to be the hero, trying to lead.

"…Because I have what it takes," his father droned on until he said something that cut through Jack's heart, "Don't choose Jack, don't decide. You don't want to be a hero," Christian said as Jack's eyes grew wet with the pain of rejection, "…you just don't have what it takes."

Christian stopped in his tracks. Juliet and Sawyer nearly colliding with him.

"Jack's the greatest kind of leader. A far greater man than I ever dreamt of being," Christian said.

"I don't understand, then why did you say all those hurtful things to him?" Juliet asked.

"To protect him," Christian said, "From his mother. She was hell bent on seeing her little project come to fruition. I didn't want my son to be some science experiment."

"Then why not take the kid and just simply walk away?" Sawyer asked.

"You don't just walk away from these people. Once you're in you're in for good," Christian stated, "So I did the best thing I could. I tried to beat it out of him. Make Jack believe he wasn't what science said he was. I thought if I tried hard enough and made him believe I was right, he'd behave like a non leader, believe I was right, and Margo would too, she would give up."

Juliet wiped a stray tear from her cheek, "You broke his heart though."

Christian nodded, "I tried to tell him how proud I was of him, once. I told him he was the best young surgeon out there but," Christian's voice trailed off at the memory, "He thought it was just a manipulation, to get him to do something I wanted him to."

"You nearly broke him and for what?" Juliet said angrily, "Margo didn't give up and now we're all here in this mess!"

Christian was about to say something when Sawyer hushed them both.

"Shh, I hear something," he whispered. He cocked his gun, about to shoot whatever came from behind those trees when a familiar voice called out.

"Juliet?"

"Jack!" she cried pulling Sawyer's hand down and ran into Jack's arms.

"Thank God you're alright," Jack said holding her tight and kissing the top of her head.

"I was so scared for you," Juliet said, "When your father told us Margo had you and Kate."

"My father?" he asked stepping from Juliet's embrace to look into her face.

Christian Sheppard took a step forward, "Hello son."