A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this update took a while. Like I said in my last chapter, I've been very busy with the movie I'm filming for class. Especially this week when I have to make some huge changes with the script. Unfortunately, I haven't even started writing chapter 3 (I usually like to stay about 1 chapter ahead of the game…), but the good news is, I managed to come up with a full outline all the way up to chapter 13, which is close to the end. I think. Lol. So anyway, I guess that's something. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter up soon.
Anyway, here's chapter 2. I hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or ideas that you recognize.
All The Right Reasons
Chapter 2: Without A Trace
Jack was drawn out of his peaceful, dreamless sleep by sunlight leaking in through the entrance of the cave. It shone directly into Jack's face, making it impossible for him to continue sleeping, despite the fact that he had already rolled over in protest. Groaning, Jack wearily opened his eyes, blinking furiously at the protruding light.
The bustling sounds of morning at the caves immediately met Jack's ears, entering his consciousness. Again, Jack groaned. It was another day, with new problems and more likely than not, no rest. Yawning, Jack lifted his head from his makeshift pillow and glanced down past the cot he was laying on to the airline seat. It was empty. Jack was slightly taken aback at this discovery, knowing that it was rare for anyone to be up before him. Then again, Jack reminded himself, I did sleep in.
Throwing his legs over the side of the cot, Jack pulled himself to his feet, almost reluctantly. His joints felt tight and his muscles strained. Though he had by some miracle slept soundly, by no means did he sleep comfortably. Worn, muddy jeans and a shabby, one-time dress shirt did not exactly qualify as comfortable sleepwear, Jack thought meekly.
Shuffling around in the back of the cave, Jack found the half falling apart forest green duffle bag full of clothes he had been using. He began rummaging through it, looking for some fresh clothes. Pulling out a white cotton t-shirt and a loose fitting pair of jeans, Jack quickly worked his way out of his own clothes and threw on the "new" ones.
As he hastily dressed, his mind drifted to what he was going to have to do today. If he was completely honest with himself, Jack didn't even want to go out there. To face them. Any of them. He knew that as soon as he did, the constant, stressful cycle that was his life on this God-forsaken island would once again start. After all that had happened in this past month, Jack was worn out. Just when he needed a rest, an even bigger problem, like the hatch, reared its ugly head. Now that was something he was definitely going to have to deal with today.
While thoughts of the hatch flew through Jack's only half aware mind, a new image began to fill his mind. Kate. Kate would be out there, probably talking about what she had found in the hatch last night. There at least was something Jack didn't have to dread. She was like the calm in the middle of a storm.
Jack couldn't help but smile smugly as he thought about what had happened between him and Kate last night before she left for the hatch. He had finally gotten up the nerve to be open with her and they had kissed. It had been like a breath of fresh air for Jack.
With these thoughts in mind, Jack left his cave and moved out into the open. Many of the survivors were lounging around out in the open, talking and eating whatever they had managed to scratch up for breakfast. Jack saw Locke from across the caves and had to push down the temptation to go over and question him about the hatch. That could wait until later. Right now, he just wanted to find Kate.
Jack couldn't see her anywhere amongst the crowd. Spotting Hurley, Jack walked over to him and asked, "Hurley, have you seen Kate?"
"No man, not since last night," Hurley replied, shaking his head, "Why? Did you need her or something?"
"No, not exactly. I just wanted to know how things went at the hatch last night," Jack responded, feeling a little unsettled at the look on Hurley's face.
"Um, she didn't go with him to the hatch," Hurley replied, "Locke said he couldn't lower himself down the thing by himself last night…"
"What? That's not possible…"Jack voiced, trying unsuccessfully to hide the panic from his voice, "I saw her head off after him last night. That's where she said she was going."
"Sorry, man," Hurley replied, looking slightly confused, "Ask Locke. He said he did it on his own."
"Right…"Jack said, now inwardly panicking at the information, "Thanks, Hurley."
Without warning, Jack immediately turned away from Hurley and stormed off across the length of the caves to where he had seen Locke sitting. Jack found him sitting by the fire, peeling a mango with his knife.
"John!" Jack called as he approached him, trying to keep calm.
"Morning, Jack," Locke responded, lips twisting into a smile.
"John, what happened at the hatch last night?" Jack asked quickly, not bothering to beat around the bush. He was certain that all of this was just some big misunderstanding, "Where's Kate?"
"Don't know," Locke replied, turning his attention back to peeling the fruit, "I was expecting her to come help with the hatch last night, but she never came. I couldn't figure out a way to get down it myself, so I came back to camp."
"But I saw her head out there after you last night!" Jack responded, unable to keep his voice from rising to a slight yell.
"I told you, Jack, she never came…" Locke responded, looking up from his knife, "Have you asked any of the other survivors?"
"But you had to have seen her!" Jack continued, now clearly panicking. This just couldn't be happening. Hadn't his last words to her been to be careful? This just had to be some mistake.
"Well I didn't," Locke responded, unwilling to explain himself again.
Fuming, Jack turned away from Locke and ran over to the first survivor he saw. Charlie.
"Charlie, have you seen Kate?" Jack asked, voice rushed.
"I haven't," Charlie responded, not catching the growing fear in Jack's voice, "Sorry, Jack.."
This couldn't be happening. It just wasn't possible. Kate had to be okay. Someone just had to have seen her this morning, he was sure of it.
"Claire!" Jack called, moving away from Charlie, "Have you seen Kate?"
"No, not since last night…" Claire responded, shifting the sleeping Aaron in her arms.
Without even bothering to respond, Jack raced over to Sayid. The man just had to know something. He had been guarding the entrance to the caves the previous night when Kate left for the hatch. Sayid had to have seen her.
"Sayid!" Jack called, running up to him. Sayid looked Jack over, eyes concerned as he noticed the obvious panic in Jack's demeanor.
"Is something wrong?" Sayid asked, voice calm.
"Yes," Jack responded quickly, breathing hard, "Last night, Kate left the caves to help Locke with the hatch. Just now, I talked to Locke and he said she never showed up. Now, I can't find her anywhere and no one I've asked has seen her. You were guarding the entrance to the caves last night when she left. Did you see her?"
Sayid shook his head, eyes averted from Jack as he allowed himself a moment to process what Jack had just told him. "No, I haven't seen her, but you should ask Mark. He was watching the side that leads to the hatch," Sayid responded, as calm as ever.
"Who's Mark?" Jack asked, suddenly confused. Mark was just one of the many survivors he hadn't had the chance to memorize by name.
"That man, over there, in the brown shirt," Sayid responded, pointing over by the fire in the center of the caves.
Jack could feel the raging beat of his heart pounding relentlessly in his ears as he turned away from Sayid and raced hurriedly over to the man Sayid had called Mark.
"Mark!" Jack called over the commotion of the caves. Mark was a much younger man than Jack, probably no more than twenty-two. He had sharp features and a mass of curly black hair atop his head. His head snapped up at the sound of his name.
"Yeah?" he asked, green eyes gazing up at Jack.
Taking a deep breath, Jack finally found his voice, "Were you watching the trail to the hatch last night?"
"Um, yeah…" Mark responded, looking taken aback at Jack's worn appearance. Jack was breathing hard now, the fear and panic in his mind making him frustrated and hurried.
"Did you see a woman, somewhere in her late twenties, head down that trail late last night?" Jack asked, hardly able to contain himself.
To Jack's surprise, the young man blushed at the mention, eyes darting guiltily away from Jack's, "Um," he said shakily, clearly nervous, "I…didn't see much last night…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked angrily, frustrated with the young man's hesitance.
"I…," the young man began, unable to meet Jack's eyes. Jack was quickly growing impatient with him, needing answers now, "I sort of fell asleep…"
"You what?" Jack questioned furiously, stepping closer to the young man.
"I'm sorry, okay! I thought I could handle it, staying up all night, but I fell asleep!" the young man yelled defensively, only fueling Jack's anger further, "I'm sorry!"
Jack reached forward, grabbing the front of the young man's shirt, angrily tugging him forward. Mark jerked against his will towards Jack, shocked at Jack's sudden outburst.
"Do you have any idea what kind of responsibility you were given!" Jack questioned him, furious as he refused to release his grip on the man's shirt, "What the hell were you doing, taking that job!"
"Jack!" came Sayid's voice as the man jogged up behind them, "Is there a problem?"
"Yes!" Jack yelled, dropping his hold on the man's shirt, "He fell asleep last night!"
"I said I was sorry!" the young man protested, now getting angry at Jack.
"Do you have any idea what you did!" Jack yelled, "She's missing because of you!"
"What? Who?" the young man asked, eyes wide. He was suddenly getting the picture.
"Jack, Kate's missing then?" Sayid asked, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the argument.
"Yes!" Jack responded, frustrated with everyone, everything. Most of all, he was frustrated with himself. "She never made it to the hatch last night and no one's seen her since!"
"Are you sure? Did you ask everyone?" Sayid questioned, clearly concerned. Sayid knew that with things the way they were with these supposed Others, Kate's disappearance was anything but good.
"I don't have time for this…" Jack muttered, turning away from Sayid and heading towards the trail to the hatch.
"What's going on?" Charlie called to them as he came sprinting over, "What's with all the commotion?"
"Kate's missing," Sayid informed him, making a move to walk passed him and after Jack.
"What?" Charlie called out, walking quickly after Sayid as the man brushed past him, "When? Is she alright?"
"We don't know," Sayid muttered, not turning to face Charlie as he rushed after Jack, "Jack!"
Without warning, Jack whipped around to face Sayid, eyes alight with anger and frustration, "What?" he spat, glaring down both Charlie and Sayid.
"Where are you going?" Sayid asked, unmoved by Jack's outburst. Charlie stood slightly behind him, watching Jack in surprise.
"I'm going after her…" Jack said, looking exasperated as he gazed directly into Sayid's line of vision.
"What?" Charlie asked, taken aback, "Are you out of your bloody mind?"
"Charlie's right," Sayid piped in quickly, not letting Jack immediately respond, "You can't go out there alone. Its not safe."
"I don't care!" Jack nearly yelled at them, voice shaking ever so slightly. He could feel himself getting choked up in frustration, worried out of his mind, "She could be out there somewhere hurt or in trouble or God knows what on this island. I'm not going to let that happen. Not now. Not when I can do something…" Now there really were tears beginning to form in Jack's eyes. Briefly clamping his eyes shut and taking a deep breath to push them back, he continued, "I'm not just going to leave her…"
Neither Charlie or Sayid spoke up after Jack finished. Both were too stunned for words, taken aback by what Jack had said. When Jack turned away from them once more and headed for the trail to the hatch though, Sayid found his bearings again and called out, "Jack!" But he received no answer or recognition. Jack just kept going, moving out of sight.
As soon as Jack was out of sight of the caves, he broke into a run. With each step he took, more panicked thoughts of worry clouded his mind, pushing him forward. Scanning the area frantically, Jack didn't catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. He was just certain that any moment, he would spot her. How he would find her, he didn't know. As much as he didn't want to think about it, Jack found himself flipping through countless images in his mind, scenarios of what might have happened. None of them were good.
With an image of Kate sprawled out, half dead off to the side of the trail, Jack pushed forward with a vengeance. If she was here, if she had been hurt, he had to find her in time. He didn't know what he would do if he didn't.
"Kate!" Jack called out, hoping that she might still be able to hear him, where ever she was. Eyes burning with the unshed tears that were forming, Jack felt like his world was coming to an end. This is all my fault, Jack told himself furiously, boiling in self loathing. As much as Jack wanted to blame all of this on Mark or Locke or anyone, he knew that deep down, there was only one person to blame. Himself.
If only he hadn't let her go off alone last night. Maybe then, nothing would have happened to her. He could have protected her. He could have stopped whatever it was that harmed her. And in the pit of his stomach, Jack knew that she wasn't alright. Though he had left the caves with that hope, he knew now that it was a false one. Something simply had to have happened to her. She wouldn't have stayed out here this long and most of all, she wouldn't have just not gone to the hatch.
"Kate!" Jack called out at the top of his lungs, now completely desperate. He was almost to the hatch. He had almost covered all of the path that she would have taken and yet he hadn't found her. Words couldn't begin to describe what he was feeling just now.
Nearly an hour had passed since Jack had fled from the caves, out on a desperate search to find Kate. But still he had found nothing and now he was at the end of his rope. Jack let out a desperate cry of misery and frustration as he whipped around the corner, suddenly stumbling upon a clearing. The hatch. He had reached the hatch. Damn….
An utter feeling of complete hopelessness and dread washed over him as the hatch came into view. Jack had covered all the ground and he hadn't found her. He had done all that he knew how to do, going by the only information he had, and nothing. She was gone.
And in that moment, that moment of complete torture when Jack knew that he had failed, all hell broke loose in his mind. In a sudden, uncontrolled fury, Jack raced toward the hatch with a cry of frustration. Anger consuming him, Jack kicked the hatch door with all his might, screaming with every move he made. Pain rushed like wildfire up his leg, but Jack paid it no heed. Kate was gone. She was gone. And he had failed her. Utterly and miserably failed her.
Falling into a sudden heap on the ground, Jack couldn't take it anymore. The guilt. Frustration. The feeling of utter and complete loss. Sharp splinters of pain coursed up from his foot to his shin and up to the base of his knee, but Jack couldn't have cared less. The leg could've fallen off and burst into flames that very moment for all he cared. And through it all, one thought, one single, agonizing and terrifying thought rang clear in Jack's mind, running on like a mantra.
I love her…
And that was what it had to be, Jack thought grimly. Silly as it was. Strange as it was. As completely and utterly improbable and unwise as it was, Jack knew that it was ultimately the truth. I love her. Though he had known her for little more than a month, he loved her. She was a criminal and she lied and he loved her. She couldn't be open with him and was more likely to run from him than to embrace him and through it all, he loved her.
Unable to stand any of it any longer, the tears that Jack had been fighting off from the moment he knew that Kate hadn't returned to the caves finally broke free. One single persistent tear burned a thin trail down Jack's face, rolling down his cheek. He made no move to brush it away. Soon another followed. And then another. Until finally, tears poured steadily down Jack's face and he found himself crying. Nearly sobbing. Unable to take the fact that he had probably lost the person that he had ultimately come to care the most for. The person he had loved.
Footsteps. The sound of leaves and twigs crushing beneath someone's feet met Jack's ears, drawing him wearily from his thoughts. His head snapped up, almost daring to let himself hope that it would be Kate coming through the brush. Coming to tell him that it had all been a terrible misunderstanding. That she had been at the caves the entire time. Alive. Safe.
"Jack!"
Jack whipped his head around to see where the voice was coming from. He immediately saw Sayid step into the clearing from the path that led back to the caves. His heart sunk.
"Jack, are you alright?" Sayid called to him as he approached him, breathing hard from having run down the whole trail, "Did you find her?"
"No," Jack said simply, shaking his head in defeat.
In that moment, there was silence. Sayid glanced uncomfortably around the clearing, not knowing if he should expect some kind of danger and unable to watch Jack break down like this. Jack was the leader. He was the one that everyone could trust. That everyone could put their faith in. But to see him in shambles like this, Sayid felt a sense of dread come upon him.
"Damn it, Sayid!" Jack said suddenly, shocking Sayid out of his own thoughts, "Its my fault…all of it…"
"What are you talking about?" Sayid questioned, amazed that Jack could be pinning the blame on himself, "How can this be your fault?"
"I let her go. I could've gone with her. I could've protected her…" Jack said, voice broken, "But I didn't. And do you know what I did instead? I slept. Slept!"
"Jack, there was nothing that you could've done," Sayid replied, voice serious, "If you had been with her, then perhaps you would be missing too. Maybe even dead."
"It doesn't matter," Jack answered, voice revealing his sense of defeat, "It should've been me."
"We don't know that she's dead yet," Sayid said, gazing down sympathetically at Jack, "But making a wild search out there on your own is madness. Lets go back to the caves. We can start a search party. This isn't over yet. We're going to find her."
There was a long pause. So many things were racing through Jack's mind just now, jumbling his thoughts. "You're right…" Jack said finally, wearily pulling himself to his feet, "Lets go…"
Pain. That was the first thing that registered in Kate's mind as she groggily began to open her eyes. The process was slow, her vision coming in foggy at first before gradually clearing. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if they were weighted down against her face. Though Kate knew without looking that she was covered in bruises and scrapes, the only pain she felt just now was a dull ache in her head that grew piercingly sharp as her vision cleared.
The pain spread out over her head and face at a torturously slow pace, making Kate feel as though her very skull was splintering from the force. Groaning, Kate's vision finally cleared. And then in an agonizing rush of memory, everything that had happened came back to her mind. The whispers. The figure at the end of the trail. Being taken.
"She's awake," came the unknown voice of a man. It sounded eerily calm.
At hearing his voice, Kate immediately attempted to lift her head and sit up so that she could get a good look at him, but she found herself unable to move. The chloroform had been strong and would leave her completely helpless for quite a while, she knew. Cursing under her breath, Kate wished that she could move properly, even thinking properly would be something.
"Bring her," A new voice, though its tone was very similar, broke the strange silence in the room. This time, the voice came through some sort of radio or speaker, Kate realized, noting the scratching sounds from the static. Swallowing hard, Kate began to realize that it was possible she wasn't even on the island anymore. Whoever her captors were, they had technology that no deserted island should have.
There was a shuffling of feet as not one, but two men came into Kate's limited line of vision. Kate hissed in pain, drawing in a sharp breath as two pairs of hands roughly gripped her upper arms and torso, holding her hard enough to begin to leave bruising. Kate winced at the sensation, already sore and groggy from the chloroform and whatever they had dragged her through while she had been out.
Half heartedly, Kate struggled within their grasp, body physically unable to do more just now. Without warning, the blond haired man that tightly gripped her right side reached out swiftly and backhanded her across the face. Letting out a strangled yelp of surprise, Kate immediately felt the sore, stinging sensation on her cheek.
"Quiet," the blonde barked, tone bland, almost uninterested, but unkind none the less.
Kate felt as if her arms were going to be forced out of their sockets as the two men dragged her more than carried her to where ever it was they were going. As if in a haze, Kate began to turn her head painfully to each side, taking in each man's appearance. The man on her right, the blonde one that had hit her, looked to be in his mid thirties. He wore a pair of loose fitting khaki pants and a white cotton shirt that buttoned up the front. The man to her left wore nearly identical clothing, but he was much younger and his hair was darker. Both men wore a look of utmost seriousness, their eyes directed only to what was in front of them. Not once had they glanced down at Kate.
After what had felt like an eternity, they came to a stop. Kate's body swung forward slightly, increasing her dizziness. She had no way of knowing how many turns they had made or the number of halls they had passed, but she did know that it was quite a distance from whatever room they had been holding her in.
The blonde man reached out and punched a yellow button that stuck out brilliantly against the never ending white washed walls. It was then that Kate noticed the large stainless steel door beside the button. After the man pressed the button, the door slid open, gradually disappearing into the wall, much like an elevator door. As soon as the two men had dragged her inside, the door slid rapidly shut, clicking as it closed, sealing shut.
Once the door had closed, the two men roughly threw Kate's still limp form onto the cold concrete floor of the room, taking a step back as if in attendance. Again, her mind swirled with a dizzy feeling of nausea. Must be the chloroform, she thought hazily. Kate was dimly aware of a third presence in the room, though she was too sore and exhausted to lift her head to properly look.
From no more than a yard in front of where she lay, she could hear a man clear his throat. Without looking, she knew that the two men that had brought her were waiting for something from this new figure.
"The tank," he said simply, voice grizzled and deep. Just like the other two men, this new man's voice held little emotion, if any. Only a serious, almost raw demeanor.
Kate didn't have time to even consider the meaning of this unknown man's words before the two men that had brought her once again had her in their grip. They lifted her none to gently to her feet, dragging her across the room. Moaning, Kate managed to lift her head up and hold it there. Now, able to see what was in front of her, she was perhaps more confused.
Just in front of them was a large steel cylinder with a concrete staircase that reached to its rim. It had to be well over ten feet high, but was rather slim. Kate's confusion turned to worry as the men began pushing and pulling her up the concrete stairs until they reached the top. The blonde let go of his tight hold on her, stepping forward and onto the top of the cylinder. He took hold of a metal wheel like object and began turning until he was able to lift up the lid of the cylinder.
As Kate attempted to peek over the edge of the rim to see what was inside, the two men roughly threw her down onto the platform. The electrifying chill of the cold concrete against the exposed skin of her face and arms had barely registered in her mind before the two men were kneeling down, leaning over her. Kate screamed suddenly as she felt their rough hands moving none too gently over her body, the brown haired man pinning her to the floor while the blonde hastily began tearing away at her clothing.
Kate continued to scream and struggle in a violent panic against them as he finished removing her thin white shirt and quickly moved to her jeans. She attempted to kick at him, but was stopped as the other roughly punched her in the stomach, making her come up suddenly short for breath, gasping for air.
"No!" she cried, finally finding her voice as she struggled against the man that held her firmly pinned down, "Let me go!"
The more she fought against him, the tighter the man held her pinned to the cold floor. Kate's pulse raced madly through her veins, heart pounding without relent. In minutes, she lay beneath them in only her underclothing, feeling utterly helpless and vulnerable.
"You have one chance," the blonde said, eyes cold, "Tell us where the boy is."
Kate's mind was racked with confusion. It mixed terribly with the panic she had felt when they stripped her. Boy? she thought, What boy?
So she answered their question the only way that she could.
"I…I don't-" she stuttered hastily, not knowing what they were threatening her with, but definitely not wanting to find out.
It wasn't good enough.
Without a word, the two men lifted her roughly up from the floor and moved over to the edge of the platform. Kate felt the sickening sensation of falling as they threw her down into the cylinder.
Expecting to painfully hit the hard steel floor of the cylinder, Kate was surprised when her body was immediately engulfed by water. Cold water. No, painfully cold water. The chill washed over her entire body like an electric wave, biting against her nearly numb skin. Countless shivers ran through her body, making her already sore limbs burn.
Kate flinched as the confined space of the cylinder suddenly went pitch black. She had never felt so claustrophobic and afraid in her life. But then it all came in around her. A rumbling sound filled her ears as the cylinder began to vibrate, humming to life. The water she struggled to keep afloat in suddenly began to churn, swirling in a slow circle. Then, a buzzer went off as a high powered blast of water shot out from the wall, hitting Kate directly in the stomach.
She cried out in pain and surprise as the force of the blast pinned her against the opposite wall. The blast continued for about half a minute before it slowed and eventually stopped. When the water was still again, the crackling sound of the static filled the air.
"Where is the boy?" came the crackling, stern voice over the speaker.
Gasping for air, Kate didn't know how to answer that. She didn't even know who or what they were talking about. What boy? Before Kate could answer that, the water once again came to life and this time two high powered blasts of water shot at her, hitting each of her legs. Kate was pushed back against the wall, no longer able to tread water and stay afloat. Sinking, the water blasts traveled up her torso, knocking her breath away.
"The boy?" came the same crackling voice over the speaker, "Where is he?"
As the question barely registered in Kate's mind, a brief memory of something she had once read in a history book came into her conscious. The tank, the water, the questioning, it was all some kind of torture. They were using it to get information from her. Information she didn't have.
A/N: I hope you guys liked it. As always, your feedback means a lot to me, so please review. Also, I want to give a big thanks to hilsfoolish ginger (I hope I got your name right) for emailing me with some ideas about moving my itunes library to my new laptop. You were a HUGE help and I really appreciate you taking the time to email me with help. Thanks to you, I avoided a major head ache. Lol. Anyway, I hope to have the new chapter up soon. As I said, I haven't started it yet, but I'll probably get around to it later tonight. Don't forget to review!