Day 3 after leaving their camp

Sawyer woke abruptly a little before sunrise. He instinctively looked over to where Ben was sleeping. The spot was empty. Everyone else in the camp was still sound asleep. He got up, worried, and walked over to the other side of the camp. No sign of Ben. He couldn't have gone far right? This was a relatively small island for Christ's sake! He followed the beach to where the boats were, only to find Miles and Frank snoring, one man in each boat. Good, at least he had stayed away from the canoes. He was slowly walking back to the camp when he noticed Ben, sitting in the sand between some trees. His legs were crossed and he was staring into the direction where the sun would come up. When he heard footsteps he turned his head and looked right at Sawyer. The two men stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one of them wanted to be the first to look away. Eventually Sawyer just shook his head, and walked back to his sleeping spot.

Earlier that night

It was the middle of the night when Ben woke up. The fire was almost dead and around him were only the familiar sounds of people sleeping: heavy breathing, light snoring, the occasional cough. He quietly got up and walked over to Caesar, who was sleeping at the other end of the camp. Ben shook his shoulder with his left hand while covering Caesar's mouth with his right. The man woke up and looked at Ben with startled eyes.

"Ssssht. I need to talk to you. It's very important. But you have to keep quiet." Ben slowly removed his hands.

"What do you want?" Caesar whispered.

"There are things you need to know; about the people who came with us. We need to go someplace where we can talk safely. Not here. Follow me."

Caesar was hesitant to get up. But he also knew he had no reason to distrust the man in front of him. He had been on their plane and was a victim of the crash just like the rest of his group. If this man knew more about the two strangers who had shown up today, he was more than happy to follow him and talk.

After breakfast Frank, Miles and Sawyer left to check on the plane. Hurley stayed by the canoes and Kate was back at the camp, together with Ben. Sawyer had asked her to check out the group atmosphere while keeping an eye on Ben at the same time. Did everyone still believe their story? Was their cover safe?

The plane was heavily damaged but intact. Sawyer grinned. All the rock breaking he had done at this very spot… At least it hadn't been for nothing. Frank climbed inside and locked himself in the cockpit for a bit. Miles and Sawyer walked around, removing branches and rocks.

"This thing is never gonna fly." Miles mumbled.

"Don't be a downer Enos. Let Frank be the judge of that."

They heard branches breaking followed by footsteps behind them. When they turned around Caesar came out of the bushes.

"Hi there chief!" Sawyer walked towards him. "How are we today?"

"I am fine thank you. What are you guys doing here?"

"Nothing much. Cleaning up the area a bit. Hanging around in case that pilot needs a hand."

"I was just wondering… how long have you guys been stuck here again?"

OK, here we go. Just keep it simple. Sawyer looked at Miles while answering the question: "Hard to say. We ain't got no calendar here."

"I understand. But you must have some idea. A few weeks, months, even longer than that?"

Sawyer was about to improvise an answer, when Frank's head appeared. "Guys, I want to check some other stuff. Care to give me a hand?" He climbed out of the plane and walked to the tale ending. "Sure thing captain. You comin' chief?" He looked at Caesar, who seemed well aware of the fact Sawyer was ditching the question. James made eye contact with Miles who nodded at him. The two men were obviously thinking the same thing. We need a little more to the story to keep us going.

That night Hurley woke up because someone was poking him in the side. He mumbled "what!" and slowly opened his eyes. There was no one there. It was dark but the moon was up and he could make out the sleeping bodies of the people around him. He closed his eyes again, thinking he must have been dreaming. But no more than five minutes later the poking happened again. It startled him and this time the 'what!' came out a little louder. He was up on his feet in seconds and stared at the face of his Iraqi friend.

Hurley's voice woke up Sawyer. "Anything wrong man?" he asked while rubbing his eyes. Hurley turned to look at him and then back at where he'd seen Sayid. No one was there.

"Nothing dude. I gotta pee. Sorry I woke you."

Sawyer closed his eyes again. "Don't get lost Hugo."

Hurley looked around, his eyes searching the area. His heart was beating fast. You can't be here dude. I'm not crazy. You're dead. He walked away from the group while trying to calm himself. There was a cool breeze and he sat down on a rock close to the water. The ocean was beautiful with the moonlight reflecting in it. The sound of the waves relaxed him a bit. Just as he felt calm enough to go back to sleep he heard Sayid's voice: "That plane will not fly Hurley." He turned around to see his friend standing right behind him. "Dude!" He walked back a few steps.

Sayid continued: "Frank knows nothing of engines. I do. I'm telling you that plane will not fly."

"You're dead man." Hurley's voice trembled.

"I'm well aware of that Hurley."

"Why are you talking to me? Why don't you go bother Miles? Talking to dead people is kind of ... his thing." Not mine.

"Miles isn't my friend. You are."

Hurley took a deep breath. "What do you want?"

"I want to help you."

"Help me? By telling me the plane can't be fixed? How's that helping?"

"The plane can't be fixed. But something inside the plane can."

"What are you talking about?"

"The satellite phone."

"The phone's dead dude. Frank tried it a zillion times."

"Of course it's dead. That's why it needs repairing. There's stuff you can use from the Hydra station. Replace whatever is broken, and call for help."

"That's easy for you to say. Who am I supposed to call huh? No one knows where the island is!"

"That's not true."

Hurley looked at Sayid for a while. His friend might be dead, he himself might be crazy, but aside from that … it sure felt good to hear Sayid's voice. He thought about what Sayid had just said. After a few minutes the Iraqi broke the silence: "I have to go." Hurley pressed his lips together. "How am I supposed to fix the phone huh? I don't know anything about phones!" "You're a clever guy Hurley. You'll manage just fine." He turned around and walked away.

Hurley watched him leave until he disappeared into the dark night. "I miss you dude" he whispered.

Day 4

Morning

The first thing Hurley did after waking up was to tell Sawyer what had happened. Even though he was tempted to make some crude comments, Sawyer kept quiet till Hurley had finished sharing whatever Sayid had said. Hurley then stared at him for a few seconds. "You think I'm crazy right?"

"I sure do." Sawyer grinned. "But guess what. Ain't nothin' wrong with crazy these days. It's worth having a look right?" Hurley nodded, glad he had found someone to help him. They went to look for Frank and the three of them walked to the plane. They climbed inside and gathered around what had been a proper working satellite phone.

"I don't know what's wrong with it. It's just dead." Frank sighed.

"Come on dude. You must have had problems with these things before." Hurley looked at him, hopeful.

"Problems, yes. But you have people who are experts at this Hurley. I'm a pilot, not a technician or an electrician, or whatever it is you are when you know how to fix this."

"Allright. That's allright. Let's just have a look at it together. Three minds know more than one." Sawyer tried to stay positive. They went over possible problems: the battery, the wiring, the antenna. The only thing to do was to just go to the Dharma station and trust their luck.

Caesar was getting nervous. The things Ben had told him the other night only strengthened his suspicion of the two new men in his group. Whatever story they had fed them, it wasn't the truth. This guy Sawyer was a criminal, a convicted felon to be exact. Ben had shared details about his crimes. It had been all over the news a few years back, or so Ben said. And to be honest, Sawyer's face did look familiar to Caesar. That guy Miles seemed to be his buddy, so he was presumably his sidekick. Caesar had been so anxious to have a partner, someone he could trust, that he had immediately decided then and there that Ben was the one. He had even shown him the gun he had found at the Hydra station a few days back.

But now things had even gotten more complicated. Why was the fat guy heading off with that criminal? Why were they talking in low voices as if they were sharing secret information? He followed them to the Hydra station, eager to find out what they were up to.

Sawyer, who was used to people sneaking up on him (one of Phill's annoying habits) didn't even turn around when he started talking: "Care to help us on a little mission chief?" He stopped walking and turned to face Caesar. "Or are you spying on us?"

"What are you up to?"

"Looking for some supplies! The pilot figures there might be a way to fix the satphone." He squeezed his eyebrows. "You know anything about satphones chief?"

"No."

"Too bad." Sawyer turned back to the direction he was heading in and while walking away from Caesar said to Hurley (a little too loud): "Just you and me then big boy. Or…" He stopped and turned again. "do you wanna help? Extra pair of eyes is always welcome." Stay open. Make him like you.

Caesar stared at them while they entered the Hydra's main building, but then decided to accept Sawyer's offer and followed them inside.

Late afternoon

They had almost tried everything they could think of. At first their lack of success was intentional. They had to make it seem like things weren't working. This Caesar guy had to get tired and go away. After an hour and a half, that was exactly what happened. Caesar wished them luck, announcing he was taking a break. But even after he left, the damn thing stayed dead. They'd found something at the Station that could pass as a battery and attached it in various different ways. They'd checked the wiring. Next on the list was the antenna. Sawyer rubbed his forehead. He should've paid better attention at school. Technical stuff had been his interest as a little boy, but he had been too busy rebelling and chasing girls to actually learn much in high school. If I ever live again, I'll pay better attention at school I promise. Just please, let the goddamn phone work! He stepped back and let his breath slip out between his teeth. "Here we go again guys." He turned on the switch for the zillionth time.

I'll be god damned. The screen lit up. The three men stared at it for a few seconds. Sawyer picked up the phone to check if there was a connection. Son of a bitch! He looked at Hurley, cleared his throat and handed him the phone: "Do your thing Hugo."

Early evening

Kate was crying. A few silent tears. Hurley threw his arm around her shoulder and had the biggest smile in the world. Sawyer was leaning back against a tree, eyes closed. Frank was still inside the plane. He needed a moment to himself. Miles walked over to James. "Now what?" he asked. Sawyer opened his eyes to look at his friend. "Now we wait."

Day 5

They were getting ready to leave. Frank had told everyone the good news. What the people here now had to do was to stay put and wait. He himself and the others that came with him had to travel back to the main island to inform everyone there. There were happy goodbyes and hopeful messages (We'll see you soon. We should keep in touch once we get rescued. Look after yourself. We're all gonna be fine).

Caesar was sitting at the end of the beach, his bag between his knees. He might need what was inside it. Ben observed him from a distance, but he didn't notice. The scene he had overheard the day before was still replaying over and over in his head. "Dad? Dad? It's me, dad. Just…. Listen please. I don't have much time…. I am ok. I'm back on the island." Who the hell were these people? He had genuinely thought of changing his opinion after Sawyer had invited him on their search at the Station. He had seemed just as eager to get off this island as anyone else and he was dead serious about wanting to fix that phone. Who cares about what anyone has done before coming here? had been Caesar's thought. Besides, he himself was the only one with a gun. In case of anything, he was able to protect himself. But after what he'd heard yesterday, his suspicion was back.

Kate, Frank, Hurley, Miles, Sawyer and Ben had had gathered near the canoes. Some of the other survivor's had come to wave them off. Sawyer and Miles were busy pushing the boats into the water. Caesar walked up to them. Why were they so eager to leave? He was getting angry and looked at Ben for support. Ben just nodded at him.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Gotta tell the others." Sawyer kept pushing the boat.

"Don't you think it's better to wait here for rescue? We are easy to locate on this little island. And anyone can see the plane from the sky. How would they know where to find you out there?"

"Thanks for your concern. But we'll manage." The second boat was almost in the water now.

"Why are you lying?" Caesar raised his voice a bit. Sawyer turned around. "What?"

"You're a liar. You all are." He looked at Miles, Kate, Hurley, Frank. His eyes then found Ben again. "I know all about who you are. You all know each other. And you!" he turned back to Sawyer. "You're a criminal, a murderer."

Kate looked at Ben, who was smiling contently. "What the hell are you talking about man?" Sawyer was getting annoyed. "We just managed to get you all rescued!"

"He!" Caesar pointed his finger at Hurley. "He said he was back on the island. You, all of you have been here before. You know this place. And you were on my plane. Why? We probably crashed here because of you!" Hurley looked back at him but wasn't quick enough to reply without sounding suspicious.

"Where are you getting all these ridiculous ideas man" Miles sighed, he was not in the mood for drama. "From the one honest guy among you" Caesar turned to Ben. "At least he had the guts to come forth and tell me about you all."

What the fuck? Is this guy really stupid enough to trust Ben? "You're hilarious you know that? He's the goddamn criminal on this island. And you trust him?" Sawyer threw a nasty look Ben's way. He knew he would try and ruin things somehow. You can't change a man's nature. But if that were true, what did that say about himself? He quickly shook off that thought. "Let's go guys."

"You're not leaving." "Yes man, we are."

"NO, you're not".

"Sawyer?" It was Kate, and she sounded alarmed. He turned away from the boat again and stared at the gun pointed at him.

James tried not to sound intimidated or worse: scared. "You're such an idiot. What are ya gonna do? Shoot me? Then who's the murderer? Do you even know how to use a gun?" Caesar lowered his gun a bit. Sawyer raised his hands. "And you, you … freak." He looked at Ben. "What's in this for you?" Ben smiled at him and that smile was the creepiest smile James had ever seen. And he knew, immediately. He still wants her.

"Leave him out of this." Caesar aimed his gun back at Sawyer.

Miles noticed before James did. Hurley noticed before James did. Because James was just staring at Ben. When Caesar fired the gun, Hurley jumped on his neck, pulling him down. Miles, in a heroic effort to protect his friend jumped in front of Sawyer. A second later, both men were in the water. Kate screamed. She ran towards the ocean and tried to pull them up. The water turned red. James was the first to stand. The blood belonged to Miles. The bullet had pierced his lower leg and he was screaming with pain.

On the beach Hurley was on top of Caesar. He was able to take the gun off him and managed to get up again. He saw Sawyer walking towards them, mad as hell. "You fucking asshole." Caesar raised his head, definitely afraid now. But Sawyer walked right passed him. He couldn't care less about that Caesar guy, even though he was a stupid idiot with no idea of how to shoot properly. No, his anger was aimed at Ben, who was standing three meters away now. "Calm down James. The guy was just a little confused. Nothing bad happened." Sawyer was right in front of him now. "I know what you're after. And I'm telling you: it ain't gonna happen." Ben looked up at him, face firm, eyes cold. "I'm telling you: it is."

The first blow to Ben's head was on his left side. Sawyer continued with his other arm. When Ben reached for his own cheek, Sawyer hit him a third time, full on the nose. There was a cracking sound. "James, stop it." Kate ran towards the two men. But Sawyer wouldn't stop.

"Damnit Sawyer, you're going to kill him."

"I don't care. He deserves to die."

"He's not worth it James." She firmly grabbed both of his shoulders and pulled him back. He stumbled and fell back on top of her. Ben made use of the sudden space and was back on his feet before Sawyer was.

"You're scum James. A fool!" Sawyer was ready to get back to the fight, but Kate still had her arms around him. Damn it Freckles, let me go.

"Ben!"

Ben turned towards the voice. Hurley had the gun pointed at him. "You're the fool dude." And then he fired. "That's for Sayid."

That's it for chapter eight! The question that remains: is Ben dead or not? Thanks for all the reviews. Love all of them!