Chapter 47: Par Avion

There was a weight against her wrists and a hard surface beneath her body. Faith ignored the dull ache in her head that echoed at her waist and rolled onto her back. She opened her eyes, eyelids fluttering as her gaze met with bright lights hanging above her and as soon as her sight adjusted, she sat up and her attention went to the shackles around her wrists.

"Son of a bitch." She remained where she was and looked around.

The room they had put her in was made of brick and glass walls. There was a metal door behind her, chains hanging from the ceiling, and a metal table located directed in the middle of the room. They had drugged her and put her into a holding cell of some kind.

Richard. Richard had come into the room with armed men. Richard from the past, her past, a Richard now in the future. He had ordered them to shoot her.

"The slimy bastard." Faith rolled to her feet but as she came up, her vision wavered and she stumbled into the metal table. It took everything she had to stay upright, her fingers digging into the metal slits in the table top. She clenched her eyes and steadied her breathing.

Again she opened her eyes, letting them adjust and straightened. Gritting her teeth she yanked on the shackles but they refused to give and after several attempts to break the chain she gave up. The loud squeaking of the metal door opening slowly made her look over to the doorway. The man there was tall with gray hair and dressed in khakis, a tan tee shirt and a hunter's vest. Leaving the door open, he stepped into the room with a bottle of water in his right hand.

She squinted and leaned against the table with her hip. "Hey, don't I know you from punching you in the face?"

"Right now, you should be wondering what we did to you, not who I am Faith."

Faith tightened her grip on the table. "What did you do to me?" She spat. "Where's Richard?"

"You'll see him when we deem it appropriate Faith but it's touching that you'd ask."

"What did you do?"

"We took precautions. Right now that loss of feeling in your limbs and sluggishness is all thanks in part to the tranquilizers we gave you. We couldn't risk you not cooperating. The last few times we had a run in you were a bit unpredictable."

"Take these shackles off and we'll see how unpredictable I can be."

He smiled, stroking his chin in amusement as he approached. "As amusing as that idea is, I'm afraid I can't do that. Whatever you're planning, I'd advise against it. You won't get far in your current condition." He extended the water bottle. "Here."

"Fuck you."

"Take the bottle Faith."

She moved forward to knock the bottle out of his hand and the forward motion caused her to stumble. The bottle skidded into the wall as she fell to her knees.

"Now why did you have to go and do that? Get back on your feet, come on." He grabbed her upper arm. "We want you better Faith, this was just done for the safety of-" With a grunt, his grip loosened the second she jerked back her shackled wrists, her elbows digging hard into his stomach.

His fist collided with her face before she had a chance to step away and Faith hit the wall, her head bouncing off the metal. Blood pooled in her mouth. Fingers digging into the floor, she spit some of it out.

"And to answer you, yes, you did punch me in the face. Now we're even."

Faith wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. "Got a name to go with that small dick?"

He scooped up the bottle and a second later poured the water all over her. "Tom." He grinned. "Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine." She flashed him a smile of blood. "I think you missed a spot jackass."

With a smirk, Tom raised his fist to hit her again and she braced herself for the impact.

"Tom, that's enough." Tom stepped back from her immediately and Richard stepped into the room. "Bring me another bottle of water please."

"Are you sure you-"

"Now." Richard's dark eyes flashed at Tom. "Water and a towel."

Tom nodded his head tersely. "You got it."

Faith slid to sit up against the wall, her eyes on Richard and no where else as he came towards her. Richard squatted down slowly in front of her. He dug a handkerchief out of his pocket and extended it towards her.

"Take it."

"Go to Hell."

With a small sigh, he reached out to cup her chin with his fingers. He began to blot at the blood that had pooled on her bottom lip but only after a few seconds of his light touch she twisted her head away.

"I'm only trying to help you but I can't do that if you do not first help yourself."

Her head snapped back towards him, eyes narrowed. "You're trying to help me? Wow, that's touching. Next you'll be telling me that you really give a shit about me."

"I do."

"What is this place? Where am I?" She twisted her chin free. "Don't touch me."

Richard dropped his hand away. "It was never my intention to hurt you Faith, not then and not now. The tranquilizer was for all of our protection. There was no way to tell how you would react. It was the best decision based on our history."

"Our history?" She spat. "Show a guy a good time between the sheets and suddenly there's a history."

"It wasn't by coincidence that we met Faith."

"You're right, it wasn't. You already knew who I was, knew what I was, and you and your good buddy Ben planned all of this out and for what? People have died Richard! Men, women, and children! All dead because of what? Who I am?" She leaned in. "What I am?"

"You're special Faith. I've known that since the first day I saw you that you're special and you're needed here. We need you." He kept his eyes on her. "I need you."

"How fucking touching. Everyone needs something. Those people need their lives back."

"You're my only concern."

"Why?"

"Because it's what I promised your father."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you just say?"

"He came to this island trying to help the people here but after a while it became obvious Dharma only cared about the island's power. I became friends with him, I learned about his life, his goals. I learned about you." Richard smiled. "I promised him I would look after this island. I promised to look after you."

"Power?"

"Don't act coy Faith, it isn't you." He chuckled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I know you've seen it." He stopped as Tom reappeared with a towel and a bottle of water.

"Here. We need to go. Ben's asking for you." Tom handed Richard the items and looked at Faith. "We captured the rest of your friends."

"Hurt them and I'll kill you."

He smirked at the threat and looked back at Richard. "Ana-Lucia's still alive. Looks like Goodwin was right about her."

Richard rose to his feet. "I'll be back."

"Can't wait." She remarked dryly. "Think you could take these off?" She lifted her shackled hands. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" She sighed as the door shut behind the two men. With a sneer, she kicked the water bottle and it rolled harmlessly away.

&

Hearing the door creak open, Faith opened her eyes to see a blonde entering with a tray in her hands. The woman smiled at her. "I brought you some food."

"I wasn't aware my captivity included room service." Faith eyed the tray as the woman slid it onto the slab. "Let me guess, you put tranquilizers in the cheese."

"Your sandwich is tranquilizer free, I promise."

"Excuse me for not taking your word for it."

"Eat or don't Faith." The blonde stepped back from the table. She caught sight of the empty bottle. "Would you like more water?"

Faith sat up. "What I'd like is to see my friends." She lifted her hands. "And taking these off would be nice."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. That decision is up to Ben but if you'd like more water..."

"Sure, whatever floats your damn boat." She watched as the woman bent down to pick up the bottle. "What's your name?"

"I'm Juliet."

"I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but I've been told that lying is bad for you."

Juliet smiled but it was a cold. "I know things are a bit unpleasant but when everything calm down, Ben says he'll consider letting you out of here."

"How nice of him. I'll make sure to thank him with my fist."

Juliet smiled again and this time there actually was sincerity there. "I hope I'm around to see how that turns out."

Faith narrowed her eyes. "And why is that?"

"You think you're the only one here that wants to go home?" Juliet opened the door. "I'll get you some water. You've got five minutes."

"Five minutes, what-" She stopped at the sight of Jack entering. The door shut behind Juliet and for a minute, she stared at the doctor. Finally she smirked at him. "What's up Doc?"

He approached her, glancing at the blood pool located a few feet away from her, before he knelt down on his haunches in front of her. "Are you hurt?"

"Just my feelings. I'm sensitive, you know."

He smirked and reached out to grab her chin in one hand, his other cupping the back of her head. She winced as he found the sore spot from where she hit the wall with her head. "You're not bleeding but I can see if they'll bring you some Tylenol."

"That's touching, really, but I've already had enough drugs pumped into my system to last me a life time. They shot me up with some tranquilizer and then I had a dream I was a giant piñata. I might need therapy just to feel human again."

"At least they haven't been able to take away your sense of humor."

"It's going to take more than a few beatings and harsh words for that to happen." She eyed him as he dropped his hands. "What is going on? Where are the others?"

"I don't know where they are but Juliet swears they're safe for now."

"And you trust her?"

"I do."

Faith snorted. "She's one of them Jack. She's one of them and they're keeping us here, keeping our friends hostage. I'd say I trust her about as far as I can throw her but when I get one hundred percent again I'm going to show you that it's actually pretty far."

Jack sighed as he rose to his feet. "She's different. I can't put my finger on why exactly but she is. She's helping me get off this island. I'm going to go find help, bring them back here, and she's helping me do that." He grabbed the plate off the tray. "You need to eat. The grilled cheese sandwiches are actually pretty good."

"I'm not hungry."

"Faith, you need to eat." He squatted down again and extended the plate. "Get your strength back."

"I saw you."

"What?"

"I saw you shaking hands with Ben." She leaned in to bring her closer to his. "I never pegged you for a traitor Jack."

"I'm not; I'm trying to save people."

Faith snorted and leaned back against the wall again. "I don't care what they've promised you, Ben's never going to let you leave this island."

"Ben and I have a deal."

"Congratulations; a deal with a liar; forgive me for not putting much weight into anything he says."

"Let me worry about Ben." Jack sighed and extended the plate again. "You just need to eat."

She reacted by knocking the plate out of his hands, the food spilling as the door opened again and Juliet appeared with water. "What I need is to get out of here and find the others."

Juliet frowned as she came forward. "Jack?"

"It's okay Juliet. We're done here." Jack stood up and stepped back. "I'm sorry Faith."

"You've got that right."

Juliet placed the bottle down at her feet. "We need to go." She moved back to the door. "Jack."

Nodding, he followed after her, pausing at the door and looking back at Faith. "I'll come back Faith, I promise."

"You abandon us to leave with these people and you better hope I never see your face again Doc. I don't take betrayal lightly." She kept her eyes on him until the door closed and with a sigh reached out for the water bottle. A figure bending down in front of her had her lifting her gaze upwards.

Mayor Wilkins smiled softly. "Quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into this time my girl."

Faith snorted and snatched up the bottle. "I was wondering when you were going to show your ugly mug again."

"You know me, I'm always lingering around. I will admit that it has been harder to keep an eye on things as of late. This…place…" The First waved its nonexistent hand around. "This place is a fortress. Things here are so immersed in the supernatural that I've started to dread even appearing."

"You haven't been missed."

The First chuckled. "I don't need to be missed, I simply exist. That is what gives me power."

"If you're so powerful, why are you having issues staying here?"

"I never said I had issues with staying Faith; just issues with wanting to stay around for long periods of time. See, I like keeping my eye on you but the island, it has other plans and those don't always include me. It's not safe for me to always linger when there are other forces at work."

"I'm sure that makes you very unhappy. You're big into being a pain in the ass."

Rising to his full height, the image of Mayor Wilkins smiled down at her. "I can't complain, I'm still able to keep my interests where I can keep tabs on them. I may not always be around Faith but remember this, there's always someone watching. You're a part of something bigger than yourself, something more than just your life and where you've been. We're connected, you and I."

"You wish."

"I don't wish; I know." The First straightened the tie around its neck. "You'll see. Keep those eyes pealed. Nothing is what it seems. You'll see that soon enough as well."

Faith kept her eyes on the image, her shackled hands resting on her bent knees. "If you're done wasting my time, I'd like to get some sleep now."

"There will come a time when you ask for my help."

She snorted and turned her head away. "Get lost." She closed her eyes and thankfully there was no response to that. Unable to help herself she opened her eyes again. The space previously occupied was now empty. It was just another thing she suddenly had to be thankful for.

&

She wasn't sure how much time passed before the door opened again. Hearing the groan of the bolts she opened her eyes to see Richard in the doorway. She ignored the crick in her neck and sat up against the wall as he entered, her gaze momentarily lingering on Tom who appeared behind the taller man, a tranquilizer gun in his hands.

"It's time. Let's go."

She kept eyes on the gun. "Am I getting out early for good behavior?"

"Indeed." Richard smiled and stepped forward to extend his hand. "If you want answers, you'll come with me peacefully. No tricks, no foolish attempts at escaping. You're still a bit weak no doubt from the amount of tranquilizers we gave you so let's not take the chance of hurting ourselves."

"Where are we going?"

"A place where you'll find some of the answers you've been looking for, Faith."

"Where are we going, Richard?" She repeated slowly.

He dropped his hand back to his side. "We're going to a house here on the compound where a person is waiting to meet you and tell you answers to some of your questions. Do you want to meet her or not?"

Her eyebrows rose at the mentioning of gender. "And my friends, where are they?"

"They're safe." He chuckled at seeing the disbelief clearly written on her face. "Faith, I promise you that your friends are just fine. I'll even let you see them when we're done."

"That's awfully nice of you to offer Richard. Ben give you permission to say that?" She smirked up at him. "Fine, I'll play along but no more meds." She jerked her chin towards Tom and the gun. "Capiche?"

"Cooperate willingly and I promise you no more tranqs."

Faith stretched out her hand and he took it immediately. She kept her body relaxed as he pulled her to her feet but as soon as she steadied herself, she tightened her grip on his hand and jerked him to her right. She twisted left in order to come up behind him, his back to her front, and she released his hand to be able to hook her shackled hands around his neck.

The move successfully placed him between her and Tom. Faith smirked and rested her chin on Richard's shoulder. "It's not healthy to lie so much Dick." She chuckled into his ear. "It just might come back to haunt you."

"Richard!"

"Back up!" She barked at Tom. "Back up right now or I'll snap his neck."

Tom kept the gun in the ready position against his shoulder but took two steps back. "Richard, I can't get a clear shot."

"That was the plan genius." Faith chuckled again. "Where do you find these people, rejects for hire?"

"Faith," Richard kept his body pliant, his hands palm up towards Tom in a calming maneuver, "you need to listen to me and-"

She tightened her grip on him and he went silent. "I don't remember saying you could speak." She directed her attention back to Tom. "Drop the weapon and kick it away from you."

"You're out of your mind."

"Three out of four doctors agree, now drop it."

Tom glanced at Richard who nodded and slowly he lowered the gun to the floor. A kick later sent the weapon skidding away from him.

"Good boy." Faith released Richard only to slam her bound hands across his face and he went stumbling into the wall. Rolling to avoid Tom's fist, she came up on her feet, the gun now in her hands. "Uh-uh!" She cocked the gun as he stepped forward. "Unless you want to take a long nap I wouldn't suggest it."

"I don't know what you think this proves but if you believe you're going to get out of here you're sadly mistaken."

"Maybe that wasn't the plan." She cocked her head. "Maybe I just wanted to make you two look like idiots to whoever is watching." She jerked her head towards the tiny camera in the corner. "Big Brother probably isn't very happy with either of you at the moment; you're sadly lacking in the common sense department."

"Faith, stop this." Richard rubbed at his temple. His fingers came across stained with blood and he winced. "Before anyone else gets hurt."

"Before anyone else gets hurt, that's rich coming from you people." She glanced slowly between them. "Keep talking Richard and I'll change my mind about shooting Tom first."

"You're not going to shoot anyone. You're going to put down the gun and come with me to meet Amelia. If you don't, you'll never get any answers and you don't want that."

Her dark eyes flashed at him. "Who the hell are you to tell me what I want and what I don't. You think because you have facts about me on paper somewhere that it means you know who I am. You don't have a fucking clue who or what I am." She shot off a tranq in Tom's direction and he cursed as it pinged into the wall behind him. Her eyes moved back to his. "I thought I told you to back up."

"We're not the bad guys Faith."

She chuckled at that, smiling coyly at Richard. "Oh you mean the shackles and sedating me is all a part of how you show you care? Wow, I have to say that's a little more kinky then I gave you credit for Richard."

He smirked and shook his head. "What do you want Faith?"

"I want you to stop saying my name like you've got the right for starters and I want things to be on my terms, not yours. I want to see my friends and as soon as I say we can go, I want to meet this Amelia chick."

"Deal. We can-"

"I said on my terms." She pulled the trigger on the gun and Tom grunted as the dart hit him in squarely in the chest. He fell to the ground after only a few seconds but she didn't look away from Richard. "Okay, now we can go."