A/N - Sorry for the wait. New chapters should be up at a regular pace.
"Do ya think we lost 'em, brotha?" Desmond asked when the shock had finally worn off and been replaced with worry, "Pen, she needs a hospital." Beside Desmond, Penny moaned slightly as if to prove his point.
"We've evaded them for now, but w'ell need to get another van...when I'm sure that we're in the clear, we can take Penny to the hospital. Her condition isn't critical." Ben answered from the steering wheel. He stepped on the gas and the van barreled down the desolate road. Desmond could smell something that seemed suspiciously like burnt rubber, but Ben gave no signs of stopping or even slowing down.
Desmond debated whether to press Ben any further. On one hand, Ben was hard to trust, on the other, he had just saved them all. Desmond decided that he dared not argue. With matted hair and bloodshot eyes, it was obvious that Ben hadn't slept for days and angering him in this position didn't seem wise at the moment. It was best to leave him be. Desmond propped a sleeping Penny onto his shoulder and smoothed her hair back.
Everyone else was asleep, although how they could possibly be with Hurley's thunderous snoring was beyond Desmond. All he knew was that he, himself couldn't rest until his family was safe again. What had he been thinking? Bringing his wife along on this quest, journey, whatever it was? Desmond had dragged her into danger. She, of course, had insisted on coming along in fear of Desmond "disappearing again". Now she was bleeding into one of Hurley's spare shirts.
The snoring went on, louder than the roar of engine. The tires screeched in protest as Ben veered to the left and merged into traffic. The van slowed to match those of cars on the road and Ben sighed in relief. His hands, which had been clutching the wheel, slackened slightly.
Desmond though to himself that Claire must be stronger than she looked to deal with the possibility of finding Charlie and the panic of being away from her son. It must be hard, he thought.
Desmond couldn't stay awake any longer, his eyes felt heavy, so heavy. He couldn't keep them open-but Penny, she needed him, he had to stay awake for her. He tried to fight it with everything he had. What if it happens again? He wondered. His heart started to race at the thought. Never in his life had he felt so alone than when he was in Charlie's head- not even when he had been in the hatch. Maybe just for a little while, His thoughts pleaded, Just a quick nap. Desmond closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Desmond was somewhere else now. Propped up against a wall maybe? No, he couldn't be. Restraints were still hugging his wrists. Maybe a chair. Desmond tried to move, but he couldn't. He wasn't in control of his actions. His vision was blurry, and the picture zoomed in and out of focus. Before him, he could make out some dark shape. He focused on it, and the edges became less fuzzy. The shape became a square. The square became a cube. Desmond realized that he was staring at a tv.
His head shook without him intending for it to. Charlie must be in control... Maybe he's trying to show me something... Desmond thought in a haze. Desmond could hear someone talking, but the sound was wrong, like he was underwater. Still, he could understand what was said.
"Wake him up!" a female voice snapped. Desmond guessed that she was Eloise. "He's no use to use in this condition. Wake. Him. Up." A hand grabbed Desmond's wrist and inserted a needle into his arm. All of the sudden his senses sharpened.
He was in a room sitting at a table with a tv staring him in the face. To the right of the tele, behind a glass wall sat a triumphant looking Eloise Hawking. She was leaning forward just ever so slightly with a hungry gleam in her aquiline eyes. Her hands gripped the arms of her chair for support. Desmond realized with a pang in his heart that she must be close to breaking Charlie.
Desmond felt himself glaring at Eloise with his newfound strength. Blood was rushing in his ears. Eloise smirked, and Desmond, not wanting her to feel superior, grinned back. For a moment, she looked taken aback and a shadow of doubt passed over her smug face. Desmond smiled some more.
"So? What is it that you want then, Eloise?" He chuckled without wanting to in a voice that was not his own, but Charlie's. It felt beyond strange to feel his mouth move without actually moving it himself. It was like he was possessed.
"I wanted you to watch this video tape Mr. Pace. There is something on it which may hold some importance to you." She nodded to a camera on the wall and the tv switched on. Desmond found himself staring at a surveillance video of the ice cream shop. His throat went dry. He watched in shocked silence as he, his wife and son, and the others entered. How did they get this? What was Charlie trying to show him? Desmond decided to stop thinking and pay attention.
The recording continued, showing Little Charlie falling and crying and Aaron trying to comfort him. Desmond's hands, Charlie's hands, were now shaking in their restraints. He watched himself soothe his son, saw himself meeting Liam and then leaving. Then, when Desmond thought it was over, a man with a briefcase who had been sitting in the corner the whole time walked up to the stand. He ordered and his gaze wandered up to the security camera. He nodded right to Desmond's now pale face, just brief enough that the store owners would think nothing up of it, but long enough to send Eloise a message. A conformation. He was following them. The tape switched off and Desmond, shaking uncontrollably, met Eloise's eyes with his own pleading ones.
"Oh yes, Mr. Pace. We know that your friends are looking for you. We know where they are now, in a little boat in the harbor. We know where the children are, we know where Ms. Littleton is, we know everything." Charlie didn't respond. This already happened, Desmond realized.
"We have an operative watching their ship at this very moment. An operative with a cell phone with one number in it's register..." Here, she pulled out a cellphone of her own and placed it neatly on the table. Her hand patted it while she smiled. "All I have to do is call." The figure Kate saw..., Desmond thought.
"What do you want?" Charlie asked in a defeated voice.
"The location of the island." She informed him. Her casual tone suggested that the information was meaningless. Desmond hoped that Charlie hadn't fell for it.
"I don't know for the hundredth time." Charlie said desperately. Eloise sighed and picked up the phone. She paused and stared at Desmond.
"Last chance Mr. Pace. I know that you Jacob's number two. I know that you died over thirty years ago and yet somehow I see you here before me. I know Jacob must have brought you back somehow, told you things. My son died thirty years ago and Jacob did nothing to save him! I want answers!"
"I'm sorry that he died. I don't know what to tell you. Please, don't." Charlie begged. Eloise switched the phone on with a defiant swipe. Before she could call, however, it rang a long shrill sound. It shocked Eloise so much she dropped it onto the table and it landed with a resounded clatter. She picked it up and answered. Desmond strained to listen.
"Position has been compromised. They seem to have someone else watching over them. I think it might be Linus. Possibly working with Reyes. Oh, and Shepherd." Desmond's heart gave an excited leap. Jack, alive? It can't be, Desmond thought.
"Shepherd is dead. Could it be Alpert?" Eloise demanded shrilly.
"Possibly. Whoever it is keeps his face concealed."
"Leave them be for now." With that, Eloise snapped the phone shut. Her eyes turned to Desmond. "Drug him," she waved her hand casually in his direction with her other rubbing her forehead. "I don't want him to remember any of this." another needle intruded Desmond's personal space, jammed right into his arm and his vision went black.
The van lurched to a stop, throwing everyone who wasn't smart enough to put a seatbelt on forward in a violent arc. Desmond heard a loud thump and a cry of pain. Sawyer, being the only one not restrained by a seatbelt rubbed his head angrily. Everyone else woke up groggily.
"What's going on?" Claire asked groggily. Desmond was still reeling from the vision. What was Charlie trying to tell him? That they were being followed? Was it a clue as to where he was?
"Hey Tiny Tim! You think you can try and drive better? Some of us were sleeping!" Sawyer shouted. Desmond laughed in spite of himself, in spite of everything. "Gonna give someone whiplash!" Sawyer barked.
"A bird deliberately flew into the windshield." Ben objected.
"Well," Sawyer quipped, "at least he won't be doing that again."
"Yeah, I don't reckon he'll have the guts to." Desmond joked and laughed again. Kate joined in, even while protesting that it wasn't funny. Soon, they were all laughing, even Sawyer. Desmond laughed so much his sides started to hurt.
"That poor bird..." Kate gasped between laughs, "you should have been wearing a seatbelt, Sawyer."
"Yeah, Dude. That's kinda like, what they're for." Hurley chuckled.
"Yeah? We'll excuse me for thinking that Ben knew how to drive." Sawyer countered.
"You're lucky you didn't go through the windshield." Claire giggled.
"Bird almost did." Sawyer observed, eyeing a large dent in the windshield with cracks that stretched out like spider webs.
"We're being followed." Ben said suddenly. The laughter ceased. "A black sedan merged into our lane eight miles ago and has stayed directly two cars behind us the entire time." Ben drummed his fingers on the wheel, and looked at them seriously through the rear view mirror.
Desmond whipped around and saw a black car off in the distance. He sighed in exhaustion and ran a hand through his hair. A shocked silence came over them all.
"Why didn't you say something sooner Benny?" Sawyer broke the silence.
"And ruin your sleep? I wouldn't dare." Ben said, "I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure until now." As if to prove to Desmond that he had the worst luck ever, the two cars behind them pulled into a turnout leaving the sedan the lone follower.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Hurley said. The car came closer and closer, while Ben did his best to push the van past its limits. The sedan easily caught up.
The car drove into the line beside them and matched their speed. It rammed into their side with incredible force. Claire, who was by the side-door window, was thrown into it and slumped against the wall unconscious. They hit them again, this time with more force, but this time Ben pushed them back. The car swerved and Ben rammed his foot on the gas. It came onto their sides again trying to force them off the road.
With a final push, the driver of the car managed to force them off the road and into the dirt, the wheels crunching on the gravel as they slowed. The engine whined a pitiful sound, sputtered, then shut down completely. Crickets chirped, trees bowed lazily in the wind, cars drove by, the the van went out, and nothing happened.
"We need to get out of here." Kate whispered.
"Why haven't they done anything? Where are they, the cowards?" Desmond wondered, fear edging into his voice. As if to answer, they heard the crunching of gravel behind them. Someone was running in their direction.
"Fantastic." Desmond joked.
"We need to get out of here." Kate repeated. Desmond agreed wholeheartedly and looked to the others, hoping that they agreed as well. Ben was trying to start the car again and hissing various insults at the engine. What are they waiting for? Desmond wondered.
"Forget you lot! I'm getting out of here while I can!" Desmond shouted, "Kate? Can you help me with Penny?"
"As long as you help me with Claire." She whispered.
"No need," Sawyer spoke at last, "I'll get Blondie. We need to move." Desmond got out first, taking Penny by under the arms. Kate stepped out with the legs. Desmond raised his hand for silence. He couldn't hear anyone moving. He nodded to Sawyer who scooped Claire up so that her arms dangled down and hopped out of the van. Hurley and Ben stayed, Ben still insulting the engine.
"Where did they go?" Kate asked. Desmond peered through the darkness. There wasn't anyone in sight. He shook his head.
"I don't know. I can't see anyone." For some reason, Kate seemed terrified now that their perusers were nowhere in sight. Sawyer adjudged tied his grip on Claire and then looked to the van.
"Hey Hugo! Get out here!" He whispered. Hurley didn't move, and remained talking to Ben. Kate and Desmond each put one of Penny's arms around their necks.
"Hugo!" Sawyer nearly yelled. Hurley looked at them and shook his head sadly. Desmond's mind went numb. It's too much, I can't deal with anymore.
"We have to leave. Now!" Kate insisted. Her pleading eyes bored into Desmond's, silently begging him to move, to leave while they had any chance in the world. Desmond nodded. Desmond and Kate moved as fast as they could, carrying Penny's weight between them, while Desmond was irritated to see that Sawyer was holding Claire aloft and walking casually beside them.
They made it to the tree-line and hid behind the trunks. Penny and Claire, they propped against a tree. They looked back at the van. Kate let out a shriek and clapped a hand over mouth. Someone was walking around the van.
"Hurley and Ben are in there." She whispered.
"Yeah, well, that was their genius decision." Sawyer grunted, "we have us to worry about." Sawyer looked away, acted uncaring, yet Desmond could hear the worry hidden in his voice.
The figure leaned into the side window, and started talking to Ben. Sawyer narrowed his eyes. Desmond gripped into the trunk of the tree giving himself splinters.
"There's something I need to say." Sawyer whispered, "Earlier I was walking around looking for Hugo and his henchman over there," he gestured to the van, "when I heard them talking to someone...someone else. That could be the guy."
Kate twisted around to face Sawyer. "You couldn't have mentioned this earlier, James?" He shrugged. The man at the van was looking around with the air of someone being followed.
"I didn't know what it meant earlier." Kate turned to face the van again. She frowned.
"Forget this." She decided. And with that, Kate walked right out of the trees, right at the van.
"Kate!" Sawyer hissed, then ran after her. Desmond wanted to follow, but Penny and Claire were still unconscious and defenseless. Kate walked up the the figure and tapped him on the shoulder, nearly hit him.
"Hey! Who are you?" She yelled. The figure turned around and Kate went silent. Sawyer walked up next to her, then laughed. He and the figure spoke words that Desmond couldn't hear and then hugged. Kate was still standing in silent shock.
"Were you the one that forced us off the road?" Sawyer asked loudly with a chuckle. The man shook his head.
Desmond again looked at Penny and Claire. He couldn't bear to tear himself away from Penny, but curiosity was starting to get the better of him. He drummed his fingers against the bark of the tree he was behind, then stepped out of cover.
He started to jog, then to run. He made it to the van and looked the man in the eyes. His heart nearly stopped and he knew without seeing it that his face had gone as white as a ghost's. It can't be, Desmond thought.
"You?" He asked in confusion. Sawyer was grinning, Kate's mouth was hanging open. It wasn't possible, Desmond couldn't process it. He didn't have time to. A whole convoy of vans pulled off of the road and blocked their way out.
"Well, that's just fantastic, isn't it?" Desmond muttered.