Chapter Three
AN: the characters do not belong to me.
At first there had been the searing pain of the bullets, but then the darkness followed, a total loss of vision and sensation. The next thing Kate knew, she was watching a brilliant sunrise over Seattle.
She turned around in confusion. It couldn't be. Had it all been a crazy dream? What year was it? People were walking past her as she stood on the pier, not appearing to notice her. A man carrying a newspaper neared her and Kate stepped into his line of vision.
"Excuse me!" She tried to get his attention. "I know this will sound totally ridiculous, but can I borrow your newspaper? I just need to see today's date."
The man didn't even look up or act as though he heard her. Kate frowned, thinking it odd. Several other people came close enough to be able to hear her, but they, too, ignored her pleas.
"They can't hear you," a familiar voice said.
Kaye spun around to see Ethan Burke standing before her. Startled, she backed up until she was practically leaning on the rails at the edge of the water.
"Ethan… you're not real. I saw you die when the elevator shaft exploded. This must be a dream."
The FBI agent shook his head. "Not a dream, Kate. I'm sorry."
The appearance of a second man convinced her that something was terribly wrong. It was Harold. He didn't even have the chance to speak before she burst into tears. He put his arms around her and drew her into a comforting embrace.
"Kate, I didn't think I'd see you so soon," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Jason shot me," she said flatly. "He killed me in that warehouse." She stared at the water. "Is this where you two have been since you were killed? Seattle?"
Ethan nodded. "It's what we longed for while we were unable to leave."
It all seemed so bizarre that she laughed. "Seattle. Well, I can't say I haven't missed it. Remember, Harold? During our first resistance meeting?"
"I do. So you're not happy to be here?"
She considered it. "Actually, I think I am." Then she stopped short. "Why aren't you with your fiancée? I know you wanted to go back to her all of those years."
"I did," Harold said with a smile. "But right now I'm here for you. You're going to be here for a long time."
"Forever, right?" Kate asked. "I mean, aren't I… dead?"
"Not quite," Ethan said. "You're in suspension until my son succeeds in overthrowing the others and someone finds out how to treat your wounds. Suspended animation buys you time, and it looks like you're really going to need it."
At first she didn't know what to think, but as the men escorted Kate around Seattle, she soon found herself absorbed in the details of the life she'd missed for twelve long years. The other place felt like a dream or the plot of a book she had once read. Seattle was one long now, and the past disappeared until one day when everything began to change.