A/N: Best to read this one, folks. It's important.

This chapter covers the matter of where Josie has been through all of this.

Now, I know what the canon version is, despite having never seen S1 (No. Really.).

However, keep in mind this is under the AU of 'A NEW ORDER' and, therefore, does not follow the canon story line somewhat...OK, mostly.

This chapter, as stated, begins Josie's part in this story, where she has been, and what she has been doing on Big Alice.

Out Of The Past

Part XI - Josie

Sitting in her room in Big Alice's infirmary, Josie stared out at the seemingly endless flat white covered plains of the area they were traveling through.

The infirmary had been her home for more months than she could even remember. The two quirky doctors that seemed to live out their lives there her only constant companions. But they did seem to genuinely care about her and her suffering and did what they could to relieve it as they could.

She had started her time here trying to mark the days. But that had become monotonous and she had eventually lost interest.

What did it matter anyway? One day was pretty much a the next to her. She woke up, her whole body screaming in pain. She went to sleep under the haze of the drugs she was given.

The next day it started all over again.

Small things marked time for her. Like the days the doctors would submerse her in the pool. The cool white liquid slowly enveloping her.

To some it would likely have been a terrifying experience. A tube was placed in her mouth and a mixture of pure oxygen and other gases were fed to her body, healing the inside in addition to the outside. The doctors had explained this was part of the process. Giving her body what it needed in a concentrated form to help heal it from within. So she breathed in the combination of gases as she was left for what could seem like hours completely submersed in the thick gel like substance. The two doctors would always apologize to her in what seemed like a sincere manner for the uncomfortable feeling of being completely covered by the liquid. But the longer she could tolerate it, they explained, the faster she would heal.

This promise drove her to fight each time to extend the amount of time she stayed in the tank of liquid. Not that it was really that difficult. Despite what it may represent to others, the pool represented comfort to her. Freedom from her seemingly never ending pain. In the pool she could move her limbs. Her legs. Her arms. All without pain.

No. Being put in the pool was a blessing to her.

The nightmare started when they took her out.

But slowly, as they had promised, things began to improve. Her time in the pool started to be reduced, but it didn't seem to matter as much, as the pain had also started to lessen.

As her arms improved and grew new skin, she was eventually fitted with a robotic hand. One that seemed to respond to her commands just by thought. Wilford himself had taken over the duty of teaching her how to use the new hand. Teaching her how to control something that she couldn't feel.

The first days had been hard. She had to look at the hand every second in order to get it to do what she wanted. But as time went on, she began to use it more and more as though it were just another appendage. Eventually it simply became a part of her. Taking it off at night started to seem an alien act. And when it wasn't on her body, she didn't feel complete.

But as the weeks had passed, as she got more accustom to things as they were, she also asked questions.

She knew how she had come to be how she was.

What she didn't know was how she had come to be 'where' she was. Why wasn't she in the medical car on Snowpiercer. Where was Andre? Why didn't he come to see her? Didn't he ever ask about her? How she was? Was she doing all right? Was she still alive?

All of these questions Wilford had patiently afforded answers to.

She was on Big Alice because Snowpiercer, or more accurately, the train's illicit leader, had given her up for dead. She had been turned over to the compost cars. One of his own people had found her and, realizing she was still alive, brought her to Big Alice. Snowpiercer, he had told her, had no chance of saving her. They simply didn't have the expertise of his own doctors.

As for her lover, he had no idea she was even alive. He had been told she was dead due to some accident and had gone on with his life.

Josie had frowned at the answer at first. Andre wouldn't have given up on her so easily. He wouldn't have believed such a lie.

But as the days turned to weeks and there was no word from Snowpiecer, Josie began to believe that her former train had indeed forgotten her. Even her former crewmates and friends seemed to have easily forgotten she ever existed.

But it was especially hard for her to believe this of Layton. How could he have given up on her so quickly? Believed some vague story of her being killed and not tried to find her. Demanded at least to see her body?

Wilford had told her for all he knew they had shown her body to him.

But she didn't believe that. If they had, he would never have allowed her to be taken to Big Alice. He wouldn't have abandoned even just her body to some unknown fate.

But then where was he? Why wasn't he trying to get her back?

After several weeks of circular questions thrown at Wilford, the man had finally seemed to have enough of it.

"Listen, my dear." He told her one day, sitting in her room in the infirmary, having just listened to her reason out again why she didn't understand any lack of communication with Snowpiercer's new chancellor. "I have tried to be kind about this, but you simply seem determined on persistently chasing this line of questioning. So I afraid you leave me no choice but to put things on the table for you."

Josie looked up at him expectantly. Finally! Answers!

"Now, I know you want to believe otherwise, but the truth of the matter is exactly what I have tried to tell you before. Mr. Layton has moved on with his life. He is, in fact, gotten...quite close to the train's former leader."

Josie simply froze at the answer.

Melanie!?

And Andre?!

She had immediately rejected the suggestion. Outrightly calling Wilford a liar.

The man had taken her tirade in stride, as he often did. He allowed her to vent her disbelief and anger at the mere suggestion her former lover had taken up with their most hated enemy.

How could he have?

Melanie Cavill was everything they had fought against! Together! She represented every evil, unjust thing on the train. What they had strove so hard to get rid of. To replace with a more just, democratic system of governing the train. Andre would never choose to side with her, much less become romantically evolved with her.

Wilford was insane to think she would ever believe such a lie. And she challenged him on it almost daily for weeks on end. If what he said was true, why was she isolated from the other train? Why wasn't she allowed to see her old friends? Allowed to see ANYONE from Snowpiercer?

If what he said was true, then why not prove it by simply bringing Andre to the border and letting him see her? Let her ask him her questions herself. Let her hear his answers.

Wilford's answer had surprised her.

"You will be allowed to do all those things, my dear." He answered her one day after weeks of refusing to even discuss the matter with her. "You will see your friends again. You be allowed to see Mr. Layton again and ask him your questions. But not now."

"Why not?" She had fumed through the bandages still covering her burn scarred face. "Why wait?"

"That is for your benefit, my dear Josie." The man answered calmly.

"My benefit?"

"You can not deny just in the short time we have been talking you are already exhausted. I'll not have you put in such a tenacious situation without you at least being able to stand there and face the lies you will be told. I want you to be able to face him down on your own two feet. To show both of them...that despite their callous abandonment of you, you stayed strong and you survived!"

Josie stared back at him past two eyes that still burned if she left them open too long. Whose vision became hazy and weakened with every passing minute.

Closing her eyes for relief, Josie begrudgingly backed down. Maybe simply because it was easier than arguing with him and never getting any resolution.

Maybe because he was right.

She could feel the weakness in her body, as unaccustomed a feeling as it was to her.

But each day she also felt herself getting stronger.

Each day she would time out to the second how much longer she was able to stand than the day before. How much further she could walk. How much longer she could argue with her supposed savior before conceding the match.

Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Every day she tracked her progress.

Yes, her day would come. And she would have her answers.