Tracker, Chapter 6 (PG-13, Skate, others)
Title: Tracker, Chapter 6
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skate, Jana, others
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST
Summary: Set during S2, immediately post-WKD, Kate, Sawyer and several other characters go off into the jungle after Michael, learning secrets of the Island along the way.
Spoilers: Season 2
A/N: Tracker is an extremely lengthy, multi-chapter fanfic that I wrote during Season Two. I plan on posting a couple of chapters a day if I can, so please check back! By the way, blame kirvash if you get hooked on it. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 6
The late afternoon sun blazed down on the three people walking single file through the jungle; the air was stifling and silent, broken only by the chatter of the birds in the canopy and the whir of insects. Michael was exhausted, mentally and physically; he could feel Danielle's rifle pointed at his back and it was freaking him out a little. Jin walked in front of him, head down, obviously tired; Michael felt a brief stab of guilt but it faded quickly, replaced by weariness and despair.
The chains were godawful. The iron was old and heavy, it dug into their sweat-chafed skin, leaving their wrists raw and bloody, pulling on their backs and shoulders like lead weights, wearing them out from the effort to remain upright. Poor Jin, Michael thought dully. He just got rid of that damn handcuff, and now...He stifled a tired half-sob, wiping his watering eyes with the back of his hand.
He had failed, in every way possible. His relationship with Susan had been a bust; he had given up his art; he had failed as a father twice; and now he let himself get tricked by a crazy French woman who had him in 200-year-old slave chains taken from an English galleon lodged in some rocks two miles inland, marching him to God-knows-where in the haunted damn jungle that had monsters and polar bears in it...the absurdity of the situation made him cackle crazily.
Jin turned to look at him, curious as to why Michael would be laughing. He hoped he hadn't snapped- he'd seen people break under a lot less pressure than Michael was dealing with. He could sympathize; losing a child under any circumstance was horrible.
"Keep forward." Danielle said, and Jin glared at her before turning back. He wanted to wrap the chains around her throat and strangle the life out of her.
Michael glanced back at her with a malevolent stare. She was costing him any chance he had of finding Walt. He hated her. "Where are you taking us?" he spat at her.
She jabbed him in the side with the barrel of the rifle. "Walk." Glaring at her with all of the bitter venom he could muster, he faced forward again, shaking with rage and humiliation. She prodded him again and he walked a few defeated steps before she spoke. "I am taking you to Them."
Michael and Jin turned at the same time. "What?" It was nearly a shout, and Danielle shushed them quickly.
"No more questions. Walk, or I will shoot you." She smiled insanely. "I assure you, it would not be the first time I have killed."
They both believed her. And started walking.
Michael began figuring in his head, trying to reason out exactly how far Jack should be behind them. His mental lethargy and physical exhaustion had been replaced by violent, irrational fear. It energized him, and his mind cleared...If he and Jin left about two hours before dawn, and they ran most of the morning...If they were missed early on, and Jack got a party together quickly...If their trail was easy to follow...If Danielle's slower pace let Jack catch up..If, If, If. He wanted to scream in frustration. Jack may not even have left camp yet.
"He is safe with Them, you know." Danielle spoke behind him. "Your boy. It is what is best for him."
Michael spun around and walked up to her, the rifle barrel jammed against his heart. "Don't tell me what's best for my boy," he snarled dangerously, jabbing an angry finger in her face. She stared at him, astonished. He shoved the rifle away and stalked over to Jin, who was observing them warily.
She looked sad. She lost her daughter, Michael thought suddenly. Just like I lost my son. He felt a flicker of understanding laced with pity.
"All roads lead here, Michael." she said suddenly. "I wish you could trust me." She still seemed sad, but it was overcast by the glimmering light of lunacy in her eyes. Empathy gone in a flash, Michael laughed at her shrilly.
"Trust you? Why shouldn't I trust you? You've got me in slave chains with a rifle between my shoulderblades! You're a lunatic! And a liar." He stopped, eyes narrowing. "You said you were taking me to my son."
Danielle was looking dejected again, the craziness gone from her eyes. She stared sadly at Michael for a moment, then said, softly. "I am."
She cocked the rifle again and pointed them down the road only she could see.
* * * * *
She kept finding reasons to touch him. She was like an addict, craving the electric tingle of his skin against hers. He was sleeping, his head cradled in her lap; she stroked his hair, gazing absently at Locke, Jack, and Eko huddled together on the other side of the clearing. "Just like watching C-span, eh Tex?" she murmured gently in his ear, smiling softly. He loved her.. The thought kept crowding her mind, pushing in insistently when she least expected it. How is his shoulder? He loves me. Are we going to catch Michael and Jin? He loves me. That kiss, barely an hour ago. He loves me. She couldn't wrap her mind around it, it was too big, too much for her to take in all at once.
She wasn't even sure how to feel about it. She felt something for Sawyer, that was undeniable. But was it love? Tom was the only man she had loved before, but that was like comparing apples to oranges. They were too different. With Tom it had been sweet and innocent, tender and affectionate; with Sawyer it was wild and bittersweet, hard and electric. But wasn't that who she was now? Katie was dead; she died with Tom in the hospital parking garage and in her place grew Kate; empty, lonely, guilty Kate.
Empty, lonely, guilty Sawyer. She smiled softly. Maybe they were meant for each other. At the very least they deserved each other. Wasn't that something?
Ana-Lucia was lounging against a tree a few feet away. She watched Kate for a few seconds, then walked over and squatted down next to her. "You look really familiar to me," she said without preamble. "Have I seen you before?"
"No," Kate said quickly, instinctively tensing. "I don't think so." Calm down, she chastised herself. You're being paranoid.
Ana was studying her closely. Kate found the scrutiny a little disconcerting, and she was about to say something when Ana said, "I'm usually pretty good with faces. It'll come to me eventually." Kate said a quick prayer that it wouldn't. "How is he?" She nodded at Sawyer.
Kate glanced down at him and seemed a little surprised that she was stroking his hair. "Okay, I guess. He was too weak for this." She glanced at Ana. "He's stubborn."
Ana chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed." She stared at Sawyer for a beat, then said, "I don't think he likes me much."
Kate grinned. "Don't take it personally. He doesn't like anybody." But he loves me. Kate's heart skipped a beat.
Ana grinned and stood up, looking over at the huddle; they seemed to have come to some sort of a decision. Locke and Eko disappeared into the jungle and she met Jack halfway across the clearing.
He handed her a water bottle.
"What's this?" Jack glanced around guiltily, then leaned close and whispered into Ana's ear. She nodded. "Okay."
Kate was getting up, gently lowering Sawyer's head down onto the ground. She straightened, brushing off her jeans as Jack came up to her. "What's up, Jack?"
"We need to talk." He nodded towards the jungle. "In private."
"Okay." Kate was bewildered. What couldn't he say in front of everyone else? He took her arm firmly and led her away from the clearing, not stopping until they were well out of earshot. Anxiety began clawing at her insides. "What's going on, Jack?"
"He has to go back, Kate."
"What?"
"Sawyer. He has to go back." He hesitated. "We have to make him go back."
Kate swallowed hard, her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "I know you're right Jack, but how are we going to make him do anything?"
It pained Jack to say the words. "He'll do it for you, Kate."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"
"I was in the hatch too, remember?" Jack said bitterly. She probably didn't remember him being there. God, that stung. "You got him to take the pill. He listens to you."
Kate stared at Jack like he was insane. "He was unconcious, Jack! He's a little bit harder to manage when he's awake!"
Jack looked disappointed. "So you won't even try." Kate's averted eyes gave him the answer. He sighed wearily. "Well, that only leaves us one option. He won't go willingly so...I brought some sleeping pills-"
Kate broke in, horrified. "You're not drugging him, Jack!"
"You sure as hell didn't hesitate to drug me, Kate!" he snapped. "What makes this different?"
"You were going to kill yourself, Jack! I was afraid you were going to die!"
Jack gestured angrily toward the clearing. "If he doesn't go back to the hatch, Kate- if he keeps pushing himself, he is going to die." He glared at her. "And I know you don't want that." Seeing the miserable look in her eyes, he softened. "This is what has to happen, Kate."
She knew he was right. She sighed. "Give me the damn pills, Jack. I'll do it."
He wouldn't look at her. "Ana-Lucia is already doing it."
"What?" She hissed. She glared at him and made a break for the clearing.
Jack grabbed her arm. "Don't, Kate. It's done."
"You didn't trust me to do it, Jack." She shook her head in disbelief. "Is this because of the hatch, Jack? Or is this because of what happened on the path?"
"You tell me, Kate." Jack snapped. "You kissed me, remember? I didn't invite you to do that." He stepped closer, "I saw you with him in the hatch, and cutting his hair, and coming out of his tent. How he looks at you." Jack swallowed, looking away. "How you look at him." The words stuck in his throat. "I thought...maybe...you and me..." he stopped, unsure how to continue. "I thought there was..." He looked miserable, and Kate gently touched his arm. "Do you love him Kate?"
The word surprised her even as she said it. "Yes." She did. I love him.
Jack blinked back tears. "Then why did you kiss me?"
Kate couldn't bear to look at him. "Because I wanted it to be you, Jack." She pulled her arm out of his grasp. "But it isn't."
"Well, well, well," Sawyer drawled from behind Kate. Her blood froze. "What's this about a kiss?"
* * * * * *
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skate, Jana, others
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST
Summary: Set during S2, immediately post-WKD, Kate, Sawyer and several other characters go off into the jungle after Michael, learning secrets of the Island along the way.
Spoilers: Season 2
A/N: Tracker is an extremely lengthy, multi-chapter fanfic that I wrote during Season Two. I plan on posting a couple of chapters a day if I can, so please check back! By the way, blame kirvash if you get hooked on it. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 6
The late afternoon sun blazed down on the three people walking single file through the jungle; the air was stifling and silent, broken only by the chatter of the birds in the canopy and the whir of insects. Michael was exhausted, mentally and physically; he could feel Danielle's rifle pointed at his back and it was freaking him out a little. Jin walked in front of him, head down, obviously tired; Michael felt a brief stab of guilt but it faded quickly, replaced by weariness and despair.
The chains were godawful. The iron was old and heavy, it dug into their sweat-chafed skin, leaving their wrists raw and bloody, pulling on their backs and shoulders like lead weights, wearing them out from the effort to remain upright. Poor Jin, Michael thought dully. He just got rid of that damn handcuff, and now...He stifled a tired half-sob, wiping his watering eyes with the back of his hand.
He had failed, in every way possible. His relationship with Susan had been a bust; he had given up his art; he had failed as a father twice; and now he let himself get tricked by a crazy French woman who had him in 200-year-old slave chains taken from an English galleon lodged in some rocks two miles inland, marching him to God-knows-where in the haunted damn jungle that had monsters and polar bears in it...the absurdity of the situation made him cackle crazily.
Jin turned to look at him, curious as to why Michael would be laughing. He hoped he hadn't snapped- he'd seen people break under a lot less pressure than Michael was dealing with. He could sympathize; losing a child under any circumstance was horrible.
"Keep forward." Danielle said, and Jin glared at her before turning back. He wanted to wrap the chains around her throat and strangle the life out of her.
Michael glanced back at her with a malevolent stare. She was costing him any chance he had of finding Walt. He hated her. "Where are you taking us?" he spat at her.
She jabbed him in the side with the barrel of the rifle. "Walk." Glaring at her with all of the bitter venom he could muster, he faced forward again, shaking with rage and humiliation. She prodded him again and he walked a few defeated steps before she spoke. "I am taking you to Them."
Michael and Jin turned at the same time. "What?" It was nearly a shout, and Danielle shushed them quickly.
"No more questions. Walk, or I will shoot you." She smiled insanely. "I assure you, it would not be the first time I have killed."
They both believed her. And started walking.
Michael began figuring in his head, trying to reason out exactly how far Jack should be behind them. His mental lethargy and physical exhaustion had been replaced by violent, irrational fear. It energized him, and his mind cleared...If he and Jin left about two hours before dawn, and they ran most of the morning...If they were missed early on, and Jack got a party together quickly...If their trail was easy to follow...If Danielle's slower pace let Jack catch up..If, If, If. He wanted to scream in frustration. Jack may not even have left camp yet.
"He is safe with Them, you know." Danielle spoke behind him. "Your boy. It is what is best for him."
Michael spun around and walked up to her, the rifle barrel jammed against his heart. "Don't tell me what's best for my boy," he snarled dangerously, jabbing an angry finger in her face. She stared at him, astonished. He shoved the rifle away and stalked over to Jin, who was observing them warily.
She looked sad. She lost her daughter, Michael thought suddenly. Just like I lost my son. He felt a flicker of understanding laced with pity.
"All roads lead here, Michael." she said suddenly. "I wish you could trust me." She still seemed sad, but it was overcast by the glimmering light of lunacy in her eyes. Empathy gone in a flash, Michael laughed at her shrilly.
"Trust you? Why shouldn't I trust you? You've got me in slave chains with a rifle between my shoulderblades! You're a lunatic! And a liar." He stopped, eyes narrowing. "You said you were taking me to my son."
Danielle was looking dejected again, the craziness gone from her eyes. She stared sadly at Michael for a moment, then said, softly. "I am."
She cocked the rifle again and pointed them down the road only she could see.
* * * * *
She kept finding reasons to touch him. She was like an addict, craving the electric tingle of his skin against hers. He was sleeping, his head cradled in her lap; she stroked his hair, gazing absently at Locke, Jack, and Eko huddled together on the other side of the clearing. "Just like watching C-span, eh Tex?" she murmured gently in his ear, smiling softly. He loved her.. The thought kept crowding her mind, pushing in insistently when she least expected it. How is his shoulder? He loves me. Are we going to catch Michael and Jin? He loves me. That kiss, barely an hour ago. He loves me. She couldn't wrap her mind around it, it was too big, too much for her to take in all at once.
She wasn't even sure how to feel about it. She felt something for Sawyer, that was undeniable. But was it love? Tom was the only man she had loved before, but that was like comparing apples to oranges. They were too different. With Tom it had been sweet and innocent, tender and affectionate; with Sawyer it was wild and bittersweet, hard and electric. But wasn't that who she was now? Katie was dead; she died with Tom in the hospital parking garage and in her place grew Kate; empty, lonely, guilty Kate.
Empty, lonely, guilty Sawyer. She smiled softly. Maybe they were meant for each other. At the very least they deserved each other. Wasn't that something?
Ana-Lucia was lounging against a tree a few feet away. She watched Kate for a few seconds, then walked over and squatted down next to her. "You look really familiar to me," she said without preamble. "Have I seen you before?"
"No," Kate said quickly, instinctively tensing. "I don't think so." Calm down, she chastised herself. You're being paranoid.
Ana was studying her closely. Kate found the scrutiny a little disconcerting, and she was about to say something when Ana said, "I'm usually pretty good with faces. It'll come to me eventually." Kate said a quick prayer that it wouldn't. "How is he?" She nodded at Sawyer.
Kate glanced down at him and seemed a little surprised that she was stroking his hair. "Okay, I guess. He was too weak for this." She glanced at Ana. "He's stubborn."
Ana chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed." She stared at Sawyer for a beat, then said, "I don't think he likes me much."
Kate grinned. "Don't take it personally. He doesn't like anybody." But he loves me. Kate's heart skipped a beat.
Ana grinned and stood up, looking over at the huddle; they seemed to have come to some sort of a decision. Locke and Eko disappeared into the jungle and she met Jack halfway across the clearing.
He handed her a water bottle.
"What's this?" Jack glanced around guiltily, then leaned close and whispered into Ana's ear. She nodded. "Okay."
Kate was getting up, gently lowering Sawyer's head down onto the ground. She straightened, brushing off her jeans as Jack came up to her. "What's up, Jack?"
"We need to talk." He nodded towards the jungle. "In private."
"Okay." Kate was bewildered. What couldn't he say in front of everyone else? He took her arm firmly and led her away from the clearing, not stopping until they were well out of earshot. Anxiety began clawing at her insides. "What's going on, Jack?"
"He has to go back, Kate."
"What?"
"Sawyer. He has to go back." He hesitated. "We have to make him go back."
Kate swallowed hard, her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "I know you're right Jack, but how are we going to make him do anything?"
It pained Jack to say the words. "He'll do it for you, Kate."
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "What?"
"I was in the hatch too, remember?" Jack said bitterly. She probably didn't remember him being there. God, that stung. "You got him to take the pill. He listens to you."
Kate stared at Jack like he was insane. "He was unconcious, Jack! He's a little bit harder to manage when he's awake!"
Jack looked disappointed. "So you won't even try." Kate's averted eyes gave him the answer. He sighed wearily. "Well, that only leaves us one option. He won't go willingly so...I brought some sleeping pills-"
Kate broke in, horrified. "You're not drugging him, Jack!"
"You sure as hell didn't hesitate to drug me, Kate!" he snapped. "What makes this different?"
"You were going to kill yourself, Jack! I was afraid you were going to die!"
Jack gestured angrily toward the clearing. "If he doesn't go back to the hatch, Kate- if he keeps pushing himself, he is going to die." He glared at her. "And I know you don't want that." Seeing the miserable look in her eyes, he softened. "This is what has to happen, Kate."
She knew he was right. She sighed. "Give me the damn pills, Jack. I'll do it."
He wouldn't look at her. "Ana-Lucia is already doing it."
"What?" She hissed. She glared at him and made a break for the clearing.
Jack grabbed her arm. "Don't, Kate. It's done."
"You didn't trust me to do it, Jack." She shook her head in disbelief. "Is this because of the hatch, Jack? Or is this because of what happened on the path?"
"You tell me, Kate." Jack snapped. "You kissed me, remember? I didn't invite you to do that." He stepped closer, "I saw you with him in the hatch, and cutting his hair, and coming out of his tent. How he looks at you." Jack swallowed, looking away. "How you look at him." The words stuck in his throat. "I thought...maybe...you and me..." he stopped, unsure how to continue. "I thought there was..." He looked miserable, and Kate gently touched his arm. "Do you love him Kate?"
The word surprised her even as she said it. "Yes." She did. I love him.
Jack blinked back tears. "Then why did you kiss me?"
Kate couldn't bear to look at him. "Because I wanted it to be you, Jack." She pulled her arm out of his grasp. "But it isn't."
"Well, well, well," Sawyer drawled from behind Kate. Her blood froze. "What's this about a kiss?"
* * * * * *