Fic: Primatech 815 - Ch. 3
Title: Primatech 815
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes (Crossover with Lost)
Characters: Ando, Bennet, Claire, Claude, Hiro, Isaac, Peter, Matt, Micah, Mohinder, Niki, Simone, Sylar (more to come)
Rating: R
Summary: A plane crash unites a group of strangers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or Lost.
Warnings: AU, Violence, Action/Adventure, Drug use, Het, Slash, Crossover/Fusion
Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Hiro sighed in exasperation as he dug through the seemingly endless pile of suitcases. Everyone had found their bags except him. Even now, he could barely remember what color his luggage had been, let alone what Ando's looked like.
He remember that Ando used a system of sorts to identify his belongings. He always tied a colored string to his bags, believing it would keep them from getting lost, only Hiro could not remember what color the string would be. Something obvious. Something that would stand out. Blue? No... Red?
The young man sighed as he looked around at the other survivors digging their way through the bags. It was frustrating. He couldn't ask for help. Everyone here spoke English except for Ando and himself. He suddenly wished that he hadn't volunteered to find their things, but when Ando announced he'd go fishing and catch their dinner, Hiro couldn't help but feel useless. He wanted to contribute, he wanted to help, but all he seemed to be doing lately was getting in the way.
A blond woman suddenly appeared next to him with a worried expression on her face. She was asking him something, something important, but the words only sounded like gibberish to his ears.
'Sorry,' the Asian man shrugged apologetically as he spoke in his native tongue, 'I don't speak English.'
The woman gave him a confused look before slowly nodding her head and moving on. A light blush spread across the young man's features as he watched her go. He had a feeling she needed help, and he wanted so badly to be a hero and go with her anyway, but that wasn't what Ando wanted him to do. Ando just wanted him to stay safe and find their bags.
His eyes slowly wandered across the beach before landing on a older man was scruffy blond hair and a thick beard. From the look on his face, he was waiting for something, and Hiro suddenly had a feeling that if he didn't find their bags soon, the scruffy man would take them.
With that thought in mind, Hiro doubled his efforts.
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Simone smiled when she spotted Isaac and the others emerge from the tree line, but her smile quickly faded when she took in the group's shaken appearance They had all suspected that the jungle was dangerous, but the trio looked as if they had just done a tour of duty in Vietnam.
"Hey! Are you guys alright?" Simone asked as she rushed towards the group. Apparently her words caught the attention of many of the other survivors as she soon found herself part of a large crowd circling Peter, Isaac, and Claire.
"Great," Isaac mutter sarcastically as he slumped away from the crowd. He looked pale and shaken, and Simone made a note to herself to try to ask him what the heck had happened later.
"We found the transceiver," Peter announced, waving the heavy black communication device in the air, "but it's busted. Would anyone here know how to fix it?"
"I can take a look at it." Simone turned to see an Indian man approach Peter from within the crowd. He gently took the transceiver from the nurse's grasp and began turning it over in his hands. "From the looks of it, the radio is dead, but the battery is still good. I might be able to fix it."
Peter nodded, patting the other man on his shoulder before heading back to the medical tent. The crowd quickly dispersed soon after, but Simone found herself following Peter instead of Isaac. Something told her that the young nurse had the answers she wanted.
"Peter?" she began quietly, causing him to freeze in his tracks. "Did you guys... were there any survivors?"
The young man froze, paling slightly at her question. "No," he said quietly. "There weren't any survivors."
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Sylar smiled as he studied Mohinder's determined form. He had been surprised when Mohinder had volunteered to fix the transceiver. The man was a genetics professor after all. As far as Sylar knew, that field of study didn't exactly require him to be technologically savvy. Yet here he was, hard at work on repairing the nurse's walkie-talkie. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that Mohinder had some half-assed scheme forming in his head, and Sylar was going to find out just what it was.
"So now you're a repairman, Professor?" he asked teasingly as he approached the other man.
Mohinder only looked up for a brief second before turning back to the task at hand, and Sylar felt a ball of anger build up inside of him. He hated being ignored.
"There is much you don't know about me," the professor muttered as he continued to test the radio.
Sylar scowled as he looked over the makeshift worktable Mohinder had quickly assembled out of pieces of the wreckage and a ripped blanket. Mohinder had already cracked open the back of the transceiver and was now intensely studying the multicolored wires. Sylar couldn't tell what exactly the man was up to, but he had a feeling it wasn't nearly as difficult as repairing a watch.
"Well, I've got nothing but time to find out," he smirked, sitting down beside his traveling companion.
The Indian man turned and glared at him, momentarily drawn away from his work and Sylar felt a bit accomplished that he had managed to distract such a determined individual. "Not if I get this transceiver working," Mohinder snapped. "I may have promised to keep quiet about your past, but as far as I'm concerned, our deal ends the second we set foot off of this island. Mark my words, Sylar, one way or another, I will see you in jail."
"So cocky," Sylar snorted, rolling his eyes at the other man's attempt at a threat. "Even if you do manage to get that thing to work, what makes you think anyone will pick up the signal?"
Mohinder frowned, turning back to his work. "Because I have faith," he snapped before falling silent once again.
Sylar smirked as he continued to watch the other man work. Mohinder may have "faith", but Sylar knew for sure that neither one of them was going anywhere.
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"Micah, how many times have I told you to stay at the beach?"
The ten year old rolled his eyes at his mother's overly dramatic display of parental concern. "I was just having a look around," he shrugged kicking at a few twigs. "Besides, I wasn't that far away from the beach."
"That's not the point!" she argued. "We don't know what's out there, Micah. You saw that thing last night-"
"No body saw anything," Micah pointed out. "Besides, it hasn't come anywhere near the beach."
His mother frowned at him, a mixture of irritation and concern flashing in her bright eyes. "That doesn't mean that it won't," she chided. She was about to continue, when her eyes suddenly caught the metal object he had been clutching secretively in his hands. "What is that?"
Micah sighed as he held out his hand. "They're handcuffs," he told her. "I found them in the jungle."
His mother's face turned several shades whiter as she carefully took the cuffs from his hands. It was then that Micah suddenly had the feeling he had just set off a terrible chain of events.
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'I did it!' Hiro cheered as he dragged the two large suitcases across the sandy beach. 'I found our bags!'
Ando blinked, shading his eyes from the bright sun as he looked up at his friend. It had taken Hiro nearly two hours of digging, but he had finally managed to spot Ando's black suitcase with the blue ribbon tied to it. Soon after spotting the familiar bag, Hiro had remembered that his duffel bag had been dark blue with black trimming.
'Good,' Ando said approvingly. 'Now I can finally put on some sunblock. My skin is burning up.'
Hiro was practically beaming as he placed their bags down beside his friend. His cheery mood was quickly crushed when Hiro finally noticed that what Ando was doing. His friend was currently sitting on the beach, pants rolled up and sleeves folded up to his elbows, gutting and scaling two fish.
'That's all you caught?' Hiro asked, worry and confusion clear in his tone.
Ando shook his head as he turned to give his friend that too familiar "look" once more. 'How many fish do you need?'
'I just... When you said you were going to catch some fish, I thought you meant-'
'Hiro,' his friend cut in, his tone weary as his patience began to wear thin. 'I already told you, we have to take care of each other. The others can handle themselves. We're the only ones that you need to worry about!'
'But, Ando-kun, you can help them. You're a good fisherman, you could get fish for the others. If we help them, then they can help us.'
'Those people? You want help from those people!' Ando frowned. 'The others are fools. Just this morning, the nurse took two people into the jungle -- the jungle! -- then, during the rain, the same noise we all heard last night came from the woods. They all could have been killed! The only person on the island with medical knowledge went into the jungle and risked his life. Worse yet, he brought a teenage girl with him! Do you really want to associate with those people?'
Hiro pouted, bowing his head sheepishly as he sat down beside his friend. He couldn't understand why Ando didn't want to help the other survivors. They were all in this situation together. They should be coming together, not drifting apart.
'But, if we keep to ourselves, the other will forget about us,' he argued. 'What if rescue comes and they leave us behind?'
'That won't happen,' Ando insisted. 'When rescue comes, we'll be the first ones there. I promise, I'm going to take care of you.'
Hiro sighed as he turned his gaze towards the clear ocean. Maybe he could convince Ando to teach him to fish. Ando had always been an expert in that area. When they were children, they would always go fishing with Ando's parents and he'd always end up with a ton of fish, while Hiro either broke his rod or got bored and read Manga instead. Things were different now. This wasn't some vacation, it was a life or death situation. Ando may not understand that this was the time to stand up and be a hero, but Hiro did. He would find a way to help the others, with or without Ando's approval.
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Claire sighed running her fingers through her still wet hair. Ever since she had gotten back from the jungle she just couldn't seem to sit still. The young woman wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline rush that came from having two near death experiences in less than twenty four hours or something else. Something had changed in her back there. After her experience with the Monster in the jungle, Claire no longer felt content to just sit around and wait for rescue. Even helping Peter care for the injured woman in his tent seemed like too passive of a task for her. She needed something to do. She needed to take charge of their situation and bring help to them.
It was with this thought in her head that the girl went looking for Suresh in hopes of helping him fix the transceiver.
She smiled warmly as she approached the man's makeshift workbench. He was currently pacing back and forth in the sand as Gabriel sat a foot away, trying his best to stay out of the intense heat.
"Any luck?" she asked.
She was pleased when Mohinder looked up at her with a hopeful expression on his dark features. "It appears to be working," he began, but Claire could already tell that this bit of good news would be quickly followed by something disheartening. "But it's not picking up a signal. Without a signal, I can't broadcast a rescue message."
Claire frowned thoughtfully at the Indian man's words. "Is there anything we can do?"
Mohinder sighed, turning a tired eye towards the jungle. "Yes," he sighed wearily. "It is possible that the mountains are blocking the transceiver. If I go for higher ground, I might be able to acquire a proper signal."
Gabriel's head suddenly snapped up at the other man's words, a look of concern flashing across his features before quickly being smoothed away into mild surprise. "You're going into the jungle?"
The man flinched at his companion's tone, but made no move to look towards him. "I've no other choice."
Gabriel frowned as he climbed to his feet. "Then I'm going with you," he announced, and from the look on Mohinder's face that was the last thing he had wanted to hear.
"Great," Claire cut in, hoping to cut off any inevitable fight that may break out between the two men. "I guess the three of us are going together. I'll just go grab my bag and some water."
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"What is your problem?" Simone snapped as she trailed Isaac across the beach. "You've been moody ever since you got back from the cockpit."
"It's complicated," the artist grumbled, weaving his way through several people. He didn't need this. He had narrowly escaped being trampled (or eaten) by some mysterious being, and right now, he felt he deserved a little time alone. Yet Simone suddenly felt it was the time to talk. Talk! After the way she acted...
"Then tell me about it," she urged, concern and frustration mingling in her voice. "I want to know what happened."
Isaac felt his eyebrow practically tick at her words. He halted suddenly in his tracks, causing the startled woman to stumble and nearly fall as he spun around to face her. "Then why don't you ask Peter?" he snapped.
Simone's eyes widened in confusion as he glared down at her. "Peter?" she asked slowly. "What does he-"
"You went to talk to him instead of me," he practically growled. "I almost died out there, but you didn't ask me how I was. You went to him instead!"
"I wanted to know if there were any survivors in the front of the plane!" she shot back, anger etched across her features.
"And I wouldn't know that?" he spat. "Did you think I went all the way into the jungle just to wait outside while a nurse and some kid dug around for dead bodies?"
Simone glared dangerously at him as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest. His words didn't seem to be having any effect on her. "Why did you go with them, Isaac?"
The artist's anger only increased at his girlfriend's accusing words. He really didn't need this. Not from her. "Just leave me alone!" he huffed as he stormed away into the shore line, clutching a small bag of brown powder as he went.
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Isaac grimaced as sweat continued to pour down his face. They had been in the air for more than eight hours now, and he wasn't sure that he could take it any longer. His stomach was twisting itself into tight knots, his head was pounding, and the cabin was just too damn hot. The artist moaned in discomfort as he shifted in his seat.
"Are you alright babe?" Simone whispered, placing a tender hand on his arm. Usually her touch was soothing, but right now it was practically burning his skin.
"Yeah," he grimaced, curling into a tight ball. "Great."
Even as he squeezed his eyes shut he could tell that Simone's worried gaze was still on him. The woman continued to caress his arm and whisper soothing words to him, promising him that they'd get through this together, that they should be landing soon, but they had no effect on Isaac. He knew that there was only one thing that could make him feel better.
Unable to take the discomfort any longer, Isaac jumped out of his seat, sliding past Simone and into the isle. He barely even registered as he bumped into the young man sitting across from them, or the Asian man, who grunted and snapped at him angrily as he passed. His mind was only focused on one thing: getting to the bathroom.
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief once he was safely inside the toilet stalls, closing the door behind him with a bit too much force. He couldn't really bring himself to care. His mind was fixed on the task at hand as he fumbled to take his shoe off in the cramped space. The artist instantly started to feel better when he took off his footwear. He reached inside and pulled out the small bag of heroine he had hid from airport security. The bag was all, but ripped open as his trembling fingers reached inside and scooped out some of the powder, rubbing it on his teeth and gums.
He sighed contently as the drugs effects slowly started to take over him. His mind felt as if it were wrapped in a pleasant numbness as his whole body began to hum and tingle with pleasure. A sloppy smile spread across the artist's face as he leaned forward and gazed at himself in the mirror...
Yet all he could see was Simone.
Simone's sad eyes.
Simone's kind smile.
Simone holding his arm and whispering that everything would be alright.
Tears began to well up in his eyes as his thoughts circled around the beautiful woman waiting for him back in coach. She deserved better than a junkie for a boyfriend. She deserved a real man who could take care of her. His fingers trembled as he grasped the bag of heroine in his hands and placed it in the toilet. He was just about to reach over and flush the substance away, when the plane was suddenly hit by violent bout of turbulence.
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Isaac sighed as he slumped back against the tree, waiting for the heroine to take effect. It wasn't long before the familiar numbness and tingles greeted him as the world began to spin and blur before his eyes. A sloppy grin suddenly spread across his features as he began to wander across the beach aimlessly. It wasn't long before he found himself in the middle of a heated argument. Yet given the group of people who had landed on this island, it wasn't exactly surprising.
"Claire, I really don't think this is a good idea," an accented voice began, and it took Isaac a few seconds to realize that it was the guy who had volunteered to fix the transceiver. "Gabriel and I can go into the jungle ourselves. You've had enough excitement for one day."
"You're joking, right?" Claire snapped, the definite teenage persona finally showing itself. "I may be young, but I just survived a freakin' plane crash!"
"But we don't know what's out there," the man warned.
"Hey! If I'm old enough to go into the jungle to find the radio, then I should be old enough to go into the jungle and make sure it works!" Claire suddenly stopped mid-rant and turned to face him. Isaac felt his insides tighten as she starred at him with her angry green eyes. "What about you, Isaac? You're going to go, aren't you?"
"Uh... me?"
"Yeah! We found the transceiver! Don't you think we should be able to go use it?"
In spite of everything he knew, in spite of the fact that he had just escaped being eaten by the Monster, Isaac actually found himself nodding in consent to Claire's statement. It seems like things just couldn't stay peaceful on this island.
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"Excuse me? Peter?"
Peter looked up and smiled when he saw the blond woman approach his tent. His mind had been in a fog all day. This morning he, Claire, and Isaac had barely escaped being ripped to shreds, Audrey's condition was only getting worse, and just a few minutes ago, Claire had announced that she was, once again, going on another trek through the jungle. This wasn't exactly a good day for him (although he couldn't imagine anyone here having a good day), but he still knew that he had to force himself to be polite to anyone who came his way. Things were terrible enough already, having a bad attitude wouldn't exactly help anyone.
"Hi..." he searched his mind for the woman's name, but as far as he could remember, the two of them had not been introduced yet.
"Niki," she supplied helpfully, brushing a strand of long blond hair out of her face. "C-can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure," he shrugged, pulling his mind away from the injured woman's condition. "What's up?"
"My son, Micah, was in the jungle today," she began slowly.
"Yeah, the little boy," Peter nodded. "How is he?"
"He's good... or at least as good as you'd expect. But... uh, he found something in the jungle..." The woman's words trailed off as she handed the nurse a pair of handcuffs.
Peter felt his eyes widen as Niki placed the cuffs in his hands. They looked as if they were new, meaning that whoever had been wearing them had been on the plane, and from the blood circling the inside of the cuffs, that person had struggled to get them off. The young nurse felt his insides grow cold as the pieces quickly fell into place. He had seen Audrey's gun and badge when he had pulled her out of the wreckage, but he hadn't known she'd been escorting a criminal.
Next Chapter
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes (Crossover with Lost)
Characters: Ando, Bennet, Claire, Claude, Hiro, Isaac, Peter, Matt, Micah, Mohinder, Niki, Simone, Sylar (more to come)
Rating: R
Summary: A plane crash unites a group of strangers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes or Lost.
Warnings: AU, Violence, Action/Adventure, Drug use, Het, Slash, Crossover/Fusion
Chapter 1| Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Hiro sighed in exasperation as he dug through the seemingly endless pile of suitcases. Everyone had found their bags except him. Even now, he could barely remember what color his luggage had been, let alone what Ando's looked like.
He remember that Ando used a system of sorts to identify his belongings. He always tied a colored string to his bags, believing it would keep them from getting lost, only Hiro could not remember what color the string would be. Something obvious. Something that would stand out. Blue? No... Red?
The young man sighed as he looked around at the other survivors digging their way through the bags. It was frustrating. He couldn't ask for help. Everyone here spoke English except for Ando and himself. He suddenly wished that he hadn't volunteered to find their things, but when Ando announced he'd go fishing and catch their dinner, Hiro couldn't help but feel useless. He wanted to contribute, he wanted to help, but all he seemed to be doing lately was getting in the way.
A blond woman suddenly appeared next to him with a worried expression on her face. She was asking him something, something important, but the words only sounded like gibberish to his ears.
'Sorry,' the Asian man shrugged apologetically as he spoke in his native tongue, 'I don't speak English.'
The woman gave him a confused look before slowly nodding her head and moving on. A light blush spread across the young man's features as he watched her go. He had a feeling she needed help, and he wanted so badly to be a hero and go with her anyway, but that wasn't what Ando wanted him to do. Ando just wanted him to stay safe and find their bags.
His eyes slowly wandered across the beach before landing on a older man was scruffy blond hair and a thick beard. From the look on his face, he was waiting for something, and Hiro suddenly had a feeling that if he didn't find their bags soon, the scruffy man would take them.
With that thought in mind, Hiro doubled his efforts.
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Simone smiled when she spotted Isaac and the others emerge from the tree line, but her smile quickly faded when she took in the group's shaken appearance They had all suspected that the jungle was dangerous, but the trio looked as if they had just done a tour of duty in Vietnam.
"Hey! Are you guys alright?" Simone asked as she rushed towards the group. Apparently her words caught the attention of many of the other survivors as she soon found herself part of a large crowd circling Peter, Isaac, and Claire.
"Great," Isaac mutter sarcastically as he slumped away from the crowd. He looked pale and shaken, and Simone made a note to herself to try to ask him what the heck had happened later.
"We found the transceiver," Peter announced, waving the heavy black communication device in the air, "but it's busted. Would anyone here know how to fix it?"
"I can take a look at it." Simone turned to see an Indian man approach Peter from within the crowd. He gently took the transceiver from the nurse's grasp and began turning it over in his hands. "From the looks of it, the radio is dead, but the battery is still good. I might be able to fix it."
Peter nodded, patting the other man on his shoulder before heading back to the medical tent. The crowd quickly dispersed soon after, but Simone found herself following Peter instead of Isaac. Something told her that the young nurse had the answers she wanted.
"Peter?" she began quietly, causing him to freeze in his tracks. "Did you guys... were there any survivors?"
The young man froze, paling slightly at her question. "No," he said quietly. "There weren't any survivors."
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Sylar smiled as he studied Mohinder's determined form. He had been surprised when Mohinder had volunteered to fix the transceiver. The man was a genetics professor after all. As far as Sylar knew, that field of study didn't exactly require him to be technologically savvy. Yet here he was, hard at work on repairing the nurse's walkie-talkie. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that Mohinder had some half-assed scheme forming in his head, and Sylar was going to find out just what it was.
"So now you're a repairman, Professor?" he asked teasingly as he approached the other man.
Mohinder only looked up for a brief second before turning back to the task at hand, and Sylar felt a ball of anger build up inside of him. He hated being ignored.
"There is much you don't know about me," the professor muttered as he continued to test the radio.
Sylar scowled as he looked over the makeshift worktable Mohinder had quickly assembled out of pieces of the wreckage and a ripped blanket. Mohinder had already cracked open the back of the transceiver and was now intensely studying the multicolored wires. Sylar couldn't tell what exactly the man was up to, but he had a feeling it wasn't nearly as difficult as repairing a watch.
"Well, I've got nothing but time to find out," he smirked, sitting down beside his traveling companion.
The Indian man turned and glared at him, momentarily drawn away from his work and Sylar felt a bit accomplished that he had managed to distract such a determined individual. "Not if I get this transceiver working," Mohinder snapped. "I may have promised to keep quiet about your past, but as far as I'm concerned, our deal ends the second we set foot off of this island. Mark my words, Sylar, one way or another, I will see you in jail."
"So cocky," Sylar snorted, rolling his eyes at the other man's attempt at a threat. "Even if you do manage to get that thing to work, what makes you think anyone will pick up the signal?"
Mohinder frowned, turning back to his work. "Because I have faith," he snapped before falling silent once again.
Sylar smirked as he continued to watch the other man work. Mohinder may have "faith", but Sylar knew for sure that neither one of them was going anywhere.
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"Micah, how many times have I told you to stay at the beach?"
The ten year old rolled his eyes at his mother's overly dramatic display of parental concern. "I was just having a look around," he shrugged kicking at a few twigs. "Besides, I wasn't that far away from the beach."
"That's not the point!" she argued. "We don't know what's out there, Micah. You saw that thing last night-"
"No body saw anything," Micah pointed out. "Besides, it hasn't come anywhere near the beach."
His mother frowned at him, a mixture of irritation and concern flashing in her bright eyes. "That doesn't mean that it won't," she chided. She was about to continue, when her eyes suddenly caught the metal object he had been clutching secretively in his hands. "What is that?"
Micah sighed as he held out his hand. "They're handcuffs," he told her. "I found them in the jungle."
His mother's face turned several shades whiter as she carefully took the cuffs from his hands. It was then that Micah suddenly had the feeling he had just set off a terrible chain of events.
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'I did it!' Hiro cheered as he dragged the two large suitcases across the sandy beach. 'I found our bags!'
Ando blinked, shading his eyes from the bright sun as he looked up at his friend. It had taken Hiro nearly two hours of digging, but he had finally managed to spot Ando's black suitcase with the blue ribbon tied to it. Soon after spotting the familiar bag, Hiro had remembered that his duffel bag had been dark blue with black trimming.
'Good,' Ando said approvingly. 'Now I can finally put on some sunblock. My skin is burning up.'
Hiro was practically beaming as he placed their bags down beside his friend. His cheery mood was quickly crushed when Hiro finally noticed that what Ando was doing. His friend was currently sitting on the beach, pants rolled up and sleeves folded up to his elbows, gutting and scaling two fish.
'That's all you caught?' Hiro asked, worry and confusion clear in his tone.
Ando shook his head as he turned to give his friend that too familiar "look" once more. 'How many fish do you need?'
'I just... When you said you were going to catch some fish, I thought you meant-'
'Hiro,' his friend cut in, his tone weary as his patience began to wear thin. 'I already told you, we have to take care of each other. The others can handle themselves. We're the only ones that you need to worry about!'
'But, Ando-kun, you can help them. You're a good fisherman, you could get fish for the others. If we help them, then they can help us.'
'Those people? You want help from those people!' Ando frowned. 'The others are fools. Just this morning, the nurse took two people into the jungle -- the jungle! -- then, during the rain, the same noise we all heard last night came from the woods. They all could have been killed! The only person on the island with medical knowledge went into the jungle and risked his life. Worse yet, he brought a teenage girl with him! Do you really want to associate with those people?'
Hiro pouted, bowing his head sheepishly as he sat down beside his friend. He couldn't understand why Ando didn't want to help the other survivors. They were all in this situation together. They should be coming together, not drifting apart.
'But, if we keep to ourselves, the other will forget about us,' he argued. 'What if rescue comes and they leave us behind?'
'That won't happen,' Ando insisted. 'When rescue comes, we'll be the first ones there. I promise, I'm going to take care of you.'
Hiro sighed as he turned his gaze towards the clear ocean. Maybe he could convince Ando to teach him to fish. Ando had always been an expert in that area. When they were children, they would always go fishing with Ando's parents and he'd always end up with a ton of fish, while Hiro either broke his rod or got bored and read Manga instead. Things were different now. This wasn't some vacation, it was a life or death situation. Ando may not understand that this was the time to stand up and be a hero, but Hiro did. He would find a way to help the others, with or without Ando's approval.
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Claire sighed running her fingers through her still wet hair. Ever since she had gotten back from the jungle she just couldn't seem to sit still. The young woman wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline rush that came from having two near death experiences in less than twenty four hours or something else. Something had changed in her back there. After her experience with the Monster in the jungle, Claire no longer felt content to just sit around and wait for rescue. Even helping Peter care for the injured woman in his tent seemed like too passive of a task for her. She needed something to do. She needed to take charge of their situation and bring help to them.
It was with this thought in her head that the girl went looking for Suresh in hopes of helping him fix the transceiver.
She smiled warmly as she approached the man's makeshift workbench. He was currently pacing back and forth in the sand as Gabriel sat a foot away, trying his best to stay out of the intense heat.
"Any luck?" she asked.
She was pleased when Mohinder looked up at her with a hopeful expression on his dark features. "It appears to be working," he began, but Claire could already tell that this bit of good news would be quickly followed by something disheartening. "But it's not picking up a signal. Without a signal, I can't broadcast a rescue message."
Claire frowned thoughtfully at the Indian man's words. "Is there anything we can do?"
Mohinder sighed, turning a tired eye towards the jungle. "Yes," he sighed wearily. "It is possible that the mountains are blocking the transceiver. If I go for higher ground, I might be able to acquire a proper signal."
Gabriel's head suddenly snapped up at the other man's words, a look of concern flashing across his features before quickly being smoothed away into mild surprise. "You're going into the jungle?"
The man flinched at his companion's tone, but made no move to look towards him. "I've no other choice."
Gabriel frowned as he climbed to his feet. "Then I'm going with you," he announced, and from the look on Mohinder's face that was the last thing he had wanted to hear.
"Great," Claire cut in, hoping to cut off any inevitable fight that may break out between the two men. "I guess the three of us are going together. I'll just go grab my bag and some water."
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"What is your problem?" Simone snapped as she trailed Isaac across the beach. "You've been moody ever since you got back from the cockpit."
"It's complicated," the artist grumbled, weaving his way through several people. He didn't need this. He had narrowly escaped being trampled (or eaten) by some mysterious being, and right now, he felt he deserved a little time alone. Yet Simone suddenly felt it was the time to talk. Talk! After the way she acted...
"Then tell me about it," she urged, concern and frustration mingling in her voice. "I want to know what happened."
Isaac felt his eyebrow practically tick at her words. He halted suddenly in his tracks, causing the startled woman to stumble and nearly fall as he spun around to face her. "Then why don't you ask Peter?" he snapped.
Simone's eyes widened in confusion as he glared down at her. "Peter?" she asked slowly. "What does he-"
"You went to talk to him instead of me," he practically growled. "I almost died out there, but you didn't ask me how I was. You went to him instead!"
"I wanted to know if there were any survivors in the front of the plane!" she shot back, anger etched across her features.
"And I wouldn't know that?" he spat. "Did you think I went all the way into the jungle just to wait outside while a nurse and some kid dug around for dead bodies?"
Simone glared dangerously at him as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest. His words didn't seem to be having any effect on her. "Why did you go with them, Isaac?"
The artist's anger only increased at his girlfriend's accusing words. He really didn't need this. Not from her. "Just leave me alone!" he huffed as he stormed away into the shore line, clutching a small bag of brown powder as he went.
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Isaac grimaced as sweat continued to pour down his face. They had been in the air for more than eight hours now, and he wasn't sure that he could take it any longer. His stomach was twisting itself into tight knots, his head was pounding, and the cabin was just too damn hot. The artist moaned in discomfort as he shifted in his seat.
"Are you alright babe?" Simone whispered, placing a tender hand on his arm. Usually her touch was soothing, but right now it was practically burning his skin.
"Yeah," he grimaced, curling into a tight ball. "Great."
Even as he squeezed his eyes shut he could tell that Simone's worried gaze was still on him. The woman continued to caress his arm and whisper soothing words to him, promising him that they'd get through this together, that they should be landing soon, but they had no effect on Isaac. He knew that there was only one thing that could make him feel better.
Unable to take the discomfort any longer, Isaac jumped out of his seat, sliding past Simone and into the isle. He barely even registered as he bumped into the young man sitting across from them, or the Asian man, who grunted and snapped at him angrily as he passed. His mind was only focused on one thing: getting to the bathroom.
Isaac breathed a sigh of relief once he was safely inside the toilet stalls, closing the door behind him with a bit too much force. He couldn't really bring himself to care. His mind was fixed on the task at hand as he fumbled to take his shoe off in the cramped space. The artist instantly started to feel better when he took off his footwear. He reached inside and pulled out the small bag of heroine he had hid from airport security. The bag was all, but ripped open as his trembling fingers reached inside and scooped out some of the powder, rubbing it on his teeth and gums.
He sighed contently as the drugs effects slowly started to take over him. His mind felt as if it were wrapped in a pleasant numbness as his whole body began to hum and tingle with pleasure. A sloppy smile spread across the artist's face as he leaned forward and gazed at himself in the mirror...
Yet all he could see was Simone.
Simone's sad eyes.
Simone's kind smile.
Simone holding his arm and whispering that everything would be alright.
Tears began to well up in his eyes as his thoughts circled around the beautiful woman waiting for him back in coach. She deserved better than a junkie for a boyfriend. She deserved a real man who could take care of her. His fingers trembled as he grasped the bag of heroine in his hands and placed it in the toilet. He was just about to reach over and flush the substance away, when the plane was suddenly hit by violent bout of turbulence.
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Isaac sighed as he slumped back against the tree, waiting for the heroine to take effect. It wasn't long before the familiar numbness and tingles greeted him as the world began to spin and blur before his eyes. A sloppy grin suddenly spread across his features as he began to wander across the beach aimlessly. It wasn't long before he found himself in the middle of a heated argument. Yet given the group of people who had landed on this island, it wasn't exactly surprising.
"Claire, I really don't think this is a good idea," an accented voice began, and it took Isaac a few seconds to realize that it was the guy who had volunteered to fix the transceiver. "Gabriel and I can go into the jungle ourselves. You've had enough excitement for one day."
"You're joking, right?" Claire snapped, the definite teenage persona finally showing itself. "I may be young, but I just survived a freakin' plane crash!"
"But we don't know what's out there," the man warned.
"Hey! If I'm old enough to go into the jungle to find the radio, then I should be old enough to go into the jungle and make sure it works!" Claire suddenly stopped mid-rant and turned to face him. Isaac felt his insides tighten as she starred at him with her angry green eyes. "What about you, Isaac? You're going to go, aren't you?"
"Uh... me?"
"Yeah! We found the transceiver! Don't you think we should be able to go use it?"
In spite of everything he knew, in spite of the fact that he had just escaped being eaten by the Monster, Isaac actually found himself nodding in consent to Claire's statement. It seems like things just couldn't stay peaceful on this island.
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"Excuse me? Peter?"
Peter looked up and smiled when he saw the blond woman approach his tent. His mind had been in a fog all day. This morning he, Claire, and Isaac had barely escaped being ripped to shreds, Audrey's condition was only getting worse, and just a few minutes ago, Claire had announced that she was, once again, going on another trek through the jungle. This wasn't exactly a good day for him (although he couldn't imagine anyone here having a good day), but he still knew that he had to force himself to be polite to anyone who came his way. Things were terrible enough already, having a bad attitude wouldn't exactly help anyone.
"Hi..." he searched his mind for the woman's name, but as far as he could remember, the two of them had not been introduced yet.
"Niki," she supplied helpfully, brushing a strand of long blond hair out of her face. "C-can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure," he shrugged, pulling his mind away from the injured woman's condition. "What's up?"
"My son, Micah, was in the jungle today," she began slowly.
"Yeah, the little boy," Peter nodded. "How is he?"
"He's good... or at least as good as you'd expect. But... uh, he found something in the jungle..." The woman's words trailed off as she handed the nurse a pair of handcuffs.
Peter felt his eyes widen as Niki placed the cuffs in his hands. They looked as if they were new, meaning that whoever had been wearing them had been on the plane, and from the blood circling the inside of the cuffs, that person had struggled to get them off. The young nurse felt his insides grow cold as the pieces quickly fell into place. He had seen Audrey's gun and badge when he had pulled her out of the wreckage, but he hadn't known she'd been escorting a criminal.
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