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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 12:49:58 GMT -4
I've written fanfiction for a long time now. They've been for various cartoon shows, and I had written a series of South Park fics for about 3 1/2 years before I lost interest in the show. Overall, I've spent over 7 years writing fictions off and on, but I never paid much attention to Lost fics, or Ben stuff. However, I've come up with an idea to change that.
This is a story where each chapter is a Lost episode that Ben has been in. In each of the eps, I will tell that story from Ben's point of view, and examine what I think he was thinking and feeling in all the scenes and events he was in, as they happened. The first chapter would examine his p.o.v during the events of "One of Them", the second will do the same for "Maternity Leave" and so on through every episode he's ever appeared in. And when new episodes air with him in it, I'll do chapters for them too- hopefully it will be an ongoing project for some time.
I've gotten the first four Ben episodes done, I'll work on the next few when I'm on at night. Here's what I have so far.
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"One of Them"
My name is Benjamin Linus, and I've lived on this island- protected this island- all my life.
But for as long as it takes, I am now a dead man. Of course, if all goes well, they will not know that.
They....these people that have wound up in our home. Today will likely be the last day I can say that I've never met them...although thanks to Mikail's brilliant research, I already have, in a way. What struggles some of them have faced...what crimes they have committed. My best hope is that I can find most of the people on the lists, and that'll make things a lot easier. Those flawed, unpredictable people can wreck this all in an instant... we're lucky to not have any of those types of people at home, that's kept us going all these years.
But for once, I have to be selfish here. Put them all out of your mind...this has to be done so I can stay alive. I'll only overcome the tumor and everything else if every single little detail goes exactly as planned....
There we go. After a few more minutes of burying myself into my "character" I can feel confident enough to begin.....
.....well, so much for having time to prepare, thanks to some primitive net. Why am I not surprised I couldn't avoid her?
There's no way she could remember me and all the pain one action I committed 16 years ago has done to her...but just to be safe, I've already had to start screaming and pleading for my life in character.
"My name is Henry Gale, I'm from Minnesota!"
Considering her isolation from civilization, I didn't feel the need to put on a Minnesota accent for her- accuracy wouldn't make all that much difference to her.
A whole night and half the day in here...where is all this going? She can't keep me here forever, and she's already left somewhere. I'm the only one in the world who would know the brilliant dramatic irony if she was the one to do me in...if she only knew how much hurt she would be causing Alex, of all people, by doing that. I almost feel tempted to tell her right then and there.
But if I was that suicidal and thoughtless, there would be no so called "Others" left on this island to begin with, would there?
Wait a minute...she's coming back with someone. Have to get back to begging quick...
....but after I see she's brought Sayid Jarrah with her, I know in my heart this won't end well.
Even as he cuts me down, I know he isn't the first person I wanted to convince. Not only is he not on the lists, he might be the least gullible and easy to fool person on that beach. His files all say that he is crafty and intellegent and knows how to spot liars in a way that only those who have seen- and committed- the worst horrors imaginable can do. If I have to start off trying to convince him I'm Henry, he might put me in too big of a hole for even me to get out of.
Shephard or Locke or Austin or even Reyes would have been much better first contacts.
So I run and try to think of a place I can hide in long enough to alter my strategy....
...but now, other than this sharp pain in my chest, I can't think of anything....
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Is this what I think it is?
This is the infamous hatch the outsiders were so obssesed over all this time?
Well, this is only a part of it- the more onimous part to keep prisoners in, but still...
The pain is still almost unbearable, but not completly bad now. Not the way I would have preferred to meet Shephard, but it's better than the alternative. At least now he's had practice on healing me...I hope they send him to talk to me, his support is absolutly crucial to everything.
From what I can hear behind this door, only Shephard, Locke, and Jarrah are there. Locke....what a poor, poor specimen of a man he is...or was. But I have to groan a bit- I can't share how much I need to know from him without giving myself away. But how else will I know what I came here to find out?
Unfortunatly, from what I hear now between Locke and Jarrah, I don't think I have to worry about that now.
That next noise must mean Locke's trying to change the combination, just as Jarrah instructed....
...focus Henry, focus. You put your life, and the safety of your people, on the line so you could pull this off. I'm just getting the greatest challenge possible to that plan faster than I hoped.
Soon, I am calm again. I survive because I am calm. Because I have the mindset to think of things no other man has the tools or patience to plan for. And after a few minutes of remembering who I am, and who Jarrah is, I am ready.
I count my blessings that I am already experienced in so many forms of pain in my life, before Jarrah comes in to undoubtly show me his forms.
I feed him the life story of Henry Gale that I know from his wallet, and from Mikail's research. He really was an unfortunate man, and I feel some moments of pity for him as I talk. Actually, that helps me get deeper into character, so this must be a good start.
Then he feeds me his history of torture as if I haven't become intimatly aware of it over the last two weeks....but hearing him say it, and seeing the dead look in his eyes, is quite different than reading about it. Far too different for my tastes...
...but I know what has to happen now. If I'm going to make Shephard and Locke believe I'm innocent....Jarrah must overreact and lose it to such an extent that I will look innocent by comparison. His own state of mind must be cast in such doubt that I become the victim.
And by leading him towards a discussion as to where Henry's wife was buried, I know I have him at that perfect spot.
For a moment, as I hear him take out his rage for Rutherford's death, I feel another surge of pity for him- despite his flawed and violent character.
Ana-Lucia....her murders caused him pain just as they caused pain to Juliet, and then to me....I make a note to hope she comes by so I can "thank" her for what she's done.
Right before the first of his fists crush my face.
I distract myself by thinking of Juliet, my people, and all the things that have inspired me to lead and carry on for them, in spite of everything I've done and seen....in my own way, I am as much a war veteran as Sayid. I just didn't let myself become as course and furious as he did. I still have enough honor and honesty to know how wrong taking out anger on someone that had nothing to do with that anger is. But of course, it helps my innocence that he doesn't have that self restraint in him, so I put that aside as a tooth comes loose.
The noise of what must be the famous button and it's timer also fills the room for a while- another thing I must pay close attention to later....if I can still breathe for much longer.
Ah, the door....Shephard's voice...it's almost over now. He pulls Jarrah away now....the damage to my body is only a little worse than I expected.
But now I know Shephard is on my side, or at least doesn't have the damaged morals to let this continue. That is the best advantage possible right now...such long talks I had with Jacob as to why he wasn't on his list.
I feel the oddest sense of victory- and I think some of that was seen on my face by Jarrah right before Shephard closed the door. But that doesn't matter. I've already made him look foolish and vengeful for thinking I'm "one of them"
I lean my head back and grit my teeth, the ones that don't feel loose and bloody right now.
This wasn't how I wanted to meet them....but I think I can get something out of this after all. I'm sure to have enough solitude over the next day or two to think of something.
I'll know what I want to know from them soon enough....and accomplish what I have to somehow. There is a way to do that, and I know I have the tools to find it. They're doomed to what I have planned for them, and none of them, not even Jarrah, can possibly see it coming.
All in all....not a bad first day.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 12:50:25 GMT -4
"Maternity Leave"
The promise of day 1 is taking a little longer than I'd like to reveal itself. It appears the roles have switched somehow, now Locke seems to be going against my treatment while Shephard is acting as my jailer. Naturally, anything Locke says, Shephard says the opposite- they really do have a petty, snippy little feud going on. Quite annoying and counterproductive for them, really. At least we have the sense to work out any feuds we have peacefully and reasonably.
But again, because they don't have the restraint to hold back their negative traits and hostility, it's something I can use. I don't know how, and I don't know who I should pretend to take sides with yet, but I'll have to decide soon.
Perhaps the hardest thing for me to do is not laugh when I ask Locke for a Stephen King book. I'm glad that, at this point, I can still find private humor in the most unlikely place. It shows I'm still in the right state of mind to do this.
I thought I heard a deep voice coming in while Shephard keeps an eye on me in the bathroom....it must be the Mr Eko that Goodwin told me about. The other person from the "Tail section" that killed one of us. At least he had the sense to feel guilty for it later on, unlike that other one.
After finding out about him, and listening to Mikail's occasional complaint on how hard it was to get info on him, it really was startling how he could have gone either way on the list. Goodwin could have easily put him on there, and considering how he had repented for his evil actions, he might have had a case. But the fact is, he still killed people and set his brother's death in motion- no matter how he's found God and beat himself up over it since, there's still a killer in him at heart. You can't hide that sort of thing away, even if you try to.
So when he comes in to see me later in the day, I have no idea which way this could go.
When he tells me about how he killed two of us....actually hearing how they died from the murdered himself gets to me. I didn't know them that well, not as well as I knew Ethan or Goodwin or Tom. But when one of us is unfairly taken away, it always hurts me and everyone in our community. The wars and battles and fights for our rights to even exist have taught me the value of life, at least for those that deserve to live. All those we had to kill never deserved that protection. They earned their fate- our people didn't.
But Eko seems to know that somehow- I'm certainly happy he used that knife of his on his beard instead of other places. He leaves me as I feel a bit of fear through my veins- both from the chills his story about my people's death gave me, and from the knowledge that I have to work extra hard to avoid that myself.
I won't leave Juliet, or Jacob, or anyone else, behind that way. I can't...not now.
Locke comes in, and I know I have to get to work now. No more waiting or playing around- it's time to do what I do best.
Exploting Locke's jealousy and feud with Jack wasn't the hardest thing to do at all, not by a longshot. But when I hear him smash dishes because of what I said, I don't care- whatever works will have to do for now.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 12:50:49 GMT -4
"The Whole Truth"
3 days now. Slow but steady progress is being made to make Locke fed up with this whole thing, and to cause frustration for Shephard as well. But now, as I see that woman come in to talk to me, I know the time for slow progress is over.
It's now time to bring out the balloon story.
First I let her talk to me about her own experiences...and it doesn't take her long to recall one I know all too imtimatly.
"On the other side of the island there was this guy with us. I was 100 percent convinced that he wasn't on the plane. So I dug a hole and I threw him in it."
"And what happened?", as if Nathan's fate wasn't etched in my brain.
"I was wrong. And now he's dead... but good news for you Henry, I don't make the same mistake twice."
Too bad making that mistake once led to some rather painful and cruel consequences....as much as my detest for the woman was starting to seep in, I knew that had to be kept under control. At least while I could still use her to create a big victory for my side.
It goes perfectly, as expected. I convince her that it was her idea to let me draw a map to Henry's balloon. She takes it and goes soon enough. I can now relax- she'll find the balloon and the grave for "my wife" easily enough, and that'll be enough for her. She was never a good enough cop to detect things right under her nose- when she leaves before even checking the grave itself, my troubles will be over.
With that, I feel strangely confident when Jack comes to ask me for breakfast. I suppose a sign of that would be that I feel free to refer to him as Jack now. John is already there waiting for us.
By the end of the day, Ana Lucia will be back to tell them that she found the balloon. Unless she brought someone skilled like Sayid, with her- and there's no way she would be that stupid to spend close time with him, after all she put him through. Eliminating that remote possibility, I should be just fine. They'll believe I'm innocent, and then I can use that guilt to make Jack fix me. Lead him on to believe I have back pain, then he'll find my tumor, and he'll cure me after a few reminders of what he let happen to me. If his father could manipulate him that easily over the year, I should have no problem.
So it's with that burst of confidence and satisfication that I decide to have a little fun.
"I guess I earned myself some good will for finally drawing that map for Ana."
"What map?", asks John.
"To my balloon", I answer. After that, I put together one of my better little stories.
"Wow, you guys have some real trust issues, don't you? Guess it makes sense she didn't tell you. I mean, with the two of you fighting all the time. Of course, if I was one of them, these people that you seem to think are your enemies, what would I do? Well, there'd be no balloon, so I'd draw a map to a real secluded place like a cave or some underbrush... good place for a trap... an ambush."
Of course that's not going to happen- even if Juliet or Tom or anyone else who's taken charge since I left was thinking along those lines, they probably couldn't put together an ambush this quickly. Besides, they all have Michael to be concerned about at this point. But I go on, with no one else seeing the humor in this but me.
"And when your friends got there a bunch of my people would be waiting for them. Then they'd use them to trade for me."
Once again, I marvel at how easily it is to make these two believe anything. I let myself laugh, but not for the reasons I tell them.
"I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them, huh?"
I don't normally like to brag or lord over my knowledge to people- that's so undignified and creates negative feelings that are just damaging in the long run. Jack often has that problem, and look how it's helped him with John. But, seeing as how things are finally looking up for me, for the first time since I found out I had cancer....I want to savor my feelings of being happy.
Sometimes I wondered if I would be healthy enough to feel that way again. Now I have a small light at the end of the tunnel- no matter how small it is, I want to savor it and let it win me over.
This crazy turn of events just might work after all.
"You guys got any milk?"
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 12:51:17 GMT -4
"Lockdown"- my 200'th post
Perhaps my happiness wasn't the best feeling to rely on.
Jack and John went into another one of their little spats, and once more I called John out on it. He is one of the good ones, and I still need him badly in case things don't work out here. Even if they don't, he's still extremely important, maybe even more so than Jack- even though he still has to save my life.
But John is in no mood to listen to me now. I pushed one of his buttons too strongly and he just threw me back inside the armory. I say "I'm sorry" and I think I actually meant it for a while.
Now there's nothing left but to stay quiet, hope Ana Lucia returns soon with the good news, and salvage what I can from this latest turn.
"20 minutes to lockdown"
Now that's something even I didn't expect.
"17 minutes to lockdown"
The outsiders knew a hell of a lot more about this place than I do, so this is beyond my comprehension. I call out to John, in case he knows something, but he's still in no mood to hear me.
The voice continues to count down to something I can't understand. I feel nervous, and this time it's not an act. The last thing I need now is one more obstacle, when I'm so close to pulling this off.
"Maybe you should get Jack?" It's unlikely he could help, but best not to risk it. However, this makes John snap.
"I said, shut up!!!"
Before he can go on, the strangest set of noises are heard.
"What happened?"
It takes a while before John regains the patience to tell me.
So, the hatch is locked down- well, obviously that's not good. Even if I'm set free, I can't go free if there's no way out. I'll have to find a way to fix that...and I do need to start getting on John's good side right about now. Once more, fate has given me a chance to fix problems in ways I didn't think of.
But first, I need to make sure John will protect me, just in case my confidence in Ana Lucia's lack of skills is misguided.
"And if I do help you get these doors up then you're just going to lock me back in here, aren't you?"
"That's right", I can only hear John say.
"Then I'm going to need your word, John. I'm going to need your word that you won't let your people do anything to me."
"Well, if you're who you say you are then what are you worried about?" I really shouldn't be that worried...but I have to be absolutly sure in case I have reason to be. I never do things without planning ahead for the worst, and this isn't the time to break that trend.
"Things have happened to them... things that I have nothing to do with. But they've got no one to blame except for me. So I'm going to need your word that you'll protect me, no matter what."
When John opens the door, I know I'm just one good sentence away from getting that word. "Who are you?"
"My name is Henry Gale. I'm from Minnesota. And I crashed on this island just like you."
That's more than good enough for John. Now I just figure out how to help him with the hatch, and it's smooth sailing from then on in.
Unfortunatly, our first effort is nowhere near smooth sailing.
When that hatch door crushes John's legs, I honestly feel concern.
I should feel jealously and contempt that the island has healed him and not me, but I strangely don't. Out of all these visitors, he's the only one even close to understand the kind of life and heartache I've lived with. But he's found the kind of redemption and happiness that have eluded me every time they've come close.
The happiness that was taken away when the outsiders came. The happiness I felt after the Purge was taken away with all the loss of life we had suffered. The happiness in finding a companion and friend in Juliet that was taken away through our troubled history. The happiness in building a community and home for ourselves that was damaged when our women stopped giving birth, and endangered our hopes to carry on for generations. Whenever I felt life was finally ready to let us feel real joy for a long period of time, something always went wrong.
If any one of these new outsiders could understand that, John Locke could.
At the moment when it looked like he might never walk again....again....I decided I had to do something for him. I was going to anyway, once I won him over and showed him the "Man from Tallahasee" when we returned. But in case I never got the chance to do that, I was going to help him through this as a consulation.
When he told me about the "button", I figured I had that chance now.
He told me to go in through the grates and push it, and after some difficulty- and a bit of unconsiciousness from that clumsy fall- I got there just as the timer hit one minute. That alarm I heard on my first day was going off, and I tried to block it out to think of my options.
I had promised myself I would help John, I figured I could do that by opening the door and letting him walk free. Then when the lockdown was finished, I would escape and go home myself. As for the button- who knew if it was as real as they said it was? Who knew if pushing it could really save the world? Considering all the damage and evil they had done, I wouldn't put it past them to be that reckless, though. The uncaring little...
...but this was no time for bitter curses. What would be the best course of action?
As the lights go off and the time gets close to zero, I figure it's not best to take chances that they were right.
I let enough time go by, then I press the numbers John told me to type, and hit the execute button. After a while, everything returns to normal, and the door even start to open. I killed both birds with one press of a button.
But now the last question was, should I take this chance and go now?
John would be okay, he could still crawl and Jack would likely fix him, despite his constant annoying tirades about him. I could head back home before anyone found me, and recover in a hurry to try again.
No.
I go home now, I would have wasted all my time for nothing. I still didn't have Jack on my side enough to make him help me, John was still very much needed, and I didn't have a whole lot of time to think of some other plan. I would be found innocent soon enough- and even if not, if I stayed anyway, I could still endure myself enough to John to keep him as an ally. Above all but one thing, I needed that.
So when I see John crawling to the computer, I decide to risk it.
"What, did you think I was going to leave you here? Come on, can you stand?"
I help him up and explain to him the truth about what I did- now comfortable enough to actually start telling the truth.
"You think it was all just random?"
"Don't look at me, it's your hatch."
We almost share a laugh together- until the angry words "Get away from him!" are barked at me from Jack.
He grabs me....and then I see Sayid with a gun. What in the world is he doing here?! He wasn't supposed to be involved in any of this!
I ask the only thing I can ask right now. "Couldn't you find my balloon?"
Ana-Lucia says "Yeah, we found it." I feel relieved for a very brief second....until I note that she said "We" So she brought help after all? Is that why Sayid is here?!
At that moment, I don't feel all that well.
"We did find your balloon, Henry Gale, exactly how you described it. We also found the grave you described... your wife's grave. The grave you said you dug with your own bare hands. It was all there. Your whole story, your alibi, it was true. But still I did not believe it to be true."
I now know the exact series of events that's coming next. Damn that woman for bringing him....as if she wasn't damned enough.
"So I dug up that grave and found that there was not a woman inside. There was a man."
He pulls out the drivers license and I only look at it for formality's sake. I know full well what it says, but he tells me anyway.
"A man named Henry Gale."
For once, being a good guy has come back to hurt me.
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Post by melissaq9 on Apr 15, 2007 17:22:11 GMT -4
This is brilliant!
The way you write Ben is so real.
I've always thought that it would be wonderful to have an all Ben show, and you could totally write it!
I can't wait for the next installments!
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 19:37:09 GMT -4
"Dave"
Well, at least they bothered to stretch my arms out when tying me up this time.
Of all people they sent to break me down further, naturally they send Sayid and Ana Lucia. As much as they've managed to destroy most of what I've worked for, I know I have to stay calm. Don't give them reason to get worked up further...just calmly explain your backup story and see what to do next.
I explain how we found Henry- then Sayid gets that damned note Henry wrote before he died out. And I thought I was nitpicky.
Surely there's another backup explanation, another story I have left to buy me some more time. But Sayid keeps asking more and more questions about us, and I can't think of anything. I have to feed him something, so I say the first thing I can think of.
"If I told you about them... you have no idea what he'll do!"
I had no idea if I was referring to myself or Jacob at this point, and I was losing my ability to care by the second. Then Ana Lucia cluelessly assumed I was talking about Tom, of all people. They really hadn't gotten anywhere in their research yet, had they?
"He's no one! Nothing!"
I'm running out of ways to excuse myself, and then he makes it worse by pulling a gun. I knew coming into this I might get threatened or beaten up, and I had. I knew there was a chance they might even use a gun, if they had some- but knowing it and having it happen right now were two different feelings. And I hated the difference very much.
So this is what it's like to fear for your life...
"He'll kill me!"
"I'll kill you!"
Not like this....
"You can't do this!"
Juliet, Jacob, my friends....this can't be how I failed them....I'm not supposed to die like this!
"I AM NOT A BAD PERSON!!!"
The sound of the gun forces me to prepare for the afterlife...but when I open my eyes, it looks exactly the same as the armory. Judging from Ana Lucia's angry look at Sayid, she must have stopped the shot in time.
I'm mixed about how to feel that she was my savior. However, I'm not so far gone in my fear that I can't be somewhat of a gentleman.
"Thank you"
And of course, as I should have expected, I just get a "Shut up" in return.
I spend the next few hours regaining my strength in solitude. Fear turns to anger quicker than I thought...of all people to condemn me, how dare it was those two.
These people are lucky to be alive, and instead of counting their blessings and caring about their own fates, they persecute me and my people. If they only knew how their own actions provoked Ethan to go so far against Claire and Charlie, then they'd feel differently about what they did to him. If they knew how we were caring for children and giving them the family and love they would never have had on the beaches, then they'd think twice about using that as an excuse. If they only knew how special Walt was, they would know why what we did had to be done.
But I can't tell them without giving away everything, and therefore putting everything we've worked for in danger. They wouldn't understand. They would get in the way. And all the bad people would be too much trouble...there are so many more of those than I thought...or maybe they all are rotten and some are just more subtle about it.
Well, I'm just about done trying to explain myself to them. If they insist on treating me like a monster or a savage, then I'm going to have to treat them as such.
My only hope now is to keep them off balance....make them uneasy and doubtful....trick them into making a mistake and lose control. Then I'll have a better angle on what to do.
And then comes John- as much as I need him, I have no choice. I have to force him to believe the worst, then hope he makes enough of a mistake for me to take advantage of. I'll make it up to him later, if the best still happens.
"Did you get caught on purpose? You and your people have been here for God knows how long and you got caught in a net..."
"God doesn't know how long we've been here, John. He can't see this island any better than the rest of the world can." At least I'm able to start off with a bit of the truth.
"May I ask you a question? What possible reason could I have for putting myself through all this?"
"Maybe your people were looking for this place." This is as good an opening to make him question things as any.
"This place is a joke, John. I crawled through your vents and I stood at your computer as the alarm beeped. And you know what happened? The timer went all the way down to zero, and then some funny red pictures flipped up in its place. They looked like hieroglyphics, but I'm no expert. And then things got real interesting. There was a loud clunking and a hum like a magnet... a big magnet. It was really very frightening. And you know what happened next? Nothing happened, John. Nothing happened at all. Your timer just flipped back to 108. I never entered the numbers. I never pressed the button."
It might have been a dumb lie- without full knowledge of what would happen if that thing wasn't pushed, of course I couldn't take chances. I have more common sense than that. But I knew how important it was to John, how much he has staked his entire belief system on it. If telling a lie that would shake his very core could give me a better chance to worm out of this....so be it.
John may be one of the good ones, but there are too many of the bad ones here to overshadow that. He must suffer for their sins...if only for a while.
"You're lying." Hopefully you won't know how right you are just yet.
"No...I'm done lying."
Unfortunatly, I knew that statement in of itself, was going to have to be a lie.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 19:37:41 GMT -4
"S.O.S"
Two days without a word. Of all the plans I could have thought of to catch them off balance, maybe it wasn't the best choice. But this little silence strike and hunger strike would have to settle for the time being. Though I really should have thought of a better idea by now...maybe they really are getting to me.
Jack, to his somewhat credit, is now here to touch up my wounds. I let him talk about whatever's on his mind, I have no reason to stop him. He then mentions that little fake situation I created at breakfast- where my people would trap their people and force a trade. Now I'm feeling more upset that they couldn't make that happen for real- but Jack think he'll have more luck.
Trading me for Walt...perhaps he really thought that would work. He had no idea what was going on, and what still needed to be done with him- there was no way they could part with him now, not when it wasn't finished. I decide I might as well say something to that effect, though there's no way he'll take it seriously.
"They'll never give you Walt."
I could at least take solice that my people were too smart for that.
More satisfaction came later in the day. My earlier plan worked- John is indeed ready to crack, wondering if I pressed his precious button.
"Henry, can you hear me? It's John, Henry. Henry, did you enter the numbers? Did you push the button or not?!"
At that moment, I no longer care that it's John who's hurt this much. At that moment, after everything they've done to me, after all the gall they've had to accuse me and call me untrue names...I take just as much pleasure from his misfortune as I would with one of the bad ones.
"Henry, I need to know. I want you to answer me. Answer me!"
I smile the cruelest smile I can. I'll worry about what that says about me later.
For now, I want one moment where I can say I won.
I need it to keep going in the face of an ever tightening noose.
But if I get out of it...I won't hesistate to put it around them anymore.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 19:38:07 GMT -4
"Two for the Road"
Another day goes by. My nasty mood is subdued for a bit, so I resume staying quiet and waiting for any more openings I can take. Until I have a better grip on things, I remain quiet.
Ah...now they send Ana Lucia to talk to me again. This should be good.
"Hey Henry. What do you say? How long you gonna keep up this hunger strike, Henry? I ever tell you I was a cop?"
No, but I know enough about your dead baby, and your murder of the man responsible, and your police captain mother to get an idea.
"I've been around a lot of killers in my life."
Oh, the things I could say about that if I wanted to....she has the nerve to talk about killers after all she's done.
"You know what surprises me the most about them? How much they love to talk."
The arrogance to assume she knows me....I can afford to judge her because I know what she is, through extensive research and the pain she's caused. She has no such resources, yet she dares to think she can judge me.
The cries of Juliet after we found Goodwin's body come to mind now...
"But you're different, Henry. Hmmm. Quiet."
Different than the man you impaled? Than the two other people you murdered? Than the man your fellow survivors saw fit to kill, after they already beat him?
I'm not staying quiet to hear any more of this.
I want at least one shot at her before I meet my fate- this may be my only chance to speak for Goodwin and Ethan. I will not delay it any longer.
I mumble gibberish under my breath to draw her close- then I strike.
"You killed two of us!" I yell as I get a grip on her neck. "Good people who were leaving you alone!"
I lose myself to my bitterness in a way I haven't done since the Purge. After all this, I have to let it out somehow, and no one deserves it more than her.
"You're...the killer....Ana Lucia."
Even if my end is coming soon, I will not meet it knowing I didn't avenge her damage to our family....no matter who Goodwin and Ethan were, they were two of us, and they had no right to die that way. And I don't care right now that Ana Lucia never met Ethan.
I see her start to lose her breath...only 5 or 10 more seconds and I'll have her...
....but a large crutch stops me before I get close...
....I come to and figure out John must have done that, then see the new position they tied me up in.
And right on cue, John comes to see it too.
I didn't succeed, but I think I got enough of my fury out of the way. I think now I can speak to John as a regular person again.
"If you've come to apologize, I forgive you for hitting me with your crutch. I'm so glad my head didn't break it." I suppose the fact I can joke again means I'm in the right state of mind.
Then John asks why I tried to attack her and not him. And why I didn't leave him at the hatch.
Now I realize I can finally be somewhat honest with him.
"Because you're one of the good ones, John."
"What? A good what?"
I sigh a bit, knowing that even if I could explain myself fully to him, there wasn't nearly enough time left for it. "None of this matters, I'm dead anyway. Doctor's gone to make a trade and we both know hell come back empty handed and then I've lost my value. So either Jack comes back and kills me or my people find out where I'm being held and they do it."
Would they really? Only Jacob could make them do that, and I have no idea what he could be thinking right now, or how much he knows. Hell, I barely know what to say anymore. But I chose this angle, so I might as well run with it.
"The man in charge... he's a great man, John... a brilliant man... but he is not a forgiving man. He'll kill me because I failed, John. I failed my mission."
At the very least, I could be halfway honest about this, which was better than nothing.
"When that woman caught me in her trap, I was on my way here, John. I was coming for you."
Naturally, the next words come not from John, but Jack. Of course...the one chance I have to really accomplish something, and we're interrupted. He leaves me behind once more, thought not without some reluctance.
Now I have to stay alive long enough for him to want more answers.
The odds of me doing that are getting just a little bit longer by the minute.
After a few more tedious hours, Ana Lucia is the next to visit. It doesn't take me long to notice the knife.
She orders me to cut myself loose, and after I ask, I immediatly figure out why she said "You know why" I should have known it'd be her.
I only see one more play left- something Goodwin said. Either it would appeal to whatever character she had left, or at the least, I could needle her with the guilt she deserved.
"You were saying you were misunderstood. Goodwin. Yes, he told us all about you Ana. How he thought you were worthy, that he could change you... but he was wrong. And it cost him his life."
"He was going to kill me." Still the same old narrow minded, act before you think person...so much for any more character left.
"Are you done?"
Now I almost feel like accepting the fact that for the first time ever- I have no backup plans left.
"Yes Ana...I'm done."
No one else is here. No one's coming in at the last minute. Nothing is left to appeal to this woman.
This time, it really is over.
"So this is it, huh?"
"Yes, Henry, this is it."
I've never been a praying man, but I let one form in my head...hoping that someone or something will take care of all the people I care for in my absence.
I gambled on a strategy that really was too complicated and stupid, now that I only have a few seconds left to think about it. And this is how I'm repaid for it.
If only Ethan hadn't overreacted in taking Claire, then we wouldn't be demonized by them and I could have reasoned with them! When I see that man after this is over...
...no. I can't spend my last seconds in bitterness. If I have to leave this world, I will do it with the dignity and strength I've been taught to exude all my life. It got me this far....farther than I ever should have lasted.
I take one last breath....now I think I'm ready.
Goodbye, my home....my Juliet....Jacob....all those I wish all the luck in the world to now.
15 minutes later, I still remain shocked that those weren't the last thoughts I ever had.
*****************************************
A shot finally rings out.
After a few more seconds, I hear another.
As if enough weird things hadn't happened near me today.
I hear the door open. Has Ana Lucia changed her mind already.
Then I see how wrong I am.
Michael...
.....how is he here...
...did he escape...
...why does he have her gun...
The smell of blood clues me in and fills me up with the first signs of hope in days.
Our backup plan worked.
They broke him.
They really forced him to do it.
The key to my salvation is really at hand.
He shoots himself and falls to his knees, and without a word I allow myself to walk away. He doesn't make one move towards me.
The bodies of Ana Lucia and what looks to be that Libby girl are littered nearby. Whatever questions I have about them, I'll have answered as soon as I return home.
And that's where I'm headed. So soon after I know I'm gonna die...I now know I'm coming home.
After I see everyone again and work out the new plan to make him bring Jack and Kate and Sawyer there, everything will proceed the right way after all.
As I leave the hatch for what I hope is the last time, I smile for the first time in almost ages. The first real happy smile, I mean.
I have been blessed.
I have been saved.
I can go home.
Now all that's left is to ensure everything goes right in the second effort to keep me alive even further.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 15, 2007 19:38:30 GMT -4
"Live Together, Die Alone"
When I arrive on the dock, I see everything looks exactly as it should be.
Tom, Bea, and the others have Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hugo in perfect position. Michael is there, having played his part to a T.
I am almost amazed that something actually went as planned, after all the missteps of the first plan.
But I'm not going to deride good fortune when it finally arrives. After a brief hello to Jack, I notice Tom's costume looks off.
"Where's your beard?" Sometimes I wondered why I insisted they dress this way when they go out on assignment. But it keeps our targets thinking we're uneducated, hillbilly types, and that keeps them from spotting our sophisticated equipment and work until we want them to see it. Keeps things simple.
But it seems they know about that now, so no sense worrying about it. I just need to finish the deal with Michael, and we're all set.
And then the sky turns purple....
It's the hatch. I don't know what caused it, but nothing else could make that happen. Why didn't John press the button like always? Did something happen after I left?
What was this anomoly going to do for our plans?
If it was going to have any instant effect, I had to see it for myself. I stare at it dead on, looking for any possible results, ready for anything that might happen. I don't move a muscle because I don't want to miss whatever happens.
But after a while, the color disappears, and nothing appears to have changed.
I decide that if anything did happen, I would find out and worry about it when we got to the other island. We still had to handle a few things here first. I wouldn't let anything sidetrack me or cause distractions this time.
"I'm not happy about the arrangement that was made with you Michael, but we got more than we bargained for when Walt joined us, so I suppose this is what's best. And you let me go, set me free... you lived up to your word. We live up to our word, too." At least we knew that nothing awful would happen by doing so here.
"Do you know how to drive a boat? You're going to take this boat and follow a compass bearing of 325, and if you do that exactly, you and your son will find rescue." After the recent incident, I don't exactly know for sure if that's true now. But it should be- either way, it won't cause too much harm.
"How do you know I won't tell people about where I was?"
"Maybe you will, maybe you won't. But it won't matter. Once you leave, you'll never be able to get back here. And my hunch is you won't say a word to anybody because if you do, people will find out what you did to get your son back." With that, I know Michael's officially no longer a threat.
"Who are you people?"
I say the most honest thing I've ever said in my life.
"We're the good guys, Michael."
After I left him have the boat, I give him privacy to have his reunion with Walt. I almost wish there was a way I could see what would happen to Walt, after everything that's happened...but that wouldn't be productive. We got what we needed, and it'll be every bit as valuable as we hoped later on.
Now it's time to focus on the essentials for the here and now. I still had a spine that needed fixing, and I still had to ensure Jack would take the job. Hugo is assigned to go back and tell no one to find us, not that they even could. But no sense leaving any loose ends tied up.
Once he leaves, we know our business is done here. The hoods are put on our remaining captives. Juliet's made all the arrangement for their stay, and she'll meet us when the sub gets there.
I hope we have at least a few quiet moments together before the work can really begin. But if it doesn't work that way, I can't let that get to me now.
This time I have set up a situation that will end in my life being saved. And this time, as they are loaded onto the sub, I know I won't make the same amount of mistake as before.
This time all will go as planned...no matter what has to be done to them to get there.
I leave my beloved island for what will hopefully not be the last time, and then head to find a comfy bed for the trip....
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Post by Edith S. Baker on Apr 15, 2007 21:43:16 GMT -4
I love these. Keep them coming.
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Post by sailornova on Apr 16, 2007 0:44:23 GMT -4
These are good!
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 16, 2007 10:27:17 GMT -4
"A Tale of Two Cities"- there's already been a short story showing Ben's p.o.v in the opening flashback, so I'll just handle the present day stuff.
It's refreshing to have everything go smoothly. Jack is in the underwater cell, and Juliet should be set to begin questioning him by now. Kate and James will also be set soon enough.
I have a lot I need to do with Jack and there's little time to waste, but I made sure to take what time I could to get Kate ready. Her and James may yet be valuable pawns in what I must do, and they should at least have a little sense in what's to come. Since James would just think of 5 different nicknames for me before I get a word in edgewise, I figure Kate would be more pleasing to talk to.
Despite her extensive history of running afoul from the law, and how it was easy to leave her off the list, it is a bit easy to see why someone like Jack, who's so desperate to fix and help any flawed person, would be drawn to her. However, knowing how easy it is for her to also be drawn to James, it's something I can easily work to my advantage. I just have to set the stage here briefly, then get back to the people I really need to see.
I finish my breakfast table at the beach well before she arrives, all cleaned up just as Tom promised. Knowing how quick her reflexes are, I ask her to put on handcuffs so she doesn't get any ideas. Once she does, we begin.
"What did you do with Sawyer and Jack?" Ah, immediatly an opening. This may very well be the easiest part of the plan.
"Now why Sawyer? He's the first one you asked about. What did you do with Sawyer and Jack?"
Instead of answering directly, she just counters with "You don't know me." I wonder how many times I'll have to prove how extensively I do know these people. I explain how we had to burn her clothes, then she finally gets direct with me.
"Why did you bring me here? Why did you make me put on this dress? Why are you feeding me breakfast?" I decide now's the right time to let her know, then after that I really have to get going.
"I brought you here so you'd look out at the water and feel comforted. Comforted that your friends were looking out at the same ocean. I gave you the dress so you would feel like a lady. And I wanted you to eat your food with a real live fork and feel civilized. I did all those things so that you'd have something nice to hold onto...because Kate, the next 2 weeks are going to be very unpleasant."
There, that should leave her frightened enough, and Danny can handle the rest from there. We already have the cameras set up on the cages, so I'll know everything if I need to be bothered. I leave Kate with Tom and head to my temporary headquarters.
Once I head to my station, I make sure all the monitors work correctly, then put on my glasses to watch the show. James is already trying to outdo the polar bears with that fish game, and Karl is still trapped just as I ordered. I briefly get my ire up when he escapes- but get a bit of a thrill when it turns out Juliet stopped him perfectly. I'll have to order that he get sent to a more private cell later.
It appears Juliet is playing her part perfectly, as she always does. She was sure to read every intimate detail we had to Jack, so she knows exactly how to deal with him- maybe even more so than I did back at the hatch. If anyone can match me in all of the ways that have kept me alive and strong, it's her.
Still....all that's happened in the past has cast so many different feelings and doubts regarding her and me....
But that'll have to wait now. Jack actually got the drop on her.
I move quickly before they can get far, and I catch them just as he's about to have the door opened. But only two of the three of us know what a disaster that would be.
"She's telling the truth, Jack!" He turns and doesn't seem fazed to see me in the least.
"I swear to God, I will kill her."
If someone like Kate or James or Sayid or Charlie or even Jin had been in that position, I would have believed them. But I know Jack well enough to call his bluff.
"Okay. Have her open the door and she dies anyway. We all do."
But instead, Jack calls me out and opens it anyway. Predictably, the flooding starts instantly. I rush to get out of the way. And almost without thinking, I shut the door before Juliet can follow me.
For the briefest of seconds, I consider reopening it for her...then I remember she knows about the yellow button and how to fix this. And by now, Jack'll realize he was caught in a mistake and he'll rush to save her if anything else goes wrong. I am now confident that this will result in nothing, and everything is still fine.
Just in case, I rush back to the monitors and quickly confirm that they're fine- and it's Juliet dragging Jack back to his cell. I smile and chuckle a bit at her resourcefulness. Like I thought, she knew exactly what to do.
She might hold a grudge for a while, but she understands the larger picture. And I have a sense she's used to me disappointing her by now....so one more of those can't hurt that much.
I head over there one last time, after seeing that she has finally broken him for now. Astonishingly, when she brought up his ex wife, he didn't ask about her affair, after all that happened involving that in the past. The fact his paranoia drove his father back to the bottle for good was one of the deciding factors in why Jacob didn't put him on the list. I'll have to talk with him later to confirm he's on board with this.
At that point, she comes out one last time. I figure it couldn't hurt to start with a compliment.
"Good work, Juliet."
"Thank you, Ben", she says in that almost cryptic fashion of hers. What she could be thinking about me, and him, and the plan now, I don't know...as much as I desired to.
But that would be a concern for another day. Today would serve as a satisfactory start. Then again, that's what I said when the first plan started....but things were different this time.
I head off to take care of anything else I haven't gotten to yet today.
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 16, 2007 10:27:46 GMT -4
"The Glass Ballerina"
Juliet continues her little treatment of Jack, even going so far as to make him soup. I know we have to treat him with the utmost care so he'll be in the right state of mind to do the surgery- but soup?
She meets me in the halls and I comment "You never made soup for me." trying to say so in a witty, sarcastic like tone. But before I see if that got anywhere, Colleen shows up.
"We have a situation. Brian radioed in. The Iraqi found the decoy village." That's good news, and I say as much. That village was hell to construct, but it pays off for situations exactly like this. Now they know we're not "hillbillies" but have no other clues as to what we really are, and that's how it must stay.
"Brian followed him back to the shore and they have a sailboat."
That wasn't close to what I wanted.
"How?!" I ask almost a bit too forcefully. But it is a cause for concern we don't need now.
Juliet thinks they'll just sail in circles, but Colleen says they could find us, and I have to agree with her. If anyone could, it's Sayid- I can't have him destroying my work again. And I know he has Sun with her...she's going to be extremely important later on, but I can't worry about her now.
I screwed up the last time by not paying attention to these little problems before they became big ones. This time there's no margin for error left- but how do I fix it? "Ben?"
"I'm thinking." I almost see Juliet smirk, as if she knows for once, it's taking me a while to plan ahead. But eventually, the solution comes to me. I order Colleen to put together a team, and she says it can happen within the hour, which should work.
"Then don't waste time talking to me." Before she leaves, I make extra sure she knows how important this is. "Hey, Colleen? I want that boat."
I can only wait at the station for any word that might come in. While I wait, I see how Kate and James are doing. As usual, they're carrying on with their little flirting as Danny makes them work. There's a bit of concern when James kisses her suddenly, then hits a few of my people while they're distracted. Knowing what a wild card he is, I know this could be genuine trouble.
But once again, Juliet saves the day by grabbing Kate at gunpoint, long enough to subdue him. I make another note at how impressive she is under pressure....and how I have to make plans to minimize the damage James can do later.
Already too many loose ends are being opened up. Before another one comes crashing down, I decide it's time to get to work.
Perhaps if Ethan hadn't made his mistakes and if Tom could have found another way to take Walt, I wouldn't have to go through this much trouble. I could have asked him nicely like a civilized person. But the time for that was wasted weeks ago. He's become too affected in thinking we're the bad guys to just do the surgery, no questions asked. If he still believes the worst in us, then forcing him at gunpoint to do it will end badly. Even if he agrees, he could very easily turn on me and find a way to hold me hostage for his own ends. If he still believes I'm evil, then there's less of a chance he'll do it, and then do it without endangering my life first.
If it's going to work at all, he must believe in us. And the only way to do that now, and ensure he'll take good care of me when he does it, is to play these games with him.
It doesn't take me long to think of the best way to start. When that's all set up, I head into his cell. He doesn't respond to my greeting, so I start out by pointing out the obvious irony.
"You know what's crazy, Jack? A week ago, you and I were in exactly the opposite situation. I was the one locked up and you were the one coming in for visits. And I know that you were angry that I lied to you about who I was but....hell, do you blame me?" He's free to do that now, but not for much longer. When he doesn't answer, I feel free to drive the point home.
"I mean, let's face it, if I had told you I was one of those people that you and your friends have been calling Others all this time, it would have been right back to Sayid and his....fists. Wouldn't it?" He doesn't even bother to deny it, which by now doesn't surprise me.
"What do you want from me?" Since I can't say quite yet that I need him to save my life, I start with the process of making him want to save my life.
"I want for you to change your perspective. And, the first step in doing that would be for me to be decent enough to introduce myself honestly." I put on my best greeting smile and hold out my hand, ready to tell him who I really am, and a very key point as to what I am.
"Hi...my name is Benjamin Linus, and I've lived on this island all my life."
Jack doesn't seen to share my eagerness to clean the slate.
"You're not going to shake?" I smile a little bit more, before it's clear he wants nothing to do with me yet. With that, I decide it's time to end the pleasentries. "Bring it in, please!"
He asks me about Kate and James, and I assure him they're fine- at least I know Kate is. It's really all I want to tell him about them right now. So I allow myself to get right to the point.
"I'm going to make this really simple, Jack. If you cooperate, we send you home."
"Cooperate with what?" Knowing it's not the right time to answer him, I deflect his question the best way I can.
"When the time comes, I'll tell you."
"You tell me now."
"Patience, Jack. Patience." As hard as it is for me to be patient, knowing how little time I may or may not have, I have to make him do better at that virtue so this can move along smoother.
I confirm for him that I sent Michael and Walt home, although I haven't checked on their progress in sometime. He then points out that we could leave the island....although we have seen signs lately that communication has been down for some reason. I remember that I must meet with Mikali first thing tomorrow to get to the bottom of that, then I move on.
"You're stuck here just like we are. You don't have any-" But we do, and now it's time he knows about it. I give him all the key details that he's missed out on during his time here.
"Your flight crashed on September 22nd, 2004. Today is November 29th. That means you've been on our island for 69 days and yes, we do have contact with the outside world, Jack. That's how we know that during those 69 days your fellow Americans re-elected George W. Bush as their President; Christopher Reeve has passed away..." I pause before I deliver the most important fact. "The Boston Red Sox won the World Series..." Perhaps it's not all that surprising that Jack laughs at that at first- although I don't watch a lot of baseball, I know enough to know how unbelievable their ordeals were.
But fortunatly, that's why I have the tape to prove it, and I signal that it be played from behind the glass barrier.
Knowing how his father commented over and over about how the Sox would never win the Series, I knew this would bring back enough memories in Jack to get to him. When the final play was finished, I make an effort to go for the throat, to coin one of those sporting terms.
"That's home, Jack. Right there, on the other side of that glass. And if you listen to me, if you trust me, if you do what I tell you when the time comes....I'll take you there. I will take you home."
He just stays still, watching the monitor and letting whatever thoughts of home go through his mind.
I know I've got his interest now, and that means half the battle is won. Now the other half looks a little more easier to accomplish.
Now if Colleen is able to return by the end of the day and tell me they have the boat....that would cap a perfect day. But even so, it'll be relieving to see her again with that news whenever she gets back.
I leave Jack alone with his thoughts, confident I've finally turned a corner.
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Post by gem10 on Apr 16, 2007 12:25:24 GMT -4
Wow, very intense ;D They are gr8!!  |
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Post by bobdoc on Apr 16, 2007 12:32:07 GMT -4
Thanks for all the early praise.
I hope that maybe I can finish the last three Michael eps from the first "pod" of Season 3 today or tomorrow. When I get done working on all the eps he's been in, I'll update the story everytime a new Michael episode airs, and make up his p.o.v from whatever he does in it. Hopefully it will be ongoing for the rest of the year, then continue in Season 4.
And while we wait for Michael's next apperance, likely in ep 19, I was thinking that I would do the same kind of story for each of Juliet's apperances once I got done with Ben. In many ways it would be a companion piece for sure.
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