LOST: Rp4

Richard gently shook Carrie awake. She opened her eyes, and sat up. "Whassit?" Carrie mumbled, still half-asleep. Her eyes adjusted properly to her surroundings, and saw that Ben was standing on Richard's other side. He looked annoyed. Carrie wasn't surprised - it annoyed Ben enough to see her and Richard showing any sign of affection, it was another thing for him to catch her sleeping in his arms when they were both meant to be watching Zoe in the cell. Still, at least Richard had been awake and watching. Otherwise they would both be in big trouble.

Carrie braced herself, waiting for Ben's reaction. He would either surpress his rage and be calm, or have a proper go at her. Carrie wasn't sure which reaction she wanted - the psychologist half of her wanted him to shout at her, as she was always telling him he shouldn't surpress his emotions, but the troubled child part of herself wanted him to remain calm.

"Seeing as you're awake now, Carrie, can you go and give our guest some more food and water. The sandwich you gave her before will be stale by now," he said calmly.

Carrie sighed a sigh of relief inside. Outside, she, too, ignored the fact that she had been asleep. "Sure thing," she said, and rose from her seat. She didn't kiss Richard, or even look at him, because she knew it would anger Ben.

Once outside the surveillance room, she shut the door fully and pressed her ear against it. She wasn't usually one to eavesdrop, but she was curious as to what Ben would now say to Richard. On that note, thought Carrie, what had they said to each other before Richard had woken her up? Carrie concentrated as she heard Ben's voice.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Ben demanded. Richard began to talk, but Ben cut across him. "I've told you both what I think of you two being together. You can live together, that's fine, it frees a house up. And if you must canoodle or whatever the hell it is you do, do it in private and not while you're supposed to be working! Especially when we have someone who could be a very valuable member of our team locked in a cell, what if she tried to get out?"

"Ben, I can see how you can be annoyed, I really can, but I love Carrie. She is an extremely intelligent woman, and brings alot to our society, Ben, you know that. Have you ever wondered why she became a psychologist?" There was a pause, in which Carrie presumed Ben must have given Richard a non-verbal response. "She's hurt. Her mother abused her as a child, and her father left her when she was only six. He left home one day and didn't come back. Imagine how that must have felt for her? The only person she could rely on abandoned her. Then she was stuck with her mother, who constantly abused her. Remind you of someone?"

Carrie couldn't listen to anymore. She quietly walked away from the surveillance room, not towards the kitchen, but she climbed up a ladder and emerged on the warm, still surface of Hydra Island. She began climbing up a hill, to the topmost peak of Hydra, lost in her thoughts.

So that was how Richard saw her? As a troubled little girl, screaming for help? He'd said that he loved her, but did he really? Did he even know the meaning of the word - did Carrie herself know? She deemed herself a brilliant psychologist, but she never stopped to think why Richard might be caring so much for her. It wasn't because he admired her - sure, he had said she was intelligent, but he had also said that Juliet was intelligent, he didn't go pretending he really wanted her. Maybe Richard did care for Carrie, maybe he did want her, but was it Carolyna Copeland that he cared for, or did he just feel sorry for the abandoned little girl? Carrie punched a nearby tree. She didn't know whether she was angry at Richard for misleading her, or upset that the man she loved so much didn't feel how she thought he felt. Perhaps she was angry at herself, for thinking that she could be loved.

As Carrie reached the top of the hill, she remembered back to the day when she and Richard had first become an item. It suddenly seemed so obvious - he had never shown an interest in her before, but once he knew how much she had been hurt, suddenly he was in love with her. Angry, she threw herself down onto the grass and looked over at the ocean. It was dawn, so the sea and the sky were both shades of orange. Tears swam in her eyes, as she recalled the last time she had looked at a sunrise from this spot. She had been with Richard, and they had spent hours on end there together. As she remembered how she had felt, totally in love, and she had felt him love her back.

Carrie's watery eyes then became tears, rolling down her cheeks faster and faster, until she was sobbing uncontrollably. This time, she didn't want to see Richard. She didn't want him to hold her, to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

She wanted to see her father again.

Carrie had been out on the peak of Hydra for a while now. Her tears had dried, and most of her anger had disappeared, but she still wasn't sure about Richard's feelings. The sun was up now, and the sea was calm. Carrie had her knees pulled up to her chin, and her arms wrapped around her legs. As she looked out to sea, she heard a rustling noise of someone coming through the forest. Carrie didn't bother to look round.

Richard sat himself next to Carrie and placed his hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and for a second, she forgot she was annoyed at him, as she felt his soft touch.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "You heard, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Carrie replied. "Yeah, I heard."

Richard kissed her head. "I didn't mean it. I was just trying to get Ben off my back. I thought, if he realised you and him were more similar than he thought ..."

"Don't worry," Carrie looked up at Richard and smiled. "It's fine. I guess I'm a bit sensitive about it. I just ... need to forget. I mean, it's because of you that I escaped her, and to still have her lingering after five years ... I may never escape."

Richard stroked her face. "You will," he smiled gently. He leant his forehead against hers, and for a few moments they simply looked at each other. Then, Richard kissed her. And Carrie was free. This was freedom from her hate-filled past - love.

After a few minutes, they broke away. "Come on," Richard said gently, "you've got a sandwich to deliver."

Carrie grinned. They both stood up, and walked back down towards the old Dharma station, hand in hand.


Carrie pushed her back against the door - both her hands again being full - and, after going through, pushed it shut with her foot. It banged shut noisily, and Carrie winced. She continued down the hallway and entered into the room where Zoe was being kept.

Carrie could see Zoe was still awake, but she looked exhausted after hours of struggling. Carrie walked up to the glass. "Hello, Zoe."

Zoe looked up at her, her eyes tired but still angry. "Hey."

Carrie opened up the door to the cell and went in. "Here. I don't care if you eat it, just take it." She put the sandwich and glass of water down on the table.

Carrie then bent down and strapped Zoe's legs down, so that she could hardly move at all. Then, Carrie reached up and loosened the chains holding Zoe's arms. She pulled her arms down, and tied her wrists up so she couldn't reach her legs, but could still eat. Throughout the whole thing, Zoe remained completely silent and limp.

Carrie and Zoe caught each other's eyes for a second. Zoe was the one to break it, and Carrie picked up the previous sandwich and water, and left the cell.

She went back to the surveillance room and smiled as she was greeted by Richard. Ben had already left.

"Where did Ben go?" Carrie inquired of Richard, after she had resumed her seat next to him.

"Back to the village," he replied, putting his arm around Carrie's shoulder as she cuddled up to him. "He's gonna bring Juliet here. She's gonna install a tracking chip in Zoe."

Carrie smiled. She was good friends with Juliet. As Richard kissed her on the top of her head, she wondered if she had forgiven him too easily. Or had she been hard on him, walking off in a strop? Mentally, Carrie slapped herself. She was getting paranoid again.

Carrie woke up to the sounds of her father flushing the toilet. Somehow, that always acted as her alarm. She got out of bed and went downstairs, where her breakfast sat on the table, waiting for her. There was no sign of her mother - perhaps she was in her bedroom. Carrie sat at the table and as she ate her corn flakes, her father came downstairs, still in his bathrobe and clutching his newspaper. He sat down opposite Carrie and started eating his eggs and bacon breakfast.

"How you doing this morning, Sport?" He said to Carrie.

"Fine, Daddy," Carrie replied, smiling a toothless grin. "Miss James is giving us a spelling test today."

"Oh?" Her father laughed, "let me test you. Can you spell 'because'?"

"B-E-C-A-U-S-E," replied Carrie immediately.

Her father smiled. "Alright, then, smarty-pants. Can you spell 'delicious'?"

"We haven't learnt that one," Carrie responded. "But it's spelt D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S."

Her father looked surprised. "How did you know that, if you haven't learnt it?"

"It was in a book," Carrie said.

"And you learnt how to spell it?"

"I remembered."

Her father smiled. Carrie wondered exactly what he was smiling about. All she had done was spell a word. It wasn't that hard. Then again, he was always smiling with her. That was why Carrie preferred him over her mother. He was always smiling and encouraging her, all her mother did was shout. Carrie felt like she could never make her mother happy, but at least she made her father happy.

After her father tested her on a few more words, Carrie finished her breakfast and went upstairs to get dressed. After she had done so, she went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth.

"Carrie!" Her father was calling her from downstairs. "Daddy's going to work now."

Carrie ran downstairs and gave her dad a big hug.

"Woah, easy there, Spud," he laughed, "anyone would think you don't want me to leave!"

"I don't." Carrie looked up at her dad. "I don't want you to go to work. Why can't you stay at home and Mummy can work?"

"Because it's my job to provide food, darling." Her father kneeled down and ruffled her hair. Impatiently, Carrie put it right again. "And it's Mummy's job to look after you." Her father kissed the top of her head, and left.

Carrie ran into the lounge. She climbed up the sofa and watched her father out the window, driving away. Carrie wanted him to come back. She held on to the thought that any second now, the car was going to come back into the driveway, her father would come back in, and promise never to leave her alone with her mother again.

Two days later, Carrie sat at the table on her own, this time eating rice krispies. She saw the newspaper on the table which her father usually read. She reached over and picked it up. It was very big. She saw the big headline on the front and read it;

"LOCAL MAN, 43, DECLARED MISSING"

A tear dropped onto the newspaper as Carrie looked at the picture, and recognised the smiling photograph of her father.

Jo, Chase and Juliet were working in the lab, huddled over a number of files relating to the island's pregnancies. As much as Jo didn't want to be here, cooperating with Ben and the Others really did seem like the best way to eventually weasel her way out of the situation. Jo was grateful that she wasn't locked up like she had been in the Staff. Ben seemed willing to grant her limited freedom, and he trusted Chase to keep an eye on her.

Beyond that, the medical mysteries this island presented really were fascinating; they reminded her of the reason she became a doctor in the first place.

And then there was Chase. Of course she still had lingering feelings for him. They were supposed to be married in December, how could she forget that? But her thoughts consistently returned to Jack. She remained aloof with Chase, even though they were still cohabiting. She didn't entirely trust the change in his personality since he had been recruited by these people and was extremely confused by her feelings.

Ben marched into the research lab and straight towards Juliet, who was looking into a microscope. "Juliet, I need you at the Hydra."

"Right now?" Juliet frowned and pulled away from the microscope.

"Yes, right now," Ben responded impatiently. "And while we're gone, Chase, I think you should bring Jo up to speed on our plans."

Chase nodded as Ben and Juliet left the lab. Jo turned to Chase with a puzzled expression.

***************

Jo listened patiently while Chase described the discovery of Ben's tumor.

"We have to operate, or Ben will die," he concluded.

"I understand the gravity of the situation, Chase, but neither you nor I, nor Juliet, are trained surgeons. We can't save him."

Chase paused for a moment before proceeding "We're not going to do it. Jack is."

"That's impossible!" she gasped, and stifled a burst of laughter. The idea was absurd. Jack would never help the man who was responsible for tormenting the 815 survivors!

Chase's expression turned suddenly very serious. "Ben is going to bring Jack to one of our stations, and he is going to do the operation. You and I and Juliet will assist.

"He'll never do it," Jo responded simply. "I know Jack."

"And I know Ben." Chase replied. "He'll do it."

As Carrie left, Zoe thought about what she had told her. Was she really sick? She didn't feel it. A little tired, and emotionally defeated maybe, but not ill ill.

"Why did you tell her everything? You're not really going to let them perform surgery are you? You can't trust them!" A sweet caring voice came from no-where. Zoe recognised it and smiled, and looked to her left, where, as sure as she expected, Charlie was sat next to her, watching her worridly. A halucination of course, and Zoe was by now, quite aware of this, but she didn't care. Pretend Charlie was better then no Charlie.

"Mmm, Charlie, I'm pleased you're here." She murmered dreamily.

"Zoe. Why are you co-orperating with them?" Charlie asked seriously and firmly.

"Because....if I do, then I can find out what they want, what's happened to Jo and why they are doing this to me. If they think I am willing to co-orporate, they will trust me hell of a lot sooner." Zoe whispered.

"But look at you, you're too weak to pull this off at the moment. You need to get your strength back before you even think about strategizing." Charlie informed her firmly.

"Yeah, well I think you don't get to tell me what to do when you chose her over me." Zoe almost snapped. Charlie ignored her.

"Just be careful Zoe. These people are dangerous. You don't know what they are capable of." Charlie replied, the light then glistened on the very faded bruises on Charlie's neck, making Zoe's eyes prick with tears at the memory of Ethan hanging him. Zoe glared at him.

"I know exactly what they are capable of." She hissed. Zoe then stood up, wiping the tears away from her cheek and started to pace her cell impaiently. Charlie quickly disappeared from her sight again.

Zoe woke up to the regular beautifully sunny L.A morning. She was really warm under her bed sheets, and quite sweaty. She got up and pulled a bath robe over herself and headed for the bathroom for a shower.

"Hey, where are you going my little minx?" Zoe turned to a man lying in her bed, his arms folded behind his head as he smiled at her devilishly, his dark eyes examining her every move. Zoe smiled.

"I'm going for a shower. To wash last night off me. It did get pretty...intense after all..." Zoe smiled, and skipped off into her bathroom.

"Room for one more?" He called after her.

"Not a chance! What kind of girl do you take me for?" Zoe called out after closing the bathroom door so she could undress for the shower without blushing.

"One that sleeps with her boss!" He rebuttled back. Zoe bit her lower lip playfully, and opened the door a jar slightly and poked her head round to face him.

"I haven't agreed to take the job yet Mr. Alphert! You'll have to do better in convincing me!" Zoe shut the door and hopped into the shower without another word.

A knock on the door told Zoe she was supposed to sit in the corner of the room, so she did graciously, and a blonde woman entered the room this time. She shut the door behind her, and she placed a bottle of water and a set of paient surgical clothes on the table. Zoe frowned and stood up, struggling slightly.

"I thought Carrie was bringing me my food." Zoe asked the blonde woman, whom had a mysterious blank look about her.

"Hi Zoe. I'm Juliet." Juliet agreed, ignoring Zoe's question. "You'll have to wait to eat that till after surgery, but for now you can have some water, we are prepping the operating room now, and we need you ready in ten minutes." Zoe paniced slightly, she didn't expect the surgery to be so soon.

"I'm not undressing in front of you - or the camera." Zoe replied firmly, pointing at the security camera in the corner of her cell. Juliet glanced at the security camera then back at Zoe.

"Fair enough, I'll escort you to a room where you can have more privacy. But I'll be standing right outside, and you will have to wear handcuffs, so I can be sure you can't escape. Changing with handcuffs shouldn't be too difficult." Juliet offered. She waited for Zoe's response.

"Ok." Zoe agreed. "Even though this whole situation in general is unfair, that sounds better then this way anyway." Juliet removed a set of cuffs from her back pocket and handed them to Zoe, and she put them on reluctantly.

"A little tighter please." Juliet told her calmly. Zoe glared at her irritably, but did as she was asked. Juliet then escorted her out the room, down the corridor and opened the door to what looked like a Janitor's closet. The room was full of cleaning supplies, it was small and there were no windows. Zoe walked into the closet with her scrubs and Juliet locked the door behind her, and waited paiently outside.

As Zoe changed, she called out to Juliet.

"Juliet?" Zoe called.

"Yes Zoe?" Juliet called back.

"Richard and that girl, Carrie isn't it? They are together aren't they?" Zoe inquired.

"Why do you ask?" Juliet replied, frowning slightly.

"How long have they been together?" Zoe asked.

"Five years." Juliet answered her. "Why?"

"Hmmm...interesting." Zoe murmured and continued changing, not answering Juliet's question.

Once Zoe had changed, she knocked on the door.

"I'm ready." She called to Juliet. Juliet let her out, escorting her down more corridors to the surgical room, where Juliet took off Zoe's cuffs and helped her onto the table.

"Just try to relax. We are going to put you under anesthetic for the procedure, and I promise, we aren't going to do anything to hurt you." Juliet informed her as she got the mask ready to put over Zoe's face.

"Jo." Zoe said weakly before Juliet made a move to put the mask on her face.

"Sorry?" Juliet inquired.

"Jo. You took her too, but she was hurt. I need to know. Is she ok?" Zoe asked. Juliet paused for a moment.

"Yes, she is fine Zoe. You don't need to worry about her. We took care of her injuries." Juliet promised. Zoe nodded, and Juliet put the mask over her. "I need you to count down from twenty." Zoe's eyes were already starting to feel heavy.

"20.....19.....18.....17...." She started, and then she was out.

Zoe was sat downtairs eating breakfast, Richard sat opposite her, staring at her quizzically.

"So what about it? The job. Fancy working for Mittelos Bioscience? Privately funded, your own worrkshop, anything and everything you need?" Richard asked.

"I don't know." Zoe frowned. "It's a lot to think about."

"Really? Me telling you are special, your ability, gift, pay..." Richard started, and then winked. "Last night wasn't enough to convince you?"

"No, it was all great...really. But, L.A is home, I have a family here, my friends, and the animals I work with are fasinating. We have polar bears here too you know. And then there's Jake." Zoe listed.

"Jake? Your boyfriend? The one you just cheated on?" Richard accused.

"Oh come on Richard, you and I both know last night was just a one off. It wasn't supposed to happen. A few too many cocktails at the hotel. And I know you only did those things to me to try and convince me to take the job. Why are you so desperate to recruite me Richard Alphert?" Zoe asked curiously, feeling a little guilty about Jake.

"Because your abilities will be highly valuable and appeciated in our team. You'd have a wonderful life with us. Really, what does staying here have to offer?" Richard asked.

"I already said. Family, friends, work collegues. If I didn't have them, I'd probably snap the job up by the click of my fingers."

Four years later, Zoe was in Australia, waiting to get a plane home after recieving a phone call that L.A Zoo had been bombed, and Jake had been on shift, along with her co-worker friends. It was also only four months previous to her flight back to L.A that Milletos Bioscience had approached her again, as they had every year since their first offer, each time, Zoe had given the same reasons for her rejection.

Zoe awoke to now more recently, familiar surroundings, to her mild suprise, someone waiting for her. Her body ached all over, but she ignored it, and took the glass of water that Carrie held out for her.

"Thank you." Zoe rasped, and drank it all at once. She could feel a bandage plastered over her neck, presumably from where Juliet had made the incision. She felt a little dizzy, which she presumed was a side effect from the surgery.

"Ben thought you might like a change of scenery. We are moving you" Carrie informed her calmly. "Back to the mainland."

"Back to mainland? What for?" Zoe asked curiously.

"Well, you can stay in this cell if you like, or you could come with us, you can have a nice house, warm bed. More freedom. Upto you I suppose. If you really want to stay here, you are more then welcome. We just presumed that you might be sick of being couped up in here." Carrie smiled smugly.

"A comfy bed does sound tempting." Zoe agreed. "Ok, fine. But I'm still not agreeing to work with you people. Not like this anyway, and especially not after you were responsible for destroying my home back in L.A."

"Hmm, maybe not yet, but you will. Ben has always had the gift to be persuassive." Carrie replied.

"Ha, well if it bares any similar resemblance to Richard Alphert's, I bet he isn't persuassive enough for me." Zoe implied smugly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carrie asked, frowning. Zoe paused for a moment, weighing out her current situation.

"Nothing." Zoe sighed finally. "So, when do we get to go?"

"Juliet is bringing you some clothes, so you can change out of your scrubs. Then, you will be cuffed, and have a hood over your head, and we will escort you back to the mainland." Carrie explained, just as there was a knock on the door, followed by a pause and Juliet walked in, with fresh clothes that Zoe knew weren't hers.

"Those aren't mine." She pointed out.

"No, they aren't." Juliet agreed.

"Where are my clothes?" Zoe asked.

"Ben burned them." Carrie replied.

"What? Why?" Zoe asked a little furious as Juliet came over and put handcuffs on Zoe's wrists.

"Doesn't matter. What's done is done." Juliet answered, and helped lift Zoe to her feet, to which she was marched out her cell to the janitors closet where she was shut in so she could change. Zoe knocked on the door when she was finished changing, and Juliet handed Zoe a hood in which she was expected to put over her head.

"Is this really necessary?" Zoe asked with the hood in her hands. Neither Carrie or Juliet answered, so Zoe sighed heavily and put the hood over her head. She felt someone's forceful grip on her shoulder, guiding her to where she needed to walk.

Zoe was sat on the toilet, with the toilet lid down, her legs crossed, and she was rocking forwards and backwards, holding a stick in her hands, fiddling with it impaiently, waiting, her breaths were fast and sharp and she waited for the longest two minutes of her life to pass. And there it was. Two little pink lines, crossed to make a crucific type symbol.

"Oh god." Zoe whispered, her lip quiverring and her hands began to shake, she dropped the pregnancy test, and it rattled for a moment on the plastic squares on the floor before it ceased. The phone rang, and Zoe was wrenched back into reality. She jumped up from the toilet and ran into her bedroom of the hotel she was staying in and launched herself at the phone.

"Hello?" Zoe whispered.

"Hey honey, how's my favourite gal doin'?" Jake answered.

"Jake!" Zoe squeaked. "I'm...er...I'm fine."

"How did the conference go?" Jake asked.

"Great, they are going to ship the animals out next week. So they won't get to L.A for a few months yet, but the contract is signed. We are getting kola bears, kangaroos, the aligators and crocs and tazmanian devils." Zoe explained quickly down the phone.

"That's great! So when do you get home? I'm missing you honey." Jake asked.

"I'm getting flight oceanic 713 next weekend. That's the plan anyway." Zoe answered him. "How's home?"

"Great, yeah, your mom has been over a few times for lunch. I think she might just be starting to like me." Jake laughed. Zoe giggled.

"She's only being nice to you because you will be making me an honest woman three months from now." Zoe laughed.

"So, any other news?" Jake asked.

"No, nothing new." Zoe replied after a bit of a pause. "Jake, I gotta go, I've got another call on the line, it could be important."

"Aw, ok hun, I best go anyway, don't want to run the phone bill up, or it will be costing you your wedding dress!" Jake teased.

"Hey, do not joke about that kind of thing! It's not funny!" Zoe joked back.

Zoe spent two hours in silence, and spent most of it guessing where she was, first she could tell she was being guided into what she guessed was a submarine, with all the sounds that were blaring off and feeling the pressure on her ears as it submerged underwater, then once the journey across the ocean was completed, she was guided out the sub and onto what felt under her feet like a dock. She was then guided onto a beach, across the sand and through foliage, so she guessed that was jungle, then the ground got softer beneath her feet. Grass. Neat cut grass.

Then before she knew it, the hood was removed, and Zoe found herself surrounded by neat looking houses. Like a small suburbia. People were going by their normal lives, they didn't even seem to notice their new arrival.

"What is this place?" Zoe asked.

"This is your new home." Carrie replied. "Your permanent new home. Welcome to the team."

"I told you, I'm never working for you people." Zoe reminded her.

"Ha, we'll see." Carrie replied, sure of herself that it wouldn't be long until Zoe could be fully trusted with working for them.

"You people really will do anything to get me to work here won't you? Offer me money beyond my realistic capability, the perfect utopia if I work for you, and when that doesn't work, you try other tactics. Like sleeping with me, and when that doesn't work, kidnapping me." Zoe blurted out. "I don't understand why my ability is so important!" Carrie laughed and Juliet glared at Zoe cautiously.

"What's so funny?" Zoe asked when Carrie laughed.

"Sleep with you?" Carrie replied half questionally.

"It's true. Your boyfriend actually. Four years ago as I recall." Zoe replied, grinning smugly, seeing anger flare in Carrie's eyes as well as disbelief.

"Richard?" Carrie asked in disbelief. Zoe nodded, still grinning triumphantly. "You're lying!"

"Ha, I wish I were." Zoe sneared. Carrie then threw herself at Zoe, both of them crashed down on the ground, and Carrie started attacking Zoe, punching her across the face. Zoe would normally shout back annd punch back, but she laughed, she had got to one of them, and she hit a deep nerve. Juliet then grabbed Carries, pulling her off of Zoe, Carrie screaming curses at Zoe as Zoe lay on the floor with a bloody nose and mouth, roaring with laughter.

"Stop it Carrie. This is exactly what she wanted." Juliet struggled against Carrie from launching herself to attack Zoe again.

"I don't care!" Carrie screeched.

"Carrie. Stop it." A male's voice came from nowhere. Zoe looked to where the voice came from as she lay on the ground, and sure enough, there stood Ben. He looked like he was trying to supress a smile. "Go and cool off. I will see you later. Juliet, please will you go to your lab. Your team needs your help again." Juliet and Carrie did as they were told without another word, Carrie still looking furious, glaring at Zoe with a murderous stare.

Ben heaved Zoe up by her right arm so she was on her feet, and guided her to a house, once inside the nicely decorated house, Ben sat Zoe down and went to the sink and filled a bowl of water and brought it over with a cloth. Neither said a word for a moment. Ben sat opposite Zoe in silence for a minute and then he spoke.

"I'm going to take those cuffs off you, and you can use the water and cloth to clean your face. But I want your word that you aren't going to try anything stupid." Ben stated. Zoe didn't speak for a moment.

"Ok. You have my word." Zoe agreed. Ben stood up and unlocked Zoe's cuffs, Zoe rubbed her wrists from where they had chaffed from wearing them.

"So, are you going to tell me why I am suddenly trusted to be out of a cell and roaming fairly free around here? In Otherville?" Zoe asked. Ben smiled as Zoe finished her sentence.

"Well Zoe, we put measures about so that, even if you do decide to run, you won't get very far." Ben replied seriously.

"What kind of measures?" Zoe asked curiously and cautiously.

"Well..." Ben started. "For one, we have this big sonar fence surrounding this area, and without a code, if you try to cross it, it will kill you in an instant. Second reason, even if you somehow get past the sonar fence..." Ben then put his hand in his pocket and revealed a blackberry eletronic looking device. "That surgery that was performed on you by Juliet. It wasn't for a medical health reason. It was so we could install a chip, which is connected to this GPS system, so where ever you decide to run, we will always find you." Ben turned the device on, and showed the screen to Zoe, and where her current exact location was.

Anger instantlly flared up through Zoe's entire body.

"You son of a bitch." She growled through clentched teeth, trying to compose herself from launching herself at Ben and knocking all sense out of him