Scarlet Knights

by DharmaMotorPool

Summary:

The Rutgers mens' and womens' soccer teams have both made it to the national tournament, but when their plane crashes over the Canadian wilderness, who will survive, and who will wish they hadn't? (Yellowjackets AU)(Yellowjackets knowledge is helpful but not necessary)

Notes:

Alllllllllllllll the obvious trigger warnings apply to this work - though I will not be describing anything in massive detail, the nature of the story includes violence, cannibalism, and addiction. Please care for yourselves accordingly.

Chapter 1: One Dead Pilot

The Wilderness, 2006

There’s nothing but the cold. (Well, that and the fear.) An eerie, mechanical roar pierces the silence of the forest, and she runs, hoping beyond hope that it won’t catch up to her. Hope is futile in the Wilderness. Once it chooses you, you can only delay the inevitable, there is no escape.

Faster and faster she runs, her hair catching in the gnarled branches, her frozen skin scratched by twigs. She knows it’s behind her, but she cannot stop. She will not stop. She does not stop.

The pit stops her.

Everything goes black.

—

September 21st, 2004

“I can’t believe we both got invited to this tournament,” Juliet said as she and James snuggled under the covers. Their roommate Kate would be at work for hours, and their other roommate Jin would be wherever his girlfriend Sun was, giving Juliet and James plenty of alone time to bask in before the chaos began. Tomorrow, they and all their teammates would board a plane bound for Seattle to play in one of the biggest Division 1 college soccer tournaments in the country. Rumor had it there would be scouts for the pro league there, and the teams were abuzz with excitement for the potential of it. They'd had an excellent few seasons, and had won their division and qualified for the national tournament the year before. It would be a great note to go out on if they got to go again.

“I can! I told you I had a good feelin’ when the season started. Guess this officially makes us the ultimate power couple,” he joked, pulling her into a kiss.

“Mm, I guess so.” It was funny because it was the opposite of the truth. They weren’t exactly outcasts, not like the guys’ equipment manager, Ben, but they were far from popular. Juliet was going to pursue a medical degree after undergrad, and James wanted a doctorate in literature, so soccer and studying consumed their life (alongside spending every possible minute with each other).

Now that they were in their senior year, it was crunch time. Once the soccer season was over, they’d be able to focus on nothing but their studies and their relationship, and as much as they enjoyed their sport, they were both eager to be done with it.

“You’re gonna sit next to me on the plane, right?”

“Aw, sorry, I promised Goodwin I’d sit with him,” Juliet teased. He was the guys’ backup goalkeeper, and he’d had a massive crush on Juliet since freshman year. He still thought Juliet was oblivious about it, but literally everyone had known from the beginning, and Juliet had had to convince them all not to say anything and embarrass him. It was the best worst-kept secret at Rutgers. He’d been dating her teammate Harper for a while now though, so Juliet was sure he was over it, and privately joking about it didn’t make her feel bad anymore.

“Damn, I knew he’d steal you from me someday.”

Juliet laughed and kissed him again. “Never. I love you.”

He grinned, those words melting his heart just as they had the first time she’d said them three years ago. “I love you back.”

—

While almost everyone else on both soccer teams was out celebrating their most recent victories, Kate was stuck working and waiting on them. Bartending in a college town wasn’t a glamorous gig by any means, but it was good money, and she needed as much of it as she could stash away. Her dad would help her out if things got desperate, she knew that, but she didn’t want to rely on it - and she sure as hell wasn’t going to rely on her mom or Wayne.

Sometimes she wished she could let loose a little more, but when she wasn’t studying or playing soccer, she was picking up extra shifts. No time for socialization. She and her roommate Juliet were two peas in a pod that way, except Juliet had James, and Kate only had a friend with benefits in her teammate Cassidy. It was nice, but definitely not the same as having a partner.

“Kate! Can we get a couple more pitchers when you have a sec?” Jack almost had to shout over the music, but as the captain of the guys’ team, he was used to shouting across the field.

“Shouldn’t you slow down? We have a plane to catch in the morning, and I don’t wanna have to carry you onto it,” she teased. He and 7 or 8 of the other guys were only drinking pitchers of soda, but she had to give him a hard time. It was part of the job.

“Very funny,” he said with an amused smile, setting a $20 on the counter. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” She finished pouring and set the pitchers in front of him. An $8 tip? Worth it. Jack always tipped her well; she wasn’t sure if he was flirting, or if it was just because he had his dad’s money to burn. Maybe it was both. (She kind of hoped it was both.)

Jack returned to his buddies, and Kate moved along to her teammates on the other end of the bar. Claire was sipping her seltzer, and everyone else was drinking soda (though Kate had pretended not to notice Shannon pour some liquid from her flask into hers). Once the season was over, they’d throw caution to the wind and have a proper house party, but for now, soda would have to suffice.

“Does anyone else think we’re like, destined to go to nationals this year?” Claire asked.

“Obviously,” Shannon said. She was the team captain (not necessarily for her athletic ability, coach Alpert had told her, but because she was a great motivator), one of the youngest in school history since she was only a sophomore.

“You think it’s our destiny to go to a soccer tournament?” Ana Lucia asked skeptically.

“We make our own destiny,” Shannon clarified, “And I say our destiny isn't just to go to nationals, it's to win!”

“R–U rah rah!” The rest of the girls cheered, and the guys on the other end of the bar cheered the same in response. Kate laughed and shook her head. She enjoyed soccer and all, but she was mostly only playing because she’d been offered a full-ride scholarship to do so, and it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. She returned to work once everyone’s pitchers were replenished, lamenting the money she was going to lose out on by traveling so much. Good thing she’d been saving up…

—

Claire left the bar earlier than the rest of her compatriots. She had a good reason, after all, and it had nothing to do with having to wake up early the next day. “Is he asleep?” she asked Charlie upon walking into their cozy little apartment.

“Not yet, he’s been waiting for his mum,” Charlie replied, rocking their son in his arms as he approached and greeted her with a kiss.

“Well, mummy’s home now, Aaron, come here,” she reached out and Charlie handed him over happily. Not that he didn’t enjoy spending time with his son, but it had been a long day, and Claire always made everything better just by being there.

“Best get all the snuggles you can before you go,” he said as they sat together on the couch. “You’re sure you’re okay leaving him? Do I need to write you a sick note and get you out of it?”

Claire laughed and shook her head. “No, I’m sure. It’ll be hard, but he’s almost two and I’ve never left him for more than a day. It’s time.”

“Cutting those apron strings, eh?” he joked.

“Chopping them right off,” she teased back. “Besides, you two need some boys’ time.”

“Careful, or we’ll turn this place into a man-cave before you get back.”

“When we finish school and get our nice big house in the country, you can have all the man-caves you want.”

“Deal.” How he’d gotten so lucky, he’d never figure out. If he’d known it was all about to come crashing down, he might have cherished the moment a while longer.

—

September 22nd, 2004

Everything had been fine. It started as a flight like any other. Captain Seth Norris took Oceanic Flight 815 up into the air with both Scarlet Knights soccer teams aboard, and for a while, it was smooth sailing. Then, the turbulence started. It almost came out of nowhere, as though the storm manifested on purpose to attack their plane.

The captain rerouted them, and all seemed well again for a while, but somewhere over the Canadian wilderness, the flight instruments malfunctioned. The compass went haywire, the radio went dead, and he knew it was inevitable. Flight 815 was going down.

When the passengers on board realized what was happening, panic set in. Their stomachs dropped right along with their oxygen masks.

James was quicker to get his mask on, so he immediately secured Juliet’s, too. He held her shaking hands and told her he loved her. If he wasn’t going to make it out of this, he was going to do everything he could to ensure she did.

Jack went up and down the aisles to make sure as many people had masks on as possible, until he could wait no longer and strapped himself into the seat next to Kate. He grabbed her hand, lamenting that he’d never gotten the guts to ask her out.

Claire held a photo of Charlie and Aaron to her heart and prayed. Next to her, John calmly laid a hand on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

As the plane hurtled toward the ground, the tail end split from the fuselage. Moments later, both halves of Flight 815 made impact, several miles apart.

—

Jack’s eyes snapped open. He was alive! He stripped off his mask and looked over at an unconscious Kate. Please, please, please. He reached over to her neck and said a silent thank you when he found a pulse. “Kate? Kate, wake up.”

Around them, it was chaos, and everything was too loud. Some of the others were helping people up, while others worked to push the emergency door open. Kate stirred, but there wasn’t time to mess around. Jack undid their seatbelts, removed her mask, and carried her out of the plane. For the moment, he put it out of his mind that he’d had to step over Ethan and Danny’s corpses as he went. After he’d set her down a safe distance away, he went back in.

—

Juliet woke with a start. James was next to her, bleeding from a small piece of shrapnel in his shoulder. She removed their masks, but he didn’t stir. “James? James!” A tidal wave of panic crashed over her, but a moment later she noticed he was breathing, so she shook him awake. “James!” He groaned in response and opened his eyes. It was enough. “Let’s go!”

She got them out of their seats, and thankfully he was well enough to walk on his own. Juliet took a second to look around and spotted their carry-ons…on the other side of Goodwin and Harper’s bodies. It nearly caused her to fall down, but she went to the seats ahead of them and reached back for the bags, doing her best not to look at her unlucky teammates.

“Baby, come on,” James said with a gentle sort of urgency. Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she slung the bags over her shoulders and went back to him. They stumbled outside together, and she guided them far enough away that most of the screaming was drowned out.

“Don’t move, and don’t even think about pulling that out of your shoulder until I get back.”

He grabbed hold of her hand as she began to retreat. “Where do you think you’re goin’, Blondie?”

“I have to go back, I have to help them.”

“No,” he replied sternly, more stern than she’d ever seen him. “Don’t you leave me,” he insisted, and she knew he was dead serious. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help their teammates and friends, it was that he didn’t want to risk losing her. Not now, not ever. She’d be the same way if it was him.

“Okay. Okay, I won’t, I promise.” She kissed him to seal it. “But we have to get that thing out of there, and I’m gonna need to stitch you up.”

“Stitch me up with what? Ain’t exactly an ER around the corner.”

Juliet reached into her bag and produced a sewing kit and a bottle of nail polish remover. She never thought she’d be using them for this purpose, but she was suddenly grateful she’d thought to grab them. “I can’t numb you.”

“It’s okay, I trust you, baby. Do what you gotta do.”

When she pulled the shrapnel out, James’s scream filled the hollow spaces of the forest.

—

Boone was stuck. “You son of a bitch, come on!” He shouted at his seatbelt to no avail. It was damaged and wouldn't come undone. The turbines and the fire behind him roared, the flames now close enough that he was sweating profusely. “Come on! Help me! Help!”

“Boone!” His stepsister Shannon’s voice cut through the noise. She’d been visiting with some of the girls near the front of the aircraft when the turbulence began.

“Shannon! The seatbelt’s stuck, help me!”

Her fingers shook as they fumbled with the device, and a moment later, Jack appeared alongside her. “We have to go!” Jack shouted.

“I can’t get him out!” The panic in Shannon’s voice was almost scarier to Boone than the fire. She was usually so confident and cool under pressure, at least on the field.

Jack tried his hand at it next, but he couldn’t pry Boone free, either. “We have to go, the turbine’s gonna explode!”

“I’m not leaving him!” Shannon insisted.

“Shannon, we have to go!” There wasn’t time, or they’d all die. Jack gave Boone a sympathetic look as he grabbed onto a screaming, defiant Shannon and pulled her out of the plane.

Not fifteen seconds later, there was an explosion in the exact spot they’d been in. Shannon’s anguished shrieks carried for miles, but no one except the other survivors was around to hear them.

—

“Help!” Claire shouted. She and John had been on the edge of where the plane had split; their seats had been sucked backward and landed a ways away from the rest of the fuselage. A piece of the wreckage had fallen onto John’s left leg, and Claire had no idea what to do but shout for help. The photo of Charlie and Aaron was still clutched in her now-bloody hand. She wasn’t sure if it was her blood or John’s.

“Leave me, I’ll be all right, go find help,” John insisted. But she wouldn’t need to leave him, for a minute later, a figure emerged from the trees.

“Ben! Help us!” Claire shouted.

The mens’ team equipment manager sprang into action, and between him and Claire, they managed to lift and move the hunk of metal, but as soon as they did, they realized it was too late for John’s leg. It was mangled beyond repair.

John screamed in agony and passed out from the pain. Claire dropped to her knees beside John, held his hand, and launched into a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. Ben knew exactly what to do.

He wandered off in search of the tool he’d seen on the way there, and returned with it a few minutes later. As Claire prayed over John, Ben raised the axe high over the mangled leg and swung.

—

Early September, 2024

"It'll be twenty years this month," he said, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind.

"Time flies," she replied, leaning back against him. "Are you ready for the campaign photoshoot this afternoon?"

"I am if you are."

"Do you think it's a good idea? Running for office."

"There's a lot of good to be done in this state," he said, turning her around to face him.

"And a lot of things that can be dug up from the past."

"Well then, maybe we need to get some insurance."

Chapter 2: Fight or Flight Log

Summary:

In 2004, the survivors deal with the immediate aftermath of the crash. In 2024, a survivor is approached by a mysterious stranger...

September 22nd, 2004

Jack couldn’t think. Shannon’s screams felt like they were puncturing his eardrums, but he couldn’t exactly blame her. He wanted to go check on Kate since he had no idea how to comfort Shannon, but it also felt wrong to leave her like this. It was then that he spotted Ben in his peripheral. Picking up an axe.

“Thanks a lot, Jack,” a sarcastic voice from behind him said.

“Boone!” Shannon shouted in disbelief, throwing her arms around her brother.

Wide-eyed, Jack had no words and no time - he had to know what Ben was doing with that axe. He squeezed Boone’s shoulder and took off. They’d talk and he’d fix things later, Boone was too busy being squished nearly to death by his sister now, anyway. Unfortunately, there were more important matters to attend to. “Ben!” he called out.

“Yes, Jack?” The glasses-wearing history major was eerily calm. It unnerved Jack.

“What are you doing?”

“You might want to follow me,” Ben said cryptically.

“Great, you wanna fill me in first, Gollum, or play riddles in the dark?”

“Jack, help!” Their goalkeeper, Hurley, called out in a panic before Jack could get any answers. “I think Paulo needs like, CPR or something!”

“Find me over there when you’re done,” Ben instructed before walking off.

Jack hurried over to Hurley, Paulo’s girlfriend Nikki, and an unconscious Paulo. Jack was pre-med, so in addition to being the team captain, he was the default medic - roles he took on both willingly and with some reluctance.

Deft fingers rested on Paulo’s neck, then an ear pressed to his chest, searching in vain for signs of life. Jack began compressions. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. It became evident that he was not coming back and had likely been killed on impact. Jack shook his head and put his hand on a distraught Nikki’s shoulder, mumbled an apology, and left her with Hurley. He was much better at comforting people than Jack was.

There were more screams as he jogged in the direction Ben had indicated. He tried to prepare himself, but nothing he imagined could have prepared him for the sight of Ben hacking John’s leg off right in front of Claire. “Holy shit.” He broke into a sprint. “What the fuck, Ben! What did you do?” He stepped in front of his shell-shocked half-sister, just in case, but Ben had already put the axe down and was now pulling his belt out of the loops in his khakis.

“His leg was lost, Jack, he would have gotten compartment syndrome and died, which is the conclusion I assume you would have come to, as well. Here, have they taught you how to make a tourniquet?”

With an angry glare, Jack snatched the belt from Ben’s grasp and got to work tightening it around John’s lower thigh. “What were you gonna do if I hadn’t followed you, huh?” Jack demanded.

“I could have done the tourniquet myself, I’ve taken all the necessary first aid classes, I just thought it better to be done by a doctor in training. Here,” he handed Jack a tiny bottle of tequila from his pocket.

If they weren’t literally in the middle of a life-and-death crisis in the woods, Jack would have smacked the smug expression right off Ben’s face. He would address the manner of Ben’s decision (and where the tequila came from) later, right after he talked to Boone…and checked on Kate…and buried the dead. He hadn’t let what happened sink in yet, and he couldn’t, not until he made sure everyone who survived was all right.

Once the tourniquet was secure and he’d cleaned and wrapped the wound as best as he could for the moment, he sent Ben in search of first aid supplies and had Claire stay with John. “Let me know when he wakes up, and keep him calm,” he instructed her. “It’s gonna be okay, they should know where we are, rescue is probably already on the way. You’ll be home with Charlie and Aaron by tomorrow.”

Claire nodded and squeezed the cross on her necklace.

—

When Kate opened her eyes, she was propped against a tree. She had a foggy memory of Jack carrying her out of the plane, but wasn’t sure how much of it was real or imagined. A small scrape adorned her face, but it seemed she was otherwise unharmed. How is that possible?

She took in her surroundings; Juliet was putting stitches in James’s shoulder, Nikki was crying over a very deceased-looking Paulo while Hurley comforted her, Desmond was digging a hole (presumably for Paulo, she thought regrettably), Shannon and Boone were moving all the luggage and supplies they could find into a pile, Coach Alpert was gathering wood with Sun and Jin…

No Jack, no Cassidy.

Kate switched to offense mode; on the field it was her job to know when to defend and when to attack, and her instincts said now was the time to spring into action.

FLASHBACK - September 16th, 2004

“Fuck!” Kate cried out. A few moments later, Cassidy crawled her way back up from between Kate’s legs, and Kate collapsed back onto the bed, exhausted in the best way. “You’re getting really good at that.”

Cassidy laughed as she lay down next to her. “Practice makes perfect.”

“Give me a minute to recover and I’ll show you how I’ve perfected my craft, too,” Kate said with a lascivious grin.

“I love it when we win,” Cassidy joked. They’d been casually hooking up for almost a year. It had started after a big win the season before; they’d gone back to Kate’s after celebrating with the team. Kate mentioned it had been a while since she’d hooked up with anyone but had no desire for a relationship, one thing had led to another, and suddenly they were friends with very nice benefits. They were on the same page about it being casual only, because as much as they loved one another, it wasn’t in a romantic way.

After that, they’d started hooking up every time they won - and they won a lot. During the off season, they’d agreed to continue as the mood struck, and that was more than enough for Kate. A relationship was too much for her to handle at the moment, and Cassidy felt the same way, so it was the perfect arrangement.

“Are you nervous about the flight?” Cassidy asked afterward.

It would be Kate’s first time on an airplane, and she was a little nervous, but mostly excited. “Nah,” she fibbed.

“Liar.” Cassidy always saw right through her, so Kate had made a game of jokingly responding with lies or half-truths.

Kate laughed. “Maybe a little. Are you?”

“Nah,” she repeated, though Kate knew she was actually serious. “I’ve flown a lot, it’s the same as driving, just—higher.”

“That should be American Airlines’ new tagline - just like driving, but higher.”

“You’re corny as hell,” Cassidy teased, touching Kate exactly where she knew it made her go weak.

“You’re evil,” Kate joked in return, rocking her body toward Cassidy’s touch.

“And incredibly talented.”

“We both are,” Kate argued.

“You can show me your talents in a minute.” Cassidy went to work again, and all talk of the plane ride was forgotten.

—

September 22nd, 2004

“Cassidy! Jack!” Kate called their names as she darted around the area.

“Jack went that way,” Hurley told her, pointing to indicate the direction.

“Have you seen Cassidy?”

“No, wasn’t she sitting next to you?”

“She went to the bathroom, I don’t know where–”

“In the back of the plane?” Hurley asked. Kate didn’t like the look on his face or the way he’d asked that.

“Yeah, why?”

“Kate, the plane—well, look at it,” Hurley turned toward the fuselage, and for the first time, Kate noticed almost half of it was missing. “I’m so sorry, dude. I think everybody who was back there—”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence. Kate fell to her knees and wept.

—

September 2024

“Fuck!” The contents of the paper bag were half in her hands and half splayed on the driveway. She sighed in resignation and squatted down to recombobulate her groceries.

“Need some help?” An unfamiliar voice asked from behind her.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Are you fine, Kate?”

She froze. Her eyes darted in the direction of her glove compartment where her gun was safely stashed, much too far away for her current liking. “Think you’ve got the wrong person,” she said, continuing to pick up her things and standing to face the stranger. “My name’s Monica.”

“We don’t need to play games,” the stranger, a petite woman with dark, curly hair said. “And I’m not here to cause you any grief. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m here to make you an offer.”

“And who exactly are you?” The woman looked tough, but Kate could take her if she needed to.

“Ilana Verdansky,” the woman said, holding out a business card. “I’m a journalist, and I have some connections who are interested in publishing your story.”

“Not interested,” Kate said coldly, walking into the house with her arms full of grocery bags. To her annoyance, Ilana followed her. This was exactly why she’d changed her name and her hair color…well, it was a big part of why.

“I really think you’ll want to hear me out on this one,” Ilana pushed.

“I really think I won’t.”

“Please, just give me a minute of your time and then I’m gone, I promise.”

Kate sighed and set her groceries on the counter. “Fine. One minute and counting, starting now.”

“You have one hell of a story to tell, I know it. I also know you have a son who’ll be headed off to college in a few short years. He could be set up for life, and all you have to do is sit through a few interviews. We have a ghost writer who’ll handle everything else. We don’t even have to reveal your identity, if that’s of concern.”

If that’s of concern, Kate thought to herself sarcastically, as though this “journalist” didn’t already know damn well it was a matter of concern. “What are your credentials, again?”

Ilana slid her business card across the counter. “Just think about it. Chat with your husband, and if you’re interested, give me a call.”

“My husband’s not interested, either.”

“Then you have nothing to lose by discussing it with him.”

“If it’ll get you to leave my house, then fine.”

Ilana held her hands up as though professing innocence of some kind. Kate knew better. This was fishy as fuck, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “I’m gone,” Ilana assured her. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Monica.”

Once she was certain Ilana had driven away, Kate pulled out her phone and did a search on the “journalist” Ilana Verdansky. After checking through the results, she dialed a number she used so rarely she thought she'd never need it again. “Someone just came to my house. She knew my name…you brought us back into the public eye, and I want you to take care of it. When can we meet?”

—

September 22nd, 2004

“Are you okay?” Juliet asked once she’d finished the stitches. It was a stupid question, she knew, but what else was there to say? He’d know what she meant, anyway.

“I got you, I’m just fine,” he assured her. “C’mon, let’s go check on everyone else in this mess.” He’d seen Desmond digging, and that could only mean one thing in this context. With a bum shoulder, he wouldn’t be as much help as he’d like, but he could try.

“James,” she said, her voice breaking. She’d been holding it together to get through his stitches, but it was sinking in now. The crash, the plane breaking apart mid-air, Harper and Goodwin’s corpses…

“Hey, come here.” He pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head as he held her. “We’re gonna be okay. They’re probably already comin’ to get us. It’s okay, baby.” Maybe if he kept saying it, he’d believe it himself.

Once she’d had a minute to let the tears out and get herself together again, they joined hands and walked over to coach Alpert, who was now building a fire with Sun and Jin. “What can we do to help?” Juliet asked quietly. Her gaze drifted nearby to where Desmond was digging.

“Hey, you two,” the coach looked weary and his eyes were ringed with redness from crying. “James, can you help Desmond and Hurley? We need to…they’re gathering those who didn’t make it so we can–”

James nodded. “I’m on it, coach. Will you be all right, Blondie?” She nodded, and he kissed her in parting.

“Can you track everyone down and get them to come over here? We should all stay together, a rescue team is probably on the way, and we want to be prepared when they arrive.”

“You got it, coach.”

“I can’t—I shouldn’t have put us into consideration for this tournament, if I hadn’t—”

“We’d have begged you until you did,” Juliet interrupted. She wasn’t about to let him blame himself for a freak accident. “This isn’t your fault, don’t even think it.”

“The back of the plane—”

“I know.” Juliet pulled him into a gentle hug, giving him a moment the way James had done for her. When he pulled back, Juliet squeezed his shoulder in reassurance and headed off to gather those who remained.

—

September 2024

Kate sat in the local diner, sipping on her coffee, which she’d left black despite its bitterness. They’d agreed to meet at 10:00, once the kids were off to school and the diner a bit less crowded. She checked her watch. 9:58.

Not a minute later, the bell sounded above the door. It was her.

Long legs helped her stride to Kate’s table in seconds, and she took a seat across from her. “Nice to see you, Kate.”

“You too, Juliet.”

Chapter 3: Diners, Break-ins, and Deaths

Summary:

Juliet and Kate catch up, Kate gets an unexpected visitor, eulogies are given, and the woods are...alive?

September 2024

“It’s been a long time,” Juliet said. “I was surprised to hear from you, Monica.”

“I was surprised the number you gave me still worked,” Kate retorted. Juliet hadn’t wanted anything to do with the rest of them for years. She’d married James, popped out a kid, and curated the picture-perfect life. Now she was running for state office, and Kate was still hiding. Sure, she had Jack, she had their son, but she wasn’t free. Oh, how she envied Juliet’s ability to not give a fuck, and be cool as a cucumber no matter what information the press tried to pull from her. Kate supposed that if any of them were to be in the public eye, Juliet was the one most equipped to handle it. At least it took most of the heat off the rest of them.

“Why’d you ask me here?”

“I told you on the phone,” Kate said, exasperated.

“I know what you told me, but what’s really going on? You’re more than capable of driving off reporters, you don’t need my help for that.”

“This wasn’t just some reporter. She knew my real name, and there was something off about her. Something creepy. I didn’t get the sense that she’s gonna take no for an answer.”

The waitress approached, and Juliet politely ordered coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie. Juliet would order pie for breakfast…clearly, not everything had changed in the last 20 years. The waitress refilled Kate’s coffee and went on her way. “What’s she going to do, Kate, tie you down and torture you?”

“I don’t know, that’s the problem. Besides, I looked her up after she left, and there’s nothing on her. Not so much as a byline.”

“Maybe she uses a pseudonym,” Juliet suggested. So nonchalant, as always.

“Maybe, but if she wanted me to work with her, why give me a name that can’t be looked into, unless she doesn’t want to be looked into?”

“I think you’re overthinking this.” 

“I think you’re under thinking this,” Kate argued. As the words left her mouth, she felt the petulance dripping from them like juice from a lemon, and it left a similarly sour taste in her mouth. She’d always felt a bit second-rate compared to Juliet, and apparently that hadn’t changed in the last 20 years, either.

“I think ten steps ahead about everything ,” Juliet said confidently. It was almost eerie how Kate believed her when she said it. It made her think there was something bigger going on than Juliet was admitting. “I have to.”

“Then what, you’re asking me just to trust you that it’s fine?”

“More or less.”

“Fine.”

The waitress returned with the coffee and pie. “Want a bite?” Juliet offered.

Kate glowered at her, but the pie did look delicious. She picked up her spoon and took a chunk right out of the middle near the crust, lifting it to her mouth with a devious grin.

“Seriously?” Juliet sounded incredulous, but Kate knew from experience that her tone was more playful than anything else. There was a near-indetectable smile on her face. Kate had always been pretty good at eliciting such a response from her.

“It’s the best part.”

—

Kate and Juliet chatted a while longer. It was mostly small talk (How’s Clementine, how’s David, wow you got a dog? ), but there was an element of it that gave Kate that good ole nostalgic feeling, like they were back in college again. Being around Juliet had always had a strange sort of effect on her. There was attraction, certainly; Juliet had an enigmatic presence (and if you asked Juliet, she’d have said the same about Kate, but Kate wasn’t asking), though it transcended that. They’d been through so much together in the past, and though most of it was a hazy daydream now, the memory of how it all felt (the good, the bad, and the seriously ugly) still lingered.

When they parted, Kate felt lighter but still apprehensive. Hopefully, she’d heard the last of Ilana Verdansky, but she had a funny feeling it was only the beginning. At least if the issue persisted, she could sing the “I told you so” song to Juliet…that would be satisfying to do for once.

After running a few errands, Kate made her way back home. It would still be a few hours before David got home since he had piano lessons after school, and Jack - well, he would return whenever his increasingly unpredictable schedule permitted. 

She was so distracted with setting her purse and her keys in their spot by the door that she didn’t notice the figure sitting silently on the couch until they acknowledged her. “Hello, Kate.”

Kate jumped and let out a surprised yelp. Her gun was, once again, much too far away. Luckily, she wouldn’t need it. “Ben ?” She couldn’t even recall the last time she’d seen their creepy, glasses-wearing cohort (calling him ‘friend’ was far from accurate), but now here he sat, as though his presence had been welcome and expected.

“Did you have a good time with Juliet?”

“Jesus Christ! How did you—why the fuck are you in my house?!” she demanded. Her heart was still racing. “How did you even get in here?”

“You picked the most cliché hiding place for your spare key, even an amateur could figure it out in three seconds flat, and I’m no amateur.” 

“Make a habit of breaking into people’s houses, then?”

“I didn’t break anything, Kate, all your windows and doors are intact.”

“How’d you know I was with Juliet?” She could guess; she knew Ben frequented the area’s civilian detective forums (Jack had heard about it through the hospital grapevine from someone else who was active on the forums). Also, Ben was resourceful enough to abuse the power and connections he had.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on our mutual friend since she announced her bid for office.”

“Let me guess - you got a visit from Ilana Verdansky, too.” Not surprising. The “journalist” would probably make her rounds to everyone she could find who was connected to the 2004 Scarlet Knights. She wondered if Juliet knew Ben was tailing her. (More than likely.)

“Juliet hardly seems concerned, but I am, and I figured you and Jack would be, too.”

“I was, but Juliet said she has it under control, and I believe her.”

“You’ve hardly spoken a word to her in 20 years,” Ben countered, “How do you know you can trust her?"

“I didn’t say I trust her, I said I believe her.”

“Still, I prefer not to leave my fate to the will of others.”

“You’re so fucking weird,” Kate muttered. “What do you want, Ben?” 

“I think we need to go on a little road trip.”

“Are you nuts? Why would we go on a road trip with you?”

“To find John Locke.”

—

September 22nd, 2004

As night fell, the survivors gathered in their makeshift graveyard to lay to rest the ones they’d lost. Sun and Jin had crafted grave markers, and included one for those who’d been in the tail section. Ana Lucia Cortez, Libby Smith, Eko Tunde, Cindy Chandler, Mikhail Bakunin, Ryan Pryce, Isabel Jensen, Bea Klugh, Cassidy Phillips…Kate stared at it with a vacant expression. None of it had truly sunk in yet.

So many names. So many graves. Coach Horace Goodspeed, Paulo Santoro, Goodwin Stanhope, Harper Jones, Ethan Rom, Danny Pickett, Colleen Baxter, Caesar Costa. 17 of their people were just gone. Just under half of them were dead now. The Scarlet Knights were done for, they’d never recover from this. Not this season, anyway, and who would even want to play for them next season? Kate didn’t know if she could bear stepping onto the field again after all this. 

Everyone stood in a circle around the gravesites. James and Juliet clung to one another, as did Sun and Jin, and Bonnie and Greta. Ben and Tom were fussing over John, who was in a strange state of calm considering he’d lost a limb. Shannon was talking to Coach Richard while Hurley chatted softly with Desmond. Nikki sat on the ground next to Paulo’s grave, her face hollow, and Boone sat next to her in silence, one hand on her shoulder. Claire was fidgeting with her necklace while Jack stood next to her, looking as lost as Kate felt.

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Coach finally spoke up. “We’ve got everything set up for us to camp here tonight. Let’s make sure we all stay together right around the fire, please don’t wander off too far. I’ll keep watch and I’ll ask a few of you to help with that, as well. For now, our captains would like to say a few words. Shannon?”

—

What the hell did anyone say at a funeral, anyway? Shannon had been barely a step above catatonic at her dad’s funeral a few years back, and she hadn’t been to one since. She’d have had no clue what to say even in a normal circumstance, and this was anything but normal. How could she possibly make anyone feel better about their current situation? “I don’t think I can do this,” she whispered to Coach. 

“Yes, you can,” he assured her. “Look, I can speak if you really don’t think you can, but I think it’s the fear talking. I chose you as our captain for a reason, Shannon. You know how to encourage people, and they want to listen to you. You can do this. Don’t overthink it, just speak from the heart.”

After a lifetime of being told by her stepmother that she wasn’t good enough, Shannon had finally earned her place. She’d finally found what she was great at, and in less than a minute, it had been ripped from her just like the tail section had torn away from the fuselage. Still, she was grateful Richard was there and that she hadn’t lost Boone. There was a long road ahead, but they would be okay. She knew it. “Okay, I’ll do it.” 

Richard announced her, and she steadied herself. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “I wish I could tell you I had some fancy speech that’ll make everything better, but I don’t. I don’t know if there’s anything anyone can say that will ease the pain we feel—we lost 17 of our Scarlet Knights today. 17 teammates, coaches, friends, partners—I don’t know how long it’ll take us to recover. There’s so much I don’t know right now, but I do know one thing: we will recover. We will fight our grief, and we will win, just like we do on the field, and we’ll do it the same way we win games. Together.” 

She grabbed the hands of Richard and Boone, who stood on either side of her. One by one, the entire circle joined hands, and they all stood together in silent solidarity for a few moments. Then Jack spoke.

“That was a tough act to follow, Shan,” he said, and despite themselves, most everyone smiled. “I can really only reiterate what my fellow captain said. We’re stronger together, and we’ve got a whole community back home who I know will rally around us. This is a defining moment for all of us. It’s the moment we decide whether we give in to grief and let it defeat us, or if we find our strength and defeat it. We owe it to our fallen Knights to honor their memory in every way we can. When we get home, we’ll decide together exactly how we want to do that. Let’s have another moment of silence for them.”

After a few quiet minutes, Hurley spoke up. “I think we should sing our Alma Mater.” Everyone nodded their agreement, and Hurley began the song (at a slower pace than usual). Once the final notes faded upward into the heavens, the group slowly dispersed.

—

“That was a nice speech,” Kate told Jack, who was setting up a pillow and blanket for himself near the fire. She held her own sleeping supplies at her side and had bundled up in a hoodie while trying not to think about the fact that earlier that day, the hoodie had belonged to Colleen. 

“Thanks,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to say, I’m glad Shannon went first.”

“You both did great,” she assured him. “Mind if I sleep over here?”

“It’s a free wilderness,” he joked.

“Do you always crack jokes when you’re uncomfortable?” she teased.

“Yeah, probably.” He offered a smile and patted the ground next to him. “How are you doing? Really.”

“Really? Pretty awful,” she answered honestly as she laid down a blanket and took a seat. “You?”

“Pretty awful seems to sum it up. I watched Ben chop John’s leg off, so that was a nice cherry on top.”

“Jesus.” 

“Careful, if Claire hears you say the Lord’s name, she’ll want to pray with you.”

“You know, I actually wouldn’t mind that so much tonight.” Kate had never been particularly religious. Considering her upbringing, it was a surprise she knew anything at all about the subject, but being around Claire had taught her quite a bit. It was nice to see someone with such strong convictions; it made her want to believe, too. 

“I’m a science guy, and so is our dad, so she must get it from her mom. I’m not sure if I put much stock in any of it. I believe in what I can see, but sometimes I envy how sure she is about everything, you know?”

“Guess that’s why they call it faith, you have to believe without seeing. I kind of envy it, too,” Kate admitted.

“Well, this whole ordeal has made me think about a lot of things, so maybe Claire can teach me about it when we get home.”

“Home.”

“Did I hear my name?” Claire approached them on Jack’s opposite side. “Can I set up camp here, too?”

“Yeah, of course you can, I was saving you a spot,” Jack said. “We were just talking about faith.”

“Do you think—could you maybe help me say a prayer for everyone?” Kate asked as tears formed in her eyes. She didn’t know if it would do any good, but it certainly couldn’t hurt, right?

“Oh my goodness, of course,” Claire said, quickly arranging her blanket and sitting down with them. She took one of Jack’s hands and then reached over for one of Kate’s. Kate took it and held on tight, and a moment later, she felt Jack grab her other hand. She smiled over at him through her tears. 

“Dear heavenly father,” Claire began, “We pray for the souls of our departed friends, that your mercy be upon them as you welcome them to your kingdom. We pray for those of us who remain, that we may find comfort in each other. We pray for your guidance, that your light may shine upon us and show us the way. We place our trust in you, Lord, to care for us and those we love, here on earth and when we go to our eternal rest with you. In your name, we pray. Amen.”

“Amen,” Jack and Kate echoed in unison. Jack let go of Kate’s hand and reached up to brush the tears from her cheek. “We’re gonna be okay,” he assured her. 

“We are,” Claire agreed, squeezing both their hands. 

“Thanks. And thank you, Claire. That was beautiful.”

“Prayer is a beautiful thing,” Claire said, releasing their hands and lying back on her makeshift bed. “I believe something good will come of all this. We may not know what it is yet, but there’s always a reason.”

“I hope you’re right,” Jack said. 

“Have I ever been wrong?”

“Oh, let me count the ways,” Jack teased.

“Shut up, you’re still just jealous that I’m the favorite,” Claire joked in return.

“Nah, it puts way less pressure on me.”

Kate smiled, a feat she didn’t think would be possible on such a day. She’d always longed for a sibling of her own, but Cassidy had sort of been the closest she’d ever had to one…apart from the friends-with-benefits aspect, of course. As she lay down and looked up at the night sky, bursting with stars, she thought of Cassidy. She would miss her forever, she knew that much. It made her feel guilty though, because at the same time, she was thinking how well Jack’s hand had fit with her own.

—

Ben had been caring for John and any other injured survivors all day, neglecting his own needs, but he could ignore his bladder no longer. Once John settled in for the night, he excused himself. He’d expected John to be more on edge, but he was bizarrely zen about everything. It validated how Ben felt. He excelled in a crisis, and he knew he’d done well today. Equipment managers were part of the team for a reason. He was the glue that held them all together. One day they’d see it.

As he walked, lost in thought, he strayed a bit further than he’d intended. He only stopped because he nearly tripped over something, but he caught himself in time. What was that? It was too big to be a tree root. He bent down to examine it, and his already naturally wide eyes widened even further. The plane’s emergency transmitter! 

Voices carried in his direction from a short distance away; Ben grabbed the transmitter and hid himself behind a large tree. As the voices grew louder, he identified them as Hurley and Desmond. “I’m surprised, he really saved John’s life today,” Hurley said. 

“I didn’t know he was so good in a crisis, I’ll give him that,” said Desmond.

“We’d be pretty screwed without him.”

Ben smiled in disbelief. This was it, this was the chance he’d been waiting for all his life! No one had ever appreciated the extra effort, the lengths he went to, but they were finally beginning to notice. He couldn’t let that end now. If they went back home tomorrow, it would be over. They’d all band together as teammates and forget about him again. He may not have been an all-star athlete like the rest of them, but he had value, too. They needed to see it, he needed more time to prove it to them. All he needed was a few more days; that was it. When he was confident that Hurley and Desmond were gone and he finally relieved his angry bladder, he snuck back to camp, to the place he’d left the axe…no one needed to know about the transmitter just yet.

—

Everyone had settled in, but no one had fallen asleep yet. Juliet snuggled against James’s back, still feeling emotionally numb, but comforted by his presence. Something about these woods felt strange. Off . She couldn’t pinpoint why, but it was akin to the feeling of being watched. She hid her face between his shoulder blades and closed her eyes, shutting the rest of the world out.

Apart from the sound of the crackling fire, the woods were almost supernaturally silent. Richard stared out at the abyss of the wilderness as he kept watch, and he swore he could feel it staring back. 

From the depths of the forest, a mechanical roar sounded, piercing the silence and pulling all 18 survivors from their attempt at rest. Everyone stood to huddle together as they looked for the source of the sound, but nothing approached. In the moonlight, they saw the canopies of trees bend in the distance, as though something massive moved through them. After a few minutes, the noises ceased and it seemed the danger had passed. They waited in silence a while longer before Desmond spoke.

“What the hell was that?”

A fear-stricken Claire squeezed her crucifix necklace so hard it broke skin, and she whispered into the night, “Where are we?”