The Regulators

Chapter One

NOTE ON THE SERIES: This fic is one of two parts of a 'finale', as I'll call it, of a series I've had on here for a while called 'Fated'. It begins with Whatever the Case May Be and the order is listed in my bio, though I have to update it with the new incoming fics. Really all you need to read is my version of "Hearts and Minds" and know that Jack knows about Sawyer's past(or some of that anyway). I decided I liked that plot. You'll also need to read the last four..unless you want me to give you a long summary of what happened. I think it's four- the last one about Jack, anyway. And, oh yeah, Claire's still pregnant in my fic.

FOR RETURNING REVIEWERS: For those who read "The Message In the Bottle", this takes place after the incident with Jack, Alana, and the flying lesson thing. So Jack's been getting some help, but not just from a doctor..(insert evil grin here).

Disclaimer: I'll only give one disclaimer, unless I use a particular song or quote. Lost belongs to J.J. and co. at ABC. The Regulators comes from the title of a Richard Bachman(aka, Stephen King) book. I said the hatch is similar to something found in a Harry Potter book, which belongs to J.K. Rowling(the 'J.J.' of literature). Speaking of which..

No, you do not have to be familiar with Harry Potter to understand the hatch thing. It's just similar to a prop found in one of the books, in particular, the third..hint, hint..

Summary: Just as Locke and Boone disappear, so does Kate's case, which will lead to a death if the survivors can't get their heads straight.

From A device used to maintain uniform speed in a machine; a governor.

A review of Richard Bachman's(Stephen King) The Regulators from Time from Regulators will bring a return to sturdier, more surefire thrills: heaps and heaps of gore, . . . ambiguous but decidedly malevolent supernatural powers, and cataclysmic battles between good and ultimate evil.

(Space)

Jack had to concentrate hard as he pulled the white medical tape bandaged around Shannon's ankle. Words danced behind him, demanding answers Jack didn't know, and he was about to round on the voice, and shout for it to just go away, when he remembered it was only Sayid.

"You didn't see who it was?" Sayid repeated for the dozenth time that evening.

"No," Jack said, fighting hard not to let Sayid know that he was bothering him, even though that was just what half of Jack wanted.

Tucking the end of the white tape into the makeshift splint wrap, Jack gave the bandage a last tug and Shannon winced above him, causing Sayid to glare at Jack in protection. Jack looked back at him, telling Sayid with his eyes that he was sorry for the pain, that he was doing all he could to help it, and that it wasn't his fault. Right, Jack thought, now if only I could tell myself that. But it wasn't Shannon that he was thinking about..

Jack inhaled deeply, cupping a bouquet of roses in his right hand as knocked on the wooden door in front of him, the sound erupting in a hallow echo throughout the neighborhood, and he noticed at the last moment a neighbor gardening who looked up at Jack, wondering who'd dare disturb his perfect afternoon. He gave the man an apologetic look before turning back to the wooden door that stood in front of him, and Jack was beginning to think that it reminded him of standing in front of a brick wall- a brick wall that he could not jump over, when the door creaked open, and a shine of beauty enlightened the space between him and the house he had entered maybe one too many times.

"Hey," the blonde that stood gazing in front of him said before throwing her arms around him.

"Woah- woah," Jack said, catching his balance and laughing, "I've missed you too- Sarah."

Kate stood waiting under some trees that she had checked for fruit while Jack finished dressing Shannon's wound. She had overheard Shannon's story of what happened, and then Sayid's, and from what it sounded like, it was Boone who was now missing, never having returned from the rescue that they had known nothing about, which Kate knew had perturbed Jack, but she hadn't said anything.

Actually, Kate was more worried for Jack's well-being more than the still-pregnant Claire's. At least Claire still cared for herself, and let others know that she was speaking the truth when she was talking, but with Jack..hell, even Sawyer could see through Jack. But between balancing Jack's emotional, and Sawyer's mysterious dreams, Kate knew it would only be days before the universe planted a nice, gray, highlight in her hair.

Finally after what seemed like hours, Jack came out of the caves. He seemed angry, and had almost stormed out.

"What happened?" Kate asked in immediate concern.

"Nothing," Jack said, shaking it off as he chose a path to take.

"Is Shannon okay?" Kate asked next.

"She's fine," Jack said, plainly wanting Kate to just go away, but Kate wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.

"Where are you going?" By then, Kate had to hurry to catch up on him.

Jack let his actions answer her as he continued down the path, planting each foot down in an aggravated stomp, crushing leaves and limbs to bits. When he finally stopped, it took a moment for her to realize where they were: at the rock where the case had been hidden. Dropping to his knees, Jack began to search the bushes, only to find them empty.

"Dammit!" Jack said sharply.

"What?" Kate asked, moving in for a better look, until she then to saw..

Jack looked at Kate.

"Your case is gone," he confirmed quietly.

Kate looked back down to the ground, and then back up to Jack's apologetic eyes, and they both knew that this couldn't turn out well.

(Space)

Thirty minutes later, Jack and Kate were back at the beach, double checking Kate's tent in some weird scenario that Kate had sleepwalked, or maybe one of them had hid it there and had forgotten. Well, Kate was searching, Jack had practically destroyed the place, turning over suitcases and goods he didn't know that Kate had while she just stood back quietly, and watched. Kate's eyes watched Jack closely, knowing that one of the next suitcases held more of her valuables(the few that she had, anyway) and one of those was the tiny, broken, toy airplane, and she didn't know it would be Jack's reaction to her having it, or maybe him remembering why she had it that bothered her, but she didn't want to find out.

"Jack," Kate said, pulling on his arm, receiving a tug away in protest, "no Jack, stop."

Kate jerked Jack towards her, and Jack glared at her, anger boiling inside his pale face.

"It's not here," Kate said, praying that Jack wouldn't blow up at her.

Instead, Jack exhaled deeply, and ran his fingers over his head.

"I know, I know," Jack said quietly, and then let his tone grow, "I'll just keep looking for it, ask around-"

He said it before he could stop himself.

"Ask around?" Kate repeated. "Jack, this isn't going to end up like it did with that plane. I'm not letting you put your life on the line for me anymore."

She looked up at him, pleaing for Jack not to get himself into anything he'll regret. The only problem was, putting his life on the line to protect Kate was exactly what he wanted to do.

(Space)

"You're telling me that you didn't even bother to see how far down this thing went?" Boone complained after twenty minutes of climbing into dark oblivion.

Boone couldn't even see his hands in front of him, and he knew that if he lost his concentration for one moment, he might fall into his death.

"I threw a rock down," Locke replied, some feet below him, "but I never heard it crash to the ground."

"That's the point," Boone sighed.

"If a tree falls in a forest, does it really make a sound?" Locke asked out of nowhere.

"What?" Boone asked, and his concentration broke.

His foot slipped, and he fell, tempts to grab on to the rope ladder resulting in Boone's arm scratching against it, and he felt like he would fall forever until something suddenly grabbed a hold of his left hand. He couldn't see, but he was certain that that something was Locke.

"Hold- on," Locke said, having trouble doing so.

But the rope could only hold bother their weight for so long and the rope snapped, sending Boone falling, though he never heard Locke fall behind him. Not being able to control himself was the scary part, along with not being able to know when the impact was coming. That was when he slammed against a rock hard ground, crushing his knee as he let out a scream of pain, and grabbed his knee as it swelled up in pain.

"Are you all right?" Yelled a voice from somewhere up ahead.

"No!" Boone shouted, moister developing in his eyes that he became embarrassed about quickly, and swiped his arm across his eyes, his hand flying back to his knee immediately afterwards.

Even being beat up and tied to a tree by some insane druggie didn't hurt this much. It felt like the muscles of Boone's right leg were made up of bricks, and he began to worry about ever getting out of there. The weirdest part though, was that it seemed like just the thought of the pain, fear of it, seemed to make the entire situation worse.

"I'm coming down there!" Locke said into the tunnel, bringing Boone back into reality.

"No!" Boone argued. "Go find a way to get me out of here."

He didn't care if they had spent a month or four months digging this thing out, all Boone wanted was to be back on land, where he could actually see..

That's when he realized he could. A dim light was coming from what seemed like no where, a light that just beamed down on the room, and despite his pain, Boone made himself look around, and stopped half way.

Behind him, against a wall, was stationed a computer, shut off, the size of a big screen tv, and it hummed as its large monitor gave off light from underneath it. The light looked to be coming out of a cable from underground, and a large control pad that substituted a keyboard lay out in front of it, some one, one and a half feet long.

"Boone?" Locke asked from above him. "Anything wrong? Is something down there?"

He glanced at his the tear in his jeans where his knee was bleeding feveretly, and then glanced back at the screen that engulfed the space behind him.

"Yeah," Boone answered finally, "something's down here."

Author's Note: Sorry for the short and eventless first chapter. I'll try and pick up the pace, but I'm still working on the layout of events in this. I do have my plan down for the hatch, and now even the numbers, and the rescue, I just have to work on the order of things. I'll have the computer all day tomorrow and maybe even tomorrow night, along with Saturday night(assuming nothing happens) so hopefully you'll get lots of updates, and even a possible ending this weekend. I plan to get a lot done, and hope I can. Thanks for all the reviews for "The Impossible" and I hope you guys came back!

Next up in "The Regulators" and in the future:

More is revealed about that freaky computer, especially when it's turned on. And no, unfortuently for Locke and Boone, no e-mail or IM. Instead, they find something much more interesting and(finally, thank god for me!) the mystery of that stupid hatch is solved. Jack never gets the chance to betray Kate's trust of not doing anything he regrets, when Alex and Walt turn up with a dead body, and guess whose it is? Only problem, the only person that could tell them what really happened is nearly thirty feet under ground with a busted knee and a creepy old dude who really doesn't know the first thing about first aid, but pretends like he does anyway. And as for Jack's flashbacks? Let's just say it starts with a 'b' and ends with a 'y' and it lives in a crib..but not at Jack's place.

Lol, I go overboard with those summaries, don't I? Oh well. Thanks again for the reviews, and more should be up tomorrow!

Until next time..

October Sky