24
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 6:00 P.M. AND 7:00 P.M.
EVENTS OCCUR IN REAL TIME.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 06:00:00 PM
On the western horizon of the city of Los Angeles, the sun begins to set. It is a beautiful and warm day and in a city park, people are enjoying the late afternoon weather.
The scene was much different, though, in an alleyway near the park. A group of eight people, all African American, are drinking some Coors, and throwing the empty bottles at a steady, but human target. A teenage American boy has been tied to a trash can in the shadows, and is being used to smash open the empty bottles. There are numerous cuts all over the young man's body, and the latest bottle to smack him right on the chest causes him to howl in pain as the alcohol sears into his skin. His half-torn up rag T-shirt and ripped jeans indicate the type of life this boy lived before this time; the time of his death. For the gang of eight were getting restless; a tall, but slender member gets up and whips out a gun. Without remorse, he shoots the white boy dead with just one shot. The remaining members all cheer.
But their celebration is about to be cut short, for they are not alone. Watching from behind a corner, a number of all Caucasian girls and boys, counting 20 in number, are preparing for attack.
A premature shot is fired.
The gang of African Americans look up startlingly. The opposing group have come out from hiding. There is a period of extended silence between both groups. From behind, a member of the African American gang is shot. They turn around only to see that they are surrounded. They take out guns and begins firing.
People begin falling left and right. But the one gang is outnumbered. They are reduced to only two: one boy and one girl. They drop their weapons in surrender.
The group of Americans send out two members to grab the two. They are driven away from the blood-infested scene as the roar of sirens are heard in the distance.
The lone African American boy has a face of readiness. He scolds at the white men like a tough man, but they only laugh at his stupidity.
The lone African American girl has a face full of tears, for she knows the kind of trouble she has gotten herself into too. Nicole Palmer knows her life couldn't get any worse. She was at the lowest of lows.
Nicole Palmer and her friend walk in the middle of their enemy, one prepared for his fate, the other wishing to warp back in time.
The sound of sirens roar...
COUNTER TERRORIST UNIT, LOS ANGELES 06:03:23
Leaning back in his chair, Tony Almeida, director of CTU, sat in silence in his office. Down below on the main floor, things were quiet. Many people had been sent home early for the day, and Tony was planning on doing the same. He turned his attention away from the main floor and swung around in his seat to face another office. Distantly, he could see Chase Edmunds working without rush in one office, while outside the office Chloe O'Brien typed rapidly on her computer. He again shifted his attention downstairs to an empty office space directly below his. This was the work station of Kim Bauer, and Tony remembered then that she and Jack left early to go have dinner together. The past few months had been rough on everybody at CTU. Especially Tony.
He then moved his eyes more to the right to the empty work space of his wife, Michelle Dessler. She was absent as well.
Tony grabbed the phone. He was about to dial a number until he reconsidered. He hadn't spoken to her in a week. She had left for Washington on a job interview and also some personal time. They had been having marital problems lately, and the latest fight resulted in the two not speaking to each other in the past week.
Tony was now on the verge of tears just thinking about his current situation.
He had made up his mind.
High above the country, a normal American Airlines flight soared through the cloudless sky. On board, Michelle Dessler looked out the window to the far-off ground below.
"Attention passengers," the flight attendant was making an announcement. "Please fasten your seat belts as we are beginning our descent to our final destination, Los Angeles. Please put all trays in their up-right and locked positions. We will be landing shortly. Thank you and we hope you enjoy the remainder of your flight."
Michelle sighs. Her cell phone rings.
"Dessler."
"...hey."
She recognized the voice instantly, that of her husband's. "Tony, I want to be the one to say this first, this whole thing has been my fault. I'm sorry."
Chuckling, Tony replies. "Michelle, this isn't your fault. You're not the one who should be sorry. I am. I haven't found the time for us. Work has been so hectic and all."
Michelle smiles. "Tony...I love you. I'm so sorry." Michelle is suddenly tapped on the shoulder.
"Miss, if you please, no cell phones on our descent. Please turn it off."
"Of course..." Michelle turns away from the aisle. "Tony, we're beginning to land. I have to go."
"Yeah...I love you."
Michelle answered, "I love you, too."
As she dropped the cell phone to her knees, she couldn't help but cry for the man she loved. She put her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.
The plane begins to descend...
06:05:57
A shadowy figure walks gracefully down the hallway. The evident sound of high-heels echos throughout the entire floor. A tall, but slender woman with long, blond hair comes to a stop at a doorway. She opens the door and enters the lit room.
"Adrian, there you are. Where have you been for the past few hours? I haven't been able to reach you since noon." A short and rather heavy and bald man, middle aged, comes running to Adrian Moore.
"Sorry, I've been around looking for a good story. What's going on, Keohane?"
"First off, I told you, don't call me Keohane. Call me Steve."
Adrian's face just tells it all: she couldn't care what she called him.
"And secondly, Rebecca Kolb has just been named Reporter of the Month by-"
Adrian grabs the newspaper Steve Keohane is holding outstretched in his hands. "Give me that paper."
Steve watches nervously. His fingers twitched with anxiousness on what her reaction would be to the news. His answer came right away.
"Rebecca Kolb can just go kiss my ss." Frustrated, she crumbles up the newspaper and chucks it into the garbage can near Keohane's desk.
"I need a story." Adrian walks to her desk and slumps herself down on the chair. "Help me, Steve."
Steve Keohane jumps up on his desk adjacent from Adrian's and sits on it, with his feet dangling. "Well, how about you cover the L.A. street fair?"
"Tried it, already at least 10 reporters there."
"How about the Robotics Convention?"
"Are you crazy? I'm not spending 6 hours with a bunch of robot nerds."
"Well, you can try to report on President Palmer's campaign here in L.A."
Adrian flew up from her chair. "The President is here, in Los Angeles? Why?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? He is here on his national tour to try and gain more supporters for the up-coming election. It's gonna be close, you know. Keeler's gonna be tough to beat. He's got my vote. Well, only because I'm a Republican. What are you, by the way?"
Adrian isn't paying attention. She scrambles through her desk for a pen and some paper.
"Adrian?"
"Huh? Listen Steve, where is the President currently?"
"I believe he is at that...that nice hotel, you know on Olive Blvd?"
"You mean the Golden Hills Grande Hotel?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Steve stared at Adrian with curiousness on his face. "You going to see him?"
"I'm about to have the story of the century."
Without another word, Adrian swings open the door and is gone.
GOLDEN HILLS GRANDE HOTEL 06:08:10
The mood was plainly intimate in the large ball room and dining hall inside the hotel. The lighting was dim, the tone just right for President David Palmer and his staff on yet another campaign dinner. It was also somebody's birthday, the President's in particular. He had invited many of his friends to come share his special day with him, but he wasn't in the mood. There were other, and more important things on his mind.
Soft music plays in the background and throughout the room, people are quietly enjoying the company of each other. This was true except at the head table, where the President sat alone in thinking. He thought about many things these days, but one thing was predominately more present over other issues: there was the possibility that he wouldn't be re-elected for a second term.
Sensing trouble, Bill Lawton approaches the troubled President. "Sir?"
Palmer remains quiet.
Bill rolls his eyes. "Mr. President, today is your birthday, it is not a day to worry about things. Leave that for tomorrow."
Palmer still remains quiet.
Bill gives up and sits down next to Palmer. "Sir; what's on your mind?"
Palmer finally moves and faces Bill. Not wanting to have another political talk with him, he lies. "I'm lonely. I haven't felt right since I lost Anne."
"Well, sir, I'm no love expert, but I do know that when the time is right, that true love will find you."
Palmer flinches. "It's not all about the girlfriend thing. Sherry is a criminal to this country, Nicole has just disappeared, and Keith is in full-time training in Taiwan. And Wayne..."
Bill shakes his head, obviously knowing where the President was taking the conversation. "David, come out and talk. Just talk. Please."
They stare each other in the eye. Palmer obeys, "Fine."
The President gets up from his seat and follows Bill to a crowd of people, standing bunched together on the dance floor.
Before entering the pack, Palmer closes his eyes and tries to relax.
Watching from a distance, Jack Bauer, dressed fully in a tuxedo, sits back on a chair. His eyes are fixed on one unspecific location. The past weeks have been hard for Jack and someone else; someone once close to him.
"Dad."
The single syllable startles Jack. He comes out of his fixed gaze and sees that his only daughter Kim has seated herself down across from Jack.
"Dad."
"Sorry, honey. What's up?"
Kim seats herself and grabs a piece of bread centered on the table. Unwrapping the napkin around her silverware, she finds the butter and brings it to her plate. Now having her napkin on her lap, she takes her knife and spreads butter on the piece of bread. Jack watches.
"Kim, please don't give me the silent treatment again...Kim!" Jack becomes angry with his daughter, even after all they've been through.
Kim looks away. "Why did you have to bring me to this stupid dinner anyway?"
"Because President Palmer asked me to come and he told me to bring a guest. Besides, you and I need to talk."
"Talk about what, dad? I don't want to talk about Chase. I know you hate him."
"I don't hate him," Jack pauses for a moment, "it's just that sometimes he gets out of control."
"Dad!" Kim lunges up from her chair. The table shakes and an empty wine glass flies off onto the floor, shattering into pieces. "You just don't like him. You want me to be miserable, I'm miserable, okay? You disrespect him and you treat him like he was a piece of sh!t. I can never forgive you for what you did to him." Tears begin to form in her eyes. She stares into the eyes of her father, not believing that he could do things like that.
Jack interrupts her. "Honey, I'm sorry, but we were on a sting operation and Chase got in the way. That's why I had to knock him out and that's why I had to point the gun at his head and pull the trigger...to gain the Salazar's trust. You have to understand this."
Kim is now crying. "How could you?"
Jack begins to lose control. "We've talked about this before again and again. Kim...just come back to work. We need you at CTU."
"You don't need me anywhere."
With that, she throws down the napkin resting on her lap and tearfully, walks right out of the room. Jack gets up and follows her.
"Kim! Kim!"
People are flying by each other quickly. Most of these people walking around the complex are wearing military uniform. Others are dressed nicely. A situation has obviously just come up. From down the busy hallway, a tall man comes walking nearer. General Andrew Hadley wastes no time in entering a large circular room where many other military officials are in waiting. They all rise when he enters.
"It is true. The warehouse we raided two hours ago in the Middle East, location undisclosed to some of us with low security clearance," He eyes some military personnel, "contains chemical weaponry. Not only does it contain chemical weaponry, but specially designed military weapons and equipment as well. I have been told that there is enough cargo in that warehouse to win a war against this country." He pauses and presses a button on the wall. The lights dim and a small piece of paper appears on the screen. Everyone focuses their attention to the screen where this paper has some information written on it.
"This," he points at the screen, "is a copy of a shipping order found in this warehouse. This particular shipping order has ordered the warehouse to send out a shipment of these chemical weapons. The thing that I haven't mentioned yet is that even with the side rooms at full capacity, the entire main room was clear of anything. This is where we found this."
Another man rises. "But where were the weapons headed?"
General Hadley stares at the man. "They are set to arrive sometime tonight..."
The same man speaks. "Where?"
"Somewhere inside the United States."
The man asking the questions seats himself down at the mention that the United States might be attacked sometime soon.
"First thing's first; contact the President. He will want to be apprised of everything first. Then, contact NSA and all other security agencies. And Colonel Gallagher, contact CTU Los Angeles. We have strong evidence that this terrorist attack will occur in Los Angeles sometime within the next 24 hours." A prolonged silence is held. Finally, Hadley speaks again, this time in a bolder tone. "Let's get to work."
06:13:43 06:13:44 06:13:45 06:13:46 06:13:47 06:13:48
"Chase."
Chloe O'Brien knocks on the door of the office, really Jack's office. If Jack knew that Chase also used his office when he wasn't around, well, he knew the consequences.
"Chase."
"What is it, Chloe?"
Chloe is taken aback by the sudden tone in his voice. "Why are you always so rude to me?"
Chase stops working and leans back in the chair. "Chloe...what do you want?"
Chloe answers immediately. "I just wanted to know if you filed those transcripts yet?"
"No, Chloe, I didn't" The exaggeration in his voice is evident.
"Chase! You know that Tony asked you to file those papers. You know the mood he's in these days."
Chase turns in his chair, facing the office of the director of CTU, currently occupied by Director Almeida. "Don't worry, Chloe; I'll do it before I leave."
"Why can't you just do it now, Chase?"
Chase turns back to face her. "Goodbye Chloe."
Chloe stares at him. With a short "humpph," Chloe re-opens the door and walks quickly back to her desk.
Chase looked back toward Tony's office and watched him type. He couldn't but help feel sorry for him; his life had been a mess lately. And then he remembered; so had his.
Zipping down the three-lane highway, a car comes speeding down the road, outpassing the others.
Inside this car, a woman of about 40 years with her nephew of 16 years are sitting in silence. The young man taps his fingers on the window. He gets bored.
"So how's work?"
The aunt is surprised by the sudden question of her nephew. "Hell...what else is new."
The young man chuckles. These were the times of his life he liked most. His mind shifted in thought to thinking about being with his aunt to school. He had so much homework to do tomorrow. The very thought of this was enough to make him ask yet another question. "So why aren't you interested in dating?"
"Excuse me?" Lori Ronan again wasn't expecting this question. Her nephew, Jason Bulger, or Jay as his friends called him, turned his head from looking out the window to staring at his rather short aunt with short black hair. Oppositely, Jay had dark blond hair and was very tall as compared with his aunt. Finally comprehending his question, Lori answers, "Did you just ask me about my love life?"
Jay laughs. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. Just curious and bored."
The air conditioner suddenly begins blasting cold air.
"Well, you won't have to be bored much longer. We'll be back at your parent's house in the next hour for their cocktail party tonight." Lori stops talking for a moment, taking in her surroundings. "You've got a Starbucks near your house, right? I want to get a cup of hot tea."
On a day so hot as this one, Jay couldn't imagine why.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jack Bauer continues to bang his fists against the door o the women's bathroom.
"Kim! Please! Open the door! I'm sorry!" Jack finally gives in and falls to the ground. A woman walking by gives a stare; Jack ignores it. He looks around the beautiful hallway he is currently occupying. The golden ceiling and the red carpet really made the feeling of the hotel grand. The walls were wallpapered with beautiful sketches of all different kinds of things. He took a moment to take in all of his surroundings when a sudden deep voice startled him.
"Is something wrong, Jack?"
Jack looked up only to see the face of President Palmer. "No...everything's fine. It's just that the past few months have been hard..."
"Hard on all of us, Jack. Including me. I'm sure you've heard about Sherry."
Jack looks down toward his feet. He knew about what had happened in recent weeks in the developments of Palmer's ex-wife. And it wasn't good news. "I have sir."
"Well, you can't feel sorry for her. The possibility of Sherry ending up in jail is her fault; not anyone elses."
"Yes, sir" Jack lifts up his head to face the tall President he knew so well.
Jack is about to speak again when the President interrupts his train of thought. "Jack...I really appreicate all of the work you've done for me...for this country. It's been a long road. But I have to say that it isn't looking good for me for a second term. Keeler is beginning to pull ahead." Palmer stops for a moment, contemplating what he said, and what he was planning to say. "Jack...after all of this, I think I have finally done something horrible. Something no President should have ever done. But I did." The silence in the hallway is so great that the light footsteps of people above them are heard. "Jack...there's something that I need to tell you. You may not understand it right now, but I did it for--"
"Mr. President." A tall, rather elder looking man with a rather stern expression and a very choked voice stands by himself facing the President and Jack.
"Robbie. What are you doing here?"
"We have an urgent situation, Mr. President. I need you to come with me immediately." The stern expression was fixed on his face, never moving.
"Come where?"
"To an undisclosed location, sir. Please; come now."
It seemed like he had no choice. "Jack...I'm sorry. It looks like I've got to go."
"I understand, Mr. President."
"Thank you for coming, Jack. It really means a lot to me."
"Yes, sir." Jack gets up and begins walking away from the President and Robbie when Robbie calls out to him. "Mr. Bauer; as head of NSA, I'm going to have to ask you to head back to CTU. This situation does involve national security."
"What's this about?" Jack is quick to ask this.
"I'm not authorized to explain it to you at this time. Please, Jack, go to CTU."
"Alright...I'll go."
"Good...follow me, Mr. President."
With a final nod to Jack, the President follows the elderly Robbie Lohse to a nearby doorway. As they walk through, Jack then remembers that the President never got to tell him what he so desperately needed to say.
06:18:03
Kimberly Bauer sat by herself in one of the stalls of the bathroom with her feet off the ground. Tears were visible in her eyes, and her arms were outstretched around her uplifted knees.
She thought about Chase; poor Chase. She could only imagine both the mental and physical pain that Jack forced him to go through all because of this "secret sting operation," as her dad would call it.
Speaking of her dad, she sat there and thought about the man that had done so much to protect his country. That she could be proud of for him. But he had always done it the hard way, doing whatever possible to protect both the nation, and his family.
Kim thought about her past family problems. She remembered that day; that horrible day when her mom passed away. It was the worst day of her life, by far. She remembered Nina Myers, the woman her father once...could she even think of it?
And now, after all they've been through, her father was turning away from her. Soon, she would have a new mom, or "step-mom" as they say. The very idea of having a motherly figure made the tears slowly water down her pale face.
Kim put her hand inside her pocket and reached in, grabbing a small picture her dad had given her weeks earlier. Every time she looked at it, it made her think of her deceased mother. But she just couldn't understand how Jack could be interested in another woman...after all this...
The picture drops to the bathroom floor, with the glimmering face of Claudia Salazar staring back up at her future step-daughter.
"Hey Simon."
Tony Almeida stands over the tall CTU techie with a file in his hand.
"Yeah Tony?" Simon Richter speakes loudly and distinctively.
"I need you to file this, please."
"Sure." Simon takes the file and gets up from his desk. He walks away.
As Tony watches him go, Chloe comes running over to Tony.
"Tony; NSA Director Robbie Taylor is on the phone for you."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
"Tony, he wants you now." The accent on the word 'now' was apparent.
Tony sighs. "Fine...put him through here."
"Sure." Chloe goes walking away as Tony stands over Simon's now empty station. He picks up the phone.
Hearing a click on the other end of the line, Tony waits for a salutation.
"Mr. Almeida, this is NSA Director Taylor. Are we on a secure line?"
Tony's stomach dropped a notch. That infamous question only meant one thing: the possibility of a disaster at hand. "...Yes..." Becoming quite nervous, he repeats what he just said. "Yes, yes sir."
"Good. Now listen, Mr, Almeida. We have a situation at hand. You'll be briefed at a later time, but I'm going to have to ask you to call in all of your people."
"When...now?"
"Yes...now. Do it. I'll get back to you."
Tony hangs up the phone. He puts his head into his hands and sat down on Simon's chair.
"What's up?" The voice of Simon is heard as he leans over the screen separating his station from a walkway.
"Simon; I'm going to need you to call in all of our personnel."
"What?"
"Look, just do it."
"Fine, when should I tell them to be in?"
Tony raises his head and stares straight into Simon's eyes. "Tell them to come in now."
Simon raises an eyebrow. "Alright. I'll tell Chloe."
As Simon walked away from Tony, Tony then realized that the night wasn't off to a good start. His hope of a relaxing night at home had diminished.
Jack Bauer walks once again to the door of the women's restrooms. He is about to knock on it again when the door opens and Kim walks slowly out.
"Kim."
"Dad...I don't want to talk. I'm really tired. I just want to go home."
Jack doesn't buy this. "Kim, we have to talk. I'm not"
Kim begins walking away.
"Kim." Jack watches as his enstranged daughter leaves him. "Kim. I love you." She still didn't stop. "Kim."
Without another word, Kimberly Bauer had left the main hallway and was gone.
06:22:35 06:22:36 06:22:37 06:22:38 06:22:39 06:22:40
President Palmer is seated at a table in a conference room with his chief-of-staff, Bill Lawton. Another woman is also seated at the table; Alicia Donaldson. A video screen is on the main wall of the room, and it is currently blue, waiting to be connected to another computer.
The door opens and in walks Robbie Lohse. "Mr. President...Bill..." As he turns his head, he comes to the red-headed, curly haired Alicia. "Ms. Donaldson."
Alicia, wearing a womanly business suit painted black and grey, stares at the elder NSA director. Their glances toward one another indicate trouble between the two.
"Alright...Gentlemen...ladies..." Palmer tries to cool down the harsh atmosphere. "Let us get on with this."
"Of course, Mr. President." Robbie sits himself down opposite Alicia. Bill continues to remain silent.
"What is this about, Robbie?"
"Mr. President; before we begin, I'd like to conference in with CTU, Los Angeles and Director Almeida as well as some top U.S. officials."
Robbie picks up a remote and clicks on the screen. The main CTU conference room lights up, with Tony sitting in the head chair, and Simon and Chloe sitting around the table as well. A screen next to that brings to life the picture of the table of U.S. officials headed by General Hadley.
"Good evening, Mr. President."
President Palmer acknowledges his salutation by the military personnel and CTU.
Bill finally speaks. "Let's get on with it."
"Of course." He pauses for a moment as everyone remains silent, waiting to hear what this was all about. "We have good reason to believe that the United States will be attacked today, in a way never seen by human kind." This comes to a suprise to some; to others, it is only old news.
"What kind of attack?" President Palmer asks.
"Chemical, sir. Now, if I could, General Hadley will explain more about this."
Everyone re-focuses their attention to the strong and determined general standing in front of them. He begins.
"Mr. President. A few minutes ago we received conformation from the Middle East that a warehouse containing chemical weaponry and other weapons of war was found. When General Williams invaded the warehouse about an hour ago with his team, they examined the underground bunker from front to back, finding that some of this weaponry had already been shipped out." Tony flinches in his seat nervously. The General continues. "We found a shipping order, sending these weapons to American soil."
The President is anxious, "Where?"
"We don't know, sir."
President Palmer and Bill exchange glances of horror.
"It could be anywhere. They're set to arrive sometime in the U.S. tonight. We don't know when either."
Alicia puts her face into her hands. Chloe looks over to Simon, who closes his eyes.
"Mr. President. This leads me to another point. You know by now about the numerous racial violence sweeping over Los Angeles in the past 24 hours. We believe, from a non-specific source, that these uprisings are only a cover-up for what may happen to the U.S. today. Considering the potential ties we found just a few hours ago linking this sub-Ku Klux Klan group to a known terrorist group, we have reason to believe that these chemical weapons will arrive in Los Angeles in the next few hours. " General Hadley stops.
The President gives a chuckle.
"Is there something funny about this, Mr. President?"
"No, Andrew. It's just that this attack taking place in Los Angeles is nothing more than a hunch. This potential tie between this American hate group and a Muslim hate group just doesn't make sense. Both of these groups believe in very different causes."
"Yes, Mr. President. That is true, but we have evidence that proves"
"That proves what? You know what, I think this is one of your ploys, Andrew. You just don't want me to stay in Los Angeles, that is what this is all about. You are just saying Los Angeles is the proposed place of attacking because you want me to leave just because of the history this city has had with disasters. Not this time, General. I'm staying. Unless you can give me hard evidence that this attack will occur in Los Angeles in the next 24 hours; I'm staying." Palmer, now standing, stares into the screen like a madman.
"Mr. President."
"Andrew, maybe we need a little break." Bill interrupts.
"That will be fine, everyone. When we return, we'll anaylze the specific chemical agents and detail how big of an attack this could be." Robbie turns to look at all of the people listening to him, most of them sick to their stomachs.
Palmer gets up from the table and darts out of the room, as everyone else realizes the stress they are all about to go through...
06:27:52
Darkness continues to fall upon the abandoned streets of Los Angeles. The scene switches to the basement of a very old building, where the white gang's two prisoners are being brought inside. The two of them know not to resist, especially Nicole Palmer and her friend, Maurice. The people bringing them inside stop their walking inside a small, smelly, and dark room. The walls are all made out of cement, and the only light comes from a small, upper window in the corner. The people bringing the two in leave them. As they walk out of the room through the only exit, a tough-looking white man enters. Wearing a sleeveless, white shirt and ripped jeans, he moves closer to his enemies.
"Well...look who we stumbled upon today?" The white man named Rob speaks loudly and decisively. "Two mother fuers beating the hell out of one of my friends, Pat...and he's dead?"
Nicole and Maurice stare at this strange man talking to them.
"Well, did you kill him?"
Silence.
"Huh?" Rob loses his patience and attacks Maurice, banging him against a wall. He begins punching him in the face, then the stomach. "Talk to me, you stupid son of a b!tch!"
"Stop it!" Nicole darts upward. Rob throws Maurice to the ground. "And who are you--" He then realizes through the light who he's seeing. "You're..you're the President's daughter, Nicole, aren't ya?"
"..yes...yes, I am."
Rob stares at her, knowing that him kidnapping the President of the United States daughter couldn't end up in a positive way. He slaps Nicole on the face and she falls to the ground. She screams in agony.
He turns back to Maurice. "Who are you?"
He remains silent.
"You answer me, you little piece of sh!t."
He picks up Maurice and throws him into the wall. He bounces off and hits the floor. Blood oozes out of his body, in all directions. Rob begins kicking him in the stomach area. Maurice cries and screams in shear pain. After Rob is satified with his work, he rolls the unconsious body to the wall.
Nicole remains lying on the floor, watching Rob closely. The fear she had couldn't have been greater.
"You dumb niers. Don't know anything." With that said, he begins to laugh. He walks out of the room. As he leaves the room, he closes the door and walks down a hallway, still hearing the constant screaming of Nicole and Maurice...
GOLDEN HILLS GRANDE HOTEL 06:31:27
In a large room, a group of press reporters are all gathering for a briefing by the President's administration. Noticiably present is Adrian Moore, hiding among the gigantic crowd of press reporters. The door to the room opens and Jenny Dodge, the President's Press Secretary enters. Escorted by Secret Service, they immediately surround the area. She walks right up to the podium. The noise dies down.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm sorry the President couldn't be here right now, but he's in a very important meeting with his staff. An important situation took him from his birthday party to the Hotel conference room, where he is now. There is no reason for alarm; the impending situation is under control by President Palmer. All questions will be answered at a later time. Thank you." With those brief words, she steps off of the podium and begins to leave as everyone shouts at once, "Jenny!" She ignores those shouts and continues leaving until a familiar face intercepts her.
"Ms. Dodge, my name is Adrian Moore with the L.A. Gazette. I need to see President Palmer."
Jenny looks at her like she has two heads. "Of course you can't see the President. No member of the press"
"Either you let me see the President, or I'll spill the beans about chemical weaponry being delivered to Los Angeles."
Jenny, who was about to leave, stops dead in her tracks. She's absolutely horrified. "How did you-"
"I have my sources. Now either let me see him, or you risk the chance of public panic. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Jenny stares at Adrian, then is escorted out of the room by Secret Service.
Adrian watches through the glass as she goes.
Tony works in his office with a sick feeling inside. What would happen when Michelle found out about the impending crisis. He didn't know.
The phone rang, sounding its usual, 'beep, beep, bee-eep.' He picks it up.
"Hello?"
"Tony, it's Jack. Listen, I'm on my way back to CTU, something's going on."
"Yeah, we know."
"What's going on, Tony?"
"We've got a threat of a chemical attack in Los Angeles sometime today."
"Chemical?" Jack continues driving nervously. "Alright, look, I'll be back at CTU as soon as I can."
"What about Kim?"
"I don't think so, Tony."
Tony sighs. "Alright, Jack. See you in a bit."
Tony hangs up the phone and looks over to Jack's office, where Chase is still working.
Tony gets up and walks out of his office. He passes the stairs and walks by Chloe's desk. She stares at him weirdly. He ignores it and walks into the office.
"Hey Chase."
Chase looks up. "Yeah Tony?"
It's at this point that Tony notices that Chase is sweating madly and his body is shaking rapidly. "Are you alright, Chase?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Even while saying this, his body continues to jitter. "What's up?"
"Jack just called. He said that Kim isn't going to be coming back to work so I was wondering if you could call her for me; see how she's doing. Please."
"Sure. Let me just finish this and then I'll give her a call."
"Okay, good. We're going to need all the help we can get today...or tonight. I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Yeah." Chase watches as Tony walks out of Jack's office, still curious about what was up with Chase.
06:35:14
General Hadley continues to talk to President Palmer about the type of chemical agent involved.
"Sir, final analysis won't come back for about an hour, but we are pretty sure that if this attack occurs, it will wipe out not only Los Angeles," the President rolls his eyes at the mention of this so-called, "hunch," "but also the entire western United States."
On a screen, Palmer, along with Robbie, Alicia, and Bill watch as a circle expands over the western United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean west to Colorado, from southern Washington state south to Mexio. Alicia can't stand it anymore and closes her eyes.
"There is one more thing, Mr. President. We have examined these weapons closely and found a stamp engraved on all of these weapons. This stamp is from an American company: Kopin Institutes."
Palmer flies up from his chair. "You're telling me, Andrew, that Americans sold these chemical weapons to the Middle East?"
"Yes, Mr. President. It appears this way."
As Bill tries to calm down the President, it seems that Robbie is more interested in Alicia. He stares at her suspiciously. She doesn't notice his stare, and continues focusing on the screen showing the circle engulfing the entire western United States...
06:37:09 06:37:10 06:37:11 06:37:12 06:37:13 06:37:14
Jack continues driving toward CTU. His mind wasn't on the road, however; it was on other things. Like how his daughter had treated him since "that day."
He takes a turn into a small, narrow alleyway; the one he always took on his way to work. It was much quicker than driving all the way around town. The light in the sky was continued to diminish, and Jack's car slipped through the alley unnoticed.
A short, but loud noise is heard. Jack's car begins to skid. A second noise of the same sound is heard. Both of Jack's tires had been hit. His car continues skidding while Jack wonders what the hell was going on. He grabs his gun on the seat as the car skids into the wall of the abandoned alley. There is complete silence as Jack waits for what to do next. A third gunshot erupts right through the front windshield. It is at this time that Jack realizes that he is under attack. He quickly gets out of the car and ducks down on the side. More gunshots are heard as Bauer runs for cover from behind a dumpster.
He ducks behind it. Seeing a ray of sunlight illuminating a man on top of one of the buildings, he fires and hits the man straight in his face. He falls from the building. His body splats all over the pavement below, yards away from Jack.
More gunshots are fired. One hits Jack's car, and moments later, it explodes in a fiery eruption of flames. Jack covers his face with his hands to prevent the smoke from blinding his vision.
Jack curses under his breath and moves to the side of the dumpster. He fires into the air because he can no longer see anything because of the smoke surrounding the entire alleyway. He hears another man fall to the ground. Jack then realizes he is out of ammo. The gunshots continue as he sprints toward the distant street. He ducks as the shots continue.
A man comes flying out from behind a corner. Jack turns around and punches him in the face. The man punches Jack back and throws him into the wall. The gunshots continue.
It was then as Jack laid on the ground that he got an idea. He jumped to his feet as the man leaped back onto Jack. Jack was able to grab him and hold him in a steady position. He holds the man in a crippling headlock. The gunshots continue to sound.
Finally, Jack's plan succeeds when a shot is fired right through the man's stomach. Jack is quick enough to move out of the way before the bullet hits him. Jack, free from any more obstacles except the distant gunshots, runs quickly to the street and escapes the fatal trap. He looks for a car to steal, but, finding he has no gun, gives up. He instead begins running down the dimly lit streets of Los Angeles, toward CTU Headquarters.
06:41:46
Tony sits in his office on the phone with Simon.
"Tony, Gael's just arrived. Should I tell him to come up?"
"Yeah."
Tony hangs up the phone as he hears the footsteps of Gael Ortega come up the stairs. He enters Tony's office.
"Gael."
"I heard about the current situation. I'll be getting my department up to date immediately."
"Good. Gael, I'm going to be going out for a few minutes to wait for my wife. I trust you can take over for me for a couple of minutes."
"Sure. How's Michelle?"
Tony scratches his chin. "She's good."
Gael and Tony exchange an awkward moment of silence. Gael speaks, "I'll get to work."
"Okay." As Gael leaves his office, Tony again picks up the phone.
Michelle is at the wheel of her car, driving through the streets of Los Angeles. Her cell phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey there. How far away are you?"
"I should be at CTU in about twenty minutes."
Tony chuckles to himself. "I can't wait."
Michelle takes a deep breath. "Tony, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for the past few weeks."
"What is it?"
"You're gonna be a father. And I'm gonna be a mother."
It takes a moment for Tony to understand what she was trying to say, but finally, he realizes that Michelle was pregnant.
"Wow...I had no idea."
"Are you happy?"
"Yeah...yeah...of course. Listen, I'm being beeped by Division, I've gotta go."
"I love you." Michelle begins to cry.
"Love you, too." Tony hangs up the phone. It was then that it hit him. He was going to have a child; something he has always wanted. With the woman he loved so much, they were finally going to become parents. The joy was overwhelming for him, and at the same time, Michelle was having the same feelings.
President Palmer sat alone in the now deserted conference room. The door opened and Jenny entered.
"Jenny, is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually, Mr. President. We have a problem."
"What is it?" The President turned his head to face the relatively short member of his staff.
"A press reporter named Adrian Moore. She demands to speak with you, or else she'll tell the public that chemical weapons will be delivered by terrorists to Los Angeles today."
The President couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How did she find this out?"
"I don't know, sir."
The President thinks over the situation at hand, not knowing how to proceed. Finally, he gives an answer. "We can't afford a panic; but, at the same time, this administration cannot have another Ron Wieland. Leave her alone."
"Yes, Mr. President."
Jenny nods and walks out of the room. As she walks out, Robbie Lohse enters and sits himself down.
"Mr. President. I need to speak with you about Alicia."
Palmer smiles. "Robbie; on this day especially, you need to drop your personal dislike for-"
"It's not personal dislike, Mr. President. I've learnt from a creditable source that Alicia used to work for this company, Kopin Institutes."
"The company that supposedly gave these terrorists the chemical weaponry?"
"Yes, Mr. President. And I've also learnt that she still may be in contact with this company."
"This doesn't prove anything, Robbie. This company does many other things than produce chemical elements."
"Yes, I know, Mr. President. But I am having a meeting with my source in the next hour. My source has told me that proof can be made available."
Palmer remains silent. "Very well. Go through with your meeting. If you can get proof, we'll talk with Alicia. In the meantime, I'd like to speak with a member of this company to discuss what the hell is going on over there. We'll re-evaluate this in one hour."
"Yes, Mr. President. Thank you."
Robbie slowly gets up and begins walking toward the door. Palmer closes his eyes, now knowing that there was the possibility that a member of his own staff was working for the enemy...
06:46:38
Kimberly Bauer stepped out of her car. She looked around the parking lot of her apartment complex where she lived. Seeing that there was nobody around, she began walking toward the main building. She soon reached the overhang of the white building and saw that two people, both men, were shouting at one another in the far corner of the overhang. Kim, curiously, walked slowly over to them. They didn't notice her.
"Hey, dude. Get the hell away from me."
"Give me everything you've got."
The offending man grabbed the other man and ripped off his watch.
Kim continued to watch the scene. Her arm went into her pocket and she gripped something.
The offending man now had the other man's wallet and pushing the other man into the wall, he began to run away.
"Help! Somebody help That guy robbed me!"
Kim pulled out a gun from her pocked and sprinted off toward the robber. Her speed was fast, her determination was high. The offending man now realized that he was being pursued.
"Stop, or I'll fire," Kim yelled.
The man showed no signs of letting up. He didn't see the gun.
Kim got the gun ready in moments, and, firing a single shot, the bullet struck the man in the left leg. This paralyzed the man and he fell to the ground. Kim ran up to the spot of the fallen man and put her gun back into her pocket. Instead of pulling out a weapon, this time she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed three numbers. "Yes, I have a man here who..."
The man who was robbed slowly walks to the spot where the incident had occured. Amazed by the abilities of the young woman before him, he said simply, "Thanks."
06:49:29 06:49:30 06:49:31 06:49:32 06:49:33 06:49:34
The first person to see the arrival of the veteran CTU agent was Tony. He walked to where Jack Bauer was coming in, and went straight up to him. "Hey Jack." He immediately notices the condition Jack was in, and by the looks of his once brand new tuxedo, and his shortness of breath, Tony could only guess that something bad had occured.
"Tony, I need you to send recovery teams three blocks from here at the intersection of Main and Immis."
"What the hell happened?" Tony now realized that most of CTU was now looking at the scene between the two men.
"As I was driving to CTU, I cut through this alleyway. I was soon attacked by many men. My car exploded and their goal was obviously to kill me. I need to find out who these men are."
"I see...Listen, Jack, a warehouse was raided somewhere in the Middle East earlier today. They found a large share of chemical weapons, some of them were missing and it has been determined that they are on their way to Los Angeles as we speak. Our job is to find these weapons as soon as they land on U.S. soil." Tony stopped for a moment, letting Jack take in this incredible amount of information.
For Jack, this was only another thing to add to his list of things to think about. "How do we know that these weapons are coming to Los Angeles?"
"That's the thing: this whole L.A. thing is only a hunch. The U.S. military believes that this racial violence that's been esculating in Los Angeles recently is only a cover-up for what might happen to the west coast today. Final analysis of the chemical agent should be in soon, but right now, it looks like if this chemical is released airborne, the entire west coast would be wiped out within hours."
This information shook Jack's insides. The thought of the entire western United States was enough to chill someone to the bone. He looked at all of the workers at CTU and then back to Tony, who waited for his reply.
"This doesn't make sense. The United States government believes for a reason that there is a link between a KKK group and a terrorist group from the Middle East. These connections just don't exist."
"Exactly, Jack. I think we're just going to have to wait on this one. "
Jack thought for a moment before giving Tony his response. "Do me a favor; send Recovery down to the location I gave you. Tell them to ID all of these men individually and then get back to me in one hour."
"One hour? That's not enough time!"
"We need to find out who these men are, and what their connection is to all of this. Once we find this out, we can move on. Now, please Tony; just do it. I'm going to get changed."
Tony watched as Jack moved into the very center of CTU, the staring continuing. Tony shook his head knowing that their lead into this whole thing was also a hunch, but it was a hunch that they just had to hope would prove to be relevant to the situation at hand.
With this in his mind, he turned toward where Jack had just entered and walked out of the CTU Main Lobby, ready to see his now pregnant wife.
President Palmer sat with Bill in the conference room, talking this time with Colonel Gallagher.
"I agree," Gallagher was saying, "but we have to be certain that the public will react"
He was interupted by the sudden entrance of Hadley. "Mr. President, the military just received this phone call from an open channel, a military channel."
"What does it say?" Palmer asked.
"Listen for yourself, Mr. President." He then flipped a switch and a static noise began.
"...I am the only one who can prevent disaster from striking. I know the exact location where the chemical weapons will be delivered. The chemical agent in these weapons is a very deadly 54M-22 gas, a type of gas produced by Kopin Institutes. I am telling you the truth. If this agent is released into the air, millions of people will die in minutes. Your only choice is to listen to my demands. They are quite simple and are non- negotiable: allow the Press Reporter named Adrian Moore to be given full access to the President and his staff. You shall not tell her about this demand. She is to be treated like a member of the President's staff. And yes, I will know if you are bluffing or not. I will know if you tell her about this call. I shall know everything that happens to her. I am your only hope. Let Adrian Moore into your inner circle or face not only the deviating powers of the group known as Dark Wrath, but you will also receive an astonishing surprise from myself. The choice is yours..."
The recording fades to static. There is a great degree of silence among Palmer, Bill, and inside the Military O.C.
Hadley is the first to speak, "Mr. President; we now have a great deal of talking to do. I hear this reporter also knows about today's events. There's got to be a connection."
But Palmer's mind is elsewhere. He stares off into space, unaffected by the words the General had just spoken...
06:54:09
Kimberly Bauer sits on the front of a car, talking with a police officer. The gun she had lies on the ground near Kim, and the man who had been robbed sits away from her across the parking lot where Kim lived. The offending man was now in handcuffs, sitting in the backseat of a police car, pain spreading throughout his entire leg. He couldn't understand how this babe could have stopped him from taking money from another man. It just didn't add up.
The police officer, continuing to write notes down on his little pad, asked, "Miss, where did you learn to use a gun? The shot you fired shows that the bullet was driven from the gun with perfect precision."
Kim sighs, "You see, I work for CTU, Counter Terrorist Unit, where my dad works, Jack Bauer." She stopped for a moment, thinking about her dad. "I decided to enroll in a class to learn how to become a...a...field agent."
The officer raises an eyebrow. "A woman...as a government field agent?"
Kim laughs, "Why is this country so sexist against women? Why can't we learn how to use guns?"
"Miss Bauer, I'm not going to intrude on your business. Once again, thank you for helping us catch this guy. But take my advice; try not to get too involved in these kinds of situations anymore. They can get dangerous."
Kim nodded in approval, but knew deep down that danger is what she wanted; what she was meant to do. Her father's gene had been passed down to her, and she was finally ready to accept that. She was ready to risk her life for her country; it was what she's been wanting to do ever since her mother had died, that day that seemed like an eternity ago.
Jack looked in the mirror in his office. Chase was not around; he didn't know where he was, and frankly, he didn't really care what he was up to, as long as he was out of his way. As he looked at himself in his casual field-op uniform, he thought of Kim, and how she didn't want to see him. His thoughts were interupted by a knock at the door.
"Shouldn't you be working?" It was Chloe O'Brien, his specialized assistant who sometimes got on his nerves.
"What's up, Chloe?"
"I just wanted to let you know something. Chase was working in your office before and"
Jack laughs, "Chloe, if you want to try and get Chase in trouble, this isn't the way to do it."
"That's not it. He wasn't looking too well, Jack. He was sweating like a mad person and his attitude was..." She struggles for the right word. "...abnormal."
Jack moves closer to her. "What do you mean, abnormal?"
"I don't know, just...he was just weird. Just letting you know."
Finally...this was the opportunity Jack needed to talk to Chase informally, then discuss with him what he needed to talk about: Kim.
"Alright, thanks Chloe."
Jack led Chloe out of his office and shut the door quickly behind her.
A car pulls into a strip mall parking lot. It takes the first available spot. The street lights pop on as they pull in; the sun is almost entirely gone now.
Lori Ronan opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Alright, keep the doors locked and I'll be back in a few minutes. Do you want anything?"
Jason Bulger answered after some time thinking, "Oh, no thanks."
That said, she smiled and closed the door behind her.
As she walked away, Jason hit the lock button almost immediately.
06:57:33
Tony Almeida stood still outside CTU. Michelle would be arriving soon, and he couldn't wait a second more to see her. Their short separation was stupid; he just couldn't understand how he could let Michelle, the gorgeous woman he married, leave his sight. This was the single thing on his mind. He didn't even think about what her response would be to the threat of the potential chemical attack.
As he leaned back against his car, he listened to the chirping of the birds as they too watched the sun shine its last rays upon this day. The parking lot was deserted except for him.
He turned his head toward the street to see the light traffic passing by. It wouldn't be long now...
A sudden noise makes Tony turn his head in all directions looking for the cause of it. Suddenly, a hand comes down and delivers a hard blow to his head. With his sleeves rolled up, Chase Edmunds punches Tony in the face. The blood begins to ooze. Tony is not able to respond. He tries to deliver a punch, but he is caught off guard when he sees Chase is the one attacking him. Without much of a fight, Chase is able to render Tony unconscious with just a few punches. His limp body falls to the ground.
Chase looks around the parking lot to make sure that nobody is around. He then opens the nearby trunk of a truck, and grabs Tony's feet, dragging his damaged body across the pavement.
Jason Bulger rests his head. The day had been a tiring one, and he actually was now quite bored. He looked through the coin tray, finding nothing but a couple of quarters and a few dimes and nickels.
He puts his feet up on the dashboard and relaxes. Hearing a noise outside, he quickly bangs them back to the car floor, hitting the back of them against the lower end of the passenger seat. He finds there a small drawer underneath the seat. Pulling on the hatch, the drawer pops open and he sticks his hand curiously into the drawer. What he pulls out makes his jaw drop.
In his hand, he examines a small handgun, cocked and ready to be put to use...
Jason had never seen a gun before in his life, and he couldn't imagine why in the hell his aunt, the person he thought he knew so well, had one concealed inside her car. Having never used one before in his life, he was compelled to use it.
Kim Bauer sat alone and in the dark in her apartment. She was an adult now; she didn't need her father always looking out for her. She felt a strange sense of individualism, one she had never felt before.
Jack Bauer typed on his computer. He worked at a slow pace, all because he couldn't get his mind off of his unhappy daughter. He knew so well that she had never forgiven him for Teri dying, and now she was mad at him for mistreating her boyfriend. The noise of typing continued.
Michelle looked around the CTU parking lot for her husband, but he was nowhere to be found. She wondered if he was inside, and decided that this was where he must be, waiting to surprise her.
The body of Tony Almeida laid steady in the back seat of the truck. The passing of the street lights put a constant glare on his face, the same face now covered with blood and scars.
In the Military Complex, the attention of the room was still focused on the screen projecting the circle engulfing the entire western part of the United States, as it continued to grow, then shrink once more, then grow outwards again.
President Palmer sat with Bill in the conference room. Bill was trying to discuss the situation at hand, but Palmer had other things on his mind, mostly the thought of another threat at his already weakened administration. Alicia stood outside the room, watching every move the President made.
Nicole Palmer patted Maurice on the back, trying to cheer him up. She had never seen so much racial hatred from anyone, and that was saying a lot, considering what her father had to go through to become the leader of the free world, the same world that was being so cruel to her. What Rob might do next to her shook her to the bone, and she could no longer hold back the tears. In her mind, she thought of good times, when her brother, her mother, and her father lived together in peace, but those times had long past.
Adrian Moore sat inside the press room, still trying to find a way to get to Palmer. It wouldn't be easy, but hey, whoever said that stardom came for free.
Jason took a deep breath, not believing what he was holding was actually there. The thought that the object he now possessed could kill someone was enough to make him whip out his cell phone. It was time to call his mother.
A sudden loud knock on the window made Jason jump. Lori continued knocking, wanting Jason to unlock the door.
He slowly put down the phone, now realizing that he was in danger. With reluctance, he put his hand on the switch and pressed, 'UNLOCK.'
As his aunt opened the driver's side door, he gripped onto the gun tighter than ever, now behind his back, hidden from view, at least for now...
06:59:57 06:59:58 06:59:59 07:00:00
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 6:00 P.M. AND 7:00 P.M.
EVENTS OCCUR IN REAL TIME.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 06:00:00 PM
On the western horizon of the city of Los Angeles, the sun begins to set. It is a beautiful and warm day and in a city park, people are enjoying the late afternoon weather.
The scene was much different, though, in an alleyway near the park. A group of eight people, all African American, are drinking some Coors, and throwing the empty bottles at a steady, but human target. A teenage American boy has been tied to a trash can in the shadows, and is being used to smash open the empty bottles. There are numerous cuts all over the young man's body, and the latest bottle to smack him right on the chest causes him to howl in pain as the alcohol sears into his skin. His half-torn up rag T-shirt and ripped jeans indicate the type of life this boy lived before this time; the time of his death. For the gang of eight were getting restless; a tall, but slender member gets up and whips out a gun. Without remorse, he shoots the white boy dead with just one shot. The remaining members all cheer.
But their celebration is about to be cut short, for they are not alone. Watching from behind a corner, a number of all Caucasian girls and boys, counting 20 in number, are preparing for attack.
A premature shot is fired.
The gang of African Americans look up startlingly. The opposing group have come out from hiding. There is a period of extended silence between both groups. From behind, a member of the African American gang is shot. They turn around only to see that they are surrounded. They take out guns and begins firing.
People begin falling left and right. But the one gang is outnumbered. They are reduced to only two: one boy and one girl. They drop their weapons in surrender.
The group of Americans send out two members to grab the two. They are driven away from the blood-infested scene as the roar of sirens are heard in the distance.
The lone African American boy has a face of readiness. He scolds at the white men like a tough man, but they only laugh at his stupidity.
The lone African American girl has a face full of tears, for she knows the kind of trouble she has gotten herself into too. Nicole Palmer knows her life couldn't get any worse. She was at the lowest of lows.
Nicole Palmer and her friend walk in the middle of their enemy, one prepared for his fate, the other wishing to warp back in time.
The sound of sirens roar...
COUNTER TERRORIST UNIT, LOS ANGELES 06:03:23
Leaning back in his chair, Tony Almeida, director of CTU, sat in silence in his office. Down below on the main floor, things were quiet. Many people had been sent home early for the day, and Tony was planning on doing the same. He turned his attention away from the main floor and swung around in his seat to face another office. Distantly, he could see Chase Edmunds working without rush in one office, while outside the office Chloe O'Brien typed rapidly on her computer. He again shifted his attention downstairs to an empty office space directly below his. This was the work station of Kim Bauer, and Tony remembered then that she and Jack left early to go have dinner together. The past few months had been rough on everybody at CTU. Especially Tony.
He then moved his eyes more to the right to the empty work space of his wife, Michelle Dessler. She was absent as well.
Tony grabbed the phone. He was about to dial a number until he reconsidered. He hadn't spoken to her in a week. She had left for Washington on a job interview and also some personal time. They had been having marital problems lately, and the latest fight resulted in the two not speaking to each other in the past week.
Tony was now on the verge of tears just thinking about his current situation.
He had made up his mind.
High above the country, a normal American Airlines flight soared through the cloudless sky. On board, Michelle Dessler looked out the window to the far-off ground below.
"Attention passengers," the flight attendant was making an announcement. "Please fasten your seat belts as we are beginning our descent to our final destination, Los Angeles. Please put all trays in their up-right and locked positions. We will be landing shortly. Thank you and we hope you enjoy the remainder of your flight."
Michelle sighs. Her cell phone rings.
"Dessler."
"...hey."
She recognized the voice instantly, that of her husband's. "Tony, I want to be the one to say this first, this whole thing has been my fault. I'm sorry."
Chuckling, Tony replies. "Michelle, this isn't your fault. You're not the one who should be sorry. I am. I haven't found the time for us. Work has been so hectic and all."
Michelle smiles. "Tony...I love you. I'm so sorry." Michelle is suddenly tapped on the shoulder.
"Miss, if you please, no cell phones on our descent. Please turn it off."
"Of course..." Michelle turns away from the aisle. "Tony, we're beginning to land. I have to go."
"Yeah...I love you."
Michelle answered, "I love you, too."
As she dropped the cell phone to her knees, she couldn't help but cry for the man she loved. She put her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.
The plane begins to descend...
06:05:57
A shadowy figure walks gracefully down the hallway. The evident sound of high-heels echos throughout the entire floor. A tall, but slender woman with long, blond hair comes to a stop at a doorway. She opens the door and enters the lit room.
"Adrian, there you are. Where have you been for the past few hours? I haven't been able to reach you since noon." A short and rather heavy and bald man, middle aged, comes running to Adrian Moore.
"Sorry, I've been around looking for a good story. What's going on, Keohane?"
"First off, I told you, don't call me Keohane. Call me Steve."
Adrian's face just tells it all: she couldn't care what she called him.
"And secondly, Rebecca Kolb has just been named Reporter of the Month by-"
Adrian grabs the newspaper Steve Keohane is holding outstretched in his hands. "Give me that paper."
Steve watches nervously. His fingers twitched with anxiousness on what her reaction would be to the news. His answer came right away.
"Rebecca Kolb can just go kiss my ss." Frustrated, she crumbles up the newspaper and chucks it into the garbage can near Keohane's desk.
"I need a story." Adrian walks to her desk and slumps herself down on the chair. "Help me, Steve."
Steve Keohane jumps up on his desk adjacent from Adrian's and sits on it, with his feet dangling. "Well, how about you cover the L.A. street fair?"
"Tried it, already at least 10 reporters there."
"How about the Robotics Convention?"
"Are you crazy? I'm not spending 6 hours with a bunch of robot nerds."
"Well, you can try to report on President Palmer's campaign here in L.A."
Adrian flew up from her chair. "The President is here, in Los Angeles? Why?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? He is here on his national tour to try and gain more supporters for the up-coming election. It's gonna be close, you know. Keeler's gonna be tough to beat. He's got my vote. Well, only because I'm a Republican. What are you, by the way?"
Adrian isn't paying attention. She scrambles through her desk for a pen and some paper.
"Adrian?"
"Huh? Listen Steve, where is the President currently?"
"I believe he is at that...that nice hotel, you know on Olive Blvd?"
"You mean the Golden Hills Grande Hotel?"
"Yeah, that's the one." Steve stared at Adrian with curiousness on his face. "You going to see him?"
"I'm about to have the story of the century."
Without another word, Adrian swings open the door and is gone.
GOLDEN HILLS GRANDE HOTEL 06:08:10
The mood was plainly intimate in the large ball room and dining hall inside the hotel. The lighting was dim, the tone just right for President David Palmer and his staff on yet another campaign dinner. It was also somebody's birthday, the President's in particular. He had invited many of his friends to come share his special day with him, but he wasn't in the mood. There were other, and more important things on his mind.
Soft music plays in the background and throughout the room, people are quietly enjoying the company of each other. This was true except at the head table, where the President sat alone in thinking. He thought about many things these days, but one thing was predominately more present over other issues: there was the possibility that he wouldn't be re-elected for a second term.
Sensing trouble, Bill Lawton approaches the troubled President. "Sir?"
Palmer remains quiet.
Bill rolls his eyes. "Mr. President, today is your birthday, it is not a day to worry about things. Leave that for tomorrow."
Palmer still remains quiet.
Bill gives up and sits down next to Palmer. "Sir; what's on your mind?"
Palmer finally moves and faces Bill. Not wanting to have another political talk with him, he lies. "I'm lonely. I haven't felt right since I lost Anne."
"Well, sir, I'm no love expert, but I do know that when the time is right, that true love will find you."
Palmer flinches. "It's not all about the girlfriend thing. Sherry is a criminal to this country, Nicole has just disappeared, and Keith is in full-time training in Taiwan. And Wayne..."
Bill shakes his head, obviously knowing where the President was taking the conversation. "David, come out and talk. Just talk. Please."
They stare each other in the eye. Palmer obeys, "Fine."
The President gets up from his seat and follows Bill to a crowd of people, standing bunched together on the dance floor.
Before entering the pack, Palmer closes his eyes and tries to relax.
Watching from a distance, Jack Bauer, dressed fully in a tuxedo, sits back on a chair. His eyes are fixed on one unspecific location. The past weeks have been hard for Jack and someone else; someone once close to him.
"Dad."
The single syllable startles Jack. He comes out of his fixed gaze and sees that his only daughter Kim has seated herself down across from Jack.
"Dad."
"Sorry, honey. What's up?"
Kim seats herself and grabs a piece of bread centered on the table. Unwrapping the napkin around her silverware, she finds the butter and brings it to her plate. Now having her napkin on her lap, she takes her knife and spreads butter on the piece of bread. Jack watches.
"Kim, please don't give me the silent treatment again...Kim!" Jack becomes angry with his daughter, even after all they've been through.
Kim looks away. "Why did you have to bring me to this stupid dinner anyway?"
"Because President Palmer asked me to come and he told me to bring a guest. Besides, you and I need to talk."
"Talk about what, dad? I don't want to talk about Chase. I know you hate him."
"I don't hate him," Jack pauses for a moment, "it's just that sometimes he gets out of control."
"Dad!" Kim lunges up from her chair. The table shakes and an empty wine glass flies off onto the floor, shattering into pieces. "You just don't like him. You want me to be miserable, I'm miserable, okay? You disrespect him and you treat him like he was a piece of sh!t. I can never forgive you for what you did to him." Tears begin to form in her eyes. She stares into the eyes of her father, not believing that he could do things like that.
Jack interrupts her. "Honey, I'm sorry, but we were on a sting operation and Chase got in the way. That's why I had to knock him out and that's why I had to point the gun at his head and pull the trigger...to gain the Salazar's trust. You have to understand this."
Kim is now crying. "How could you?"
Jack begins to lose control. "We've talked about this before again and again. Kim...just come back to work. We need you at CTU."
"You don't need me anywhere."
With that, she throws down the napkin resting on her lap and tearfully, walks right out of the room. Jack gets up and follows her.
"Kim! Kim!"
People are flying by each other quickly. Most of these people walking around the complex are wearing military uniform. Others are dressed nicely. A situation has obviously just come up. From down the busy hallway, a tall man comes walking nearer. General Andrew Hadley wastes no time in entering a large circular room where many other military officials are in waiting. They all rise when he enters.
"It is true. The warehouse we raided two hours ago in the Middle East, location undisclosed to some of us with low security clearance," He eyes some military personnel, "contains chemical weaponry. Not only does it contain chemical weaponry, but specially designed military weapons and equipment as well. I have been told that there is enough cargo in that warehouse to win a war against this country." He pauses and presses a button on the wall. The lights dim and a small piece of paper appears on the screen. Everyone focuses their attention to the screen where this paper has some information written on it.
"This," he points at the screen, "is a copy of a shipping order found in this warehouse. This particular shipping order has ordered the warehouse to send out a shipment of these chemical weapons. The thing that I haven't mentioned yet is that even with the side rooms at full capacity, the entire main room was clear of anything. This is where we found this."
Another man rises. "But where were the weapons headed?"
General Hadley stares at the man. "They are set to arrive sometime tonight..."
The same man speaks. "Where?"
"Somewhere inside the United States."
The man asking the questions seats himself down at the mention that the United States might be attacked sometime soon.
"First thing's first; contact the President. He will want to be apprised of everything first. Then, contact NSA and all other security agencies. And Colonel Gallagher, contact CTU Los Angeles. We have strong evidence that this terrorist attack will occur in Los Angeles sometime within the next 24 hours." A prolonged silence is held. Finally, Hadley speaks again, this time in a bolder tone. "Let's get to work."
06:13:43 06:13:44 06:13:45 06:13:46 06:13:47 06:13:48
"Chase."
Chloe O'Brien knocks on the door of the office, really Jack's office. If Jack knew that Chase also used his office when he wasn't around, well, he knew the consequences.
"Chase."
"What is it, Chloe?"
Chloe is taken aback by the sudden tone in his voice. "Why are you always so rude to me?"
Chase stops working and leans back in the chair. "Chloe...what do you want?"
Chloe answers immediately. "I just wanted to know if you filed those transcripts yet?"
"No, Chloe, I didn't" The exaggeration in his voice is evident.
"Chase! You know that Tony asked you to file those papers. You know the mood he's in these days."
Chase turns in his chair, facing the office of the director of CTU, currently occupied by Director Almeida. "Don't worry, Chloe; I'll do it before I leave."
"Why can't you just do it now, Chase?"
Chase turns back to face her. "Goodbye Chloe."
Chloe stares at him. With a short "humpph," Chloe re-opens the door and walks quickly back to her desk.
Chase looked back toward Tony's office and watched him type. He couldn't but help feel sorry for him; his life had been a mess lately. And then he remembered; so had his.
Zipping down the three-lane highway, a car comes speeding down the road, outpassing the others.
Inside this car, a woman of about 40 years with her nephew of 16 years are sitting in silence. The young man taps his fingers on the window. He gets bored.
"So how's work?"
The aunt is surprised by the sudden question of her nephew. "Hell...what else is new."
The young man chuckles. These were the times of his life he liked most. His mind shifted in thought to thinking about being with his aunt to school. He had so much homework to do tomorrow. The very thought of this was enough to make him ask yet another question. "So why aren't you interested in dating?"
"Excuse me?" Lori Ronan again wasn't expecting this question. Her nephew, Jason Bulger, or Jay as his friends called him, turned his head from looking out the window to staring at his rather short aunt with short black hair. Oppositely, Jay had dark blond hair and was very tall as compared with his aunt. Finally comprehending his question, Lori answers, "Did you just ask me about my love life?"
Jay laughs. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. Just curious and bored."
The air conditioner suddenly begins blasting cold air.
"Well, you won't have to be bored much longer. We'll be back at your parent's house in the next hour for their cocktail party tonight." Lori stops talking for a moment, taking in her surroundings. "You've got a Starbucks near your house, right? I want to get a cup of hot tea."
On a day so hot as this one, Jay couldn't imagine why.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jack Bauer continues to bang his fists against the door o the women's bathroom.
"Kim! Please! Open the door! I'm sorry!" Jack finally gives in and falls to the ground. A woman walking by gives a stare; Jack ignores it. He looks around the beautiful hallway he is currently occupying. The golden ceiling and the red carpet really made the feeling of the hotel grand. The walls were wallpapered with beautiful sketches of all different kinds of things. He took a moment to take in all of his surroundings when a sudden deep voice startled him.
"Is something wrong, Jack?"
Jack looked up only to see the face of President Palmer. "No...everything's fine. It's just that the past few months have been hard..."
"Hard on all of us, Jack. Including me. I'm sure you've heard about Sherry."
Jack looks down toward his feet. He knew about what had happened in recent weeks in the developments of Palmer's ex-wife. And it wasn't good news. "I have sir."
"Well, you can't feel sorry for her. The possibility of Sherry ending up in jail is her fault; not anyone elses."
"Yes, sir" Jack lifts up his head to face the tall President he knew so well.
Jack is about to speak again when the President interrupts his train of thought. "Jack...I really appreicate all of the work you've done for me...for this country. It's been a long road. But I have to say that it isn't looking good for me for a second term. Keeler is beginning to pull ahead." Palmer stops for a moment, contemplating what he said, and what he was planning to say. "Jack...after all of this, I think I have finally done something horrible. Something no President should have ever done. But I did." The silence in the hallway is so great that the light footsteps of people above them are heard. "Jack...there's something that I need to tell you. You may not understand it right now, but I did it for--"
"Mr. President." A tall, rather elder looking man with a rather stern expression and a very choked voice stands by himself facing the President and Jack.
"Robbie. What are you doing here?"
"We have an urgent situation, Mr. President. I need you to come with me immediately." The stern expression was fixed on his face, never moving.
"Come where?"
"To an undisclosed location, sir. Please; come now."
It seemed like he had no choice. "Jack...I'm sorry. It looks like I've got to go."
"I understand, Mr. President."
"Thank you for coming, Jack. It really means a lot to me."
"Yes, sir." Jack gets up and begins walking away from the President and Robbie when Robbie calls out to him. "Mr. Bauer; as head of NSA, I'm going to have to ask you to head back to CTU. This situation does involve national security."
"What's this about?" Jack is quick to ask this.
"I'm not authorized to explain it to you at this time. Please, Jack, go to CTU."
"Alright...I'll go."
"Good...follow me, Mr. President."
With a final nod to Jack, the President follows the elderly Robbie Lohse to a nearby doorway. As they walk through, Jack then remembers that the President never got to tell him what he so desperately needed to say.
06:18:03
Kimberly Bauer sat by herself in one of the stalls of the bathroom with her feet off the ground. Tears were visible in her eyes, and her arms were outstretched around her uplifted knees.
She thought about Chase; poor Chase. She could only imagine both the mental and physical pain that Jack forced him to go through all because of this "secret sting operation," as her dad would call it.
Speaking of her dad, she sat there and thought about the man that had done so much to protect his country. That she could be proud of for him. But he had always done it the hard way, doing whatever possible to protect both the nation, and his family.
Kim thought about her past family problems. She remembered that day; that horrible day when her mom passed away. It was the worst day of her life, by far. She remembered Nina Myers, the woman her father once...could she even think of it?
And now, after all they've been through, her father was turning away from her. Soon, she would have a new mom, or "step-mom" as they say. The very idea of having a motherly figure made the tears slowly water down her pale face.
Kim put her hand inside her pocket and reached in, grabbing a small picture her dad had given her weeks earlier. Every time she looked at it, it made her think of her deceased mother. But she just couldn't understand how Jack could be interested in another woman...after all this...
The picture drops to the bathroom floor, with the glimmering face of Claudia Salazar staring back up at her future step-daughter.
"Hey Simon."
Tony Almeida stands over the tall CTU techie with a file in his hand.
"Yeah Tony?" Simon Richter speakes loudly and distinctively.
"I need you to file this, please."
"Sure." Simon takes the file and gets up from his desk. He walks away.
As Tony watches him go, Chloe comes running over to Tony.
"Tony; NSA Director Robbie Taylor is on the phone for you."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
"Tony, he wants you now." The accent on the word 'now' was apparent.
Tony sighs. "Fine...put him through here."
"Sure." Chloe goes walking away as Tony stands over Simon's now empty station. He picks up the phone.
Hearing a click on the other end of the line, Tony waits for a salutation.
"Mr. Almeida, this is NSA Director Taylor. Are we on a secure line?"
Tony's stomach dropped a notch. That infamous question only meant one thing: the possibility of a disaster at hand. "...Yes..." Becoming quite nervous, he repeats what he just said. "Yes, yes sir."
"Good. Now listen, Mr, Almeida. We have a situation at hand. You'll be briefed at a later time, but I'm going to have to ask you to call in all of your people."
"When...now?"
"Yes...now. Do it. I'll get back to you."
Tony hangs up the phone. He puts his head into his hands and sat down on Simon's chair.
"What's up?" The voice of Simon is heard as he leans over the screen separating his station from a walkway.
"Simon; I'm going to need you to call in all of our personnel."
"What?"
"Look, just do it."
"Fine, when should I tell them to be in?"
Tony raises his head and stares straight into Simon's eyes. "Tell them to come in now."
Simon raises an eyebrow. "Alright. I'll tell Chloe."
As Simon walked away from Tony, Tony then realized that the night wasn't off to a good start. His hope of a relaxing night at home had diminished.
Jack Bauer walks once again to the door of the women's restrooms. He is about to knock on it again when the door opens and Kim walks slowly out.
"Kim."
"Dad...I don't want to talk. I'm really tired. I just want to go home."
Jack doesn't buy this. "Kim, we have to talk. I'm not"
Kim begins walking away.
"Kim." Jack watches as his enstranged daughter leaves him. "Kim. I love you." She still didn't stop. "Kim."
Without another word, Kimberly Bauer had left the main hallway and was gone.
06:22:35 06:22:36 06:22:37 06:22:38 06:22:39 06:22:40
President Palmer is seated at a table in a conference room with his chief-of-staff, Bill Lawton. Another woman is also seated at the table; Alicia Donaldson. A video screen is on the main wall of the room, and it is currently blue, waiting to be connected to another computer.
The door opens and in walks Robbie Lohse. "Mr. President...Bill..." As he turns his head, he comes to the red-headed, curly haired Alicia. "Ms. Donaldson."
Alicia, wearing a womanly business suit painted black and grey, stares at the elder NSA director. Their glances toward one another indicate trouble between the two.
"Alright...Gentlemen...ladies..." Palmer tries to cool down the harsh atmosphere. "Let us get on with this."
"Of course, Mr. President." Robbie sits himself down opposite Alicia. Bill continues to remain silent.
"What is this about, Robbie?"
"Mr. President; before we begin, I'd like to conference in with CTU, Los Angeles and Director Almeida as well as some top U.S. officials."
Robbie picks up a remote and clicks on the screen. The main CTU conference room lights up, with Tony sitting in the head chair, and Simon and Chloe sitting around the table as well. A screen next to that brings to life the picture of the table of U.S. officials headed by General Hadley.
"Good evening, Mr. President."
President Palmer acknowledges his salutation by the military personnel and CTU.
Bill finally speaks. "Let's get on with it."
"Of course." He pauses for a moment as everyone remains silent, waiting to hear what this was all about. "We have good reason to believe that the United States will be attacked today, in a way never seen by human kind." This comes to a suprise to some; to others, it is only old news.
"What kind of attack?" President Palmer asks.
"Chemical, sir. Now, if I could, General Hadley will explain more about this."
Everyone re-focuses their attention to the strong and determined general standing in front of them. He begins.
"Mr. President. A few minutes ago we received conformation from the Middle East that a warehouse containing chemical weaponry and other weapons of war was found. When General Williams invaded the warehouse about an hour ago with his team, they examined the underground bunker from front to back, finding that some of this weaponry had already been shipped out." Tony flinches in his seat nervously. The General continues. "We found a shipping order, sending these weapons to American soil."
The President is anxious, "Where?"
"We don't know, sir."
President Palmer and Bill exchange glances of horror.
"It could be anywhere. They're set to arrive sometime in the U.S. tonight. We don't know when either."
Alicia puts her face into her hands. Chloe looks over to Simon, who closes his eyes.
"Mr. President. This leads me to another point. You know by now about the numerous racial violence sweeping over Los Angeles in the past 24 hours. We believe, from a non-specific source, that these uprisings are only a cover-up for what may happen to the U.S. today. Considering the potential ties we found just a few hours ago linking this sub-Ku Klux Klan group to a known terrorist group, we have reason to believe that these chemical weapons will arrive in Los Angeles in the next few hours. " General Hadley stops.
The President gives a chuckle.
"Is there something funny about this, Mr. President?"
"No, Andrew. It's just that this attack taking place in Los Angeles is nothing more than a hunch. This potential tie between this American hate group and a Muslim hate group just doesn't make sense. Both of these groups believe in very different causes."
"Yes, Mr. President. That is true, but we have evidence that proves"
"That proves what? You know what, I think this is one of your ploys, Andrew. You just don't want me to stay in Los Angeles, that is what this is all about. You are just saying Los Angeles is the proposed place of attacking because you want me to leave just because of the history this city has had with disasters. Not this time, General. I'm staying. Unless you can give me hard evidence that this attack will occur in Los Angeles in the next 24 hours; I'm staying." Palmer, now standing, stares into the screen like a madman.
"Mr. President."
"Andrew, maybe we need a little break." Bill interrupts.
"That will be fine, everyone. When we return, we'll anaylze the specific chemical agents and detail how big of an attack this could be." Robbie turns to look at all of the people listening to him, most of them sick to their stomachs.
Palmer gets up from the table and darts out of the room, as everyone else realizes the stress they are all about to go through...
06:27:52
Darkness continues to fall upon the abandoned streets of Los Angeles. The scene switches to the basement of a very old building, where the white gang's two prisoners are being brought inside. The two of them know not to resist, especially Nicole Palmer and her friend, Maurice. The people bringing them inside stop their walking inside a small, smelly, and dark room. The walls are all made out of cement, and the only light comes from a small, upper window in the corner. The people bringing the two in leave them. As they walk out of the room through the only exit, a tough-looking white man enters. Wearing a sleeveless, white shirt and ripped jeans, he moves closer to his enemies.
"Well...look who we stumbled upon today?" The white man named Rob speaks loudly and decisively. "Two mother fuers beating the hell out of one of my friends, Pat...and he's dead?"
Nicole and Maurice stare at this strange man talking to them.
"Well, did you kill him?"
Silence.
"Huh?" Rob loses his patience and attacks Maurice, banging him against a wall. He begins punching him in the face, then the stomach. "Talk to me, you stupid son of a b!tch!"
"Stop it!" Nicole darts upward. Rob throws Maurice to the ground. "And who are you--" He then realizes through the light who he's seeing. "You're..you're the President's daughter, Nicole, aren't ya?"
"..yes...yes, I am."
Rob stares at her, knowing that him kidnapping the President of the United States daughter couldn't end up in a positive way. He slaps Nicole on the face and she falls to the ground. She screams in agony.
He turns back to Maurice. "Who are you?"
He remains silent.
"You answer me, you little piece of sh!t."
He picks up Maurice and throws him into the wall. He bounces off and hits the floor. Blood oozes out of his body, in all directions. Rob begins kicking him in the stomach area. Maurice cries and screams in shear pain. After Rob is satified with his work, he rolls the unconsious body to the wall.
Nicole remains lying on the floor, watching Rob closely. The fear she had couldn't have been greater.
"You dumb niers. Don't know anything." With that said, he begins to laugh. He walks out of the room. As he leaves the room, he closes the door and walks down a hallway, still hearing the constant screaming of Nicole and Maurice...
GOLDEN HILLS GRANDE HOTEL 06:31:27
In a large room, a group of press reporters are all gathering for a briefing by the President's administration. Noticiably present is Adrian Moore, hiding among the gigantic crowd of press reporters. The door to the room opens and Jenny Dodge, the President's Press Secretary enters. Escorted by Secret Service, they immediately surround the area. She walks right up to the podium. The noise dies down.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm sorry the President couldn't be here right now, but he's in a very important meeting with his staff. An important situation took him from his birthday party to the Hotel conference room, where he is now. There is no reason for alarm; the impending situation is under control by President Palmer. All questions will be answered at a later time. Thank you." With those brief words, she steps off of the podium and begins to leave as everyone shouts at once, "Jenny!" She ignores those shouts and continues leaving until a familiar face intercepts her.
"Ms. Dodge, my name is Adrian Moore with the L.A. Gazette. I need to see President Palmer."
Jenny looks at her like she has two heads. "Of course you can't see the President. No member of the press"
"Either you let me see the President, or I'll spill the beans about chemical weaponry being delivered to Los Angeles."
Jenny, who was about to leave, stops dead in her tracks. She's absolutely horrified. "How did you-"
"I have my sources. Now either let me see him, or you risk the chance of public panic. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Jenny stares at Adrian, then is escorted out of the room by Secret Service.
Adrian watches through the glass as she goes.
Tony works in his office with a sick feeling inside. What would happen when Michelle found out about the impending crisis. He didn't know.
The phone rang, sounding its usual, 'beep, beep, bee-eep.' He picks it up.
"Hello?"
"Tony, it's Jack. Listen, I'm on my way back to CTU, something's going on."
"Yeah, we know."
"What's going on, Tony?"
"We've got a threat of a chemical attack in Los Angeles sometime today."
"Chemical?" Jack continues driving nervously. "Alright, look, I'll be back at CTU as soon as I can."
"What about Kim?"
"I don't think so, Tony."
Tony sighs. "Alright, Jack. See you in a bit."
Tony hangs up the phone and looks over to Jack's office, where Chase is still working.
Tony gets up and walks out of his office. He passes the stairs and walks by Chloe's desk. She stares at him weirdly. He ignores it and walks into the office.
"Hey Chase."
Chase looks up. "Yeah Tony?"
It's at this point that Tony notices that Chase is sweating madly and his body is shaking rapidly. "Are you alright, Chase?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Even while saying this, his body continues to jitter. "What's up?"
"Jack just called. He said that Kim isn't going to be coming back to work so I was wondering if you could call her for me; see how she's doing. Please."
"Sure. Let me just finish this and then I'll give her a call."
"Okay, good. We're going to need all the help we can get today...or tonight. I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Yeah." Chase watches as Tony walks out of Jack's office, still curious about what was up with Chase.
06:35:14
General Hadley continues to talk to President Palmer about the type of chemical agent involved.
"Sir, final analysis won't come back for about an hour, but we are pretty sure that if this attack occurs, it will wipe out not only Los Angeles," the President rolls his eyes at the mention of this so-called, "hunch," "but also the entire western United States."
On a screen, Palmer, along with Robbie, Alicia, and Bill watch as a circle expands over the western United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean west to Colorado, from southern Washington state south to Mexio. Alicia can't stand it anymore and closes her eyes.
"There is one more thing, Mr. President. We have examined these weapons closely and found a stamp engraved on all of these weapons. This stamp is from an American company: Kopin Institutes."
Palmer flies up from his chair. "You're telling me, Andrew, that Americans sold these chemical weapons to the Middle East?"
"Yes, Mr. President. It appears this way."
As Bill tries to calm down the President, it seems that Robbie is more interested in Alicia. He stares at her suspiciously. She doesn't notice his stare, and continues focusing on the screen showing the circle engulfing the entire western United States...
06:37:09 06:37:10 06:37:11 06:37:12 06:37:13 06:37:14
Jack continues driving toward CTU. His mind wasn't on the road, however; it was on other things. Like how his daughter had treated him since "that day."
He takes a turn into a small, narrow alleyway; the one he always took on his way to work. It was much quicker than driving all the way around town. The light in the sky was continued to diminish, and Jack's car slipped through the alley unnoticed.
A short, but loud noise is heard. Jack's car begins to skid. A second noise of the same sound is heard. Both of Jack's tires had been hit. His car continues skidding while Jack wonders what the hell was going on. He grabs his gun on the seat as the car skids into the wall of the abandoned alley. There is complete silence as Jack waits for what to do next. A third gunshot erupts right through the front windshield. It is at this time that Jack realizes that he is under attack. He quickly gets out of the car and ducks down on the side. More gunshots are heard as Bauer runs for cover from behind a dumpster.
He ducks behind it. Seeing a ray of sunlight illuminating a man on top of one of the buildings, he fires and hits the man straight in his face. He falls from the building. His body splats all over the pavement below, yards away from Jack.
More gunshots are fired. One hits Jack's car, and moments later, it explodes in a fiery eruption of flames. Jack covers his face with his hands to prevent the smoke from blinding his vision.
Jack curses under his breath and moves to the side of the dumpster. He fires into the air because he can no longer see anything because of the smoke surrounding the entire alleyway. He hears another man fall to the ground. Jack then realizes he is out of ammo. The gunshots continue as he sprints toward the distant street. He ducks as the shots continue.
A man comes flying out from behind a corner. Jack turns around and punches him in the face. The man punches Jack back and throws him into the wall. The gunshots continue.
It was then as Jack laid on the ground that he got an idea. He jumped to his feet as the man leaped back onto Jack. Jack was able to grab him and hold him in a steady position. He holds the man in a crippling headlock. The gunshots continue to sound.
Finally, Jack's plan succeeds when a shot is fired right through the man's stomach. Jack is quick enough to move out of the way before the bullet hits him. Jack, free from any more obstacles except the distant gunshots, runs quickly to the street and escapes the fatal trap. He looks for a car to steal, but, finding he has no gun, gives up. He instead begins running down the dimly lit streets of Los Angeles, toward CTU Headquarters.
06:41:46
Tony sits in his office on the phone with Simon.
"Tony, Gael's just arrived. Should I tell him to come up?"
"Yeah."
Tony hangs up the phone as he hears the footsteps of Gael Ortega come up the stairs. He enters Tony's office.
"Gael."
"I heard about the current situation. I'll be getting my department up to date immediately."
"Good. Gael, I'm going to be going out for a few minutes to wait for my wife. I trust you can take over for me for a couple of minutes."
"Sure. How's Michelle?"
Tony scratches his chin. "She's good."
Gael and Tony exchange an awkward moment of silence. Gael speaks, "I'll get to work."
"Okay." As Gael leaves his office, Tony again picks up the phone.
Michelle is at the wheel of her car, driving through the streets of Los Angeles. Her cell phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey there. How far away are you?"
"I should be at CTU in about twenty minutes."
Tony chuckles to himself. "I can't wait."
Michelle takes a deep breath. "Tony, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for the past few weeks."
"What is it?"
"You're gonna be a father. And I'm gonna be a mother."
It takes a moment for Tony to understand what she was trying to say, but finally, he realizes that Michelle was pregnant.
"Wow...I had no idea."
"Are you happy?"
"Yeah...yeah...of course. Listen, I'm being beeped by Division, I've gotta go."
"I love you." Michelle begins to cry.
"Love you, too." Tony hangs up the phone. It was then that it hit him. He was going to have a child; something he has always wanted. With the woman he loved so much, they were finally going to become parents. The joy was overwhelming for him, and at the same time, Michelle was having the same feelings.
President Palmer sat alone in the now deserted conference room. The door opened and Jenny entered.
"Jenny, is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually, Mr. President. We have a problem."
"What is it?" The President turned his head to face the relatively short member of his staff.
"A press reporter named Adrian Moore. She demands to speak with you, or else she'll tell the public that chemical weapons will be delivered by terrorists to Los Angeles today."
The President couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How did she find this out?"
"I don't know, sir."
The President thinks over the situation at hand, not knowing how to proceed. Finally, he gives an answer. "We can't afford a panic; but, at the same time, this administration cannot have another Ron Wieland. Leave her alone."
"Yes, Mr. President."
Jenny nods and walks out of the room. As she walks out, Robbie Lohse enters and sits himself down.
"Mr. President. I need to speak with you about Alicia."
Palmer smiles. "Robbie; on this day especially, you need to drop your personal dislike for-"
"It's not personal dislike, Mr. President. I've learnt from a creditable source that Alicia used to work for this company, Kopin Institutes."
"The company that supposedly gave these terrorists the chemical weaponry?"
"Yes, Mr. President. And I've also learnt that she still may be in contact with this company."
"This doesn't prove anything, Robbie. This company does many other things than produce chemical elements."
"Yes, I know, Mr. President. But I am having a meeting with my source in the next hour. My source has told me that proof can be made available."
Palmer remains silent. "Very well. Go through with your meeting. If you can get proof, we'll talk with Alicia. In the meantime, I'd like to speak with a member of this company to discuss what the hell is going on over there. We'll re-evaluate this in one hour."
"Yes, Mr. President. Thank you."
Robbie slowly gets up and begins walking toward the door. Palmer closes his eyes, now knowing that there was the possibility that a member of his own staff was working for the enemy...
06:46:38
Kimberly Bauer stepped out of her car. She looked around the parking lot of her apartment complex where she lived. Seeing that there was nobody around, she began walking toward the main building. She soon reached the overhang of the white building and saw that two people, both men, were shouting at one another in the far corner of the overhang. Kim, curiously, walked slowly over to them. They didn't notice her.
"Hey, dude. Get the hell away from me."
"Give me everything you've got."
The offending man grabbed the other man and ripped off his watch.
Kim continued to watch the scene. Her arm went into her pocket and she gripped something.
The offending man now had the other man's wallet and pushing the other man into the wall, he began to run away.
"Help! Somebody help That guy robbed me!"
Kim pulled out a gun from her pocked and sprinted off toward the robber. Her speed was fast, her determination was high. The offending man now realized that he was being pursued.
"Stop, or I'll fire," Kim yelled.
The man showed no signs of letting up. He didn't see the gun.
Kim got the gun ready in moments, and, firing a single shot, the bullet struck the man in the left leg. This paralyzed the man and he fell to the ground. Kim ran up to the spot of the fallen man and put her gun back into her pocket. Instead of pulling out a weapon, this time she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed three numbers. "Yes, I have a man here who..."
The man who was robbed slowly walks to the spot where the incident had occured. Amazed by the abilities of the young woman before him, he said simply, "Thanks."
06:49:29 06:49:30 06:49:31 06:49:32 06:49:33 06:49:34
The first person to see the arrival of the veteran CTU agent was Tony. He walked to where Jack Bauer was coming in, and went straight up to him. "Hey Jack." He immediately notices the condition Jack was in, and by the looks of his once brand new tuxedo, and his shortness of breath, Tony could only guess that something bad had occured.
"Tony, I need you to send recovery teams three blocks from here at the intersection of Main and Immis."
"What the hell happened?" Tony now realized that most of CTU was now looking at the scene between the two men.
"As I was driving to CTU, I cut through this alleyway. I was soon attacked by many men. My car exploded and their goal was obviously to kill me. I need to find out who these men are."
"I see...Listen, Jack, a warehouse was raided somewhere in the Middle East earlier today. They found a large share of chemical weapons, some of them were missing and it has been determined that they are on their way to Los Angeles as we speak. Our job is to find these weapons as soon as they land on U.S. soil." Tony stopped for a moment, letting Jack take in this incredible amount of information.
For Jack, this was only another thing to add to his list of things to think about. "How do we know that these weapons are coming to Los Angeles?"
"That's the thing: this whole L.A. thing is only a hunch. The U.S. military believes that this racial violence that's been esculating in Los Angeles recently is only a cover-up for what might happen to the west coast today. Final analysis of the chemical agent should be in soon, but right now, it looks like if this chemical is released airborne, the entire west coast would be wiped out within hours."
This information shook Jack's insides. The thought of the entire western United States was enough to chill someone to the bone. He looked at all of the workers at CTU and then back to Tony, who waited for his reply.
"This doesn't make sense. The United States government believes for a reason that there is a link between a KKK group and a terrorist group from the Middle East. These connections just don't exist."
"Exactly, Jack. I think we're just going to have to wait on this one. "
Jack thought for a moment before giving Tony his response. "Do me a favor; send Recovery down to the location I gave you. Tell them to ID all of these men individually and then get back to me in one hour."
"One hour? That's not enough time!"
"We need to find out who these men are, and what their connection is to all of this. Once we find this out, we can move on. Now, please Tony; just do it. I'm going to get changed."
Tony watched as Jack moved into the very center of CTU, the staring continuing. Tony shook his head knowing that their lead into this whole thing was also a hunch, but it was a hunch that they just had to hope would prove to be relevant to the situation at hand.
With this in his mind, he turned toward where Jack had just entered and walked out of the CTU Main Lobby, ready to see his now pregnant wife.
President Palmer sat with Bill in the conference room, talking this time with Colonel Gallagher.
"I agree," Gallagher was saying, "but we have to be certain that the public will react"
He was interupted by the sudden entrance of Hadley. "Mr. President, the military just received this phone call from an open channel, a military channel."
"What does it say?" Palmer asked.
"Listen for yourself, Mr. President." He then flipped a switch and a static noise began.
"...I am the only one who can prevent disaster from striking. I know the exact location where the chemical weapons will be delivered. The chemical agent in these weapons is a very deadly 54M-22 gas, a type of gas produced by Kopin Institutes. I am telling you the truth. If this agent is released into the air, millions of people will die in minutes. Your only choice is to listen to my demands. They are quite simple and are non- negotiable: allow the Press Reporter named Adrian Moore to be given full access to the President and his staff. You shall not tell her about this demand. She is to be treated like a member of the President's staff. And yes, I will know if you are bluffing or not. I will know if you tell her about this call. I shall know everything that happens to her. I am your only hope. Let Adrian Moore into your inner circle or face not only the deviating powers of the group known as Dark Wrath, but you will also receive an astonishing surprise from myself. The choice is yours..."
The recording fades to static. There is a great degree of silence among Palmer, Bill, and inside the Military O.C.
Hadley is the first to speak, "Mr. President; we now have a great deal of talking to do. I hear this reporter also knows about today's events. There's got to be a connection."
But Palmer's mind is elsewhere. He stares off into space, unaffected by the words the General had just spoken...
06:54:09
Kimberly Bauer sits on the front of a car, talking with a police officer. The gun she had lies on the ground near Kim, and the man who had been robbed sits away from her across the parking lot where Kim lived. The offending man was now in handcuffs, sitting in the backseat of a police car, pain spreading throughout his entire leg. He couldn't understand how this babe could have stopped him from taking money from another man. It just didn't add up.
The police officer, continuing to write notes down on his little pad, asked, "Miss, where did you learn to use a gun? The shot you fired shows that the bullet was driven from the gun with perfect precision."
Kim sighs, "You see, I work for CTU, Counter Terrorist Unit, where my dad works, Jack Bauer." She stopped for a moment, thinking about her dad. "I decided to enroll in a class to learn how to become a...a...field agent."
The officer raises an eyebrow. "A woman...as a government field agent?"
Kim laughs, "Why is this country so sexist against women? Why can't we learn how to use guns?"
"Miss Bauer, I'm not going to intrude on your business. Once again, thank you for helping us catch this guy. But take my advice; try not to get too involved in these kinds of situations anymore. They can get dangerous."
Kim nodded in approval, but knew deep down that danger is what she wanted; what she was meant to do. Her father's gene had been passed down to her, and she was finally ready to accept that. She was ready to risk her life for her country; it was what she's been wanting to do ever since her mother had died, that day that seemed like an eternity ago.
Jack looked in the mirror in his office. Chase was not around; he didn't know where he was, and frankly, he didn't really care what he was up to, as long as he was out of his way. As he looked at himself in his casual field-op uniform, he thought of Kim, and how she didn't want to see him. His thoughts were interupted by a knock at the door.
"Shouldn't you be working?" It was Chloe O'Brien, his specialized assistant who sometimes got on his nerves.
"What's up, Chloe?"
"I just wanted to let you know something. Chase was working in your office before and"
Jack laughs, "Chloe, if you want to try and get Chase in trouble, this isn't the way to do it."
"That's not it. He wasn't looking too well, Jack. He was sweating like a mad person and his attitude was..." She struggles for the right word. "...abnormal."
Jack moves closer to her. "What do you mean, abnormal?"
"I don't know, just...he was just weird. Just letting you know."
Finally...this was the opportunity Jack needed to talk to Chase informally, then discuss with him what he needed to talk about: Kim.
"Alright, thanks Chloe."
Jack led Chloe out of his office and shut the door quickly behind her.
A car pulls into a strip mall parking lot. It takes the first available spot. The street lights pop on as they pull in; the sun is almost entirely gone now.
Lori Ronan opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Alright, keep the doors locked and I'll be back in a few minutes. Do you want anything?"
Jason Bulger answered after some time thinking, "Oh, no thanks."
That said, she smiled and closed the door behind her.
As she walked away, Jason hit the lock button almost immediately.
06:57:33
Tony Almeida stood still outside CTU. Michelle would be arriving soon, and he couldn't wait a second more to see her. Their short separation was stupid; he just couldn't understand how he could let Michelle, the gorgeous woman he married, leave his sight. This was the single thing on his mind. He didn't even think about what her response would be to the threat of the potential chemical attack.
As he leaned back against his car, he listened to the chirping of the birds as they too watched the sun shine its last rays upon this day. The parking lot was deserted except for him.
He turned his head toward the street to see the light traffic passing by. It wouldn't be long now...
A sudden noise makes Tony turn his head in all directions looking for the cause of it. Suddenly, a hand comes down and delivers a hard blow to his head. With his sleeves rolled up, Chase Edmunds punches Tony in the face. The blood begins to ooze. Tony is not able to respond. He tries to deliver a punch, but he is caught off guard when he sees Chase is the one attacking him. Without much of a fight, Chase is able to render Tony unconscious with just a few punches. His limp body falls to the ground.
Chase looks around the parking lot to make sure that nobody is around. He then opens the nearby trunk of a truck, and grabs Tony's feet, dragging his damaged body across the pavement.
Jason Bulger rests his head. The day had been a tiring one, and he actually was now quite bored. He looked through the coin tray, finding nothing but a couple of quarters and a few dimes and nickels.
He puts his feet up on the dashboard and relaxes. Hearing a noise outside, he quickly bangs them back to the car floor, hitting the back of them against the lower end of the passenger seat. He finds there a small drawer underneath the seat. Pulling on the hatch, the drawer pops open and he sticks his hand curiously into the drawer. What he pulls out makes his jaw drop.
In his hand, he examines a small handgun, cocked and ready to be put to use...
Jason had never seen a gun before in his life, and he couldn't imagine why in the hell his aunt, the person he thought he knew so well, had one concealed inside her car. Having never used one before in his life, he was compelled to use it.
Kim Bauer sat alone and in the dark in her apartment. She was an adult now; she didn't need her father always looking out for her. She felt a strange sense of individualism, one she had never felt before.
Jack Bauer typed on his computer. He worked at a slow pace, all because he couldn't get his mind off of his unhappy daughter. He knew so well that she had never forgiven him for Teri dying, and now she was mad at him for mistreating her boyfriend. The noise of typing continued.
Michelle looked around the CTU parking lot for her husband, but he was nowhere to be found. She wondered if he was inside, and decided that this was where he must be, waiting to surprise her.
The body of Tony Almeida laid steady in the back seat of the truck. The passing of the street lights put a constant glare on his face, the same face now covered with blood and scars.
In the Military Complex, the attention of the room was still focused on the screen projecting the circle engulfing the entire western part of the United States, as it continued to grow, then shrink once more, then grow outwards again.
President Palmer sat with Bill in the conference room. Bill was trying to discuss the situation at hand, but Palmer had other things on his mind, mostly the thought of another threat at his already weakened administration. Alicia stood outside the room, watching every move the President made.
Nicole Palmer patted Maurice on the back, trying to cheer him up. She had never seen so much racial hatred from anyone, and that was saying a lot, considering what her father had to go through to become the leader of the free world, the same world that was being so cruel to her. What Rob might do next to her shook her to the bone, and she could no longer hold back the tears. In her mind, she thought of good times, when her brother, her mother, and her father lived together in peace, but those times had long past.
Adrian Moore sat inside the press room, still trying to find a way to get to Palmer. It wouldn't be easy, but hey, whoever said that stardom came for free.
Jason took a deep breath, not believing what he was holding was actually there. The thought that the object he now possessed could kill someone was enough to make him whip out his cell phone. It was time to call his mother.
A sudden loud knock on the window made Jason jump. Lori continued knocking, wanting Jason to unlock the door.
He slowly put down the phone, now realizing that he was in danger. With reluctance, he put his hand on the switch and pressed, 'UNLOCK.'
As his aunt opened the driver's side door, he gripped onto the gun tighter than ever, now behind his back, hidden from view, at least for now...
06:59:57 06:59:58 06:59:59 07:00:00