Author's Note - This story takes place 11 years after Day One and 2 years after Day Six. It is slightly AU-ish as CTU still exists and Jack still works there. It is about my OC Alex Myers. Any other characters apart from the terrorists, Michelle Barrett, Josh, Sarah and Henry in the story are property of Fox.
12.45pm, Mojave Desert, California
Alex was full of adrenaline as he pursued the last remaining member of the seperatist group Nevada Dawn. The group had managed to blow up the CTU Reno building, leaving 50 dead and many more injured. He was determined to hunt them all down, and he and Jack had managed to track down this last outlaw in the Mojave Desert, thanks to Chloe. He grew cautious as they approached a small building. He told Jack to go around the back, whilst he checked out the front. He stared inside, and found nothing, apart from a lot of dust and some old furniture. This was when he noticed the creaking noise coming from inside. He stepped back and, with some force, kicked the door in. He moved slowly inside, gun ready to shoot. He approached a door on the other side of the room, when it suddenly opened. He got ready to shoot, but lowered his weapon when he realised who it was.
"Are we certain that he came in here, Jack?", Alex asked. He was getting sick of this and wanted nothing more than to end the terrorist's whole existence.
"If he didn't, then he's either invisible or a pretty quick runner!", Jack quipped. He too was tired of the chase, especially as he was now approaching 50. He wondered what to do. The terrorist couldn't hide forever in the building, but Jack was aware that terrorists were often highly intelligent, and could evade capture very easily if they tried. Suddenly, the terrorist jumped down from the wooden beam and, just before Jack filled his chest full of bullets, he plunged his knife deep into Alex's."Dammit! Chloe, we need medical help now!". He rushed to Alex and took one look at the wound, and cursed again. It was definately fatal.
Alex looked up at Jack, and realised from his face that he didn't have much time. He felt for the weapon, and tried to take it out, but Jack moved his hand away gently. Do you think I actually have a chance of surviving, Jack?
An helicopter had been dispatched from CTU Palmdale, and would be there within minutes, but Jack feared that Alex would die before they got there. As they waited, Alex thought of his life, the life that was slowly being drained out of him.
He remembered his first day at school. His mother had taken him there, and he had soon made friends. He recalled how they would make fun of the teacher, who had a rather unfortunate surname that Alex couldn't remember now. Of course, he was 39 now, and that day had been many years ago. Years before he had even heard of CTU or Jack Bauer. He looked up at Jack and struggled to speak."Jack, I want you to know that I don't regret anything, and I don't regret ever coming to Los Angeles". Jack smiled, and hoped even more that the medics would be there in time.
Alex thought of his first girlfriend, back when he was 15. Her name was Michelle Barrett, and she had been the most beautiful girl he had ever known. She had long brown hair, expressive blue eyes and a great sense of humour. They had gone out a few times, but she had to move away to New York, and he never saw her again. He had spent many a night after that dreaming of her, hoping to one day suddenly meet her again, fall in love with her once more. He realised that Teri's eyes were very much like Michelle's, and on the day he met her, he was instantly reminded of his first love. He felt angry that he had failed Teri, and even as he lay there in the dust, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
His first apartment after moving out, now that was a place to remember! At night, you could hear the next door neighbours even if they whispered, and at day, you could look out of the window and see right across Chicago. He missed Chicago, and felt sad that he would die thousands of miles away from his home town. It reminded him of a poem written by a British man a century before, of a foreign field that would be forever England. He decided that where he lay would be a foreign desert that would be forever Chicago. Alex could hear the distant whir of an helicopter, and started to think, if only for a few seconds, that he might not be dead just yet.
Jack was now holding him gently in his arms, and he spoke quietly, assuring Alex that he would be OK. I would love to believe you, Jack, but I don't think I'm going to last much longer.
He remembered his first day at CTU Chicago, meeting Josh, Sarah, Henry and others. It hadn't been as eventful as one of his more traumatic days at Los Angeles, and was certainly far more boring than a job at CTU would suggest. He thought of the faulty chair that noone would want to use, the crazy security guard who thought everyone was a potential terrorist, and the long days and nights spent there, working to stop a threat to the city of Chicago and it's citizens. Jack was talking to Chloe, anxiety evident in his voice. He was sick of losing his friends, and Alex was one of his closest. He couldn't, didn't, want to think of Alex dying, and he prayed to a God that he had lost a lot of faith in.
Alex then recalled his first day at CTU Los Angeles. It was probably the worst day of his life, and he had been affected by it for years. He still was, in some ways, and whenever something reminded him of it, he would get either depressed or angry. He had vowed to make sure that, if he could help it, Jack and Kim were always safe, and woe betide anyone who dared attempt to harm them. Jack had never fully understood just how much guilt Alex carried with him. He knew that Alex would always blame himself for what his sister did, and wished that he knew of a way to alleviate the guilt.
And that damn nuke! Alex had come close to dying in the explosion, and spent the rest of that day either trying to keep Kim safe or helping Jack. He had been shaken by the sight of his sister as she was brought back to CTU, and when that Matheson guy had tried to harm Kim and the little girl, he saw Gary as a Nina he could physically hurt. Alex was becoming weaker, and it was hard to keep his eyes open. The pain in his chest had dulled, and he felt cold. He felt that the end was close, and hoped it would come soon. I've never been a big believer in God, but if he could keep me alive..
As the helicopter landed outside, he managed to smile slightly. He thought of the day of the virus, when Nina had almost crashed their system with a worm in an attempt to escape CTU's clutches. He would always remember seeing her body, and Jack nearby. Jack had never really been satisfied by her death, and Alex knew that he actually regretted killing Nina in some way. The emdics rushed in and started to work on him. Let's hope you're not too late, guys.
He remembered the time of the nuclear plant meltdown. So many people's lifes were affected that day, and when he thought Jack had died by the end of it all, he had considered quitting CTU and just vanishing. He had had enough of the trauma and stress, and wanted nothing more than to just forget about it, to start a new life somewhere where he wouldn't have to shoot people or have the lives of millions in his hands. A bit late for that now, Alex.
The drugs the medics were using for the pain were taking effect, and Alex was grateful. He couldn't really tell where he was anymore, not that it mattered. He thought of the nerve gas that had killed so many, including dozens at CTU. He thought of Edgar, of Lynn. He thought of Diane Huxley and her son, and hoped that they were happy in their lives. Jack was still holding his hand tightly, and was watching as the medics tried to stem the flow of blood. Alex could feel his life beginning to slip away. Here we go, Alex, time to find out what lies behind death.
As he slipped away, Alex remembered the events of a couple of years ago. Jack's family had been involved in the threat, and there was even an invasion of CTU. He admired the sacrifice of Milo, although at the time he was angry at himself for not standing up himself. He had seen enough people die, and he was ready to lose his own life to save another.
"I'm sorry, Jack, he's gone", the medic told him. Jack thanked them and asked for a minute alone. When both medics were outside, Jack began to cry. His tears were for a friend who had given everything. His friend now lay dead in the dust, his face turning even paler. He remembered how he had held Teri and Tony in his arms after their deaths, and for Alex, he did just that.