The Choice
"This is Bauer."
"Jack, it's Bill. Meet me in the situation room."
Jack walked out of his office and down to the sit room, being greeted by Bill. Chloe was standing by, looking nervous. "What's going on, Bill?"
"We just got a lead on a cell we've been tracking. I want you to take a team of agents and check it out."
"What's the location?"
"3143 Hillsboro Street. It's an abandoned warehouse." Bill motioned to Chloe. "I want Chloe to accompany you."
Jack was suspicious. "Why Chloe?" He glanced over to Chloe, who had gone pale.
"We might need someone to pull data off any computers you find, and Chloe is the best analyst we have. She can get the job done in half the time."
"Chloe can do that just as easily from here. There's no reason to put her life in danger."
"It's an order straight from Division, Jack. They want an analyst on site." Bill's tone indicated that he was not in the mood to argue.
Jack sighed. "All right, fine. But I want the best. That means I want Agent Doyle there with me."
Bill nodded. "Fine. Take whoever you need." He left the sit room, leaving Jack alone with Chloe. She slumped down in her chair.
"Chloe, are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right, Jack. You know how I feel about having to go out in the field. But I don't have a choice in the matter, now do I?" She stood up. "Let's get ready. The sooner we get there, the sooner this'll be over." She stormed out in a huff. Jack left a minute later to prep for the mission, deciding to settle things with Chloe once they returned to CTU.
2424242424
"What's the plan, Jack?" Doyle asked as they sat in the SUVs, going over the details.
"We split up. I'll take a team and scout the area. Once I give the signal, Ryan's team will enter through the west entrance. You and Turner will stay behind with Chloe. Once the facility is secure, send her in."
"Roger that." Doyle began to leave, but was stopped by Jack. "Mike, listen. I am trusting you not to let anything happen to Chloe. Do not let her out of your sight, understand?"
"I do. Don't worry, Jack. I won't let anything happen to her."
Jack nodded, then joined his team. "CTU, this is Bauer. Do you copy?"
"Copy, Jack" Nadia responded.
"Chloe, do you copy?"
"I'm here, Jack."
"We're beginning a sweep of the area now."
"Copy that."
Jack split his team into pairs, sending them to sweep the area. He didn't have long to wait as all teams checked in with the all-clear. "Ryan, this is Bauer. We're a go. Send your team in now."
"Copy that, Jack" Ryan responded. "Bravo Team, this is Ryan. Move in now." Jack headed into the warehouse after a minute, scanning for any hostiles. He began to grow nervous as his sweep turned up nothing. He soon rejoined the rest of his team in the main area. "Find anything?"
"No, Jack" Ryan responded. This place is empty. Looks like our intel was wrong-" He stopped as the lights went out. Jack touched his comm unit. "CTU, this is Bauer." He received no response. "CTU, do you copy?" No answer. "Chloe, it's Jack. Do you copy?" Still no response. "Dammit, our comm units are being jammed."
"Agent Bauer! The doors are jammed! We're stuck."
Jack felt a rising panic. "This was a setup. We have to get out of here, now. Break the door down." Despite their best efforts, the doors remained locked. Jack heard a faint hissing sound, realizing with horror that their gas masks had been left in the transports. He heard thuds as one by one, his agents were knocked out. He struggled to fight off the growing lethargy, but failed, and collapsed on the floor, out cold.
2424242424
"Jack! Jack, it's Chloe. Do you copy?" Chloe called out as Jack's comm went silent.
"Do you have anything, Chloe?" Doyle pressed her.
"No, his comm unit's being jammed. So are all the other agents'. I can't get a signal." She switched frequencies, scowling as she came up with nothing. "CTU, it's O'Brian. Do you copy?" She received no response. "Ours are being jammed, too."
"How could you let this happen?"
Chloe glared at Doyle. "Don't put this on me, Agent Doyle. Someone out there is jamming our comm system, and I'm trying to find out how." She stopped as she heard a thud outside the SUV. Without warning, the transport was surrounded, and masked men entered the vehicle, grabbing the 3 agents, and dragging them out. Doyle broke his assailant's hold and reached for his weapon, only to be stopped. "Put your weapons down, or all 3 of you die!" Doyle saw no other option, and dropped his weapon to the ground. Turner did the same.
"Get on your knees, and put your hands on your head!" The 3 agents complied, and were secured.
"Which one does he want?"
"Her. Take her. And secure the others."
Chloe was hauled roughly to her feet and dragged to a waiting transport, where she was shoved inside and promptly knocked out.
2424242424
Doyle slowly woke up, his head throbbing from the blow he received. He shook his head to clear it, then looked around. Turner was lying next to him, out cold. Doyle rushed over to him and woke him up. Turner regained consciousness, and Doyle touched his comm unit. "Jack, it's Doyle. You copy?" He frowned as the comm remained silent. "Ryan, it's Doyle. Respond."
"I copy, Doyle."
"Where's Jack?"
"Missing. He's not here. We're looking for him now."
"Copy that. Get back to me when you find him." Doyle disconnected his comm unit and called CTU. "Buchanan."
"Bill, it's Doyle. We've got a problem."
"What is it?"
"The intel we got must have been a plant." He paused. "It was a setup, Bill. Jack's gone."
"What about Chloe?" Bill asked.
"She was abducted. We were ambushed, Bill."
"Dammit, Mike! How could you let this happen?!"
Doyle blanched at his tone. "We're sweeping the area now. We'll find them."
"Get back to me as soon as you find anything." Bill hung up, fuming, then turned to Nadia. "Put out an interagency alert. We have to find Jack, and recover Chloe as soon as possible."
2424242424
Jack was woken up by the painful throbbing in his head, and he slowly got to his feet, looking around. He found himself in a cell, with a sink and a toilet in one corner, and two small rolls of bedding in the other. He turned around to see Chloe lying face down, out cold, and quickly ran to her side, waking her up. Chloe coughed a few times, then stood up. "Jack. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine" he said.
"Where are we?"
"I have no idea" Jack admitted. He grabbed the bars of the cell, pulling back quickly as jolts of electricity shot through his hand. He shook his hand vigorously to ease the pain.
"I wouldn't try that again, if I were you" a voice outside the cell called out. Jack looked up, and gasped at the figure. "Gray?"
"That's right, Jack. It's your brother." Graem said coldly.
"What the hell is going on, Gray? What are you doing?"
Graem smirked. "I should think it would be obvious. But since you seem to be remarkably clueless, I'll fill you in. It's about what you took from me."
Jack was confused. "Gray, what are you talking about?"
"Logan. You see, I was responsible for Logan being involved with the plot to smuggle nerve gas out of the country, helping to solidify the security of this country. I never believed you were dead, so I had to draw you out of hiding somehow. And I did. You came out of hiding when I targeted your friends. I thought once you were out of hiding, I could have you taken out. Obviously, I underestimated you, Jack."
Jack glared at his brother murderously. "You killed David Palmer, and Tony, and Michelle. You tried to kill Chloe. For what?"
"I told you, Jack. That nerve gas was going to make this country safer. But then you ruined everything. You and Agent O'Brian exposed Logan, took him out of office. All my plans were wrecked. Now I want payback."
Jack looked back at Chloe, who was in shock. "You have a problem with me, Gray, then take it out on me. Leave Chloe out of this."
"I can't do that, Jack. She's just as responsible for ruining things as you are. I want payback from her, too."
"What is it you want from us?" Chloe finally spoke.
Graem merely turned away from them. "I'm offering you a choice. One of you will die. The other can leave here unharmed. You have to choose who lives and who dies. But here's the catch: The one who lives has to kill the other. Otherwise, you both die. If either of you try to escape, you both die. If either of you try to kill yourselves, you both die." He turned to the guards. "The prisoners are to be given no food or water. Let me know the second they make their decision. And do not take your eyes off them for a second, you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
Graem left, and Jack sank down to the floor. I don't believe this. He looked over at Chloe, who was shaking in fear. I can't kill her. And I can't ask her to kill me.
"Jack, please. Don't kill me" Chloe whispered.
"I'm not going to kill you, Chloe. We'll get out of this. CTU will find us. Trust me."
2424242424
Jack dragged himself off the floor and weakly walked over to the sink that had been provided, quenching his thirst, then sitting back down wearily. The sharp pangs of hunger had set in again, and he forced himself to block them out. I can't think about that now. He looked over at Chloe, who was curled into a ball, moaning in her sleep. Damn you, Gray. How dare you take your anger at me out on her. Chloe, please don't give up. You're stronger than that.
Chloe stirred, waking from her slumber, then grimacing as she stretched weakly. She tried to stand up, but found herself unable to move. "Jack, help me up."
Jack took a deep breath, then slowly moved over to Chloe, helping her up off the floor. She grasped the sink for support, her arms shaking from the effort. She took a few gulps of water quickly. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Jack. We're going to starve to death. CTU isn't going to find us."
"Chloe, that's enough. If you want to get through this, you cannot think like that."
Chloe glared at Jack. "What do you want from me, Jack? It's hard to remain positive when I haven't eaten in 2 weeks, when I can barely sleep because of the hunger." She looked down. "Jack, listen. We both know that only one of us is getting out of here, so I'll make it easy for you. You can still live your life. You're much more valuable to the world than I am. Kill me."
"No" Jack said forcefully. "I won't take the life of another friend. Besides, after everything you've done for me, it's my turn to do something for you. Chloe, you still have people who care about you in your life. You don't deserve this. Kill me."
"No, Jack. I won't do it. Besides, I don't have anyone in my life, other than you. Morris left me. Edgar's dead." She sank down to the floor. "If I lost you, too, that would kill me." Chloe sighed. "There's something that I need to tell you. Since it looks like we're going to die here, there's no point in holding back anything, so I'm just going to say it. I'm in love with you, Jack. I've been in love with you for years. I just never said anything because I was afraid that you would laugh at me, tell me I was pathetic. And I don't expect you to feel the same way about me. I just wanted you to know."
Jack was stunned by her admission. She loves me? That's the last thing I expected to hear. "Chloe, you are not pathetic. It took a lot of courage for you to admit that. And... I feel the same way about you. I never told you because I was scared, that's all. My feelings for you scared me."
"Well, then, I guess we're both idiots, Jack." She dragged herself over to Jack slowly, and pulled herself into his arms.
"You know, I really hate to break up such a touching moment." Jack looked up to see Graem standing outside the cell, wiping away mock tears.
"What the hell do you want, Gray?" Jack growled.
"I just came by to see if you've made your decision yet."
"Go to hell. We are not playing your twisted little game, Gray."
Graem smirked. "Oh, but you are. I get to watch you two suffer." He glanced over at Chloe, who was giving him a scorching glare. "She doesn't seem to be doing too well, Jack. Why not end her suffering?"
Chloe spat on the floor defiantly. Jack just stared at his brother. "I'll make it easy, Gray. She can kill me."
Graem shook his head. "It doesn't work like that, Jack. She has to be the one who makes that decision. You can't make it for her." He turned to leave. "We'll see how strong your will is when you're too weak to even move." He left, and Chloe sunk into Jack, sobbing quietly. Jack consoled her gently. "It's going to be all right, Chloe."
2424242424
Jack was woken by Chloe crying out in her sleep, and he turned to look at her. She was shaking slightly, lacking the energy to do more than cry out. Jack felt his heart break at her suffering. It's because of me that she's starving to death. She's going to die because of me, because I asked her to help me. He gently shook her awake. "Chloe, come on. Wake up."
Chloe slowly opened her eyes. "Jack?" she asked weakly.
"Yeah."
She looked at him sadly. "Jack, please, kill me. I can't take this anymore. I'm going to die anyway, so, just do it."
"No. I told you, Chloe, I'm not going to kill you."
"So you'd rather watch me waste away than pull the trigger?"
Jack looked hurt at her words. "No, Chloe. It's killing me watching you starve. But it would hurt me more if I had to kill you, if I got to live my life at the cost of yours. We're in this together, Chloe. I'm not killing you."
"But you are." Jack's head shot up to glare at the unwelcome intruder. "Look what your pride has done to her, Jack. She's almost dead because you can't find the strength to shoot her. Instead, you force her to suffer. You could have saved her so much pain if you would have just killed her."
Jack was furious. "You know what, Gray? Go ahead and kill us. You won't get the satisfaction of watching one of us kill the other, so why not just end it?"
Graem stared back at his brother blankly, then smirked unpleasantly. "Very well. I grow tired of this game anyway. You're going to get what you want, Jack. You both are going to die."
He turned to the guards. "Take them to the pit."
The guards entered the cell, their weapons trained on the weakened prisoners. "On your feet." Jack tried to stand, but his strength was gone and he collapsed to the floor. Chloe didn't even try to move, her strength long since gone. "I said, get up!" the lead guard yelled, kicking Jack in the side. Jack didn't move. "Drag them, then" Graem called out harshly. The guards grabbed Jack's arms and dragged him across the floor and out of the cell, down the narrow corridors, and into the outdoor courtyard. Chloe joined him later, and found herself being tied to a whipping post next to Jack.
"Do you two have any last words?" Graem said smugly.
"I'll see you in hell, Gray" Jack cursed, spitting at his brother in anger. Graem wiped his face off in disgust, then stepped aside. Jack took one last look at Chloe. She turned to meet his gaze. "Goodbye, Jack. I love you" she said, then closed her eyes.
"Goodbye, Chloe. I love you, too. And I'm sorry." Jack then closed his eyes, and waited for the fatal shot.
"Do it" Graem said coldly. Jack heard a shot, but the blow never came. He opened his eyes as multiple shots rang out and Graem's men were quickly dispatched. Jack saw Graem shoot him a harsh stare, then turn and run, only to be taken down by 3 CTU agents. They found us.
"Jack!" Jack turned his head to see Doyle running up to him quickly. "Are you two okay?"
"No, we're not, Mike. But thank you."
Doyle quickly cut both Chloe and Jack down. "CTU, this is Doyle. Jack is alive. I repeat, Jack is alive."
"What about Chloe?" Bill asked.
"She's here, too." Doyle glanced down at the couple. "They're in bad shape, Bill. Have a med unit standing by."
"Copy that, Mike. Great work."
Doyle turned to Ryan, who was standing by. "We need the medics here now. And sweep the area. Make sure all hostiles have been taken out."
"Yes, sir" Ryan replied, running off to clear the area.
"Thank you, Mike" Jack told him.
"I'm just doing my job, Jack."
"I know." Jack turned to Chloe, who was out cold, and grabbed her hand. "Come on, Chloe. Stay with me. We're going home."
2424242424
Chloe slowly woke up to find herself in a hospital bed, an IV in her arm. She looked mournfully at her emaciated body, the bones showing through her skin. I almost died. If CTU hadn't have found us, I would be dead. She looked over to see Jack sitting up, talking to Bill. Bill looked back at her seriously. "You're finally awake."
"How long was I out?"
"Almost 24 hours, Chloe. You're lucky we found you when we did. Another couple of days, and you would have died."
Chloe looked down. "Thank you, sir, for finding us."
"Don't thank me, thank Doyle." Chloe's head shot up. "He spent all his time looking for you two, even when Division ordered the search to stop. We probably wouldn't have found you if it wasn't for him."
Doyle found us? "Well, thank him for me, then."
Bill nodded. "I will. Look, I'm going to leave you two alone, let you get some rest. You'll need to be debriefed, but that can wait until later." He walked out, leaving the two of them alone.
"How are you feeling, Chloe?" Jack asked.
"Like crap, Jack. I nearly starved to death. But I don't want to talk about that right now." She looked down. "I just want to know one thing: Did you mean what you said to me back there?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really love me?"
Jack looked at her seriously. "Yes, Chloe, I did. I do. I love you. That's why I didn't kill you- I couldn't bear the guilt of your death." He looked away. "Forgive me, Chloe, for putting you through that."
"Jack, there's nothing to forgive. It wasn't you who did this to me, it was your brother. I probably would have given up if you hadn't have been there with me."
Jack turned to meet her gaze. "Chloe, listen: No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."
She smiled. "Thanks, Jack. Now, let's get some sleep. We have plenty of time to talk later."
Jack returned her smile. "All right." He closed his eyes, but not before reaching out to grab her hand. I think my life just got a little more interesting.