24

LIVE BY THE SWORD

DISCALIMER: Any of the characters featured in this work from the TV series 24 are not my property. They belong to 20th Century Fox, Imagine Entertainment and whoever else owns the property. I'm only playing/torturing them for my own amusement and promise to put them back relatively unscathed (yeah, right!) when I'm done.

Authors Note: First of all, to all you avid 24 fans this story may surprise you a little. Why? Well, if all goes well this should workout as a nice 24 style plot but with no Jack Bauer. I can see all you die hards turning away in disgust right now J, especially since this will focus on a lot of original characters with only partial appearances by a few series regulars and only two mainstays really figuring into the story (Tony and Kim). For anyone who wants (or even remotely cares) to know my reasons for this I've included a longer Authors note at the end of the prologue. Also I'm English and have never been to New York. I'm relying mainly on online maps and brochures etc to find out more about the city and its geography so please don't bite my head off if I mangle the city a little. One final point to make is that as of the time of writing I have not yet seen all of season 3. This may slow the development of some early chapters since I want to see what happens to the characters before I try and do too much with the story.

Quick plot points: Set in New York some two years after the end of season 3. This story is very much an AU piece, a possible direction the 24 universe could develop. As for the rest, you'll see when you read. Anyway enough of my rambling, let's get on with the show. I hope you all enjoy and of course, feedback is always welcome.

PROLOGUE: QUESTIONABLE METHODS

New Dehli: 7:39pm

Aadil collapsed behind the pile of crates, his breath rattling emptily in his chest as he clutched at his leg. Blood pumped heavily from the bullet wound in his thigh, its coppery scent tingling in his nostrils. Slowly, gritting his teeth against the pain, he gripped the side of the nearest crate and heaved himself up to look around the room. The only movement came from the shadows cast by the rows of crates, each one lengthening by the moment in the light of the sinking sun.

Despite the pain in his leg, Aadil gave a soft chuckle. He'd lost him! Now all he had to do was lie low for a couple of minutes to catch his breath before he attempted to move again.

Carefully, so as not to jostle his injured leg, he lowered himself back to the floor and began to tug at his shirt sleeve. The sound of the fabric tearing seemed to be amplified ten fold by the oppressive silence. He paused for a moment. Had he just heard something move in the floors below? A creaking floorboard? Perhaps a response to his own clumsiness? He sat in the gathering darkness, trying his best to ignore the pain in his leg as he strained his ears for even the slightest noise. The only sound that answered him was his own laboured breathing. Finally he gave a dismissive shake of his head. He'd always had a paranoid streak a mile wide. It had been what had kept him alive so long in the first place. Under the circumstances though, he could hardly blame himself for his caution.

Gathering the ripped sleeve in his hand, he proceeded to tie it around his thigh just above the bullet wound. He gingerly tied the knot and gritted his teeth against the pain as he quickly tightened his makeshift tourniquet. A sudden jolt of agony lashed up his leg and into his spine, causing him to inhale with a sharp hiss.

As the pain subsided back to the numb ache that had troubled him before, he clambered back to his feet again, moving across the room as quickly as his injured leg would allow. The door to the stairwell loomed before him, a gateway to safety and salvation that beckoned invitingly in the failing sunlight. A satisfied smile spread across his face. He'd done it! He'd outwitted them at every turn and now it was too late. The plan was already in motion, and without him they had nothing!

He was taking his first tentative steps down the stairs when a bullet thudded into his shoulder, tearing painfully through his collarbone as it went. The impact span his body, his ankle twisting awkwardly beneath his weight to finally give out with an agonising crack that sent him tumbling down the first flight of stairs.

For a moment there was nothing but sweet blackness, a warm numbness that spread through his body. Then the pain came, chasing that blissful oblivion to the corners of his mind. His shoulder burned hotly from the bullet wound and his ankle and leg were both crying out in agony. He tried to move, but even the slightest shift in his position sent fresh streams of white-hot pain pulsing through him. It took him a moment to hear the footsteps, trapped as he was in his own private world of suffering. They were there though, clear and undisguised as they moved down the stairs toward him. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking in an attempt to get the hazy world around him to coalesce into something other than a messy smear of colour. Gradually his view cleared to reveal a man hunched over him, a silenced berretta hanging limply in his grasp.

Aadil let out a pained groan, much to the man's apparent amusement.

"I told you not to run." The man said, his tone chastising. Aadil could barely manage anything beyond the hollow rasping laugh that escaped his lips.

"It doesn't matter what you do to me." He croaked, tasting the blood in his mouth. "Our plan has already begun!" He felt a strong hand grip his jaw tightly, twisting his head to stare at the face of his attacker. There was a look of dark conviction in his eyes that made Aadil shudder.

"Which is precisely why you're going to tell me everything." The man said.

Authors Note: My reasons for the choices I made? Well first of all let's start with my choice of regulars to use.

Why Tony? First of all Tony has been possibly the most undervalued member of CTU by the shows writers since the series began. He has spent the last three years taking the brunt of the flak for decisions Jack has made. I thought it would be interesting to see him separated from CTU and his life there to really give him a chance to shine, hence my decision to involve him in this story.

As for Kim, I just got so sick of seeing the unimaginative treatment she was receiving. Whenever you need to motivate Jack, stick Kim in trouble no matter how implausible that trouble may seem. Also the love Kim, lose a limb syndrome suffered by two of her love interests so far was getting stretched. Ultimately Kim is a character who is too often superfluous to the shows requirements. I just thought it would be fun to give her the lion's share of the plot for once.

Why no other regular characters in prominent roles? Hell, if the writers can summarily ditch everyone but Jack from season 4 I don't see what's to stop me trying a similar thing J

Finally why New York? It's just a different location to take the action too. No one ever wondered why every serious terrorist threat is centred on LA?

EDIT: Changed the name of the character from Aadesh to Aadil. This will fit better later on and should now be of the correct ethnicity.