chapter one.
The first thing that Tony was aware of when he woke up was the pain. It was everywhere, digging into his skull and lacerating his skin. He struggled to breathe, teeth clenched against the fierce tremors that rocked his muscled form. His breath caught in his throat with every sigh, and every moment that he spent awake was a fight.
His head was pounding like the beat of a thousand drums, though he'd been through worse. His mouth was dry, and when he ran his tongue over the inside of his cheeks, he tasted sand. He fought the overwhelming desire to spit the taste out of his mouth, a strangely rational part of him arguing that he needed to conserve water.
His hands were tied behind his back, bound with strong rope that cut and chafed his burned skin. He was on his knees, wearing nothing but his military pants, their desert camouflage strangely contrasting with the floor underneath him. He was positioned up straight, fighting the urge to bend over.
Squinting to protect his eyes from the agonizing beads of sweat that dripped off of his forehead, he looked around. He was in a bare room, golden in the light of the sun and the colour of the walls. The windows were small rectangles cut into the rough stone. There was a door to his left, sand coating the fine grain texture.
Tony looked over to his right, barely able to stop himself from recoiling at the man next to him. He was wearing less than Tony, the blond man down to his boxers. Tony attempted to whisper the man's name, but his words only hit fabric. Concentrating on the gag in his mouth, Tony finally realized why it was getting harder to breath.
He did a quick scan over the front of his body, trying to see if he had missed anything else on him. There were many cuts and bruises on his chest, as well as some patches of burned and peeling flesh. Tony didn't flinch, his military occupation making him used to scrapes and wounds. Still, nothing could have prepared him for how Jack Bauer looked.
His blond companion was breathing heavily, sweat running down his forehead and dripping off of his chin. His light eyes were open and empty as he stared into space in front of him. His mouth was slightly agape, and the man was making a very light groaning sound.
It was then Tony saw the large purple stain spreading across Jack's side and back, and realized one of his organs must be bleeding. He could see that Jack was trembling slightly, but trying not to show it.
Yes, Tony was used to pain and violence. But nothing could have prepared him for seeing a fellow soldier in such a vulnerable position. He felt like he was intruding- Tony was ashamed to be witnessing a fellow Marine in a position like this.
He tried to get Jack's attention by moving his dark-curled head back and forth, but Jack refused to like. Full of admiration for Jack's unwavering stare, Tony looked back in front of him and shut his eyes.
Fire played beneath his eyelids, exploding and twisting as the memories of cries filled his ears. Tony gave in to his mind, hoping it would lead him to remember how he got here.
---
"Nina?" his voice was a question as he walked into the sunlight room to see the black-haired woman sitting on a chair, one leg over the other.
She looked up at him, the barest of all grins passing over her pixie-like face. Nina got to her feet, hand trailing along the mahogany briefing table. "Yeah, Almeida?" she asked brusquely, but Tony heard the tease behind her voice.
He crossed the briefing room in a few quick strides, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. Something was wrong. He grabbed her elbows with his large hands and held her there, dark eyes searching hers. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you here?"
Her gaze flickered down towards his grip but she didn't try to break out. "Why shouldn't I be here? I work for the people here. Now I have new information that's critical."
Tony sat her back down on the chair before pulling out a chair for himself. He still kept one of her slender arms in his large grip. "Couldn't ya have waited 'till Friday, Nina? It's two days away, and it's your official reporting time. If the terrorists had seen ya enter here…"
He had relaxed slightly, and Nina pulled her arm away as she faced him. "Would that be as dangerous as if the terrorists had seen me enter a hotel with you?" she challenged him, eyes sparking.
He sighed and looked past her face to the door on the other side of the room. It was closed, and there was nobody in the garden who could have looked through the large glass windows on the east side of the room. "Nina…" he whispered roughly.
"What happened, happened, Tony," she told him, dropping the pretence of using his last name. "I don't regret it, so don't act like you do. I know you better than that."
Tony was about to grumble a reply, but decided against it. He ran a hand through his dark curls and sighed audibly. "Alright, Nina. What information did ya need t' bring me?"
"They were aware of the man, Baker, you set on them," Nina explained. "The safehouse on the city border- they moved it. Luckily, I followed them. They have a new safehouse now. I can take you there and you can surprise them before it's too late."
"Why are they still in here?" Tony asked disgustedly. "We won Baghdad over a year ago. But the damn al-Qaeda still think they can set up safehouses under our noses and undermine our war!"
Nina gave him a passive look before standing up suddenly. She grasped Tony's wrist and pulled him up to face her. "They would have gotten away with it too, Tony, if it weren't for me. You American soldiers are too busy fighting everywhere else that you fail to see the problems right under your nose, as you put it. You are not infallible."
Tony took a step backward, looking Nina over once again. There were times that he forgot that she wasn't one of them- she was mostly German and a quarter-Iraqi, though her pale complexion hid it well- but at times like this, he had never been more aware that she didn't love Americans.
She loved their money.
He put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. He pressed his forehead against hers, a memory flashing of how, only a week ago, they had been tangled up together, skin on skin. "I'm sorry," he told her gently, though for what, he didn't know.
Nina allowed herself to be held for a few moments before planting a faint kiss on the side of his cheek and pulling away. "Have your men meet me in the square by Al-Sa'adoon Park, in the Rusafa district," she told him, but Tony could have sworn her voice was softer.
He nodded slowly, at a loss for words as Nina turned away and walked out of the room. "Yeah," he said, to no one in particular as he let his hands drop.
---
He opened his eyes to find that nothing had changed. He and Jack were still kneeling on the cracked floor, waiting an unbearable wait for someone to come in and finish them. It was hard and painful, but it was better than remembering Nina Myer's deceptive face.
He cast another glance at Jack. He could tell by the soldier's heavy breathing that he was trying his best not to cry out. The purple stain had stopped spreading, but it was there. Tony wondered if Jack was even aware of the extent of the damage, but he doubted it. Jack was probably just aware of the pain.
There had been pain too, when he and his soldiers had met her there. Nina had been their informant for so long, it had never really occurred to them just what she might do.
So Tony shut his eyes again, hearing the gunshots in his ears and seeing the scene play out before him as his heart wrenched at the icy cold feeling of a past betrayal.
---
Feeling as comfortable as he could in a bulky uniform and warm weather with an assault rifle at his side, Tony led his team of Marines down towards the park. Citizens moved out of their way. The children who would usually greet them stayed silent, aware of the solemn air around the procession.
Jack walked slightly behind Tony, hands on his gun. His pale blue eyes were in a grim expression, and his mouth was a firm line. Tony wiped sweat from his forehead and turned to the man beside him.
"You're looking grim, Bauer," he said, the hint of a chuckle in his voice. "You nervous?"
"Something's up, Tony," growled Jack, dropping the formalities and getting straight to the point. Tony respected that about his friend. Jack was brutally honest and a brave man.
Tony tried to appear relaxed, but he couldn't deny that he had felt it too."You saying that she lied to us, Jack? Or what, ya think that the al-Qaeda bastards are gonna jump out at us from anywhere?"
Sighing, Jack glared at Tony from underneath a sweating forehead. "I never said that Myers lied to us- though I wouldn't put it past her," he admitted to the dark-haired Marine.
Tony tightened his grip on his gun, shooting Jack a sidelong glance. "Why? Her information's been reliable so far. I know you aren't a very trusting person, Jack, but ya need to-"
"All I'm saying-," Jack interrupted roughly, and then cleared his throat. "Look, all I'm saying is that you're a little more inclined to trust her than the rest of us."
Tony bit back a sharp retort, dark eyes watching the houses and civilians around them. Up ahead he could see the park, the trees standing from the dusty yellow brick of the buildings. "Well, Jack, you're free to go back," he said quietly.
He immediately felt a twinge of guilt for questioning Jack's loyalty. Tony sighed, wiping his forehead once more as Jack scrounged up a reply. "Tony- we're Marines. We're not supposed to be sitting around here handing out high fives to Iraqi kids. Why do you think they kept us here if there isn't something bigger going on?"
Tony bit his lip, realizing Jack was right. "They kept us here 'cause the al-Qaeda are trying to sneak men back into the city, Jack. We need to stop them. We had Baker on them but they knew and then we woulda lost them if it weren't for Nina."
Jack just grunted at his friend, pulling his helmet farther down over his forehead in a futile attempt to shield his powder-blue eyes from the sun. "If you trust her, Tony… but I wouldn't."
"I don't give a damn, Jack," Tony said, his voice a harsh whisper. "This is a chance to send them a message- our people are everywhere. There's no escape from our watch. This war is ours, dammit."
The pessimistic soldier looked up at Tony, face a mask. "That'll just make them paranoid, Almeida," he said curtly, stonily using Tony's last name. "They'll see us everywhere, and a lot of our people are going to die for that."
They had reached the entrance to the park. Tony lowered his gun slightly, covering the sun with a hand and searching around for Nina. He squinted into the crowds, but he couldn't see her. A tight feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.
Nina wasn't there.
"Jack-" he started, raising his weapon, but a voice interrupted them.
"First Lieutenant Almeida, Second Lieutenant Bauer, and company," greeted Nina as she sidled up to them, a challenging smirk on her face as she nodded her hello.
Tony tried to conceal the stormy anger that was threatening to take over his face. "Myers. Thought ya weren't going to show. Glad to see ya changed your mind about it- ya know how we get sometimes."
If Nina was affected, she didn't show it. "Don't toy with me, Almeida. You trust me. It's the other one that doesn't," she told him, her gaze flickering over to Jack's impassive face.
Tony looked at Jack, who was giving no sign that he had heard Nina. The dark-haired Marine sighed and turned back towards her. "Nina, don't start with that. He's just nervous. We all are."
Nina gave him a rare half-smile before turning her attention towards the matter at hand. "I'll briefly go over the information that you'll need before we go in. I'll lead you there, so you're going to have to trust me."
---
He had trusted her. He had trusted her immensely to do the right thing. To help them find the safehouse with the al-Qaeda insurgents. He hadn't expected her to enjoy the situation, but he had expected her to pick up the money she got every week and go.
He had been so wrong about her, and it was just occurring to him that maybe- just maybe- he should have listened to Jack. His friend had always possessed a penchant for being able to tell someone's true nature. He should have trusted Jack's instincts over Nina Myers.
Tony couldn't resist another look at the blond man beside him. He tried to say his name, to distract him from the pain for even a second, but he couldn't. What came out was a muffled groan, and Jack didn't even look.
They were Marines- they were trained not to talk once captured. They were trained to resist pain and torture. But sitting here knowing that it was his fault that they were stuck in this hellhole- it was unbearable.
---
"Myers, where are you taking us?" Tony asked as she led him and his troops down a side alley through the district. The men behind him were stone-faced as they carried their guns. Any civilians walking through the alleys went out of their way to avoid them. There were times when they were welcomed, and times when they were feared.
"To the safehouse," she told him simply, seemingly unaware of how aggravated Tony was getting. She took another turn, and the Marine unit followed her. There were about ten of them, all in their desert camo flak jackets.
Tony looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye. Jack wasn't one to say 'I told you so', but he could tell by Jack's expression that the soldier was thinking it. "That's what you said last time," he pointed out.
"It's still where we're going," retorted Nina as she took yet another turn. Tony realized that they were getting deeper and deeper into the maze of alleyways. He raised his gun warily, hoping that this was just a shortcut to the safehouse.
Then Nina turned once more and they entered an open square between the buildings. It wasn't large, and most of the houses were facing away from it. Out of the two that remained, one had boarded-up windows. There were a few stalls in the dusty square, but they were empty.
"There," Nina pointed smugly at the house with the open windows, nodding at Tony and glaring at Jack. Tony ignored the tension between her and the other Marine, signalling silently with his hands for them to move closer.
They crept in towards the house, surrounding the entrance. As they moved closer, Tony couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong. There was no sound. The empty stalls and carts were large, and their shadows were deep.
Something stirred in the shadows at the mouth of an alley.
"Nina-" started Tony, a deep and icy fear washing through him. He turned to her, eyes wide, mouth open. He couldn't get the words out.
But Jack could.
"Ambush!" he yelled loudly, as the sound of gunfire pierced the air. Tony turned, seeing fighters as young as boys creeping out from under the fruit carts. Men with machine guns swarmed from the alleys, closing in around them.
Tony brought out his assault rifle, feeling a bullet imbed itself into his flak jacket. He shot at random, seeing one, then two insurgents fall to the ground. Beside him, a Marine dropped, blood dripping down from his forehead and onto the dusty ground.
Looking around, Tony knew that he desperately needed to find shelter. He ducked behind an empty cart, getting on to his knees. He peered over the top, firing the gun at random. To his right, he saw a small figure duck into an alley. Rage filled him.
Nina.
He leapt out from behind cover, spitting bullets as he went. He ran down the alley behind her, hearing bullets whiz past him. But Nina was faster than he was when he was loaded down with armour.
Tony turned as he heard a cry coming from one of his men. The cry turned into a faint gurgle, but he didn't hear the man drop. He didn't need to turn back. He knew who it was. It was Richard Walsh, his long-time friend.
Damn.
Tony turned to go back, shooting as he turned. An insurgent who had seen him leave was coming behind him, about to shoot, but Tony hit him in time. Adrenaline surged through him, until he realized that his gun was empty.
He was vaguely aware of Jack running towards him, screaming something about a man with a bomb strapped to his chest. He felt his friend push past him, catching him by the shoulders.
Then there was a large wave of heat and a deafening explosion as fire and sound raced towards them. Tony and Jack fell to the ground, breathing heavily as the fireball raged around the square.
"Walsh-" he managed to choke out.
"Walsh. Pressman," muttered Jack, coughing up blood. The blond man got to his knees when a gun came smashing down onto his head. He fell forwards.
Tony gasped and tried to scramble back, but it was too late. The same blackness descended upon him.
---
Bringing himself back to reality, Tony looked over at Jack. He tried to choke out Jack's name once more, but the gag stopped him, harsh against his dry mouth. He vaguely wondered if he could worm his way over, but the sweat dripping into his cuts and the heat bearing down on him was just too painful. Besides, who knew how his muscles might react.
He shut his eyes, not to remember, but to forget. To forget Nina's betrayal, to forget Jack's vulnerable position, to forget his predicament. He wished he was back home. With his family. Tony wondered if he should have followed his mother's advice- to become an accountant, or a lawyer, or a fireman. To just settle down with a nice woman and raise a family.
But he couldn't get married if he was dead, now could he?
The door opened slowly, and Tony opened his eyes. He could see the backs of two men as they walked into the room behind him, hiding them from his view. Tony tried to twist his head, but Jack kept his bowed.
One of the men came around and removed their gags. He had short black hair and a sallow face under his white turban. Tony sighed and gasped in relief when the pressure was removed from his mouth.
"Who is in charge here?" asked the other. Tony could only see half of his face. The man was obviously Iraqi, with a thick beard and a white turban. His eyes were narrowed, and he stood with an obvious air of arrogance.
The first man came around from Tony's other side and pushed his head back forwards. Tony swallowed, expecting pain. But there was only a hand bowing his head down towards the ground.
"I said, who is in charge here?" the man asked again, harsher this time.
Tony's mind whirled as he debated answering. Surely if he admitted that he was the highest ranking officer, they would torture him first. But what if they just decided to torture both of them if there was no answer? It was Tony's fault they had been captured.
"I am," he said loudly, trying not to wince as sweat dripped into his dark eyes. The hand holding his head let go, and Tony brought it up again with a grunt. He didn't look back this time, but he didn't need to. Both men came around to the front.
"Well, you're certainly brave," scoffed the first man, face twisted with contempt. "However, you could also be lying to save your superior… which is it? Will you tell me now if this other man is in charge?"
"I told you," spat Tony, eyes cold. "I'm in charge. I'm above him."
"Maybe you are. If you're admitting it, then you are the bravest, since he won't take it for you. If you're lying, well, it wouldn't matter anyways," said the man, who Tony guessed was in charge of the other man. He indicated to the first man. "Pick up the blond one."
"No-" Tony started desperately, but the sallow man planted a boot on his back and kicked him down. He fell to the ground silently, staring up at the leader. The sallow man grabbed Jack, who finally looked up. Tony met his friend's eyes briefly before Jack was forced to kneel in front of him.
From a pocket in his cloak, the second man pulled out thin, rusty needles. He knelt behind Jack while the sallow man held the blond soldier down. They positioned Jack even more so that Tony saw his side profile. Then, without hesitation, the second man placed a rusty needle under Jack's fingernail on his index finger.
Then pushed. Hard.
Jack grunted and bit his lip, straining against the pain. Tony could tell he was trying not to scream. Without breaking the pressure, the thin man quickly put needless under the rest of the fingers on Jack's right hand. He pushed down on them harder.
Blood was beginning to drip down from Jack's hands. Finally, a small cry broke out from Jack. He coughed slightly, twisting and turning to fight the pain. Tony watched in horror.
"Stop!" he yelled out desperately, forgetting his composure.
The torturer didn't stop, though the man in charge turned to look at Tony. "Would you like me to torture you instead?"
Tony floundered for words, not sure what his answer was. He didn't want to be tortured any more than he could handle Jack being tortured. "I-" he started, but stopped again when he realized the men were no longer listening to him.
The torturer kicked Jack flat on his back, pressing his foot hard on his chest. Jack struggled to breath. The man pulled out a knife from his garments. He wrapped thin fingers around Jack's short hair and pulled his head up. He brandished the knife close to Jack's face.
He cut shallowly, long incisions from Jack's temple to his mouth. Then he began to go over them, cutting Jack's face deeper. Jack grunted but didn't squirm for fear of the knife accidently cutting into his eye.
Blood dripped down onto the dusty floor, and Tony wanted to look down; look away from this horrible sight. But he couldn't. He couldn't, and it was killing him.
When the knife was pulled away from Jack's disfigured face, Jack bowed his head. Blood trailed down the sides of his pale cheeks, staining his fair complexion a deep crimson. He took in a couple deep breaths before his head was pulled up again. Tony tried not to flinch as he saw Jack's eyes. They were cold and dead on the outside, but Tony could see the pain sparking deep inside of him.
"Don't you have to ask us stuff? Ya can't just torture people like that!" yelled Tony, knowing full well that he should stay silent. But he just couldn't believe that they would torture Jack for no other reason than malice.
"If you want to tell us anything, then you can," the man in charge retorted. "It will certainly slow down your pain. But you dogged our safehouse for long enough. You forced us to do things against you that you blame us for. You have taken our country from us."
"Ya didn't deserve it," scowled Tony, trying to catch Jack's eye. He wished Jack would just start feeding them false information. After all, someone would have noticed that they were captured. Rescue teams would be coming. If they could just hold out, it would be alright.
Deciding that Jack had taken a long enough break, the torturer pulled his head back up. Forcing Jack's mouth open, the torturer pulled out his tongue. Tony could only watch in horror as the torturer took his knife and split Jack's tongue down the middle so it was forked.
Jack looked like he wanted to writhe in pain, but he didn't. Tony felt a sense of admiration grow in him. Jack was a brave soldier, and Tony felt like he himself would be much more vocal under torture.
Walking around to Jack's back, the torturer kicked Jack back down again, but this time on his stomach. He pulled out Jack's legs and proceeded to cut the tendons there, effectively crippling Jack. Jack couldn't help it- he cried out in pain.
Tony cringed but kept on watching, expression dark. He held his tongue as the torturers brought Jack back to his knees. The blond soldier cried out at the pain in his thighs as they did so.
"Torture me instead," he found himself saying, voice surprisingly even. Jack shot him a curious look, but said nothing. Which was probably because his tongue was split in half.
The man in charge, who Tony still hadn't come up with a name for, turned towards him with a sly grin. "Is this man that important to you, Tony Almeida?"
"You know our names?" Tony asked, remembering that he shouldn't be talking just a moment too late. The al-Qaeda man just sneered at him, before turning back to Jack. He exchanged looks with the torturer and then nodded.
"Do it," he murmured, and the man went over to a burlap sack that he had stowed in the corner of the room. Removing a clothes iron, the torturer plugged it in to an outlet that was beside the door. Tony realized that they couldn't be too far away from any type of civilization if they still had electricity.
The clothes iron heated up, and the torturer brought it towards Jack. He pressed it firmly against Jack's tanned skin. Jack couldn't help himself- he cried out in pain from the heat. The iron moved all over his back, burning the skin and leaving Jack crying out wordlessly in pain.
Tony's eyes filled with sweat and he tried in vain to blink it away. This couldn't be happening. Not to Jack. He wanted to yell at them to stop, but he knew it wouldn't work. Tony choked back a cry, hating this. He hated seeing his friend vulnerable and beaten.
Bleeding.
It felt like forever until they were finished with the iron. Then the man in charge pushed Jack back against the wall, holding him upright while the other man removed a drill from the bag and plugged it into the wall.
Tony felt sick inside. "You're such cowards," he spat darkly. "You're only torturing him because it hurts him. Ya don't care about anything else except making him feel that. What did he do to you?"
"I'm sure he tortured many of our men," said the leader, his words afflicted by his heavy accent. "Both of you have. You can't deny that."
He wanted to answer, but couldn't find the words. Slowly, Tony felt his gaze shift over to Jack. He was being held against the wall, and the drill was slowly rotating, spiralling down towards Jack's sweating hands. Jack didn't even look up as the cold metal pierced his skin.
It broke easily, letting the crimson blood seep out. The buzz of the drill hurt Tony's ears as he slowly retreated into himself. When the drill had gone all then way through his hand, the torturer took it out. Jack was choking and grunting and crying out in pain, his face distorted.
As the torturer moved to drill Jack's next hand, Tony raised his head. He could hear something in the distance. He cocked his head, trying to hear it clearer as the drill began to whine and Jack began to cry out. Tony tried to block those sounds from his mind as he listened intensely.
It sounded like a helicopter.
His heart began to race twice as fast as the chopper got closer and closer. But the al-Qaeda seemed to realize this too. They murmured something to one another.
The torturer got a meat cleaver from the burlap sack, running his fingers down it like it was a piece of prime meat. He shot a glance at Jack, running the meat cleaver through the air threateningly.
The buzz of the helicopter blades got closer and closer. Tony closed his eyes, praying to any god that was up there that they would land and save Jack before it was too late.
Jack looked up as the man walked over to him. Tony watched him, knowing that Jack had a family. He had a wife, Teri, and one daughter, Kim. He couldn't die. He needed to survive, for them.
The helicopter landed. Tony heard it touch down on the ground, the movement of the blades slowing. They were so close. They had to make it in time. They just had to.
The meat cleaver sliced through one of Jack's arms. Tony opened his mouth to yell, but no sound came out. He shut it quickly, choking on the dryness of the air.
Tony could hear men moving about. "Go in!" one of them yelled, directing his soldiers.
Jack's disembodied arm dropped to the ground. He cried out in pain as the meat cleaver sliced through the other one, severing it. Blood was everywhere, and Tony's vision swam.
The door was knocked open, and U.S. Army soldiers swarmed in. They shot the two insurgents on the shot. One came over to Tony and helped him up. Tony tried to stagger towards Jack, but they pushed him away.
Soldiers grabbed his arms and carried him towards the safety of the chopper. Tony strained against them, calling Jack's name over and over again as soldiers kneeled beside his fallen friend. His calls turned to sobs as his composure dissolved. The soldiers carrying him pretended not to notice, respectfully turning their heads away.
He couldn't push against them, so Tony gave up, falling silent in their arms and bowing his head as they loaded him on to the chopper. His head was pounding and his throat was dry.
"Jack," he managed to mumble, before all went black.
---
---
A/N: I know that chapter was kinda graphic, sorry. They rest won't be like that D: I promise. This is just setting up angsty Tony (who we all love, don't we? :D) Ugh, of course Nina turned out to be a traitory :x Who else could it be? I tried to be as accurate as I could with details about Iraq and where they were and stuff but honestly, Wikipedia can only get you so far x) Michelle comes in soon. Soon being Chapter Three xD
I've actually had the first two chapters of this story written for awhile now, but I haven't gotten (is that even a word? DX) around to posting it until now.
Anyways, review if you enjoyed it or have comments/suggestions and I'll reply to all the reviews in my author's note next chapter.