"Are you ok?"

"No."

Those last words she spoke to him repeated in her memory as she drove through the hot desert sun towards a possible lead. Sitting in the back a SUV as two secret service men drove through the Mexican desert in hopes of finding him. The memories coming back strong now that she had hopes of having a future with him, being able to be there for him. The government had finally cleared his name, and he would be able to come back to the United States. She had tried to talk his daughter into coming with her, but Kim still refused to have anything to do with her father.

"I already told him he was dead to me." Kim said sitting next to her boyfriend Berry.

"Kim I understand you're anger, but you are directing it at the wrong person." Audrey tried. How could this girl not understand how hard it was for her father? How could she just turn her back on him?

"I am not angry." Kim said her voice holding a hint of anger, but she would refuse any anger she felt.

"He didn't have a choice Kim. He had to protect you. He couldn't tell you he was alive, and if he hadn't of faked his death he'd either be dead, or dying in a Chinese prison is that what you wanted?"

"Maybe he would have been better off that way." Kim said Berry grabbing her hand giving her the strength to continue to deny that she wanted anything to do with her father. People were dead because of him. Her mother, Michelle, Tony, George Mason, Ryan Chappell, and Chase had left her because of him. If he had never died Chase would have stayed with her, too afraid to leave her. Chase, he was just like her father, and she could hurt them both now. She had the chance to inflict some pain on them.

"Kim you can't possibly believe that?" Audrey said seeing some of Jack in the girl as they spoke.

"I do. Now if you don't mind I have to go to work. You can see yourself out. And please don't' come back again."

"here is my card." Audrey said extending her hand, "if you change you're mind you can call me. I'm going to find him and bring him back. I can't believe you would turn your back on him. After all he has done for you."

"All he has done for me?" Kim's voice was hysterical, "I have been kidnapped, lost my mother, my husband, and many other people I have loved because of him. All he has done for me, he didn't even fucking raise me. I raised myself after my mother died. Before my mother died he was never around. I am only returning the favor." Kim said tears in her eyes.

Berry stepped in, "I think that's all for now Ms. Raines please leave."

"You know how to contact me." Audrey said leaving the room feeling the anger rush through her, the adrenaline rush she wanted to smack both of them.

Sighing in the back seat she watched the world pass by. How would Jack be now? It was such a false thing to ask him, are you ok, but what else could she say. The anger she felt wasn't for Jack, no it was for his daughter. She understood more about who Jack was just from the encounters with his daughter. The way Jack took the guilt for everything that happened, and how it was so easy to place the blame on him because he'd take it. That was what she had done when Paul died. Jack would always take responsibility no matter how little he had to do with an incident, he would take the guilt on, and that made him easy to blame even when it wasn't his fault.

"How much longer?" Audrey asked feeling the urgency of finding Jack all of the sudden. A year after he had disappeared again, would he be the same as when he left? Would he even be the same Jack? She hoped for so much, to go back to the way they had been before her kidnapping, and the day that Jack lost everything for a second time.

"Not much longer ma'am." The driver said his hands tapping on the steering wheel to the music that played through the stereo.

Rushing towards where Jack was she had to help him. The look of Tony's dead eyes still fresh in her memory as she ran down the armory where Jack and Henderson had been seen. If she had been thinking she would know that running to this situation to help would not have helped. Would she be able to stop Jack from killing the man? Would she be able to stop the man from killing Jack? She didn't know the situation but she ran towards the person she loved, the person she knew was in pain.

He had lost everything again. Kim's words record in his head playing over and over even as he cradled his dead friend in his arm. His last real friend, everyone else having turned from him after his addiction, and now he was gone. Tony dead, Michelle dead, Edgar dead, Palmer dead, Chappelle dead, Mason dead, and Teri dead all because he couldn't save them, all because he wasn't good enough. The guilt he carried bearing down on his shoulders every day he woke, every breath he took, the guilt seethed through him more than his own blood. But he would finish what Tony had started, the information was important but Henderson was never going to give it to him. Jack rushed in his anger blinding him, shutting his brain off, his instincts on hyper drive.

Henderson waited he knew Jack would be coming for him soon. Gun in hand he waited patiently for him to come through the doors. When the doors flew open he was ready.

The car stopped suddenly bringing Audrey out of her thoughts. "Why are we stopping?"

"This is the place ma'am." The driver said opening the door.

Audrey looked around, it was a run down building, it looked like it was barely standing. Jack would never stay here, she thought as she climbed out surrounded by the secret service now.

"Ma'am maybe you should wait here until we find him. If he's here." The secret service man named Steve said softly. He knew this area was dangerous it was full of addicts looking for their next fix, and looking for the cash to afford their next fix.

"no I want to be there when you find him. But I don't think he's here." But she had to look just to be sure. Jack would never come to a place like this.

"Be careful watch for needles and broken glass, and stay between us." The man said giving her a warning of what they were going into.

Walking towards the front door the pungent smell of body odor, feces, and urine mixed together in the blistering heat made Audrey gag. She was sure there was no way Jack would ever be in a place like this. Covering her mouth she walked into the decrypted building, the floor was covered in dirt and trash with big spots missing in area's. She treaded lightly over the creaking floor boards, people where spread throughout the darkened building. All the windows had been covered by wood by now, and only cracks of sun light made their way through, not enough to light the room. The Secret Service men carried flashlights shinning them on the different people.

Each time the light shined on a new person they would mumble and some scream at the invading light. Most of the people seemed to be needing another fix.

Audrey broke free from the men and walked over to where a teenage Spanish girl sat. Pulling a picture of Jack out she asked, "Have you seen this man?"

The girl looked at the picture but didn't answer, "You got twenty?"

Audrey looked at her confused twenty what? Looking at the shaking form she figured out what the woman wanted, money for the next fix.

"Have you seen him?" She wasn't going to fuel this child's destruction.

"Twenty and I'll answer."

Audrey walked away finding another person getting the same demand. One look from the secret service men told her it was a bad idea to even think about paying for the information. These people were desperate for money that would get them what they wanted, and she was a means to that money if she started to pay. They wouldn't let them walk out of there alive without bleeding them dry of all money.

There was no way Jack would be here, but she couldn't leave without knowing for sure. "Let's keep looking." She said softly walking over garage and other mess on the floor.

She made it to a doorway that was splintered walking through it into a hallway that was covered in garage also she let the men lead shining the flash lights on the different faces in the hallway.

Jack rushed into the room his anger blinding him. He felt the sharp pain as the gun crashed down against his neck. His body crashing to the ground he felt the hands on his back taking his gun away. Groaning he moved on the floor holding the back of his head where the gun crashed down, he was fighting off the dark spots in his vision.

"I knew you would come." Henderson said pulling the man to his feet slamming him against the wall.

Jack took the force of impact against the wall and felt the pressure of the other mans body on him, the gun pressing into his neck.

"I didn't want to have to do this Jack. I didn't want to hurt your friend. He was going to kill me."

Jack spoke his anger taking control of him, "He would never have killed you. You son of a bitch."

"You weren't there Jack. The needle in him he was going to jam into me." Henderson answered back, "I can't give you the information you want I'm sorry." Henderson moved back some giving Jack some room to breath. The gun still firm against Jack's neck.

"I don't care about it anymore." Jack said keeping his hands raised, his fist balled up tightly. He wanted to kill Henderson, and he would once he found a way out of this situation.

Audrey rushed through the door hearing the conversation, Bill on her hills. They both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Henderson with his gun pointed to Jack's head, his arm tightly around Jack's throat now, having grabbed Jack the minute the door opened.

"Close the door and get back here or he's dead." Henderson said knowing the more hostages he had the more time he would buy himself.

I got a candle
And I've got a spoon
I live in a hallway with no doors
And no rooms

"Audrey." A voice called from the darkness. Audrey taken from her memory's shifted her attention to the voice. It was one of the secret service men.

"I don't think he's here." The man finished Audrey missing everything before that.

"I still want to check everyone to make sure. We had a reliable tip come in that he was here. A Mexican Police officer thought he saw a man fitting Jack's description here. I just need to be sure." Audrey said her voice pleading she knew at any moment if these men felt it was too dangerous they could pull her out and she would have now power to stop them. Her father had agreed to allow her to go on this trip only if the secret service were with her, and she agreed to their demands.

"Ok." The man understood why she had to look, even if it was a waste of time. The man they were looking for wouldn't be found unless he wanted to be found, and since he was running from two governments both of which had a fate in mind for him that was not appealing, he wouldn't be found. But they looked, because that was his orders, to find the man.

Walking through she continued her search looking through each of the wasted faces. None of them seemed human, despite the fact they were. Track marks covered each one of their bodies, some had to move on past their arms. Had Jack ever been this way? She knew she had been a drug addict, the word junkie she could never say regarding him. He was someone she knew, and people she knew weren't junkies, they had drug issues. But there was no difference, and she knew it, but for some reason the term drug issue settled easier with her than junkie.

She searched the face of a man, he looked nothing like Jack but she paused to look at him. His pain evident as he shook leaning against the hallway wall curled up.

"Lady can you give me some money. I'm sick and I need my medicine." T he man said a low mumble that was hard to hear, and fragmented when waves of pain rushed through his body.

She wondered what his dreams had been. Was his family worried about him? Did he even have a family? What led him to this point? Did he start with heroin or did he move his way up? Was he even addicted to heroin there were a number of drugs he had been addicted to. Would he survive through the night? It didn't look like he would his body so frail from lack of food, and withdrawal. Would anyone save him? Could he be saved?

"I'm sorry." She said softly knowing that no matter what she thought this man was not here on his own accord, he may have let himself get this far down, but when one is falling do they really have the ability to stop themselves? This man had fallen off the building and he was falling slowly to the ground, with nothing to grab onto to stop himself before he landed on the cement that would kill him finally. There were not resources, those had been taken away when everyone got tough on drugs, even if he had been in the United States instead of Mexico. He had no chance, no hope, she reached in her pocket and pulled out a twenty, why she was helping him continue to fall she knew not.

Under a windowsill
They all were found
A touch of concrete within the doorway
Without a sound

Bill grabbed Audrey's arm gently and led her to the back off the room where Henderson indicated.

Henderson moved away from Jack but keeping his gun on him. Jack gasped for air, the arm that had been squeezing the life from him removed from his neck.

"Restrain him Jack." Henderson knew Bill was a threat, but he knew Audrey would do as she was told, she was a politician they wanted to live more than they wanted to save other peoples lives.

Jack walked over to Bill looking for something to restrain him with.

Bill spoke, "handcuffs are on the shelf over there."

Jack walked over seeing a few handguns before he could grab them Henderson was on him his gun in the middle of Jack's back pushing in, as Henderson leaned forward, "Nice try Bill."

Henderson grabbed two pairs of cuffs giving Jack one. He had Jack walk over and cuff Bill's hands behind his back.

When the metal cuffs were clasped behind Bills back Henderson smiled, "Move away from them Jack."

Jack walked away from where Audrey and Bill stood, not sure what was going to happen now. All he wanted to do was rips Henderson head off, but he couldn't not with Bill and Audrey in here, he wouldn't be the cause of their deaths, he already had way too much blood on his hands.

Henderson waited for Jack to be a good distance from Audrey and Bill aiming he fired.

Jack screamed out in shock when the bullet tore through his leg, taking them out from under him he crumbled to the ground. His hands instalty going to the site of the burning pain in his leg. Warm blood seeping onto them, covering them as he held his leg tightly looking up at Henderson his eyes wide open in pain and anger.

"That's for my wife you piece of shit." Henderson said watching as Audrey rushed over to Jack.

Jack spoke through clenched teeth, "It's fine don't worry."

"Help me get your belt off." Audrey said not paying attention to Henderson.

Henderson watched as Audrey pulled Jack's belt off and than tightly did it around Jack's leg in hopes of slowing the blood flow. Henderson knew he didn't hit any major arteries the blood wasn't light enough.

"move away from him."

"No." Audrey said staying in front of Jack not listening to Jack tell her to do as Henderson wanted. How dare both of them think they could order her around, she wasn't as defenseless as Jack though her.

Henderson walked over grabbing a fist full of her hair pulling her away. He pulled her to a metal shelving unit that held flak jackets. He took the second pair of cuffs and cuffed her left hand to the unit. Walking back over to Jack he kneeled down noticing Jack's glazed eyes, "you still with us."

"Yes." Jack growled.

"Good. Hurts doesn't it, did you know he shot my wife?" Henderson asked over his shoulder to Audrey. "Shot her in the leg to try and get me to talk. But I can't do that Jack."

"Why did you choose me?" Jack asked, "Why frame me, why kill my friends off? Why Palmer?"

"Good questions since that part of the operation is over I guess I can tell you. It was all personal Jack. When you blew the whistle on me and testified against me you took everything away from me but my wife. All of my friends gone. No matter how much I claimed I was innocent no one would listen, because why would a man turn in his mentor. I taught you everything you know about torture, and this is how you repaid me." Henderson was angry kneeling in front of Jack as he spoke spit flew from his mouth onto Jack's face. Jack knew better than moving to wipe it away, it would cause the coiled snake in front of him to attack.

"You did it the evidence proved it."

"I was framed just like we framed you Jack." Henderson let the words sink it.

Jack looked up he had doubted his decision ever since Henderson went to prison, when he found out he couldn't believe it, and now it seemed more likely that he had been wrong.

"I wanted you to lose everything too Jack. I didn't expect Kim to turn her back on you." Henderson saw the surprise on Jack's face, "I talked to her before she got out of the building with Berry. She was quite angry with you Jack."

"If you hurt her…"

Henderson cut him off, "I would never hurt her, just like I never would have hurt Teri. I'm not a monster like you Jack. I know when I'm going too far. " The smile widened on Henderson's face as he saw his words sink in again. This round went to him, a few blows, but mostly he won the way he always did, by his words. He taught Jack everything Jack knew, but he always knew a lot more than he had been willing to share.

Someone save me if you will
And take away all these pills
And please just save me if you can
From my blasphemy in my wasteland

"There is an upstairs to this place." Steve said softly to Audrey touching her shoulder as she stood staring over the man on the floor.

"Ok let's go look there." They were on their way up stairs when the front door to the place opened to the sound of groans from the light that entered coming from the people in the front room.

"Stay here." Steve said walking down the steps towards the front room. The other secret service man joined them.

"Hey fella's what you doing here?" The man asked from the doorway. "This is my territory."

"We don't want any trouble we're just looking for someone." Steve answered noticing the man, and the men that now were behind him for what they were, dealers.

"Interesting. Why the guns than?" The Mexican man asked glaring at the guns Steve and the other man had drawn at their sides.

"Protection. Maybe you can help us get out of here faster. Do you know if you've seen this man?" Steve asked slowly brining a picture of Jack up.

"Maybe. How much is he worth to ya?" The Mexican man asked, his men behind him had their guns drawn ready to fire at any moment.

Steve spoke, "I'm going to holster my gun I don't want your men getting trigger happy. We don't' want any trouble." Steve slowly moved holstering his weapon. "How much do you want for the information?"

"A hundred." The man said.

"Ok. Can we go outside for this?" Steve asked looking around he didn't want to pull any money out in this place.

"Sure."

"Ok I need to go back to the steps I have a friend there. She's unarmed." Steve said waiting for the verdict.

"Fine but one of mine goes with you and your buddy will holster his weapon."

"Deal." Steve spoke to the other secret service man, "Holster you weapon and go outside with them ok?"

One of the Mexican gang followed Steve through the house to where he left Audrey.

Audrey almost squealed when she saw the man with his gun drawn behind Steve, but Steve calmed her by speaking, "We might have a lead on him. Come on lets get out of here."

Rushing down the steps she followed him outside the light blinding her eyes when she emerged from the doorway.

"Money?" The Mexican dealer asked smiling at Audrey who had her hand over her eyes trying to block the sun.

"Audrey." Steve said, "Show him some money."

Pulling out some money from her pocket she held it out for the man to see.

"Give us some information on his whereabouts and you'll see it plus a hundred more if we find him alive." Steve said wanting to know if this was true.

"he's on the second floor of this place. I don't know if he's alive." The Mexican dealer answered.

"Take us to him." Steve said, "And alive or dead you get the second hundred."

"Fair enough. Follow me."

How could he live with himself. Jack thought sitting on the floor clutching his aching leg. All of what Henderson was accusing him of was true. He had killed those people done those things. Henderson probably had been innocent but he wasn't now.

"Leave him alone." Audrey screamed from the other side of the room watching Henderson stand over Jack, making Jack looks so small and prey like.

"I'm not hurting him." Henderson said moving away. He looked around for the room he needed to get out of here, but he could hear the people on the other side they knew he was in here, but they also knew he had hostages.

What could he use to get out of the room? Checking the shelves he grabbed more ammo for the gun, and found the gas mask. Smiling to himself he grabbed one of them checking to make sure it would fit. Tear gas and flash bangs both were lined up on one of the shelves he smiled, this was too easy. Grabbing three of the tear gas he spread them around the room. Putting his mask on he grabbed another one and threw it at Jack, "put that on."

"Fuck you." Jack snapped everyone was dead because of him, was all he could think. He couldn't let Henderson leave either, nor would he let Henderson do what he was planning, the gas would be enough to incapacitate both Bill and Audrey.

"Do it now or she dies." Henderson said turning to Audrey.

Jack grabbed the mask with his bloody hands putting it on he glared at Henderson.

"Good boy Jack. Now let's get you up." Henderson helped Jack to his feet leaving him leaning against the shelving unit.

Jack waited for Henderson to turn his back and get a few steps away before he attacked. Hobbling he was able to land a solid punch to Henderson back, sending the man forward.

Henderson growled angry that Jack had decided to try something.

Jack continued on with Henderson his weight taking them both to the ground with a loud thump. Smashing his fist over and over into Henderson's body Jack was letting loose all the anger he had stockpiled over the years.

Henderson was not taking the beating, he blocked some of the punches, and waited for the right moment to strike. Jack was wild, and he knew that was to his advantage. Any time an opponent went wild they also stopped thinking, and just reacted. Henderson found his opportunity Jack went to send another punch down, but was slow on the pick up. Henderson sent his hand smashing into Jack's throat enough to shut the airway off for a few seconds.

Jack's hands went to his throat tears in his eyes from the pain.

Henderson punched the gasping man in the stomach moving to get on his feet knocking jack off him. A few kicks to the ribs and Jack lay still no longer fighting. "Jack now that I have your attention these are the options I see for you. You can stay here with your girlfriend and wait for Logan and the government to be finished with you, they'll come and try to kill you again, or possibly put you in prison for faking your death depends on their moods. You can wait for the Chinese to find out you are alive and than you know no matter where you go they will use Kim to get you to come back, or you can help me get out of here, and once I am finished with my part of the day I'll let you go. I have no reason to kill you." Henderson knew what the verdict would be. No matter how virtuous Jack might be he liked living a lot more, and he loved revenge, and he couldn't get revenge if he was dead.

"Audrey I want you to stay out here for now." Steve said as the men got ready to take them inside. Walking through the house was dangerous for both parties due to the known cash flow between them, and the drugs the dealer carried on him.

"I want to make sure it isn't him." She said, hoping it wasn't him.

"Once I'm sure it's safe I'll come back for you." Steve wasn't sure if it was him, but the way the dealer talked he was sure whoever it was most likely was not in any condition that Audrey needed to see.

Audrey didn't want to wait, she wanted to be there for him, but she knew Steve would not give in to her. "Fine." She said crossing her arms.

"Thank you." Steve said walking towards the front door, the dealer and his men following him.

"We have to find him." Audrey said after she had been cleared by medical. She would have a soar throat and a bad cough for awhile but she would be fine. The tear gas had filled the room quickly, but security had been quick to get them out while some of them went after Jack and Henderson.

"We are trying." Bill said knowing the chances were slim. They had no lead on where Henderson was taking Jack, and at the moment it was the least of their worries, they still had the nerve gas to get back. Some of the personal had been injured as Henderson made his escape, mostly guards who attempted to get too close. No one had died thankfully, CTU had already had enough deaths for the day.

Chloe was working feverishly at her computer. When Audrey came up to her she didn't not launch into explanation of how she was trying to track Jack. Audrey didn't need one, she knew Chloe would do her best to help find where Jack was.

Bill had other things to worry about the Homeland Security Office was already there, having attempted to call him while he was being held hostage. They were taking over, he knew they were going to try to take CTU over completely. The woman who was coming had her eyes set on closing down CTU since the inception of Homeland Security.

"What are your analysis working on?" She asked before even saying hello.

"The one analysis I have left right now is working on tracking down Henderson."

"How did he escape?" The woman snapped.

"He took people hostage and used Jack Bauer as a hostage to get out of here. He injured security personal on his way out." Bill answered knowing this was only aiding her in closing down CTU.

"I want your analysis off it now. He is a dead lead." The woman said not giving Bill time to object, "You have his laptop and a lead off there if I'm not mistaken. I want your analysis to update my people and than I will speak with him to see if he is still fit to work. You are dismissed after you carry out this order." She said getting ready to walk on.

Bill grabbed her arm, "It's a her. And I sure in the hell am not leaving now. My assignment from the president isn't finished yet. I was ordered to find those canisters of syntax gas, and I'll be damned if you kick me out before I do what I said I would do."

"You have been doing a poor job at carrying out that order I think everyone would agree. Getting a lot of your people killed in the process."

"I'm not leaving till the job is over. If you have problems with that why don't you call the president and discuss it with him." Bill knew she wouldn't something this trivial would not be brought to the president.

"Fine but you report to me before anything happens. I make all the decisions President Logan did give me the order to take over CTU for the time being." She said angry that Bill had prevented her complete take over.

They didn't find him, still hadn't in Audrey's mind. She kept thinking about how they let him down, as she waited for Steve to come back and tell her the dealer had been wrong. Minutes seemed like hours, she shifted anxiously her eyes darting to the door and than to the second floor of the building in hopes of something.

Steve emerged from the building with the dealer. The dealer had a smile on his face. Audrey didn't know if that was good or bad for her.

"Audrey I'm not sure." Steve said softly when he was by her. "I need you to make identification for sure." He paused he could see the fear in her eyes, "Whoever it is, is alive, barely, but they are alive."

"Ok." Audrey said softly trying to prepare herself for what she would see. Steve led her through the house the dealer giving them men to follow them through. None of the junkies inside bothered them, most of them were already getting ready to buy their next fix with whatever money they had, some of them ready to beg, others would pay in a different form.

Audrey walked up the steps that had once been well built, now they cracked and shook under their feet. The railing was gone, scratch marks on the wall, where it looked like someone had tried to claw their way through the wall. She kept her eyes up away from the nasty ground that was covered in feces and urine. Jack wouldn't be here, he couldn't be here. She made it to the top an all new smell invading her nostrils causing her to gag. Urine, feces, blood, rotting flesh, garbage and other unpleasant smells seemed to all mix together she found herself vomiting before she could make her way through the hallow to the end.

Steve stood by her, his hand gently rubbing her back.

She finished straightening up she nodded her head, she was ready to continue. As she passed the doorways that had no doors on them, some of the interiors of the rooms had fallen through, the third floor caving in. Some of the rooms contained people, it wasn't until midway down the hallway that she truly got scared. There was an old dirty mattress covered with blood that had dried. In that room a man had another man bent over leaning against the wall. He was fucking the young man that wasn't more than 17 years old. The man smiled at Audrey as they passed by. She found the source of the smell in the next room, a array of dead animals were piled on one side of the room, an older woman was petting a dead cat calling it precious and talking to it, stopping occasionally as if she were listening to the cat talk back to her.

It was the room at the end of the hallway that scared her the most, the smell of feces, urine, vomit and blood was the worse.

Steve stopped her before she walked in, "Are you sure you are ready for this?" He asked as if everything that had led up to this moment had been less shocking than what she could possibly find in this room.

Shaking her head she pushed past him.

The small body was curled up tightly into itself. Audrey used the flashlight to spotlight the body. What would have amounted to a scream of agony, but was nothing more than a soft cry due to the state of the body, erupted. Audrey's hand shot to her mouth as she looked down. Her legs were getting ready to give out, but Steve grabbed her before she fell to the ground.

"Is it him?" Steve whispered in her ear.

Steve couldn't tell from the body's condition. The long hair was matted in blood, it's true color not recognizable from blood and dirt. The body was smaller in build than the man in the picture, way smaller. And it's state was less than noticeable covered in blood, dirt, cuts, and feces. The pulse had been weak, the body shivering mumbling occasionally incoherently.

How did I get here
And what went wrong
Couldn't handle forgiveness
Now I'm far beyond gone

The small cell seemed to grow smaller with each hour. Jack began to wonder if it was part of Henderson's plan, if the cell really had been shrinking. He blew it off as his paranoia caused by the confinement. It felt like days had passed by, but he knew it wasn't more than hours, his leg had just stopped bleeding and the pain was still intense.

He heard the lock go back on the door and it took his will power to keep from cringing at the thought of more questions. They had questions when he first got there, and he had been stubborn until Henderson broke him down easily through his guilt and pain. The cement floor cold and uncomfortable. Henderson had restrained his arms behind his back with plastic cuffs when he put him in the cell. Shoulders burning, and arms going numb, he hoped to be given relief from the confinement.

The person at the door was not Henderson. It was an older man that Jack had never seen before. The man carried a leather bag with him, leaving Jack to assume the man was a doctor. He heard voices from the outside, but no one he noticed.

"I'm going to look at your leg." The man said moving forward with some confidence. He had been told the man was a terrorist he was working on, and that the government was keeping him in confinement without notification to the news media or law enforcement because he had been working with them. Helping them to find the men behind the attack on David Palmer, and the Mall. No one had heard about the attack on CTU nor did they know the attack that was currently being planned. The doctor knew better than to ask any more questions, when the Vice President calls you in for a favor you don't ask questions. He was surprised to find out as much as he had from his friend.

Two men walked into the cell causing Jack to tense expecting more of the beating he had taken when he first got in the cell. It was all minor damage that caused his body to ache, and the drug had easily warn off. They found out what they wanted just because he had nothing left to hold onto. He couldn't fight them what was the purpose he found out who was behind it all, and the betrayal sank in deeply. Henderson wasn't the rouge Agent he thought him to be, he had orders from the Vice President, and so did Walt Cummings. It all had been a political move, and he was just a pawn in the move. David, Michelle, and Tony all just pawns. All the deaths at CTU pawns in a deadly game of chess. The Vice President wanted to be the king and was going to checkmate President Logan the best way he knew how. The guilt had settled in too because if he had not faked his death, if he had died like he was suppose to Tony and Michelle would still be alive. So would David Palmer, who found out information and was using it to get Jack's name clear. All of this was his fault, all of the deaths were on him. So he told them what they wanted to know, what else was there to hold onto.

The two men pulled Jack up, a third dragged a chair into the overcrowded room. Jack was slammed into the chair eliciting a groan from him. All three men left closing the door leaving the doctor and Jack together.

The doctor worked quietly cutting Jack's pants away from the wound with sharp medical scissors. Jack watched tensing each time the scissors came close to his skin.

"I'm going to try and numb the area the best I can." The doctor said his voice gentle.

Jack didn't answer he just stared down at his leg waiting for the inevitable pain again. The pain that reminded him he was still alive, and everyone he cared about was dead because of him. The pain that reminded him that people died around him. Physical pain had once been enough to block out the emotional pain, but now both were attacking his senses and he had no way of fighting it.

The doctor cleaned the wound hearing the man hiss in pain occasionally. When he finished cleaning it he wrapped the leg with gauze new blood soaking through from his treatment of the wound. He finished and asked the man, "Do you have any other wounds?"

Jack didn't answer at first. The doctor was getting ready to leave when Jack said, "I think I have a cracked rib. And I can't feel my arms, but I think my wrist are cut pretty bad."

The doctor frowned pulling the mans shirt up he touched the discolored skin, the man's chest and abdomen were covered in harsh looking bruises. He confirmed the cracked rib, and checked to make sure none of them were broken. "I'll have to get them in here to check out your wrist." He warned walking over to the door and knocking on it.

The came in the doctor explaining what he was going to do. They watched intently ready to pounce Jack if he tried anything. Henderson's voice was clear from the outside he was angry about something, Jack tried to listen in hopes of finding out his fate.

The doctor cleaned the wounds stitching the worse cuts and wrapping the mans wrist with gauze. He finished and moved back, speaking to the guards he warned, "I wouldn't restrain him again. I can give him a sedative if you think he is too dangerous to be unrestrained."

"Let me ask Henderson."

Henderson came into the room a few minutes later frowning at Jack. He hated to be called from his work for something like this, but he knew these men did not know Jack Bauer enough to anticipate what he could and would do if given the chance. Henderson was happy to see the look of defeat in Jack's eyes earlier when he found out who had been behind everything. It had taken awhile to break him down. Henderson started with bringing in all the emotional pain he could conjure up. Making Jack feel the guilt of the day's events. He knew the man better than he knew himself, and he knew Jack would internalize all the guilt, even if it hadn't been his fault. Henderson made sure Jack couldn't push that guilt away, box it up till he could find a place to safely relieve it. He had to use physical pain to help tire Jack out to make the guilt easier to take over, and the defense mechanism to deteriorate. The drug, the truth serum he had been given himself not too long ago, was the breaking point because with it Jack found the guilt truly did rest on his shoulders. When he asked about it, Jack had told him how guilty he had been, how it was all his fault. Henderson drove the last nail in bringing Kim's leaving him, what Kim had said. Jack caved, he knew the man didn't cave because he was broken, no he caved because he finally realized he had nothing left to live for. He was no longer righteous and good he was just as bad as those people he had fought over the years.

Henderson knew that what separated him from Jack. Jack actually had a conscious and a soul that could be easily tapped, Jack had never been quite good at dealing with the emotional pain. He was good at denying it and masking it, but when forced to look it dead in the eyes, Jack could never do it. He lacked healthy coping mechanism. Something Henderson knew from training the man to be who he was.

"Go ahead and give him something for the pain, but don't sedate him." Henderson said, "We are moving him soon anyways. We have you on a train to Mexico Jack and some spending cash."

Henderson had kept his end of the deal, sending Jack to Mexico, using the threat that if he spoke about any of it, Kim would suffer the consequences. Despite the fact she wanted nothing to do with him, Jack still wanted to protect her. So he had kept his mouth shut. Henderson had given him one last goodbye. Smashing his fist into Jack's abdomen and kicking him while he was on the ground. "That was for my wife and the years of my life you took away."

Jack struggled to all fours, blood dripping from his mouth, the pain was so instance now, his battered stomach emptying it's contents. When he finished he spoke in a low voice

"What is the piece of shit mumbling?" The dealer asked kneeling by the body, he and his men had beaten repeatedly the night before. He paid no attention to the man ask if it was the man they were working for. He moved back quickly as the body started to vomit again, blood and bile mixing together on the floor.

"I'm sorry."