Chapter 1

Nina locked in the code and began downloading the files onto her disc drive. She heard the alarm start, an annoying beeping that penetrating the walls of the tech room.

Damn! They'd found her! Her cover was completely blown. Damn it!

She glanced over at Teri, feeling the tears well in her eyes. She was going to have to kill her, wasn't she? If she left Teri, she'd rat Nina out, and Mona would target Jack.

Her cover was completely blown. Somehow they had traced the trail of suspicions, and figured out the equation equaled her.

Her phone buzzed and she flipped it briskly.

"Where are you?" Mona yelled. She sounded anxious, as if she didn't want to know the answer.

"I'm leaving now," Nina said smoothly, controlling her voice.

"You have sixteen minutes to reach the pickup point. We're routing you to Munich for three days."

Germany? Why couldn't she go to Mona directly? She wanted to see her as soon as possible, all the better to throttle her. Mona was the one who had blackmailed Nina into the mess that had escalated into treason, and Nina wished her dead.

"Why Germany? Why can't I come to you directly?" Nina asked, her voice tense.

"I don't know," Mona answered, her voice thick with her European accent. "These are the instructions."

Nina reached for the disc and slid it into her pocket. She knew that was her way out. If she gave this to the terrorists, they would either let her go or kill her. Either way, she would be rid of the hopeless guilt she'd felt for the past few months.

"You need to be untraceable during that time," Mona shrilled. "Make sure nothing can connect you to Germany."

Oh, great. Nina looked over at Teri, her heart sinking and dying. She couldn't do it. She'd refuse to. It wasn't worth it. Jamey was one thing, but Teri?

But if she refused to take care of Teri, they'd find out and hurt Jack. They had a trump card, and they'd play it if she became a liability.

Nina swallowed hard. "Did you hear me?" Mona demanded, her voice breaking through Nina's reverie.

"All right." Nina's voice was hard and cold. She slid the phone shut. Oh, God. She really was going to have to kill Teri Bauer. She couldn't do it. Jack was going to kill her. She was trying so hard to protect him, and if she didn't deal with Teri, Jack would die.

It was an impossible choice, but she loved Jack more than she loved Teri. He needed to live. She didn't. As harsh as her thoughts were, she knew it was fact.

"I'm leaving now, Teri. I'm going to lock you in from the outside. Someone will find you soon." Nina cocked the silenced gun, her slim fingers shaking as they rested on the trigger. "Everything will be fine."

She turned to face Teri abruptly and aimed. Three shots rang clearly, and Nina opened her eyes. She was no field agent, but she was as trained as any C.T.U. personnel.

The tears stung her eyes for the third time that day, making her wipe her eyes and curse herself for being weak, for being chicken. She needed to escape C.T.U.

The door opened slowly and Nina walked briskly down the hall.

"Ms. Myers," she heard behind her and she turned on her heels and shot. The guard's white shirt was immediately stained with blood and he fell backwards, cracking his head on the linoleum.

Nina bolted, knowing she only had a few minutes. The elevator doors enclosed her, and she waited impatiently for it to reach the parking lot.

The guard at the exit took a second to shoot, and Nina grabbed her ring of keys. Once checking to make sure the parking lot was clear, she scampered, running with urgency about her. She breathed heavily, slamming her car door closed.

Nina started the ignition and floored it. She turned hazardously around the corner and could see the exit opening in front of her.

Just then, a black government SUV wheeled around the corner and materialized in front of her. Jack!

What was she supposed to do? Mona had promised she wouldn't need to hurt him, but by running away, she would make him suspicious. So she raised her gun and fired.

Jack's face was shocked and hurt, but he raised his own weapon and followed her lead. They fired together, scattering etched lines over their windshields. Nina wheeled out of his path and accidentally smashed the hood of a small dark car. The impact sent her gun flying out of her hand.

The car lurched back and Nina felt her head fly back and slam hard against the metal on the back of her seat. She could feel her forehead bleeding from the shattered glass pieces and realized she'd split her lip. Nina winced.

She knew she wouldn't escape and she didn't care. Perhaps Jack would kill her. As far as she knew, she deserved it. She deserved it anyway. She'd gotten herself into this mess.

Jack burst out of his car, his gun held at arm's length away from him. He looked furious beyond anything rational.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" He was insanely mad. She cowered from him like this. He was crazed. He wanted to kill her.

"Nina, put your hands on the steering wheel!" he roared, advancing on Nina as she shrank back, her face a careful mask of defeat. She couldn't let him see the truth. Wouldn't.

When he saw she was hurt and bleeding, he wrenched open the door of her car, his gun still at the ready. Nina looked up at him shamefully, but he dragged her from the car by her neck and slammed her against the door.

"Jack," she struggled, fighting to breathe against his crushing grip. "If you kill me, you won't know who I work for."

She kept breathing shallowly, resisting his hands hurting her, killing her.

"You think I work for Drazen," she gasped, her heart pounding. "But I don't."

Jack's face contorted in anger. "I trusted you, Nina," he told her, his voice bitter and lost. Oh, God. He hated her. Loathed her. Detested her being.

"I was just trying to do my job," she mumbled. It was the truth. She'd taken on too much, though.

Jack's hands tightened their grip and her vision darkened. "Your job? My wife and daughter almost died today. How many people that trusted you lost their life today because you were doing your job?" He was beyond furious now, as he thought of the answer. "Walsh? Jamey? Ellis? How many others?" he asked her in a more reasonable tone.

Through her peripheral vision, Nina saw balding George Mason come running awkwardly with three guards.

Nina played her trump card. "How many people died because of you, Jack?"

Jack shoved her neck hard and cocked his gun. Nina's eyes lost their focus and she gazed off into space. She was ready for death. She welcomed it. It was a lot less complicated than her life thus far.

George's voice swirled through the fog. "Jack, take it easy. We need her alive." His voice was soothing, pleading with Jack not to murder Nina.

It came again. "Come on, Jack. Kim just got here. They're taking her inside now. Come on."

Why was Kim brought to C.T.U.? To see her dead mother? That was going to be horrible. She was lucky Jack hadn't discovered Teri yet.

Tony's lovely voice came through her darkness, rich and dark. "Jack, don't do it."

George returned again. Where did Tony go? "Come on, Jack. Come be with your family. Come on, let's go."

Jack held tighter. He was shaking now, ready to shoot her.

"Let's go inside," called George, the mediator. "This is no good. Come on, Jack."

Nina felt Jack squeeze her painfully again, and then he shoved her hard, driving her face down into the pavement. Nina cried out as she struck the ground, her face scraped raw by the pavement. The asphalt bit through the knees of her pants and she could feel them smart.

Two strong pairs of arms grabbed her and jerked her to her feet. Nina coughed, her lungs on fire. She could feel his touch on her neck, not gentle as he once was. Brutal. Painful.

She watched Jack leave. This was probably the last time she'd ever see him. She didn't want to see him like this, though. He wasn't the Jack she knew so well. He was so harsh.

Nina felt metal bite into her wrists and she threw her head back. Tony leaned against a car, opposite her. He looked hurt, and broken. His expression was painful to see. She sent him a pleading look. He was going to hate her forever, too.

Nina swallowed a mouthful of blood, ignoring the salty, tangy taste of it. She hoped once she got to Federal, she'd be allowed to clean up.

"You want to take her up?" one of the guards asked. His friend nodded, taking Nina. She coughed again, wheezing from her near strangulation.

"Come on, let's go," the guard said to Nina, taking her to the door of the parking garage. "Mr. Mason!" he called, referring to George.

George turned. "Yes?" he said briskly, striding over to Nina.

"Do you have her file?"

George paused. "Yes." He strode over to a workstation and picked up a tan folder. "Here."

The guard paused. "Thank you, Mr. Mason."

Tears smarted in Nina's eyes and she forced them not to fall. She was as much a terrorist as the people she'd worked to convict. It didn't matter that Jack would have done the same thing. She'd been blackmailed. But nobody would believe her. Why would they? She wasn't doing it for her family, like Jack. Just earlier today, he'd helped the terrorists smuggle weaponry past security at the breakfast, refused to inform C.T.U. of the terrorists' location, and had nearly killed David Palmer. Not to mention he'd shot her, though she was covered by the flak jacket.

But Jack was thoroughly a patriot. And nobody would believe she was after she'd deceived them.

The guard frisked her, running a gloved hand down her back, down her legs, in her pockets. He came up with her cell phone and the disc she'd slipped in her pants pocket.

It didn't hold anything important really; it was just information complied from protocall on this day. For Mona. She wanted to be clear on how much the 'American agents' knew.

Her guard passed the items to an analyst, to be sent to tech for recovery. The cell was scrambled, so Mona, Michael, and Marcus wouldn't be found out.

What was she supposed to do? If she turned in the terrorists, it'd be more hard evidence against her, supporting the idea that she was a terrorist. If she didn't, she was still screwed. She was dead, either way.

But she did deserve it.

Or did she?