24:Deadly Game

by TheKief

The city of Los Angeles has seen many threats. But now, the biggest threat has come to pass, and only one man can stop it.

1. Chapter 1:The Game

24:Deadly Game

The following takes place between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM.
Events occur in real time.

First National Bank
Downtown Los Angeles
7:00 AM

For a weekday morning in Los Angeles, it was fairly quiet. The usual morning traffic was there, but there was an odd stillness about the air. The calm before the storm, some would say. But the First National Bank was bustling with activity. Located in the center of the city, it was the focus of many people on this fine California day. All the people inside were busy going about their business. So busy, in fact, that they didn't even notice a Middle Eastern man entering the bank dressed in a black trench coat, with an MP5 in one hand. He walked up to the front desk nonchalantly, and hit the bell. When an attractive woman in a black business suit approached, he immediately raised the weapon.
"Nobody move! I want everyone on the ground, face down, with their hands on their heads!"
A burly man behind the Middle Eastern man looked him over for a moment, then decided he must take action. He moved in to grab the Arab, but he whirled around and smacked the burly man in the head with the MP5. The burly man slumped to the floor, unconscious. The Arab then raised the MP5 into the air and hit the trigger, spraying off rounds into the ceiling of the bank. Instantly, everybody in the bank followed his directions and jumped to the floor, hands on their heads. The Middle Eastern man then took off his jacket, to reveal C-4 plastic explosive strapped to his chest.

Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit
7:04 AM

Michelle Dessler walked into CTU, ready for the day ahead. Ever since her husband, Tony Almeida, had been sent to jail on charges of treason, she had become somewhat of a rogue at CTU. She just didn't want to deal with all the "im sorry's" and all the fake regret she would get from all of her coworkers. All she wanted was to be left alone. She walked up to the desk of Kim Bauer, one of the more decorated agents here at CTU LA. Kim looked up as she approached.
"Hi Michelle," Kim said, then glanced back down to her screen.
"Hey Kim. Has your father come in yet?," she asked with a fleeting look up to the upper offices of CTU, where the Field Ops agents were located.
"No, he's taking the morning off. Him and Kate were going to go out for breakfast," she said with a smile.
"I see. When he comes in, tell him I want to speak with him, would you?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Thanks," Michelle said, and then she walked off to her desk. She sat in her chair, hoping today was going to be one of those easy days. She just didn't feel up to going through any huge stress today, especially since a lot more would be coming later on tonight. She'd actually been dreading this day for awhile, the day of Tony's trial for the plea of a shortened sentence. She knew he wouldn't get it, it would just be one of those disappointments. When she came to think of it, she should be used to disappointments. They pretty much filled her life. Then she saw something she definitely did not want to see. The new director of CTU, John Davis, coming down the stairs from his upper office with a worried look on his face. He sauntered to the center of CTU and called for everyone's attention.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. We have a situation. Moments ago, a man entered the First National Bank downtown and fired off some shots. He has hostages, and he also has a bomb strapped to his chest. Were sending a field team down now, and LAPD is on it's way also. I need everyone on top of their game, and I want every single person in here having their only focus on this situation. Lets go people!," he bellowed before walking back upstairs.
Michelle put her head in her hands and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Jack Bauer's Residence
Los Angeles Suburbs
7:08 AM

The phone kept ringing. And ringing. And ringing. Jack Bauer sighed as he rolled over in bed and looked at his clock. He thought he had the morning off. He picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jack, its John over at CTU."
"John, I have the morning off."
"I know Jack, but something big has happened."
"What is it?"
"We got a guy at the First National Bank downtown with a bomb strapped to his chest, and he has plenty of hostages."
"Son of a bitch, I'm on my way," Jack said, rubbing his eyes.
"No, don't bother coming here. Just go to the bank, we'll have a field team ready for you there."
"Alright John," Jack said, and then hung up. He turned around in bed and looked over at the woman in bed with him. Kate Warner slept peacefully next to him, the covers covering her naked body. Damn she was beautiful, Jack thought. He then gave a last glance at his clock, and got up off the bed.

Glendale Apartments
L.A. Outskirts
7:12 AM

Chase Edmunds cradled his daughter, Angela, in his arms. She was crying uncontrollably, and he had to find a way to stop her. He decided he'd call Kim.
Back at CTU, Kim was monitoring the bank situation when her phone rang.
"CTU Kim Bauer."
"Kim, it's Chase. Angela's crying, and I cant stop her. What do I do?"
Kim laughed, "Chase, just give her the bottle. It's not that hard, babe."
"Easy for you to say. How are things down there?"
"Well we got a little problem."
"What's that?"
"Some guy is shooting up the bank downtown. He's got some hostages, and he's got a bomb strapped to his chest. The weird thing is he hasn't demanded anything yet."
"Well, I need to come in."
"Chase, you cant. Your hand hasn't fully healed yet, plus what about Angela?"
"I can call Chloe over, she can watch her. It's her day off today."
"Remember what happened last time when she watched her? Everything went to hell."
"Kim, I need to come in there. I can help in some way."
"Chase, no you can't. Just relax, you coming in here will only cause Davis to get pissed at you and that's something we don't need right now."
Chase sighed, thinking the situation over. He finally relented, "Fine, just keep me updated, ok?," he asked.
"Ya, no problem. I got to go, luv ya."
"I love you too."

Mike Hammond sat at his desk in the upper offices of CTU, getting ready to head out to the bank to meet up with Jack. This was his first week on the job, and so far it had gone pretty smoothly, with a few slight exceptions. But his feelings now were ones of confidence. He was ready for the big time, and he saw today's situation as a chance to prove himself to everyone at CTU. He got up from his desk and walked by Jacks empty office, then down the stairs and to the left, into the dark back hallway. He was headed for the locker room to suit up in the traditional field team gear, similar to the gear that SWAT wears. Up ahead, he saw Kim Bauer talking to another CTU worker. He slowed his walking for a second to admire her. She was really something, those nice shaply legs and firm.....he stopped himself. If Jack ever found out he had a thing for his daughter he would probably kill him, seeing as her and Chase were now living together. But he couldn't help but look; she was very attractive. As he walked by, tho, he noticed something strange. She was giving him a weird look, a look that can come off as a flirty look. She smiled at him, and he looked back with a dumbfounded expression. Was she serious?! After a moment, Mike shrugged it off and entered the locker room. No time for that stuff now. It was time for business.

Jack was on his way to the bank in his black SUV. He was dressed in a black polo shirt and khakis. He hadn't dressed like this for work before, but Kate forgot to wash his usual clothes, so he had to go with this. His Glock 9mm was tucked into his pants, and he was pretty much ready to go. He left a note next to Kate for when she woke up saying he was sorry for leaving but he had to. After all, his job was what it was. There was no telling what could happen and when. The sun was beaming into his eyes, so he put on his sunglasses. Those glasses had been through a lot. They were there when he killed Ted Coffel; they were there when he went back undercover with "The Patriots" who bombed CTU. They only went to show just how dangerous and unpredictable his life was. His phone suddenly rang. He took it off the passenger seat and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello Jack."
"Who is this?"
"Someone you used to know very well, and will get to know better over the course of today."
"What are you talking about? Who the hell is this?"
"Im sorry Jack. But I must go. You'll be hearing from me soon."
The line went dead.

7:21:33
7:21:34
7:21:35

7:25:51
7:25:52
7:25:53

Jack pulled into the banks parking lot, which was swarmed with cops and two SWAT vans. Lo and behold, the field team hadn't arrived yet. But that didn't bother Jack as much as what had just transpired moments ago. Who was that man on the phone? When would he call back? Should he tell anyone about it? All these questions swarmed his mind as he exited his car and approached a familiar face, an old friend from the LAPD, Captain Anderson. He was crouched behind a patrol car, with his gun aimed at the bank. Through the front window, Jack could see the maniac inside, screaming out things in his native language. Jack crouched down beside Anderson.
"John, how are things?," Jack asked.
Anderson turned his head and his eyes bulged when he realized who it was.
"Jack? Jack Bauer? You little (bleep)!," Anderson said with a smile and a laugh." How ya been?"
"Not bad. Yourself?"
"Well. I was doing good until I heard about this guy. Where's your field team?"
"They're on their way, im guessing. Has this guy told you what he wants?"
"No, he wont talk to us. Figures, today was my day off, and this piece of crap has to ruin it."
"Mind if I have a go?," Jack asked, motioning his head to a speaker on the roof of the captains car.
"Be my guest. I doubt he'll say anything tho."
Jack grabbed the horn and slowly walked up to the bank.
"Sir, my name is Jack Bauer. Now, we don't want to see anybody get hurt here, so lets try to talk this through.
The man inside the bank looked over at Jack. Upon seeing him, a look of recognition popped across his face. He now knew what he had to do. Meanwhile, Jack continued talking.
"Do you hear me sir? This can end peace.....
Jack trailed off as he saw what was about to happen. The man inside hit a button on the bomb apparatus strapped to his chest. Jack turned around and screamed, "Everybody down!" He then started to sprint back towards the cars as the bank exploded in a ball of flame.

7:30:05

John Davis was sitting in his upper office at CTU. He looked out the large window that overlooked the floor below, and couldn't help but smile. He pretty much made CTU into what it was now himself, or at least he thought so. After Tony Almeida was arrested, he moved in and immediately established his rules and regulations. Since then, they had been followed perfectly, even by Jack Bauer himself. Well, he thought, Jack really hasn't been himself lately. After executing Ryan Chappelle and going through drug rehab to eliminate his heroin addiction, some could say he'd become a shell of his former self. He was despondent now, less likely to start a conversation. His phone suddenly rang, interrupting his reverie. He picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Is this Mr. Davis?"
"Yes, who is this?"
"This is Captain John Anderson of the LAPD. I'm sure you know about the bank problem."
"Yes, I'm aware. What's going on down there now?"
"Well, sir, the man detonated the bomb on his chest. Were beginning the search for bodies."
"My God. Is Jack Bauer there?"
"Well, he was sir."
"What do you mean, was?"
"He was attempting negotiations with the suspect when the bomb exploded. We haven't found him yet.
Davis sat, not talking for a few moments.
"Sir, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. Tell me if you find his body."
"I will sir."
"Has my field team arrived yet?," Davis asked with a glance down towards Kim, who was working at her station.
"Yes, they got here just in time to see the bomb explode, actually," Anderson said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Son of a b!tch. Let me speak to Mike Hammond, he should be there."
"Sure," Anderson said, handing the phone to Hammond, who was standing next to him.
"Mr. Davis?"
"Why the hell didn't you get there in time? If you did, this disaster could have been prevented!"
"It wasn't my teams fault sir. We had no transportation."
"What do you mean you had no transportation, we had a van outside waiting for you."
"There was no van sir. When we got outside CTU, we had nothing. I managed to flag down a pedestrian, and we used his car."
"Alright, we may have a big problem here. I have to call Division, keep me updated.
"Yes sir."

The first thing he heard were sirens. Jack Bauer slowly began to move underneath the rubble he was buried under. He felt a huge amount of pain in his midsection that could possibly mean he had internal bleeding. He pushed up and removed the stuff on top of him, and slowly rose to his feet. His shirt was torn, and his pants were covered in dust. His field team came running towards him, but he kept walking. He didn't know why, he just had to walk. He heard the voice of Mike Hammond.
"Jack! Jack! You gotta stop, let the paramedics look at you!"
But Jack kept walking. Hammond realized it was no use to try and stop him, and went back to his team. Jack walked up to Anderson, who had a shocked look on his face.
"Oh my God, Jack...."
"John, call CTU. Tell them....
Jacks phone rang, cutting him off mid-word. He looked down to his pocket, where it was tucked. He had a feeling he knew who it was. He picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Its me again, Jack." It was him again.
"You son of a bitch, you had something to do with this, didn't you?"
"Obviously Jack. But there's more where that came from, my friend."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"What I'm saying is there are many more men just like the man in the bank. They all have bombs strapped to their chests, and they are all waiting for my signal."
"What do you want?"
"Oh, we'll get to that later. But first, I want you to play my game."
"What game?"
"You have 20 minutes to get to the mall. If you don't get there in time, I will instruct the bomber positioned there to detonate his bomb. It's as simple as that, Jack. Oh, and don't call for help. If you do, I'll order a detonation."
"How the hell am I supposed to get to the mall in 20 minutes?"
"I don't know Jack. Find a way. But rest assured, he will detonate that bomb if he dosent see you there."
"How do I know he wont do it anyway?"
"You don't. You just have to trust me Jack. Talk to you later."
"No! Wait...."
The line was dead again. Jack instantly began running to his SUV, with Anderson in tow.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"There's no time to explain."
"Where are you going? Jack?"
But Jack had already sped away, leaving a confused Anderson to wonder what was going on. He started to run towards Hammond.
"Mike! Mike! Jack just left!"
Hammond turned to Anderson. "Did he say where he was going?"
"No, someone called him and after that he just left."
"Alright, I gotta call Davis."

Michelle Dessler was still at her desk. She knew today was going to be a bad day, and it could only get worse. Her phone rang, and she hesitantly picked it up.
"CTU Dessler."
"Michelle, it's Chase."
"Oh, how are things Chase?"
"Great, but I need a favor."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, I heard about the bank bombing and I want to come in. I think I can help, even with my hand the way it is. But Kim is obviously adamantly against it. So, I was wondering if you could like, put her on something for a little bit so I can stop in?"
Michelle laughed. "Deception is never good in a relationship, Chase."
"I know, I know. But I need to do this. I got Chloe to watch the baby, so Im all set there. All I need is this favor."
"Alright Chase. But Im not responsible for what might happen."
"Thanks Michelle. I owe you one."
Michelle hung up and got up, ready to head over to Kim when Davis approached.
"Michelle, we got a problem."
"What is it now?"
"It's Jack. He was injured in the bank explosion, but he refused medical attention and left the site really quickly after a phone call. We don't know what the phone call was about, but I thought of a certain technique we can use to find out."
"Yes, I've done that before."
"Well, can you do it? This is very important."
"Sure, but I have to.."
"No, this cant wait. Get back to me with your results."
He started to walk away, but stopped.
"One more thing. The field teams van disappeared from our lot about 20 minutes ago. Pull up the security cameras during that time, and send to my screen what you get."
"Ok, I'll get right on it."
Davis walked away, and Michelle gave a quick glance to Kim, who was still sitting at her desk. That would have to wait.

7:42:25
7:42:26
7:42:27

7:46:35
7:46:36
7:46:37

Jack was speeding down the expressway, going just about 80 miles per hour. He had to get to the mall, nobody else was going to get hurt. His phone rang, and he answered it.
"Bauer."
"Dad, it's me."
It was Kim. "Honey, I cant talk right now. I'm in the middle of something."
Kim was standing in Davis' office, with him standing behind her. He figured if the phone call trace Michelle was working up didn't work this would be his next best play. Jack would tell his daughter anything.
"What is it?," Kim asked her father.
"Just...something sweetheart. I'll call you back later."
He hung up, which shocked Kim. Her dad had never hidden anything from her. What was he doing that was so important? Jack, meanwhile, threw his phone on the passenger seat and got off at Exit 21 towards the mall. He made a right, and could see the mall in the distance. He accelerated even more, speeding off towards it.

The Middle Eastern man stood in the food court, looking around anxiously for any sign of the man his colleague told him to look out for. He was ready to give his life for his cause, and the bomb strapped to his chest would provide him with that opportunity. His phone rang, and he answered it.
"Yes?"
"It's me." It was his colleague.
"What is it?"
"There's been a change of plan. When Bauer arrives, I want you to run from him."
"And why would you want me to do that?"
"Because I need to see if he still has what it takes to keep up with me today. He's been through hell these past couple months."
"No, we had a deal. You give me the means to show my faith in Allah, and in doing so I help you cause some disruption here today. You are starting to bend that deal."
"I don't give a damn what I bend. If you don't run from him, I will send my operatives out to your home to massacre your family."
The Middle Eastern man stood silent, contemplating the situation. Finally, he spoke.
"Fine, I'll run. But not for long."
"That's what I thought."
His "colleague" hung up.

7:50:25

Michelle had just finished her triangulation on Jacks cell phone. She now had every word of all of the calls Jack had received today. She ran up to Davis' office with the news.
"Sir, I have the text from the calls on Jacks phone," she said, out of breath.
"What about the other thing I asked you to do?"
"The security camera footage?"
"Yes."
"Both the text and the footage should be coming on your screen now."
"Great work Michelle."
Michelle walked out of the office, while Davis pulled up the text and footage on his computer. He decided to pull up the footage first. He watched as the footage cycled through, until he caught something of interest. The van had been there, like he knew it had. But he watched as a man entered and started it, pulling out of the CTU lot. The man made sure his face did not make it on camera during the act, and Davies realized right then that he now had another problem.

Mike Hammond was the last to get in the van that his team had gotten a hold of. He slid into the passenger seat and prepared to drive away from the bank ruins, when his cell phone rang. He answered it.
"Hammond."
"Mike, its John."
"What have you got for me, Mr.Davis?"
"Well, first off, somebody moved our van. I don't know where they took it, but they moved it nonetheless. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but we may have a serious problem here."
"Figures. We cant just have one problem at a time. Did you find out where Jack is headed?"
"Im looking at it now. I don't know who this person is who called him, but he seems to know Ja.....my god."
"What is it?"
"This person....we definitely have a huge problem here. We'll talk about it later. Jacks at the mall, get a bomb squad down there now."
"A bomb squad?! What the hell is going on here?"
"There's no time to explain. You have to go now!"

Jack proceeded down the escalator at the mall. He ran down it instead of waiting, enraging the people he plowed into. When he reached the bottom, he started to sprint, looking for any Middle Eastern person who looked suspicious. Seeing none as of yet, he began to think this search was hopeless. This bomb is going to go off, he thought. Then, he stopped himself. How dare he give up. He had never before, even in the face of insurmountable odds. He continued to push on, the clock ticking away on his time to find this man.

Chase Edmunds walked into CTU, looking around nervously for Kim. He saw Michelle first, and began to make his way towards her.
"Chase?!," a voice called, clearly an angry one. He knew who it was before he even turned to see. When he did, he saw Kim standing there, an angry look on her face.
"Kim....."
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay home?!"
"I can explain...."
"I know you can, but it will just be bullshit. Wheres Angela?
"Shes at home with Chloe," Chase said, and noticed Michelle was looking at them argue. He gave her a disappointed look.
"I told you, I don't trust Chloe with our baby. I cant believe you did this Chase."
"Its nothing personal, Kim. I just had to come in."
"Why? You quit field-ops, what good can you do?"
By now, everyone in CTU was watching them argue. Chase stared at Kim for a second, then walked off. Kim thought about going after him, but thought better of it and walked out the front door, not even bothering to punch out.

Jack stopped running to catch his breath, scanning his surroundings for any sign of the bomber. He saw him. He was in the food court, just standing there. Jack ran up to a wall that faced the court and ducked behind it, hoping the man didn't see him. After all, the last man detonated his bomb once he laid eyes on him. It was then that Jack realized what he would have to do. He would have to kill this man from this position, before he could hurt anyone. He couldn't risk it, the safest thing to do was to kill him. Jack pulled out his 9mm and attached a silencer to the barrel. He then peered around the corner of the wall and aimed. His finger slowly reached for the trigger. Once the finger made contact, he prepared to end this problem, when suddenly a hand shot out and slapped his gun to the ground. Jack looked up, and saw Mike Hammond standing before him.
"Mike? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Jack, I cant let you do that, you know that. We have to bring him in."
"Are you dumb? If you approached him with a team he would just detonate the bomb."
"He has a bomb? That's why Davis wanted the bomb squad."
"Your bringing a bomb squad in here? Damnit!, Jack exclaimed. He gave a quick glance beyond the wall, and saw that the man had spotted him. He began to sprint, running through the food court and up another set of escalator stairs. Jack instantly took off sprinting, heading towards the escalator. Mike tried to keep up, his team in tow. They had shedded their SWAT- like gear, and now had their underclothes on. The people who were at the mall at this early time all stared, wondering what was going on. Jack aimed his gun upward at the man and fired, the shot clanging off the escalator railing. The man continued to run, convinced he hadn't ran enough yet. He reached the top of the escalator, and found himself on the top level, where a balcony overlooked the food court and ground floor of the mall. Mike screamed at Jack.
"Jack! What are you doing? Stop firing, there are innocents here!"
Jack didn't need to hear that. He was a good enough marksman to not hit the people around him, but he was also good enough to nail this bomber.

Kim Bauer pulled out of the CTU parking lot in her silver Geo Prism, headed back towards her apartment. She could not believe Chase had done this. She was going to let Chloe have it when she arrived there.

Chase sat behind his desk, thinking about his argument with Kim. It seemed like more and more each day they were getting into arguments. Maybe a little time away from each other would suit them both well.

John Davis was up in his office, analyzing the security video from the parking lot. He had already called Division, and they told him to watch the behavior of the people in CTU today. While moving a van was a minor infraction, if anything else strange were to pop up, they may be looking at a traitor amongst their ranks.

Jack continued to chase the bomber. The man was starting to slow he noticed, and Hammond was far behind him. Now was his chance to end this. Jack aimed the silenced pistol and fired, hitting the man in the shoulder. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, a shocked look on his face and a hand covering his shoulder, which was beginning to gush blood. The man now knew he had to finish what he knew he was put on this Earth to do. His finger hovered over the explosive, and Jack started running again. When he reached the man, he rammed his shoulder into him, careful not to hit the bomb. The man fell backward, smashing into a table. Jack lunged at him, but the man was prepared and swung a fist at Jack, which connected to his jaw. Jack fell back, stunned. The man attempted again to blow the bomb, but Jack grabbed him before he could and pulled him to his feet. But the bomber plowed forward, pushing Jack backward farther and farther. His back hit the railing of the balcony. Mike Hammond watched from the escalator as Jack Bauer and the bomber fell from the smashed balcony above, careening towards the food court below.

7:59:57
7:59:58
7:59:59
8:00:00