PROMISES KEPT
The final episode of this season left me shocked and angry. Renee's death was bad enough, but then they went a step farther and killed Audrey too. :-(
I know there are many "24" watchers out there who disliked (or strongly despised) either Audrey or Renee. I'm not one of them. I loved both of them. When it looked like Audrey wouldn't be a part of Jack's life any more (the end of Season 6), I was glad that Renee came along. Both of them were strong women and, in my opinion, both had great chemistry with Jack.
I HATED Audrey's death in the finale. Even if I hadn't been an Audrey fan, I would be angry that the writers had, once AGAIN, ripped away the thing (person) that made Jack happy!
So, thank goodness for fan fiction! :-) Here's my slight revision of a few key moments of the finale, and some additional thoughts and reflections. Hope you enjoy.
. . . .
Kate shifted ever so slightly, hearing the crunch of a twig snapping beneath her foot. Audrey sat motionless on the bench, like an animal in a hunter's sights.
Chloe's voice crackled urgently through Kate's comms earpiece. "Kate, it's Chloe. They're on to us! You have to get Audrey out of there and get the CIA involved. Cheng's going to order the sniper to shoot! Get Audrey out of there now! Move!"
Kate leaped to her feet. "Engage! Engage!" Her team members bolted forward, weapons drawn and ready. Audrey scrambled off of the bench, racing towards the safety of the trees. Agent Ian Kerr held out his hand, grabbed her arm, and pushed her behind him. She crouched in the leaves, and he rose up and opened fire.
Sparks flew and glass shattered as Kate and the TAC agents opened fire on the sniper's position. A shower of glass shards rained down on the pavement as a man's limp body toppled forward and slumped over the window sill.
"Got him." Kate lowered her pistol. "Get up there and make sure he's dead."
"Yes, ma'am." Ryan Parker, the second TAC agent, immediately moved towards the building.
Kate turned to Audrey, who was being escorted out of the tree line by Ian. "Audrey, are you okay?"
She nodded shakily, still trembling. "Yes."
"Erik, it's Kate. I'm at Malden Park with Audrey Boudreau. Inform Secret Service that we've secured her and we're taking her back to the CIA."
Ritter sounded bewildered. "Where's her current detail?"
Kate ran a hand through her hair. "I'll explain everything later, but right now you need to get a team over to South Hampton docks. Jack was going into stealth, but he's in trouble and really needs your help. He's trying to stop this war." She hung up the phone before Ritter could reply.
"Is Jack closing in on Cheng?" Audrey asked.
Kate nodded. "Yes. Cheng was using you to get to Jack. That's why Jack sent me here."
"Is he all right?"
"I don't know," Kate apologized.
Parker returned and fell into step alongside Audrey as the group made their way down the path. "Hold up," he said suddenly, stopping. He handed Audrey a Kevlar vest that had been draped over his arm. "Cheng Zhi's a smart son of a bitch. We got the sniper, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has a plan B. Put this on, just in case."
Kate nodded. "Good point. You can never be too careful."
Audrey took the vest and lifted it to slip it over her head.
Tires squealed on pavement as a car skidded to a stop along the fence line. Gunfire erupted.
"Audrey, get down!" Kate yelled. She dropped to the ground as the agents dove for cover, drew their weapons, and returned fire.
A second car came barreling around the corner, its engine revving and tires squealing. The shooter stopped firing and scrambled into the back seat, slamming the door behind him. With another screech of tires skidding on pavement, the car sped off into the darkness.
"Got two men down," Ian reported breathlessly, kneeling alongside the two agents crumpled in the grass. "Luttrell... Luttrell is dead." He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and shook his head. "Murphy? How are you?"
The man's face was drawn and pinched with pain. He was already sitting up and applying pressure to the bleeding gunshot wound in his right thigh. "Hurts like hell." The tactical-style cargo pants had a tourniquet system built into them. He twisted the strap, then groaned and gritted his teeth as he felt the cord tighten around his leg. "I'll make it."
"Yeah, see that you do," Ian replied, smiling slightly.
A quiet sound from behind her made Kate turn. Audrey was slumped against the bench, one hand pressed against her left side. The Kevlar vest was half on and half off her body, the unfastened straps dangling. She slowly pulled her hand away, displaying a spreading red stain on her shirt and blood spilling through her fingers.
Kate's heart flew into her throat. "Audrey!"
She lunged, catching Audrey in her arms as the woman's legs gave out. Audrey cried out in pain as Kate carefully lowered her down onto the bench. The vest slipped over her head and landed with a thump, sliding over the side of the bench and onto the grass.
"Call Erik and tell him we have a second shooter," Kate ordered. Ian appeared at her side, carrying a small field medical kit. "Give me that!" Kate snatched it from his hand. "Get medical here right now!"
"Erik, we need medical now," Ian reported. "We have two men down. Murphy's injured but stable. Luttrell is dead. And Audrey Boudreau's been hit."
"Oh, my God..." Kate shook her head as she grabbed a handful of gauze from the bag and began pressing it against the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding. "Audrey, help is on the way. Stay with me. Don't leave me now," she said frantically.
Audrey's eyes were wide, and her chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths. She groaned as Kate applied pressure to the wound.
Ian knelt alongside them. "Ian was a combat medic in the military. He's going to take good care of you," Kate told her. She wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure more, Audrey or herself. "Just hang on."
Ian cupped her chin in his hands. "Audrey, hey, look at me. We're going to help you. I need you to keep your eyes on Kate. Stay with us."
His hands moved carefully over Audrey's body, feeling for other wounds. "Help me turn her onto her side so I can check her back." Kate braced Audrey's head and neck, and together they carefully rolled her onto her side. She gasped and moaned, the muscles in her jaw clenching as she gritted her teeth. "I know. I'm sorry," Ian apologized. He hated to cause her more pain, but at the same time, the reaction was somewhat of a relief. She was still conscious and responsive enough to react to pain. Ian swept his hands along her back and nodded. "No other wounds, either entrance or exit. Bullet's still in there. All right, lay her back down."
They turned Audrey onto her back again. "Damn it, it's not stopping!" Kate said desperately, looking at the slick crimson blood that covered her hands.
Ian grimly thought of the statement of, "Remember, all bleeding stops eventually", from one of his instructors. He shook his head. Audrey couldn't bleed to death here. They couldn't let that happen.
He grabbed a handful of packets of QuickClot material. "Pack the wound with those, Kate."
A choked cry of pain came from Audrey as Kate began packing the sponge-like material into the wound. "It'll hurt," Ian warned them both, "but it has a clotting agent that will help stop the bleeding."
As Kate worked with the QuickClot, Ian unzipped another pouch in the bag and produced an IV kit. "Give me an arm; I'm starting a line." Kate moved slightly, giving him access to Audrey's right arm. Ian tied the blue rubber tourniquet in place and gently probed her arm, searching for a suitable vein. "Come on, come on... there. Audrey, I'm starting an IV line in your arm here. You'll feel a stick." He carefully slid the 16-gauge needle into her vein, glancing at her face for a reaction. The needle was larger, used for rapid administration of fluid, blood, or medications. Normally, in a conscious patient, it should elicit at least a small flinch. Audrey didn't move, not reacting to the pain. Ian quickly taped the tubing down and passed the bag to Kate. "Here. Hold that up and squeeze it. That'll help push it through the line faster." He watched the clear fluid as it flowed through the tube and into Audrey's arm.
"Where the hell is medical?" Kate demanded.
"Three minutes out," Ritter's voice answered.
Audrey's skin was pale, cool, and clammy. Her teeth chattered as she shivered. "She's going into shock," Ian muttered. He unwrapped a thin foil emergency blanket from the medical bag. "Help me, Kate. Spread this out. I'm going to lift her and lay her down on it so we can wrap her in it." He gathered Audrey into his arms and lifted her a few inches off of the bench, wincing as she inhaled and groaned. "Easy, easy. There we go." He laid her back down and drew the material around her shoulders, leaving the wound uncovered for them to work.
Kate grasped Audrey's wrist, leaving bloody fingerprints on her skin. "Audrey, come on. Stay with me." Her voice cracked. "Hang in there. Don't leave us now. Your father... Mark... Jack... they don't want to lose you. They can't lose you. Do you hear me?"
A single tear fell from Audrey's eye and trickled slowly down her cheek.
Kate bit her lip.
Ian inspected the wound and the QuickClot material. "It's still bleeding, but it's slowing." He leaned over to make eye contact with Audrey. Her eyes were wide, glazed over with shock and pain. "You heard Kate, Audrey. Stay with us, okay? We've got you."
They both tensed at the sound of a speeding vehicle approaching. Kate glanced over her shoulder, placing one hand on her pistol in its holster. She nearly collapsed in relief as she saw the black CIA SUV approaching, followed by an ambulance with its lights flashing. "Thank God!"
Six men climbed out of the two vehicles and hurried towards them. "Glad to see you," Ian greeted them. He pointed to the scene. "We have three casualties. Luttrell… is dead…" He lowered his head, cleared his throat, then continued. "Murphy has a GSW to the right thigh, heavy bleeding, tourniqueted. He's stable. Audrey Boudreau is our most significant concern. GSW to the upper left side, signs of shock, significant blood loss."
Two of the agents gently and solemnly lifted the body of fallen Agent Luttrell into a black body bag, zipped it closed, and carried it to the back of the SUV.
Two more supported Agent Murphy, half-leading and half-carrying him between them, as they guided him over to the SUV and helped him into the backseat.
The medics approached Audrey. "Audrey? Mrs. Boudreau? Can you hear me?" one of the men asked. Her head bobbed slightly, and her gaze slowly lifted to meet his. "We're here to help you. We'll take good care of you."
Ian placed a hand on Kate's shoulder. "I'm going to go with the team that has Murphy and Luttrell," he said quietly. "You're the one who's been in contact with Jack. You go with Audrey and keep him updated." Kate nodded silently, and Ian hurried away.
Kate grasped Audrey's hand. "Our medics are here, Audrey. They're going to take you back to medical and get you taken care of. I'm going with you. Just stay with us, okay? Stay with us. Please."
Please, she added silently. I promised I would protect you. I can't tell your father and Jack that you died on my watch. I told him you were safe. Please don't make me tell him that we failed.
A stretcher was placed alongside the bench. Carefully, gently, the two men lifted Audrey and settled her on it. Kate walked quickly next to her, still carrying the IV bag, as they moved towards the ambulance.
A third man was already inside, behind the steering wheel, ready to drive. The two medics secured the stretcher and got to work. Kate perched on the bench next to the stretcher, her knees pressing against it, and took hold of Audrey's hand again. The medics worked around her, assessing Audrey, talking to her, and treating her. The ambulance and the SUV sped away into the darkness.
/ / / / /
Jack and Belchek moved swiftly through the corridors of the massive ship, rifles at the ready.
"Belchek," Jack said quietly. "I've got to fall back to reset."
"Copy that," the man answered.
As Jack knelt, he felt his phone vibrate. Slinging the rifle across his chest, he pulled the phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. "Chloe?"
"Jack, it's Kate."
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Jack..." She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled. "I'm sorry. Audrey's been shot."
"What?"
"She's alive," Kate said quickly. "I'm with her now. One of my team members and I treated her until medics got here. We're taking her back to medical now."
He clutched the phone tighter. "What are you talking about? What the hell happened? You... you said she was safe."
"I'm so sorry, Jack." She sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "There was a second shooter, and he got her."
He couldn't speak around the lump in his throat.
"She's alive," Kate repeated, "but she's lost a lot of blood." She cleared her throat. "We're in the ambulance, heading back to medical, and the team there is ready and waiting for us. I'll keep you updated."
"Thank you," Jack forced out. In a daze, he ended the call, dropped the phone in his lap, and leaned back against the wall.
His thoughts filled with images of Renee, bleeding, dying.
Not again! God damn it, not again!
He thought of the promise he had made to Audrey as they huddled together, barricaded in an empty room in the CTU building after her return from China, when she had been so broken and damaged from Cheng's torture. I will protect you. I will keep you safe.
And then Heller's words. "You're cursed, Jack. Everything you touch, one way or another, ends up dead."
The breath caught in his throat. No. Not again. Not this time.
Footsteps pounded overhead, and men's voices shouted. Jack leaped to his feet, suddenly filled with blinding rage. Damn you! Damn you all! He brought the rifle up to bear and sprinted down the corridor.
Excited shouting from the deck above let him know that he had been spotted. Jack whirled around and opened fire. He hardly recognized the sounds that were coming from somewhere deep inside him, incoherent screams, filled with pain and anger, as he directed a hail of bullets towards Cheng's men.
Bodies crumpled and fell.
Jack switched to his pistol and kept moving, down the stairs, into the galley.
More men, more yelling, more gunshots. Bullets ricocheted off of the metal kitchen appliances, sending sparks flying.
His gaze fell on a meat cleaver. He snatched it up and flung it, watching with grim satisfaction as one of the men dropped to the floor with it embedded in his neck.
With that room cleared, he continued moving down the hallway. He pressed himself against the wall, pulled his tactical knife from his pocket, and waited. One of Cheng's men appeared with his pistol drawn. Jack plunged the blade into his throat and shoved him backwards into the room, using his body as a human shield.
Cheng's goons fell one by one as bullets flew.
And now there were two. Jack Bauer and Cheng Zhi.
Jack lunged forward and kicked Cheng's pistol out of his hand, sending it flying uselessly across the room. The two of them rolled about the room, engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand fight. Jack was caught off guard by Cheng's strength and agility. The man's power had always seemed to come from his sly, cunning mind. Jack hadn't expected him to be a skilled fighter too.
A white cloud of foam blasted into his face as Cheng grabbed a fire extinguisher. Jack shielded his face from the onslaught and knocked the canister out of Cheng's grasp, tossing it aside. The man landed a punch on the side of his head that made Jack stagger backwards. He retaliated, knocking Cheng off balance, sending him crashing to the floor.
Before he could recover, Jack covered the distance between them and seized him, yanking him off of the floor, twisting his arm behind his back.
Cheng howled in pain.
"You should've stayed hidden, like a rat," Jack growled, drawing his fist back and delivering another punch straight to his face. "You could've died an old man."
Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood as Jack dragged him over to the computer, propping him against the table.
"This is Jack Bauer," he announced, addressing the video monitor. "I have Cheng Zhi, and he is alive. Initiate facial recognition."
"Copy that," Gavin answered.
"You're being recorded," Jack informed Cheng. "Tell them who you are." Cheng turned his head and stared silently at him, saying nothing.
Jack's gaze landed on a katana sword hanging on the wall. He seized it and held the long, gleaming metal blade against Cheng's throat. "Tell them who you are."
"Just a few more seconds," Gavin informed them.
"Tell them who you are!" Jack pressed the blade harder against Cheng's neck.
"My name is Cheng Zhi!" His reply started as a growl and rose to an angry shout.
"Did you get that?" Jack demanded.
"That's facial recognition and voice match," Gavin replied. Jack could hear the slight smile in his voice. "It's him."
"Copy that. Out." Jack ended the video call and yanked Cheng backwards and away from the computer. He stared into Cheng's eyes, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.
He had let the man live once. Cheng's face still bore the scars from the fire on board the oil rig. "I should have killed you when I had the chance before," Jack said hoarsely. "I won't make that mistake again."
No, this time there would be no courts, no chance for Cheng to escape again, and no doctor on Earth who could possibly manage to save his life.
Finally, Jack thought. Finally, he and Audrey would be free.
He thought of their phone conversation, only a few short hours ago. The only reason I surfaced today was to try and protect your father. For you. And then, again, of his promise to Audrey. I will protect you.
Kill him, Jack, Audrey had ordered firmly, her voice trembling. Cheng. Do you hear me, Jack? Do what you have to do, and then kill him.
"This is for Audrey, you son of a bitch." He tightened his grip on the katana and, with a yell, violently swung the blade.
Jack stared down at the monster that had ravaged both his and Audrey's bodies and minds, and haunted their dreams. Now his head lay at Jack's feet, sightless eyes staring at nothing.
I kept my promise, Audrey. Your monster is dead.
He dropped the bloody katana on the floor and hurried towards the door, towards Kate and Audrey and the CIA infirmary.
. .