Mutual Purposes- Chapter One
There had been a lull in activity at CTU Los Angeles for far too long. It was getting to be almost comfortable, arriving at work and not needing to worry about making it home alive at the end of the day. During this time, when there wasn't such a heightened risk to national security, the jobs that no-one ever seemed to have time to do got done, agents grateful for the chance to partake in a comparatively mundane task.
The day started as any other. Chloe sat at her desk, mindlessly processing files that she could have done in her sleep, listening to the hum of the machines around her and trying to block out the aimless chatter of her fellow agents. Beside her, a new guy that she couldn't even remember the name of despite having been introduced only hours before, blundered his way through some discs Tony had given him, every so often looking desperately towards Chloe for help. If she had been in a good mood, she may have offered some advice, but as it stood, that day was not shaping up to be one of her best.
Across from her, she pretended not to see Audrey draping herself (very unprofessionally, in Chloe's view) all over Jack. Okay, so maybe draping was a slight exaggeration. But surely there was no need to openly have her arm around his shoulders as she stood behind him, no doubt putting him off from his work. Sighing, Chloe cast her eyes back down towards her screen, jumping as the phone let out a shrill ring from its position at the edge of the desk.
"O'Brian," she muttered, snatching it up, not taking her eyes from the screen.
"It's Bill," came the tired voice of the regional Director. "I need to see you up in my office."
…
The atmosphere in Bill's office was almost electric. He was stood anxiously behind his paper-strewn desk, his eyes fixed on the door as he waited for his department heads to arrive.
Jack watched from the corner of the room, deciding as always not to sit down despite the chair that Bill had proffered him. He'd not asked what was wrong; he'd worked for the government for long enough to know when a threat was looming. Bill wouldn't have called them up there if it wasn't serious.
Tony arrived; Curtis was seconds behind him. The four men waited in silence until at last, the door creaked open a final time and Chloe stepped awkwardly into the room. Jack's eyes sought hers and he offered her a small smile.
"We have a situation," Bill began, not needing to ask if he had their full attention. He knew he did.
When no-one spoke up, he continued, "An ex-government agent is threatening to detonate three bombs in Los Angeles sometime today."
"Do we know who?" Curtis spoke up, voicing the thoughts of everyone in the room.
Bill sighed. "That's just it. No. All Division have sent me is what I've just told you."
"Well, what do they expect us to do about it with limited intel?" demanded Tony. He received what had become an almost trademark glare from Bill, who replied, "I don't need to remind you that we need to trace the source of this intel in order to try and pick up a lead." He spoke as though addressing a petulant child.
Silence fell across the small, glass-walled office.
"Right." Bill took another deep breath. "Chloe, I need you to work up a point of origin for this intel. I'll send you what Division sent me," he added, leaning over his desk and typing quickly into the computer.
Chloe gladly took her cue to leave the testosterone-fuelled office. "On it," she informed them, hastily grabbing the door. Jack watched as she walked quickly back down the stairs and made her way over to the comm. station. Not once did she glance back up at the office.
"Jack, I need you to have a team on stand by in case this turns into something. Curtis, I want you running point with me."
"I'm going to need Tony if this gets heavy," Jack informed Bill, knowing the older man was reluctant to grant Tony field duty after his return to the agency. He was also aware of a much deeper distaste running between the two men, but chose not to address it.
"Fine." Bill glanced away from them and towards his desk. "I think that's it for now. Keep me posted in real time."
Tony was out of the room before Jack could catch up with him. He spared a look towards Bill, who merely shook his head.
"This is a bit ridiculous," mused Curtis, as they walked together back down to the floor. "What exactly is the problem between them?"
Jack cast his eyes towards the floor, where Tony was deep in conversation with Michelle. Pulling Curtis to one side, he replied, "While Tony was in prison, he and Michelle divorced. Michelle started seeing Bill but it didn't work out."
Curtis nodded. "Makes sense now."
Before Jack could reply, he spotted Audrey approaching. Curtis took his leave, telling Jack he would be at his station if and when he needed him.
"Everything alright?" she asked, her hand on Jack's arm.
"Another threat's come in," he replied briefly, stepping away from her and walking quickly towards the men's locker room.
"You're going back out in the field?" There was no masking the disappointment in her voice.
"That is my job," Jack muttered. They paused outside the door. Seeing the obvious distress on Audrey's face, he softened his tone. "Look. It may not come to anything. Bill just wants me to have a team on standby."
"You and I both know Bill wouldn't keep you on standby unless it was bad." She was interrupted by the high-pitched ring of her cell phone. She snapped it open and barked, "Audrey Raines."
Jack waited while Audrey was no doubt filled in on the threat by the DOD in Washington. He watched as her face paled dramatically. Closing her eyes, she wrapped up the call with, "I don't care what Martin says. Keep me posted."
Replacing the phone in her pocket, she turned once more towards Jack.
"Three bombs, Jack."
He nodded. "I know."
"I'm going to speak to Bill. Can't he send someone else?"
"For God's sakes Audrey, he asked me specifically to head up the team."
"Dad will be able to change his mind. I'll just make a phone call-"
Jack snatched the phone out of her hand. "You will not make a phone call. I'm doing this, Audrey."
"What about me? What if I said I don't want you to go?"
"I'm going," he informed her, wrenching open the door to the locker room and striding inside without a backwards glance.
…
"Is everything okay?" Normally Chloe wouldn't spare Audrey the time of day if she could help it, but something about the other woman's demeanour compelled her to say something.
"Fine, Chloe. It's none of your business."
How many times have I heard that? "Just trying to show some concern," she shot back. Audrey wasn't listening, her attention now focussed on Bill who was trying and failing to make his way into the situation room, where Curtis was waiting.
"Bill, can I have a word?"
"Not now, Audrey. In case DOD haven't filled you in, there is a terrorist threat we have to deal with." He tried once again to make his way past her.
Audrey lowered her voice. Chloe could barely make out what she was saying; the only words she could discern were "my father," "not happy" and, "Jack." No doubt she was trying to pull rank on Bill. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd done it, Chloe reflected bitterly.
Bill muttered something in return, causing Audrey to finally step out of his way and allow him access to the situation room.
"My father will have something to say about this!" she shouted, before turning on her heel and marching towards the back hallways.
Chloe sighed heavily and continued her attack on the keyboard, fingers flying as she tried to make sense of the mess of data on the screen.
"I've got it!" she cried, when minutes later what looked like a name appeared amidst the strings of code.
Tony and Michelle ran over to the comm. unit and peered over Chloe's shoulders.
"There," she told them impatiently, when it seemed obvious that they could not decipher the information. "A name. Or so it looks like."
"Can you be sure?" asked Michelle, squinting her eyes in order to read it more clearly.
"Yes, I'm sure. Wait." Chloe picked up a pen and scribbled almost illegibly onto the barely used writing pad to the left of the keyboard.
"Mark Russell," Michelle murmured. Both women noticed Tony visibly tense.
"Someone needs to tell Jack."
"Tell me what?"
Tony looked up to see Jack approaching the comm. station, now wearing a government standard Kevlar and carrying an array of weapons. "We've got a name."
"Who?"
"Here." Chloe passed him the slip of paper, noting with alarm how his fingers lightly brushed against hers. Biting her lip, she added, "That's all I could find."
"It's great." Jack's eyes scanned the piece of paper blankly. "I don't know this name."
"Jack, something's not right," Tony spoke up. "I remember the guy but I don't know where from."
"Running a background check," Chloe informed them, before Jack could even ask.
"What's happening?"
"Chloe found a name," Michelle replied, when it was clear that no-one else was going to offer Audrey a response. She shot a questioning look in Jack's direction, but his eyes were focussed on Chloe. "A Mark Russell. Do you know of him?"
Audrey shook her head. "No. But I can get my contacts back in Washington to run a check."
"Good idea," Michelle nodded. She noticed how Audrey lingered for a moment beside Jack, before turning and heading back towards her station.
"We need an address, anything," Jack told Chloe, moving so that he was stood beside her. Chloe's heart skipped a beat at his proximity, and she silently berated herself for the inappropriate timing.
"I'm trying," she murmured.
"Let me know as soon as you have something. I'll be in my office."
"Will do."
…
Hours later, Chloe's eyes ached from staring at the screen for too long. Following a hunch of Tony's, she'd relayed the name Mark Russell on an inter-agency bulletin, but had so far drawn a blank.
"Maybe you were wrong and it wasn't a name," Audrey announced suddenly. Chloe looked up sharply.
"Excuse me?"
"Maybe it wasn't a name."
Chloe bit her tongue. "It was a name," she replied coldly.
"How can you be sure?"
Chloe was saved from responding by the ringing of her phone. "O'Brian."
"It's Tony. I've got some files I need you to look at. Might help."
"On my way." She hung up and flashed a winning smile in Audrey's direction. "Sorry, Tony needs me."
"Something's not right between Jack and Audrey."
Tony looked up from the file he was reading. "Sorry, honey?"
Michelle sighed and sat down in a chair next to him. Picking up a file, she repeated, "Jack and Audrey. Something's not right."
"What makes you say that?"
"Oh, I don't know. It might just be nothing. But they seem very distant. Bill told me she tried to pull rank on him earlier in order to stop Jack having to go out in the field."
"Why would she do that?" Tony muttered aloud, dropping the finished file to the floor and retrieving another.
"I'm not sure. Maybe she's worried about him going out in the field."
"He's a field agent."
"I know that. But Audrey… she's never seemed… happy, here, has she?"
He had to admit she was right. "No."
"And, to be honest, I don't think Chloe's helping," Michelle added in an undertone, one eye fixed on the petite analyst who was typing away only metres from them.
Tony looked up sharply. "What's Chloe done?"
"Audrey doesn't like her," she stated simply.
"There… I've got it…"
Both Tony and Michelle looked up as Chloe pushed her chair back from the desk and began walking purposefully towards the stairs leading up to Jack's office.
"Doesn't like her?"
Michelle shook her head. "Call it women's intuition, if you like."
Tony sighed tiredly. "Okay, honey."
…
"Jack? I've got someth… oh. Sorry."
"It's fine." Audrey smiled wickedly, her hand not leaving Jack's arm. "We were just…"
Chloe wasn't listening. She could feel a blush creeping across her cheeks and a lump forming in her throat.
"You were just leaving," Jack corrected her. He moved away quickly, putting a considerable distance between them. Audrey's hand hovered in mid-air for a few seconds before she lowered it gracefully to her side.
"I'm not happy about this, Jack," she warned, a dangerous note to her voice. Turning on her heel, she marched past Chloe and out of the office.
"Sorry, Jack… I… just wanted… never mind." Tears were threatening behind her eyes and she was damned if she was going to break down in front of him. "I found something else."
He motioned towards the couch but Chloe declined, not trusting herself to remain strong if she stayed in his presence for much longer. Clearing her throat, she told him, "Mark Russell used to work for CTU Los Angeles."
