Chapter II
He drove back to Kate's in a haze, the shot he had just purchased made the world float in front of him pleasantly and let his mind drift aimlessly. He still didn't feel anything about the mission he was about to embark on, there were still no nerves. But the drugs were to blame right now. He didn't know why he didn't feel them before he got high and he didn't care at this point. Just one more evening to get through.
He remembered the thoughts he had blocked before walking into CTU earlier and now allowed them space to roam around his head. Heroin gave him that freedom, to think without judgement. Because the fact of the matter was, he was glad to be going away. Glad to be fighting again. Even if this was dangerous, he wanted out of his life. Living in his skin was a chore, his own face was a weight on his shoulders. He wanted to be the Jack Bauer that didn't have to come home to a woman he didn't love, the man who didn't have to sit in an office all day and face himself in the mirror every morning. It wasn't that he was looking forward to doing the things he was almost sure he was going to have to do – the violence and pain he would have to endure and inflict held no appeal for him
(Liar)
it was simply that he wanted something different to what he had at the moment. He still wanted to serve his country and the information he gathered would be important. He was just glad that it was he that had the opportunity to go and get it.
Jack pulled into the driveway and pushed the remote that opened the back gate. He waited impatiently as it swung open slowly, when it was barely wide enough to admit his SUV he hit the accelerator hard, causing gravel to fly under his wheels. He drove fast up the driveway and skidded to a halt in front of the garage. Heh. That was what passed for outlandish behaviour around here.
He took a moment to focus himself before heading inside, silently hoping that Kate would have gone to her fathers for the night instead of facing him. Or maybe she would insist he went to a hotel. He knew she was angry, she probably had every right to be. Facing it was not a pleasant option right now. He just wanted to be left alone.
The smell of cooking from the kitchen made his heart sink. Of course she wouldn't run away. She was stronger than that. She'd see this through. He didn't want her to but reluctantly admitted to himself that he owed her this last evening. He had to try and talk to her, if that was what she wanted, because she had put up with him for six months and it hadn't been easy on her. And she really was a great woman. They'd been happy for a while. He just couldn't deal with this domesticity, would never fit into her life. He didn't want wealth and stability. He had had that with Teri. And she was gone and he was a different man now – he wanted what this Jack wanted. Discomfort. Instability. Anything but what he had. It was what he deserved.
'Hey.'
'Hey.' Keys on the countertop. Smelt like lasagne, his favourite. His stomach turned.
'I'm sorry about earlier Kate.' Why did the walls feel like they were closing in?
She held out a spoon. 'Taste this. Does it need more salt?' He forced himself to try it.
'No, it's fine.'
Kate poured the sauce on the sheets of pasta and covered it with cheese, then placed the dish in the oven. She paused with her back to him, wondering what she would say. Would he stay if she asked him to?
No, of course not. It was work. He probably didn't have a choice but to go. And if he did have a choice? She made herself be honest, even though it hurt.
He would still go. There was no way she would be able to hang on to him. But she asked anyway because she couldn't think of any other way to fill the silence.
'Would you stay for me Jack?'
'I can't. Its work.'
'Did they make you accept this job?'
The moment of truth. Lie or not? He hesitated, tried to work out which would be easier for her to hear.
'No, they didn't make me.'
She was so still, he didn't know if she'd heard or not. Then he saw her shoulders sag just a tiny bit and he knew she had. He didn't go to her because how could he? He was choosing to leave her and hugging her and telling her he'd miss her would not be the truth. He was a lot of things but he wasn't a hypocrite.
She turned and her face was sad. But instead of talking she handed him some plates. 'Could you put these on the table please? I'll bring it through.'
He nodded and was glad she understood. They were both happy when he left the room and Kate didn't cry. For the first time, she allowed herself to be relieved that he wasn't there anymore.
Dinner passed in silence.
He slept in the guestroom. It seemed more appropriate and she didn't argue with him, even though it hurt like hell when he said he was going to. He lay for a while, wondering why he couldn't wait for the morning. His high was wearing off but he wasn't addicted so it didn't bother him. He just couldn't sleep, and he wanted to because then the night would be over and he'd be busy again. And away from Los Angeles, which was the important thing.
There were footsteps in the hallway and he didn't move, he just lay there naked, with a sheet barely covering his waist. He stared at the ceiling fan with one arm curled behind his head and didn't even stir when she slipped in beside him, didn't hold her when her arms slid across his chest and warmed his skin.
'Where are you Jack?' A whisper that he barely heard, but it was OK because she knew he wouldn't answer. She just kissed him and he let her, let himself get aroused and let her make love to him for the last time. He even let himself enjoy it, all in silence, and that was what she had come to expect. She stayed for a while afterwards but then left as quietly as she had come because the absence of sound was too loud for her to sleep. Jack dozed off and woke to an empty house. The relief that coursed through him as he loaded up his few bags and drove away was stronger than any drugs he'd taken.
He stared out of the window of the plane as it took off, watching the ground fall away beneath him. It almost made him smile. The he reclined his seat and immediately fell asleep, more at peace than in any bed he'd found since Teri died.
Customs had been easy but he was still glad to get out of the airport, which was full of families with endless amounts of children all jabbering away in Spanish that was almost too rapid for him to understand. He got a cab to a hotel near the Centro Historico and it wasn't too long before he stepped out into the heat and the noise of Mexico City. Hey, I managed to survive a cab ride in town. That's the most dangerous part of the mission done right there Tony, he deadpanned to himself as he paid the driver and grabbed his bags. The hotel was pretty run down but it wasn't as bad as where he'd be tomorrow night. Not that he cared either way. He only had to make a phone call and then he wouldn't be himself anymore, the man to come didn't care where he slept.
He dumped his bags and took a quick shower, then headed out. He stayed in the commercial part of town, bought a few packs of American cigarettes and a local cell phone, surveyed the streets from behind his dark shades. There wasn't a lot he could do until it got dark but he did need to call Tony soon. He was now two hours ahead of PST but he still couldn't leave it too late. They'd be waiting on his call so that they could give him any updates there were and he needed to let them know the number he would be reachable on in emergencies only. He had a scrambled cell in his luggage but that was only to be used for the passing of information, as everything got encoded when he used it. It didn't look like a regular phone which was why he needed a local one – at this stage, he needed to blend in. Standing out would be for later on.
Jack walked for most of the afternoon, acclimatising to the heat, which wasn't really too bad, and getting used to his surroundings. After a quick dinner at McDonalds he headed back to his hotel, satisfied that he knew a little of the area where he was staying. It could be useful, you could never have too many escape routes planned, even if you were only staying a day or so. Back in his room he turned the TV on loud and started the shower running to help muffle the sound of his voice in the room. Then he dialled Tony's direct CTU line and hoped the connection wouldn't be crackly.
'Almedia.'
'Hey, it's Jack.' He could almost see Tony straightening in his chair and logging the call on his terminal.
'Having a good time so far?' Any problems getting in?
'Yeah, seems like it's going to be fun.' All clear, no one trailing me.
'How's the climate?' Anything unusual to report?
'Not too bad. Might rain tonight though.' No danger spotted. Going to move tonight.
'OK, well call me tomorrow and let me know what the place is like. I can come down and meet up with you if you get bored.' Call with progress report in the morning. Any danger, get out.
'Sure, I will. Doesn't look like I'll be bored here though, there's lots to do.' Will update in the morning. Not anticipating a problem. Jack rolled his eyes. He knew what he was doing, he wished Tony would stop worrying. It was procedure though, so he put up with it.
'OK, see ya man. Have fun.' Good luck.
'I will. Later.' Yeah.
He hung up and tossed the phone on the broken bedside cabinet. It was about 6pm, he didn't want to move before 10. There wasn't much to do in the meantime so he lay down on the bed, even though he wasn't tired. In the field, you took every chance you had to rest because you never knew when you were going to need the extra energy. Just like you used coded conversations when there was no obvious need for them and if you had a car, you never missed an opportunity to top the tank up with gas. It was basic fieldwork and even though it could be a pain in the ass, you did it because it could save your life. He closed his eyes and tried to will himself to doze, listening to the clunks from the ancient A/C unit and the shouts and traffic noise from the streets below.
Twenty minutes later he sighed and gave up, it wasn't working. He stared at the peeling paint on the ceiling and started to run over his plans in his head. He'd done it a thousand times but you could never plan enough, not ever.
The main objective was obvious in its simplicity – he had to infiltrate the Salazar's and get into a position where they trusted him enough to share information with him. That wouldn't be easy though – both brothers had a reputation for secrecy and only trusting blood. That's why a lot of their highest positions were filled with cousins, nephews, and to a slightly lesser degree, brothers-in-law. Ramon and Hector were the only two living sons of their father, Emanuel, but they had at least eleven full sisters and probably a lot more half-sisters around. Probably half-brothers too, but they wouldn't get much recognition if they were only bastards created by the elder's inability to keep it in his pants. Either way, getting to a high position in the cartel would be a long and difficult task. It needed to be done though, and he had carte blanche when it came to time – unless they were planning something serious, then he would need to be able to step in and end it.
Jack knew it was quite possible that he'd be working here for a year or two – if he got in and discovered they were only just starting to link to the terrorist cells that CTU knew about, he'd need to stay and monitor the situation. On the other hand, he could find out that they were right in the middle of something big, in which case he'd have justification for bringing them in right away and trying to get the information out of them. No one knew which way it would go and he was prepared for a long haul. The first stage was to get a job within the cartel and he'd manoeuvre from there, and that's what he concentrated on now. He kept the larger plan in his head at all times of course, but the main focus was on the first step. He ran it through in his mind again while the seconds ticked past and he waited for it to get dark.
He rose at about 21:30 and changed his clothes. Then he rang out for a taxi to come and pick him up – it was easy to get one on the street but crime was rife among cab drivers and the last thing he needed was for someone to try and rob him. If he put someone in hospital who then reported it, he'd draw attention and that was the last thing he needed at this point. So he waited in the lobby until he saw the car pull up and he checked the licence plate against the one he'd been assured would be coming for him – it matched, so he hopped in and directed it to an area on the north edge of the city. The driver looked at him with unease but didn't say anything – the Nezahualcoyotl slums were famous for being a hotbed of crime. But it was a good fare so he drove on anyway. Jack knew he wouldn't get the man to stay and wait for him.
The drive took about an hour and Jack compared the route with the map in his head as well as he could in the dark. It kept him alert and focused and didn't give his mind a chance to wander. Not there was much it could wander to at the minute, it wasn't as though he had a life anymore. Apart from Kim, there was nothing attaching him to LA at all and for the purposes of this mission, she didn't exist. Jack always found it easier when he was undercover to really become the person he was pretending to be – even if the man shared traits with Bauer, his new persona would not be the same as his real self. It also had the added advantage of keeping himself separate from whatever it was he had to do when he was undercover. That was the theory anyway.
They were at a slow stoplight and Jack used the quiet moments to recap his cover once again to make sure it came to him automatically. Jack Michaels, age 37. Captain in US Army Special Forces until six years ago when he was dishonorably discharged for selling weapons and supplies to guerilla fighters in Baghdad. Suspicion of drug abuse on record but never proven. Since then, been working off-book on the Circuit, a well known trade for ex-special forces men that involved providing security and training for wealthy clients in the Middle East. Jack smirked to himself as the car started to move again. If he hadn't had a family when he left the Army, that's probably what he really would be doing. He'd even thought about it after Teri had died but his own lethargy stopped him doing anything about it. If it hadn't have been for the events of that day that called him back into CTU, he probably would have though. It was dangerous work that paid well and it was easy to pick up. Many friends of his were there now.
Eventually the cab pulled over and the driver turned to him. 'Esto es por lo que iré.' This is as far as I will go. Jack nodded and paid him, then watched as he pulled away as fast as he could. It was the clearest indication yet that he was in dangerous territory here, so he stepped lightly and avoided eye contact with the few people he saw walking the narrow streets.
He was in a slum area, where apartment buildings were packed together so closely you could barely get between them. There was noise from every apartment, TV's blaring, people shouting, things banging and cars revved all around. Kids ran around the streets barefooted and yelled to each other, they chased soccer balls even though it was dark and their clothes were ragged and dirty. The smell of bad sanitation surrounded him and it took a while before his nostrils could get used to it and ignore it. Jack didn't find all this surprising, it was pretty much what he'd expected and anyway, he'd seen worse places. If he was right, he should find what he was looking for pretty soon.
He was right. After walking for about ten minutes, a voice came at him from the darkness of a doorway.
'¿Buscando algo señor?'
'Si.' Yes, he was looking for something.
'Americano?'
'Si.' He could almost hear the grin widen in the darkness and sighed to himself. Well, if he had to start proving himself tonight, so be it.
'¿drogas?'
'Si. Heroina.'
The man stepped out of the doorway and Jack took a step back. Partly to make it appear that he was slightly intimidated and partly to put himself in a better stance to fight. The man was young and taller than he was by a few inches, but he was thin and was obviously a junkie himself, judging by the wasting of the muscles and the pallor of his skin. He had a mop of greasy black hair that fell past his shoulders and his face bore acne scars and pockmarks that helped enhance the ugliness of his uneven features. Jack judged that he would be a quick mover but not brave, which he surmised by the way his eyes flitted around in the dim streetlights. They didn't size him up the way a cautious man would, and that made him vulnerable. He jerked his head to indicate Jack should follow him and he did, carefully. They retreated back into the shadows and the man quickly started negotiating a price. It was cheaper here but Jack bargained anyway. Michaels wouldn't be a sucker and was supposed to be on a budget, of sorts. Once the price was agreed, the guy retreated a distance and pulled out his cell to make a call which Jack was grateful for, as it gave him a chance to get the right money without pulling out his whole wad. It would be dangerous to show what he had with him.
The guy came back. 'Diez minutos. ¿Usted desea cualquier cosa ?' Ten minutes. You want anything else?
'¿Dónde puedo comprar un arma?' Where can I buy a gun?
The man smiled and opened his arms to indicate anywhere. Jack smirked back. It was OK if this guy didn't supply them. He could do with meeting a few people anyway. He moved so that he was leaning against a wall, and rested his head against it, quietly eyeing the man who seemed a little nervous. After a minute or two, the Mexican felt he should break the silence. He pointed to his chest.
'Fernando.' Jack nodded but didn't offer his name in return. Fernando grinned and his tongue flitted over cracked lips. '¿Usted desea un blowjob?' Jack pushed off the wall, ready to defend himself if he had to. He should have expected this. 'Tenemos tiempo. Soy bueno.' Well, we might have time and you might be good, but if you try and get your mouth near my dick, I'll put your head through the fucking wall, kid, was what Jack wanted to say. Instead he just shook his head and moved his body so that Fernando got the message. It was quite obvious and the boy looked away nervously.
The silence grew and neither spoke but Fernando was obviously relieved when his name was called from another dark doorway. He edged quickly away from Jack, spoke in a hushed voice and then returned with ten grams of heroin. Jack tasted it with his finger to check it was the real deal, then handed the money over. Fernando pocketed it quickly and then hesitated. He spoke quickly, as if frightened that Jack might still hit him for his previous advance. He almost seemed apologetic, as though he was sorry he'd crossed a line.
'Venido por la mañana. Mi amigo tendrá un arma para usted.' Come in the morning. My friend will have a gun for you.
'¿Cuándo?' What time?
'Diez' Ten.
'¿aquí?' Here?
'Si.'
Jack nodded and Fernando grinned suddenly. He slunk backwards into the doorway as quietly as he had appeared, leaving Jack alone. Now was the dangerous time. Two people knew he had money and was carrying a fairly large amount of heroin. The word would be spreading already that a stupid American was wandering alone and he was sure to encounter some people on his way out. Which was, of course, the point of this. Well, in addition to getting some supplies for himself. He wished he'd got the gun tonight but he couldn't walk around all night or he probably wouldn't make it out at all. All these people would carry weapons.
He headed back the way he had come, careful to walk at a fairly fast pace so that it would appear that he wanted to get out of there. He was almost back to the side of the road where he had been dropped off when suddenly there were three men standing in front of him. They had seemed to appear from nowhere and his heart jumped in spite of the fact that he'd been expecting it.
'Hello.' Well, at least one of them spoke English.
'Hi.' He made as if to walk past but was stopped by a hand on his chest.
'Hand it over.'
Jack looked down at the hand, and seemed to shrink from it. He raised both his palms to face the men and looked up nervously. 'I don't want any trouble.'
'No trouble. Hand it over.'
He didn't move, just waited for the guy to come for him. As soon as he did, Jack moved quickly, grabbing the outstretched arm at the wrist, pulling on it to get the man off balance and stepping to the side, yanking the guys arm up his back as he went. His other arm went to the face and he shoved his head to one side, using the bone to dig into the jaw. It rendered the man unable to move quickly and efficiently, while causing a fair amount of pain. His friends could do nothing, seeing as Jack was now tucked safely behind a human shield.
'I wont hand anything over. I want to know something. Tell me quickly and I wont break your arm. Nod if you understand.' The guy nodded, hurting his own face in the process.
'You know the guy I was talking to, Fernando?' Another jerk of the head. 'Does everyone know him around here?' There was no response and Jack twisted the arm a little further.
'You're hurting my brother!' Jack moved his eyes to the two others. The one speaking was younger than he had first appeared, no more than sixteen.
'You know him too kid?'
'Yes. Everyone know him.'
He switched into Spanish to make sure he was clear. 'Tell him to bring what I want to my hotel tomorrow morning at eleven. Tell him I'll pay extra if he does. And you'll get twenty bucks for doing it. OK?' The boy nodded. 'Go do it now and get him to write down what I'm getting so I know you've done it. Take your friend. You'll get your money when you come back and I'll let your brother go without hurting him. Do it now.' He gave the name of his hotel. The boy nodded again and ran off with the other one. As soon as they were gone, Jack pulled the man around and pushed him face first into a wall where they weren't so obvious to anyone else around.
'What's your name?'
'Ernesto.' The guy was nervous and Jack made him more so by adding extra pressure to the arm.
'You heard of the Salazar's Ernesto?'
'Salazar's?' There was an edge in the man's voice and Jack knew that he had. It wasn't hard to surmise. Everyone had heard of them. They were the biggest suppliers in Mexico and practically ruled half of Columbia.
'Yeah. I think you know who I'm talking about. I need to talk to someone who works for them.'
Ernesto nearly asked why but changed his mind. He didn't need to know why. If this guy was involved with the Salazar's he wasn't interested in the details. 'Lots of people work for them. Or say they do.'
'Well, I need someone who isn't just a cheap street pusher.'
'I don't know man...if I say anything...' he gasped as Jack pushed the arm to breaking point.
'Just tell me where to go and a name. That's all I want. You'll keep your arm in one piece and I'll even pay you for the information. How's that?'
There was more pain and Ernesto closed his eyes and nodded. 'There's a bar in the Zona Rosa. Place for tourists. Its called the Desperado. Ask for Alviro.'
'Who's he?'
'He runs the place. But he works for them.'
'How do you know?'
He laughed, a muffled sound into the wall. 'Because he is protected. Everyone knows this. Go there and you will see.'
Jack weighed up his options. He could check the place out tonight, and if it was no good he could ask Fernando in the morning. He let some of the pressure off.
'Are you a cop?'
'No.' Jack thought for a second. It couldn't hurt, the information needed to get around. This was why he'd come here after all. 'I'm looking for a job.'
'With the Salazar's?' The guy was crazy obviously and Ernesto got really nervous now. He decided to shut up before he was killed.
There was the sound of running feet and the boy was back. He carried a piece of paper which he wordlessly held out to Jack. He took it with his free hand and opened it. It said yes, the gun would be brought to the hotel. $100 American dollars extra. Jack nodded and spoke quietly to the man pinned to the wall.
'I'm going to let you go now. Don't make any fast moves or you'll lose all your teeth, understand?' He got a quick nod and eased off. The younger brother stared impassively and silently held out his hand. Jack gave him a twenty and stuffed a fifty in Ernesto's pocket. 'Thanks kid.' Then he moved quickly down the street onto the road, where he started walking. He got lucky and noticed a cab after only a few minutes which responded to his outstretched arm. Jack negotiated a price into the Zona Rosa and settled back quietly, comfortable in a seat that smelt of stale cigarette smoke.
The adrenaline started flowing and he allowed himself a long breath. That could have turned out a lot worse, he decided. He had known that it would easy to get drugs and a gun, but he was lucky that he had a lead on Salazar already. It might not even be necessary – if Ernesto talked, which he was bound to, it wouldn't be long before someone came looking for him. No one threw the Salazar name around lightly and they would want to know who this gringo was. It would take a while to filter up to them of course – Jack laughed to himself. Oh yeah, at least a few hours. Ernesto was probably calling this Alviro guy right now, he would be expected by the time he showed up. And that was good. He needed to show that he had balls, if he appeared weak they wouldn't be interested at all.
The ride back into the city was quicker as the traffic wasn't as heavy on the outskirts. As always, Jack concentrated on his surroundings, noting the speed of traffic in the different areas, the make-up of certain neighborhoods, the amount of people on the streets. Probably useless by itself but it all served to gather a larger picture in his head. They reached the Zona Rosa – he took a second to wonder why it was called the Pink Zone, but there was no immediate answer so he let it go – and asked the driver to go past the Desperado. He got a grunt in reply which he decided to take as an affirmative.
This area was obviously the tourist part of town. American stores were everywhere, from Burger King to Starbucks and there was a lot of white skin on the sidewalks. The bar was on the left side of a busy street and it looked like a regular joint, no more glitzy and no more run down than any other bars in the area. Jack asked the driver to pull over for a minute as he looked at the place. He made sure his white face was noticeable from the windows of the bar, just in case anyone was looking. After a couple of minutes, two doormen came out and stood by the entrance. They didn't obviously look in Jack's direction so maybe they were just coming on shift. But Jack didn't believe in coincidences when he was in the field, so maybe they weren't either. He lingered for another moment, looking for some other sign that he'd been noticed and then told the driver to take him back to his hotel. He got another grunt in return.
Back in his room, the first thing he did was take the scrambled cell phone out of his luggage and hide it. He didn't really expect to get jumped tonight, if his description had been passed around it would only be curiosity at this point and they would want to see what he would do. They wouldn't want to grab him and take him to anyone important because that would be dangerous for them. No, at this stage they would wait for him to make the moves and he was more than happy to oblige.
Second thing to do was take a hit. He was careful in his dosage, this might be stronger stuff than he was used to – and it was. He could feel it immediately when the nectar hit his vein. Christ but it felt good! He felt the tension that had built over the last couple of hours dissolve out of his shoulders, he felt like wax next to a flame. It was just what he needed. He could stop overturning every little detail that he already knew and get some proper sleep. Jack packed up his syringe with a relaxed smile on his face and headed for the shower. He would rest easy tonight.
