The Exiles

Chapter 2

Sacrifices and Confessions

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Zoe sat in the flat waiting for Will to get home. She looked over at her sleeping son Daniel. Her son would never be British. He will grow up in Chile speaking Spanish. If he decided to join the army when he grew up, it would be the Chilean Army. For him, Britain will always be a faraway, distant place. A blob on the map next to Europe. She really shouldn't let it bother her but it did. Perhaps when he's older he could even learn his mother's real name.

The door opened and her husband Will came in. His face broke into a smile at the sight of his family. "Hey Gina! I've got some tickets here for Easter Island! Just you, me, Danny, and a bunch of big ugly heads. The hotel has day care so let's see if we can make any of them blush!"

Zoe shook her head, "I can't go. I have to fly up to the United States tomorrow."

Will looked puzzled, "Why?"

"I can't say."

Will's tone got angry. "You don't work for those people anymore! They have no right to make you do this!"

"It's not for British Intellegence."

"Then who? CIA? FBI? You didn't join the Chilean Secret Service did you?!"

"It's not like that. It's for a friend. It's important."

Will looked crestfallen. It was apparent that Zoe had made up her mind. "So how long is this going to take?"

"As long as it takes. It shouldn't be too long but you never know about these things." She stood up, put her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

Will put his arms around her. "Will it be dangerous?"

"I don't know, perhaps," she kissed him. "But we still have tonight. Let's make it special."

"Nine hundred dollars for a round trip plane ticket from Chile!?" Morris's tone was angry. "We can't afford this! Your little hobby's getting expensive!!"

"I'll pay it back!" Chloe stood her ground and stared him in the eye.

"With what!? You don't have a job and you're not looking for one!"

"We need this woman."

"Chloe, there are police and government agencies that do this kind of thing. Let them do their job."

"The people we're going after have connections and they're lawyered up. We can do things the authorities can't."

"Chloe, the government chewed you up and spit you out. I'm pretty sure the British did the same thing to 'Cousin Jenny' out there!"

"Look Morris! I'm going to see this through to the end! Neither you nor anyone else is going to stop me!"

Ruth sat quietly on the couch as the O'Brians argued in the next room. She looked up as Chloe came storming in and grabbed her car keys off the kitchen counter. "Gina's plane arrives in about two hours. We better leave now. You don't know what L.A. traffic is like."

Ruth had a feeling that traffic had nothing to do with why Chloe wanted to leave so early but she got up and followed her out the door.

Zoe easily got through U.S. Customs with the Chilean passport that Harry had given her so long ago. She strolled to the escalators that led to baggage claim and went on down. The first thing she saw was Ruth waiting at the bottom with a brown haired pregnant woman she didn't recognise.

"Hi Gina! It's me Jenny. This is Chloe."

Zoe immediately picked up Ruth's alias. It brought her back to reality. They were on a mission. Nowhere was safe. The familiar knot of fear returned to her stomach.

"Let's get your bags and get out of here." Chloe said.

As they left the parking garage Chloe glanced into the rearview mirror at the woman in the back seat. She figured Gina wasn't her real name but didn't really care. The three women in the car lived in a world of secrets and need to know. Pretty soon 'Gina' would have an entirely new name.

"Gina, your new name is Nancy Stafford. You're from Dallas Texas."

"I don't think I can fake a Texas accent." Zoe replied.

"You don't have to, Nancy Stafford is originally from London. She moved to Dallas seven years ago. She's a real person who, as far as I know, is still in Dallas. It's a lot easier to use a real background than to start from scratch. She's about your height and age. Nancy was arrested for prostutution five years ago. The case was tossed due to lack of evidence. She was also a person of interest in the disappearence of an ex-boyfriend two years ago but the police were unable to build a case."

"So she has a shady background." Zoe smiled. "Excellent!"

"I've already started on your papers. All I need are photos and signatures. You'll be getting an American passport though I doubt you'll need it. You'll also be getting a Texas driver's license, credit cards, and a Texas concealed weapons permit."

"Why would she have a concealed weapons permit?" Zoe was puzzled.

"No reason. This is the United States. Owning a gun is no more of a big deal than owning a car. The real Nancy has one so you do too. It's good in thirty six states. California isn't one of them but Nevada is. I suggest you use it. I have some pistols that you can choose from."

"Okay, so what's the mission?"

"Guy named David Drake, ex-CIA. He seems to be the hub of the whole child selling operation. He's got everything on a computer in his study that's off line. I need you to get the combination to his study door then keep him distracted for about fifteen or twenty minutes while I go in and download everything."

Zoe shook her head. "You make it sound so easy."

Chloe was all business. "You're his type. I've been watching him for two months now. His favorite casino is Cesars Palace so I've hacked into their security cameras. He goes there at least once a week. The British accent will help, he's not interested in seducing housewives from Wisconsin. He likes his women glamorous. You'll need an expensive dress and jewelry. We'll also have to doll you up a bit. Real slutty makeup."

Zoe stared out the window. "So I guess we'll have to get a slinky dress and some jewelry. Time to go shopping."

Chloe chewed on her lower lip. Where was she going to get the money? Her clothing and jewelry wasn't quite up to par. She also had to get Zoe a room at the casino for at least a week. The answer that came into her head wasn't a good one. She turned toward home. Morris should be at work now. There was something she had to get. Something she didn't want to get. Chloe blinked away some tears. Think of the children. Children are dying out there. That's what's really important.

Seven hours later, Morris was at the shoe shop closing it down when the bell at the door rang. He looked up to see Chloe come in with "Cousin Jenny" and a third woman he didn't recognize. She must be the girl from Chile. Very attractive with collar length reddish blond hair. She was dressed in an elegant slinky red dress that shimmered in the light and clung to her form like a second skin. It seemed to draw his eyes towards her like a magnet. She also had a matching purse and a rather expensive looking diamond necklace and matching bracelet. "So this is your friend. Looks like she could have bought her own plane ticket."

"This is Nancy Stafford. Nancy, I'd like you to meet my husband Morris. He'll get you some nice shoes that'll go with the dress. He'll also get us a nice big discount since he loves me so much."

"Why does she need a discount? She looks rich enough."

"She's not. I bought the outfit and the jewelry."

"With what?! We don't have that kind of money!" Morris was getting angry.

"I sold my car and the silver tea set."

Morris's anger turned to shock. "The silver tea set? The one that's been in your family for over two hundred years? The one your ancestors brought over from Ireland before the Revolution? You love that tea set. It's been passed down from one generation to the next!"

Chloe tried to keep her voice from cracking. A tear ran down her cheek."Until this one. We need the money for this mission."

Morris was dumfounded. "It's that important to you?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes it's that important. Now get us the shoes."

Zoe looked at her outfit in the mirror. It didn't really feel very glamourous.

Over the next couple of days the apartment felt crowded. Ruth and Zoe slept together on the fold out couch in the living room and Morris constantly compained about the three women hogging the bathroom.

On the third day it was Morris's day off so he slept in. When he woke up, Chloe had already gone. He trudged into the living room only to find Ruth sitting alone on the couch. "So where's Chloe and Nancy?"

"They're scouting some locations. They'll be gone for at least six hours. Probably all day. They left me here to do a bit of work for Mr. Buchannan."

Morris sat on the couch next to her. "You used to work over at MI-5 didn't you? That's where you met Chloe." Ruth didn't answer but Morris nodded. "I thought so. So did I. They kicked me out and I guess they did you too. I suppose we're all rejects." He stared off into space. "I'm losing Chloe, she divorced me once before and she's going to do it again. She doesn't really love me, she never did. She's in love with Jack Bauer. She's always loved Jack Bauer."

Ruth squeezed his hand. "She loves you." She then hesitated for a moment. She was tired of aliases and lies. "By the way my real name's Ruth, Ruth Evershed." She tried to search her memory. "Jack Bauer used to be a CTU agent. I know him by reputation. We do keep tabs on what's going on over here in jolly old England. So what makes you think she loves him?"

"They're a team, together they're unstoppable. She would do anything for him. Risk her job, freedom, life. She's been arrested for him more than once. Jack's the better man. He stood up under torture for three years in China. I couldn't stand ten minutes before I gave up nuclear bomb triggers to terrorists. I . . . I don't deserve her!"

Ruth put her arms around Morris and hugged him. He hugged her back then kissed her on the lips. Ruth felt a surprise and thrill go through her. It had been years since a man kissed her. Far too many years. But then she became angry. It was wrong. She couldn't betray her friend. She pushed Morris away. "How dare you?! How could you do this?! Do you think Chloe doesn't know about your drinking?! The women?! She's a genius!"

Ruth stood up and glared down at the pathetic man in front of her. "Maybe she does love Jack! I don't know what he's like but if he gave up a chance to be with Chloe then the man's a jackass! Do you think she's only capable of loving one person?! You're the one she chose to marry! The one she decided to give a second chance to! Don't you get it? You won! You beat Captain Jack! You won the prize! And right now you're pissing it all away!"

Ruth noticed Morris had his head down. Tears were running down his cheeks. She reached down and gently touched his cheek. "Morris, it's time for you to stand up and be a man. The kind of man who's worthy of a woman like Chloe O'Brian. She's at a bad place in her life. The government's rejected her but she's still out there fighting the good fight. She needs your support. She can't handle it alone. The burden's just too much for her. She needs you standing at her side. Supporting her. Fighting the good fight."

Morris nodded and stood up. "You're right. I'm so sorry!"

Meanwhile, in the TAC vehicle that Bill Buchannan had appropriated from CTU, Chloe and Zoe were on the highway to Las Vegas.