Previously on "24: Back on the Saddle":
Jack Bauer has come to visit Chloe because she asked for his help after a messy divorce with Morris.
Washington Governor Stuart and his family are on their way to the Washington State Fair for its opening ceremony.
President Greg Andrews believes that terrorists will attack the fair, but is letting the situation pan out before taking any preemptive action.
The terrorist group Greenfire isn't being taken seriously by the world, so they're planning to attack during the 3PM opening ceremony of the fair to show the world they mean business.
The flowing takes place between 2PM and 3PM.
2:00PM
Chloe O'Brien is on her computer going through old files that are no longer needed. She has three two-terabyte hard drives sitting on the desk next to a messy stack of papers. Part of the paranoia that has hit her has led her to save everything that she does. After working at CTU for a large portion of her life, nothing passes her bye when it comes to computers. She never knows when something may be needed. After all, she did find Jack after years of not speaking, not knowing where he was, and the fact that he changed his identity.
She stares at the mess of papers covering most of the desk. At CTU she was never this messy. She picks up the cluster and starts to walk to the trashcan when something catches her eye. Under the stack was a picture frame that had been placed down so that the picture was hidden. Lifting it up, she saw an old family picture of herself, Morris, and Prescott. All she could do now was close her eyes and take a minute to catch her breath.
2:03PM
Governor Stuart's limo and caravan are still driving down the highway, although there is still heavy traffic. Anybody driving by the limo would never know the Governor of the State was there next to them.
"Dad?" Caitlyn asked.
"Yes, dear?" her father answered.
"How much longer until we get there?"
"I'm guessing about twenty minutes or so."
"Do you think that the booths will be open yet?"
"They probably won't be but you can check."
"I want to get cotton candy," she said. "A big old cotton candy roll."
Her father just smiles at her. She may only be sixteen but she definitely still has those little kid tendencies.
"Caitlyn," he says, "if that's what you want then go right ahead and get one. Just don't eat too much sugar."
"I won't dad." She answers. Caitlyn takes out her cellphone and starts to text her friends.
And just like that, he sees her in her own world, switching from little kid to growing young adult. For him, it's nice to have peaceful moments as a family without the entire ruckus of being Governor.
He looks out the window and sees Mt. Rainier in the distance with a clear sky above it. That could only mean that the skies would be clear for the opening ceremony and opening night.
2:07PM
The vans that Liam and the members of Greenfire are driving in are also coincidentally stuck in traffic as well, but they're on a different highway. It's just one of those busy days. Liam is reading over a paper when he gets a call from one of his crewmembers, nicknamed "Bird".
Bird and another man are at the fairgrounds waiting in a van, looking at a police officer in the rearview mirror.
"Sir, come in," Bird says.
"Yes, Bird, what's wrong?" Liam asks.
"We're in position at the fair. Just checking in. We're a go for step one." Bird says.
"Copy that, Bird," Liam responds. "Make us proud."
Bird nods at his partner in the seat next to him. They get out of the car and quietly walk up behind the cop who is standing on guard by a stage member changing room. The cop sees them and knows they seem out of place.
"Is something wrong, gentlemen?" the cop asks.
"Yes," Bird answers. He points at his partner who is holding his stomach and bending over, pretending to be sick. "My friend is sick. Is there a bathroom he can go in?"
"I'm sorry about your friend, sir," the cop answers, "but he'll need to go to the public restroom on the other side of the fairgrounds. This is a private room. I can't let you in."
"Please, officer, he only needs some wet paper towels to wash up. Please, officer. It'll only be a minute."
The officer looks at the bent-over man.
"Alright, but stay out here. Don't come inside." The officer then opens the door and starts to go in.
Bird looks at his partner and nods again. They walk into the changing room. The cop sees them.
"What the hell are you doing? I said to stay out-" He is cut off when Bird charges at him and pins him against a wall.
They begin to fight and punch each other but the police officer is overwhelmed by the two attackers. Bird's partner pulls out a knife and holds it against the throat of the cop.
"Don't move," his partner says. "If you do I will kill you."
The cop is visibly scared now and is bleeding from his nose.
"What do you want me to do?" the cop asks.
"Take off your uniform and give it to me. Gun and badge included."
The officer steps back and starts to unbutton his shirt.
2:14PM
Jack Bauer has finished his shower and is looking at himself in the mirror. Something about him looks different. He looks older. His bag is sitting next to him on the floor and he already took out an extra shirt and change of clothes.
The shower has woken him up and he is less tired than before. Chloe is still on her computer by the time Jack comes out of the bathroom wearing clean clothes.
"Chloe," he says.
"Yes?" she answers without looking back at him.
"Want to get some lunch? There's a little café next to the zoo that I saw when I walked by."
"Sure," she says as she turns around. "Let me just say goodbye to my mother."
Chloe walks upstairs and stands in front of a closed door. After knocking quietly a few times she sees her mother sitting in a chair watching TV with a very faint sound that can barely be heard even by a person with good hearing.
"Hey, mom," Chloe says to her. "I'm going to get lunch. Be safe."
Her mom just sits there. Chloe doesn't even know if she heard her. It's a sad thing when people you grow up with and love can't show anything because of sickness or of age. It seems like part of them is missing.
Chloe has her black purse with her when she comes down. Jack is patiently waiting downstairs for her.
"Ready to go?" he asks.
Chloe nods "yes" in response.
"How did it go?" he asks her.
"I'll tell you later."
Jack knows after her answer that bringing up her mother is probably a subject best suited for another time.
2:22PM
The Governor's limo pulls into the fairgrounds at the same time that Bird walks out of the changing room dressed as the cop that they stole the uniform from. Bird's partner walks out after him, still holding his knife. Blood is dripping from it and some is splattered on his shirt. There wasn't any blood on it yet when the cop was removing his uniform.
"Come on, man," Bird says as he wipes the blood splatter from his partner's shirt. "Try not to be too messy or people are going to suspect something."
"My apologies, Bird," he says.
Bird walks away and his partner walks back to the van.
Meanwhile, Governor Stuart gets out of his limo and one of his bodyguards walks up to him.
"Sir," the bodyguard says. "This way please." The man waves for the Governor to follow him so he does, with his family and Ron behind him.
Ron walks ahead to stand next to him.
"Yes, Ron," he says to him.
"The fair master's name is Carl Roves. Just thought you'd like to know."
"Thank you."
They open a door to a changing room similar to the one that Bird was in, but this one is bigger and cleaner, obviously meant for a VIP and not just one of the stage people. Jenny and Caitlyn both sat down on the couch while Ron and Governor Stuart continued to talk about the day's plans for after his speech.
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Roves," the Governor tells Ron.
"Right away, sir." He replies. Ron then leaves the Governor and his family in the changing room as he goes to get Carl Roves.
The Governor sits down on a couch adjacent to the one his family is sitting on.
"Chris," Jenny asks. "Do you need to go over your speech at all before the ceremony?"
He responds by taking a folded piece of paper out of his coat.
"Ah, yes. Might help a bit," he playfully says. The speech is only two pages long so it can't take him longer than a few minutes to open the fair. It covers the basics: "Thank you all for coming," "It's a pleasure to be here with you," "I hope the fair goes smoothly," "etc."
Caitlyn is still on her phone texting. Jenny has pulled out a small book form her purse. The Governor is reading over his speech.
There is a knock on the door. The Governor gets up to open it and Ron is standing there with Carl Roves, the fair master.
"Ah, Mr. Roves!" the Governor says as he motions for the men to come in, and they do. He extends his hand and shakes Carl's.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Governor." Carl says. "I was told you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes, I wanted to ask you a few questions about security in light of the terrorist threat."
"Yes, sir. We've added extra security as you asked for an hour ago. We have extra police at the entrances and I've taken the liberty of having some of our local police walk around the fair in civilian clothes, just to make sure."
"Excellent," the Governor replies. "Very good. The President is keeping an eye on the fair, he believes it is a likely target. While I tend to disagree, we can't be too careful."
2:30PM
Jack and Chloe arrive at the café next to the zoo. It is a small Mexican food restaurant with small outside tables. Jack sets his bag on the ground next to him and Chloe puts her black purse on the table next to her.
"This place is nice," Jack says, trying to brighten the mood.
"I haven't been here in quite a while," Chloe says. "Not since before Morris and I got divorced."
Jack knows that this meal is a good opportunity to talk about that.
"I hope we can discuss that, Chloe. Over lunch, I mean."
"That's probably a good idea, Jack."
The waitress walks up to them with menus in her hands.
"Here you go," she says, handing them the menus. "Our specials today are enchiladas and bean burritos."
"Thank you." Jack says. The waitress walks away.
After taking only one look at the menu Chloe puts it down and knows what she wants. Jack spends a few moments looking it over before deciding.
"I'm just going to get the enchiladas." Jack tells Chloe.
"Me too."
2:34PM
Carl Roves is walking to the main stage after finishing talking to Governor Stuart. Beside him is a man who is in charge of making sure the microphones work correctly. People are starting to find their seats in the crowd, and there are around one thousand people already waiting, with more and more to come as the ceremony starts in twenty-five minutes.
"Mr. Roves," the man asks. "We're having trouble with the speakers on the right side of the platform. They keep bugging out."
"How much of a difference will it make?" Carl asks.
The man points at a speaker on the stage.
"I can't guarantee that one will work, sir."
"Is there any way to fix it?" Carl asks again. He's noticeably concerned that this issue can't be fixed, but also seems to be giving off the impression that he doesn't really care. With close to ten thousand people expected to be in attendance, the Governor of the State giving the opening speech, and a terrorist threat that could strike at any place at any time, he has much bigger things to worry about than just a single speaker system not working.
"Not in the next half hour, Mr. Roves." The man replies. He seems nervous as if he's screwed up in some way.
"Then, my friend," Carl says, "Don't worry about it. We'll make due. Just try and make sure the other ones keep working like normal."
"Yes, sir," he says before walking off.
2:36PM
Jack and Chloe both ordered water to drink and they've received them. The waitress walks up to them with chips and salsa, as most Mexican restaurants do.
"Are you ready for me to take your orders?" She asks.
"Yes," Jack says. "I'd like your enchiladas."
"The 'special of the day' enchiladas?"
"Yes, please." He says, handing her the menu.
"And, you, ma'am?" the waitress asks to Chloe.
"The same," Chloe answers, handing the waitress her menu as well.
"Okay, so two enchilada meals. I'll have them out ASAP." The waitress smiles at them and walks away.
Once she's gone there is a small silence between the two. Jack then decided to go for the reason he came to visit Chloe in the first place.
"So, Chloe, what happened between you and Morris?"
Chloe knows now is the time to talk about it, but still feels nervous.
"Well, after I was pardoned by President Andrews per request of President Taylor when she resigned I came home and Morris seemed different. He didn't want to talk to me much. Every time I tried to talk to him he would make excuses and ignore me. Well, a few weeks later I sent my son to a friend's house so that Morris and I could talk. He said that he didn't want to be with me because he felt like I abandoned him. I told him that nothing was my fault and that he's just taking it too far."
"Is that when he said that he wanted to get a divorce?"
"No, it was about a week later when he came and told me. I didn't know how to react at first but then the worst thing happened a few days after that."
"What was it?"
"He took Prescott."
"What do you mean by 'took'?"
"I mean he actually grabbed him, threw a suitcase in the car, and then left."
A tear falls form Chloe's right eye. She sniffles and tries not to cry.
"I can't believe Morris would actually do something like that." Jack says.
Chloe can barely speak at this point. The emotion is coming back to her and she can no longer hold it in.
"I… I, um…" Chloe tries to say.
"It's okay, Chloe. Just take a deep breath."
She does and catches her breath. It already helps.
"At that point I went ahead and signed the divorce papers. When they were deciding custody the judge ruled that I wasn't a good influence on Prescott."
"That's unbelievable. You're the best mother I know. That judge was obviously wrong."
"Well it doesn't make any difference now, does it? Morris has Prescott and I'm back living with my mother. I've been living with her for about a year now and I just want to see my son again. You're the only one I could turn to who would for sure help me, even if you were risking everything by coming back to the states."
"Chloe," Jack says, putting his hand over hers on the table. "You've been the only person who's held my back this entire time. I still owe you everything. You've done way more for me than I could ever ask for. I've been on the run for so long that I don't even care now if something happens."
"Speaking of that, Jack, how long were you planning to stay?"
"As long as I need to in order to help you."
2:40PM
The ceremony starts in twenty minutes. The crowd has nearly tripled in size since Carl Roves last spoke to the man fixing the speakers. Nobody is on stage yet except for the people making last-minute adjustments to the chairs and cords. A woman up there taps on the main podium microphone and hears the bumping sound echo throughout the crowd, knowing it works. However, when she looks to the left the man who spoke to Carl earlier is standing next to the speaker on the right, the one that stopped working suddenly, and is giving a thumbs down, indicating that the speaker still isn't working.
"Cut it!" the woman on the stage yells to the man next to the speaker.
Hearing her, the man next to the speaker pulls the cords out from the back of it. At this point it is too late to move the giant speaker and bring in a new one.
Back in the VIP changing room, the Governor has taken off his old tie and is holding up two new ones in front of his wife.
"The blue one," she says, pointing to the tie in his right hand. "It'll fit better with blue banners around the fair grounds."
"Blue one it is then," he replies. There is a mirror behind him that he turns around to and uses to put the tie on. His daughter is still on her phone and he can see her in the mirror. "Feeling any better, Caitlyn?" he asks.
Hearing her father's voice she immediately looks up.
"Not really. I'd still rather just sit near the front."
"Okay. I told Ron and he's making sure to have two seats reserved for the both of you."
"Thank you, dad," she says and goes right back to her phone.
The Governor finished up with his tie and turns around.
"What do you think?" he asks his family, pulling on his suit to straighten in out.
"The flag pin!" Jenny says.
"Oh, yes! Of course! Thank you, I almost forgot."
He pulls out a small American flag pin from his pocket and puts it on the suit. It's the same type that all politicians wear on their suits. Putting it on makes him stand out more as a public official.
Ron walks back into the room.
"Governor," Ron says. "I've saved the seats for your family. The ceremony starts in less than twenty minutes. Are you ready to go out?"
"Yes, just a few more minutes." The Governor says to Ron. Ron is also wearing a blue tie and the Governor notices it. "Nice tie."
"Oh," Ron replies, grabbing his tie. "Thank you, sir. My wife picked it out."
"Same here," he says with a smile.
2:50PM
Jack and Chloe have now received their food. The enchiladas are piled on top of two big plates, one in front of Chloe and one in front of Jack. Both have started to eat their meals, although Jack has finished significantly more of his meal than Chloe. Either she is a slow eater or something is bothering her. The latter is more likely but it is probably a mixture of both.
Behind them, inside the restaurant, there are several flat-screen TV's, each tuned into a different sports game. One has a baseball game, the other a pre-season basketball game. A third has on sports commentators talking about the upcoming football season. The last TV, the smallest one, has on the local news.
People on the news are talking about the ceremony and how they'll have live coverage of the opening ceremony.
Jack takes a spoonful of rice from hi plate and eats it. He notices Chloe's hand is shaking as she eats her food. Jack wonders whether or not he should say anything even though he knows why she's acting like this. He wonders how long he'll actually be staying with Chloe. In reality there really isn't much that he can do to help her, but he could never just abandon her, that's not like him.
2:53 PM
The Governor has made his way to the stage and his family has taken their seats in the front row. There are five people on stage. The Governor is sitting next to Carl Roves. Next to Carl is a man named Joe Ashford, who was the winner of a local marathon. Next to Joe is a man named Mr. Peterson, who was last school year's teacher of the year for the state of Washington Finally, the last person in the row is a man wearing an Army uniform and only one leg, losing it in Afghanistan.
They all have the look on their faces like they just want to get the thing started, even though they still have over five minutes until it starts.
The crowd is roughly at eight thousand now. The extra security that the Governor called in is comprised of ten extra police officers undercover dressed as normal people, all scattered throughout the crowd. The normal police officers are standing around the crowd also, except they're wearing their normal on-duty uniforms. The one at the front, closest to the stage, is Bird. His partner is sitting in the third row back, near the speaker that wasn't working earlier. He has his cellphone in hand, pretending to be talking on the phone to a friend.
2:59 PM
Carl Roves takes the podium and is ready to begin the ceremony.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! As fair master, I'd like to personally welcome each and every one of you to this year's State Fair!"
Thank you for reading this chapter. I'd like to get them out at least once a week, maybe twice once the later hours get going. See you all next time!