SERIES: Everything went downhill from there
PART TWO: IN A NEW YORK MINUTE
Previously: Hastings asks Renee to go undercover again to find the Red Square, a Russian mob in possession of nuclear weapons that Farhad Hassan wants to buy to turn the IRK into a nuclear power. After Jack sees Renee for the first time after their break up and notices she's truly messed up. He realizes she's is not ready for that mission but since he can't get her out of it, he gets himself in. He is going with her posing as a buyer for the nuclear weapons. Renee gets determined to be successful in the mission because it's all she has left.
Disclaimer: The show is not mine. Neither are the characters. They belong to Howard Gordon and FOX… Damn it!
CHAPTER 3:
To get results you must roll up your sleeves
JUNE - YEAR 2012
Brighton Beach – Brooklyn, New York
Renee Zadan was an account executive for a large firearm manufacturer. For five months, she had been doing business with Vladimir Laitanan. She acquired Russian automatic weapons, flipping them and selling them to the Americans for so much more than what they were actually worth. Moreover, Renee wanted to move from simply doing business with them to actually being one of them. Who would believe that petite cute lady wanted to join a Russian Syndicated crime organization? Vladimir thought her innocent appearance was something they could actually use. Besides, he liked her. He liked her very much. He had been watching her very attentively and so far she seemed to be everything she claimed to be. But he was truly torn between his urging desire to have her close to him and his strong policy of never trusting anybody.
Lugo tried to reason with his boss, which was never easy. "What if she's a cop? We can all go down. We can lose everything we've worked for"
Vladimir knew the risks were too high. But there was a way they could somewhat test Renee's loyalty. He announced to Lugo "You and I are gonna take my girl for a ride. We'll see soon enough what she is"
In the middle of the night, Renee got a call from them telling her there was a job for her. She agreed to meet them, not knowing what to expect, but aware that this could be a huge opportunity to get inside the gang. They picked her up in a car. Soon she noticed they were heading to Newton Creek. Then they pulled the car over nearby the East River. Renee was terrified. Had they discovered her real identity? Still, she maintained a calm appearance as Vladimir took her by the arm and led towards the river. "So, Vlad, what are we doing here?"
"Dimitri Ivanov thinks he can do business in my territory. Let's see if he thinks the same with a bullet on his brain". Vladimir said with a smirk and watched carefully Renee's reaction.
Renee saw Lugo opening the trunk of the car and dragging a man from it. The man had his hands tied tightly behind his back. She knew they were testing her. They wanted to see if she remained unaffected while witnessing a murder, assuming a cop couldn't do that. It was a test she had foreseen, yet, she was not prepared for. She was extremely perturbed and couldn't help to blink many times quickly as she helplessly watched the whole scene.
"Я не собираюсь просить моей жизни" Dimitri said trying to keep a straight face and look brave. "Но знайте, что там будут возмездия, если Вы убьете меня"
Renee knew that meant "I won't beg for my life but be aware that there will be retaliations if you kill me"
Vladimir was far from being scared of what Dimitri's men could do to seek revenge. He was way more powerful and dangerous than them. He gave a cold stare and said, "Я не собираюсь убивать Вас"
Renee was perplexed. Vladimir had said "I'm not going to kill you" But why? Then, to her horror, Vladimir handed her an extra gun he had kept hidden till that moment. And then he announced "You'll do it", while Lugo looked prepared to shoot Renee in the head if she didn't comply.
Agent Walker knew people would get killed while she tried to bring down the Red Square and Vladimir. But she never expected having to murder another person herself. She was extremely terrified and disgusted, but tried not to show it. Trying to sound girly and stupid she mumbled "I don't know how to use a gun"
But Lugo, not buying it for a second, cut her off dryly. "You'll figure it out"
She had to think a way out fast. Renee Zadan was a Russian chick who went rogue for the money and wanted to join a Russian Mob, but doing things like strategic planning, money laundering or espionage. Murdering wasn't her job. She turned to Vladimir and trying to sound casual said "Vlad, this is just not what we agreed I'd do"
Vladimir looked at her in the eyes. "You are not good to me if you don't prove first that you are truly one of us"
Then Lugo got closer to her and pressed his gun against Renee's forehead, he cocked his gun, ready to shoot her. "Zadan, you're wasting our time… you have to decide right now, are you in or out?"
Renee desperately tried to think on a way to get out of this, realizing there was none. In order to live she had to be coldblooded and ruthless. What would happen if she died? After killing her, they'd kill Dimitri anyway. She would die for nothing, as a failure. If she did what they were asking her to do, she'd earn their trust and could bring them down eventually. With suspiring calmness, she made Lugo lower his gun. Then she walked towards Dimitri and ordered him in a cold and harsh tone "turn around and get on your knees"
But Dimitri didn't even flinch. He guessed the woman was some mobster wannabe being tested. Well, that bitch would never forget her initiation. "No! You are gonna have to pull that trigger looking straight into my eyes"
"Do as she said!" Vladimir yelled as he punched Dimitri in the stomach.
Dimitri went on his knees, but didn't turn around. He looked up straight-faced, his gaze never leaving Renee's. She could feel her determination trembling. Those blue eyes were piercing her soul. Her hands were shaking. Renee couldn't help to admire that guy's courage. He was a thug no better than Vladimir. But he had been fearless all the time. And as sick as it was, she found the way he was facing his own death beautiful. She cocked her gun and then pressed it against Dimitri forehead. Her entire body was shivering. She blinked anxiously several times trying not to shed the tears she could feel were about to come. She bit her lower lip. How could she do it?
"Только сделайте это теперь"(*Just do it now) Dimitri said calmly looking into her eyes.
Renee took a deep breath, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
May 20th - YEAR 2018
7.52 PM - New York City
"Hi, my name is Jack Bauer and I'm a drug addict" It doesn't truly matter what specific problem you may have. Drug addiction. Alcoholism. A gambling problem. An eating disorder. The first step to recovery is always admitting it clearly out loud. Jack thought that rule could also be applied to Renee's severe depression.
It was so hard to get her talk about what was truly on her mind. He knew she had been raped. He knew she had tortured Alan Wilson and felt like shit about it. He knew she had tried to commit suicide. He knew she suffered from severe depression and some form of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Also, she had hinted once having been in an undercover mission. Now he knew for sure she had been undercover with a Russian Mob, which meant her experience was probably even more traumatic than he first had imagined. He also knew she had once been happy with him for a short while until she left him with no explanation and now she was completely messed up. Renee was basically a tough puzzle, and he could tell he had several pieces missing.
Now they were on the way to Long Island City, where Ziya worked in some auto parts store. As he drove them to their destination, he took a quick look at her. She couldn't even look at him now. She hadn't looked at him or said a word since their argument in front of Brian Hastings. She had her eyes fixated on the city they were leaving behind as she rested lazily on her seat, looking deeply depressed. The silence was making him nuts.
"You know, when I got detox…" he started saying. She suddenly shot him one of her begging 'don't go there' looks, clearly thinking he meant when she had helped him get detox. So he clarified, "The first time I got detox… I had to go to meetings and follow twelve steps. The first one was admitting I was powerless and that my life had become unmanageable. Then I had to admit that only a power greater than me could restore my sanity"
"And you expect me to believe you did that?" Renee said in an obvious 'yeah, sure' tone, still not looking at him.
He was not offended at all by her skepticism. He wasn't known precisely for his humility. "Actually, I didn't."He admitted honestly, but rushed to add "But a lot of the others did. They talked about turning their lives over the care of God. But I couldn't do that. Not really. And even though I quit using drugs anyway, I continued in one extremely self destructive path for a long time. Only in different ways" He looked at her briefly and sighed thinking about how messed up his life had been. With or without drugs, he had always found a way to destroy everything he touched. "I'm only telling you this because sometimes I think… maybe I should have turned to God back then. And I know you are a Catholic because I saw your rosary"
"I was. Not anymore" she stated somberly. She had promised herself to focus only on the mission. She had promised herself not to feel anything. But he was making it impossible. She sighed deeply. Why did he even care? She wasn't worth it. He probably just felt obligated to save her because he had to fix everything and everybody. She told him acidly "Is that why you insist on saving me Jack? Is it one of your steps?"
Jack stayed silent but looked hurt. She had certainly hit a nerve. Maybe he was obsessed with saving Renee because he was supposed to make amends to all the people he had harmed. She broke his heart when she left him, but he had damaged her way before that. He had done nothing for her on the day they met. He had just stood there while she took the same path that had ruined his life. He had taken her down with him. No wonder she didn't want him around. She looked so frail now that, for a moment, he considered admitting he cared about her because he was still crazy about her. But how pathetic would that be considering she didn't even want him?
They continued in silence until Chloe contacted them. They heard her voice coming thought the intercom devise they had in the car, "Jack, it's Chloe. You should be receiving a consolidated timeline plus detail files for travel and residency. Have they downloaded to your PDA yet?"
"Yes, we got it, Chloe." Renee snapped coldly as she checked her PDA.
"Oh, and Dana would like for me to review the facts with you, if that's okay." Chloe suggested.
"We're fine, Chloe. I know how to prep a cover." Renee told her, not hiding how annoyed she was. Was Chloe also thinking she was a moron? Sadly, if there was something she knew how to do that was turning into Renee Zadan.
Chloe politely said "I'm sure you do, it's just that..."
But Jack could see Renee shaking her head truly upset. So he stepped in the conversation before it could get even worse. "Chloe, it's all right. As soon as we get something, we'll get back to you".
"Okay, I guess I will leave you then. Good luck." Chloe said a bit awkwardly.
"Thanks." Then Jack finished talking with Chloe. Renee was now looking incredibly frustrated and annoyed. And he was getting irritated with her. "You are also mad at Chloe now?"
"No, I'm only mad at you because you've got everyone treating me like I'm an invalid" When she was still Agent Walker people trusted that she could at least do her damn job.
"No one's treating you like an invalid. It's standard procedure. They're trying to sync up two cover stories."
"He's not gonna quiz me on the facts, Jack. He gonna take one look at me and decide if I'm lying." She told him as to remind him that she could be depressed, but she still had a brain.
"I know. And whatever happens after that, we need to be ready" Jack replied trying to be reasonable.
For the first time since they got in the car, Renee kept her look on Jack with all the pain she was feeling showing in her eyes. She had not only lost forever his comforting touch and the safety of her arms, she had also lost his respect and his trust. If only he knew how badly she wished she could be worthy of him. But even though she wasn't good enough for him, she was good enough for this mission. She took a deep breath. Then, she told him the most honest thing she could tell him. "I'm truly sorry that I failed you, Jack. But I'm really up to this"
Trying hard to focus on the road he rushed to said, "This isn't about us… and I never said you weren't up to this"
"But you don't think I am. You don't trust me. And I can't blame you for that after what I did" She kept looking at him sadly. He didn't say anything, which clearly meant she was right, he obviously didn't trust her at all. She looked away and sighed sadly. "So here we are. Me and my babysitter"
Jack kept his mouth shut, making a superhuman effort to restrain himself from being brutally honest. He knew how capable and smart she could be. She was Agent Walker, after all. But right now she was deeply depressed, and needed help. The current state of her mind was scaring him.
Renee wished she could cry. Jack had become her babysitter to protect this operation from her, as if she were a threat to her own country. Clearly he already thought she was insane. And he wasn't prone to think differently once he met Renee Zadan. But she couldn't cry. She had promised herself to get this job done. Failing was not an option. She was determined to go on this operation and get the results they needed.
They finally arrived to their destination. Renee spotted Ziya closing up his store. So she got off the car and Jack gave her an earpiece so they could stay communicated. In other words: to monitor her like a baby. But in this case, Renee's brain prevailed; she did the smart thing and put the small devise in her ear. Right before she was leaving, Jack insisted "Hey. This is your last shot. You do not have to do this"
But that wasn't true. She had to do this. She needed this mission for so many reasons. One of them being that, at this moment, helping her country was the only thing keeping her alive. But to make Jack feel a bit more at ease, she said "I know, but I want to"
07. 56 PM
Renee Zadan walked into the store, and Ziya said "We're closed". Well, then maybe you should have locked the door, genius, she thought sarcastically to herself as she walked towards him.
Ziya noticed the intruder would not leave, so he complained "What did I say?" as he got ready to face the person bugging him. But when he saw her he froze completely. It was like looking at a ghost. There she was, with an arrogant smirk on her face. Felling a mixture of astonishment and fear he muttered "Renee"
"Ziya. Nice outfit. Not a lot of men can pull off a skirt" She mocked him.
But he was in no mood for jokes. Her presence there was suspicious to say the least. She could be up to not good. "When did you get out? I thought you were serving seven-to-ten"
"They let me out early. Good behavior"
Still skeptical but knowing what Zadan was capable of, Ziya asked "Good behavior? With warden?"
Far from being offended by the insinuation, she replied casually "Well, eventually, yeah. But it's like anything else, you gotta work your way up"
Ziya believed her. But he was still worried about what she might want from him "So why you here?"
"I'm looking for Vladimir. Got a business proposition I know he'd be interested in" She explained once again saying 'Vladimir' as if she were naming some decease. She couldn't help herself.
"What kind of business proposition?" Ziya asked not truly believing it for a second. As if Renee Zadan could ever want to see Vladimir again for any reason other than putting a bullet on his head.
"Got a buyer, something big being sold" she replied mysteriously, trying to make him interested.
Ziya didn't believe her. And he wanted nothing to do with this. "Yeah? I don't know. Vlad disappear"
"Hmm, maybe" Renee knew Ziya was lying and knew perfectly well where Vladimir was. She walked around the counter getting closer to him, all flirty. "But you can find him"
Ziya stepped back, a bit intimidated by her. She definitely was up to not good. "Really? Why I do that?"
In reality, that guy disgusted her deeply. He was a thug and a pedophile. She had come to despise the entire gang. For just a second, the image of him carrying her as she was bleeding from her womb assaulted her mind. But she used it as a motivation. Getting to the Red Square by using Vladimir was what her country needed, but in the process she could make those bastards pay. And she happened to know how to play Ziya like a piano. So trying to conceal her repulsion, Renee got even closer to him and said flirty "Why do you think?"
"I don't know" Ziya replied, still stepping back from her, not trusting her at all.
Next Renee had him exactly where she wanted. They were face to face merely inches from each other and Ziya could not step back anymore because of the wall behind him. It was her moment to plant the big bait. "I'll cut you in. Unless, of course, you're making so much money here that that's of no interest to you" She noticed with satisfaction that now Ziya was predictable interested. He looked at her like a cartoon character with dollar symbols in his eyes. "See? Your greedy little eyes are saying Show-me-the-money, so what's the problem, Ziya?" Then he rolled up his sleeve and showed her the problem. That was definitely a tough obstacle. She was so screwed. But she tried to hide her disappointment as she casually said "Parole bracelet?"
"They know where I am 24-7. I'm like dog. I leave yard, I get shock" Ziya complained, upset that he was going to miss those big bucks Renee Zadan was promising.
Renee really had to find a way to sort this obstacle and reach her goal. She flirted some more, even caressing his arm as she said "Well, then just help me out. Make some calls"
"Make calls? You know what happen I make call asking where's Vladimir? Tomorrow, have accident on way for work." He pointed out what was indeed obvious for both of them. Then he walked away from her, disappointed about missing the money. "No, sensitive information, done face-to-face, you know that you're lucky. You get out. Me, I'm still in prison"
While Ziya was talking, a new plan was starting to take shape in Renee's head. "Let me see the bracelet"
"No" If something happened to it he'd go to jail again. So he refused to show it to her. But Renee kept insisting, as she flirted and got closer to him. He was finding very hard to resist her. He had always found her incredibly attractive. Even though he normally had a preference for much younger girls, he found Renee Zadan hot. But their gang had one pretty obvious rule: when the alpha male chose a particular female, the other males had to stay away from her. Vladimir went ballistic if another man did as much as stare Renee's breast. But Vlad wasn't around. And Ziya was enjoying so much having her so close. Her lips were suddenly inches away from his.
"Have I ever messed you up? Ever?" she said in a very seductive way. "Come on"
Unable to resist her, he dropped his wrist into her open hand and took the chance to smell her hair as she examined the bracelet.
When Renee took a closer look at the parole bracelet she immediately confirmed that her plan would work. She was so relieved. "I can get this off, guaranteed"
Ziya wouldn't risk going back to prison. He said firmly "You screw with this, you know what happen? Cops come running in. In two hours, I'm back inside. Parole violation"
But Renee wouldn't stop now that she had a plan. She got her face even closer to his and brushed his chin with her fingers. "Ziya, That's not gonna happen, I'm telling you. I know how to get this off"
"How do you know?" He asked not quite believing her, but feeling strangely turned on.
"Cause I constantly have to deal with people like you, that's how" Renee said maintaining her seductive façade, and trying to pretend he didn't make her sick. "I can get it off if I can just hold it steady"
Next, she led him over to a vise and clamped the bracelet in. Then she took a power cutter and turned it on.
At that moment Ziya quickly protested "what I say, you can't cut bracelet"
Then, with all the flirting in her voice and expression suddenly gone, she clarified "I'm not gonna cut the bracelet"
Jack had been listening all along using the intercom devise. He was at first too perplexed to react. She isn't gonna cut the bracelet?... But then what the hell is she gonna…? Then he heard Ziya screaming in pain. Jack first thought was… No! She didn't!... He didn't want to believe it was true. But obviously she had actually done it. Still a bit on denial, he got of the car and ran to the store with his gun up, seriously hoping it wasn't like it sounded.
When he got in the store, he saw Renee just wiping her hands looking totally unaffected. Ziya was unconscious on the floor, right next to her, with his hand covered in blood and one thumb missing. And she seemed made of stone. Jack totally lost it. "What have you done?... What the hell have you done?"
Renee couldn't believe he had the nerve to judge her when he had done the same, or worst, many times before. But trying not to show any emotions she simply stated "Like he said, he was trapped here"
"And you think he's gonna help you now?" Jack asked extremely outraged. Who the hell was this woman in front of him? She seemed nothing like Renee. He was terrified of the change he was seeing in her. What the hell was wrong with her? "That's it… This is over… This is over!"
But despite how loudly he was yelling at her, Renee remained unfazed. Very gravely she told him "Maybe for you, Jack, but I'm just getting started" as she walked away to find anything that she could use to tie a tourniquet, she just ordered him "Find something to cauterize that wound"
Jack stared at her walking away and then at Ziya's butchered hand, feeling a mixture of repulsion, fear and disbelief. Had she actually lost her mind?
"Damn it" he said feeling absolutely helpless. Then he did the only thing he could do at the moment and rushed to get something to cauterize the wound.
Renee as quickly as she could, tried to tie a tourniquet around Ziya's arm. But she got desperate since he was still losing too much blood. Not that she actually cared about Ziya. She was purely obsessed with the results of the mission. That thug couldn't just die on her now. She had to find Vladimir. As Jack approached, she told him with a hint of nervousness "He's still bleeding out"
"This should cauterize the wound" Jack said as he poured a liquid over Ziya's raw and bloody flesh.
"Okay, it's working" Renee announced relieved. Then she noticed confused and a bit alarmed that Jack was about to make a call with his cell phone. "Who are you calling?"
"Hastings"
"Why?" She was genuinely confused. She had just gotten what they needed. What was his problem?
"Because I'm shutting this operation down. You shouldn't be in the field, and this proves it"
How exactly? She wondered to herself not truly getting Jack at all. First, he was worried because he thought she'd ruin the operation. Now he seemed angry because she had done exactly what was necessary to get the results they wanted. "This was the only play, Jack. You would've done the same thing"
First of all, throwing right in his face how ruthless he used to be was such a cheap shot. Besides, he really didn't want her to be him. Moreover, she had just mutilated the guy. Did she truly think Ziya would be pleased to help her now? As angry as hell, he yelled "The play was to get him to cooperate"
"He will cooperate" She yelled back at him.
"How do you figure?" He snapped at her sarcastically.
She was everything but a moron. Sounding arrogant and angry she told him, "Look, I know these guys, Jack. The only thing that Ziya likes more than 13-year-old girls is money. He'd have butchered himself for a score like this"
That was so not the point for him. "Yeah, well, Hastings still needs to know the truth."
"The truth?"
Without really thinking, he just yelled at her "That you're unstable!"
Renee felt like a shot right in her heart. There it was: the truth. Not sugar-coating. Not stupid advises about getting help from God, or whatever. Now he was saying what he truly believed. That she was plainly insane. It wasn't really fair. He used to turn every room he walked in into a torture chamber, including once a room inside the White House. All she was trying to do was get the damn results they needed, like him. She was going through a real personal hell. Yet, she was making a huge effort to fulfill her duty to her country. But he thought she was crazy. She had to struggle hard to prevent the tears from her eyes. She just gave him a cold glare full of anger.
Jack felt like an asshole when he saw the pain in her face. But really he just wanted to take her home and heal her. And it made him angry knowing that she didn't even want him to. But with or without him, she had to find a way to leave this path she'd taken. He wanted her to leave the dark place she was in while she still could. He got closer to her and softened a little. "Look, Renee…"
But she had to stop him, or she was going to break down completely. She decided to use once again the best card at her disposal. Maintaining her voice and expression cold, she stated "what you think of me doesn't matter. The bottom line is, I'm still the best chance that anyone has of intercepting that uranium, and I can do it now" Jack didn't say anything. He just turned around and began walking away from her. Her eyes were wet. She felt about to cry. But she couldn't cry. She had to toughen up somehow. Acting cold again she pressed him "So, what's it going to be, you making that phone call or what?"
Jack was having a hard time deciding that. He knew they needed Renee to intercept the uranium. But she was clearly in a terrible shape. Suddenly, Ziya began to groan.
"He's waking up, Jack. Better make up your mind"
Jack felt trapped. He looked at her and told her reluctantly, "Fine. You see what you can get out of him. But don't forget, I'm listening"
Renee watched sadly as he left quickly the store. Like she could ever forget he was listening. He was there learning the most horrible things about her, which just made everything so much harder for her. Suddenly, Ziya got fully awake and screamed her name in pain and horror. But far from being moved, Renee was purely annoyed. "Shut up, Ziya!" When he yelled again, she just barked at him "You'll get your painkillers as soon as we get out of here"
"What did you do?" He whined absolutely horrified.
"I got the bracelet off, all right, I did you a favor" She snapped at him.
"You crazy bitch! You cut off thumb!" He shouted enraged.
Truth be told, Renee wasn't even sorry for the guy, she felt no remorse at all. She was feeling nothing inside but anger and hate. She shouted at him "Look, what's done is done. You can either stay here and whine about it like a baby, or you can come with me and be a rich man. Look, I'm willing to give you a point on this deal off the top. It's a lot of money, Ziya."
Predictably, that calmed him down instantly. Whining like a little girl, he asked "How much?"
"Two-and-a-half million. Maybe three when it's all done"
Suddenly, Ziya felt better. "Two million? You're serious?"
"You tell me"
Ziya looked at his now mutilated hand. If she had done that, there had to be money involved. But he couldn't take any more risks, "I take this deal to Vladimir, and it's not real, you know what happens?"
"Why would I be here if this wasn't real?" she told him. When he didn't reply she decided to bluff "Fine, forget it, Ziya. I'll find Vladimir my own way" She didn't mention that she had no way to do that. But she knew Ziya would never say no to three millions of dollars. And predictably, he stopped her from leaving.
"No, wait! I don't know where he is exactly, but where he might be"
Jack was in his car listening everything thought the communication devise. He heard that Ziya would take Renee to see Vladimir. He was truly amazed. Renee had actually pulled that one off. Jack still couldn't feel at ease though. Renee's mental state made him nervous. Suddenly, his phone rang and he picked up "Yeah?"
It was Chloe who had just found out that Ziya had a tracking bracelet and wanted to know how to handle that problem. But Jack simply told her that Ziya didn't have a bracelet anymore. So she was confused "I don't understand. Those things have anti-tamper mechanisms. You can't cut them off him without triggering an alarm"
"Yeah, well, trust me, it's been taken care of" Jack said not really wanting to say what Renee had done. She was having trouble accepting it himself.
But Chloe had a very bad feeling about that. "Jack, what happened in there?"
"Renee got the result she wanted. Ziya's taking her to Vladimir" Jack said trying to hide how sad he was. Renee got the result she wanted. He just couldn't get that phrase out of his mind.
"Look at yourself, you have lost everyone and everything you ever had by doing what you think is necessary. I won't let you do it to her, Bauer. Renee will not end up like you."
Those words were haunting Jack now more than ever.
It was true. He was cursed. Everything he loved winded up dead or deeply damaged. He was cursed. He was really cursed. He couldn't deny it now. Not after watching Renee running fast in the wrong direction once again.
TO BE CONTINUED….
(Reviews are very welcome! Please, tell me what you think)
