Jack didn't raise his head as the door opened and slammed shut. Tony sat Mandy down in the chair and started work on the chains. The clanging of the metal was the only sound in the room. By the time Tony double checked the chains and positioned himself by the door, Jack hadn't moved a muscle. Mandy's smirk was muted but still present as she settled in, steeling herself for the interrogation.

In her line of work, she knew the odds were high of ending up in a room like this sooner or later. She had prepared for this moment since she ran away from home at age thirteen, knowing her actions would catch up with her sooner or later. She always thought- maybe even hoped- she would be killed before she was ever captured. At least she was sure to get insurance wherever she went. She knew Jack Bauer wouldn't risk the deaths of innocents just to imprison her. She could get out of this once again without risking her life or reputation. Last time they crossed paths, she was sure that word wouldn't get out that she gave intelligence to authorities- she knew Marwan would be dead before he could figure out it was her that sold him out. Maintaining her reputation was crucial in keeping up business- no one wants to work with a rat.

Three minutes had passed, and no one had moved. Jack was still staring at his hands, Tony was by the door, and Mandy had all the patience in the world. As long as she knew she would get out eventually, she could bide her time in these shackles.

At the same time, Tony and Jack moved. Tony stepped closer to the table just as Jack looked up at Mandy. She remembered those eyes from the first time he captured her- the first time she had ever been captured.

"Do you really have what it takes to let me kill him while you're lookin' him in the eye?"

"Yeah."

She knew he was every bit as cold and ruthless as she was. It shone in those eyes. He was a professional- he could have gone far in her world. He was the type to smile at someone one second and stab them in the back the next, without hesitation. She didn't need to read up on him to know that, though she did anyway. It was all in there in his eyes.

"Start talking."

Good- he wasn't being specific. Over the years, Mandy had learned more than just infiltration and assassination- she could probe and manipulate, search out weak spots and how to use them.

"Long before we ever met, I was hired by a man named Ira Gaines."

At this, Jack visibly stiffened. After decades of training and experience, he knew better than to let his emotions show in front of a hostile, but Teri was still a difficult topic.

"Gaines? Who's he?" Tony may have been involved in the affair, but he couldn't be expected to remember every name. Not like Jack, who had memorized every file he could find on the events of that day front and back. Jack, who actually met most of the men behind his wife's abduction and death.

Mandy gave Jack a smug look- right now, he deeply regretted allowing Lorne to keep the cameras on. He would give anything to smack that smirk off of her face. It was what she wanted- they were getting off of the main topic, and Jack was displaying vulnerability.

"We're not here to waste time talking about a dead man." Jack gave Tony a look, subtly asking him to ignore her comment. After working together for so long, Tony trusted that Jack would fill in the missing pieces later. "I'm after more relevant information, and I'm after it now."

Mandy's smirk grew. She knew that Bauer lost his wife that day, and it was clear that it affected him. Maybe he wasn't as cold as she was- she would never let herself care about anyone else that much. It's what made people soft and sloppy.

"It is relevant. Gaines hired me to secure an ID card and take out the man it belonged to."

Something clicked in Jack's mind- he could see where she was going with this.

"You took out the plane that Martin Belkin was on. Did you take out the plane leaving San Diego last week?"

A razor-sharp memory went with that cold demeanor. No wonder people had been afraid of Jack Bauer, he didn't seem to miss a thing. Though she knew that already- he was, after all, the first person to ever capture her, despite her ruses and manipulations. She was a professional- and so was he.

Behind Mandy's back, Tony's eyes widened in recognition as he recalled the plane explosion the night before Teri Bauer was murdered. Memories of that day flooded back as he too made the connection.

"An associate of Gaines recommended me to an organization. That organization hired me to acquire and deliver a briefcase to them and make sure its absence went unnoticed. The briefcase was aboard a plane headed for Washington, DC. It didn't make it."

The best way to cover up a theft was with a mass murder, in Mandy's opinion. It had worked for her before- no one knew that Martin Belkin's ID was missing until it was too late. And now, a week after she stole the briefcase, no one mentioned it was missing. The company it belonged to likely presumed it was destroyed in the crash, which was being blamed on unknown enemies of the country. Mandy did such a good job of it that several extremist groups were fighting over the credit, enough for the real culprits to go unsuspected.

"Who did you deliver it to?"

Mandy's smirk turned into a frown as she glared at Jack.

"Here's how it's going to happen. I tell you how to get to select members of the cell. You infiltrate them and get the location of all of their members, and take them all out, stopping them from pulling off their plan. Then I get on a plane back to North Africa and we all go on with our lives."

The corners of Jack's mouth turned up ever so slightly as he got up and started to pace across the room, resembling a predator stalking its prey. Even for someone with plenty of experience with psychopaths and assassins, Jack found Mandy unnerving.

"I think that this is how it's going to happen. CTU announces that you turned yourself into our custody as a witness and are cooperating fully before we release you and let your friends take care of the rest."

Mandy hadn't moved a muscle, but her eyes never left Jack. After a minute of her silence, he stood behind the chair across from her and leaned in, lowering his voice.

"You'd be surprised how much you can tell from a dead body. Were they tortured, or just killed straight off? Did they send a professional, or let an amateur get their feet wet?"

Her eyes narrowed as he backed off and started for the door. "Unless you've got something better for us, you'll be stuck in this facility until we get our press release ready."

She held out until he opened the door.

"I know their target. And where their mole is. But I want protection! Or else people might just find out who Colin really is. I know the world thinks you're dead, Jack. Do you want to keep it that way or not?"

Jack already knew he would have to switch identities the second he saw Mandy, but he couldn't afford to have anyone know he was still alive. He could take care of himself, but Kim would be at risk. Putting her in danger was absolutely unacceptable.

He glanced at Tony, and nodded towards the door.

"We'll see what we can do."

Jack followed Tony out into the hallway and shut the door behind him. While Tony waited silently, Jack took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"First of all, the whole Gaines thing-"

"I figured it out, Jack. The name just didn't register at first, but now I remember who he was. I had no idea that Mandy was involved in another attempt on Palmer's life, but I can't say I'm all that surprised. She'll do just about anything for money and freedom."

Jack had to agree- the girl was definitely a ruthless, highly skilled mercenary. She would work with them in exchange for their freedom, but what would stop her from trading on Jack's identity when the opportunity presented itself?

"Tony, I think we're going to have to use official channels for this. Put her in witness protection so we can keep an eye on her and satisfy her demand. But that means I can't be involved further. And first of all, we need Chloe to wipe the security footage. It's on an internal system, but I can't risk it getting out."

Tony was hesitant- and considering his history with Mandy, it was understandable. After seeing her shoot Castle and take him hostage, how could he possibly trust her to keep up her end of the deal? How could he trust her to keep her mouth shut about Jack, or even give them accurate information?

"Jack, I don't like this. We can't trust her, especially since she knows about you."

Kim and Audrey popped into Jack's mind as Tony's words reached him.

"I know, Tony. But I don't know if we have another choice. She's talking about an entire terrorist cell, and we don't know a thing about them."

They were both silent as they struggled to find a way around trusting Mandy. Jack thought back to the day he spotted her at the shooting range- the same range where he met his contact for weapons and papers.

"On second thought, maybe there's someone else who does."