Jack, Nina and a couple of CTUS agents were busy tearing apart the home of the late Chase McNichol, hunting for any clue as to who ordered the hit or even the information McNichol was planning to give them. They assumed that McNichol didn't know of the switch, and they also assumed that whoever had him killed was not going to leave much evidence behind. Looking behind a bookcase, one of the Seattle agents, a man called Alan Gordon, shouted to the others that he had found something. Pulling the bookcase away from the wall, they found a brown envelope taped to the wall. As Alan pulled out a few pieces of paper, Nina noticed what was on the papers.
"I'll call Jamey, she knows how to crack this code," Nina spoke as she dialled the number. "Alan, get those papers back to CTU as soon as possible, we need to scan them and send them over to Agent Farrell at CTU Los Angeles," she instructed the agent, who nodded before briskly making for the front door.
"This has been one mess after another," Jack said, his eyes exploring the room. It was spartan, with drab décor and looked more like the home of an elderly man rather than a young one. Sitting down on the couch were McNichol had died just hours before, he sighed and rested his head in his hands. He knew that they were probably going to be in Seattle for days, and Jack couldn't help but worry about Teri and Kim. He ha promised them that he would spend some time with them at the weekend, as a family, but that was pretty much out of the question. Nina joined him on the sofa, and looked at him. Nina was not the type to want a family and a suburban house, nor was she particularly close to any of her family, most of whom lived in Boston on the other side of the country.
"Maybe this latest message will be nothing, and it's our only lead. Our informant's dead, so we're pretty much done here anyway," Nina said.
As Nina, Jack and the other agents returned to CTU, the SAIC Karen Morrison was busy talking on the phone. Noticing the pair, she quickly ended her conversation and walked towards them.
"I've just been on the phone with our head field agent, and apparently we received information about a suspect who is being brought to CTU for questioning. He was apparently seen loitering outside Mr McNichol's house around the time of the shooting," Karen explained.
"I doubt he's connected in any way, Karen. We caught the suspect in the act," Jack replied.
"Well, he's been identified as a member of the same militia that McNichol was part of back in the 1990s. He may have been a lookout for the shooter," Karen explained.
Jamey was puzzled. Although the code used was the same, the message didn't make sense. She had searched for any clue as to the meaning of this latest communique, but her efforts went unrewarded. Cursing under her breath, she picked up the phone and dialled Nina's number.
"Nina, it's Jamey. I've got the message, but I have no idea what it says," Jamey spoke, staring at the message. She hated not being able to solve the problem, and wondered whether the message was going to be of any use to anyone.
"Send it over to Karen Morrison at Seattle CTU, we'll have a look at it here," Nina replied. Waiting for the email to come through, Nina considered the first message. It had been clear, simple to work out after you'd cracked the code, but this one was more of a puzzle, even if it was using the same code.
"Could someone be playing games with us?," she asked Jack.
"How do you mean?," Jack replied, slightly annoyed at the possibility.
"Someone knew that we received the first message, and someone knew that we were going to search McNichol's place," Nina spoke, before she started to look around the office. It didn't take Jack long to work out why.
"You think there's someone passing information?," Jack asked.
"That suspect they're bringing in, we need to talk to him," Nina replied, before the pair headed towards the holding rooms. Minutes later, the suspect was brought past them in shackles. Short, thin and with a shaved head and angry grey eyes, the suspect looked more like a racist teenager than a racist militia member. Jack followed the guards in with the suspect, having asked to do the interrogation. Tired, he started almost immediately.
"Chase McNichol," Jack spoke as he stood in front of the suspect, staring intently at his eyes. The man looked tough, but Jack was tougher.
"Mr Woods, we know all about you," Jack spoke again, emphasising the man's last name, but Woods didn't so much as move his eyes. Jack slammed his hand down onto the table hard, and Woods flinched. The grin on Jack's face was as immediate as the redness that appeared on Woods' face.
"You know anything about the code? What does the message say?," Jack asked, raising his voice slightly. He had managed to scare Woods a bit, and that meant he had gotten to Woods. It was only a matter of time.
"I want a lawyer!," Woods spoke quietly and quickly.
"You're not getting a lawyer! You will tell me what I want to know, or suffer the consequences!," Jack yelled at him.
"But I don't know..," Woods started to speak, before Jack backhanded him across the face.
"No, you DO know, and I want every last detail!," Jack snarled. Woods looked terrified, and for a moment or two seemed to be contemplating whether or not to comply.
"I want protection, and you need to get me out of here," Woods spoke quietly, almost whispering. Jack moved closer, anticipating answers.
"They have someone here, inside CTU, and they know I'm in here. I'll give you the name when I'm out of the building," Woods spoke, his voice becoming ever more fearful.
"Fine, I'll arrange transport to Division, but you better not be messing me around," Jack replied, before leaving the room.
"You believe him?," Karen said as Jack entered the surveillance room.
"He's got no reason to lie. I think you should order a lockdown," Jack replied. Karen picked up the phone. Minutes later, an alarm could be heard.
"I'd better go and inform the other agents," Karen spoke, before leaving Jack and Nina alone in the room. Minutes later, gunshots shattered the silence. Running into the main bullpen area, guns drawn, Jack and Nina saw a crowd massing around a dead body. Seeing the now deceased Karen Morrison on the floor, Jack looked around.
"Where's the shooter?," he asked a nearby agent.
"We don't know," the agent replied, to Jack's disbelief.
"You don't know!?," he replied angrily. How could noone have seen where the shooter had gone ina crowded office during a lockdown.
"That's just it, noone saw the shooter," the agent replied. Jack, however, was not listening. He was looking at the body intently.
"Jack? What is it?," Nina asked, puzzled.
"The shooter wasn't seen because they weren't in the building! A sniper shot her," Jack replied, tracing the path of the bullet back to a window, where there was two bullet holes. With three dead bodies in one day, it was looking like a long mission for the two agents.