Author's Note - This chapter takes place a month after Chapter Three, and two and a half months after Day One. The poem written by Henry is actually one I wrote a few years ago.
CTU Los Angeles, 8.30am
Alex took a deep breath as he walked into CTU. He didn't know what to expect on his first day back. I just hope that there will be no deaths, no betrayals, no kidnappings, no plots to kill politicians. The first person he saw was Michelle Dessler, Nina's replacement. Michelle had visited him a few times over the past couple of months, mainly to get to know him a little, and also to try and get him back to work. Well, Michelle, you should be very happy right now.
Michelle's face lit up as Alex walked in. Finally, he's back!, she said to herself and walked over to him, a big smile on her face. "Welcome back, Alex! I'm glad to see you". Alex smiled, replying,"Thanks. I'm ready to get back to working here. I'm sorry it took me so long, but I just wasn't feeling ready to come back here after what happened". Michelle just grinned,"Hey, at least you're back now. Luckily, it's been quiet lately, and today is no exception".
Los Angeles Women's Federal Detention Facility, 9.00am
Nina was thinking. Hard. She was trying to remember her contacts, because she had a feeling that one day she would need to get in touch with them. And that day will come soon, and I will be free of this damn place!
Jack Bauer's house, Los Angeles, 9.25am
He had had that dream again, for the third night in a row. In it, he witnessed the murder of his wife, looking at it via camera footage. At the end Nina would look up, stare directly into the camera and he would see those soulless eyes once more. As Nina pointed the gun, he would scream out to her, threaten to harm her, but she took no notice. As the bullets smashed through Teri's lean body, Jack would hear crying. After Nina had stared into the camera, the camera would switch off, then turn back on again, showing him his daughter, standing there at CTU, crying. He wanted to console her, hug her, but he couldn't.
As he splashed water on his face, Jack looked at the mirror. He saw a tired, aging man with pain in his eyes. Is that who I am now?
St Joseph's Church graveyard, Chicago, 10.00am
Sarah placed the flowers onto the grave slowly. She had visited Henry's grave often over the past couple of months, and felt that it helped her remember him for who he was, not for what happened to him. Dennis Boothe, the son of a terrorist who Henry had helped put in jail, had managed to sneak a gun into CTU Chicago and took the first chance he had to shoot Henry dead. He was in prison now, facing trial for murder, showing no remorse for his actions. She whispered a poem, one that Henry had written once,
"Drifting by me you go
As the hours turn into weeks
I stand still there
Pining for you
Hoping to feel some loved emotion
I don't know where you need to go
And I don't know why
But always drift by me
And I'll always hope for you."
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and walked away from the grave.
CTU Los Angeles, 11.00am
Well, this isn't too bad. I've been here for a few hours and my hopes for a normal day haven't been dashed just yet, Alex observed as he took a sip of his coffee. He had been set rather mundane tasks, which on a normal day would have been boring, but Alex found them to be a huge relief.
Michelle looked towards Alex every so often, concerned that he might just not be ready enough, but she had been proven wrong each and every time. She looked over at Tony, and realised that the pain he had carried in his eyes ever since she had met him was starting to vanish. She had formed a close bond with him over the past few weeks, and was enjoying every minute of working with him. If I'm being honest, I might even have a crush on him!
Author's Note - Thanks for reading this :). Please review with some constructive criticism! Like I explained at the start of the story, this is a bridge between Days One and Two. Day Two's story is entitled "Alex Myers, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Fight The Nuke".