Chapter 7

A knock at the door of her office startled Audrey out of her numb, dull stupor. She lifted her head. "Come in." Her tone was flat, listless, and emotionless. The door opened, and Karen Hayes stepped into the room. "What are you doing here?" Audrey asked in surprise. "I thought you'd be back at Division by now."

Karen shook her head as she sank into a chair. "They'll have to make do without me for the foreseeable future. I started a job here—helping you search for Jack—and I'm not leaving until that's finished." She placed a hand on Audrey's shoulder, and waited patiently until the young woman looked up at her. "How are you holding up?" she asked gently. "Can I do anything for you?"

"Just find Jack for me," Audrey said quietly. Her voice cracked. "Please. Just find him and bring him back. That's all I want." Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she fiercely blinked them back. In seconds, however, she gave up the struggle and buried her head in her hands as a wracking sob tore from her throat.

Without thinking twice, Karen sat down next to Audrey and put her arms around the younger woman. Convulsive sobs wracked Audrey's slender frame as Karen sat next to her, offering support in the only way that she could. Her three daughters were grown now, but throughout their childhood she had held them countless times as they sobbed into her shoulder, just as Audrey was doing now. Audrey's tears were leaving a wet patch on the shoulder of Karen's suit jacket, but she couldn't have cared less. She sat silently, holding Audrey tightly, as the young woman wept bitterly.

Audrey's cheeks flamed red, and she abruptly jerked out of Karen's embrace. "Sorry," she muttered, swiping at the stray tears on her cheeks.

Karen shook her head. "Don't be. I have three daughters at home; I'm used to having people cry on my shoulder." She handed Audrey a Kleenex. "Do you feel any better now?" Audrey shrugged as she scrubbed at her face with the tissue that Karen had handed her.

"Audrey, look at me," Karen said quietly. She waited patiently until the young woman turned to face her. "We are doing everything that we possibly can to find Jack. I promise you that," Karen told her. "But...I think I may have found one other thing that might work, if you're willing to try it." A spark of hope sprang to life in Audrey's crystal-blue eyes. Karen smiled as she produced a manila folder and handed it to Audrey. "This is a friend of mine. His name is Jon McCoy." Audrey's brow furrowed quizzically. "He's a military man," Karen continued, seeing that she had piqued Audrey's interest. "He's a former Delta Force member. He served in the US Army during Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990 and '91, and served two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom as well. Currently, he's not active duty. He's at home with his wife and daughter...but, if you asked him, I bet he would be willing to go to China and search for Jack."

Audrey hesitated. "You said he has a family?"

Karen nodded. "Yes, he does. A wife and a four-year-old daughter." She opened the manila folder and showed Audrey a picture of a beautiful dark-haired woman and a grinning little girl. "His wife's name is Erin, and their daughter's name is Morgan." Karen smiled affectionately. "I baby-sit for Morgan quite often. She's a wonderful little girl." She glanced at Audrey. "Would you like to ask Jon to help us?"

Audrey closed her eyes briefly. "Karen, I don't know," she whispered. "You know I want to find Jack. I don't even want to think about what horrible things they're probably doing to him," she added, biting her lip. "But how can I do that? How can I ask Jon to leave his family? What if something happened? His wife would be a widow, and that little girl wouldn't have her daddy, and it would be my fault."

Karen met her gaze. "Jon knew the risks when he enlisted in the army, he knew the risks when he joined Delta Force, and he knows the risks every time he goes out on a mission. He knows there's a chance that he won't come home again. But, Audrey, this man is an amazing patriot. He worries about his family, but he'd leave them in a heartbeat to search for Jack if we asked him to. He constantly puts everyone else ahead of himself...even if that means that he gets killed in the line of duty. It's a risk that comes with the job. He speaks several languages, and he could just as easily get a nice, secure, safe job as a translator, but he chooses to put himself in harm's way to protect others. Just like Jack." She glanced back and forth between Audrey and Jon's folder. "Why don't you think about it for a little while, and then give me your answer?"

Audrey nodded. "All right. And, Karen? Thank you."

Karen smiled sympathetically. "You're very welcome." Whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. With a slight frown, Karen fished the phone from her pocket and answered it. "Karen Hayes... Well, hi, Jon! I was just talking about you with someone." Audrey raised her eyebrows and mouthed, "Him? Jon McCoy?" Karen nodded, and then resumed her conversation. "Sit for Morgan? Tonight?" She sighed. "I would love to, but I can't. CTU is swamped right now, and they really need help. Hey, listen, I have a little situation that I need to discuss with you ... Yes, it's about a Delta mission. One of CTU's agents is in a bit of a tight spot, and could really use some help... I knew you'd say that, I knew you'd want to help." (She gave Audrey a look that plainly said, "What did I tell you?") "Actually, I've got someone that I think would like to meet you. She wants to discuss some specifics about the mission. Would you be willing to meet with her? ... Great! When? ... Today? ... No, no, that's not a problem. That will work perfectly. All right, then. I'll see you in about an hour. Thanks, Jon." With that, Karen hung up the phone.

Audrey arched an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"The Delta mission," Karen replied. "Jack's situation. And you." She glanced at Audrey. "Would you like to meet Jon face-to-face? You could ask him about the mission, and see for yourself what his answer would be."

Audrey nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Well, good," Karen said with a smile. "Because I already arranged it. Jon will meet us in about an hour." She got to her feet, and held out a hand to Audrey. "Let's go have a chat with Jon McCoy, and see what he can do to help Jack out." Audrey needed no further urging. Her eyes lit up, and she eagerly followed Karen out the door.

The drive through downtown Los Angeles was relatively short, but to Audrey it seemed endless. At last, Karen steered her blue Honda Civic into the driveway of a two-story white house with an American flag hanging over the front door. "We're here," she said with a smile. Audrey surveyed their surroundings. The house and the yard were well-kept. The grass was a bright, rich green, and a flowerbed full of brightly colored flowers ran along the length of the sidewalk. Audrey caught sight of a pink rubber ball and a child's tricycle in the grass next to the garage, and smiled slightly. The house and the yard gave every indication that a normal family lived there. Audrey could only hope that Jon McCoy wasn't too "normal" to live up to his reputation and bring Jack home. Taking a deep breath, she followed Karen up the sidewalk to the front door.

They heard the doorbell chime inside the house, and Karen exchanged a smile with Audrey as the sound was accompanied by a child's eager squeal and scurrying footsteps. Locks clicked, and the door swung open to reveal a smiling dark-haired woman in jeans and a t-shirt. In her arms, she held a wriggling little girl with the same dark hair and sparkling green eyes. "Hi, Karen," she said warmly. "Good to see you again. Morgan was so excited when she heard that you were coming to visit." She smiled affectionately at the little girl as she held the door open. "Come on in. Jon's upstairs in his study. He'll be down in a minute."

Karen turned to Audrey. "Erin, this is Audrey Heller, a co-worker of mine. Audrey, this is Erin McCoy, Jon's wife. And this is Morgan, their daughter."

Erin greeted Audrey with a handshake and a warm smile. "Nice to meet you."

Morgan wriggled out of her mother's grasp and ran to Karen. "Are you gonna come and play, Karen?" she demanded. "Huh? Are you?"

"Not today," Karen told her. "My friend and I are here to talk to your daddy about work."

"Can I help you work?" Morgan asked. She held up four fingers. "I'm this many years old. That means I'm a big girl. Daddy said so."

Karen shook her head. "Sorry, kiddo. This is grown-up work. It wouldn't be any fun for you." Morgan's lip poked out in a pout, and Karen ruffled her unruly curls. "I'll come play with you soon, I promise. We have a book that we didn't finish reading the last time I was here. We'll do that really soon, okay?" Morgan nodded, satisfied.

Enchanted by the child, Audrey knelt down to her level. "Hi," she said with a smile. "My name is Audrey. I work with Karen."

"Karen's nice," Morgan said, grinning. "She plays with me. She's a good babysitter. Are you a babysitter?"

"I was, when my brother was little," Audrey told her. "But he's a grown-up now. He doesn't need a babysitter anymore."

Morgan accepted that explanation, and abruptly changed the subject. "What happened to your arm?" she asked curiously. "Why do you have that white thing on it, and why is it all wrapped up?"

Audrey paused, thinking. "I did something very silly," she finally said, deciding it wasn't a good idea to scare the child with talk of burglars and 'bad guys.' "I wasn't watching where I was going, and I fell down the stairs. I hurt my wrist, so now I have to wear this cast and sling on it for a little while."

Morgan giggled. "You're right, that was silly." She gave Audrey a stern look. "Mommy says that it's important to always watch where I'm going on stairs and not run on them. She says I could fall and get hurt, like you did."

Audrey ducked her head to hide a smile. "That's good advice. Your mommy was right."

"Morgan," a man's voice called, "are you being a good girl? You're not bothering our visitors, are you?"

Audrey turned and saw a dark-haired man making his way down the stairs towards them. "No, she's not bothering me," she assured him. She motioned towards her white-plaster-casted right arm. "We were just talking about how it's important to be careful on the steps so you don't fall and get hurt, like I did."

The man descended the last few stairs and came to greet Audrey. "You must be the co-worker that Karen mentioned. I'm Jonathan McCoy; call me Jon. And you are...?"

"Audrey Heller," Audrey told him, holding out a hand for him to shake. Jon returned the handshake with a firm grip. As he did, Audrey got her first look at Jon McCoy. He had thick, slightly unruly dark brown hair, and he was tall, muscled, and well-built. He carried himself with a stance that told Audrey that his military training had been firmly drilled into him. So far, so good, she thought. I like what I'm seeing here.

"Karen told me that you wanted to discuss a Delta mission with me, correct?" Jon asked.

He talks like a man in charge, Audrey thought. Excellent. I think I like this guy. Then she remembered that Jon had asked her a question. "Yes, that's correct," she said hastily.

Jon nodded. "All right, then." He ruffled Morgan's curls. "Sweetheart, Daddy needs to have an important talk with Karen and Ms. Heller. Why don't you go play with your baby doll for a little while?" The child nodded and immediately scurried away up the stairs, pausing to grin over her shoulder at Audrey.

Audrey smiled back, and then turned her attention back to Jon. "You don't have to call me 'Ms. Heller,' " she told him. "Audrey's fine."

Jon nodded. "Audrey it is," he said with a smile. "Now, let's go have a talk about the specifics of this mission. I'll see what I can do to help you out." He led the way up the stairs, with Karen and Audrey following.

As they ascended the stairs, Audrey exchanged glances with Karen. She motioned towards Jon, and gave Karen an emphatic nod and a thumbs-up sign. Karen laughed. "Told you so," she whispered, smiling.

Audrey smiled back as she stepped through the door that Jon held open. As she stepped into the large room that was Jon's study, she silently allowed her gaze to travel over the room's interior. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the far wall, and a large, sturdy desk sat in the center of the room. The walls were covered in frames filled with prestigious, official-looking medals, awards, and certificates. Audrey's eyes widened slightly as she took in the impressive sight. Jon caught her eye and winked, making her blush. She chuckled slightly as she watched him hastily remove an assortment of dolls and teddy bears from the chairs and floor.

"Morgan likes to play in here," Jon explained somewhat sheepishly. "She knows she's not allowed to touch the things on my desk, but she leaves her toys pretty much everywhere else. This morning, she decided that her dolls and bears were going to have a camp-out under my desk." Audrey and Karen both laughed, and Audrey smiled. From what she had seen, Jon was a man who loved both his country and his family. He was willing to make any sacrifices that the nation demanded, but he also cared deeply for his family and did his best to provide for them. Excellent.

Jon finally finished gathering up the toys, and dumped them into a plastic box next to his desk. "There," he said with a laugh, pulling out two chairs. "Have a seat." Audrey's ribs were beginning to ache again, and she sank gratefully into the offered chair. Jon sat down behind his desk, and gave Audrey and Karen his full attention. "You told me that you wanted to discuss a Delta mission. What can I do for you?"

Karen produced a thick manila file folder from her bag, and placed it on the desk. "This is Agent Jack Bauer in a nutshell...a rather large nutshell," she added wryly. "He's one of CTU's top agents, and he's a very valuable asset. His methods are sometimes seen as...harsh and unethical, for lack of a better term...but he's one of the best. Because of his work, however, he has made quite a few enemies. He was recently kidnapped by a man named Cheng Zhi, and we believe that he is being held captive somewhere in China."

Jon flipped through a few pages of the large file. "What does this Zhi guy want with Agent Bauer?"

"That's a long story," Audrey said dryly. "Eighteen months ago, Jack uncovered evidence that indicated that someone at the Chinese consulate was linked to Habib Marwan and his operations. The Chinese government refused to hand the man over, so Jack took matters into his own hands and conducted an unauthorized covert raid against the consulate. In the process, the Chinese consul was killed by friendly fire, from his own men. The Chinese government insisted that Jack was the one responsible, and ordered that he either be taken into custody or executed. He was forced to fake his death and go into hiding for the past eighteen months. David Palmer's assassination, as well as the other...events...of the past few days brought him out of hiding, and word somehow got to the Chinese that he was alive. They set up a plot, intending to kidnap him." She held up her casted arm, and motioned towards the bulky wrap under her shirt that was bracing her cracked ribs. "Jack thwarted their attempts, so they broke into our house that night, shot me with a massive tranquilizer dart, and kidnapped Jack."

Jon arched his eyebrows. "Wow," he said simply, shaking his head. "That's some story. So, let me guess what this is all about. Karen bragged to you about my military accomplishments, and you want to recruit me to go to China and bring Jack home."

Audrey nodded. "Yes, that's it exactly." She leaned forward in her chair. "Will you do it?"

"Something tells me that you and Karen would never speak to me again if I said no," Jon remarked.

Audrey's eyes lit up. "So you'll do it? You'll find Jack?"

"I didn't say that," Jon told her. "I'm not sure. There are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration here. Language barriers, for one thing — "

"Don't even try that one," Karen spoke up. "I happen to know that you speak several Chinese dialects, as well as Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and passable German."

Jon nodded. "Okay, you got me there," he said with a wry smile. "So, foreign languages probably won't be an issue here... but there are a lot of other considerable risks. The Chinese government is going to want to hang on to Jack, so they won't be inclined to let me and my Delta team into the country. It would have to be a covert operation, and those always come with a whole boatload of risks. Plus, I'm not officially considered to be an active Delta Force member. I would have to go through all the legal channels to be able to get permission from our government, and I would have to pick out a team to go with me. There are no guarantees. The whole process could take a pretty good-sized amount of time."

"Jack doesn't have much time," Audrey shot back fiercely. She lifted her head and looked Jon in the eye. He was taken back by the strength and determination that he saw in her unflinching gaze. "Mr. — Excuse me, I meant 'colonel'— Colonel McCoy, have you ever heard of Falun Dafa?"

"Call me Jon," he told her. "And, yes, I've heard of Falun Dafa. It's a Chinese gulag. Not a nice place at all."

"Exactly," Audrey snapped. She paused, trying to rein in her emotions. When she spoke again, her tone was considerably calmer. "That's it exactly. Jack Bauer is an amazing patriot. He's sacrificed almost everything for his country, and received almost no thanks in return. Now, on top of everything else, the government seems to be inclined to just let him die in China. You know that Falun Dafa is a hellhole. Jack doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. No one does. That is why I'm asking you to help us find him and bring him home where he belongs."

Damn, this little lady really knows how to play a guilt trip, Jon thought. He ran a hand through his hair. "I must say, I admire your stubbornness, Audrey," he said wryly. "You don't give up easily." He sighed. "All right. You've convinced me."

Fresh hope lit up Audrey's crystal-blue eyes. "You'll do it?" she asked breathlessly. "You'll go to China?"

Jon nodded. "I will. Against my better judgment, I'll go. You've convinced me. You understand that there are no guarantees," he added firmly, "but I give you my word that I will try my best. That's a soldier's promise."

Hardly realizing what she was doing, Audrey leaped from her chair and hugged Jon tightly. "Thank you," she gasped. "Thank you so much!"

Laughing, he returned the hug. "You're very welcome." Jon stepped back and regarded Audrey. "Does Jack Bauer know just how lucky he is?" he asked seriously. "He's a very lucky guy, to have someone like you fighting on his side."

Audrey smiled. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome," Jon told her, smiling back. He took her hand in his, and shook it firmly. "I'll get to work, and call you in a few days to let you know what the arrangements are."

"Thank you," Audrey told him earnestly. Her eyes shone with tears. "I appreciate it more than you know."

Jon nodded solemnly. "You're very welcome." He helped Audrey slip into her coat and button it. "There you go. I'll walk you to the door."

As they descended the stairs and approached the foyer, there was a scurrying of feet above them. Audrey glanced up to see little Morgan peering down at them between the banister railings. "Bye, Karen," she called cheerfully. "Bye, Audrey!"

"Goodbye, Morgan," Audrey called back, smiling. She waved to the child, and then followed Karen out the front door.

For the first time in days, Audrey was smiling. As she walked down the driveway towards Karen's blue Honda Civic, she threw her head back and laughed with pure, unrestrained joy. For the first time since this whole ordeal had begun, she felt truly hopeful that Jack just might come home after all.