8: 11pm – 12am (EST):
DISCLAIMER: See Chapter 1
Hey, guys. First of all, can I just say I AM SO SORRY for not updating in about a month! Basically, uni work, moving back home for Easter and then doing even more uni work over Easter led to me not being able to update each part of the story for some time. I should probably warn you now that updates will not be as common as they were for the first 7 installments but at least I am now a third of the way through the story. Keep your reviews (and any criticism) coming and let me know what you think of this chapter and more! :)
The following takes place between 11pm and 12am, European Standard Time:
–
23:00:01PM
North Atlantic Sea
Crawling as fast as he could past the landing gear of Flight 681, Kurt moved back towards the vent entrance that led to the restaurant area and pulled one of the two phones from his trouser pockets. Using it to search online, he pulled up the phone number... of the White House. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but he had a feeling that whoever had hijacked the plane was not about to tell the President about what would happen when the plane landed - he had to tell him! Pulling out the other phone, he typed in the number and put the other phone to his ear. After several rings, his call was answered. "White House Service Board" a female voice replied. Kurt took a deep breath, knowing what he had to. "Trace this phone-call, then put me through to the President.. it's an emergency!" he said. "May I ask who this is?" the woman replied, a combination of confusion and suspicion in her voice. Kurt was about to reply when he heard footsteps coming into the restaurant. Instantly taking the phone away from his ear, he peeked through the vent and held his breath – there was a lone gun-man walking through the area and he couldn't risk talking in case he was somehow heard.
He could fully well hear the woman on the phone going "Sir? Sir?" repeatedly and he wished the man would move soon so he could get back to here. He finally turned his back and Kurt put the phone back to his ear. "Please, just trace the call!" he pleaded but the woman didn't get the message. "Sir, I need to know who this is.. I can't just put you through to the President without knowing..." the woman insisted as he eyed the man leaving the restaurant area. "For the love of Christ, woman, just trace the call!" he said in a loud whisper. "Sir, I'm giving you one more chance to give me your identity.." the switchboard woman replied, getting annoyed at Kurt's attitude. Kurt was trying very hard not to yell at the woman – he had no doubt she was doing his job but this was an emergency. "Look, I'm on United Airlines Flight 681! Just tell the President that, please! I don't have much time as it is!" he replied, nearly losing his temper.
"Alright then, sir.. I'll trace the call. And then I'll give the police your location for trying to waste our time.." the woman said, typing into her computer to trace the call. The location of the call came up almost instantly and her jaw dropped in shock. It came from the North Atlantic Ocean and it was moving every few seconds, much like it was coming from a plane. She instantly spoke into her headset. "Sir? Are you still there?" she asked. "Yeah... Please just put me through" he whispered. "Stay on the line, sir. I'll be a few seconds" the woman said. Kurt sighed, hoping the woman was keeping him on the line for a good reason.
–
White House
"As it is, Mr President, we should consider an evacuation of the city and all surrounding area. It's like Brian said, we don't know what's on that plane.." a voice said through speaker-phone, talking with Heller, McKaye and Baylis. "I'm not sure about that, Graham. For starters, we can't evacuate the whole city within 2 hours.." Baylis was first to reply. "And there's the fact we don't know what EXACTLY in on that plane. Hermann could be calling our bluff and I think we should try and find out more before we act.." McKaye added, as Heller looked deep in thought. "With all due respect, gentlemen, we've been in contact with Mr. Hermann for a few hours now and we don't even know what it is that these hijackers want, aside from their demands!" the man known as Graham said, as he sat at his desk in a large office. A nameplate with his full-name, Graham Borisdon, sat on his desk and also on the nameplate read his occupation: director of the FBI. "Mr President? What are you thinking?" he heard McKaye and back in the Oval Office, Heller looked up. "All of you... have made some pretty valid points. But... Graham, Brian's right. We can't evacuate the city in such a short space of time. We'll have to draw up some plans of collateral damage and call in the Armed Forces but we can't evacuate" he decided.
He could hear the FBI director sign in frustration over the phone. "But, Graham... I'm sure you've been told about how there might be a mole in the Pentagon..." he added. "Yes..." Borisdon replied after a few seconds, unsure as to where the President was going. "I need the FBI to monitor the Pentagon discreetly. If there is a mole, we need to catch them!" Heller declared. There were a few seconds of silence. "If that's what you wish, sir... I can get someone on it straight-away – no-one at the Pentagon would even realize.." the director finally agreed. "Thank you, Graham.. let me know if you get anything from it.." Heller spoke before promptly hanging up. He looked up at McKaye and Baylis. He couldn't understand it – the Pentagon was supposed to be one of the most secure places on the planet and yet now he was having to give the order for the FBI to spy on them. He was about to ask them if he had made the right choice when his phone beeped. "Mr President, there's a call on line two for you.." a female voice said – it was the woman from the White House switchboard. Heller pressed down on the phone's speaker.
"Who is it?" he asked. "That's just it, sir.. he won't reveal who he is but he insists he needs to talk to you!" the woman replied. Heller thought for a few seconds. "I'm rather busy right now, so unless it's important.." he started to say, but the woman interrupted. "I think it is Mr President! Unless I'm mistaken, I think the call is coming from Flight 681!" she said. Heller was about to reply but then stopped. His eyes widened as he took in what he had been told. Flight 681?! "Put it through!" he instantly replied and he looked back up – Baylis and McKaye were now gathered around his desk. Several seconds passed but finally the woman spoke up. "Sir, you are on with the President!" she said and her voice was replaced with what appeared to be a voice speaking in an air-pressured part of the plane. "Mr President?" Kurt spoke up, relieved to hear his voice. "Thank god... I've been trying to reach you, sir!" he added, sighing. "So I've gathered... just to note, you're also on with Andrew McKaye and the National Security Advisor! Now, I wanna know who are you and what's happening on Flight 681?" Heller replied. "I'm Kurt, sir. Kurt Escalona. And to be honest, I've no idea what I could tell you.." came the reply from the young America, to which Heller frowned slightly. "Ok, well.. try and explain as best you can – now, do you have who has hijacked this plane?" he asked. Of course, he knew full well just who had hijacked Flight 681 but he had to check this person was the real deal.
"All I know, sir... is it's some German called Jurgen Hermann, I think.." Kurt replied. Heller nodded. "Ok. Do you know what it is they want?" he replied. "Kind-of, Mr President. Something about wanting a group of prisoners released from jail and the withdrawal of American forces across Europe, I think" Kurt answered, thinking back to what he had heard over his laptop and what Chloe had told him. Heller's stony face softened, this Kurt was the genuine article. "Ok, Mr Escalona. I have a few more questions I need answering. Is there a Chloe O'Brian onboard?" he asked. Kurt's eyes rose in surprise. "Yes, there is! And a tall man that was with her.. I think he was called Belcheck!" he replied quickly and Heller's eyebrows rose – both Chloe AND Belcheck were on that plane? McKaye quickly waded into the conversation. "Mr Escalona, Andrew McKaye. Hermann contacted us just a few minutes ago – he's requested we complete one of his orders by the time the plane lands but not before; I know it sounds confusing, but can you think of any possible reasons why he would do that?" he asked. Kurt stopped, confused by the Englishman's question. But then a thought sprang to mind. "Now that you say it... I think he said he had no intention of letting the plane land" he said, moving towards the landing gear.
The three men in the White House shared a look of confusion. Hermann had said he expected results for when the plane landed but now they had learnt he had no intention of landing the plane. "I.. don't understand what you mean.." Heller said slowly – at first, he got no reply as Kurt had moved the phone away from his ear and was crouching down to check the cylinders containing the nerve agent on the plane's wheels. "Mr Escalona?" the President spoke again. Kurt returned the phone to his ear as he heard his name being called a second time. "Sorry, sir.. but yeah, I don't think Hermann intends to land the plane" he admitted. This time, Baylis spoke up. "How can you be so sure, Mr Escalona?" he asked. Kurt sighed – he had no idea what VX gas was but from the early reactions of Chloe and Belcheck, it was something nasty. "By account of the fact there's VX gas on the landing gear" he admitted. The mood within the Oval Office instantly darkened. Baylis looked at McKaye in complete shock - "How the hell did Hermann.." Baylis started but then found himself unable to find the words to finish. "How can you be sure it's VX gas?" Heller spoke into the phone. Kurt had taken the seconds of silence to move out of the landing gear area.
"I can't... I'm going on what the Serb told me earlier... but I got the feeling very little scares this guy and this scared him!" he replied. Heller knew what he meant – from when he had spoken with the Serb mobster back in London, he looked and sounded like a guy who didn't scare easily. "Ok, whereabouts on the landing gear is this VX gas?" the President asked further. Kurt didn't have to look back over at the landing gear as he knew exactly where they were positioned. "Right above the wheels.. now I don't have any knowledge of planes, Mr President, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of explosive on this flight and if it went off when the landing gear is deployed.." he admitted – for all he knew, there was no explosive but that would just raise even more questions – why place such a deadly nerve agent on a plane and have it overfly an area with the intent of inflicting maximum damage, but then have no means of actually spreading the agent over the area? Heller bit his lip in worry and realization – he now knew Hermann's intentions to an extent; even if he ordered the withdrawal of those covert agents in Europe, the hijackers would probably detonate the nerve agent. "Mr Escalona, I have to go. I'll have the White House switchboard trace your number in case we need to ring you" he told the young American. "Yes, sir.." Kurt whispered and the President promptly hung up. Everything he thought he knew about the hijacking had gone out the window and he needed to rethink.
"Draw up a casualty estimate if this VX gas IS detonated.. and get me the Cabinet!" he ordered, looking at Baylis who nodded and left. McKaye put his hand on his forehead. "What now, sir?" he asked. Heller looked up. "To be honest, son... I have no clue.." he said. He was thankful he could still remember the events of the last few hours but now he faced an impossible choice.
–
23:07:09PM
Lublin
Jack furiously kicked against the cockpit door, trying to force his way out of the cockpit. In the seconds following the crash-landing, the flight attendants had ordered an immediate evacuation and from a phone-call made by the captain to one of the senior attendants, it was learnt everyone had been evacuated safely – now just Jack, the pilots and Romana were left. But the door had jammed and whilst it was built so it could move inwards, Jack was kicking at it not to force it outwards but to just make a hole in the door so they could escape. Finally, lining himself up for a full slam against the door, the American forced his way through. "Come on!" he yelled, waiting. Finally, Romana emerged and immediately moved towards the emergency door, jumping out of the plane, followed in turn by the captain and Sergei. As he heard the captain and the first officer hit the floor, he followed suite – jumping onto the rubber slide, he slide onto the ground and was pulled to his feet by Romana. He looked around him and could see various passengers being treated for any injuries acquired during the crash-landing. "Everyone ok?" he asked the female flight attendant. Romana slowly nodded. "A few injuries but no-one has died. I think it's safe to say you saved them.." she replied, smiling at the end. Jack smiled sadly and looked around, relieved at the news.
"I'm sorry... for what I did to you at the start of the flight" he said, turning back to face the tall Ukrainian. He knew he apologized before-hand but he still felt guilty about what he did, even if it was necessary. Romana smiled. "Don't worry.. I know why you did it and if you ask any of the crew-members on this flight, you'll learn that I don't hold a grudge.." she insisted, pulling Jack into a hug. Several seconds passed by before the attendant spoke again. "What are you going to do now?" she asked, releasing Jack from the hug. He sighed. "I've got to get back to America and fas..." he started but then stopped. Romana looked around and saw, to her shock, several Polish police officers surrounding the two of them with guns raised. "Ma'am, I order you to step away from that man now!" a senior-looking officer yelled in Polish. In the corner of Jack's eye, he could see the two pilots coming up towards them in shock. "What the hell is going on?" the captain yelled. "Sir, we have orders to take this man into custody! Do not interfere.." another officer informed him. Romana instantly moved in front of Jack, almost like a human shield. "On what grounds? He helped land this plane!" she yelled, defending him.
"You would never have been in danger if he wasn't on that plane to begin with! We won't say it again – step away from him!" the senior officer yelled, as Jack put a hand on Romana's shoulder. "It's ok.." he said firmly as he moved slowly towards the senior officer, raising his arms in the process. Submitting himself to a body search, he was then put in handcuffs and led to the back of an airport police car. Romana could only watch – yes, Jack hijacked the flight but his actions didn't kill anyone. The American was forced into the back of the police car whilst the senior officer seated himself in the front of the car. He turned to the young driver. "Leave us" he said sternly in Polish – since Jack didn't understand Polish, he couldn't understand a word of what the officer was saying, so he was a bit surprised when the driver got out of the police car. The moment the door was closed, the senior officer turned to face Jack. "Don't worry, Mr Bauer, you're quite safe.." he said, speaking perfect English. Jack's eyes rose in surprise. "How do you know who I am?" he asked.
"About 10 minutes before we were alerted to the plane's situation, I was contacted by the British Embassy in Warsaw. London has been actively searching for you for the last six hours" the officer replied almost instantly. Inside, Jack was somewhat taken aback – why would London be searching for him? "I don't understand.." he replied quietly. The officer sighed, trying to word what he was going to say. "It's not quite official otherwise an official BOLO would have been put out.. but according to sources in London, President Heller has been trying to find you" he finally explained. Jack sat back, almost reeling at what he had been told. He was tempted to say that he'd been trying to contact the President, but he kept quiet – this officer may seem helpful but he couldn't help feeling a bit suspicious. "Would it be possible for me to contact him?" he asked. The officer nodded. "Of course – and I should add, I've read your record, Mr Bauer; I know you wouldn't have hijacked that flight without good reason.." he added and he started up the car. By now, the rest of the police vehicles were heading back to the station and the senior officer's car followed. Inside, Jack wiped his forehead in relief – he was not out of the woods yet but at least he was out of the Ukraine.
23:11:04PM
–
23:15:31PM
Lublin Airport
As the convey of police cars entered a large hangar, the senior officer's car stopped in the far-left hand corner – the officer pulled Jack from the backside and uncuffed him. "Thanks.." he muttered as he placed his hands on the top of the car, resting them. "Be as quick as possible." the officer added. Jack nodded as he took the phone that the officer had placed on the top of the car and typed in the number he knew quite well.
–
White House
Screwing the cap back on his bottle of tablets, Heller placed the tablets into his mouth and then picked up his glass of water, downing both beverage and tablets in one go. Pacing up and down in front of his desk was McKaye, waiting impatiently for Baylis to give the go-ahead to head down to the conference room so Heller could meet with the remainder of his Cabinet – he had expected to see some of them here but he was surprised to learnt that nearly all of the Cabinet, save for Heller, the Vice-President, the Chief of Staff and the N.S.A, were all attending conferences across the world on the behalf of the President. At long last, a member of the President's security detail appeared in the doorway. "Mr President, the Cabinet is ready for you!" he announced. Heller nodded and got up, walking towards the door. McKaye was about to follow behind him when the phone on the desk suddenly started to ring.
McKaye looked back and then looked at the President. "I thought he said..." the MI-5 agent started, instantly believing the caller to be Hermann. Heller rose his finger, as to say stop and walked back towards the phone. Looking down at it for a few seconds, he finally answered on the 7th ring. "This is Heller.." he said, coldly but also calmly. "Mr President, it's me!" Jack yelled, thankful he had finally contacted the President. Heller almost did a double-take as he realized who he was talking to. "JACK?!" he replied. McKaye could see the President's evident surprise and he realized who he was talking to - "Jack" as in Jack Bauer, the same man that he had been trying to find for quite a few hours now. "Jack, whereabouts are you?" Heller quickly asked, thinking that he might be on the way to America by now. "That's kind-of hard to explain, sir... as it is, I'm currently in Poland!" Jack replied. Heller's jaw fell in surprise and he found himself moving Poland in confusion. "I don't understand! How can you be in Poland? You were only in London last night!" he said rapidly, trying to make sense of what he had been told. "I know, sir and it's a long story.. but frankly, that's not important. I have reason to believe that your life is still in danger.." Jack replied, getting straight to the point. Heller froze – he knew Jack well enough that if he felt the President's life was in danger or the life of anything important to him, he was most likely right. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Jack sighed as he tried to find the words to explain what he meant, without giving too much away. "I've found evidence.. of what appears to be some kind of attack on the country.." he finally said. Back in the White House, Baylis walked in and noticed McKaye next to the door-way. "What's going on, who's the President talking with?" he asked the MI-5 agent, who looked at him and turned back to face the President. "Jack Bauer.." he replied. "Ok, Jack, I'm not accusing you of lying by any means... but what kind of evidence?" Heller asked. Jack was about to answer but quickly turned away so that his back was facing the airport police. "Among the plans I read regarding the attack, there was an explicit order for my death... I've just spent the last 6 hours being pursued across central Ukraine by both Russian soldiers AND Ukraine rebels.." he said quietly, but enough for Heller to hear. "And that's not all, sir... there was something among the plans about a plane hijacking; apparently, that's a ruse, something to distract you from another plan..." he added. For several seconds, there was silence – Heller had heard a lot of things over the past few hours that he thought he couldn't believe, but he did not see this coming at all! Now he knew why Hermann's demands didn't seem that serious in the grand scheme of things; they were nothing more than a ruse and he'd most probably detonate the VX gas over DC regardless of whether he would follow his orders.
But the fact that one of the ordered plans had been to kill Jack.. that could only mean that whoever had planned these attacks had known that he was alive, which meant this plan had been potentially months in the making. "Mr President?" Jack said suddenly and Heller snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, Jack... it's just, for the last few hours, I've actually been having to deal with a plane hijacking! United Airlines Flight 681 – it's been hijacked by a former German intelligence agent.." he replied. "...sorry, sir, did you say 681?!" Jack replied almost instantly, panic in his voice. At first confused by the panic in his voice, Heller suddenly realized. Chloe O'Brian. "Yes... Flight 681..." he said and Jack sighed in anger. "DAMN IT! That's the same flight I put Chloe on back to America!" he explained, confirming Heller's suspicion. There was deadly silence for quite a few seconds as Jack thought of his next move. "Bare with me a minute, sir.." he told Heller before putting the phone and turning to face the senior airport police officer. "I need a fighter jet; I've got to get back to America now and a fighter jet is the fastest option I can think of. What's the fastest jet the airport has?" he asked quietly. The officer thought for just a second before it came to him. "The Mikoyan MIG-29; there are 5 of them on stand-by" he said. Jack nodded. "I need one. Now." he ordered.
The officer nodded himself and walked towards the group of officers. Jack put the phone back to his ear. "Mr President, I'm flying back to America, but I'm gonna need some help.." he explained. "Anything, Jack.." Heller replied as soon as he heard him talking again. "I'm gonna be flying back in three stages to avoid suspicion.. I need a naval carrier to meet me in the North Atlantic, then a helicopter to transport me to the White House. I'm gonna aim to be in DC by around 10pm your time.." the former CTU agent explained. "Very well, Jack.. I'll get you that carrier as soon as possible.." Heller agreed. "Thank you, sir.. I'll contact you when I'm overflying the ocean. Oh and sir?" Jack added. Heller stopped, waiting to hear what else he had to say. Jack bit his lip and a ball formed in his throat. "I'm so sorry about Audrey.." he said before promptly hanging up, trying hard not to break into tears as he walked towards the group of officers. Before Heller could even reply to what Jack had said, he heard the dial tone. He slowly put the phone down and looked up at McKaye and Baylis. "Sir?" Baylis asked first, worried. "We've got a problem, gentlemen.. and it could potentially get a lot worse.." he said, before walking towards the door frame. McKaye instinctively moved out of the way and exchanged a look with the NSA before following Heller.
–
23:20:03PM
Lublin Airport
Jack walked over towards the officer, who was finishing up a phone-call on the hanger phone in his native language. "Right, thank you.." he said as he hung up and turned to face the American. "A Mig is being prepared for you now. Should be about 5 minutes before it's ready." he confirmed. Jack nodded and was about to reply when the Polish airport officer spoke again. "I should warn you though. I've ordered the onboard tracking system be disabled – it may seem risky but it'll mean you can get through European airspace undetected..". Though a bit surprised by this, Jack nods. "That's fine, thank you..." he started before pausing, realizing he didn't know the officer's name. Luckily, the old officer smiled. "Just call me Dowski.." he said, holding his hand out. Jack nodded and took up the offer of the hand. "Thanks, Dowski.." the American finished what he spoke. Then a thought sprang to mind. "Won't the control tower get suspicious if an aircraft takes off suddenly, considering the crash-landing outside?" he asked. "Got that covered, don't worry; by the time they realize, you'll be long gone.." Dowski responded, crossing his arms.
Jack was quite surprised – for someone he had just met, Officer Dowski was quite obviously someone who acted quickly and had everything covered. His gut was telling him he should be suspicious, but he had no reason to think Dowski was in league with either the Russians or Ukranians. But in the end, he simply nodded. "Thanks.." he said. "Jack!" a female voice and both men looked towards the open hangar door, as standing there was Romana. "One sec..." the American said to Dowski, as he walked over to the Ukraine flight attendant. "Hey.. you shouldn't be here." he said softly. Romana almost scoffed. "The paramedics have checked me out, I'm fine – I was worried with how you were.." she insisted, almost surprised that Jack wasn't being interrogated. The American looked around – there weren't many people in the hangar and none of them were right near the two of them. He knew he shouldn't really be telling Romana what he was about to say but he felt she had a right to know. "What I'm about to say, you can't tell anyone.. not even if you're asked about the crash-landing.." he finally said. Romana rose an eyebrow but nodded as Jack led her towards a quiet corner.
–
White House
A Secret Service agent opened a door leading to a large conference room, as Heller, Baylis and McKaye walked in. On the large plasma screen, all in different locations, were about 15 people – all members of the Cabinet. "Mr President.." one said, nodding, as the door was closed. "Good evening, everyone.. before I start, this is Andrew McKaye. He's from MI-5 and he's been a huge help in tackling the events of the last few hours, which is why he's sitting in with us.." Heller explained, as McKaye nodded at the various heads on the screen. "Brian?" Heller turned to Baylis, indicating for him to start off. "For those of you who don't know and to quell any rumours you may have heard..." the NSA started to explain, standing up as he did. "... Vice-President Marshall is dead". The stony faces of those on the screen fell upon hearing this, with some even having to make a double-take. "What happened?" one of them, a women with glasses, asked. "As it is, Jessica, we've no idea – all we know is that his helicopter was found burnt-out on the outskirts of DC.." Baylis replied. "And that it somehow ties in with the hijacking of Flight 681" McKaye added. For a moment, there was stunned silence before another person spoke up. "You said the Vice-President's death links in with the hijacking; in what way are they linked?" the man asked.
Heller had been keeping his head down ever since Baylis had started talking, but upon hearing this question, he looked up. "We've only just found out there's even a link to begin with. I've just been in contact with Jack Bauer" he explained and the mere mention of Bauer sent the eyebrows of all those on screen rising in surprise. The man who had asked about the link was about to start talking again when Heller rose his hand, telling him not to say anything. "I know what you're thinking, but you don't know the full story. Jack's the reason I'm still here right now. He intentionally surfaced in London to stop the attacks against me and he knows the truth behind both the hijacking and the death of the Vice-President.." he revealed. Jessica leaned in closer to the screen. "And what is the truth?" she asked. Heller swallowed slightly. "He says he's found evidence that both the hijacking and the Vice-President's death are part of a terrorist plot against this country" he finally said. The mood within the conference room, and wherever those on the screen were, turned cold – of course, both McKaye and Baylis had no idea what Bauer and the President were talking about, so to hear of a possible terrorist threat against the country was not what they were expecting to hear.
"What kind of threat?" another man asked. "Jack didn't go into too much details, but I've also had contact with someone onboard Flight 681 – it would seem that flight is carrying VX gas.." Heller replied. "Frankly, it's becoming more clear the hijacker's demands are a ruse – had it not been for this person, we wouldn't have realized the plane had VX gas until it was too late!" McKaye added. The looks on the cabinet members seemed to suggest that Bauer's claim of a terrorist attack had some legs but Jessica wasn't too sure. "And you're trusting Bauer on this? Mr President, this is the person who murdered countless Russians and nearly killed Charles Logan among other things and you're trusting him?!" she exclaimed. Heller sighed and gave the Attorney General a glare. "Charles Logan was a traitor to this country, Ms. Barrett.. not just for killing Wayne Palmer but for helping to cover up the Russian's involvement in the murder of Omar Hassan! Jack may have committed murder but he was trying to uncover the truth – besides, look at his track record; if Jack suspects something bad is about to happen, he's usually proven right!" he retorted. But then he noticed some of the cabinet members had looks of concern on their faces.
Before he could even speak, Baylis discreetly handed him a note. On it read "It was David Palmer". Heller's insides turned – his dementia had struck again and at one of the worst times possible. He needed to draw everyone away from this. "My point is, I think we should trust Jack on this. Had he not contacted me before-hand, we wouldn't have even knew there was a terrorist plan happening – they could blow up the US Capitol and we wouldn't even know until it was too late!" he explained, hoping the Cabinet would understand what he was saying – whilst their faces suggested they didn't, some of them nodded. Sensing things going south, Baylis waded in. "Let's take 5 minutes, use it to come up with any solutions for this problem." he said before picking up a remote and turning off the screen. Heller put his head in his hands, shaking his head. "How could I forget a name like David Palmer?" he said, flustered. "Mr President, it's ok. This is coverable – just say you got the brothers mixed up, it can happen to anyone!" McKaye insisted. "You don't understand, McKaye – I SHOULD know, I was involved in the whole conspiracy that started with David Palmer's death! I nearly killed myself in trying to save Jack and Audrey that night.." the President replied.
"Look, James.. it's ok. They may be thinking the worst but you should use this as a chance to prove you're not incapable. You're our President and you can still make decisions.." Baylis pointed out. Heller looked up at him. "I get that, Brian, but when I can't even remember a previous President's name in front of my Cabinet.." he replied. McKaye and Baylis exchanged a look. "We're still here, sir. We'll make sure nothing goes wrong. Don't worry.." McKaye said reassuringly. Heller looked up and gave a slight smile. "Thank you, both of you. It's good to know there are people I can still count on.." he said. "Don't worry, sir. It's our pleasure.." Baylis said. As the three waited for the rest of the Cabinet, Heller thought to himself – even if Jack made it back to America, it was highly unlikely he'd be able to stop Flight 681. Part of him was thinking about shooting the plane down before it reached DC, before the VX gas could be distributed, but he just didn't know.
18:27:10PM
–
23:33:45PM
Lublin Airport
"MR. BAUER!" Dowski called over to Jack who was still talking with Romana. The American looked behind him and noticed the old airport officer beckoning him over. "One second.." he told the flight attendant as he walked over to Dowski. "The jet's ready.. we've had to remove weapons and the onboard scanner but it's good to go!" the Pole explained. Jack nodded. "Does it have autopilot control?" he asked. "Yes. Just lock in your course and keep control throughout but there is autopilot capability.." came the reply. Looking back at Romana, Jack made his decision. "I can't keep the President waiting; I need to leave within the next 5 minutes.." he said. Dowski nodded. "We'll get the jet on the runway immediately – you should say goodbye to her.." he replied, indicating towards Romana. Jack looked back and nodded. "Yeah.. just get that jet ready.." he ordered. Dowski simply nodded as the American walked back towards the flight attendant who looked up. "Everything ok?" she asked. "Yeah.. but I've to go – I'm taking off in the next 5 minutes" he started.
"To fly to America?" she said, interrupting. Jack nodded, looking into her eyes – he could see she was concerned for him. "I'll be fine.. the airport police had to remove missiles and anything unimportant, but as long as I stay out of immediate eyesight.." he insisted. Romana gave a slight smile. "Just let me know when you land. Promise me that.." she requested, pulling him into a hug. Jack sighed. "I will, thank you!" he assured. Finally pulling himself free, he walked towards the open hangar door where Dowski was standing, watching the jet being taxied onto the runway.
–
23:36:00PM
North Atlantic Ocean
In the cockpit of Flight 681, the flight console started to beep. Hermann looked over and noticed it was coming from the radar. "What's this, Captain?" he asked. Black looked over. "It's the planned flightpath, this happens when you deviate from a planned course on a plane like this" he explained. Silence followed as he looked up at Hermann, waiting for him to say something. "Well, turn it off!" the German said almost sarcastically, like he was talking to an idiot. Black moved over to the radar and rolled his eyes. "Aren't you going to tell us, Hermann?" Chloe suddenly asked and the German looked at her. "Tell you what?" he asked, his tone faking obliviousness. "Why you're having us take a longer route?" came the reply from the former analysis. Hermann simply rose an eyebrow and Chloe sighed, knowing full well he was pretending to not know what she was talking about. "Surely you'd want to get to DC airspace within the shortest amount of time possible – you know, put the President under more pressure?" she pushed for an answer.
Hermann lightly scoffed. "Oh, Chloe... you've clearly forgotten from the last time we saw each other. In the words of the Joker, "I'm a man of my word". If I wanted to attack DC, I'd do it after a given time and not before" he finally revealed. Black looked up at the German in utter confusion – this guy was nuts! "But of course, it's irrelevant whether this plane overflies DC in an hour, two hours or even a day – what can your President or anyone do to stop it?" Hermann added, looking down at Chloe who simply glared daggers at him. "You don't know what he's going to do.." Belcheck spoke up and everyone looked at him. "For all you know, he's planning to stop this plane even entering DC airspace" the Serb added. Hermann simply looked at him before smirking. "I know the President.. he's not going to do anything, at least not whilst hundreds of lives are involved" he said, his tone of voice showing he was quite positive in his belief. Whilst his back was turned, Chloe's thoughts turned to that of Kurt – he was still in the belly of the plane and quite possibly their last hope.
Down below in the belly of the plane, meanwhile, Kurt crawled towards the elevator shaft and pulled the panel off the wall slowly – the elevator was down, which meant he would have to wait. Suddenly, he felt a vibrating in his pocket and he pulled out one of the phones – a strange number was ringing him and he was confident it was the President. He quickly pressed down on the answer button and put it to his ear. "Mr President?" he asked.
–
White House
"Mr Escalona" Heller said, speaking into the conference room phone as he looked up at Baylis, then McKaye and then the remainder of his cabinet. "You're also on with my cabinet as well as Andrew McKaye and Brian Baylis from earlier" he added. "Hey" Kurt said, acknowledging their presence. "And also, Mr President.. I'd be grateful if you just called me Kurt. All this mister stuff, it just makes me nervous" he added. "Very well.. Kurt. What's happened since we last spoke to you?" Heller replied. Kurt looked around him before replying. "Not much in all honesty.. haven't heard any gunshots so I don't think anyone has been killed. At least, not yet" he admitted. Heller eased a little at hearing that – at least no one was dead. "Mr Escalona.." a male voice said and Heller looked up. It was one of the cabinet members on the plane's large screen. "This is Michael Gerrard" the man said. Despite his condition, Heller easily recognized him – he was the Secretary of State and owing to the death of the Vice-President, next in line for the Presidency should anything happen to him. "The President relayed back to us that you reported VX gas on the landing gear of Flight 681. Could you confirm that for us?" he asked.
Kurt could hardly believe his ears. "I know it might seem strange, but we need to know for sure!" he heard the SoS continue. "Fine.. give me a second" he finally agreed as he crawled back towards the landing gear. In the conference room, the atmosphere was tense – they could understand that Kurt wouldn't lie about something like nerve gas but Gerrard was right, they had to know for sure. "Ok, I'm by the landing gear. I'm looking at the canisters.." Kurt finally said, waiting for instructions. "Can you see any form of scientific writing on them?" McKaye asked. Several seconds went by. "Yes.. I can. O... ethyl... S" he reported slowly. On the plasma screen, one of the cabinet members was looking over a series of notes and he looked up, a grim look on his face. "O-ethyl-S.. IT IS VX gas!" he said. The cabinet had expressed shock at hearing it the first time around, but now they had confirmation VX gas was on Flight 681, the mood had sunk even further. Kurt was unsure on how to take their silence. "Is everything ok? I could open up a canister, take a better look.." he offered. "NO, NO! That's quite alright, Kurt. Thank you" Heller quickly replied – now he knew for sure, he had a serious choice to make. But before anyone else could say anything, Kurt suddenly heard a muffled, but loud voice coming through what appeared to be the intercom. "Kurt Escalona!" the voice said. Kurt looked up in complete surprise.
In the conference room, Heller had heard this as well. "Kurt?" he said. However, he couldn't be heard as Kurt was rapidly looking around him to see if he'd been spotted. The voice speaking again bought him out of his senses and he instantly recognized it – it was Hermann! "You have been causing me a great deal of trouble for the past few hours and now that I know who you are, I am going to make you a once-only offer – you have until quarter past midnight, European Standard Time, to make yourself known and to surrender. If you do not, it will be more than just your girlfriend who will have a bullet in your head!" Hermann said, looking down at his iPad which had Kurt's profile on it and then looking up at Chloe. Near the landing gear, the German's words began to make sense to Kurt – he had both Chloe and Belcheck in the cockpit and could easily kill both of them. "I say again, you have about 35 minutes to surrender!" came one final warning before silence filled the plane. Kurt slowly bought the phone to his ear. "Did you hear all that, sir?" he asked.
"Yes, Kurt. I did" Heller finally replied – he had a serious decision to make. "Well.. what can I do? I wouldn't put it past them to kill me the moment I come out!" the young American pushed for an answer. Seeing that his President was in deep thought, Baylis spoke up. "Mr Escalona, I think we might have to call you back. All I can say is, just stay where you are until we call you back!" he said. Kurt wasn't too happy at almost being left in the lurch but he understood. "Ok, I'll be waiting" he said as he hung up. At the White House, Heller looked all around him. He had a big choice to make.
–
23:42:10PM
Lublin Airport
At the end of the runway was the MIG-29, with Jack at the controls and wearing a breathing mask attached to the controls. As he carefully went through a pre-flight checklist, Dowski was talking on his phone on the side of the runway. Covering the phone with his hand, he turned to face one of his officers who had his own radio in his left hand. "Jack, if you're gonna go, make it within the next 5 minutes. Control Tower are getting suspicious.." he said. It was a few seconds before the American replied, as he finished off the checklist. "That's fine, I'm ready to go!" he said, putting the clipboard down and pressing down on a button as the canopy lowered into position. He started up the engines as people moved off the runway and onto the grass. Outside the hangar, Romana walked out to see the runway and noticed the fighter jet. Finally, the engines reached full power and as if on cue, Dowski radioed in. "Ok, Jack, I'd say you're ready to go. Good luck!" he said, moving backwards and away from the potential jet blasts.
"Thank you.." the American said simply before pushing down on the throttle. The jet moved down the runway at speed before its wheels finally left the tarmac, retracting back into the plane as it flew into the sky. As the plane reached 20,000ft, Jack knew that whilst he had achieved what he needed to so far, he wasn't out of danger yet. He had to call the President.
23:44:01PM
–
18:50:10PM
White House
Heller, McKaye and Baylis were all back in the Oval Office – Heller was pacing, clearly in thought over what to do. All of a sudden, the phone on his desk started ringing and Baylis, the closest person to it, answered. "Yes?" he asked. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but it's just I have Jack Bauer on the line" the female voice on the other end said. The mention of Jack sent Baylis's face instantly looking towards Heller, who moved towards the desk. "Put it through.." the NSA ordered. Several seconds of dead air followed until finally.. "Mr President!", a slightly distorted and just about audible voice said. "Jack!" Heller was the first to reply, recognizing the voice immediately. "I'm sorry for the noise, sir. I'm currently airborne and overflying European airspace, have been for at least 5 minutes" Jack explained as he kept the jet level.
Heller was about to reply but his eyes widened as the mention of European airspace made him realize he'd forgotten something. "Jack, I'm sorry, I completely forgot to contact one of our carriers! I've been occupied for the last 30 minutes!" he admitted. "Don't worry, sir. As long as I land on a carrier within the next hour and a half, I'll be fine! What's happening with Flight 681?" Jack insisted and then asked. Heller looked up at McKaye and then Baylis. "I'm afraid we may have a problem, Jack" he said. "What kind of problem? Has something happened to Chloe?" Jack immediately asked, full of worry. "No, no, from what I've gathered, Chloe's fine. But I've been in contact with someone on the plane – don't ask me how, but the hijackers seem to have smuggled VX gas onboard!" Heller said. Jack's eyes widened – he knew what that was and he also knew it was probably the most deadly nerve agent in the world. "HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET VX GAS?" he almost yelled, being kept a few decibels lower by the breathing mask attached to his face. Heller's insides turned – when Jack was angry, there was no stopping him and if he got angry enough, he might even be tempted to ignore the Naval carrier and just hunt down Flight 681. McKaye noticed the look of concern on his face and quickly stepped in.
"Mr. Bauer? I'm Andrew McKaye, MI-5 agent on exchange. From what I've learnt, you've been involved in stopping a series of attacks on American soil. Do you have anything that might help us?" he asked. Jack sighed as he thought. "Well.. I think.. did this person onboard the flight say where the VX gas is positioned?" he finally said. "Yes! He said it was positioned on the landing gear, so we can only presume the hijackers intend to detonate the gas as soon as the landing gear has been lowered!" McKaye replied. Jack took in what McKaye said and a thought sprang to mind. "Does this person know if there's explosives on the plane?" he asked further. "No.. we did think of the idea but we're not sure if there are explosives" the Brit national replied. Whilst Jack knew that there were no explosives for all he knew but his gut feeling told him there was and he was rarely wrong when it came to this sort of thing. "There are! Trust me, I know there isn't any evidence, but I have a feeling that there are explosives on that plane.." he said. Baylis was almost about to interject that he was acting on an unproven theory but Heller waded back into the conversation. "Jack, are you sure on this?" he asked. "Positive! If they've got VX gas, they'll be wanting to use it to maximum capability – destroying the plane over DC airspace will certainly be using it to maximum capability!" Jack insisted.
The three men knew what whilst Jack was essentially repeating what had been suggested earlier, it clearly meant the idea had some legs – Heller's condition might well be deteriorating, but he knew full well over the years that Jack was almost 100% correct when it came to this sort of thing so it would be wrong not to trust him. "Ok, Jack.. I need to make a decision but I'll contact you as soon as I've spoken with one of the carriers" he said. "Very well, sir.." the former agent replied and shortly after, he was met with dead air. Inside the Oval Office, almost immediately after hanging up, Heller picked up the phone again and pressed several buttons. "Yes, sir?" a male voice asked. "Griggs, I need you to get me the commander at Andrews Air Base" he replied. "Right away, sir" the man known as Griggs agreed. McKaye and Baylis both looked at him with curiosity, realizing he had made his decision at long last. The seconds ticked by until finally.. "Mr President? Commander Tanner!" a gruff male voice spoke. "Hello, Commander. I'm sure you've been briefed on the situation with Flight 681" Heller enquired. "I have.." Tanner replied. "Well, based on recent intel, I have reached a decision. I want two fighter jets from Andrews scrambled to meet the plane..." the President replied before seemingly stopping. McKaye and Baylis waited with baited breath.
"Sir?" Tanner asked, wondering why the President had stopped almost mid-sentence. Finally, Heller gave out. "Two fighter jets to meet the plane... and shoot it down!" he ordered. The stunned faces of both McKaye and Baylis said it all – they couldn't understand why Heller was effectively ordering the deaths of over 400 people. "Yes, sir. I'll have them dispatched within the next few minutes!" Tanner added. "Thank you. Oh and Commander? I don't care what happens, just make sure that plane does not reach US airspace!" Heller further ordered, wanting to ensure nothing went wrong. "Yes, Mr President.." Tanner replied before he hung up. As he put the phone down, Heller looked up at the bewildered faces of his N.S.A and the MI-5 exchange agent. "You're just gonna leave 400 people to their deaths?" McKaye almost spluttered. "I know what you two are thinking. I didn't like giving that order, but I have a duty to this country and I have to stop any potential threats before they can cause any damage!" he declared. "What about Kurt? What are you gonna tell him – that even if he surrenders, he's going to die?" Baylis asked.
"Nothing.. The less anyone on that plane knows, the better. It has to be a complete surprise for when those jets appear" Heller ordered. Baylis seemed to understand the point he made, but the face McKaye was making suggested he still was not happy. "Can I just say I'm 100% against your decision, sir? I'm not going to argue about it but I just thought I'd say" he decided. Heller nodded". "Very well – I'll make a note of it. In the meantime.. Brian, I need you to contact the rest of the Cabinet and let them know of my decision" he replied and then asked. Baylis nodded. "Andrew, could you locate the nearest Naval carrier to the European continent and get them in touch with Jack?" he then asked the MI-5 agent, who finally nodded in agreement. "Thank you, the two of you. You've been a real help in the last few hours, I'm not really sure how I would done on my own and in my current state" the President added. McKaye nodded and was the first to walk out – but as he did, he felt his anger boil up. He could understand why Heller was doing it but to not even warn Kurt that they were going to shoot down a plane full of innocent people? He just could not get his head around that. He had to do something, but what? He needed to find a way of warning the plane without letting Heller know. As he started to walk off down to the White House communication centre, an idea dawned.
As he looked around to ensure no-one might spy on him, he pulled his phone out and typed in a number. It rang twice before being answered. "White House Service Board" a male voice enquired. "Yes, er.. The President needs the number that was used to call him from Flight 681" McKaye lied, hopeful. "Ok, but why can't the President ask himself?" the male switchboard operator asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "He's busy right now – please, he needs it urgently!" McKaye pushed. Finally, the operator gave out. "Very well.. I'll send it to your phone as soon as possible!" he agreed. "Thank you! Oh and please don't tell anyone about this – strange, I know, but please!" the Brit quickly added, wanting to cover his tracks. "Very well" the operator agreed and McKaye quickly pulled his phone away from his ear, watching as a number appeared on the screen. "Thank you!" he told the operator before hanging up and dialing the number on the screen.
–
18:56:21PM
North Atlantic Ocean
Back next to behind the elevator shaft was Kurt, who quickly noticed the ringing phone. "Hello?" he asked. "Mr Escalona! He's Agent McKaye from the White House!" McKaye replied. Kurt sighed in relief. "I was wondering when you'd get back to..." he started but the Brit interrupted him. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have to keep this brief as the President doesn't know about this phone-call. He's not sending help!" he explained. "I... don't understand" Kurt said, confusion in his voice. "The President has just ordered for two fighter jets to locate Flight 681 and shoot it out of the skies!" McKaye said as quietly as possible as he stopped outside a large room. Kurt's jaw dropped in surprise. "Please tell me you're joking?" he said quietly. "I'm afraid not... however, I've not just rung to tell you. I've rung to warn you – I'd say you have at least 25 minutes before the jets meet you. You have got to retake that plane before then!" McKaye insisted quickly. If only he could have seen Kurt, then he would have seen the incredulous look he was giving. "How the hell do you expect me to retake the plane?" he hissed. "I don't know.. but if you want to give yourself a fighting chance of making it to America, I suggest you come up with something!" McKaye replied before abruptly hanging up – he had not intended to be so rude but he had to keep it brief so he wouldn't be caught out.
As he heard the dial tone, Kurt took in what he had been told – and a sudden rush of adrenaline overcame him. The hope of all the passengers and crew above him, as well as that of Chloe, Belcheck and Gabrielle and even possibly those in DC, all depended on him. He needed to find weapons and it suddenly hit him; if the hijackers had managed to smuggle weapons onto the plane, that meant they may still be some onboard! He quickly pulled off the wall panel that led to the elevator shaft and noticed it was empty – he had a clear path to the cabins! Moving quickly, he made his way through the way and scrambled out of the shaft.
–
European Airspace
Whilst having been flying for about only 10 or so minutes, Jack was surprised by the speed of the MIG-29 as his flightpath planner indicated he was already overflying Prague and would probably be overflying the Bay of Biscay, which lay between the Western coast of France and the Northern coast of Spain, within the next 10 or 15 minutes. He just hoped the President would get in touch with a Naval carrier within the next hour or so – considering his dementia, he wouldn't put it past him to forget a second time. As he flew through the sky, however, he failed to notice a strange aircraft flying not too far from him. Onboard it, a large camera turned so that it was facing the MIG-29. As the camera slowly moved left so that it could identify the jet, it noticed Jack sitting in the cockpit but only just.
–
North Atlantic Ocean
In the depths of the ocean and onboard the Yuri Dolgorukiy, Krylenko was monitoring her station when a rapid beeping took place – looking up, she saw a large blue button flashing repeatedly. As she read the incoming information, her eyes widened. "GENERAL! COME DOWN HERE QUICKLY!" she yelled into her headset and before she knew it, Benediktov was coming down the stairs. "Yes?" he asked, curious. "Come have a look at this – I hijacked the video camera onboard a MQ-9 Reaper and it found this just a few seconds ago!" the Ukrainian explained. Benediktov walked over and examined the incoming intel. "This was taken over the Czech Republic airspace – don't ask me how, but it looks like Bauer eluded Eastern Cell!" Krylenko explained as Benediktov rose an eyebrow. "So our American ally was right.. send a scrambled message to Moron Air Base; looks like Ballester will be needed after all!" the General ordered. "Yes, General!" Krylenko replied before setting to work. As Benediktov moved to head back up the stairs, he muttered to himself. "Eastern Cell may have failed, Bauer, but Ballester won't!".
–
Moron Air Base
In Spain, located to the South-East of Seville was Moron Air Base – not only was it a main base for the Spanish Air Force but because it was so close to the Iberian peninsula, which in turn was close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, it was a vital link for operations moving east from the United States. And at that moment, walking down a hallway was a tall blonde woman in a United States Air Force uniform. As she gave a friendly smile to two male workers, she stopped outside a door and knocked on it. Several seconds went by, until she heard a beeping on the other side of the door which then opened to reveal a tall man who was also wearing a United States Air Force uniform. "Helen! This is a surprise.." he said, clearly taken aback by her presence. "Yeah. Basically, Higham, I've been given orders to relieve you of your watch – I'm next on the rota" the woman, known as Helen, explained. Higham rose an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Not accusing you of lying, but I didn't think you were on the rota. Do you mind if I ask the base commander?" he enquired.
"Go ahead.." Helen insisted. Higham walked back into the room, which revealed a large control panel underneath an even larger plasma screen. On the screen was a large map with several pinging icons, indicating each of their locations which were all in places above the map of Spain. Helen waited in the doorway as Higham walked towards the panel and picked up the built-in phone. "Yes, put me through to Commander Clarke!" he requested, just as he heard a beeping and saw the door close from the corner of his eye. In confusion, he turned around, expecting to see Helen – instead, there was no-one there. Suddenly, Helen appeared from behind him and threw a white cloth over his mouth – Higham flailed about for several seconds until he finally collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Walking back over to the electronic card reader on the wall, Helen typed on it repeatedly and then slotted her ID card through it. As it made another loud beep, she walked back towards the panel and sat down on the large chair before pulling a headset from her pocket and putting it on. "I'm in! I've got access to the drones!" she spoke into it, in Spanish and with a Spanish accent. "Right! Do you have the intel on screen?" Krylenko asked, also speaking in Spanish. After several seconds, a large folder-like document appeared on the screen, with the intel inside. "Ballester, I'm sending you co-ordinates – your target is Jack Bauer! Shoot him down by any means necessary!" the Ukrainian ordered over the headset. "As you wish.." Ballester replied before rapidly typing on the panel keyboard.
Within seconds, one of the icons disappeared from screen before reappearing. "WARNING – GUIDANCE ICON FROM MQ-REAPER 9 DRONE #4 HAS BEEN REMOVED! PLEASE RESTABLISH!" the computer warned, but several more rapid clicks on the keyboard later and the warning was deactivated. Up in the main control tower, the icon for Drone #4 was following the same pattern as the rest of the drones but in the control room, it was being flown, by use of the panel control stick, out of Spanish airspace and seemingly towards French airspace. Ballester gave a dark smile as she momentarily looked up at the icon overflying the airspace of the Czech Republic – no doubt, that icon was the MIG-29 being flown by Jack Bauer. "You're not out of danger yet, Bauer – you still have to get past me!" she declared.
00:00:00AM
