Chapter 28

Karen Hayes ran a hand through her hair, sighing wearily. Things had gone from wonderful to horrible. The Chinese government had refused to acknowledge the charges against Cheng Zhi and Aiguo, and had firmly insisted that the two men be pardoned and released.

Upon hearing the news, Audrey had become hysterical. "How could you?" she raged. "Karen, Bill...how could you let them go?"

Bill met her tear-filled gaze with a grim, sober one of his own. "Audrey, we don't like it any more than you do."

"Then why did you do it?" Audrey demanded. She pointed with a shaking hand in the direction of the clinic. "Did you forget what they did to Jack? Did you forget what he looks like?"

"No, we didn't," Karen said gently. "I promise you, Audrey, we didn't. Trust me, we're just as upset as you are."

"But we're not going to do anything," Audrey shot back. "We're going to let them waltz off to China and get off scot-free for the kidnapping and torture of an American federal agent." She was trembling. "They're free to do what they want. What's to stop them from coming after Jack again? Tell me. Do you really think they're going to just sit calmly? Cheng Zhi is determined to make Jack pay for the 'crimes' that he committed. He's not going to leave Jack alone, and you know it." She glared at Karen. "It's only a matter of time before we'll have to repeat this whole process over again, and it may not go so well the second time." With that, she had stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Bill glanced at Karen, and silently followed Audrey out the door.

Again and again, Karen found her mind drifting back to the conversation that she had had with Jon before he boarded the plane. "Honestly, Karen, I think you need to consider taking a more drastic means of action... Snipers; someone like Lucas Saracelli... The Chinese would never figure out who had done it. Lucas would make it look like an unfortunate accident..."

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and dialed a number.

-o-o-o-o-

The phone on his desk was ringing. He glanced at it with mild annoyance before answering. "Lucas Saracelli." His tone matched his demeanor: calm, cool, and collected.

"Lucas, this is Karen Hayes."

"Karen," he said. "You sound upset. What's wrong?"

"You might want to get some practice in at the range," was her reply. "I have a target for you."

Lucas was surprised. Karen seldom contacted him, and when she did, she was never this blunt. "Who?"

"Two targets, actually," Karen added. "Their names are Cheng Zhi and Aiguo. Cheng Zhi has a grudge against one of our agents, a man named Jack Bauer, for so-called 'crimes' against China and its government. When his original trap didn't work, he sent his men to kidnap Jack. A Delta Force team returned Jack to us a few days ago, along with Cheng and Aiguo. The Chinese government refused to acknowledge the kidnapping charges against them, and instead insisted that we release them. Their freedom poses a significant safety risk to Jack, and possibly others as well."

"Are you telling me that these two men are members of the Chinese government?" Lucas asked cautiously.

"Aiguo is a prison guard under Cheng's authority," Karen answered. "But, yes, Cheng is a fairly high-ranking government official."

"And you want me to go after them?" Lucas demanded incredulously. "Karen, are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much repercussion that would bring from the Chinese government?"

"Believe me, I know." Karen sighed. "But there really is no other option."

"Anything else I need to know?" Lucas asked, unable to keep a sarcastic edge from his voice.

"Yes, actually," Karen said grimly. "Jack was married at one point. His wife, Teri, was murdered several years ago by Nina Meyers. Due to some recent...unauthorized activities...Jack was forced to fake his death and go into hiding. His daughter, Kim, was quite shocked when she found out that he was alive. Her mother is dead, and she already lost Jack once. This time, she would lose him for real. I don't want her to be hurt again if we can help it."

Lucas heard papers rustling, and the fax machine next to his desk whirred to life. "I've just sent you the information that we have on Cheng and Aiguo," Karen informed him. "Think about it, and get back to me." With that, she hung up the phone.

Lucas spent almost two hours poring over the pages and thinking. When he finally called Karen back, he spoke only three words. "I'll do it."