Author's note - Well, after ten years I've decided to try and finish off some of my stories and I've decided to start with this one. As usual, Alex Myers is my OC and the other characters involved are all property of Fox. Day Two aired almost two decades ago so a lot of this is based on transcripts and episode summaries. The events in this story differ in many ways from the events shown in the series.

22.00pm, CTU Los Angeles

After his speech, George had apparently vanished, with nobody having much of a clue where he had gone. Alex, swigging coffee that he kind of wished was alcoholic, was carefully monitoring what was happening at the airfield. They had just been told that the bomb was likely to go off at any moment, leaving them powerless. He glanced over at the holding room where Nina was, and wondered how she was doing. The woman that would do anything to survive could do nothing but sit and wait, the possibility of instant annihilation as much on her mind as it was on everyone elses.

It was getting late, and Alex couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He remembered the day Teri died and how things had come to awful conclusions as the day drew to a close. He had thoughts things had returned to some sense of normality, but another day of danger, betrayal and loss had happened. Over the past eighteen months he had considered returning to Chicago or even resigning, but deep down he knew that he had to remain in Los Angeles where he felt he was needed.

22:10pm, Norton Airfield, Los Angeles

"The only way we can get this bomb safely defused is if someone flies it to the target. It's a one way mission, though, the pilot needs to stay with the plane or it could land anywhere,"the technician told Jack quietly. George, who had been standing nearby, suddenly realised what he had to do.

"I'll do it, this thing's killing me anyway, might as well let it finish me off," he spoke, but Jack shook his head.

"I can't let you do that, George, I have to do this," he replied in a determined voice even if inside he felt conflicted about the decision.

"Jack, look at me, I'm half dead already," George spoke forcefully, he could understand why Jack had made the decision, but he decided then not to give up.

"I'm sorry, George," Jack replied once more, before turning to prepare himself for his suicide mission. George, deciding not to press the issue, began to think.

22:20pm, CTU Los Angeles

Alex sighed and couldn't help but wonder what was happening at the airfield. All of a sudden, as if he had willed it, Tony's phone rang. Picking it up, Tony soon realised what was about to take place.

"Are you sure? Look, can I talk to Jack?" he spoke, attracting the attention of numerous agents, including Alex. A moment later, and Tony began speaking again, but not before putting Jack on speakerphone.

"Jack, are you really sure this is what you want to do?," he asked. Tony knew his friend was willing to do a lot for his family or country, but suicide?

"I'm sure, Tony, there's nobody else who can do it. George is here, and I know he's not got long left, but that's the problem, he could die before he gets the plane to the target or black out on the way there. He offered, but I refused," Jack spoke firmly.

"I'm sorry, Tony, but this is the only way. It's been good to know you," Jack continued. He considered Tony a close friend, probably his closest, even though at one point they had been anything but. The events of eighteen months ago had brought them closer, which meant that Tony had played a big part in helping Jack afterwards.

"Goodbye, Jack, and thank you," Tony replied, before hanging up slowly. He looked around at the other agents.

"Even though we'll soon be safe from this bomb, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Let's try and keep our minds on that," he announced.

Alex stared at his computer screen for a moment, taking in the news. He wondered about Kim and how she would be affected by her father's death. He wondered about Nina, who would be happy to hear of Jack's death. Over the last year and a half, he had gotten to know Jack Bauer and even though his sister was always like a shadow looming over them, the two had become friends. He made a promise to himself to keep a close eye on Nina as much as he could.

22:25pm, Norton Airfield, Los Angeles

Sat in the cockpit of the plane, Jack had decided. At first he had thought it a bad idea, but he knew he couldn't end his life without talking to his daughter one last time. Slowly pressing the numbers on his phone, he waited for the phone to ring at Carol's house. A few seconds later, and Kim picked up.

"Kim, it's Dad, I wanted to speak to you, I only have a few minutes before I have to do something," Jack spoke, trying to keep his voice calm.

"What is it that you have to do?" Kim replied, she could sense some sadness in his voice but didn't think much about it.

"Look, sweetheart, there's only one way to stop this bomb from killing innocents, and that is to crash it into the desert. There's no way back for the pilot," Jack's voice quivered slightly, he knew that Kim was going to know without him spelling it out for her. He could hear her breathing hard and holding back tears.

"But.. why does it have to be you, Dad?" Kim spoke, and Jack could feel the tears on his own cheeks even though he desperately tried to keep his voice calm and soothing.

"There's nobody else who can do it, Kim, I'm sorry. I wanted you to know that I love you and I'm sorry for everything," Jack replied, wiping his eye. His determination to be the pilot faltered, but he knew he had to do it. He could hear Kim sobbing on the other end of the phone and wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but he knew that this call was the last contact he would ever have with his only child.

"Dad, I love you too..I wish things had been different, but I'll never forget you, just like I'll never forget Mom," Kim spoke. It felt so unfair to be losing another parent so soon, even though she knew that her father was protecting lives, saving innocents from instant annihilation.

"Goodbye, Kim," Jack replied quietly.

"Goodbye, Dad," Kim replied just as quietly.

22:35pm, Carol O'Neill's house, San Jose

Kim let the phone drop to the floor as she broke down. It felt like she was reliving the day her mother died all over again, hours of stress and panic culminating in a massive loss. She was proud of her father for doing what he was about to do, but also angry that he had to be put into that position. She felt an urge to call CTU, but decided against it, picking the phone up and placing it back on the side table. She turned the television on, finding a news channel and sat quietly to await the news.

22:40pm, CTU Los Angeles

Alex was stood next to the holding room and he, too, had an urge. He wasn't going to tell Nina about Jack, not yet anyway, but he wanted to tell her the bomb was about to explode without giving her many more details than that, to see her face full of panic and fear. He held onto the door handle for a few seconds, before deciding that it wasn't worth it. Walking back to his desk, he knew that CTU were going to keep Nina in the dark for as long as possible and, whilst part of him felt bad for her, he also felt that it was the least she deserved.

"You've not mentioned anything to her, have you?" Tony asked as the two met in the corridor. He too, felt that Nina deserved to not be kept up to date on what was happening, and whilst he couldn't blame Alex for feeling tempted to let her know, he hoped that Alex had resisted it.

"I didn't go inside, I wanted to but I couldn't. I wouldn't have said anything about Jack anyway," Alex replied truthfully. He didn't want to give Nina that satisfaction.

"She'll be gone in a few hours, hopefully we never have to deal with her again but I think we both know it's a possibility," Tony spoke. The government would keep a close eye on her, but Nina was someone who could slip out of their grasp with ease. She was probably already plotting her escape inside the holding room.

22:50pm, plane over the Mojave

Jack was struggling to hold back the tears as he flew the plane. His life would come to an end just eighteen months after Teri was murdered, and whilst he regretted the impact it would have on Kim, he felt that he could not allow anyone else to sacrifice themselves. The night sky, clear and filled with stars, looked beautiful and he looked at them briefly for a few seconds, not having had the chance to see them much in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles.

Suddenly, he heard a noise further back in the plane and he realised that he wasn't alone. Turning around, he noticed George Mason and cursed silently to himself.

"Jack, you don't need to do this," George spoke, holding out a parachute. He hoped it would be accepted, but Jack turned back to see where he was going, the target fast approaching.

"Jack, please, I'm going to die anyway. I know you blame yourself for what happened with Teri, but you have to live, you have to forgive yourself," George continued, and Jack looked pensive for a moment. Turning once more and smiling sadly, he accepted the parachute.

"Thank you, George," Jack replied, putting on the parachute. He wasn't entirely convinced that he could ever forgive himself, but he had to give himself a chance to find out. Swapping places with George, he moved over to the door and opened it.

"Goodbye, George," he spoke, before jumping out. George, who was now concentrating solely on getting the bomb to the target, smiled, his eyes becoming wet. He had not planned on dying this early, but he was sure he wasn't going to die for nothing.

22:55pm, CTU Los Angeles

There had been radio silence for a few moments, and nobody was sure what had happened. They all knew that by 11pm, the bomb would have exploded at the target and Jack would be in the centre of it. Nina had not been informed of the plan, and Alex wanted to keep it that way until it was time to move her out of CTU.

Suddenly, a phone rang and Tony reluctantly picked it up. Talking quietly for a few minutes, he gave little away until he hung up.

"That was the airfield, the bomb was delivered to the target and successfully detonated. They're trying to keep the explosion under wraps until the story can be controlled," he informed the group around him.

22:59pm, Mojave Desert

Jack watched as the explosion occurred, the mushroom cloud grew and then the mushroom cloud faded. Taking out a flare gun, he fired it into the sky, hoping that someone would notice it.

"I can't promise to forgive myself, George, but I can promise to try," he spoke quietly to himself.

22:59:57

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