A/N - Set around and after an alternate Day Six (more as a placeholder than anything specific about that date), five years after Day Three and nine after Day One. Things are fairly different to canon - for example, Michelle is still alive and Jack never went to China.
12:15, Holding Room 1, CTU Los Angeles on Day Six
"You know, it can be surprising how easily you can turn yourself, realign your whole being and become someone you may or may not want to be. I had some very mixed and often extreme feelings about my sister ever since she was first arrested, but on the night I helped her escape I made a decision to realign myself," Alex spoke candidly to Bill Buchanan. He had never met the current Director of CTULA before, but he felt it was in his best interests to stay on the guy's good side as much as a traitor could be.
07:00, Oakland, California - Two days before Day Six
Alex was nervous. Earlier that week, one of Nina's men had been captured in Los Angeles by CTU, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the guy would break and tell them everything they wanted to know. Standing near the warehouse they had been using as a makeshift base, he was impatiently waiting for Nina to arrive. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and Alex dove behind a crate. Cursing under his breath for not being armed, he wondered how he was going to get out of this. He peered over the crate and realised just how many armed CTU agents were present, knowing that it made his escape a very unlikely prospect. Deciding to sneak around the building and see if he couldn't find the inevitable hole in the perimeter, he froze as he heard a gun being cocked behind him.
"Alex Myers?" Curtis Manning asked, as Alex held his hands up and turned around slowly.
"That would be me," Alex replied, hoping that Nina was not about to drive straight into a CTU tac team.
"Where's Nina?" Curtis demanded, watching Alex closely for any sign of deception.
"She's not here, you won't find her," Alex spoke, trying his best to stay calm. He saw no point in getting himself killed.
07:10, CTU Los Angeles
Curtis, on speakerphone, explained to Tony, Bill, Chloe and Michelle that they had caught Alex Myers but had found no trace of Nina, much to the annoyance of Tony. Whilst he was glad that Alex had been caught, Nina was the bigger target and the raid would only spook her.
"We should let Jack know," he spoke. Jack was now in DC, working for the President. He had been kept up to date with any news regarding Alex and Nina.
10:15, (Washington time), Jack Bauer's apartment, Washington DC
Jack reached for his cell phone and expected the call to be about his current job. Instead, Michelle's voice told him that it was about his old one instead.
"Jack, I have some news about Alex," she spoke, and Jack hoped that it was good, although as it was only about Alex and not his sister, it wouldn't and couldn't be as good as it could have been.
"We tracked him down in Oakland, he was captured there and he's being brought back to Los Angeles," Michelle continued.
"What about Nina?" Jack asked an inevitable question.
"There was no sign of her," Michelle replied, although she wondered if Nina had been in the area but had been spooked by the raid.
09:35, (Los Angeles time), CTU Los Angeles
Things had been quiet since the early morning mission to capture the Myers siblings. Suddenly, activity from the entrance caught Michelle's attention as she saw Alex, shackled and guarded by two CTU agents, being escorted into the building. Many turned to look as he was marched past them. Whilst she didn't like what he had done, she was still glad that they had taken him alive and still believed that he was redeemable.
Alex himself was nervous, and he felt ashamed as he was led past the current employees of the agency, including some who had been there before he had left. He knew that they were all looking at him, knowing what he had done and he avoided making eye contact with anyone in particular. He did, however, notice Milo Pressman of all people, stood watching him with the same look on his face as everyone else.
As he made eye contact with Alex, Milo remembered that awful day almost a decade ago, when Nina had been exposed. He had been told all about what Alex had done since then, and couldn't understand why Alex would just turn as he did.
10:10, Holding Room 1, CTU Los Angeles
Tony was sat at the table across from Alex, watching him as the technician set up the polygraph machine. A memory of Nina arose, about how she would offer to take such a test to prove she was telling the truth.
"Your name is Alexander Myers?", "Yes"
"You were born December 11th, 1976, in Boston, Massachusetts?" "Yes"
"You are one of three children?" "No"
The technician informed Tony that Alex was lying, much to Tony's confusion. Why lie over something like that? His curiosity only grew as he saw a look of nervousness on Alex's face.
"Alex, would you like to reconsider that answer?" Tony asked, watching his face closely. He had to be hiding something, that was for sure.
"Yes, I would," Alex replied. He had not wanted to let them know anything about his other sibling, but he realised that it could be used to his advantage. "We have another sibling, a sister," Alex continued. He could only hope that this would lead somewhere good.
"Her name is Mandy. Mandy Stapleton," Alex spoke, and Tony instantly recognised the name. Mandy was a dangerous terrorist and one that had plagued CTU many times over the years.
"I can help you find Mandy, Tony, I can get in touch with her," Alex told him, realising after he had spoken that he sounded way too much like Nina. Was he willing to sell out his sister to benefit himself? He certainly felt like he was capable of doing just that.
"Really?" Tony replied. He was sceptical, but he knew that Mandy Stapleton was a very dangerous terrorist who had caused massive amounts of damage. He also knew that Alex would want something in return.
"I help you catch her, and in return, you give me immunity. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison for treason," Alex spoke. He had noticed the opportunity and had decided to do all he could to take advantage. Tony hesitated, he knew that Alex would ask for something in return, but was it acceptable to just let him go? He wondered what Jack would do, before deciding that he had to accept the offer.
10:20 (Washington time), Jack's car en route to Dulles Airport, Washington DC
Jack threw his cell onto the passenger seat and cursed under his breath, having just been told that CTU had made a deal with Alex and would be releasing him. Over the past five years, Jack had grown to hate him almost as much as he hated Nina and he often saw little difference between the two. Even though he assumed that CTU would know he would be coming to Los Angeles, he still hoped to catch them by surprise.
10:25 (California time), Nina's hideout, Oakland
Nina was probably as angry as Jack was. Pacing around the room as she thought about Alex's capture earlier that morning, she knew that she had to leave the city as soon as possible. Alex wouldn't give her up, of course, at least not without being broken first, but she still had to be concerned about Jack. Whilst her sources had told her that he was in DC, she knew he would not want to miss getting to Alex at CTU.
10:30, CTU Los Angeles
Alex was alone in Holding Room 1, deep in thought. He had been relieved not to see Jack at CTU, and hoped that they would keep him away. He knew that Jack probably hated him by now, and if he knew about the immunity agreement then that hate would only grow stronger. Alex remembered the day of the nuke, when Nina had been pardoned, and he had felt so sorry for Jack and for Kim.
Meanwhile, in a deserted corridor elsewhere in the building, Milo Pressman was making a phone call. Looking around nervously as he waited for an answer, he told himself not to worry. As a woman answered, he smiled to himself.
"Nina, it's me," he replied. He knew that she would want to hear what he had to say.
10:40, Nina's hideout, Oakland
Nina cursed as she ended the call. She was annoyed that Alex was willing to give up Mandy, although she was also relieved that he would be soon released without CTU using him to get to her. Still, she knew that whilst Mandy was their biological sister, they had not grown up with her and so it was easier to betray her than each other. Nina knew she would have given up Mandy with no regrets. Even Alex would be expendable if the need arose, although she hoped that such a need would never occur. They had grown close again since the night he helped her escape.
"Start getting things ready, we need to leave as soon as we can. Me and Sean will head to our contact in Carson City, but you and the others should split up for a while," she told a young man who was sat nearby. Nodding, he stood up and left the room, leaving her alone to plan her next steps. Her contact in Carson City could get her on a plane to Buenos Aires by the end of the day. As soon as Alex was released, she could arrange for him to be taken to Argentina as well. Sean Clarke, her companion on the journey to Colorado, was one of her most trusted men. He was also someone who knew Carson City well, which was always an advantage if things went wrong.
12:40, CTU Los Angeles
Tony groaned quietly as he saw Kim Bauer making her way through the bullpen. As she approached, he didn't need to wonder what she wanted but asked anyway.
"I want to see Alex," she asked. Tony looked at her and wondered if it was such a good idea.
"To be honest, I don't think it's possible right now," Tony replied, although he knew that it wouldn't deter her. She was going to see him one way or another, it seemed.
"Please, Tony? I'm comfortable being in the same room as him, I just want answers about that night," Kim spoke, and Tony relented, before showing her to the holding room containing Alex.
"Kim? What are you doing here?" Alex asked her as she walked into the room. She stared at him for a moment, as if deciding whether to hit him or not, before replying.
"I want answers, Alex. I want to know why you helped her escaped. I know about the immunity agreement and I don't care about that, I just want to know what made you help her escape, after everything she's put you, me and everyone else through!"
Alex looked at her and considered his answer. She deserved the truth, and he knew that was what had to be given.
"I saw the look in your eyes, Kim," he replied, much to her confusion.
"What look?" she asked, although she remembered the incident with perfect clarity.
"Whilst maybe you might have said you wanted her dead, I don't believe you actually wanted it. I also didn't want you getting hurt either or for your dad to have the burden of killing her, so I thought it was best to send you away and get Nina out of there. Maybe it sounds like an excuse, but I wasn't thinking straight," Alex spoke. It was true, he really had just wanted to get them apart.
"You're right, I didn't truly want her to die, but I didn't want her free either," Kim replied, her voice cracking slightly.
"If your father had found her that night, she would have ended up dead and he would be no better off. If anything, things might have been worse for him if he killed her," Alex spoke. He didn't want Nina to die, he didn't want Kim to die and he didn't want Jack to make such a decision with a heroin-addled mind. Kim nodded, before leaving the room. Tony came out of the surveillance room to join her.
"Will you really let him go if he helps you catch Mandy?" Kim asked, although she was really asking a different question.
"Yes, but we won't let him get anywhere near Nina again," Tony replied, and he was determined to keep the two apart. He knew that Alex was redeemable, but being near Nina only kept him in bad places. He also knew that Alex would likely try and contact Nina once he had been released, so CTU had to keep a close eye on him.
Back in the holding room, Alex was deep in thought. He toyed with the idea of changing his deal, suggesting that they go after Nina rather than Mandy. Nina was, after all, a much bigger catch than Mandy was. He rejected the idea, telling himself that whilst both were extremely dangerous people, it was much safer to betray Mandy than Nina. Besides, Mandy was in the middle of planning an imminent terror attack, and the CTU agent in Alex told him that it made her the main priority. He recalled the information he had given about her - she's planning something in Los Angeles, which means that she'll most likely be in San Diego. She'll have a small number of men with her, but she probably won't be expecting an assault from CTU. The most likely target is the Governor of California, she won't recycle any tactics from her previous attacks and she'll be well disguised. You should look for any chatter regarding "targets being locked" in Los Angeles. If there is, I guarantee that she will be carrying out the attack by the end of the week. It was all truthful and he had been more than willing to give them every last bit of information, although he had some concerns about giving them too much too early, and was slightly worried that they would find a loophole to void the deal. Of course, they had to catch Mandy in order for the deal to happen.
13:00 (LA time), Southwest Airlines Flight 108 to LAX
Jack checked his watch and noted that there were three hours to go before the plane landed in Los Angeles. He had just woken from a light nap and his mind was immediately back on Alex Myers and whatever was going on at CTU. He felt angry that Alex was only going to give up Mandy and not Nina, but he told himself that once Mandy was secured and Alex released, he could force his former friend to lead him straight to Nina. Of course, if Alex did anything to void his deal, Jack was determined to convince CTU to torture Nina's location out of him.
13:15, Holding Room 1, CTU Los Angeles
"Here's how this is going down, Alex. Later this evening, we will fly down to San Diego and there, you will find Mandy and identify her for us. When we are able to secure her, we will take her into custody, bring you both back to CTU and you should be released once we're satisfied that you've held up your end of the deal. Is that clear?" Tony spoke as he told Alex of the plan.
"Very clear, Tony," Alex replied. He had some anxiety about putting himself in danger in order to capture Mandy, but he was trying his best to keep it hidden.
13:30, Nina's car en route to Carson City, Nevada
Milo had just been in contact with her again. She had been surprised to hear of Kim visiting Alex, and she could only wonder what had been said between them. Milo had said he would try and find out what he could about it, but deep down she knew the conversation was about her. She thought about Kim, and Jack, and how they had been since she had made her escape from CTU. Her sources had given her some information on what they had been up to, especially in regards to Jack. The idea of Kim being with Chase amused her - she remembered Chase warning her on the plane not to play Jack and had not taken him seriously. She knew how much of a danger Jack was to her, she didn't need to be reminded by a kid.
She remembered that night quite clearly. The shock of seeing Jack, the pleasure she had gotten from kissing him and making him convince her that he really had turned his back on his country. She knew he was lying, but had not been able to resist kissing him, hoping to experience some of the passion she had once shared with him. She thought of Tony and the interrogation, how she had shocked them by throwing her head onto the needle, how she had waited for just the right moment before rising suddenly from the operating table and killing almost all of the medical staff. As for Alex, he had really proven that blood was thicker than water that night. She had been shocked by his sudden betrayal of CTU, and the idea of it being a trap had not died down for hours afterwards.
13:40, CTU Los Angeles
Michelle had just finished talking to Bill when Tony walked up to her, and she decided to voice a concern she had.
"Tony, about this plan regarding Alex and Mandy," she spoke.
"What about it?" he replied. Michelle hesitated for a moment, before responding.
"Well, it sounds a lot like the plan we had for Nina, when she and Jack went to Visalia to get Mahmud Faheen," she continued. Nina had managed to knock Faheen out cold before attempting to escape, only for Jack to catch her again. She knew that Jack wasn't going to be involved in any way, and the circumstances were quite different, but she still felt uncomfortable with the plan. Especially with Tony being involved.
"It'll be OK, Michelle. We'll keep him on a very tight leash and make sure he doesn't try anything," Tony assured her. He didn't think Alex would try anything, but it was better to be overly cautious than not. He gave Michelle an affectionate peck on the cheek before returning to his desk.
14:40 (LA time), Southwest Airlines Flight 108 to LAX
Jack stared aimlessly out of the window, at the clear blue sky that crowned endless desert that stretched out below them. He thought of all the times he had been in a plane before, the first being when he was six and the family had gone on holiday to England back in the 1970s. Air travel had been so very different back then, he remembered. Then there were the regular trips across the country when he lived in Washington, as well as his time in the army. There was also the couple of trips he had taken on a plane that had involved Nina, both of which had their own fair share of drama. Teri's death was now almost a decade ago, but he still felt the same way about Nina as he had done back on that awful night when she had been exposed and his family were torn apart.
15:00, Motel, Carson City, Nevada
"You're sure this is the right address?" Nina asked Sean as they parked up, and he replied that it was. Getting out of the car, they approached the almost derelict motel that looked like a slight breeze would send it all collapsing to the ground. Their contact was in room 24, which was on the ground floor not too far from where they were standing, but Nina felt like something was very wrong. Looking around nervously, she decided to pull out her gun and cock it just in case. Sean approached the window of the room and looked inside, quickly noticing a device near the door. Whatever it was, a timer on the device told him to get the hell out of there.
"Run!" he yelled as he sprinted back towards the car and, as they climbed inside, the device detonated and the motel was engulfed in a giant fireball. They wasted no time in speeding off and as they rejoined the dusty road, Nina looked back and wondered just how many lives she had left.
A few moments of silence passed before Nina muttered under her breath. She tried contemplating who had just tried to kill them, or their contact, but she couldn't link any of the usual suspects to it. Taking out her phone, she soon realised that her contact's phone was turned off, but left a voicemail anyway just in case he was still alive somewhere.
"No point in changing our plans now, keep heading north," she instructed Sean before throwing her phone onto the seat next to her. They would stick to the original plan of going to Canada, but Nina was annoyed at the time wasted travelling to Colorado.
16:05, LAX International Airport, Los Angeles
As Jack got into the cab, he contemplated calling Kim, wanting to let her know that he was back in Los Angeles. However, he decided against it, just in case she told CTU and gave them a chance to stop him from getting to Alex. Whilst he knew that he couldn't do much to his former friend at the moment, he was determined not to miss the chance to get to Nina once and for all.
16:15, Conference Room 2, CTU Los Angeles
Alex was in a meeting with Bill, Tony, Michelle, Chloe and a few others that he didn't recognise. They were in the middle of discussing the plan for that evening, and Alex was more than happy to show his cooperation, although he felt a strong sense of awkwardness as he sat with his hands cuffed in front of him. It felt strange to be part of the meeting as a captured traitor and suspected terrorist, rather than as a CTU agent, but he told himself that he would be free again in a few hours.
"If we're all set, we can fly down there within the hour," Bill spoke, his eyes wandering around the small group. He wondered how Alex would have done if he were still a CTU agent, but that was in the past now.
A few moments later, once the meeting had finished, Tony had been escorting Alex back to the holding room when all of sudden he was suddenly attacked by an unknown man. Grabbing the man and pushing him away, Tony pulled out his gun and pointed it at the assailant only to find out that it was Jack. Sighing in exasperation, he lowered his gun before standing in between Jack and Alex.
"Dammit, Jack! What are you doing here?" he demanded, although he knew very well why Jack was there. Alex stared at him, trying not to show any fear but he knew that he was failing badly at doing so. Jack stared back, allowing his anger to show freely although he told himself that he needed to remain calm if he was going to be allowed anywhere near Alex. Motioning to Bill to take Alex back to the holding room, he repeated his question to Jack.
"You're letting him go!" Jack replied simply.
"He's going to help us catch Mandy, Jack. He's been cooperative and we have no evidence that suggests that he participates in terrorist activity," Tony told him, although it wasn't entirely true. Yes, he had some involvement with everything Nina did, but there was no evidence of him committing any murders or other major crimes, and Tony knew that taking Mandy Stapleton out of the game was a much bigger win than putting Alex Myers behind bars.
"What about helping Nina escape?"
"We'll find her, don't worry about that. Right now, you shouldn't even really be here," Tony spoke, wondering what it would take to get Jack out of the building.
"I want to be here, Tony. I want to know what Alex is doing"
"Well, we'll update you, you don't need to stay here"
"I want you to promise me one thing. If he breaks the terms of his deal, you'll put him in my custody!"
Tony looked at Jack like he was a madman. "What? What the hell for, Jack?"
"So he can help me find Nina," Jack replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"We'll just interrogate him, force it out of him if we need to"
"Even if he cracks, that won't guarantee catching Nina!" Jack replied, and Tony had to admit that he was right. Still, he couldn't justify giving a federal prisoner over to someone who was basically a civilian at this point.
"Look, I'm not sure it's even possible, but I'll consider it, Jack," Tony spoke and for a second, betrayal flashed across Jack's face, before it was replaced by a less emotive look.
"Fine. Can I at least talk to him?" Jack asked, much to Tony's annoyance. The last thing he wanted was for Jack Bauer and Alex Myers to be back in the same room together.
"Alright, but you so much as touch him, I'll have you escorted out of here and your deal won't even be considered," Tony told him. He knew that Jack would not want to put any chance of getting Nina at risk, he just hoped that he could maintain control.
In the holding room, Alex was pacing nervously. He was scared of Jack getting to him, as well as annoyed that he even knew about everything. He kept his eyes on the door as much as possible, waiting for the next person to walk through it. As Jack walked in, he moved backwards, almost into the corner opposite the door.
"Jack, stay calm, OK?" Alex spoke, fear evident in his voice which irritated him. He watched as Jack simply sat down on a chair and gestured for Alex to sit on the other one. Warily, he walked closer before sitting down. He could tell that Jack was trying his best to stay calm. An awkward silence arose for a moment before Jack spoke.
"Alex, it's good to see you again after all this time," Jack spoke sarcastically.
"If you want answers, ask Kim," Alex replied, although he immediately wished he had said something else. Mentioning his daughter probably wasn't going to help keep him calm. He could see anger rise in Jack's features temporarily.
"What does my daughter have to do with anything?"
"She visited me earlier, I told her why I helped Nina escape"
"I'll speak to her later on. Right now, I'm more interested in what's happening with your other sister," Jack spoke, repressing a smug smirk as Alex sighed.
"I want to know what CTU are planning and how you're going to help them," Jack continued. If this was going to happen, he wanted to know the details. He was reluctant to speak at first before a look in Jack's eyes told him to begin.
A few moments later, and Jack walked into the surveillance room where Tony was stood.
"I want to be actively involved, Tony, either here or in San Diego," Jack spoke, much to Tony's disbelief.
"Jack, you don't work for CTU anymore, you haven't for years," Tony replied, although he knew that wouldn't stop Jack.
"I used to run this place! Besides, I know Alex," Jack retorted, although both of those applied as much to Tony as they did to him.
"Look, you can't go to San Diego but I'll let you have access to the comms with Michelle and Bill," Tony told him, annoyed at another compromise having to be made for Jack.
"Fine with me," Jack replied, although he had secretly hoped to go to San Diego. It would have made things easier if anything went wrong.
17:00, Nina's car, road in northern Nevada
Milo had been in touch with some news that didn't surprise Nina at all. Not only did Jack know of Alex's capture, but he was also at CTU himself. Milo told her everything he could about Jack's actions regarding Alex, as well as Tony's attempts to placate Jack without putting Alex too much at risk. She muttered under her breath as she ended the call, Jack being anywhere near Alex was not something she was comfortable with. Not only did it put her brother in danger, but it put her in danger too and she had some idea what Jack was planning.
17:20, CTU Los Angeles
As they loaded the necessary equipment into the vehicles, Tony couldn't help but wonder if Alex's information was reliable. It wasn't as if he thought Alex was lying, but the intel could easily be out of date or inaccurate. Deciding to put such thoughts out of his mind, he watched as Curtis Manning escorted Alex to the armoured truck. They would travel to Point Mugu Naval Air Station, then fly by plane to San Diego.
"Everything's set up, just hope this all works out fine," Curtis spoke as he approached Tony. He didn't like the idea of Alex Myers getting away this easily, but he knew that it meant taking a bigger player out of the terrorism game.
"Jack showing up might help us out if it keeps Alex under control as long as we need him," Tony told him, glancing over at the armoured truck. He had told Alex of Jack's desire to use him to get to Nina, so he was well aware of the consequences of trying anything.
Inside the building, Jack was sat in the main bullpen as he awaited the start of the mission. He was pleased to be actively involved, although he was worried that everything would work out fine for Alex and he would be let go. If he was honest with himself, he wanted all three of the Myers siblings dead or at least in prison.
18:00, Point Mugu Naval Air Station, Los Angeles
Curtis kept a tight grip on Alex's arm as he escorted him towards the plane, with Tony walking alongside them. Tony was a little anxious about Curtis and was worried that he might take action to harm Alex, although he knew that Curtis would not want to jeopardise the mission. Boarding the plane, Alex was soon handcuffed to a seat, with the two agents sat a few rows away.
Alex looked out of the window as they waited for takeoff. He was a little annoyed that they felt the need to restrain him, although as a former CTU agent he understood the reasons. He was determined to cooperate fully and ensure a successful mission, knowing that he was a few hours away from freedom, with even the threat of treason for helping Nina escape no longer hanging over his head. Contemplating what he was going to do next, he just hoped that he could get away from Jack. Tiredness soon overtook him, and he quickly fell asleep as the plane began its ascent.
19:50, Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego
Tony woke Alex up as they landed at the airfield, before releasing him from the cuffs and handing him a satellite phone. Alex quickly began inputting a number and waited for Mandy to pick up, knowing that they were going to trace the call.
"Mandy, it's Alex," Alex spoke as she picked up, hoping that she wouldn't be suspicious of this call out of the blue.
"Alex? What are you calling for?" Mandy replied, surprise definitely evident in her voice. She at least didn't seem to know that he had been captured.
"I'm in San Diego, I heard you were in town"
"San Diego? I thought you and Nina were going to Canada?" Mandy asked. Jack made a mental note of this information, knowing how much it would help him.
"There's been a change of plans. She wants me to go to Mexico City, and asked me to get in touch with you once I arrived in San Diego. She says you can get me across the border," Alex informed her. Normally, he was not someone who liked lying and so his skills were poor, but they still rolled off of his tongue with ease.
"Fine. Meet me at the Greyhound station, I'll take you to my place here in town and we can sort something out," Mandy replied, before abruptly ending the call. The trace had just managed to succeed, although it looked as if Mandy would lead them straight to her. Alex passed the phone back to Tony, before he was handcuffed once more.
"According to our intel, she changes her appearance often, you'll need to verbally confirm it's her," Curtis spoke. Nodding, Alex could tell that everything was going to plan, but it would only take one problem to potentially cause failure.
20:10, Greyhound Bus Station, San Diego
Once they had parked up, Tony took the handcuffs off of Alex and handed him a comm unit to put in his ear, before glancing around the immediate area.
"I'll be following you at a distance of about fifty metres, Curtis will stay in the car. The tac team will be ready to grab you both, so don't try anything," Tony spoke before they got out of the car.
Alex walked towards the main building of the station, noticing Mandy stood near the entrance. Thankful that she wasn't too close to any civilians, he confirmed her identity.
"Hi Mandy, nice to see you again. Thanks for this, Nina really needs me in Mexico City by the end of the week," Alex spoke as the two siblings met. As they walked towards Mandy's car, Tony jumped back into the CTU car that Curtis had been driving slowly near him.
"So far, so good," Curtis commented, although he was worried. There was still time for Alex to try something, or for some kind of problem to suddenly arise. They tailed Mandy and Alex until they could take down the pair safely, and they spotted their chance at a red light. Grabbing their guns, they rushed out of the car and surrounded it.
"CTU, get out of the car!" Tony yelled, and for a second he was sure Mandy had worked out that Alex had betrayed her. The two siblings complied, slowly getting out the car with their hands raised.
Back at CTU, Jack was conflicted about the capture. He was happy that Mandy was now in custody, but he was annoyed that Alex was now all but free. Deciding that he would have to let CTU release him, he knew that he still had a chance to grab Alex.
21:00, a road somewhere in southern Oregon
Nina, too, was feeling bittersweet about the mission. Milo had told her as much as he could find out, and whilst she was happy about Alex soon being free, she was annoyed that it had cost Mandy her freedom. She knew that CTU would monitor Alex for some time after letting him go, so she was preparing to let him disappear for a few months before she could resume contact with him.
21:10, close to Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego
As they approached the airfield, Tony noticed all too late that they were being followed by another vehicle. Suddenly, the other car rammed into the back of theirs, and Tony could only guess that this was an attempt to free Mandy. Tony and Curtis both got out of the car and started shooting, but Curtis was soon shot in the leg, sending him crashing to the ground in pain. Tony, pinned down on the other side of the car, was unable to help him, and the tac team were still minutes away from their position. Suddenly, gunshots from Curtis' side of the car killed the remaining attackers, and Tony looked over the roof to see Alex pointing a gun. He had gone into CTU agent mode, grabbing Curtis' gun and eliminating the threat.
Delighted murmurs could be heard at CTU as news filtered through, and even Jack smiled at the idea of what Alex had done. He just wished that someone who had gone through so much of the same things he had was still on their side.