Having dropped Morris off back at home, Chloe had then headed straight for CTU. As soon as she arrived, she approached Hastings who was deep in conversation with Cole.
"We've heard from NYPD about an incident earlier," he began as soon as she reached them. "Involving two men matching the descriptions of Alex and Jack."
She looked at him with worry and tried not to think of the possibilities. "Incident?"
"A cop saw Alex running from his car, leaving Jack behind," Hastings replied.
Cole looked up from the computer he was working at. "Minutes later, he showed up at my front door. He asked for a gun and my car, claiming it was something to do with CTU. I probably should have pressed him for more info."
"I think it has something to do with Nina Myers," Chloe replied.
Hastings nodded. "Alex got word yesterday that she might be living in the area. He asked me to keep it quiet until he could confirm or deny it before he came back and said it wasn't her. It seems he's misled me."
Alex was watching as Jack regained consciousness. Having tied him to a radiator with wires, he had been contemplating his next actions. He wanted to bring the informant down, but he would have to leave Jack alone.
"Dammit, Alex…," Jack muttered, before trying to move his arms.
Crouching down close to him, he hoped the wires were as strong as they looked. "Keep calm, okay?"
Jack lifted his head and stared at him. "You could have let me end this."
Alex shook his head. "I'm not gonna let him destroy either her family or yours," he replied before standing up. "Nina has a gun, I bet she still knows how to use it."
James had gone back to sleep but Nina was still wide awake, sitting on the edge of the bed. In her hands was a gun for the first time in several years. They had been the tool of choice for her most evil actions and she felt terrified to be holding it. The last time she had held one, she had thrown it out of a moving car in Germany. To say that it felt liberating would have been a massive understatement.
She turned to look at her sleeping husband. Her peaceful and loving life was crumbling all around her. Tonight's introduction to Alex and Jack couldn't have been worse. If the full truth ever came out, she would never see him or her children ever again.
An urge to get in her car and drive away as far as she could rose, but she knew it would be useless. If Jack escaped, he would head straight back there and who knows what he would do to James. For now, she had to stay put and be alert.
"This is all your fault, you know that," she whispered as she ran a finger down the barrel of the gun.
Alex had arrived at CTU and was heading straight for the trio stood around Cole's workstation. The loop he wanted kept tight was growing looser by the hour and that was bad news for Nina.
Hastings looked at him, a disappointed look on his face. "I'm guessing it's her?"
He nodded. "I'm sorry for misleading you, I had no idea the informant would take things this far."
"Nina's not supposed to be back in the country."
"She's got a family now, she renounced terrorism a long time ago," Alex replied, glancing at Cole's screen. On it was a picture of Nina taken several years before. "The informant wants her dead and he's happy to destroy two families to achieve that."
Chloe, who had been busy reading a file, looked up at him. "Where's Jack?"
"He's fine, he's tied up at my apartment," Alex replied before turning to Hastings. "We need to find this informant."
Hastings was not impressed. "Cole, go bring him in."
Alex shook his head. "I would rather keep him far away from CTU right now. He's in a very dark place."
"We can put him in an holding room if we have to."
Knowing it was useless to argue, Alex relented before walking over to a workstation. He had to do something to protect both his sister and his friend. Whoever this informant was, he wasn't going to enjoy anonymity for much longer.
Jack was alone in the dark, silent apartment with nothing but his thoughts. He was thinking about the events of the last few hours and had begun to wonder if Alex was right. Was revenge worth throwing away his happy retirement? If the informant had never contacted him, he would never have known that Nina was back in the country. He thought back to even earlier, when he had been with Kim. How wonderful it had been to spend time with his family like normal people did! Then the mysterious man had called and his fury had flown him across a continent.
Activity in the corridor outside caught his attention. He wondered if Alex was back before thinking about Nina. Could it be her, come to ensure that he wouldn't pose a threat to her any longer? He stared at the door as someone began to turn the handle.
Alex was scouring database after database for anyone likely to be the informant. The list was long, but many were either dead or in prison. For all he knew, the informant might not be in the system and he was wasting time. He had not mentioned much about the informant to Nina and was beginning to regret that.
Hastings marched up to him. "Where is he?"
"I left him in my apartment, he's not there?"
"Well, he's not there now, no sign of him!"
He stared at him in disbelief. If Jack had managed to escape, that meant Nina was in imminent danger. He had to go and protect her!
Jack was contemplating his current situation, unsure how things were about to go for him. Two armed men had entered the apartment before escorting him outside and into the back of the van. They had given him a few seconds of respite from restraints, only for handcuffs to replace the wires.
The man in the back of the van with him looked over. "We'll be there soon," he spoke in a distinct New York accent. He, like his colleague, wore all black, including gloves and balaclavas.
Moments later, the van stopped before the men escorted him into a building. They walked through a series of long, gloomy corridors until they reached a thick wooden door.
Inside, the decor was extravagant. On the far side of the room was a large mahogany desk. Sat at that desk was a middle-aged and overweight white man. He had greying hair, beady brown eyes and a pockmarked face. In his mouth was a large Cuban cigar.
Noticing Jack, the man placed the cigar in an ashtray and smiled at him. "Mr Bauer, it is an honour to meet you," he croaked.
Jack recognised the voice as that of the informant but he felt no gratitude. In fact, his first impression was one of disgust, which he kept well hidden. "Who are you and why does my revenge interest you?"
The informant thought for a moment. "My name is Howard, but I have no personal interest in your revenge," he began before grinning. "I do have an interest in the outcome… the death of our mutual friend."
Clear disgust was growing on Jack's face but if the informant had noticed, he didn't seem to care.
Despite wanting to go and protect his sister, Alex was in an holding room on Hastings orders. He was leaning against a table and deep in thought. Having no idea about either Jack or Nina, he felt helpless and that irritated him. Things had gone way out of control and he was sure someone was going to end up hurt or worse.
Cole entered the room, giving him a sympathetic look. "We're looking everywhere for him."
Alex nodded. "Do we have anyone at Nina's house?"
"Yeah, two agents outside. No sign of Jack, though."
That confused him. If Jack had escaped, wouldn't he have headed straight for Nina?
Now free from the handcuffs, Jack was waiting for the informant to return to the room. As Howard reappeared, he studied him. Had he seen him somewhere before? The name didn't ring any bells, but the face seemed familiar.
"Mr Bauer, I have an offer," Howard spoke as he sat back down.
Jack grew curious. "Let me go and we'll both get what we want."
"That's true," Howard began before picking up his cigar and taking a puff. "But you'll end up in prison for murder."
Curiosity turned to confusion. Didn't he want Nina dead?
He placed his cigar back down without breaking eye contact with Jack. "My offer would prevent that. Bring her back here and the only evidence will be circumstantial. My lawyers can take care of that."
Jack considered the offer. Alex had mentioned the possibility of prison but he had ignored the warning. Now that he was a little calmer, he felt he didn't want to spend the rest of his life locked up because of Nina. This deal, then, would give him the best of both worlds. She would be dead and he could return to his happy retirement. Yet could he live with that? Nina had once haunted him every day but she had faded away with time. What if he killed her and the memory ruined the rest of his life? Her having children only complicated things. He had seen how Teri's murder had affected Kim, after all.
Howard studied him as he contemplated. He had expected an answer by now, but he wasn't worried. Bauer still wanted his revenge, why not take advantage of a little extra help?
Jack had decided, or at least he had come to the conclusion that it was best to at least explore the possibilities. "I accept."
Alex was now back in the bullpen thanks to Chloe. She had found camera footage of Jack and two masked men leaving the apartment block. Everything seemed calm, but he knew he couldn't wait for what he feared was imminent. He had sat down at a workstation, only to stand straight back up and head for the exit.
Chloe glanced over at him and was about to say something before deciding against it. No way could anyone convince him to stay, not when both his sister and Jack were at risk. She could only hope that her two friends would be safe.
Jack and the masked men were back in the van. They had given him a gun, which he held in his hands as they made their way to Nina's house. Even though they were there to help him, he didn't trust them or their slime-ball boss. In fact, he was growing ever more uneasy about working with them. Howard was a criminal who saw people as resources, disposable once he no longer had any use for them. He was also someone who knew who both he and Nina were but he still couldn't connect the dots between them. Somewhere, there was a link and he was going to find it.
He looked over at the man in the back with him. "CTU will be aware of this by now."
The man shrugged. "We're prepared for that," he replied in a Midwestern accent.
Alex had taken a gun from the armoury and a SUV from the parking lot. Now he was speeding through the streets as dawn began to break over the city. There was still no sign of Jack at Nina's house but he couldn't be sure he would be the first to get there.
Managing to beat lights a second before they turned, he wondered if all his efforts were futile. Even if Nina survived this, she might well be going back to prison and that angered him. The damn informant had dragged her and Jack back into the horrific world they had tried to leave behind.
Not knowing the latest on either only made things worse. He knew the agents outside the house might not even be enough and if they weren't? How far was he was willing to go to protect Nina?