Los Angeles
"How long's it going to take to run a full viral scan?" Jack asked me as I stood with Tony in his office.
"Lex says an hour or two. He got on it pretty quick, so…"
"How long has this been going on?" Tony asked me.
I sighed. "According to Michael, the first e-mail he got from me was about four days after I left England, two days after we spoke on the phone. So just under a month."
"You think it could be related to Nina?"
"I don't know. I really don't. It wouldn't make sense, though. Those e-mails – I've seen them – contain some specific information about both me and Michael. I don't know if some random terrorist who only knew we were fighting together could place us as personally involved with each other."
"One of us, then." Tony seemed unsettled by the possibility. "Michelle?"
"No, it couldn't be. Yeah, the guys on the team knew, but they're all clean, they've got no reason to drag him out here. They all looked just as surprised as I was to see him. And I never spoke of it to anyone other than Lex, Leticia and Jack." I nodded in my boss' direction. "Honestly? I think it got out on his end somehow, and somebody is using it against him."
"What would they want him here for?" Jack asked.
"Or what would they want him out of there for?" I echoed.
We all fell silent, considering this. I looked down at the floor. Lex was at his station working double-time to get things moving and Weiss was helping him out, playing with my paperweight for good measure. The others were all similarly occupied, including Chris updating Michelle's day of disappearance timeline that had now been wheeled out onto the main floor. Michael was just hanging back, knowing that he didn't belong and at this rate never would. I excused myself from Jack and Tony's company and headed back downstairs.
"What's going on with that list?"
Steve glanced up. "We're sorting it out geographically, assigning teams to make some sweeps out."
"I'm still going," Lex piped up, "but there's no indication of her having modified data or of there ever being any tampering in the system."
I groaned. "Keep trying. What's our next move?"
"I don't think we have a next move," Chris interrupted. "We have an APB out for her sister's car, we have to assume she plugged in a spider and stole a lot of data, but we won't know what's going on until these sweeps get made and the system gets checked. And it's getting into the evening. Why don't we all at least stop and get food. Go home for an hour or two and come back. This is our only downtime – once things get started, we're not leaving."
We all looked at each other, knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit it. CTU agents are stubborn that way.
"Chris is right," Jack said from behind me, "you need a break. Get out of here and I'll see you in two hours unless something breaks." At my best Dana Scully uber-skeptic look, he insisted, "We've got it covered."
Lex raised a hand. "I'm not leaving. I'm the only one who can cover this."
Weiss glanced at him. "Need some help with that?"
"If you'd like."
"It's okay."
"I'm going to stay on to dispatch the teams," Steve said, "I've got it taken care of almost."
I grabbed my jacket off of my chair and started for the door, knowing my best friend would be behind me any moment now. She tapped me on the shoulder. "Vaughn and I were going to go get something to eat," she said, "did you want to come along?"
I thought about this, then shook my head. "Just drop me off and bring something back for me."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah," I said, "I just need to be alone for a while."
Home Base San Marcos
*There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never reach the end of the road
While you're traveling with me*
Sixpence None The Richer played on the living room stereo as I sat on the couch looking at the notes I'd taken throughout the course of the day in my copy of Michelle's file. It was a CD I'd borrowed from Leticia's room, but I knew she wouldn't mind. A lot of my notes were just little observations and didn't mean much. I kept thinking back to moments I remembered Michelle being involved in and wishing I'd paid a lot more attention. But then how was I to know she'd do a runner?
I took a long drink of soda and turned another page. I was going to get this right if it kept me up all night, which it probably would. As an active agent since London, I had a lot more responsibility than just a civilian technician. At least hopefully Leticia and Vaughn were having a good time. They both deserved it.
The phone rang, and I grabbed it.
His voice was urgent, desperate. "Tell me you're okay."
*Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in*
"I'm all right, Michael," I said, turning my attention to the conversation. "What's happening?"
"I just blasted a Code Five. In the parking garage of my hotel."
I choked. I knew about Code Fives – vampires – from Michael's work in London. He worked for CIB, a Vatican-funded branch of the government dedicated to defending England from the vampire incursion which had recently begun as vampires that had peacefully coexisted with humans now came out to fight a war against "pollution of their food supply" (namely, humans). I don't know about you, but I'm not an appetizer. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"How can they be here?"
"I don't know. But it's not a coincidence. I'm calling Pearse right now, and then I'm coming to get you."
I didn't fight him this time. "I'll be ready," I said, and hung up the phone feeling sick. Missing CTU agents, a computer virus, and now vampires – it was as if the world was just falling apart. I stood, dropping my paperwork, and went to find my gun. It wouldn't do me a damn bit of good against the Code Fives, but it made me feel better. I loaded the weapon, clicked off the safety, and said to hell with everything else.
*They come, they come
To build a wall between us
Don't ever let them win*