Chapter 15
Tony and Chase had reached Mr. Warner's house. Once there they noticed the body covered by the black body bag in the front of the house. They walked past the police, showing their badges. Chase limped to the back of the house where there was a large crowd of people. He said "hello" to Richard Car. He had worked with Chase when Chase was a police officer.
"Man, Chase, you look like shit. Shouldn't you be in the hospital or resting?"
"No. Just a scratch. What do you have here?"
"Why is CTU interested in it?"
Chase looked at the man. Did he need to know why, no not really, but Chase trusted him and decided it would be easier to get his help if he knew what they were looking for. "An agent was kidnapped earlier today and then her father, who had been an agent before traded himself for her. He died earlier."
"You mean Jack Bauer?"
"Yeah. How did you know?" Chase had not seen or heard the news since yesterday so he had no clue that it had been all over TV.
"The media has been reporting it all day. Sherry Palmer was involved." Richard informed Chase.
"Oh. I haven't seen the news in quite a while. So, what happened here?"
"From the way it looks, they were professionals. One of the bodies, the one you walked by out front I think is one of theirs because of the gear."
"S.W.A.T.?"
"Yeah. That is partially why I think it's professional. The other is the way the victims were killed. Double taps."
"That doesn't mean much of anything, but added in with the guys gear in front probably, plus with the people possibly involved." Chase thought out loud. "Any sign that anyone else was here?"
"Yeah. Follow me." Richard led Chase down to the basement of the guess house when they entered the room Chase knew what had occurred in the room by the blood on the floor and the blood on the wooden chair. He did not say anything, he figured it was Jack who went through it. He remembered how he had survived the torture of the Salazars and how Claudia saved him. He hated Jack that day for not stopping it, but he later understood why and moved on.
"Looks like they had fun with someone." Richard said noticing the far away look on Chase.
"Probably Jack. Any clues as to who might have done it?"
"Nope. We have two of the Warners here dead, the father and Marie, and then the other Warner, um" Richard looked at his notes and to retrieve the other name, "Kate Warner was killed earlier today during a supposed 'trade' between the people who did this and Sherry Palmer."
Chase knew the details of the trade and cringed at the thought. If they had only found this earlier than they might have been able to save Jack. "Thanks, Richard. Seems kind of funny that Sherry Palmer knew where Kate was or even had her in her car with this happening. I assume it was before the trade?"
"Yeah. Sherry Palmer keeps coming up with every incident. Maybe I should question her."
Chase knew the man would not let this case go. Technically CTU had very little jurisdiction here. They could argue that this was a terrorist action, but they had no proof, and Jack was a civilian now so his death is a L.A.P.D. problem. When Kate was killed, all jurisdiction CTU had went down the drain. The person who assaulted their agents was dead. "Why don't we do it together?"
"Sure. You probably can get better access than I can, and I know you want to stay in it because of your friend. I'd expect the same from you if they killed a L.A.P.D. officer."
"Let me go find Tony Almeida and then we'll head off to the President's hotel. I figure Sherry Palmer will be there." Chase said limping away. He was breathing heavy from the pain of the wounds he had received earlier that day. He found Tony looking at the man in the front.
"I talked to a friend of mine. He's the leader on this and he's going to interview Sherry Palmer. We are invited along." Chase said to Tony.
"Good. I'll drive." Tony said walking towards his SUV.
Richard caught up and Chase introduced everyone and Richard almost lost it. "You are Tony Almeida, director of CTU?"
"That would be me."
"Shit, man. Chase, you did not tell me you were hanging with the head honcho." Richard said stunned.
Tony blushed feeling a little embarrassed. Then he thought about being there earlier and asked, "Was there any sign that Jack was here?"
"Just the room in the basement of the guess house, but not direct evidence yet. Why are you asking?" Chase questioned, not knowing that Tony had been there earlier that day.
"We were here earlier today. I searched the place and didn't find Jack." Tony said feeling the guilt of not finding Jack there. He knew if he had only found him, he would still be alive.
"He probably wasn't there then. There was nothing any of us could have done." Chase said knowing what Tony was feeling because he felt guilty for allowing his guard down around Kate when he first saw her that morning. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Mandy waited for the arrival of the dealers. She was about a mile off the meeting point, watching it through binoculars. She did not want to show up first. That would give the other person a chance to ambush them. She would wait and see if they had anything set up. She had been outside for almost an hour waiting for them to show.
A black car drove down the dirt road and stopped at the forest line. They were right on time. Mandy called her people and told them to move in. She sat for a few more minutes before getting up and entering the car that came to drive her to the meeting point.
When she got there, she saw the woman and was shocked at first. "I thought you were dead?" was the first thing out of her mouth.
"Why did you think that?" the woman asked.
"I heard that Bauer killed you."
"He did. I'm not her. Just look like her thanks to surgery. Couldn't keep my old identity intact. Too many people knew it so I had to change it. Don't worry though, I don't have the same traits as she had."
Still taken back by the sight of the woman, she asked, "Do you have the money?"
"Do you have the goods?"
"Yes. There is a sample on my laptop. Broadcasted live." Mandy answered.
"What about the goods?"
"They are with the person. I will go with you there once you have seen the sample and I have seen the money. This is so there is no way either of us double-crosses the other."
"Fine. Let's see it."
Mandy took the laptop out of the back of the car that drove her to the meeting place. After about ten minutes, it was up and running and ready to show the live broadcast. She called her contact number and they began to show the effects of the new drug.
"You say this drug can kill anyone without leaving a trace in the blood stream?"
"Yes. To all outwards appearances it would be a really bad fever that spreads quickly to everyone around. That's all it really is, but since the flu is such a spread able disease, many people will die from it. Mostly weak, old, and really young, but like the 1918 flu so will the strong middle age people. No one will be safe." Clicking on the menu button she showed the buyer the previous recording of the injection and test to check temperature. "This was a week ago. Here, the person is almost dead today." She said playing the live broadcast feed.
The woman looked at the picture. The person was quite weak and ill looking, almost to the point of death. "That's good, but what about the other part of the deal? Where is Bauer?"
"We had complications. He died." Mandy said dreading the question.
"Are you sure he is dead? Have you seen the body?"
"No, but it's been all over the news. Sherry Palmer was with him."
"But you have not seen the body so you are not sure he is dead? It all could be a ploy."
"His friend Almeida told his daughter. Almeida was told by the president. I do not think it is a ploy. Both his daughter and ex- colleagues took it bad." Mandy said in her own defense.
"This creates a problem though. We wanted him alive because he has some information we must know."
"If you tell me, I can get my person on the inside. Someone else has to know the same information." Mandy said trying to please her buyer.
"No, they would not. It is about him. It is purely a personal question. Something that arose last time."
"Are you still interested in the deal?" Mandy said knowing this conversation was going to go to no where.
"Yes. Shall we?" The person said pointing at the black SUV she had arrived in.
Mandy got in the back with her and directed the driver towards the place where the virus was being held. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Palmer looked at Jack. He sat down silently watching him. He knew he would have to answer everyone's questions. There was no way around them, the problem was how much of the truth should he tell if at all. Sherry was still looking at him. She had already learned when to let him think and when to keep pestering him. He looked at her and said, "Sherry, I did not plan for the team to fail. They were to blow the place up, and come back alive. ALL of them. I don't know how the Drazens caught on, but they did. We wanted to get Drazen alive, but we wanted the team to succeed. It would have been on the news that they had been bombed because Drazen was starting to pick up publicity."
"You have to tell Jack that, then. God David. You should have told him the first time this came up. He's not going to believe you because you hid it. We both know Jack is not a man to play with." Sherry scolded him.
"I know. I couldn't because I knew he would be pissed and he had his family problems to deal with that day. Since then, it hasn't arisen again so I figured it was not so important for him to know."
The phone rang in the room. One of the Secret Service agents picked it up, listened while the caller told him what he wanted. He put the phone down and walked over to the President. "Mr. President, a Mr. Almeida is on the phone. He and his partners would like to ask Sherry a few questions about the events earlier today."
Sherry and the President both looked up in surprise. "Have them wait in the conference room. Sherry will be there in a few moments." The President said feeling the dread of the meeting taking over him. He knew these men were quite capable of doing their job and Sherry had to lie to them about the day they could not know about Jack especially after what had just transpired. "Can you do this, Sherry?" David asked wondering about his ex-wife. She was a good liar, but was she good enough to fool the CTU people.
"Yes. Don't worry, David. Why don't you go in and check on Jack? Then in about ten minutes, come down to the room." Sherry said preparing herself for the biggest test she has faced yet. She got off the couch and left the room.
David walked into the room that Jack was now sedated in. He looked at the man and wondered how he could convince him he did not set the team up to fail. He knew that no matter what, Jack would be pissed, and the feeling would grow worse for what he had done earlier.
Ann was in there looking over Jack, checking his pulse and wounds. She was worried about him because he should be in a hospital hooked up to machines, not here. She looked at David and began to feel like David felt towards Sherry. "David, he should be in a hospital. If something goes wrong, we cannot do anything to stop it. Whatever threat the people pose towards him we, are endangering him even more by keeping him here."
"He was fine earlier when he was awake. He should be fine." David said trying to convince her that everything would be fine.
"Just because he sounded fine doesn't mean he's fine. This man has been through a lot and needs to be in the hospital. If he dies. you will be responsible for it, David. You will be responsible for the death of the man you once said was a great friend and someone you trusted wholeheartedly. Do you really want the responsibility on your shoulders? You will be responsible for his daughter losing her father. Think David. You are a great man, this is not you."
"Ann, I know, but we have to keep this up a little longer. How much longer will he be out?"
"A few more minutes most likely." Ann answered.
"Good. I have to take care of some things. If he comes too before I get back, send a Secret Service agent down to the conference room and have them get me. Thank you Ann. I know you are worried, but I can't let him go to the hospital. I will make it up to you and him, I promise." David said leaving the room with his head hanging down. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had too. Too much was riding on this.
Tony and Chase had reached Mr. Warner's house. Once there they noticed the body covered by the black body bag in the front of the house. They walked past the police, showing their badges. Chase limped to the back of the house where there was a large crowd of people. He said "hello" to Richard Car. He had worked with Chase when Chase was a police officer.
"Man, Chase, you look like shit. Shouldn't you be in the hospital or resting?"
"No. Just a scratch. What do you have here?"
"Why is CTU interested in it?"
Chase looked at the man. Did he need to know why, no not really, but Chase trusted him and decided it would be easier to get his help if he knew what they were looking for. "An agent was kidnapped earlier today and then her father, who had been an agent before traded himself for her. He died earlier."
"You mean Jack Bauer?"
"Yeah. How did you know?" Chase had not seen or heard the news since yesterday so he had no clue that it had been all over TV.
"The media has been reporting it all day. Sherry Palmer was involved." Richard informed Chase.
"Oh. I haven't seen the news in quite a while. So, what happened here?"
"From the way it looks, they were professionals. One of the bodies, the one you walked by out front I think is one of theirs because of the gear."
"S.W.A.T.?"
"Yeah. That is partially why I think it's professional. The other is the way the victims were killed. Double taps."
"That doesn't mean much of anything, but added in with the guys gear in front probably, plus with the people possibly involved." Chase thought out loud. "Any sign that anyone else was here?"
"Yeah. Follow me." Richard led Chase down to the basement of the guess house when they entered the room Chase knew what had occurred in the room by the blood on the floor and the blood on the wooden chair. He did not say anything, he figured it was Jack who went through it. He remembered how he had survived the torture of the Salazars and how Claudia saved him. He hated Jack that day for not stopping it, but he later understood why and moved on.
"Looks like they had fun with someone." Richard said noticing the far away look on Chase.
"Probably Jack. Any clues as to who might have done it?"
"Nope. We have two of the Warners here dead, the father and Marie, and then the other Warner, um" Richard looked at his notes and to retrieve the other name, "Kate Warner was killed earlier today during a supposed 'trade' between the people who did this and Sherry Palmer."
Chase knew the details of the trade and cringed at the thought. If they had only found this earlier than they might have been able to save Jack. "Thanks, Richard. Seems kind of funny that Sherry Palmer knew where Kate was or even had her in her car with this happening. I assume it was before the trade?"
"Yeah. Sherry Palmer keeps coming up with every incident. Maybe I should question her."
Chase knew the man would not let this case go. Technically CTU had very little jurisdiction here. They could argue that this was a terrorist action, but they had no proof, and Jack was a civilian now so his death is a L.A.P.D. problem. When Kate was killed, all jurisdiction CTU had went down the drain. The person who assaulted their agents was dead. "Why don't we do it together?"
"Sure. You probably can get better access than I can, and I know you want to stay in it because of your friend. I'd expect the same from you if they killed a L.A.P.D. officer."
"Let me go find Tony Almeida and then we'll head off to the President's hotel. I figure Sherry Palmer will be there." Chase said limping away. He was breathing heavy from the pain of the wounds he had received earlier that day. He found Tony looking at the man in the front.
"I talked to a friend of mine. He's the leader on this and he's going to interview Sherry Palmer. We are invited along." Chase said to Tony.
"Good. I'll drive." Tony said walking towards his SUV.
Richard caught up and Chase introduced everyone and Richard almost lost it. "You are Tony Almeida, director of CTU?"
"That would be me."
"Shit, man. Chase, you did not tell me you were hanging with the head honcho." Richard said stunned.
Tony blushed feeling a little embarrassed. Then he thought about being there earlier and asked, "Was there any sign that Jack was here?"
"Just the room in the basement of the guess house, but not direct evidence yet. Why are you asking?" Chase questioned, not knowing that Tony had been there earlier that day.
"We were here earlier today. I searched the place and didn't find Jack." Tony said feeling the guilt of not finding Jack there. He knew if he had only found him, he would still be alive.
"He probably wasn't there then. There was nothing any of us could have done." Chase said knowing what Tony was feeling because he felt guilty for allowing his guard down around Kate when he first saw her that morning. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Mandy waited for the arrival of the dealers. She was about a mile off the meeting point, watching it through binoculars. She did not want to show up first. That would give the other person a chance to ambush them. She would wait and see if they had anything set up. She had been outside for almost an hour waiting for them to show.
A black car drove down the dirt road and stopped at the forest line. They were right on time. Mandy called her people and told them to move in. She sat for a few more minutes before getting up and entering the car that came to drive her to the meeting point.
When she got there, she saw the woman and was shocked at first. "I thought you were dead?" was the first thing out of her mouth.
"Why did you think that?" the woman asked.
"I heard that Bauer killed you."
"He did. I'm not her. Just look like her thanks to surgery. Couldn't keep my old identity intact. Too many people knew it so I had to change it. Don't worry though, I don't have the same traits as she had."
Still taken back by the sight of the woman, she asked, "Do you have the money?"
"Do you have the goods?"
"Yes. There is a sample on my laptop. Broadcasted live." Mandy answered.
"What about the goods?"
"They are with the person. I will go with you there once you have seen the sample and I have seen the money. This is so there is no way either of us double-crosses the other."
"Fine. Let's see it."
Mandy took the laptop out of the back of the car that drove her to the meeting place. After about ten minutes, it was up and running and ready to show the live broadcast. She called her contact number and they began to show the effects of the new drug.
"You say this drug can kill anyone without leaving a trace in the blood stream?"
"Yes. To all outwards appearances it would be a really bad fever that spreads quickly to everyone around. That's all it really is, but since the flu is such a spread able disease, many people will die from it. Mostly weak, old, and really young, but like the 1918 flu so will the strong middle age people. No one will be safe." Clicking on the menu button she showed the buyer the previous recording of the injection and test to check temperature. "This was a week ago. Here, the person is almost dead today." She said playing the live broadcast feed.
The woman looked at the picture. The person was quite weak and ill looking, almost to the point of death. "That's good, but what about the other part of the deal? Where is Bauer?"
"We had complications. He died." Mandy said dreading the question.
"Are you sure he is dead? Have you seen the body?"
"No, but it's been all over the news. Sherry Palmer was with him."
"But you have not seen the body so you are not sure he is dead? It all could be a ploy."
"His friend Almeida told his daughter. Almeida was told by the president. I do not think it is a ploy. Both his daughter and ex- colleagues took it bad." Mandy said in her own defense.
"This creates a problem though. We wanted him alive because he has some information we must know."
"If you tell me, I can get my person on the inside. Someone else has to know the same information." Mandy said trying to please her buyer.
"No, they would not. It is about him. It is purely a personal question. Something that arose last time."
"Are you still interested in the deal?" Mandy said knowing this conversation was going to go to no where.
"Yes. Shall we?" The person said pointing at the black SUV she had arrived in.
Mandy got in the back with her and directed the driver towards the place where the virus was being held. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Palmer looked at Jack. He sat down silently watching him. He knew he would have to answer everyone's questions. There was no way around them, the problem was how much of the truth should he tell if at all. Sherry was still looking at him. She had already learned when to let him think and when to keep pestering him. He looked at her and said, "Sherry, I did not plan for the team to fail. They were to blow the place up, and come back alive. ALL of them. I don't know how the Drazens caught on, but they did. We wanted to get Drazen alive, but we wanted the team to succeed. It would have been on the news that they had been bombed because Drazen was starting to pick up publicity."
"You have to tell Jack that, then. God David. You should have told him the first time this came up. He's not going to believe you because you hid it. We both know Jack is not a man to play with." Sherry scolded him.
"I know. I couldn't because I knew he would be pissed and he had his family problems to deal with that day. Since then, it hasn't arisen again so I figured it was not so important for him to know."
The phone rang in the room. One of the Secret Service agents picked it up, listened while the caller told him what he wanted. He put the phone down and walked over to the President. "Mr. President, a Mr. Almeida is on the phone. He and his partners would like to ask Sherry a few questions about the events earlier today."
Sherry and the President both looked up in surprise. "Have them wait in the conference room. Sherry will be there in a few moments." The President said feeling the dread of the meeting taking over him. He knew these men were quite capable of doing their job and Sherry had to lie to them about the day they could not know about Jack especially after what had just transpired. "Can you do this, Sherry?" David asked wondering about his ex-wife. She was a good liar, but was she good enough to fool the CTU people.
"Yes. Don't worry, David. Why don't you go in and check on Jack? Then in about ten minutes, come down to the room." Sherry said preparing herself for the biggest test she has faced yet. She got off the couch and left the room.
David walked into the room that Jack was now sedated in. He looked at the man and wondered how he could convince him he did not set the team up to fail. He knew that no matter what, Jack would be pissed, and the feeling would grow worse for what he had done earlier.
Ann was in there looking over Jack, checking his pulse and wounds. She was worried about him because he should be in a hospital hooked up to machines, not here. She looked at David and began to feel like David felt towards Sherry. "David, he should be in a hospital. If something goes wrong, we cannot do anything to stop it. Whatever threat the people pose towards him we, are endangering him even more by keeping him here."
"He was fine earlier when he was awake. He should be fine." David said trying to convince her that everything would be fine.
"Just because he sounded fine doesn't mean he's fine. This man has been through a lot and needs to be in the hospital. If he dies. you will be responsible for it, David. You will be responsible for the death of the man you once said was a great friend and someone you trusted wholeheartedly. Do you really want the responsibility on your shoulders? You will be responsible for his daughter losing her father. Think David. You are a great man, this is not you."
"Ann, I know, but we have to keep this up a little longer. How much longer will he be out?"
"A few more minutes most likely." Ann answered.
"Good. I have to take care of some things. If he comes too before I get back, send a Secret Service agent down to the conference room and have them get me. Thank you Ann. I know you are worried, but I can't let him go to the hospital. I will make it up to you and him, I promise." David said leaving the room with his head hanging down. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had too. Too much was riding on this.