CHAPTER 2

But I'm on the Outside

And I'm looking in

I can see through you

See your true colors

Cuz inside your ugly

Ugly like me, I can see through

See the real you

Jack felt the warmth of the sun barring down on him as he slowly came back to consciousness. He tried to move his hands but than felt the rope and the metal leg they were attached to. Jack's mind slowly started to clear the fog away. As he become more and more aware of where he was his head began to hurt worse. It felt like there were a thousand Viet Cong marching in his head. He opened his eyes and closed them quickly as the sun blinded him, causing his head to hurt worse. He tried to move his head to see where he was at, but as his head slowly lifted he felt a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness. He laid his head back down and tried to block out the pain and remember how he had gotten there. The last thing he remember was the having Chase go with the SWAT guys back to CTU because he was going to kill Nina, but as he drove to CTU he decided to let her live. She had a great amount of information that would help CTU on it's fight against terrorist organizations that threaten the United States. Everything after that just was not in his memory or at least he could not recall it. He deduced something had happened because here he lying on a dirt floor, bleeding, and tied to a table. He heard someone coming and quickly closed his eyes in hopes of finding a way to surprise them and escape.

Nina walked to the shed they had thrown Jack in. She wanted to check on him to make sure they had secured him good enough so that he could not escape again. She took the keys out and unlocked the door. She had one of the men posted outside the door lock it behind her when she walked in. The first thing she noticed was the bright sun that shined on his face giving him a angelic like quality. She looked him up and down trying to figure out how much damaged had been done by the collision.

Jack opened his eyes knowing it was useless the person was keeping their distance meaning it had to be someone who knew him well enough not to give him a chance to make the bad situation work for him.

When he opened his eyes Nina said to him, "Don't worry Jack if I was going to kill you, I would have done it already."

What she said did not comfort him. He tried to move himself so that he was not lying on his hurt shoulder, but as he tried to turn a considerable amount of pain shot through his broken body. He groaned quietly trying to hide the pain he was in. Never show them you are hurting because than they know they got the best of you, was what his father had taught him as a child and he continued to use in his adulthood.

Nina watched him curiously she had not seen him in awhile, but every time she did see him she could not help but see herself too. He was like her twin, in a way, only he was considered the good one. IN reality they were both the same, they both killed people because they were ordered too. "How do you feel?" She asked unconcerned sounding.

Jack wanted to say, "I'd be better if you weren't here." But he didn't he answered, "Peachy."

"How's Kim doing I heard she's working for CTU now."

Jack looked at Nina trying to give his most menacing look without causing pain. "Leave her out of this. I think you have hurt her enough already."

"I wasn't alone Jack." Nina quipped back. "You are just like me you know that. We both kill and have killed people on orders, and sometimes not even when we were ordered too. You were willing to kill me that day you know. What if there wasn't the flak jacket there? I'd be dead. So don't try acting all high and mighty cuz your not. You were going to kill me last time we were together and you got all bent out of shape because I was going to return the favor. Jack we are survivors, we do our jobs and we are good at it, and they know it and use us to their full advantage." Nina tried to get through to him. "You are no different than me or the people you are fighting against. So why keep fighting for lower pay when you could be making so much more money and having so much more time to spend with Kim?"

"I am not like you." Is all he could mount for a defense. He had been doubting himself ever since the day he lost control. He had never gained that control back, Teri dying was the straw that broke the camels back, and sent his world troubling into a deep dark depressed oblivion.

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Adam ran over to Michelle trying not to show worry he felt. Kim was not to far off watching him. He waited for Michelle to get off the phone and he reported his findings. "Not to far from here a car like his was reported. It was burnt pretty good. They are not sure if anyone was inside. I back tracked the camera's and I sent my findings over here." Adam said looking from Michelle to Kim who sat at her desk typing away.

Michelle opened the file and watched it contents. She could barely tell from the grainy picture that it was Jack's car, but when the other car came barreling down the road, smashing into the driver side in her heart she knew it was Jack. It was confirmed when she saw a woman that looked like Nina Myers getting helped out of the back, and the limp body of Jack's getting pulled out the window by two men, and shuffled off to the back of an oncoming SUV. "Can you get the licenses plate of the SUV?"

"Did, it came back bogus. I'm trying to enhance the pictures now, but with my work load. . ."

Michelle cut him off, "If you have to send everything else over to Kim and Chloe this is important."

"What are you going to tell her?" Adam said referring to Kim who he was starring at.

"Nothing right now. Neither will you. I'm going to go brief Tony and he will make the final decision." Michelle's heart sank for Kim. She had been through so much, and yet it still came.

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