All the times that I've cried

All this wasting it's all inside

And I feel All this pain

Stuffed it down it's back again

And I lie here in bed

All Alone I can't mend

But I feel tomorrow will be ok

After a few hours of searching Chloe found what she though might be a terrorist camp. She called Chase out of Jack's office showed him what she found and than said, "Are you going to show Tony this?"

"Yes. Send it over to his screen. I'm going over there now." Chase said almost running out of the office. When he reached Tony's office on the other side of CTU he was excited. He walked in and Tony looked up from a stack of papers.

"What is it Chase?"

"I think we found Jack or at least a possible location."

"How?"

"Well I've been thinking and what is the once place where Nina is safe from extradition according to the Presidents pardon."

"North Africa." Tony said not connecting the dots it had been a long week.

"So I had Chloe check North Africa for anything of interest and we found a terrorist camp."

"So it doesn't mean he's there." Tony said frustrated with Chase.

"I know. I wanted to tell you what we had found and get your permission to get photos off the satellites from that area. They should have been stored somewhere because the satellite makes a pass a few times a day."

"Work with Michelle on it. She should have the clearance. Have Michelle transfer her work over to Chloe." Tony said understanding what Chase might be on to, but not getting his hopes up because the likely hood was pretty slim.

Chase and Michelle worked throughout the night checking satellite photos from the area. Finally around four in the morning Michelle found something. She jumped up the adrenaline running through her tired body, "It's him. I'm almost positive."

"What?" Chase said confused. He had gotten CTU this far in finding Jack, without outright giving the location away, he was not sure how he was going to convince them that was were Jack was till now.

"There." Michelle said pointing out a picture of two men dragging Jack off a plane to a Jeep that illuminated the area.

"Yeah that's him. Where is the nearest terrorist camp?"

"Here." Michelle said pointing on a map of the area.

"You think we can get a team to go in there?" Chase asked knowing they could but wanted to play it safe.

"Yeah. Tony and Distract would have to approve it but I doubt they'll say know because if they break Jack, than were in trouble because he knows to much." Michelle said feeling sorry for Jack already.

"Better call them than. I'll get a team in here and ready to fly out." Chase said knowing he was going to lead the team, seem as Jack wasn't there to do so.

"You better get out of here as soon as possible because it's about a twelve hour flight if not more." Michelle said wishing they had people over there right now.

Chase walked to the gear room calling everyone in active field op's via his cell phone. He was dressed and ready to go by time everyone was there. He had already made a plan of attack, at least a possible one he knew it would change as more people came and gave their input but they had 12 hours to go over it in the plane.

Baker was the first to arrived and ready to leave. He went over the plan with Chase as he would be running a separate team that would be responsible in providing support for Chase's team as they go in to save Jack.

Baker agreed with the plan seeing no major flaws in it. He rushed the rest of the men to get dressed and they all loaded into the three helicopter waiting for them. They rushed to the airport to get on the C-130 that would fly them to North Africa, where they will board three more helicopters that will fly them just outside their destination, and pick them up once they finish the mission..

Michelle called Chase's cell phone, "You have the go ahead. Tony's coming back in to help coordinate both teams. I'm going to work on the satellite end. I don't want to tell Kim yet as to not get her hopes up. I have a doctor ready and waiting for you at the C-130. We don't know what shape Jack will be in, and Division wants him out of the country as soon as possible and back on American soil so there will be a doctor and possibly a team ready to handle him and any of the other wounded."

"Good. We are boarding the C-130 now and I'll get in touch with you when we land." Chase said hanging up his phone walking on to the C-130.

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When the plane landed the men got off the plane ready to go into action. Radio checks had already been done, and their weapons were already to shot they just had to take the safety off. The helicopter flight was short, and when they landed they all quickly, but stealthy ran to the unsuspecting terrorist camp. Without any idea of where Jack might be held Chase's team would have to clear every building till they found him. Bakers team would surround the outside and provide back up as needed.

From the schematics of the camp Chase decided to go to the bunker first. It was underground, and looked secure enough to keep Jack in. His team entered the bunker safeties off. They searched down the long hallway room by room. Two men entering the room while two more stood in the hallway, one covering the front, while the other covered the back. It took ten minutes before the reached the fork in the hallway and they split up two going to the left, and Chase and another to the right. Radio silence was maintained, the only would use the radio if they needed help or found Jack. Jack was the primary objective, not stopping the camp. The camp would be bombed shortly after their departure if Jack was found.

Chase and his team mate had entered every room down the hallway except the last one. Chase slowly opened the door readying himself to fire upon anyone inside.

Jack sat in his cell he heard movement from outside and knew it was the men coming back for him. To finish what they started. He had been handcuffed to the chair for what seemed like forever. His hands numb from the cuffs being so tight. He was tired but his body hurt to much to move. They had visited him earlier and continued their torturing of him. This time dumping boiling hot water on his chest and legs. His chest and legs still burned, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had tears in his eyes from the pain he felt. He had given up on ever escaping, and was now just trying to hold out long enough so that they would kill him before he gave up any information. He heard the door opened and prepared himself for more.

Chase entered the small dark room and looked around. No one was there. It was empty. He searched again, and there was nothing but an empty crate. He left the room and went back to the main hallway. The other team joined him, "Nothing down there." One of them reported. Chase found it funny that they had not run into a single person and this was suppose to be a terrorist training camp with people. Had Nina fooled him?

Nina sat back and smiled as she watched via a satellite the team enter the empty terrorist camp. She knew she couldn't trust the young agent. She stopped the recording button, she had hooked up the computer so that it would record what was happening so she could show it to Jack, in hopes of what ever hope or resolve he was hanging on to would vanish after seeing a failed rescue mission.

She walked into Jack's room where she could smell the burnt flesh and see his beat red chest. She saw the tears in his eyes too and thought it poetic justices for all the pain he had brought on to the people he had interrogated. "Here I want you to see this." Nina said placing the lab top down on a table that had been moved into the room. She showed Jack the video feed, and smiled as she saw his face, "They are never going to find you, and my men aren't going to kill you. You will suffer until you give up the information, after that I can't promise you anything. It all depends on how helpful you are. You might actually get to live, and get to leave and be free. You could see Kim again."

Jack knew none of that would happen. She was only trying to make him have hope for the future after telling, which he knew there was none, even if, which he highly doubted, he was able to leave he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Have it your way Jack. I'm goanna go get some more food and water. But first we have a new treat for you." Nina said as the door opened.

The torturers walked into the room with per's and rope. Jack could only figure what those might lead to. He saw them with a cement shooter (TECHNIQUAL NAME), which was a gun designed to shoot objects into the cement. Most of the time it was used when huge tents were erected to put the pegs into the ground or for construction purposes. Jack watched as the shot four pegs into the ground.

One man walked over uncuffing Jack from the chair. He practically carried Jack over to the spot, and let Jack fall to the ground. Pushing Jack onto his back they each grabbed an arm or a leg and tied it with a one of the four ropes they had. Than they took the rope and used the peg as a pulley like system and pulled as tight as the possibly could, till they heard bones crack, and tied the rope off so there was no slack left in it and Jack's body was being pulled in all directions, almost like being drawn an cordered without the deadly ending.

One of the men walked up with a jar of scorpions. He smiled at Jack as he let the scorpions out of the jar onto the ground. Jack squirmed as much as he could, which was very little because his body was already stretched beyond its limit. He knew what would happen eventually.

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After searching the rest of the compound they found nothing. There was no one there, nor had it looked like it had been used in quite awhile. Chase cussed aloud to himself, angry that he didn't find Jack and Nina was able to trick him. He knew he never should have entered any type of deal with her but she promised him something he desperately needed, a future at CTU. With Jack out of the way Chase wouldn't have him constantly riding him over every little thing, nor would he have to deal with telling Jack that he had been sleeping with his daughter. In the end it would clear things up for Chase to possibly one day become director of field op's, but after he got to know Jack better, and see how much Kim really loved her father, he couldn't go through with it.

Finally breaking radio silence Chase said, "There isn't anything here."

Tony and Michelle felt their hearts drop as the words came out. They had their hopes up. Tony looked at the area again and said, "Chase stand by we are going to do a sweep again. If we find another place near by your going in. We can go one by one if we have too. He has to be there."

Chase knew that Jack could be anywhere in the world by now, but for some reason North Africa felt like the place, he knew Tony felt the same too, but what if they were wrong? What if Jack really was somewhere else, and they were wasting all their time on a false hope?

Tony came back over the radio, "There is another possible target twenty miles east of your current location. The choppers are on their way."

"Ok." Chase said feeling maybe he was wrong about the location all together. When the helicopters arrived they all filed onto them ready to find Jack, the team moral down just a little from the previous unsuccessful mission. When they were about over the compound Chase felt a ping of hope as he saw people outside the compound, using his night vision goggles. They filed off the plane the compound almost exactly like the other they went through it all again.

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Jack lay stretched out on the ground his arms and legs hurting, but that was the least of his worry. He kept lifting his head up and trying to find where any of the three scorpions were. He knew if he got stung by one it would hurt, and depending ont eh severity of the sting he might actually die from it later. He stopped looking around when he felt one climbing up his rib cage. He tried to slow his breathing but panic set in. His heart was racing and his breaths were coming quick. He knew if he did not slow both down it would only be a matter of time before the scorpion stung him.

He felt the scorpion turn and walk up his sternum. He lifted his head to see it almost staring at him, in his crazed mind he thought it was daring him to try something, or laughing at him saying, I'm goanna sting you sucker. Jack kept his head up staring at the scoripion it almost became a contest of who would break away first. He watched at the stinger came forward and stuck into the skin of his chest. He screamed in pain and laid his head back on the ground full out panic mode kicking in. There was nothing he could do but sit and wait for the scorpion to either sting him again or have his buddies come join the fun. Jack began to frantically fight against the ropes that held him, but all he managed to do was cause the ropes to cut into his skin, and make his joints crack again.

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Chase and his team went for the new bunker. They quickly shot the two guys outside with a silenced M-16. They walked down the steps, after hiding the bodies, and continued their search of the rooms. When they came to the last one in the hallways they heard a scream of pain. Chase busted the door open and looked around the dark room, he didn't see anyone in the room, until he looked down and saw Jack with now two scorpions on him. Chase ran over knocking the two scorpions off Jack's chest with the butt of his M-16. He knelt down by Jack and cut his hands and feet free from the painful position. "Jack it's Chase can you walk?" Chase said looking at Jack who looked so pale and warn.

Two men entered the room grabbing what was left of Jack off the floor and carrying him outside. They called for the helicopters, and Chase reported that they would need a full medical team, and he doubted Jack would make it back to the states.

Tony and Michelle cheered as they heard the news and than frantically began to find a place for them to land that Jack would be safe enough to get the urgent medical attention he needed. After a few phone calls, they were able to get Jack a place at the hospital on Rammstein Air Force Base (I ASSUME THEY HAVE ONE) in Germany.

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The men moved Jack as fast as they could to a new landing zone, as they were under heavy fire from the terrorist. Bakers team followed Chase's team killing anyone who tried to get close or kill them. When they reached the new landing zone Jack began to shake violently, the entire trip he moaned in agony from the venom of the scorpion. The men caring him laid him on the ground and held his head as he was having a seizure. When he finished Chase moved to him trying to find out what was causing all of the symptoms Jack had, seizure, pale skin, sweating, and what Chase assumed immense pain. Chase remembered the scorpions he had knocked of Jack's chest. Lifting Jack's shirt up he saw the signs of the scorpion stings. "Damn it" Chase almost expected Jack to sit up and say that's my line kid, as Jack had always said it when something went bad.

Chase radioed to Michelle and Tony his findings, Jack needed anti-venom soon or he might die. Normally a simple scorpion bite to a healthy adult would not be deadly but Jack had at least been stung four times enough to kill anyone. It was only a matter of time Chase thought as he looked at his watch.

Baker was next to Jack when he saw Jack start to gag. Baker quickly turned Jack over to his side as Jack began to vomit. Baker felt usless that he couldn't help the man he had respected so much. Jack had shown him a few things over the years, and saved his life countless times, and he was powerless to help him. Baker watched Jack as the helicopters arrived.

They loaded Jack on to the first helicopter. One of the technicians had anti-venom for Jack. He measured out the right amount and injected the needle into Jack arm. They had kept the anti-venom in the helicopter because of the area they worked in. Scorpions were notorious in the desert and on countless missions operatives had been stung. "It should keep the venom from killing him. It won't help with the pain, but I'm sure he won't die." The man said for Chases good, even though Chase already knew from his previous experiences.

When the helicopter landed they carted Jack off to the C-130 where a team of doctors and nurses were ready to tend to him. They quickly hooked an IV into Jack to get liquid in him and another to help with the pain. They hooked up a heart machine to monitor Jacks breathing and heart rate. Using scissors they cut his shirt off and noticed the burns and bruises. They did all they could to help Jack stay comfortable till they could tend to him better at the hospital. They sedated him so that he would sleep through the flight.

Chase watched Jack sleeping and began to wonder if he was as bad as Chase had made him out to be. Chase had learned about Jack's past recently from Kim who had finally confided in Chase, telling him her long past. From her father not being there when she was a child, her mothers death, finally to the recent years and her fathers close calls. It took Chase awhile to figure out Jack, and when he had it was to late to turn back the deal he made. At least Jack was alive. Chase prayed that Jack would never find out that he had betrayed him. If either Jack or Kim found out one of them would kill him in the most painful way possible. The fact that he had just hurt the one person Kim loved the most in the world settled in and Chase began to feel guilty. So guilty that he was almost ready to tell everyone he had done it.

The plane made it to Rammstein Air Force Base without any delays or problems. Jack was wheeled off the plane on a gurney to a waiting ambulance. They would tend to Jack and get it so that he could be moved back to the U.S.

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Michelle called Kim as soon as the mission was over. Kim drove over the speed limit all the way to CTU not knowing where her father was, but she knew she could get the best information there. She almost hit a few people, and almost rear ended a few more cars on her way there. When she reached CTU she ran past the guards who knew who she was and found Michelle out of breath, "Where is he? Is he ok?" She asked.

Michelle had Kim sit down and sent Tony to get Kim some water. "He's at Rammstein Air Force base right now. They are stabilizing him and getting him ready for transport back the U.S."

"How long will that take?"

"A day or two. They don't want to move him till they are sure he can handle it."

"How bad is it?"

"We don't know yet. They just go him there and are doing test now."

"Did Chase say anything about his condition?" Kim asked worrying now because Michelle was not telling her the entire truth or hiding something from her trying to protect her.

"He should be fine. They just want to be sure. He went through a lot." Michelle said knowing she was only trying to protect Kim, in truth she wasn't sure of anything at the moment. She was just as worried as Kim was, she had become friends with Jack after he came back, and she had learned a lot from him. She respected him as a co-worker and as a man. She even joked with Tony that if they ever broke up she would try to get Jack later. That didn't always make Tony happy, but after awhile Tony just say it as a harmless joke and he knew nothing would ever come between him or Michelle, and if she did go for Jack he could always take Jack out with a sniper one night he joked.

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The doctor looked at the x-rays and gasped as he studied them. He was surprised the man was still alive. One of Jack's ribs had been piercing his lung almost pushing through it collapsing it. If it had Jack would have been dead. Looking at the picture the doctor decided to put a breather on Jack. IT was only a matter of time till the rib went through the lung. He would have surgery that night to fix all the damage they could and that was just added to the list.

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Chase sat in the waiting room of the hospital with Baker both of them waiting news on when they could fly Jack back to the States. The doctor came out and explained all they had done for Jack. He explained the surgery that had been successful and why Jack was hooked up to a machine that was breathing for him. His lung was to weak to work on its own so they had the machine breathing for him. The doctor was reluctant to release him to be moved, but he had seen how much the two men wanted him back on U.S. soil. Chase explain Jack's situation and the fact that he had a daughter who was dying to see him. After some debate they got the doctors blessing as long as there was a team of doctors and nurses to watch over Jack during the flight.

They had kept Jack in a coma like state since the surgery his body had to much damage and it would have been to painful for him to be awake. They moved him onto another C-130 they flew him back to L.A. He was taken to a hospital there where Kim waited his arrival with Michelle and Tony.

Kim walked into Jack's room with Michelle and Tony when she saw what state he was in she felt the tears run down her face. "I thought you said he was going to be fine." She said with tears pouring down her face to see her father in such a horrible state.

"He is Kim." Michelle said gently putting an arm around her. "It's not as bad as it looks. The breathing machine is because his lung was pierced by one of his broken ribs and it's to weak to work on it's own. We can ask the doctor when we see him or her how long he'll be on that. As for not being awake he would be in to much pain." Michelle and Tony left Kim alone for a few minutes as they went to get coffee.

"I'm going to stay up here with her Tony. She shouldn't be alone and Carol won't be here for another day. Even then I don't think they should be alone. They have been through so much." Michelle said hoping that Tony would not think she was only there because of her strong liking of Jack. She had not liked Jack in that way because she had Tony and she never thought she and Jack would work they were to much alike.

"Sure baby." Tony said kissing her thankful for what he had. He remembered every day to be grateful for all they had.

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A few days later the doctors removed the breathing machine from Jack. His lung was not fully recovered, but they were sure it was strong enough to work on it's own. The reduced the medication so that Jack would become conscious soon, they really had not wanted to do that, but Ryan Chappelle had ordered it. He demanded to talk to Jack, and he could not do so why the Agent was medicated. The doctors told Chappelle that it would be painful for Jack to be conscious an no medicated that early, but Chappelle insisted more.

Kim, Carol and Michelle sat by his bed side. They all stared intently at him as they heard quiet cries of pain as he came too. He looked around the room hiding the pain he felt as soon as he was conscious. He was confused as to how he got to wherever he was. He was sure that he had gotten free somehow, but unsure of how that happened. He saw Kim and smiled slightly even though it caused pain.

Chappelle walked into the room with two other men and asked, "Can you ladies leave for a few? We need to have Jack answer a few questions."

"Can't it wait till he's better?" MIchelle snapped clearly angry at Chappelle.

"No it can't. It's imperative to national security."

"Whatever." Carol said following in Michelle's example.

"It's fine." Jack said barely audible his throat dry.

"Are you sure? You don't have to answer their questions dad?"

"It's fine." Jack said in a weak crackly voice he was not sure was his own.

"We'll be outside." Michelle said walking out with Kim and Carol behind them.

Jack slowly went through everything that had happened that he remembered, and when he finished Chappelle said he would have Jack sign a transcript of the interview once he was better. It took about three hours for Jack to go through everything, every hour they were interrupted by Jack's doctor who came in to check on him.

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A few weeks later Jack was released from the hospital. He wasn't able to go back to work for a few more weeks until his ribs were healed. Everything else was healed, the burns no longer hurt, and the cuts on his wrist now scars. He walked into his apartment, slight pain coming from his healing ribs. He looked around the empty place and felt the loneliness of his life overwhelm him again. Kim and everyone was there when he got home and he went through the motions for the party and was happy when everyone let. He laid in his bed thinking about the past. He was woken from his trance when the phone rang, "Bauer."

"Hey Jack. It's Tony. I wanted to talk to you about a mission for when you get back."

"Does Kim know about this?"

"Of course not she'd kill both of us. But I knew you wouldn't want to stay out of work long. We need you to help Chase or someone set up a cover to go undercover in the upcoming cartel."

"Which one there's quite a few of those Tony?" Jack said sleepy.

"The Salazars. They have a lot of contacts with the terrorist world we could infiltrate just through them."

"Ok call me with the details tomorrow. We can get lunch or something and talk about it. Just don't let Michelle or Kim get wind of it."

"I'm not crazy. I'd be on the porch I wouldn't even get the dog house if Michelle found out."

Jack laughed grimacing in pain slightly. "Call me tomorrow than." Jack said hanging up going back to his thoughts.

An undercover mission wouldn't be that bad. He needed to get back out there. He had nothing left here for him. Maybe he could do it. He knew he could he would eventually have the choice of who goes, and no one else would be ready for that type of mission. They were all still young naive agents that hadn't dealt with anything on that scale before he would do it. Maybe it would give him something to wake up to for tomorrow.