Tony rushed through the endless corridors. He wasn't sure where he was going, he felt extremely confused but mostly he was angry. He was angry at Kim for asking stupid questions, at CTU, he was even angry at Michelle, who had stormed out of the building and gotten herself killed but above all, he was angry at himself. Suddenly he stopped. This was where his feet had led him. It was a silent corner that had witnessed a sweet and shy kiss years back. He still remembered her lips on his, he could recall the taste of tears she'd shed. He wished he could hold her again in that same spot, wrap his arms around her and just hold her and never let go of her. But there was only air left, nothing to hold on to. Tony leaned on the wall and buried his face in his hands and burst into tears.
Chase glanced furtively over his shoulder while he opened a door to an empty room and sneaked inside. He took his cell-phone and dialed a number:
"Hello?" Said the voice in the other end.
"Jack is onto us!" Chase hissed on the phone.
"Calm down! What do you mean? I thought Jack was not a problem here?"
"Well, obviously he is!" Chase paced around the room nervously. "They're investigating the warehouse, it's only a matter of time before they find out. We must do something now!"
The voice was silent for a while. "What is he doing at the moment?"
"I don't know. I think he went after Tony. What the hell did you do to Michelle?!"
"I did what had to be done. You're in no position to question my actions. Now, tell me he won't find anything from the database. Everything's covered there?"
"Yeah. I think, but if he starts to investigate he'll put two and two together and.."
"Then see he's busy on something else! Right now, we're continueing as planned. Try to handle things there for a couple of hours, as soon as I meet the buyers we can proceed. But we can't do anything right now, we'd just be drawing attention towards us! They won't find anything from the warehouse just don't do anything stupid."
"Dad, where's Tony?" Kim entered Jack's office. Her voice teetered slightly. Jack put the phone down and walked to his daughter.
"He needs some time to think, I'll go and talk to him in a minute. You ok, sweet heart? I know she was your friend too."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kim tried to remain calm, her father had enough on his mind without her acting like a silly young girl.
"Go home, Kim. Get some rest, will you?" Jack tried, he could see through her. This was painful for him too, but he wanted to give Kim a break.
"What would I do in an empty house by myself? And you need us all here in this case. This is my work, I can handle this, I don't need you protecting me, dad!" Kim raised her voice a bit to make a point. She was devastated by Michelle's death but she felt that she needed to be doing something helpful.
Jack sighed. He sould've known better, it was his daughter after all. He walked back to his desk and took the phone and hit re-dial button. "Ok. I was just calling Chloe, Michelle checked some files for her earlier today and she pulled the satellite images from the area the two agents were found shot."
"You think the deaths of those agent and... "Kim paused not wanting to say aloud Michelle's name and stating that she was truly gone. "... are somehow connected?"
"It would be too big a coincidence if they weren't. That's why I want to get to the bottom of this." He waited for someone to pick up the phone. "She's not answering."
"Maybe she's asleep?"
"Well then someone's just gonna have to wake her up!" Jack started to sound impatient.
"What if I go down there and pick her up?" Kim asked trying to be useful. She knew she couldn't handle Chloe's work by herself.
"Ok." Jack put the phone down and picked it up again dialing the four-digit- number to field ops. "I'm gonna send someone to check Tony and Michelle's house."
Kim turned to leave.
"Oh, Kim?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell Chase I want to see him in my office right away."
Michelle tried to dial Jack's number again but the line was busy. "Who is he talking to?" She dialed Tony's number and waited desperately for him to answer it. The phone rang alone in the pocket of Tony's coat.
"Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Alex looked at her.
"It's just... I don't seem to get in hold of anybody at the moment. Anybody I could trust, that is."
"There's something wrong with the lines?"
Michelle ignored the question and tried to get through, with no luck. She put the phone down and sighed. She wondered if Tony had already left the office, whether he'd seen their house already.
"Alex, I know you've done a lot for me today but could you please drive me to CTU? I have to speak to my husband."
"Sure, no problem, I understand, if this had happened to my wife..." Alex started and then paused. "...I go start the car."
Kim walked through the office and looked for Chase. She didn't know whether Chase had been acting strangely because of Michelle, "We all have our own ways to react on something like this", she thought. But he'd been so tense before too, Kim acknowledged. She picked up a phone from a workstation and dialed Jack's number:
"Jack Bauer."
"Dad, I can't find Chase anywhere. I'm sure he'll turn up in a while, but if I want to get Chloe here before dawn then I'd better get going."
"Yeah, ok. I'll just find him myself."
"Yeah.. If he wonders where I am just tell him I went to pick up Chloe, ok?"
"Sure, I'll tell him."
Jack put the phone down and walked to the door. He'd have to find Tony first and have a chat with him. He knew there was hardly any time to do that, but they were desperately short staffed at the moment and he needed him to focus on the job. How could he ask Tony to do that?
The lights were off at Tony's office so Jack didn't bother to knock. He walked the stairs down to the lower level where he spotted Chase.
"Chase!" Jack shouted to catch Chase's attention.
Chase gave Jack a nervous glance. "What is it Jack?"
"You haven't seen Tony by any chance?"
"Tony? No, not since he left the conference room."
"Ok. I sent a team to check on Tony's house, the warehouse area is also covered and Kim went to get Chloe here. We need to go over those satellite images again and also, Michelle checked something for her earlier today and I want to know what it was and we could also need some extra personnel on site. But now, I have to find Tony and talk with him, can you handle things here?"
"What?!" Chase was going through Jack's words in his mind.
Jack looked at Chase for a moment and wondered if he was fit to take over things for a minute. Chase looked kind of misplaced, but then again, if not Chase, who would he trust to keep CTU up and running, when Tony clearly was out of the game at the moment.
"Can you handle things for a moment here alone?"
"No.. I mean yeah, sure I can, but that wasn't what I meant.. Did you say Kim was going to Chloe's?"
"Yeah, I tried to call her but she didn't answer so Kim went to pick her up. She needs to get her mind out of all that's just happened. Is there a problem?"
"No, no.. There isn't.. Um.. Yeah, sure just go and find Tony. I'll manage. When did you say Kim left?"
Jack gave a examining look at Chase. "Just a minute ago." He was about to say something more, but instead decided to go and find Tony. His daughter's relationship problems were not his problems, that much he had understood while trying to restore his relationship with Kim. And besides, he'd have to find Tony, he owed him that.
Chase watched Jack to leave until he started rushing towards the elevators, he had to find Kim before she'd leave.
Chase glanced furtively over his shoulder while he opened a door to an empty room and sneaked inside. He took his cell-phone and dialed a number:
"Hello?" Said the voice in the other end.
"Jack is onto us!" Chase hissed on the phone.
"Calm down! What do you mean? I thought Jack was not a problem here?"
"Well, obviously he is!" Chase paced around the room nervously. "They're investigating the warehouse, it's only a matter of time before they find out. We must do something now!"
The voice was silent for a while. "What is he doing at the moment?"
"I don't know. I think he went after Tony. What the hell did you do to Michelle?!"
"I did what had to be done. You're in no position to question my actions. Now, tell me he won't find anything from the database. Everything's covered there?"
"Yeah. I think, but if he starts to investigate he'll put two and two together and.."
"Then see he's busy on something else! Right now, we're continueing as planned. Try to handle things there for a couple of hours, as soon as I meet the buyers we can proceed. But we can't do anything right now, we'd just be drawing attention towards us! They won't find anything from the warehouse just don't do anything stupid."
"Dad, where's Tony?" Kim entered Jack's office. Her voice teetered slightly. Jack put the phone down and walked to his daughter.
"He needs some time to think, I'll go and talk to him in a minute. You ok, sweet heart? I know she was your friend too."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Kim tried to remain calm, her father had enough on his mind without her acting like a silly young girl.
"Go home, Kim. Get some rest, will you?" Jack tried, he could see through her. This was painful for him too, but he wanted to give Kim a break.
"What would I do in an empty house by myself? And you need us all here in this case. This is my work, I can handle this, I don't need you protecting me, dad!" Kim raised her voice a bit to make a point. She was devastated by Michelle's death but she felt that she needed to be doing something helpful.
Jack sighed. He sould've known better, it was his daughter after all. He walked back to his desk and took the phone and hit re-dial button. "Ok. I was just calling Chloe, Michelle checked some files for her earlier today and she pulled the satellite images from the area the two agents were found shot."
"You think the deaths of those agent and... "Kim paused not wanting to say aloud Michelle's name and stating that she was truly gone. "... are somehow connected?"
"It would be too big a coincidence if they weren't. That's why I want to get to the bottom of this." He waited for someone to pick up the phone. "She's not answering."
"Maybe she's asleep?"
"Well then someone's just gonna have to wake her up!" Jack started to sound impatient.
"What if I go down there and pick her up?" Kim asked trying to be useful. She knew she couldn't handle Chloe's work by herself.
"Ok." Jack put the phone down and picked it up again dialing the four-digit- number to field ops. "I'm gonna send someone to check Tony and Michelle's house."
Kim turned to leave.
"Oh, Kim?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell Chase I want to see him in my office right away."
Michelle tried to dial Jack's number again but the line was busy. "Who is he talking to?" She dialed Tony's number and waited desperately for him to answer it. The phone rang alone in the pocket of Tony's coat.
"Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Alex looked at her.
"It's just... I don't seem to get in hold of anybody at the moment. Anybody I could trust, that is."
"There's something wrong with the lines?"
Michelle ignored the question and tried to get through, with no luck. She put the phone down and sighed. She wondered if Tony had already left the office, whether he'd seen their house already.
"Alex, I know you've done a lot for me today but could you please drive me to CTU? I have to speak to my husband."
"Sure, no problem, I understand, if this had happened to my wife..." Alex started and then paused. "...I go start the car."
Kim walked through the office and looked for Chase. She didn't know whether Chase had been acting strangely because of Michelle, "We all have our own ways to react on something like this", she thought. But he'd been so tense before too, Kim acknowledged. She picked up a phone from a workstation and dialed Jack's number:
"Jack Bauer."
"Dad, I can't find Chase anywhere. I'm sure he'll turn up in a while, but if I want to get Chloe here before dawn then I'd better get going."
"Yeah, ok. I'll just find him myself."
"Yeah.. If he wonders where I am just tell him I went to pick up Chloe, ok?"
"Sure, I'll tell him."
Jack put the phone down and walked to the door. He'd have to find Tony first and have a chat with him. He knew there was hardly any time to do that, but they were desperately short staffed at the moment and he needed him to focus on the job. How could he ask Tony to do that?
The lights were off at Tony's office so Jack didn't bother to knock. He walked the stairs down to the lower level where he spotted Chase.
"Chase!" Jack shouted to catch Chase's attention.
Chase gave Jack a nervous glance. "What is it Jack?"
"You haven't seen Tony by any chance?"
"Tony? No, not since he left the conference room."
"Ok. I sent a team to check on Tony's house, the warehouse area is also covered and Kim went to get Chloe here. We need to go over those satellite images again and also, Michelle checked something for her earlier today and I want to know what it was and we could also need some extra personnel on site. But now, I have to find Tony and talk with him, can you handle things here?"
"What?!" Chase was going through Jack's words in his mind.
Jack looked at Chase for a moment and wondered if he was fit to take over things for a minute. Chase looked kind of misplaced, but then again, if not Chase, who would he trust to keep CTU up and running, when Tony clearly was out of the game at the moment.
"Can you handle things for a moment here alone?"
"No.. I mean yeah, sure I can, but that wasn't what I meant.. Did you say Kim was going to Chloe's?"
"Yeah, I tried to call her but she didn't answer so Kim went to pick her up. She needs to get her mind out of all that's just happened. Is there a problem?"
"No, no.. There isn't.. Um.. Yeah, sure just go and find Tony. I'll manage. When did you say Kim left?"
Jack gave a examining look at Chase. "Just a minute ago." He was about to say something more, but instead decided to go and find Tony. His daughter's relationship problems were not his problems, that much he had understood while trying to restore his relationship with Kim. And besides, he'd have to find Tony, he owed him that.
Chase watched Jack to leave until he started rushing towards the elevators, he had to find Kim before she'd leave.