Saturday
March, 2, 2002
Los Angeles, California
Nina turned the water in the sink off and stepped out into the hallway. She turned to to the left when she heard footsteps outside her apartment. A shadow passed under the door and traveled down the corridor. She sighed in relief and then made her way towards the bedroom. Tony would be here in five minutes and she still had to dress and put on her make-up.
Nina was surprised, again, at how much she was looking forward to seeing Tony. She knew Tony had always had a crush on her and when Jack had decided to go back to Teri she had taken up with Tony. She wasn't sure why she had, really. Was it was to make Jack jealous? Or was it because Tony had been so caring?
From a purely business perspective, getting involved with Tony wasn't smart. Getting involved with Jack had damaged any credibility she had had at CTU and when word of her relationship with Tony spread, her career with CTU: LA would hit a dead-end.
Not that it would matter.
As for her other job, a relationship with Tony didn't make much sense there either. In the beginning, she hadn't intended to sleep with Jack but when the opportunity presented itself she had gone along. While he did have a higher security clearance and a relationship could provide her with more information regarding intelligence and himself, she hadn't expected to get that much from him. However, aside from her sullied reputation at CTU, that affair had worked to her advantage both professionally and personally.
Tony, on the other hand, was useless to her as far as her other job was concerned. Being with him provided a nice cover, added another layer to her "poor besotted Nina" facade but professionally she'd be better served with someone else. Getting involved with someone like George could have helped her cover and he had an even higher security clearance than Jack.
She smirked. Judging by the way George had looked ready to hump her leg when she last saw him, getting that information out of him wouldn't have been too difficult.
She still couldn't believe it when she and Tony had run into George. First with Jack, then with Tony - she had started wonder if George was stalking her. She was certain he was the reason most of CTU knew about her and Jack. With Tony, just as with Jack, she had to lie quickly to spare them the embarrassment. She wasn't sure if George had believed her the first time but she had lied so effortlessly and confidently that he had been left speechless. A rare occurrence. The second time he had actually apologized.
It was strange, she had been with two very different men but both had reacted the same way after their respective confrontations with the District Director. Jack and Tony had both looked at her with something that was a mix of amusement, admiration and wariness.
Lying was something that came naturally to her. In her profession lying poorly or lying well was often what separated the dead from the living. Beyond that she enjoyed being able to pull the wool over someone's eyes. She liked that feeling of knowing a secret, having the advantage in a situation. Lying allowed her to hide. To protect herself. Not just from physical dangers but emotional ones also.
Nina had learned that lesson from an early age.
Growing up in her family she had learned that knowing how to manipulate a situation gave her control. She learned that lying was a way to draw people closer. Growing up in her family she had learned that she was seductive, desirable and that she could use her body to get what she wanted.
She shook her head. She hadn't thought about her former life as Natalie Moore in a long time. When she did, which was rarely, she usually thought about her sister.
She had left home as soon as she could. First, she went to Yale but she couldn't afford it after that first year so rather than go home she went took what money she had left and bought a one-way ticket to Germany. German was the only other language she had known at the time and as far as she had been concerned, Berlin was about as different from St. Louis as it got.
Getting into East Germany, even then when its days were numbered, had been difficult. She wasn't even sure why she had been so determined to get into the East other than curiosity and the fact that things were cheaper there. Staying there had proven to be a challenge. She would have left sooner but then she met Max. He provided her with an incentive to stay for a while longer.
She returned to the states two years later as Nina Myers.
Soon after she had gotten settled into her new role she had found out that her sister had committed suicide. The final tie to her past had been severed.
Nina looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed the black sheath over her hips and applied a little more gloss to her parted lips.
As much as she liked things here, as much as she liked being with Tony she would be happy to leave it all behind. Her relationships there, especially with Tony and Jack, left her feeling vulnerable. Her cover wasn't in danger, she had no worries there but ... she was worried about becoming attached. After this next mission was completed she might transfer to another branch. Her history with CTU: LA would give her the perfect opportunity to leave when the dust had settled. Or maybe she'd leave CTU behind entirely, work for the DOD or NSA.
There was a knock at the door. Nina tossed one final look to her mirror before walking out of the room
March, 2, 2002
Los Angeles, California
Nina turned the water in the sink off and stepped out into the hallway. She turned to to the left when she heard footsteps outside her apartment. A shadow passed under the door and traveled down the corridor. She sighed in relief and then made her way towards the bedroom. Tony would be here in five minutes and she still had to dress and put on her make-up.
Nina was surprised, again, at how much she was looking forward to seeing Tony. She knew Tony had always had a crush on her and when Jack had decided to go back to Teri she had taken up with Tony. She wasn't sure why she had, really. Was it was to make Jack jealous? Or was it because Tony had been so caring?
From a purely business perspective, getting involved with Tony wasn't smart. Getting involved with Jack had damaged any credibility she had had at CTU and when word of her relationship with Tony spread, her career with CTU: LA would hit a dead-end.
Not that it would matter.
As for her other job, a relationship with Tony didn't make much sense there either. In the beginning, she hadn't intended to sleep with Jack but when the opportunity presented itself she had gone along. While he did have a higher security clearance and a relationship could provide her with more information regarding intelligence and himself, she hadn't expected to get that much from him. However, aside from her sullied reputation at CTU, that affair had worked to her advantage both professionally and personally.
Tony, on the other hand, was useless to her as far as her other job was concerned. Being with him provided a nice cover, added another layer to her "poor besotted Nina" facade but professionally she'd be better served with someone else. Getting involved with someone like George could have helped her cover and he had an even higher security clearance than Jack.
She smirked. Judging by the way George had looked ready to hump her leg when she last saw him, getting that information out of him wouldn't have been too difficult.
She still couldn't believe it when she and Tony had run into George. First with Jack, then with Tony - she had started wonder if George was stalking her. She was certain he was the reason most of CTU knew about her and Jack. With Tony, just as with Jack, she had to lie quickly to spare them the embarrassment. She wasn't sure if George had believed her the first time but she had lied so effortlessly and confidently that he had been left speechless. A rare occurrence. The second time he had actually apologized.
It was strange, she had been with two very different men but both had reacted the same way after their respective confrontations with the District Director. Jack and Tony had both looked at her with something that was a mix of amusement, admiration and wariness.
Lying was something that came naturally to her. In her profession lying poorly or lying well was often what separated the dead from the living. Beyond that she enjoyed being able to pull the wool over someone's eyes. She liked that feeling of knowing a secret, having the advantage in a situation. Lying allowed her to hide. To protect herself. Not just from physical dangers but emotional ones also.
Nina had learned that lesson from an early age.
Growing up in her family she had learned that knowing how to manipulate a situation gave her control. She learned that lying was a way to draw people closer. Growing up in her family she had learned that she was seductive, desirable and that she could use her body to get what she wanted.
She shook her head. She hadn't thought about her former life as Natalie Moore in a long time. When she did, which was rarely, she usually thought about her sister.
She had left home as soon as she could. First, she went to Yale but she couldn't afford it after that first year so rather than go home she went took what money she had left and bought a one-way ticket to Germany. German was the only other language she had known at the time and as far as she had been concerned, Berlin was about as different from St. Louis as it got.
Getting into East Germany, even then when its days were numbered, had been difficult. She wasn't even sure why she had been so determined to get into the East other than curiosity and the fact that things were cheaper there. Staying there had proven to be a challenge. She would have left sooner but then she met Max. He provided her with an incentive to stay for a while longer.
She returned to the states two years later as Nina Myers.
Soon after she had gotten settled into her new role she had found out that her sister had committed suicide. The final tie to her past had been severed.
Nina looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed the black sheath over her hips and applied a little more gloss to her parted lips.
As much as she liked things here, as much as she liked being with Tony she would be happy to leave it all behind. Her relationships there, especially with Tony and Jack, left her feeling vulnerable. Her cover wasn't in danger, she had no worries there but ... she was worried about becoming attached. After this next mission was completed she might transfer to another branch. Her history with CTU: LA would give her the perfect opportunity to leave when the dust had settled. Or maybe she'd leave CTU behind entirely, work for the DOD or NSA.
There was a knock at the door. Nina tossed one final look to her mirror before walking out of the room