Jack sat in the back seat his hands cuffed behind his back. He closed his eyes to think. He was tired and he felt himself falling asleep so he opened them again. He went to move his hands to rub his eyes when he felt the cuffs and remembered.
"I'm sorry about that sir. They said it had to be like that for protocol." The agent in the front seat said noticing when Jack went to move his arms.
"That's fine. Follow protocol you'll get a lot farther." Jack said giving a little advice he never actually learned.
"This is going to sound stupid, but I feel like I have to tell you. I started working in CTU Los Angles last year in the hope of just getting to speak with you once. I heard about you in New York. Man you were the ultimate agent from what I've heard. I'm sure most of the stories were blown out of proportion by time they got to New York but if you did half the stuff they said you did than you are more than human sir."
Jack smiled at him a kind smile. Jack wasn't proud of anything he had done in the past. He always had the job in mind and nothing else. Get the job down and deal with whatever you had to do to get it done later. He had almost killed his lover, who after all turned out to not be who she was, but he didn't know that at the time. He pulled the trigger off a gun pointed at the head of his daughters boyfriends head, and a good field agent. He had watched many good field agents die and kept going and finally the drug addiction it helped get the job done, and the consequences to it didn't matter as long as the job got done so when he got home they would demote him, later fire him or he left he was never positive which happened first, for nothing in the end.
The young agent noticed Jack's quietness and change in mood and stopped talking. He pulled into CTU and got out of the car. He escorted Jack inside to a small conference room. Jack noticed everyone look at him as he walked through CTU in handcuffs. A few people smiled at him reassuringly rumors were already running ramped. Jack relapsed and was addicted again and he killed Palmer for money or because he knew. Jack had in fact killed Palmer but he was ordered by someone from the terrorist group. The best one going around was that Jack just lost it finally and not only murdered Palmer, but was helping the terrorist willingly.
Jack sat in the conference room uncomfortable. They had moved Jesse to another room. He looked at the wall bored. When the door opened he expected Bob Cooley or Brad Hammond to walk in. Instead Kim came rushing in to him. She hugged him and said, "We are working on proving you didn't do it dad." She saw his hand secured behind his back and instantly got mad at how they were treating him.
Michelle walked into the room with Bob Cooley and said politely to Kim, "Could you please leave us now? We need to debrief Jack."
"Can I see him when you are finished?"
"Yes." Bob said reassuringly smiling at Kim. Kim left them and Michelle went to lean against the wall while Bob sat down in the empty chair across the table. "Now please explain to me Jack how going home real quick lead you to Palmers house, where he ended up dying, but a bullet with your finger prints on it."
Jack smiled, "A detour."
"That was one awful huge detour." Bob said back.
"You know the people who run the city they don't think." Jack smiled.
"OK you two enough of this I can be a better smart-ars than you. Jack what happened?"
"I went to Kate's house. Her husband has her again. He was threatening to kill her. So I went to her house. Once there I did as I was told they were to let Kate go."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Michelle asked angrily.
"They said not to and it didn't really have to do with the terrorist threat." Jack answered.
"Than what?"
"I was taken to Palmers house. After that I'm not real sure what happened. They drugged me with heroin and something else."
"How do you know there was something else in the mix?" Bob asked knowing about Jack's heroin addiction.
"Because we all know I know very well what heroin feels like. This had a worse effect it really slowed me down I was struggling to stay awake and even passed out twice."
Michelle smiled thinking Jack was always on top of things one step ahead of the game, "We know about the drug we found the syringe. The only problem is that we know it went into your arm because it's your blood on it, and we know there was more the heroin in it, some strong sedatives were added, but no one but your finger prints is on the syringe."
"It wouldn't make sense for me to inject myself with the mixture of drugs, shot Palmer if I even could, which I couldn't have without someone doing it for me because the drug was that strong at first that I could barely move. Why would I?"
"To make it look like someone else did it." Bob answered.
"You really think I did this?" Jack asked his anger rising slowly.
"No Jack. We know you didn't, but we don't have any proof."
"Let me back out there I'll find it. I have a way into this group. It's all connected I'm not completely sure how, but everything that has happened today is connected."
"How do you know that?"
"Because Seth and Teddy don't really work for the man you found in the basement dead, Husam was his name I think. They work for a Jewish man named Aharon. He's up to something. I'm not completely sure what, but Kate's husaband is involved. Kate found something she wasn't suppose to find earlier today somewhere. I don't know what, but they don't want people knowing. Let me go back out there. I can get to them and get the answers."
Bob answered in a soft tone knowing there was no way he could let Jack back out in the field, even though he wanted to there was no way division had ordered he stay put and he knew Jack wouldn't like it, "Jack we can't. You are hurt. You've been shot for god sakes, stabbed, and beaten. You need to rest. You can work from inside CTU but I can't let you leave. Your officially under a house arrest like situation. You can't leave CTU if you do you will be taken back to jail. The only reason you are out now is because Michelle was able to convince the higher ups that you could help here, and that you had not done it, they just want more proof. I'm sorry."
Jack clinched his teeth angry at what they were doing but if he had a single chance to prove he didn't do it, than he would take it. "Fine where do I work?"
"Up in my office." Michelle said. "I took responsibility for any of your actions."
"Thanks." Jack said softening his tone some. "Where are Chase and Tony?"
"The police are still questioning Tony. Chase is back already he is working with Kim on getting all the facts about Husam, and I'll have them work on anything on a man named Aharon, right?"
"Yes."
"They'll send everything up to my office where I've set up a laptop for you to work on." Michelle said smiling. "Let's get those off you."
Jack stood up slowly feeling the pain, but not showing it. Michelle uncuffed his hands and he just put them to his side. He walked up to her office she stopped to talk to Chloe along the way.
