Jack crawled out of the bed the next morning cold and had a ever persistent hangover. He walked down to the showers in the early morning hours. The cold weather making him shake slightly as he walked on the frost covered dirt path. He went inside turning the water on hoping it would get warm. He did not miss living on a base in a war like zone and he knew why now. The water got to what he figured would be it's warmest temperature and he got in quickly washing as he knew it would get cold soon. He was drying off in the shower stall when he heard someone walk in. He didn't think anything it was a communal bathroom. He was dressing with the shower stall door came open. He saw Jen smiling there. "What are you doing?" Jack said clearly irritated pulling his shirt over his head.
"Thought I'd visits and see what you have gotten so far and where better than an empty bathroom."
"Nothin." Jack said walking out. "We got to set something up to trade information have you gotten anything?"
"no not really." She said studying him. "I heard you got roughed up do you just call trouble?"
"I'm fine thanks for asking. I got to go I have to a field trip today."
"With the nice JAG lady? I heard some rumors about you two. You banging her?"
"No." Jack said looking at her trying to show he was irritated.
"Ok. I'll hook up with you later tonight. Are you going to be a little America again?"
"Probably. They have the most edible food."
"I'll hook up with you there." She left the bathroom getting a look from a Sergeant Major she smiled at him and kept going.
Jack walked out a few minutes later and went to Trisha tent. He called from the outside not wanting to walk in without being invited.
Trisha heard someone calling her name and she slowly came out of the alcohol induced sleep. She groaned when she opened her eyes. "Go away. Sir."
"Come on we got a field trip to go on."
Trisha got out of bed in the same clothes as she was in yesterday, she said, "Come in." She was sitting in the bed with her head in her hands.
Jack smiled he handed her a bottle of water he had grabbed before he came to the tent and than said, "You want some aspirin?"
"Please." She croaked taking the water from him. He grabbed the bottle off the table and opened it extracting two aspirins. He handed them to her and she threw them in her mouth taking a gulp of the water. "So we are going to interview more witness's today?"
"I wanted to go and try to find the spot where the rockets were launched from." Jack said, "From the reports it's north of here. I figured a clearing in the woods maybe. We could go look around see if we can't find the spot, it seems as if the MPs nor anyone else tried to find it."
"Not that I know of." She said standing up. "Let me go take a shower. Can you go to the mess hall and get some lunch to go and get breakfast if need be and I'll meet you there?"
"Ok." Jack said walking out going to his room first. He grabbed his cell phone and than went to the headquarters of the MP's.
Colonel Thomas Anderson greeted Jack when he walked in, "Jack. Surprised to see you. What can I help you with?"
"Came to pick up my gun. Captain Trisha said it was here."
"Yeah. Let me go grab it for you." The Colonel returned a few minutes later with the gun and said, "Nice little back up piece."
"Thanks." Jack grabbed it and wished the Colonel a good day and took off.
The Colonel called to him, "So where are you going today?"
"No where important." Jack answered as he walked out the door. He'd have to get a car from the carpool to use he thought about it and went there before heading off to the mess hall.
When he walked in a guy who looked like he still should be in high school was sitting behind a small counter. Jack smiled at him and said, "I need a car for the day."
"Sir I'd love to give you a car, but who are you?"
"Major Jack Bauer. CID."
"Sorry sir." The man said knowing now this was the man everyone was talking about on base. "What type?"
"A JEEP we'll be going off road some probably."
"Yes sir." The young man said more than ready to get him what he needed. "You going to look for the spot those rockets were shot off from?"
"Possibly." Jack said taking the keys from the kid. "You know anything about it?"
"No sir. I just know who you are and what you are investigating and if you're going off road that is most likely why."
"Thanks. I'll be back later to pick it up." Jack talked down to the mess hall to find Trisha already there and waiting for him.
"Where have you been I was just getting ready to send a search party out."
"I went to get us a car." Jack answered. "Let's go."
She grabbed the bagged food she had gotten for them and followed him back to the carpool. The young man had the JEEP ready and filled up. They both got in Jack insisted on driving and he drove them off base and than back around to go north.
Trisha gave him directions of where to go and how to get there. When they reached the small road that led into the woods she said, "Ready."
Jack drove through the woods, which was technically behind enemy lines. He parked the JEEP at the end of the road and said, "Guess we are on foot from her out." He led her through the woods up the large hill and onwards.
They spent hours walking and searching for a clearing. Jack stopped at the end of the tree line when he saw the clearing waiting for her to catch up. They walked out into the clearing there was a huge rock in the middle they walked to it and Jack studied the ground looking for anything.
Trisha was resting against the rock when she saw a red dot appear on Jack's chest. She acted quickly knowing what it was she grabbed him and screamed, "Get down." Jack fell quickly to the ground and they heard the loud crack of a rifle.
"Get behind the rock." Jack said moving quickly as he knew the sniper was trying to re-aim. He hid the best he could behind the rock. The ground around them irrupted in gun fire, there was more than one and some were close with assault rifles. Jack pulled out his gun, and asked, "You know how to use a gun?"
"Yeah." Trisha said trying to keep her head low. Jack grabbed the back up weapon he had just got from the MP's today. He handed it to her, and said, "What you see is what you get."
She knew he meant about the ammo and guns. "Ok."
"I'm going to try to lure them away. You stay here and get back to the JEEP have it running. I'll catch up in ten."
"Jack if you go out there you're dead."
"Just trust me and do this." Jack said bracing himself the lifted his head and fire came quickly skimming off the rock and nearly hitting him. He lowered his head again and he knew he had to take a few out before he took off, but he didn't' have much time he figured they were trying to flank them now. Jack took a deep breath and jumped up and took off running as fast as his legs would carry him towards the words, zigging and zagging as he ran trying to make himself a hard target. He reached the woods when he felt a slight burning in his arm. He looked at it and he had just been scraped by a bullet, but it was a minor scratch if that. He kept running through the woods hopefully leading them away from Trisha. Jack was almost up the hill when he stepped on a old piece of wood that gave. Jack felt himself falling and grabbed the ledge with his hand holding on not knowing how far the drop was. He was holding on, but he could feel his fingers slipping off and his arms screaming in pain.
Jack tried to pull himself up, but he saw a man dressed in all black from head to toe standing above him smiling. Jack growled as the man stood on his fingers and than lifted his foot. Jack was sent back falling down the hole hitting the ground with a thud and a scream of pain. Jack sat up quickly through the pain and saw the piece of wood through his calf muscle. Blood was leaking from it slowly pulling on the ground.
Jack looked up helpless. His gun had fallen out of his hand and was a few feet away from him. He looked up and tempted his best glare as the man above stood smiling, or Jack assumed he was smiling. He was getting ready to pull the trigger when he growled when he felt a red hot pain in his side. Someone was shooting at him he quickly ran away not taking the time to finish Jack who was laying on the ground again in pain as he had felt the pain in his head and back from the fall and was having a hard time staying up.
Trisha ran to where the man had been and looked into the hole. Jack lay at the bottom of the hole. He had his eyes clothes and she called down worried, "Jack!"
Jack opened his eyes when he heard her calling. He sat up again groaning. "I thought I told you to go to the car."
"Hey you should be happy I just saved your ass."
Jack smiled at her and said, "Go get help."
"No can do sir. They will come back to finish what they started we have to get you out of there."
"With what a magic rope?" Jack joked.
"No." She looked around trying to find something. She saw an old piece of wood it would have to do. She walked back over to the hole and called, "Can you stand up."
Jack struggled to get to his feet, and groaning as he did, but he was on his feet. She reached down with the board and he grabbed on. She was to weak to pull him out, which meant she was to weak to hold on as he climbed up. "It's not going to work." Jack growled as he put weight on his leg with the wooden piece through it.
"Than what do you recommend mr. negativity?"
Jack thought and than it came to him, "Vines."
"What about them?"
"GO get some. Tie them together and make a rope."
She smiled why didn't she think of that. She ran and found a large group of strong vines. The problem was they where strong and she didn't have a knife on her. She found the piece of wood and used the jagged edge of it to attempt to cut through the tough vines. She struggled tying them together and than around the tree. She lowered the vine down the hole and Jack could barely reach it but that was enough. He grabbed on and struggled he pulled himself up and closed his eyes as he kept pulling himself the vines cutting into his hand some. When he was close enough to the top Trisha grabbed him and helped him up. She than noticed the piece of wood through his leg. "God Jack." She said quickly pulling out a bandanna she had on her she was going to wear to keep the tics from getting into her hair. She said, "I'm going to pull it out so you can move."
Jack shook his head and prepared himself. She yanked it out quickly and Jack cried in pain as he felt the wood tearing through the muscle. She applied the bandana to the wound tying it tightly around the wound. Jack cried in pain as he felt the pressure on it. "Come on lets get back to the Jeep." She helped him up and had him put an arm around her to help him back down the hill to the Jeep.
When they reached the Jeep the tires had been slashed. Jack cussed they didn't have enough tires to fix them all. Jack grabbed out his cell phone but it was smashed from the fall. "Do you have a phone?" Jack asked sitting in the Jeep sore and exhausted.
Trisha pulled out the phone she had brought with her for this little excursion. "I don't have a signal I'm going to run up the hill stay here." She ran to the top of the hill and had one line on the phone hopefully enough to call out on. She dialed the only number she knew back on base.
"Colonel Anderson."
"Sir it's Trisha I need some help now."
"What's wrong?" He said noticing the urgency in her voice.
"I was taking the CID guy Jack out north to see if we couldn't find a spot where the rockets where shot off from. We got ambushed by someone. He got hurt, and they slashed the tires of the Jeep." She gave the quick overview. "Can you come get us we are at the end of the road that leads in to the woods."
"I'll send one of me people now." He said. "Just stay where you are."
"Ok." She said as she lost the connection. She ran back down the hill to find Jack trying to stand up.
"What are you doing?"
"Who did you call?"
"Col. Anderson."
"Did you tell him where we are?"
"Of course how else are they going to find us."
"My point exactly. Come on." Jack said moving limping towards the woods.
"He said to stay put."
"We are only going in a little to hide." Jack didn't trust anyone right now, the people who ambushed them he could have swore were not from the enemy side because of the weapons they were using. Jack sat against a tree inside the woods a little until he saw the Jeep coming up the road. He stay put until the man called out for Trisha. Trisha walked out and Jack followed behind still not trusting anyone.
"Come on let's get ya'll back to camp." The man said.
They climbed into the Jeep and he drove them back to the camp. Jack went to the medical tent while Trisha went to give Col. Thomas more details on what had happened.
Jack watched as the doctor ripped his pants leg and pulled the bloody bandana off the wound. He poured peroxide over it and said, "At least you didn't hit a bone." He cleaned it out roughly and than went to stitching it numbing the area before hand. He wrapped the wound in gauze and said, "Try not getting hurt for a day or two."
Jack smiled, "I'll try."
"If it bothers you come back and I'll give you a pain killer."
"Thanks." Jack stood up and limped out of the building. He walked back to his own tent and noticed it had been rummaged the trunk lid had been smashed open. Jack's clothes were all over the floor and all of the evidence he had the case files, inventories, his note book, and the piece of the rocket were all gone. Jack sat on the bed and put his head in his hands. He now knew it had to be an inside job, and he was ready to kill someone they had just put him fully in the game.
Trisha walked over to Jack's tent and saw it's condition. "God these people don't play."
"They took all the evidence, reports, and even my damn notes." Jack said sitting on the cot clearly exhausted.
"Maybe you should rest some you've been through a lot recently." She said looking at him worried.
"I'm fine." Jack said standing up. He started to pick his stuff up and threw in back in the broken trunk. He couldn't believe his luck. It was this place it had to be. He finished picking everything up and looked at his watch he had a few hours before he knew Jen would be at Little America he had time to waste. He was going to look over his notes again, but they were gone. He sat down at the table and rested his head in his hands.
Trisha walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulders and massaged them gently. Jack closed his eyes and felt himself relax until he remembered where he was at. He pushed himself up even though the massage felt good he couldn't military protocol. "Thanks." He said. "Maybe I'll just rest for awhile."
"Supper tonight at Little America?"
"If you don't mind I want to be alone for awhile. I'm sure you've been neglecting your social life for me." Jack smiled at her.
"Ok." She walked out of the tent.
Jack lay on his cot and closed his eyes his leg was starting to throb. He relaxed for a few hours before he got up, changed out of his clothes, and walked down to little America. When he walked in there was hardly anyone there so he sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. The bartender served him and left him alone clearly telling when a man wanted to be alone. Jack was on his third beer when Jen walked in with a group of people. Jack sipped at his drink not paying attention to her. He was halfway through it when she sly came and sat next to him.
She smiled, "I'm going to pick you up tonight so play along."
Jack laughed at her but never looked at her.
She whispered into his ear that they were watching so make it good. Jack turned to her after she whispered in his ear and motioned for the bartender to get her something to drink and him another drink. They talked for an hour as if they were getting to know each other. Jack was flirting with her when he saw Trisha walk in with Colonel Anderson. Trisha frowned when she saw Jack sitting at the bar with the Sgt that had been smiling at him, and she had been joking with him about.
She was so angry when she saw the woman lean over, as she had already been sitting extremely close to him and whisper into his ear and bite it softly. Trisha was going to walk over when she saw Jack pay the bill and stumble out with the woman back towards the camp. She was pissed to see that, men were assholes, she thought as she sat down with the Col to talk about what had happened that day.
Jen grabbed Jack by the hand and he stumbled back with him to the tent. When they got inside she closed the flaps and Jack went to sit down.
She smiled, "We got to make this believable someone is watching you. I heard what happened today. Are you ok?"
"Yeah just a scratch." Jack said uncomfortable about the situation again.
"Come on Jack. I know you've had one night stand before." She smiled at him. They both knew this would be more than just a one night stand.
Jack stood up and walked over to her. He could have swore he heard someone outside, but she pulled his face to hers and kissed him. He knew if there was someone outside he would only have to go through this more as to not blow her cover. She unbuttoned his shirt kissing his chest as she slowly pulled it off his hands. Jack unbuttoned her shirt while she was working on his pants. He undid her brawl and moved on to her pants as she reached inside his boxers and started to fondle him.
They both stepped out of their pants and moved to the small cot. She lay down and he got on top of her. He moved down to pulling her panties off when he felt her hands on his head guiding him between her legs. Knowing what she wanted he smiled as he heard her groan in pleasure as he started to tongue her. (USE UR IMGINATION FOR THE REST FOLKS).
Finally he finished and he lay next to her his leg throbbing more than before. He was drunk and tired. He felt her move down and he grabbed her pulling her up, "Enough" He said.
She smiled, "What's wrong old man?"
Jack smiled and kissed her. "Later." He closed his eyes and passed out with her lying next to him. Jack woke when he felt her moving out of the bed.
She whispered, "I got to get back to the hotel go back to sleep."
Jack fell back asleep after she left. He didn't know what time it was when he felt a pair of hand's pulling him out of the bed. He groaned as he landed on the ground and tried to fight, but was to late when the same pair of hands turned him over onto his stomach and grabbed his hands tying them behind his back. Jack tried to struggle until the butt of the M-16 came down against the back of his head knocking him out.
Jack awoke when he felt his arms being raised above his head. He blinked a few times it was freezing and he felt naked because he was still. When he realized he was he had to force his face to stay straight as he realized he was hanging by his hands. He looked around he was in a forest hanging in the middle of the night, naked and freezing cold. He turned his head and was blinded by the light of a car. He couldn't see much past it and struggled with the rope until a man all in black came into view. He spoke in a harsh voice, "Jack I thought we warned you. And you think today would have been enough. But you are one stupid son of a bitch aren't you?"
Jack saw the strap of the M-16 in his hand, the metal clips glistening in the bright light from the headlights replied, "You know I'm not really into the S and M stuff."
"Funny. We'll see if you're still cracking jokes later. I hate having to do this, but we warned you." Jack felt the M-16 strap smack against his back leaving a welt on his back, but not digging through he couldn't help crying out in pain. The man hit the same spot again this time with enough force that the M-16 strap cut into Jack's back and not just the metal but the leather strap itself. Jack cried out loudly and the man said, "I'd be quiet if I were you."
He hit Jack with the M-16 strap he was so good at it that he kept hitting very close to the same spot each time with force enough to cut into Jack's back. After about ten minutes Jack stopped crying out because his back went numb. The man stopped when he noticed the screams stopped. "This is no fun Jack." He said walking up and pushing Jack's head up. "Now listen to me if someone finds you before the one of those bastards do and you live through the night, I'd stop the searching and go home." The man smiled and let Jack's head fall back down. Jack heard the car pull away and he struggled with what little energy he had left to pull at the rope, but he couldn't get it to loosen.
Trisha woke the next morning at her normal hour and walked over to Jack's tent to wake him up, but than she remembered seeing him with the woman the other night and just kept walking to the women latrine. She went to breakfast alone, and went back to her tent that doubled as her office to do work. She got lost in her work when finally she looked at her watch it was well past noon and she still had not heard from Jack. She walked into the tent to find his clothes on the floor, but his cot empty. She found it odd he still had his clothes strung on the floor from the night before. She walked to the MP post she had seen the woman at earlier that day and asked her, "That man you were last night when did you leave his tent?"
"Excuse me ma'am?" Jen answered trying to play it off, though everyone knew she had been with Jack last night as they had bothered her about it that morning.
"I know you were with him and I don't care about that. He's not in his tent now and nowhere to be seen. When did you leave his tent?"
"Around midnight." Jen answered getting worried herself.
"Ok. If you see him send him my way please." Trisha didn't know what to do she searched the base again and walked back to little America and the streets around the base not finding him. She went back to the camp and found Colonel Anderson in his office.
"Major Bauer is missing."
"What do you mean?" Col Thomas Anderson said looking at her.
"He's gone."
"Probably at that girls place still." Thomas joked remembering how angry Trisha seemed to be after she saw them stumble out together.
"I already asked her they were in his tent, and she left him at midnight. His clothes are still on the floor and that's not like him. I think something happened to him."
"I'll have my men search the camp for him."
"I already did that sir. I don't know where he is. I searched the surrounding area's also sir. This is not like him he would not have left without informing me sir."
"I'll have my men look into." He said looking at her.
For some reason she thought they wouldn't be looking to hard. "Thank you sir."