Thanks for the reviews. Obviously I didn't fix the format problem, but I'll try something else in this chapter. BTW I don't know what scale Americans use for measuring temperature, so I stuck to the one I knew!

Chapter Six

"Sorry."

Ashley heard the key work quickly in the lock and the constraints around her wrists were gone, the pressure on her arms relaxed. She stretched, moving her arms, working strained muscles, rubbing at the red marks cut into the flesh of her wrists.

"We had to make it look realistic." Nathan coiled up the handcuffs and tucked them back into the holder at the small of his back. "Make sure there was no threat to your cover."

"It's okay." She felt the feeling start to return to her hands. "Where are they keeping her?"

"Interrogation One." Nathan jerked his head in the direction of the room. "Tom's just about to start."

"How hard is he going to push her?"

Nathan glanced at her, raising his eyebrows. "She may have evidence relating to a terrorist, Ashley. He's going to push her as hard as he needs to. There's too much at stake."

"I know." She ran her hand through her hair. "I know."

"Tom wants both of us to observe. See if we can pick up on anything he might miss." He walked towards the door, knocked on it and pushed it open.

Ashley smiled wryly as she followed him into the room. Interrogation rooms never changed. From New York to Los Angeles, always the same smell of authority, of beaten down, broken defiance.

Tony and Adam sat in front of the one way window, both wearing earpieces. Tony stared intently through the glass. "What's the temperature in there?"

Adam's fingers danced quickly across the keyboard. "30 degrees C."

"Kick it up another five degrees." He leaned back, smiling, when he saw Nathan and Ashley come into the observation room. "Tom just wants you here to observe, particularly you Ashley since you know her..."

Tom's voice crackled through the speakers. "How's she doing in there?"

Tony looked at Adam, but it was Ashley that answered. Staring at the woman she had deceived through the glass, at her pale, tear streaked face, at her hands, on the table in front of her, shaking in the handcuffs. Her eyes, too large in her face, darting around the room.

"She's terrified."

"Good."

Then they saw the door open and Tom Baker walked into Interrogation One.

xxXXXxx

She started speaking as soon as the door opened. Babbling. The words falling over themselves, spilling from her mouth.

"I'm sorry. Please. I don't have that much. Please, just don't..."

Tom ignored her, walking to the table, throwing the file face down on it. She flinched, staring at it, unable to look away as he started to pace around the room.

Trying to hide his own nerves.

He heard Tony's voice in his ear, calm and controlled. "If she's as frightened as Ashley reckons she is, I think you should play up your authority. Congratulations Tom, you're officially Bad Cop."

Tom paced back to the table, slamming his hands down. She stifled a scream, raising her frightened eyes to Tom's face.

"You're in a whole world of trouble, girl." He kept his voice soft, undercut with menace. "We found enough at your flat to put you away for a long time."

She shook her head. "Please. I cant...I cant go to jail. I need to talk to my father."

"Your father isn't here. I am. Talk to me." Tom pulled out the chair, the legs grating against the floor and sat down. "Tell me about Samuel Williams."

Clearly confused, Alyson opened and closed her mouth several times. "Samuel? What has Samuel got to do with this?"

Tom sprang back to his feet. Looming over the table. His face contorted with rage. She cowered back from him, knowing it was a pathetic effort, that if he wanted to hurt her, there was nothing she could do to stop him. "Don't play games with me Alyson. TELL ME WHAT HE'S PLANNING!"

She was crying now. "Planning? I don't know...I don't understand."

"You need to cool it Tom. Adam's telling me she's spiking all over the place. If you don't pull it back, we're going to lose her."

Breathing heavily, he sat down again. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts. Giving her a moment to pull herself together. "We know that you've been making transfers from your fathers company."

She bowed her head, letting her hair fall over her eyes. Trying to hide her shame.

"Do you know what he's been doing with that money Alyson? He's buying arms and selling them to terrorists." He sat back in his chair. "You're helping to fund terrorists."

xxXXXxxx

Mark opened the bag, sorting quickly thorough the contents. Carefully closing it. Opening and checking the other in the same way. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded at Jake.

Jake flipped his phone open and dialled quickly.

"Yes?"

"It's me. The drops been made."

"Is everything there?"

"Yes. We went through both packages. Everything's there, it's all clean." Jake glanced at Mark, already on his feet, the packages slung over his shoulders. "What do you want us to do?"

"Go to Sophia Gardens. I'll contact Oliver, arrange for him to meet you there. Don't make the transfer until you hear from me again."

"I thought you trusted this guy."

"This is business Jake. I don't trust anybody. Oh and Jake?"

"Yeah?"

"Just keep your eyes open. I don't think this guy will screw us over, but no point in taking chances."

"Okay boss." Jake glanced again at Mark, his hand creeping inside his jacket, tightening his fist around the butt of his gun. "No problem."

xxXXXxx

She shook her head, feeling herself drowning as he spoke. "You're lying. Samuel isn't a terrorist. He's not. He couldn't be. You're lying." He had to be.

"I'm not lying Alyson." Tom opened the file and pushed the photo over to her. "He's using these to blackmail you." He gave her a moment to stare at the photo, at her humiliation captured for any one to see. "You saw him last night, didn't you? Him or one of his friends?"

She nodded, her eyes fixed on his face as he stripped away her defences. She had thought that she had been so careful, thought that she had hidden her shame and her treachery better than she had.

"And you made another transfer today, didn't you?" He pushed a copy of the transactions over to her. "Help me Alyson. Help me catch him. Don't let him keep getting away with it." He reached out and put his hands over her handcuffed ones. "Don't let him keep doing this to you."

"I don't know anything." She was crying, sobbing now, tears falling unchecked down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything." She bowed her head, shoulders shaking.

"Tom, it doesn't look like she's lying." Tony's voice sounded frustrated, tired. "I don't know where else we can take this."

Nathan's voice came through his ear piece. "Tom, look she doesn't know anything about what he's really been doing. Tony's right you keep pushing her on that, she's gonna fall apart. But Samuel's her weak spot. Ashley reckons you should ask her about Samuel, rather than...." He let his voice trail away. "I think it's a good idea and Tony agrees."

Tom shrugged. It was as good a plan as they had. "Are you okay, Alyson? Would you like some water?"

She shook her head, wiping her face against her sleeve.

"I'm sorry Alyson, I didn't want to have to tell you that." He hesitated for a second, thinking how to phrase his question. "How long have you been together?"

"Six, seven months, maybe a little longer." She wiped her face again, her sleeve stained with tears and make up.

Tom smiled at her, managing to elicit a weak grin in response. "Where did you meet?"

Her smile lit up her face, shining into her eyes. Just for that moment, that instant, she looked happy. "A bar called The Crucible." She stared past Tom, lost in her memories. "You should have seen him. Walked in like he owned the place, came straight over to me."

xxXXXxx

Michelle rested her forehead against the palm of her hand. Rubbing at her eyes. The money trail was fast turning into a dead end, disappearing into a series of accounts, flushed through the banking system. Even money that had appeared in the account that evening was disappearing in the same way.

No way of tracing it. No way of finding Samuel through it.

"He's made a sale." She sat up straight in her chair, weariness and frustration lifting, at least for the moment. "Maybe one of his contacts...."

Her hands flew across the keyboard, a picture of Samuel Williams appearing on the screen. She looked through his contacts and associates, at the terrorists he had helped equip.

One name was flagged.

She opened up his details, leaning back in the chair as she read through it. Glancing quickly at the rest of the list. Only that one name was flagged, only that one name caught her attention

Too much of a coincidence.

She reached out and stabbed at the numbers on her desk phone.

"Field Ops, O'Brien."

"Chloe, its Michelle. Where's Tom?"

"He's not here Michelle."

She tried hard to jeep the exasperation out of her voice. "Where is he?"

"Interrogation One. He's talking to Alyson Rawlings." Chloe spoke quickly, her words running together, a sure sign of her nerves. "Do you want me to pull him out of the interrogation?"

Michelle shook her head, knowing it was a wasted gesture. "No, it's okay Chloe. I'll go down and se him. Thank you." She reached out and cut the connection. Walked out of her office and started down the stairs.

Automatically, she glanced over at the bullpen. Looking for Tony. One of the communications staff looked up at her, then hurriedly away. Michelle felt her cheeks colour and brushed her hair behind her ears. She still wasn't used to command.

But she was in command, and she had a job to do. The sooner CTU got used to her leadership, the better.

The sooner everyone in CTU got used to it, the better.

Holding her head up, she walked down the stairs and across the bullpen, towards Interrogation One. The door opened as she approached and Tom walked out, followed by Ashley, Nathan, Adam and Tony from the observation room.

"What did you get from her?" She could feel the excitement washing off them, sinking into her bones, soaking into everyone in CTU.

"She gave us a possible location for Samuel."

"Where?"

"A bar called The Crucible."

"The Crucible." She glanced at Tony and Adam. "That wasn't listed in Williams' original dossier."

"No it wasn't." Tony folded his arms across his chest. His eyes meeting hers briefly then sliding away. "He doesn't have any connection with The Crucible, it's just a bar he goes to." He shrugged. "Perfect cover, really."

Michelle nodded, biting briefly at her lip. "Okay. He made another sale tonight, so he may well head for somewhere he feels safe." She turned to Adam. "I need you to do something for me."

"Sure."

"I need you to work up a South African terrorist called Oliver Fredericks. Samuel's equipped him before. South African Police lost him a few days ago and he was tagged coming into San Diego two nights ago. Work up his contacts and associates, see if we can tie him to this and run any intel you get through me."

"Okay, Michelle." Adam glanced at Tony and walked off towards his workstation.

Tom lifted a phone and dialled quickly. "Chloe I need you down here now. Bring a couple of surveillance packs with you."

Chloe ran down the stairs from Field Ops, carrying a large metal case. Tom took the case off her and put it on the table, opening it. "We're going to need something to communicate audio and visual back to CTU."

She looked over his shoulder as he looked through the equipment. "That wont work, it wont pick up low frequencies, I sent several messages to try and get it replaced." Chloe elbowed his arm. "Move over, let me have a look."

Tom moved over, turning the case so that she could see into it.

"How many do you need?"

"At least two, three if possible." Chloe leaned over the case, selecting and rejecting equipment, grumbling under her breath.

"Tony, call up plans of The Crucible. Work with Nathan, make sure you have prepared escape routes and that you know where they are." Michelle turned to Ashley. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure." Ashley followed Michelle a short distance away. Glancing over her shoulder at the closed door of Interrogation One. She felt Michelle's eyes on her and forced herself to look at Michelle. "What's wrong?"

"Look, this is your first assignment, and you've done an excellent job." Her eyes flicked to Tom and Nathan and then back to Ashley. "If you want to go home, get some sleep, let Tom and Nathan handle this, then..."

"No." Ashley shook her head. "No. I'd like to see this out."

"Okay." Michelle started to walk away.

"Michelle..."

"Yeah?"

"What about Alyson?"

Michelle sighed. "I don't know yet. I haven't spoken to the DA yet. I'll decide what to do after I've spoken to her."

"She was being blackmailed, Michelle. It was an impossible situation for her." With an effort, Ashley brought her temper back under control. "She didn't have a choice."

Michelle had heard those arguments before. Hell she had used most of them. She looked at Tony, hunched over a workstation, working with Nathan. She sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to her. See if we can work something out."

"Thanks Michelle."

"Ashley! You ready?" Tom handed her a necklace.

"Yeah." She slipped the necklace over her head, holding her hair out of the way. "What's this?"

"Camera and microphone." Tom passed another receiver to Nathan, who clipped it onto his jacket. "You get the layout?"

Tony nodded. "Just sending it to you now."

Michelle stopped Tom as he walked past her. "Lets keep this clean and simple, Tom. Keep me informed."

He grinned, his cheekbones sharpening. "I'll do my best." He hurried after Nathan and Ashley.

"Tony, contact LAPD, tell them to establish a soft perimeter, but to stay out of sight. Get Williams' photo over to them." She walked over to Chloe. "Have you the audio/visual feed set up yet?"

"I'm doing it now, Michelle."

"Adam..."

"I'm still working on it Michelle."

"Okay." She brushed strands of curly hair off her forehead, staring after Tom as the bullpen exploded into activity around her.

In Chapter Seven....

Tom, Nathan and Ashley close in on Samuel Williams, and Natasha Grey has an interesting offer for Michelle Dessler....