Chapter 11: Hostage
Adam was right about the Learjet that took off from the private airpark. Tony was on it and the plane was headed for Vancouver. As Adam suggested, the pilot had turned off his transmitter and flown below the radar. He was an experienced pilot who flew this route regularly for several Asian businessmen who had connections in Vancouver. He had never flown for Hutchins before and, although Hutchins was paying him well – over twice his usual fee, in cash – he had already decided that he would never fly for him again. As soon as Hutchins offered to pay him in cash, he knew that the man's business was illegal. That didn't bother him all that much; he suspected that some of his other clients had illegal businesses as well. He didn't even care when Hutchins insisted that he file a false flight plan. It wasn't until after takeoff when Hutchins entered the cockpit and ordered him to turn off his transmitter and fly below radar that he became uneasy. The pilot argued briefly with Hutchins, but was frightened by veiled threats from Hutchins.
The plane landed without incident. The pilot knew the air traffic controllers there well from his many trips in and out of the airport. It was a small, business airport and the controllers didn't stand on formality. Most of the pilots flew in and out on a daily basis, so it didn't surprise them when the pilot asked to land without giving them a call sign. They did question his lack of transmitter, but he acted surprised saying that it had been working earlier and that he would have the mechanics check it out when he landed. The two air traffic controllers on duty had been busy that afternoon. So busy, in fact, that neither of them had had time to read the message that came across the fax machine from the FAA regarding the Learjet.
Shortly before landing, Hutchins removed Tony's handcuffs and gave him a change of clothes. Tony changed from his black wool slacks, pull-over and tweed sport coat into the jeans, polo shirt and tennis shoes that Hutchins gave him. When he was dressed, Hutchins gave him a baseball cap and glasses with gray tinted lenses. The change of clothes ensured that he looked little like the description that had been faxed to all airports in North America. Hutchins also provided Tony with a fake US passport and luggage (since passengers traveling without luggage were considered a "red flag" by airport security).
Tony and Hutchins descended from the plane and were met by a limousine on the tarmac. The limousine took them to the international airport in Vancouver where they were just a few minutes early to board a KAL flight to Seoul. The security screeners scolded them for not arriving 90 minutes early for the overseas flight as was recommended. Hutchins apologized profusely while Tony remained silent.
When the flight attendant took drink orders, Hutchins asked for bourbon and water. He waited for her to walk away, pocketed the little bottle of bourbon and handed the water to Tony along with a large capsule containing an illegal sedative. He needed to make sure that Tony slept for the majority of the trip. He knew Tony was resourceful and was concerned that he would make some attempt to slip a note to the flight attendant or otherwise get the attention of the crew. Hutchins himself had to sleep and couldn't take the chance that Almeida would use that time to get help.
"Take this." He said quietly as he put the cup and capsule on the tray in front of Tony.
Tony sat unmoving. Hutchins had talked to his associates in LA and already knew that CTU had found the bodies in the house, was now looking for Tony and had his family protected. Of course, Tony didn't know that and, for the time being, Hutchins could still use threats against his family to get Tony to comply with his demands. But Hutchins knew that such threats would only work for another couple of hours. After that, Tony would realize that he had been out of contact with everyone long enough for people to start to worry and report him missing. Once he was reported missing, his family would be protected by CTU.
For now, Hutchins could continue to use the threat. "Your daughter is home from school. Your whole family is together." He hissed almost silently into Tony's ear. "Remember those RPGs you helped us bring into the country? My people can fire a couple of those without ever getting close to your house and turn the place into ash in seconds. Those kids won't have a chance."
Tony said nothing, but reached out and took the water and the capsule into his hand. Hutchins watched him put the capsule in his mouth then watched while he drank a sip of the water.
"All of it" Hutchins hissed again.
Tony swallowed the rest of the water. He had tried to hide the capsule inside his cheek, but it was simply too large. Besides that, it started to dissolve and the bitter powder began to spread through his mouth. He swallowed reflexively to get the taste out of his mouth. He wanted to fight the effects of the sedative, but within minutes he felt himself getting sleepy. Between the sedative and the hangover he had from last night's scotch, he succumbed quickly and fell into a deep sleep.
The night wore on slowly at CTU. They had exhausted all of the leads that had come in earlier. The Learjet still had not been heard from and neither Tony nor Hutchins had been spotted anywhere. The agents watching the safe house called to request that one of Michelle's friends or family members be allowed to come to the house. She finally broke down late in the evening after the children were asleep and was now inconsolable. Jack suggested that he could go home and stay with their children while Kate went to the safe house with Michelle. In the morning, he would take his children to the safe house to provide some company for the Almeida children and he would return to CTU. Hammond agreed; he would have agreed with anything that got Jack out of his hair even if it was only for a few hours. Unfortunately, he thought, I am left with Edmunds, but he considered Chase the lesser of the two evils so he was satisfied with that arrangement.
Tony slept through the entire flight. Hutchins was able to catch a few hours of sleep and woke Tony up about 15 minutes before they were due to land. Tony was still groggy from the sedative but was cooperative since he couldn't organize his thoughts enough to argue with Hutchins.
Hutchins took the bottle of bourbon from his pocket and splashed some of it on Tony. The he gave Tony the bottle and told him to take a drink. The sedative had left Tony looking and feeling slightly drunk. Now he smelled of alcohol and had it on his breath, which made his behavior easy to explain if anyone became suspicious.
Hutchins helped Tony to exit the plane complaining loudly in Korean that "these damn Americans just can't hold their liquor!" Everyone who heard him laughed and gave the two a wide berth. They passed quickly through customs and were met outside of the terminal by one of Yuen's men. They got Tony in the car where he promptly fell back to sleep.
It was around that same time that CTU got its first real break since the groundskeeper at the airpark recognized Tony's picture. Chloe received a call from the FAA that air traffic controllers at a small airport in Vancouver reported that the Learjet in question landed there around 6pm the night before. It seemed that the air traffic controllers on duty when the plane landed had not seen the FAA's fax before their shift ended. The next shift came on and, although they saw the fax and were on the look out for the plane all night, they did not go back to the previous shift's flight log. They assumed that shift had seen the fax and had not seen the Learjet. When the same controllers that had been on duty the previous afternoon came in to take over that morning, the subject of the Learjet came up.
"I wonder if the FAA is still looking for that plane?" One of the night shift controllers asked no one in particular.
"What plane is that?" Asked one of the incoming controllers.
"Didn't you see the fax? It came out of LA yesterday afternoon." The night shift controller handed it to the day shift.
"Ray, didn't we land this flight late yesterday? Remember, the pilot didn't use his call sign, didn't have a transmitter. He said he'd have a mechanic take a look at it."
"Yeah, I remember that. Jesus, we were so busy we never saw this fax. Why is the FAA looking for them?"
"It doesn't say. I'll call this right in."
Hammond arranged to have Canadian authorities interview the air traffic controllers and other airport employees and locate the pilot. The Learjet was still at the airport so it made sense that the pilot was not far away. They would also impound the plane and search it for evidence.
Unfortunately, the air traffic controllers could not provide any additional information. An airport employee had noticed two passengers from the jet, an Asian and a Caucasian, deplane and get into a limousine. He couldn't identify either of them, though and no one else had paid any attention to the passengers.
The search of the plane yielded no real clues as to where its passengers had gone, but clothing found matched Michelle's description of what Tony was wearing when she last saw him. The pilot was found at a nearby hotel. He admitted that he had been ordered by Hutchins, who had used an assumed name, to fly below radar, turn off his transmitter and file a false flight plan. He told authorities that he was afraid of the Asian man who had information about his family and he feared for their safety if he did not comply. He admitted that he should have contacted the FAA once Hutchins was off the plane but claimed that he feared the loss of his pilot's license if they knew of such violations. No, he said, he didn't have any idea where Hutchins and the passenger had gone once they left the plane. He saw them cross the tarmac and get into a limousine but could offer no more information. In fact, he never actually got a good look at Tony and could not identify him when given several pictures.
The mood at CTU was bleak. They were now several hours behind Hutchins and had no idea where he and Tony were. They could be virtually anywhere in the US or Canada by now, not to mention in most of Asia. A check of flights leaving Vancouver the previous evening confirmed that a flight left for Seoul about an hour after the Learjet arrived. They suspected that Tony and Hutchins were on the plane. The flight had landed in Seoul and the crew would work the return flight the next day. Hammond contacted Chung Yee in South Korea again to have his people try and find the flight crew and see if any of them could identify Hutchins or Tony.
The car in which Tony was riding reached its destination. Hutchins shook him roughly to wake him. He had handcuffed Tony again while he was sleeping. The door of the limousine was opened and Tony was ordered out of the car. Two men stood outside the car. They each grabbed one of Tony's arms and dragged him into a small dilapidated building that looked like a relic of the Korean War. Tony squinted against bright sunlight. He was still feeling sluggish and uncoordinated from the sedative and staggered as the men pulled him into the building.
The building was dark, its windows covered with years of dirt that prevented anyone from seeing in. The stark contrast between the bright sunshine outside and the darkness inside temporarily prevented Tony from seeing. A voice came from his left.
"So, Mr. Almeida, you thought you would get away with it, didn't you?" Tony recognized the voice as belonging to Yuen Lim. He didn't have time to respond before a blow to his face knocked him to the cement floor. The punch caught him on his right cheekbone with tremendous force. Being handcuffed, he was unable to break his fall, and he hit the floor face down at Yuen's feet. He was immediately aware of the taste of blood in his mouth and the feeling of blood running from his nose. Before he could take any kind of defensive position, Yuen kicked him hard in the ribs. The two men who had dragged him into the warehouse pulled him into a standing position. As soon as he was upright, a third man kicked him in the stomach. Tony doubled over in pain but was still being held up by a man on either side of him. The third man kicked him again in the stomach and then punched him in the jaw.
By the time they were finished beating him, Tony's face was covered with dirt and blood. His left eye was swollen shut and he had a long cut over his left eyebrow. His bottom lip was split. His nose was bleeding profusely and his left side and back ached from where he was kicked.
He was dragged down a flight of stairs and into a small, damp room. The air was stale and musty and the room was cold, like a root cellar. Tony was pushed forward into the room. He staggered, unable to get his balance, fell forward into the wall and crumpled to the dirt floor. The men left locking a heavy steel door behind them.
Tony laid still, his face resting on the cold floor, trying to get his breath. His eyes filled with tears and he began to cry. He was in pain and, for the first time since Hutchins took him away from his office the day before, he was scared. Until now he thought he would find a way to escape, that Hutchins would let down his guard and he would get away. Now, locked in what amounted to a dungeon, Tony could see no way out, no way to free himself to go back to his family, to all that he loved.
His head swam with images of Michelle and the children. He could see little Sophie waving goodbye yesterday morning; hear her high pitched voice saying, "Bye, Daddy. I love you." He could see Michelle at their wedding and lying in bed next to him. He thought he could feel Joe tugging at his belt loops asking him to play soccer. He watched as Dess struggled to take his first steps. The images swirled and merged and soon made little sense as Tony slowly drifted into unconsciousness.
South Korean intelligence agents quickly found the crew of the KAL flight from Vancouver to Seoul. Two of the flight attendants were able to identify both Tony and Hutchins. The two had noticed Tony shortly after takeoff and had commented on the 'handsome American'. One of the flight attendants noted that he slept the entire flight. She had hoped to get his attention by covering him with a blanket, but he didn't even stir when she did it. None of the attendants remembered serving him any drinks, but he appeared to be drunk when he left the plane and the Asian man had to help him walk, they told the Korean agents. He even smelled like alcohol, they said.
The Korean agents interviewed customs agents and a number of airport employees. Some of them remembered seeing Tony and Hutchins, but no one had any idea where they had gone when they left the airport. A skycap saw them get into a black limousine and drive away, but could give no additional information.
This information seemed to lift the spirits at CTU. They could now at least confirm that Tony was in South Korea and more importantly, still alive. Hutchins easily could have killed Tony without ever taking him from LA. Yuen was keeping Tony alive for some reason and everyone at CTU considered that a good thing. The longer Yuen held Tony, the more likely they were to find him and get him back safely. Whatever Yuen wanted, he would likely reveal it soon and he wouldn't kill Tony until the US either met his demands or refused to negotiate. Either way, it bought CTU and the South Korean authorities precious time.
Hammond sent Baker to the safe house to give Michelle an update. She had spent a largely sleepless night. She was not only terrified for Tony's safety, but felt guilty about accusing him of cheating on her. She feared that she might never get the chance to really apologize to him, to make him know how much she loved him.
Kate arrived at the safe house shortly after midnight. She would have done anything to help her good friend, but in this situation there was little she could do. Kate knew there was nothing she could say to make Michelle feel better, so she just listened. Jack had warned her that in situations like this the hostage rarely was released or rescued alive. He had cautioned her against being too optimistic.
When Baker arrived at the safe house, he took Michelle into a den and closed the door. He had known Michelle for over ten years; they had worked together at CTU. She had been a great agent and he liked working with her, but he had never seen her happier than she had been since she and Tony left CTU. They had a beautiful family and obviously shared a deep love for one another. He wished he had good news for Michelle, but just being able to tell her that Tony was alive would have to suffice for now.
Kate helped the kids with breakfast while Michelle talked to Agent Baker. Again Sophie and Joe were full of questions. Kate was saved from answering some of them when Jack walked in with Mason and Ryan. Mason and Joe were buddies and immediately ran off to play with some trucks that Mason brought with him. Kate sat on the floor to play with Ryan and Dess. Sophie wandered aimlessly through the house. She finally sat down across the room from Kate holding her white teddy bear; the one Tony gave her when he came home from Argentina. She was normally a happy-go-lucky little girl, always smiling, but right now her face was expressionless.
"Aunt Kate, who is Mommy talking to? She asked quietly.
Kate didn't know how to answer her and before she had a chance, Sophie continued. "Does he know where my Daddy is?"
The question surprised Kate and she turned her attention away from the boys. "Why do you ask that, Sophie?"
Sophie looked down and seemed to concentrate on her bear's nose. "Daddy didn't come home last night and he didn't call. He always calls when he goes away. He calls every day. And Mommy was crying last night. I heard her crying. She told one of the ladies that is staying here in the house with us that she was scared." Sophie's eyes filled with tears as did Kate's. "If Mommy is scared, she should call Daddy. Daddy would come home and she wouldn't be scared any more, right? But she can't call him if she doesn't know where he is. I thought maybe that man knew where my Daddy was."
Sophie finally burst into tears and ran to Kate throwing herself into Kate's arms. "I'm scared, Aunt Kate. I want my Daddy to come home. Maybe if we called the police they could find him." Her sentences were punctuated by sobs.
Kate stroked the little girl's back and held her. As hard as she tried to keep her voice steady, she couldn't do it. "Everybody is trying to find your Daddy, Sweetheart, so he can come home to you. I promise, everyone is doing everything they can."