He was also concerned about the involvement of Chase and Kim. Chase more so, as he would be coming back to C.T.U eventually, once he completed his medical leave. This could taint his chances of being offered a position back. Kim was all right as she had no intention of coming back, she'd had it with the place, not that anybody could blame her. He would have to tell Brad of their involvement in the scheme, but he didn't want to do so in a way which might implicate them. He would make sure this was viewed as his mess. He wouldn't have a career once this was over, when they learned the identities of Beanie and Jay, that alone would be enough to fire him... He had to make sure he didn't bring anyone down with him.
He realised he was shaking and it wasn't from worry for Jack. Somehow he had managed to push that problem out of his mind. He couldn't bear the thought of Jack's reaction to this, never mind his condition. Right know he was balancing on the edge and the chaotic thoughts of Jack would be enough to push him over the edge. He would think about that after he made his way past his first hurdle; Brad Hammond.
Brad entered the small room which was surprisingly dim despite the strong white walls. Tony perked up and watched as Brad made himself comfortable in a corner chair, just a few feet adjacent to him. Brad seemed to be lost in thought and Tony couldn't being to imagine how angry and confused he was about the whole situation. As though sensing Tony's fear Brad jerked his head up and stared at Tony. He didn't realise he was speaking until he herd his own voice forming words.
"Tell me what I need to know Tony, so I can get a better understanding of this thing before we put this on record."
Brad was almost as shocked as Tony to hear his words. He was giving Tony the chance to explain himself off the record, knowing this could save him. It would all depend on how Brad reacted to his scheme now, and for some reason, he felt a little better. Brad had always been a stickler for the rules, but something strange told him maybe today would be different. Maybe for once, Brad would act on emotion instead of statistics. He could be way off, but then why would he give him this chance to speak off the record? Why hadn't he brought a liaison with him from Division? This clearly wasn't a formal affair.
Again noticing Tony's bewilderment, Brad spoke up once more. This time making his intentions clear.
"Tony I am a honest man, we both are. I've got a funny feeling you have made a big mess for yourself today, a real big mess." He broke off as he tried to compose his words. "Something's telling me to look at this from a different perspective. Lord knows why... But this, this inkling I have, its the kind you don't just ignore. So start talking, and we'll see if I can help you clean up this mess you've made."
Tony's jaw dropped slightly, he couldn't believe his ears. Brad Hammond was giving him a second chance, almost looking the other way. This was very out of character, he couldn't quite comprehend it.
"Sir?" He asked, knowing he needn't say no more.
"Look, while I don't believe your actions have been ethical, I see where your coming from... We all know Jack, hell, he's lit up Christ knows how many fires we've had to put out. But that doesn't matter, he's always stayed loyal to his country and concentrated on the job. But since he came back, he's like a living zombie. He's only involved in something if there's a risk to it... It's easy to see that he doesn't exactly value his life."
Brad broke off and the two sat in silence for a while, while he gathered his thoughts once more, it was hard; thinking about this.
"I think that what you did today, was to try and bring him back to the land of the living. I normally wouldn't condone this, but... Lets just say I once had a friend who was just like Jack is now... All the signs were there, and just like Jack, he didn't give a sh!t, you could point a gun at him and he would have asked you to do him a favour and pull the trigger. We all saw the signs, but did nothing about it. Not a thing." He paused again and swallowed hard as he tried to control himself, "he's dead now, got tired around of waiting for life to end and did the job himself. If we had intervened... Maybe he would still be here. But he isn't. Jack is, and maybe that's down to you, maybe it isn't, who knows. But he's still here, and that's a start."
He stopped and Tony scratched at his cheek as he tried to compose some sort of response. He hadn't expected Brad to tell him something as personal as this.
"I sorry sir." Brad just nodded. "Thank you for understanding my situation. I'm going to go check on Jack, then, if you're ready, I'll fill you in on my actions, off the record as you suggested."
Brad just nodded as Tony headed out of the room. Brad was in a daze, living the memory once more. He was glad there was someone who had the courage to make a difference. He himself hadn't been strong enough when his friend had needed him the most.
