Chapter 9

The following takes place between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM.

Events Occur in real time.

12:00 PM

Chase grabbed his files in order and went up to give them to Erin to sign off on. He noticed the windows were tinted when he climbed the stairs to her office. He shrugs it off as nothing and proceeds to knock on her door. He waits for her to answer with her usual 'come in' call. When he got no response he figured she was on the phone and knocked again louder this time. He waited for a minute, then pushed on the door slightly peering in.

He was assaulted with the smell of blood which perked his alert system up he pushed the door open fully. He scanned the room, finally laying eyes on the fallen CTU Director. Dried and fresh blood covered Erins' neck, Chase could not get past the ammount of blood. How long as she been here like this? Questions such as this ran through his mind as he manuvered his way around the room to Erin. He knew she was dead but he checked for a pulse just out of habit. That only confirmed that she was dead.

Suddenly he was brought out of his thoughts when Erins' phone rang. He took a deep breathe and picked it up.

"CTU. Edmunds." Chase answered.

"Chase its Tony!" Tony replied, in a confused tone almost because he thought he had dialed Erins' desk directly.

"Hey Tony" Chase stated.

"I was pretty sure i dialed Erins' desk..." Tony almost questioned.

"You did i just picked it up because i couldnt just let it ring" Chase explained.

"Wheres Erin?" Tony asked. Chase hesitated then decided to tell him the truth.

"I just found Erin dead in her office a few minutes before the phone rang..." He explained. Chase heard Tony gasped on the other end.

"Okay Chase You must listen to me, keep an eye out for anything suspicious, they propably want you dead as well...Im coming there now..." Tony almost ordered.

"Whos they?" Chase asked being really confused.

"Ill explain it all when i get there, now please, just act like everythings' normal" Tony begged.

"But i have blood all over me if anyone sees me they will ask" Chase said.

"Change then, please just act like you never found Erin, go to your desk now" Tony said.

"Alright..." Chase complied.

"Ill be there soon" Tony said hanging up the phone. Chase did as well then moved his way covertly around the CTU building into the locker room, changing his clothing. He then went back to his desk and 'worked'.

12:15 PM

Alexis was sitting in a dark room, clutching Jason for dear life. She had been sitting here for awhile now, and had just gotten Jason back in exchange for her silence. Before she had been screaming and yelling to have her son back and was enraged. Now that she had him back she was still in a very overprotective mother mode, but fear started to creep up on her, filling her mind. Not for her own safety but for her sons'. She thought of Jack, who she thought was propably either dead by now or off trying to find them. If he was still alive Alexis knew that he would come and save them, it was his nature to be very overprotective. Somewhere deep in her heart she knew Jack was still alive. And that was what she thought she still had hope, hope that he would come and save them.

12:20 PM

Jack was still in the same position as he had been for the last half an hour. He was thinking about Kim mostly. He thought no parent should have to bury their child, that was just wrong, but now he was going to be forced to do that. He wanted to take his own life right now, be out of everyone elses for good, and stop causing pain to them. Alexis and Jason then invaded his thoughts. They were still alive. He had a gut feeling they were still alive. If they werent he didnt know what he was going to do if that was true, but he kept telling himself they were still alive. They had to be. He knew he had to save them, he pushed his own feeling out of the way then, locking them up within himself for now. He wiped his eyes once more and stood up leaving the diner. If those men had done anything to Alexis or Jason he was going to unleash hell on them, actually he was going to do that anyways. He knew for certain they were the ones that had killed Kim as well. They will not escape their crimes, he kept telling himself as he started to head to CTU on foot, he didnt have anything else right now to get a ride so he went on foot.

12:30 PM

Tony just pulled into the CTU parking lot. Chase had given him clearance and said to meet him in the main floor area. He stepped out of the car pulling ryley into his arms.

"Come on Jay" He looked to Jay who was getting out of the car, looking around very obversantly not saying alot, just taking it all in. Jay stepped in line with Tony as they entered the main floor of CTU. Chase was standing there, his eyes went wide as he saw his daughter in Tony's arms. He was instantly confused and speechless as he approached Tony and the boy that was standing next to him. Chase grabbed Ryley from him and asked him what was going on in a silent gesture as he lead them to office space. Once they got there Chase set Ryley down as Tony pulled him out of the way so Jay wouldnt hear them.

"Im sorry that I am the one to tell you this Chase...but Kims dead" Tony said quietly. Chase just stared at him in shock and disbelief.

"What?" He asked after a minute. Tony explained the whole situation from the very beginning in detail.

"jacks alive!" He gasped.

"Yes and now the government knows, they have a covert mission to kill all of us...didnt you hear Palmer is dead?" Tony said.

"This is unbelievable" Chase was far past hysterics now, he had to remain composure though deep down he just wanted to sit down right there and sob for his fallen wife.

"We are all at risk, Erin being dead only has proven that..." Tony said.

"Okay...wheres jack now?" Chase asked.

"I dont know" Tony told the truth as to the fact he truely didnt know.

"So the boy is Jacks' step son?" Chase said looking at Jay from a distance.

"Yea, someone has his new wife and baby boy...I can only assume he went to find them" Tony said.

"Okay...theres situation here now to add on top of our mess already, seems the Kodak building downtown has blown up...I gotta stay here and work on that mess" Chase stated.

"Alright, Ill go and find Jack, I have my cell phone, you can contact me with anything" Tony stated. "Could Jay stay with you?" He asked.

"Sure" Chase answered.

12:50 PM

Jack knew he needed some weapons, a gun at least, right now he was unarmed and just a standing target for the government to practice shooting on. He walked into a local gun shop and glanced around as he walked up to the cashier. He scanned the store seeing no one else was there aside from them two, which was perfect. He then pulled a rifle off of the wall and pointed it at the cashier.

"I need ammo and this gun, now give me the ammo and a hand gun, and nothing will happen" He threatened.

"Its not loaded you dont know what your doing do you?" The worker laughed at him. Jack hissed and flipped the gun around and hit the man in the center of his face with the but of the gun making him fall out cold.

"I warned you" He hissed as he walked behind the counter to grab the ammo for the rifle and a hand gun. He stood up to leave when he heard a gun shot rang out. He wipped around blinking, not realizing there had been another in the store, in the back room, he fired his hand gun at the man hitting dead center of his forehead and ran out of the store.

He turned into the alley behind the store and slipped down to the ground after feeling very dizzy. He then had time to feel the pain surge through him, he scanned himself finding a small hole in his shirt just below his collar bone on the right side. He then saw the blood soak the shirt, he winced grabbing the rifle and standing up again. He needed to get out of there now, get back to CTU.

1:00 PM