Chapter 3
Hector opened the door and walked into the church and the first one he caught side of was Bauer. Clenching his fists, Hector stared at him. He still didn't understand what Claudia had been doing out there with Edmunds but he knew if it wasn't for Bauer neither of them would have been there and she would still be alive and with him.
"Did you find Edmunds?" Ramon asked and Hector turned to his brother.
"No. I told you it's too dark."
"You don't have to look for Edmunds," Bauer interfered. "Even if he contacted CTU, they don't have enough time to get here before the deal happens."
"What makes you so sure they are not already here?"
"Didn't Gael tell you Edmunds came down alone?"
Ramon cast a look at the woman, standing a few feet away to his left, staring back at him coldly.
"Can I speak to you in private," he addressed his brother, shooting another glare at Bauer.
"What is it?" Ramon asked impatiently when they had taken a few steps away from the others.
"We can't go through with this, Ramon. This was not the plan. There are too many things that has gone wrong. Do you really think it is coincidence that Edmunds showed up here? And now he's out there, probably contacting them as we speak."
"Is Bauer right? Did Gael tell you that Edmunds was alone?"
"Yes," Hector admitted. "But, Ramon, it doesn't make sense. What should he have come here for then?"
"Maybe he wanted to have a piece of the cake," Ramon suggested. "Or maybe he had some unfinished business with Bauer."
"Then why didn't he say so?" Hector replied. "No, no, it doesn't make sense. First Gael, then Bauer, now Edmunds? How many dirty agents does CTU have? Wasn't the woman with them too?"
Finally he saw some hesitation in his brother's eyes who threw a quick glance over his shoulder now as if to make sure they really spoke privately.
"This doesn't feel right," Hector continued. "We can't trust Bauer."
"Listen, Hector, I'm sorry about Claudia," Ramon cut him off, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But there's no reason to panic now. I told you, we need this deal to happen or we can never show our faces again. I don't trust Bauer any more than you. Or the woman for that matter. And we'll get rid off them as soon as we don't need them anymore, but we don't have time for this now."
Hector wanted to protest but noticed the woman moving. Glaring over Ramon's shoulder he saw her approaching Bauer who was in his turn coming towards them from the back of the room.
"Jack, can we have another look at the map?" she addressed him. "I just thought of something." And catching up with him, she put a hand on his arm and made him turn around and walk with her.
"Sure," Bauer said somewhat reluctant and followed her to the table he had been standing at before.
Ramon had turned his attention to them now, too, and they both watched them leaning over the map.
"This is where we are supposed to meet with Amador to pick up the virus, right?" she asked and Bauer nodded. "And your men are gonna be in place here, here and here?"
"Yes," he confirmed and sounded like he wanted to add something. But looking at her he seemed to change his mind and just shut his mouth. Hector couldn't see the woman's face but she obviously knew how to put him into place.
"Why?" Bauer asked now, still staring at her.
"Well, then there's no need to worry. Amador will have a safe exit route, probably along here. So that side will be covered. If we control these perimeters, the area will be completely secure. No one can get in or out unnoticed."
"Jack?" Ramon called out and turning his head around Bauer signaled that he agreed with her.
"She's right."
"Once our business is finished we can all go home with what we agreed on," Hector heard the woman adding, but he still wasn't convinced.
Not ready to give up, he was about to voice his apprehensions when Ramon once again placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You heard it. Everything will be fine. Now call your men and tell them to be at the village outside the mine." And leaning in a little closer again, lowering his voice to a mere whisper he added: "Once the business is done, you can take care of Bauer yourself."
Hector had to admit that the thought of killing Bauer personally appealed to him, but he hated the way Ramon just ignored his objections. Watching his brother complaining about his battery dying and asking Bauer for another cell phone, Hector felt humiliated and disrespected. Again. But he had always obeyed his brother, never dared to do more than staging his protests.
"Have you told this Gael what I asked you to?"
"Sure." Don't I always do what you ask me to? "But he says he's gonna have to do some digging first. He wasn't with CTU by the time."
Ramon nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Now let's go and make this deal."
And Hector swallowed his pride like he'd done so many times before, and glaring one last time towards Bauer he followed his brother outside.
-x-
Walking next to her, Jack avoided to look at Nina. He was angry but so was she probably, and he had to find a way to calm her down.
Hector was urging Ramon to call the deal off, insisting that they couldn't know for sure CTU wasn't around. If Nina would join him, Ramon might decide that Jack was a risk he couldn't afford to take anymore. And Nina had a lot more and better arguments than Hector. Not only did she know Jack was undercover, she also knew that CTU was close but not close enough. It shouldn't be too hard for her to convince Ramon that they could go through with the deal by themselves after they had gotten rid off Jack. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the concern about what the Salazars would do with her once they had the virus. She needed Jack to watch her back, but if she came to the conclusion that she couldn't rely on him, she would change plans and sell him out within the blink of an eye.
"That was really stupid, Jack" she whispered and Jack clenched his teeth. What could he say to her? He sure as hell wasn't gonna apologize.
When Ramon and Hector had started talking he had grabbed her cell phone that had still been on the table. He had called CTU and kept the line open, hiding the phone in his pocket, hoping that whoever would pick up would understand. The plan had been to walk over to Ramon and Hector and urge them to leave, mentioning details about the rendezvous-point with Amador. But he had never made it that far.
When she had stopped him on his way, placing a hand on his arm and asking him to check the map with her, she had given him that look that he knew all too well. The look she had always given him at CTU, signaling she really wanted to talk about something else but couldn't unless they were alone. For a moment he had wanted to ignore her, tell her he'd be with her in a minute. But something in her eyes had told him it would be better not to.
"This is where we are supposed to meet with Amador to pick up the virus, right?" she had asked and he had been about to name the location and more importantly the time frame, wondering if she knew how easy she had just made it for him. But looking down on the map he had noticed she hadn't been pointing at anything. Blanketing the area in question, her hand had just laid flat on the paper. Confused he had looked up to her, but aware that both Hector and Ramon were watching them now, he had nodded quickly, trying hard not to let anything show on his face. Nina stood with her back to them, but his expression was perfectly visible.
"And your men are gonna be in place here, here and here?" she had continued and he had confirmed that as wellRemembering the phone in his pocket again, he had opened his mouth, thinking he could still fill in CTU while finding out what Nina was up to. But seeing her eyes quickly wander to his pocket and back to his face, he had finally understood. She knows.
She must have seen me taking the phone, he had thought and done the best he could not to reveal anything to Ramon and Hector while he had felt his legs tremble.
"Why?" he had asked. You got me with my hands in the cookie jar. It would take you one word to Ramon and maybe a simple redial to prove I called CTU. Why had she not given him away yet? He had just proven she couldn't trust him. In case she had ever thought she could. Why?
He had understood when she had continued. She had wanted CTU to listen. She had wanted them to hear two things: Firstly, that the area was under strong surveillance and that any blind intervention could only lead to disaster. And secondly, that she was indeed involved but working with him now, helping him to get the virus. And that they had some kind of deal. Once our business is finished we can all go home with what we agreed on.
He hated her and he despised her, and he still wanted nothing more than to lay his hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of her without anyone or anything stopping him. But despite all that, he couldn't but be the tiniest bit impressed. How much time could she possibly have had to think this through? From the moment she had seen him taking the phone until she had stopped him on his way across the room? At best until she had put her hand down on the map. And at the same time as she had sent her message to CTU, she had actually managed to resolve all of Ramon's doubts and calm him down. Enough at least to make him dismiss his brother's suspicions and go ahead with the deal.
Not to mention that she had thwarted Jack's attempt to bring in CTU. They knew now that Jack was making progress but they still had no location and no confirmed visual. She had made sure it would really just be the two of them against the Salazars. And he didn't like the odds.
"You're lucky they didn't notice."
Luck had nothing to do with it. There was only one reason for her not to get him killed: she had seen a chance to make the incident work to her advantage. Still he felt like he had to give her something. But he knew it would cost him too much to fake gratitude now so he remained silent until they stepped outside and Ramon ordered them into the cars. He had Jack and Hector drive in different vehicles but put himself together with Nina. Feeling beats of sweat on his forehead, Jack slammed the door shut. He knew Nina had just passed on the best chance she could possibly get to sell him out, but he still didn't like the idea that she was alone with Ramon. Not after she had just once more proven how skillful she was at manipulating situations. And people.
-x-
"So what do we do now?" Michelle asked and, squeezing his eyes shut for a second, Tony wished he had a good answer for her. Something better than what he was about to say.
"What can we do?" he replied with a sigh. "We still don't have a confirmed visual of the virus, neither do we know exactly where and when the exchange is going down."
"So we're just gonna wait?"
"For what?" he heard a familiar voice behind him and turned around to face Kim. "What is it?" she asked.
Giving her a concerned look, Tony hesitated. What should he tell her?
"Did you hear from my dad?"
"Yeah, we just got a phone call. Probably from him."
"Probably?" Kim repeated confused. "You don't know?"
"Someone called us up and let us listen to a conversation," Michelle jumped in, "presumably your father."
"Is he alright?"
"From what we heard, yes."
"Is he still with her?" Kim asked and it was clearly visible how hard she struggled to keep her temper. Standing in front of him with her arms folded and her teeth clenched, her eyes expressed nothing but hate and anger. More than ever she reminded Tony of Jack.
"Yes, he's still with Nina," he confirmed reluctant. "It looks like he's got her to cooperate and they're gonna pick up the virus together." He couldn't get himself to use the word 'help'. Why the hell should Nina be 'helping' Jack?
"And the Salazars?"
"They are also still in the picture which is probably why Jack couldn't contact us openly."
"So what now?" Kim exclaimed. "You're just gonna wait? Leaving him alone with Nina Myers? I can't believe it, Tony. You know what she is capable of. You know what she did."
Looking for help, Tony glanced at Michelle. What was he supposed to do? Of course he knew. And not one second did he believe that Nina was cooperating voluntarily or with good intentions. She was expecting something in return. What we agreed on. Jack had probably made a deal with her, offered her something. But if I were you, Nina, I wouldn't be too sure you'll get anything, Tony thought.
But at the moment his hands were simply tied. They could follow Amador or even bring him down, but as long as they didn't know for sure that he was carrying the virus, it was just too much of a risk. Their only hope was Jack and that he would be able to control Nina as well as the Salazars.
"We don't have a choice, Kim." Michelle explained and got up from her chair, taking a step towards her. "Nina...the conversation we listened to - they let us know that the Salazars and Amador are surveying the area very closely. If we send our teams in now and they get exposed, the whole operation might have been in vain. Plus your father's life would be in danger."
"And when can you send someone in?" Kim retorted, sounding like she was holding Michelle personally responsible.
"As soon as we know that the virus is really there," Tony took over.
"How are we going to know?" she objected heatedly.
"Look, Kim, I know you're upset and I can understand it. But right now we're just gonna have to wait. We got a large area surrounded by delta units and somewhere in that circle is your father and hopefully the virus. We're on standby and as soon as we get a clear signal we're gonna go in and get them."
"You said it yourself, he's out there alone. He's with those people. And with her. What if he won't be able to contact anyone before..."
She didn't finish the sentence but he understood. The thought had of course occurred to him too. Before the killing starts. For the moment they all had the same goal but once the virus would be in their hands, it was more than unlikely that they would just part as friends. Jack with the Salazars was already a high risk for violent escalation but with Nina in the picture and Jack's unsatisfied hunger for vengeance, it increased exponentially.
Hating what he had to tell Kim next, Tony had another quick glance at Michelle and took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Once the exchange is made, Amador will be trying to leave the area. That's when we know that he either delivered the virus or that something went wrong. In both cases we have to detain him. Which means as soon as he's on the move - we can go in. Even if we didn't hear from Jack by then."
Pressing her lips together and looking away, Kim seemed to be fighting to hold the tears back. And she waited a moment before she spoke, as if to make sure her voice wouldn't let her down.
"I understand. What happens to my dad is irrelevant as long as we get the virus."
"The virus is our first priority, yes," he confirmed factually and let his face not reveal any emotion.
Kim stared at him, pain and anguish visible in her eyes, and with a last glance at Michelle she turned around and walked away.
"Was that necessary?" Michelle asked.
"Look, I didn't make the rules," Tony explained coldly, "but we all have to play by them. If she wants to be a part of this, she has to accept that. The sooner the better."
-x-
Ramon got off the phone and slipped the device back into his pocket. He had just assured their buyers that everything was in place, not mentioning that they didn't have the virus yet. They didn't need to know.
He glanced at his watch. In less than an hour all of this would be over. He just needed to decide a few things. Should he really let Hector kill Jack? Maybe it would pour some oil on troubled water. He really was sorry for his brother's loss and if it could ease his mind - why not? And Jack, as capable and handy as he was, was simply expendable. Maybe if he had wanted to stick around, but in the end he was no different than all the others, his only loyalty being to himself. All he wanted was to collect his money and disappear. And with everything Bauer knew, Ramon couldn't just let him walk away, let alone pay him. After what Jack had done today every intelligence service and every highway patrol officer would be looking out for him and it was only a question of time until he would either get caught or run out of money. And in both cases he would eventually come up with an idea how to gain from what he knew. Ramon was successful and respected, but he also had enemies. A lot of them. There would be countless ways for Jack to profit from his knowledge. No, he couldn't take the risk of letting him live and Hector might just need a little reward. A pat on the back and something to vent his aggressions and his grief. Then again, without Jack they wouldn't have come this far. Ramon couldn't just disregard that. He would make sure Hector did it fast and painless. That was the least thing he could do for Jack.
He became aware of his passenger in the backseat again and adjusted the rear-view mirror to have a better vision. And she was quite a vision. He could understand why Jack had spent some time between the sheets with her.
There was something dark and gloomy to her appearance that made her mysterious. Quite attractive actually, if the circumstances had been different. Almost a shame. You could tell at long distance that she knew how to get what she wanted, that she was clever. And sly. Ruthless probably. Too ruthless for Jack in the end, killing his wife and managing to stay alive that long, escaping his vengeance.
Hector's insider had finally called and told Ramon what he had wanted to know. Things seemed a little clearer now. They had not only worked together but also been very close outside the agency. So he hadn't been mistaken after all. There was definitely some kind of passion toward, at least on Jack's part. She was probably more like Ramon himself. Business came first and if killing was a necessity then so it was. It had to be done, was sometimes more pleasant and sometimes less, but always business. But with Jack it was different. He was passionate about it rather than rational, and while it took him more strength to pull the trigger when a part of him didn't want to, he probably enjoyed it much more when he had been longing for it. Just like he had to be longing to kill her.
Studying her features as she was sitting in the back and staring out into the dark night, Ramon still hadn't decided what to do with her. And suddenly their eyes met through the rear-view mirror. Intense eyes, holding his gaze without the slightest effort.
"So, let me ask you a question," he said. "When we first met at the auction you were set to kill Jack. But now you are working side by side with him. Why is that?"
"Things have changed since then," she stated icily. "I'm flexible."
I bet you are, he thought. Especially for twenty million dollars.
"And from what I hear so are you," she continued. "Wasn't Jack the one who got you into prison in the first place?"
She had balls, he had to give her that as well.
"Yes, he was." He hadn't forgotten and it was just one more reason to get rid off Bauer. "I guess we are all very...flexible. You seemed really convinced that he was still working for your government," he pried some more.
"You don't know Jack the way I do. Or thought I did. The person he once used to be." There was no emotion showing on her face but something in her eyes seemed almost reminiscent. Nostalgic. "He would have been the last person to choose the path I chose. But I guess I've been away from that life for too long. I underestimated what it does to you."
"Well, I guess you had your fair share in the process," he tried to push her but she didn't show any reaction, just returning his gaze indifferently.
"I guess I never met the man you were talking about. I always saw what he is now."
At this she raised her eyebrow a little bit, revealing a slightly mocking expression.
"Well, I have to admit," he added, "I didn't see it coming when he betrayed me. He had me fooled there for a while. But I guess in the long run, he only fooled himself."
Again he waited for some kind of reaction, but she didn't reveal what went through her mind. He would have to be very careful with her.
Again he wondered what he had really seen in her eyes earlier. He had almost been sure it was compassion but with everything she had done to Bauer that wasn't very likely. She had probably reacted to the news about Edmund's escape. After all she had been convinced Jack was still with CTU until only recently and with the news about his partner being on the loose, she might have feared he really was. And looking at it from that perspective - she was the one with most reason to fear CTU. Ramon knew about the deal she had cut herself three years ago, gaining her a release into limited exile, whatever that was. He wasn't familiar with the procedure or what the exact stipulations had been, but purchasing a deadly virus was certainly a violation. And with everything she already had to answer for, it wasn't hard to figure out what would happen to her if she was gonna get arrested again now. She had all reason to be concerned. But not for much longer. He still thought it was a bit of a waste but it was of course out of the question to let her live. He didn't need any surviving witnesses of what had happened today. Probably best to take out that Amador as well. In the end they would all find some comfort and relief. Jack in killing her, Hector in killing Jack, and Ramon himself in watching that self-righteous prick Amador begging for his life.
"Well," he said, noticing they had reached their destination, "good for all of us, no?"
"Yes," she replied when the car stopped. "Good for us."
