Chapter 9
They drove in silence and staring out of the window, Nina's thoughts went back and forth, drifting in and out of her current situation. She hadn't imagined the drive taking that long but now it seemed like an eternity.
Thinking back to everything that had happened, all the ups and downs this day had provided, so many other memories came back to her as well. And suddenly she just felt aged and tired. She knew a part of it was caused by the drugs, making her feel weak and a bit dizzy. But not all of it. And for a moment she tried to remember when it all had started, when her life had changed so drastically.
But, of course, there was no such specific moment. Her life was one endless sequence of those moments. Moments of change. She had always kept it that way, always liked it. Change was progress, new developments, new challenges. She had never been the type to strike roots, to settle. Not when it came to places, not when it came to people. Not even when it came to herself. And it was certainly not a coincidence or a twist of fate that every time her life had felt consistent, the situation had changed. Sometimes with and sometimes without her intervention, but she had always adjusted easily.
There had been a lot of firsts though. Her first memory of a news broadcast, her first day at school, at college, her first glimpse on how the world really was. Her first job for the government, her first assignment, her first promotion. Her first day at Division, her first day at CTU. The first time she had doubted, wondered, realized it wasn't gonna work. The first time she had felt blood on her hands.
The first time she had met Jack.
If she had known then what she knew now, how it all would play out, she would have transferred right away.
Her first temptation, her first betrayal. Her first payment, and the realization it didn't feel any better. It didn't feel any worse either. It didn't feel different at all.
The first time Jack had confided in her, the first time she had felt something was happening there.
Her first murder. The first time she had seen blood on her hands and somehow felt better about it, knowing that it had been her conscious decision this time, her own choice, without false justifications and excuses.
Her first night with Jack...
But she didn't wanna go there now.
She still had to make a decision. What's it gonna be? Should she surrender, adjust and accept? Or should she put up a last fight?
They were getting closer and closer to the airfield and once on the plane her chances of getting away were close to zero. It wasn't likely that this plane was gonna crash as well and that she would survive again - disregarding the fact that it hadn't exactly worked to her advantage the last time. And she didn't exactly have a credit card or any other useful instrument in her sleeves either this time, apart from the fact that there was no one she could kill to regain leverage, recapture a position of strength. The only leverage she had was useless, worthless as it would only delay the inevitable. And she wasn't sure how much more delay she wanted.
The quick ending then. Maybe at the airfield, once she was out of the car. She just needed to run. There was no space for that on a plane and back in L.A. there would be too many of them to stop her. She just needed to run towards the open field...
But another part of her didn't want to just give up. Didn't want it to be over. Didn't want to die. It couldn't be over.
She knew it was her most human part, the most natural instincts every single human being had. Ask ten people to dig a hole they're gonna get buried in, show them the weapon, leave no doubt you're gonna shoot them as soon as they are done. What reason should they have to help, to dig their own grave while you are watching, waiting to pull the trigger on them? Still nine out of ten would do it. Because no one wants to give up as long as there's the tiniest chance - however unrealistic it might be. Digging that hole might take minutes, ten, twenty, thirty? The mere thought of everything that could happen in those minutes, the possibility that something could safe them from their destiny, that something could happen and keep them alive - it's enough. Understanding that meant understanding one of the fundamental truths about human nature. Not about why people want to stay alive but how far they are willing to go, forced to go.
She had often asked herself what she would do and she had always known the answer. The rational answer. If there was no realistic chance for anything to happen that could safe her, it was better to accept death. But as long as there was a chance, a reason to hope, she would dig. She wouldn't mind getting dirty. Never had.
But now - how realistic were her chances? Not very. But still. In the end she was just like everybody else - she didn't want it to be over.
Would she dig? Or would she die?
"Slow down," Jack's voice brought her back. And noticing him rolling down the window, she could smell the light scent of kerosene in the air, a second before she caught sight of the plane. She would have to make her decision now.
But then it all just happened so fast, almost too fast to follow.
-x-
The driver gave him a skeptical look as if he was wondering about the overexaggerated cautiousness, but he did as he was told and slowed down.
Jack watched their escort passing them and stopping in front of the plane, right next to the unit already waiting for them. There weren't too many of them.
"Swerve," he ordered, and his arm shot forward to press Chase's gun against the driver's ribs. He had to be quick now.
"Swerve!" he repeated, louder now and more aggressive, while his other hand reached for the man's holster and secured his weapon.
"Don't move," he hissed with a quick glance at Nina, noticing the confusion in her eyes. And when the car made a left turn and they were on a level with the waiting units, he quickly raised his arm and stuck it out through the window, firing a series of shots.
"Go!" he yelled at the driver, hoping he had hit all his targets and moved around on his seat to have a better position. Having both of them in front of him now, he pulled his arm back from the driver but kept the gun pointed at him.
He noticed Nina looking over her shoulder, peering out through the back windscreen, and he followed her gaze and stared out as well. So far he couldn't see any pursuers.
"Sit tight," he ordered when she turned around again, and couldn't but feel satisfied by the way she stared at him. Relieved, he leaned back a little and relaxed.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Mike."
"Mike, I'm Jack. I'm sorry about this but it'll all be over in a few minutes," he explained with his voice perfectly calm and, glaring at Nina, he added: "At least for you."
This time she didn't show any reaction, sitting just as calm now and returning his look with that indifferent, unreadable expression again. And just for that he wanted to hit her again, but quickly darted another look through the back windscreen instead before he turned his attention to the driver again.
"I assume you know how to make it harder for them to follow us, Mike?"
"Sure."
"Good. Do it."
"Where do you wanna go?" Mike asked stiffly, staring straight ahead while he killed the lights and steered the car off the road.
"Doesn't matter. Just remember your way back. And keep your hands on the steering wheel."
Carefully Jack slipped one of the guns into his pocket and brought the keys to Nina's cuffs out instead. Glaring at her, he tossed them into her lap.
"I want your hands restrained to the door," he muttered. "Both of them."
Looking down at the keys, she seemed to hesitate a moment or maybe she was just pointedly taking her time, but in the end she did as she was told. Satisfied he slipped the keys back into his pocket and assured himself once again that there were no pursuers in sight. He glanced at his watch.
"Agent Bauer. Agent Bauer?" a clearly agitated voice rang out through the radio.
Using the butt of his gun, Jack smashed the radio set without further ado and turned to Mike again.
"In a moment, I'll ask you to stop the car. Then I want you to get out, slowly and without any sudden moves. Once you've closed the door you can just turn around and walk back. You think you can do that?"
"Sure."
"Good."
Casting a side glance at Nina, he waited a moment longer until he thought they had reached a good spot.
"Stop the car," he ordered and Mike slowed down and stopped.
"Kill the engine but leave the keys in the ignition."
Slowly Mike moved his hand to the ignition and then back to the steering wheel, hesitating for a moment before he carefully got out of the car. Placing his hands on his head, he turned around and started to walk.
Jack waited until he had covered quite a distance before he removed the ammunition clip and slipped it in his other pocket. One gun was enough, a second one would only be in the way. Not willing to give it up though, he stowed it away in the glove compartment.
Knowing Nina had watched him carefully, he darted a quick glare at her before he moved over to the driver's seat and started the motor. He just had to get them a bit further away. To make sure they wouldn't be disturbed.
-x-
"Kim?" Michelle asked, approaching Kim's work station.
"Yes?"
"I need you to help Adam with -" she had just started when there was a loud yell behind her.
"Dammit!"
Turning around she saw Tony slamming the phone down angrily.
"What's up?" she asked, noticing that Kim had turned around on her chair as well.
Scowling at her, Tony hesitated for a moment before he started walking towards her, looking around and checking if anybody else was paying attention.
They were of course, looking up from their desks and computers at Tony's exclamation. But realizing there wouldn't be any public explanation, they turned back to their own tasks.
"That was our team leader from the delta unit at the airfield," Tony said in hushed tones when he stood right in front of her.
"And?"
But Tony glanced past her and remembering Kim was still behind her, Michelle understood. It's about Jack. And Tony wasn't sure if he should break the news to her or not.
"The convoy with Jack and Nina left where our teams picked them up," he explained, obviously coming to think that Kim could handle it. Or should, she added, remembering the last time Tony had given Kim a heads-up about Jack.
"But when they got to the airfield, Jack apparently hijacked the car and took off," Tony continued. "With Nina."
"What?" Michelle couldn't believe her ears. "What do you mean hijacked?"
"Apparently he opened fire on the waiting units and forced the driver to get them out of there."
Speechless and baffled, Michelle just stared at Tony. She couldn't believe this.
Or could she? After all it was Jack they were talking about... He already had done one jailbreak today.
"Did anyone get hurt?"
"No," Tony growled. "Just a lot of flat tires."
Michelle took a deep breath.
"Then he didn't really fire at them, did he?"
Tony just shook his head, wearing that look again as if he was carrying the burden of an entire world on his shoulders. And she knew he was. Not that of the world but it was still enough. How she wanted to take it off of him.
"It's bad enough," he sighed and she had to fight the urge to lay a hand on his cheek. It was hardly appropriate and normally she had no problems to control her feelings at work but today wasn't just a usual day. He had been shot and the mere thought of losing him...
"Where is he now?" Kim asked and saved her from getting lost in her husband's eyes, and both of them turned around to her.
"We don't know," Tony stated. "But I guess for the moment we don't have to worry about him."
No, Michelle thought. Not until he gets back here and prosecuted for murder. She tried to come clean with herself. She could understand Jack of course, she really could, and Nina Myers was the last person to deserve any compassion or mercy - still Michelle wasn't sure if this wasn't crossing a line. An eye for an eye? That philosophy had never appealed to her. But glancing at Tony again, she knew she was in no position to judge. If she was in Jack's place, if Nina had killed her husband, taken the one person from her she loved more than anything in the world - what would she do? The truth was she had no idea and couldn't even speculate about it.
"I gotta go tell Chappelle," Tony sighed and their eyes met for a second before he left.
With a sigh she turned to Kim again.
"You said Adam needs help?" she asked, looking up to her, and it was only now that Michelle noticed how calm and relaxed Kim seemed. Of course she knew what all of this meant as well. Jack taking off with Nina when they were on their way to bring her in - it could only mean one thing. And Kim seemed pretty okay with it. Not that she could blame her. Nina Myers had killed her mother and tried to kill her father as well at several occasions. And even though her father was still alive, he would never be the same person again. Neither would Kim.
Nina Myers.
Michelle had heard so much about her, just like everyone at CTU who had started working here after her time. And already hours ago, before anyone had had the slightest idea she was involved in all this, the thought of Nina Myers had suddenly hit Michelle. When she had thought that Gael was a mole. When she had felt an idea of what Tony had been through, of the feeling of having trusted the wrong person. But of course her relationship with Gael was nowhere near what Tony had had with Nina.
That day three years ago, Michelle had seen her. She had been walked in, all those guards around her, tied up and restrained like America's most wanted or a wild animal that had just been captured alive. A dangerous, deadly species. And for a second it had just seemed so bizarre. That can't be her, she had thought. She was so tiny, so fragile, so...not like she would have expected her, not looking frightening enough or dangerous enough. But that thought had been wiped away when the room had fallen silent and everyone's eyes had turned on the woman shuffling down the hallway. Something in the way she had walked through the office she had helped to bomb, indifferent to the damage and destruction she had caused, in the place where she had been working side-by-side with so many of them. Something in her face, her eyes - cold, callous, malicious. A monster. A monster with the eyes of a dangerous animal, dangerous but intelligent. Not wild, not crazy, just deadly. And later, when Michelle had monitored the interrogations, watched the tension between her and Jack, the way she had provoked him and his response - she hadn't been able to imagine what Nina had been like before. That she could have been any different than this.
She knew that Nina had been working for CTU for years and Division before that. She had read her file, her CV, her evaluations, and until the day she had been arrested, everything in there had indicated that she was doing a great job, the only question mark the outstanding promotion. Knowing Nina had had an affair with both Jack and Tony, Michelle just couldn't help but being curious. What had Nina Myers been like when she had been working with them? And being Tony's second in command now, she had to wonder if he ever thought about it.
Tony. It had to bring back memories for him as well. If she only knew what kind of memories. They had, of course, talked about Nina at a handful of occasions. With everything that had happened and the fact that they had been co-workers as well, it had been unavoidable. But Tony had never told her about their relationship, never mentioned the time they had been together. Only the time after he had found out who she really was. Or what she was. And even regarding that, he hadn't exactly been an open book.
Maybe it's good for him as well, she thought. She wasn't sure if he was still thinking about it at all but she reckoned he did, sometimes. With Nina gone, maybe he can consider the matter closed for good.
"Michelle?" Kim pulled her out of her thoughts and Michelle tried to shrug them off. "You said Adam needs help?"
"Yeah," she said and leaned forward to show Kim on the screen what they wanted her to do.
