24: Day 1.5
Previously in 24: Day 1.5...
CTU agent MATT HARPER was assigned to bring in a Russian general-turned arms dealer who was offering to surrender himself to American authorities. However just before Harper arrived, the arms dealer, ANDREI MARENKOV, received a phone call from former competitors of his. Marenkov was told his daughter was being held hostage and he must surrender himself to them if he wanted her to live. Marenkov fled just as Harper reached him. Unaware of what was happening, Harper hurried off in pursuit...
The following takes place between 11:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M.
11:00:00...11:00:01...11:00:02...11:00:03...
The two SUV's tore down the road, well over the speed limit, darting in between cars, and earning a succession of honks as they passed by.
Matt spared just enough concentration from driving to contact CTU.
"Matt, it's Tony." The voice emerged from the car's speaker-phone. "Where are you?"
"I'm right behind Marenkov, heading down 115th. He's trying to lose me in the traffic, but I'm still on him. He's driving a tan colored Ford Explorer."
"I'll try and see if I can get the police to clear the way for you."
George shook his head at the phone while Tony relayed updated on Matt's position. This was just perfect. With Matt, things were supposed to go by the numbers. This is the kind of thing that happened with Jack Bauer, not Matt. Chappelle's never gonna let me hear the end of this.
George snapped himself out of his usual funk. He could drown his frustrations in a beer or two later. Right now he had a job to do.
"Michelle," he said, turning to the young woman a few stations over from Tony. "Contact Patrick and Lily. Get them in here. If Marenkov leaves the city, we'll need them on this one."
11:04:17... 11:04:18... 11:04:19... 11:04:20...
Had anyone known the truth, it would have been unnecessary to call Patrick Hennessy and Lily Cohen separately, as they were not only both in the same room at the time, but the same bed as well.
Lily, being the lighter sleeper, noticed her phone ringing first. Picking it up, one of the newer CTU staff members on the other end was telling her something had come up in the Marenkov affair and they need her to come in.
Turning the lump of a young man sleeping next to her, she began pushing gently, earning some annoyed mumbling in response.
"Come on, Pat. Work just called me in and you probably about to call you too."
Patrick rolled his eyes as soon as he had rubbed the sleep out of them. Even his parents, God rest their souls, hadn't called him Pat and the few kids in elementary school who did usually ran away in tears with a nosebleed. When Lily did it however, somehow it didn't seem so bad.
Sure enough, his phone began ringing a second later. While Patrick made a futile attempt to get out of going to work, Lily put on her housecoat and headed to the hotel's bathroom for a shower.
Taking a moment to glance at him before turning on the water she couldn't help but laugh. Two months ago she'd written him off as a pesky Irish kid who wouldn't take no for an answer. Getting involved with someone at work was the last thing she'd ever consider, especially after the stories she'd heard about that Nina Myers woman. For an intelligence agency, CTU was a surprisingly poor place to keep a secret, especially about the personal lives of one's co-workers.
It was after having been set with yet another loser by one of her friends that she finally decided to look for someone herself. Against her better judgement she'd decided to finally give Patrick a chance.
Lily smiled. I guess people can surprise you.
11:10:39... 11:10:40... 11:10:41... 11:10:42...
Driving through city streets at the speeds they were was starting to worry Matt. It doesn't matter how good drivers we are, he thought. Sooner or later someone's going to-
The sound of screeching tires jolted Matt as a small blue pickup truck darted out of a side street and slammed into the passenger side of Marenkov's SUV. The SUV was shoved away a few feet and the right wheels came up. For a split second, Matt thought the car would tip over but it then righted itself.
Both drivers staggered of their vehicles. The truck's driver, a thin goateed man of no more than twenty-five, glared at the crumpled, rusted front of his vehicle than turned his gaze at Marenkov. Blood was dripping from a cut on his forehead though he didn't seem to notice.
"Wh-what's the matter with you?" the younger man grumbled, his words slurred considerably.
Marenkov glanced his own car, the passenger side completely caved in, and grunted loudly. "Idiot American drunk drivers!"
As Matt brought his own car to a halt, a middle-aged black man stepped out of a grey Sable behind the truck and rushed over to the two men, giving both a concerned look. "Are you two all right?"
While the younger man began giving a half-hearted explanation how Marenkov had come out of nowhere, Marenkov spotted Matt heading towards him. Immediately, he drew his gun, pulled the Sable driver to him, and pressed the gun against his head.
Matt quickly raised his own weapon. "Let him go, Andrei!"
Marenkov looked at the terrified man then back att Matt and shook his head. "Nyet! Lower your weapon or I will kill him!"
Matt didn't move. "What are you doing, Andrei? You came all this way and now you're running away. Why?"
Marenkov looked pained for a moment, then steeled himself. "I can't explain. You must trust me it is imperative that I must go!"
Matt shook his head, still pointing his weapon at Marenkov. "I can't let you do that."
Marenkov's eyes widened and pressed the gun harder against the man's head, who let out a small cry, his eyes widened with fear. "I will shoot him!" Marenkov barked.
Matt cursed inside his head, gritted his teeth and lowered his weapon. There was no way he was bringing in Marenkov right now.
Marenkov loosened his grip on the man but kept his grip on him. "Get back to your vehicle." He gestured towards the Sable.
The younger driver just stood there, staring with glazed eyes as Marenkov followed the middle-aged driver back to his car. He glanced back at Matt for a moment. "If I see you or anyone else following me," he gestured back at the Sable driver, who was carefully getting into his car, "he will die."
Marenkov jumped into the back of the Sable as it maneuvered around the two wrecked vehicles, turned onto the main road and drove off. Matt kept his eye on the car's licence plate for as long as he could see it, then rushed back to his SUV.
George picked up the phone before it's first ring had gone through. He already knew who it was.
"George, it's Matt. Another car collided with Marenkov's vehicle. He took a civilian hostage and commandeered their car. It's a grey Sable, licence number AIN 393. Last I saw, he was still going down 115th. He said if he catches anyone following him, he'll kill the hostage."
George let out a rather large sigh. "All right, get back here. We'll need you monitoring with the rest of us."
Moments later walked down the steps from his office, feeling about a hundred pounds heavier than he was. He didn't give Tony or Michelle Dessler, one of the newer CTU staff members, a particularly friendly look when they approached him.
"George, we think we might have an idea on what Marenkov's doing." Tony began.
George looked at the two of them. "What, you mean some good news accidentally got slipped in here for a change?" Michelle, not yet used to George's sarcasm, looked slightly taken aback but George raised his hand. "Sorry. What have you got?"
Michelle nodded. "We just got a profile from Division on another Russian arms dealer named Alexi Lenkovich. Apparently, he was heading west through Canada just over a week ago. He was spotted in a train station in Vancouver five days ago."
George looked suspiciously at her. "You think he might have headed south, snuck across the border?" Division knew this guy could be coming here and Ryan didn't say anything? That arrogant son of a-
"There's more." Michelle went on. "Lenkovich has been one of Marenkov's chief rivals for years. Lenkovich arranged at least two assassination attempts against Marenkov. He's also known for kidnaping rivals and their families."
Tony leaned in closer. "George, a week ago, Marenkov's daughter was reported missing from her home in Paris."
George paused a moment. "You're saying you think Lenkovich kidnaped Marenkov's daughter to get to him? It would explain what Marenkov's doing but why Lenkovich do that in the first place? You'd think he be happy to see Marenkov surrender. Means he'd be out of the business."
Tony gave a facial shrug. "Maybe he wants the information Marenkov was offering us. If Lenkovich has Marenkov's daughter, that's gotta be where Marenkov's headed. If we can find Lenkovich maybe we can find Marenkov."
George nodded. "Get on it. I'm gonna call Division." His voice grew more and more sarcastic. "I'll see what else they didn't think we needed to know."
11:31:54... 11:31:55... 11:31:56... 11:31:57...
Dimitri Simonov stared impatiently at the monitor. The image on the screen was of a seldom-used parking lot at the edge of a small city park. He glanced down at his watched and didn't see Alexi Lenkovich approaching.
Dimitri jumped back in his chair when he looked up and saw Alexi, causing Alexi to chuckle. "You startled me."
Alexi smiled. "Then you shouldn't let yourself get distracted."
Dimitri looked back down at the monitor. "Do you think he'll make it? He has less than ten minutes"
Alexi glanced down at he monitor, the turned away, chuckling. "Marenkov would do anything for his daughter. Trust me on that."
11:38:21... 11:38:22... 11:38:23... 11:38:24...
The Sable had been eerily quiet for the last twenty minutes or so. With no instructions from Marenkov, the driver assumed he wanted to keep going straight.
Marenkov, still sitting in the back seat holding his gun, caught a glimpse of a street sign and finally broke the silence. "Turn left here."
"Yeah, right" the driver responded, turning the wheel. Save for the fact that his breathing was a bit louder than normal, the man seemed remarkably calm.
Marenkov was impressed. "Don't worry." He said softly. "Just follow my instructions and I give you my word you will not be harmed."
The man gave Marenkov a glance in the rear-view mirror and nodded.
Marenkov smiled. "For what it's worth, I am sorry you were involved in this. If it helps, I can tell you this is not part of some act of terrorism or a robbery. I am trying to save the life of someone I care for very deeply."
The driver looked at Marenkov in the mirror again. "Family?"
Marenkov smiled. This fellow was surprisingly thoughtful. "What's your name?"
The driver paused a moment, probably not sure if he wanted be exchanging names with a man who'd kidnaped him at gunpoint. "Paul. Paul Garrett"
"You are a very insightful man, Mr. Garrett. The person I am trying to help is my daughter" Marenkov took a deep breath. Telling the man this was probably not a good idea but at the moment, he needed to confide in someone, anyone.
"What happened to her?"
"A man I once had misfortune of dealing with has taken her hostage. Presumably he wants to enlist my services for his own benefit."
"You were on your way to meet him when that truck hit you."
"Da. He said if I did not reach my destination at the correct time, he would kill her. I know this man well. He is not bluffing."
"Why didn't you call the cops?"
Marenkov chuckled. "Ironically, going to the authorities was precisely what I intended to do before I learned he had her, though that is another story completely. I cannot take any chances though. I must do as he says. I cannot risk any harm coming to my Galina." His eyes began to grow misty. "Everything I have done has been for her. She is my world."
Paul looked down, lost in thought for a second. "I have a daughter. Two of them actually. I don't know what I do if some sick bastard got his hands on them."
Marenkov nodded. "Our species may have advanced a great deal but we can be surprisingly feral when our young are threatened."
"Amen to that." Paul whispered.
Marenkov spotted another street sign. "Turn in here!"
Paul turned the car into a small parking lot and put it in park. There were no other cars or people in sight.
Paul looked around. "What now?"
Marenkov began glancing around himself. "I don't know. I was only told to come here."
A second later, his phone began to ring. He flipped it open and responded immediately. "Yes?"
"Very good, Andrei. Some of my people didn't think you'd make it on time."
"Where is my daughter, Alexi?" Marenkov hissed.
"She is safe for moment. From where you are, get to 93rd and Vaughan by ten minutes after twelve."
Marenkov recoiled from the phone and looked at it for a second, before returning it to his ear. "What? What is going on, Alexi? Where is my daughter?"
"Patience, Andrei. We have to make sure you're not being followed first." Alexi responded curtly. "93rd and Vaughan by ten after twelve or your daughter pays the price for your stupidity!" Alexi hung up.
Marenkov looked at the phone and began sputtering a jumble of words in his native tongue. Paul didn't speak a word of Russian but he suspected the words his passenger was saying weren't ones to be repeated in front of children or clergy.
Marenkov looked up at Paul. "We have to get to 93rd and Vaughan by ten after twelve. Hurry!"
Paul nodded, put the car back in drive, and sped off. 93rd and Vaughan in thirty minutes? Paul thought. I'm gonna need a miracle.
Neither Paul nor Marenkov noticed the patrol car watching them.
11:51:06... 11:51:07... 11:51:08... 11:51:09...
"Agent Harper?"
Matt sighed. Not even the drive back to CTU offered him a moment's peace. "Yes?"
"I have your wife on hold."
Lauren? "Put her through, Ray."
"Matt?" Her voice sounded a bit shaken.
"Lauren, what's wrong?" Please don't let this be about Danny, he thought.
"Danny got hurt at school. Apparently he slipped and fell down a flight of stairs."
Matt's pulse began to quicken. "Is he all right?"
"Apparently his arm was hurt pretty bad. They took him to hospital. I'm there now. We don't know anything yet."
Matt loosened his grip on the steering wheel, just noticing how tightly he'd been gripping it. "I'll be there as soon as I can. It might be a while though."
"It would really make him feel better to see his father."
"I promise will be there as soon as I can." He said, a bit more firmly this time. Please don't start something now.
He heard a sigh on the other end. "All right. Just please come soon." A beep signaled she'd hung up. Short and abrupt, like all my conversations with her lately.
Matt rolled his eyes when the phone rang again. "Matt, it's Tony. A police cruiser spotted the car Marenkov's riding in. It's not far from where you are. He's headed up Vaughan now. They just passed 98th Street."
Matt steeled himself as best he could. Marenkov may have warned against anyone following him but wherever he was going, he was in a hurry and wasn't going to stop to kill the hostage. "I'm on my way. I can get over there within five minutes."
11:57:20... 11:57:21... 11:57:22... 11:57:23...
Paul spotted the red and blue lights first. "Looks like we got some friends."
Marenkov spun around. At least three police vehicles, sirens wailing, were trailing the car. A fourth vehicle Marenkov recognized as the car Agent Harper was driving. Damn. He does not seem to know when to quit.
Looking ahead, Marenkov saw his luck was even worse than he'd thought. A set of train tracks cut across the road. The crossing lights where flashing as the barriers began to lower. To his right, he could see a massive diesel engine with at least thirty cars behind it lumbering towards the intersection. We will never make it in time.
Matt had managed to get in a signal to the police cruisers. "All right, he's slowing down for the train. When he stops, I'll approach first. He still got a hostage so no sudden movements."
Marenkov gave Paul a tired look. "Looks like you'll be getting out of this sooner than expected." he said, wistfully. I'm sorry I failed you, Galina.
Paul was silent for a moment, then turned around to face Marenkov. "Everything you said about your daughter was true? You're trying to get to her to save her?"
Marenkov paused for a moment. "She's my world."
Paul licked his lips, then turned around. "Hang on!"
From a hundred feet away, Matt saw the Sable pick up speed. Son of a bitch!
"He's making a run for it!" Matt shouted into the receiver. "Try to stop them before they reach the tracks!"
He knew it was pointless, however. The Sable already had too great a lead. Dammit, Andrei! You're just gonna kill yourself and this guy! Matt forced himself not to turn away as the car sped towards the tracks.
Darting around the barriers, it cut in front of the train, missing the 130-ton engine literally by inches.
Matt finally allowed himself to exhale, bringing his SUV to a stop. Opening the door and leaning out, he watched from between the freight cars as the Sable sped off into the distance...
11:59:57... 11:59:58... 11:59:59... 12:00:00...