Author's note: The FSB is a real agency. It's the successor to the better-known KGB, which ceased to exist after senior officials in the agency were involved in the failed coup against Gorbachev.

24: Day 1.5

Previously in 24: Day 1.5 . . .

Russian arms dealer ANDREI MARENKOV was being coerced to surrender to his rival ALEXI LENKOVICH because Lenkovich had abducted his daughter. Marenkov wasn't aware that Lenkovich and his daughter GALINA MARENKOV were lovers and she was a willing participant in the plot. The Los Angeles COUNTER TERRORIST UNIT learned of Lenkovich's location and sent field agent MATT HARPER to stop them. A field team sent to support Harper was wiped out by a team of American assassins working with Lenkovich before they could reach the hideout. Agent Harper managed to prevent the rendezvous, though both Andrei Marenkov and Lenkovich fled. Lenkovich was unaware that his second-in-command, DIMITRI SIMONOV, was actually a Russian intelligence agent named Nikolai Torumov working undercover. He revealed his true identity to Agent Harper and warned him that Lenkovich's plans went far beyond simply getting Marenkov to work for him.

The following takes place between 2:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.

2:00:00 . . . 2:00:01 . . . 2:00:02 . . . 2:00:03 . . .

The large black SUV pulled into the lot and Matt waved them over. A half dozen field agents got out and approached Harper and Nikolai. The senior agent, older than the rest by at least a decade and taller than most of them as well, was leading the team. To his right was a shorter man of Asian descent.

The agents raised their weapons at Nikolai. "Federal agents! Drop your weapon!"

Nikolai dropped his gun and raised his hands. "I am not a terrorist!" He shouted. "I am Russian security!"

"We'll sort that out later." Matt said. "Right now we have to get to Lenkovich."

"Agent Harper! Agent Dan McKinley" The senior agent said, before gesturing to the Asian man next to him. "This is my second-in-command, Agent Tom Baker."

"I need to talk to Mason. It's possible CTU can still track Lenkovich on satellite."

"CTU, Mason."

"George, it's Matt. Two grey vans just pulled out of the warehouse about five minutes ago. I'm pretty sure Lenkovich and his men were in them. We need get a satellite lock on them."

George nodded. "All right, I'll get Michelle and Patrick on that. What about Marenkov?"

"One of Lenkovich's men laid down covering fire. I wasn't able to keep him from getting away."

George sighed. "Which way were they headed?"

"North by northwest. Marenkov was driving a blue Mustang, heading in the same direction."

George leaned over toward Michelle and Patrick. "All right, we have two grey vans and a blue Mustang that left the warehouse no more than five minutes ago. I want satellite on both of them. Make sure local police have the descriptions" Of course it was a long shot, since both men would probably switch vehicles at the chance they got. George tried to ignore his father, peering inquisitively through the window of the conference room.

"George, there's something else. I have a man here who claims to have been working undercover in Lenkovich's operation. He says he's from FSB. We should contact their office here and see if we can confirm it."

George raised an eyebrow. "Russian giving up intelligence secrets? What cold war did you grow up in, Matt?"

"We have to try, he says-"

"Let me talk to him." An accented voice emerged from the other end. George heard Matt saying something to the second man but couldn't make out what he said. "Let me talk to him, please!" The second man repeated, more forcefully. There was a pause. "Hello? Who am I speaking to?"

George squinted his eyes. "This is George Mason, CTU. I was speaking with Agent Harper."

"You can speak to him in a moment." The voice responded impatiently. "Right you must contact the FSB office and tell them this: Nikolai Torumov knows the real reason Lenkovich wants Marenkov. He's not trying to enlist his services. It's Alexi who's working for someone else. Someone who wants him because Marenkov knows the location of a nuclear bomb."

George's face went slack and his grip on the phone receiver loosened slightly.

Matt just stared at Nikolai.

"Nyet. I do not know their name, or anything else about them." Nikolai continued into the phone. "I had to push Lenkovich just to learn he was working for someone else. You want more answers, we have to find Lenkovich and get them from him. What? Yes, fine he's right here."

Nikolai shoved the phone in Matt's direction.

"Matt, do you have any idea what this guy is talking about?" George asked.

Matt sighed. "No, I just heard it now myself. I don't know any more than you do. I think it's worth taking seriously for now though."

"All right, I've got calls to make. Chappelle's gonna want to hear about this, Rayburn at NSA too. I'll get someone to contact FSB and see if they can vouch for this guy. Once McKinley's team has secured the area, I want you back here. Bring him along too."

"Got it." Matt hung up the phone and turned to Nikolai. "How did you find out Marenkov has a nuclear bomb?"

Nikolai sighed. "I was assigned to infiltrate Lenkovich's operation. My job was to find out who his clients and his suppliers were. There was a change of plans when I learned of his plan to abduct Marenkov. My superiors felt the opportunity to arrest both Marenkov and Lenkovich was too great to pass up, so I was ordered to do everything I could help him. Something changed, however. Alexi had been acting strangely the last few days, becoming more secretive. He was taking phone calls constantly. He said was just buyers but there was something more to it. A half-hour ago when he said he knew CTU was coming, I finally pressed him on it, asked him how he knew that. He told me the truth. I needed to get a message out immediately but I couldn't do that as long as I was close to Alexi. That's why I came to you."

Matt swallowed. "All right, once we're sure everything's clear here, my boss wants me to take you back to CTU."

Nikolai glared disapprovingly. "Right now your boss talking to his boss who will talk to his boss, and we are just wasting time going there to tell them again what little I've already told you."

Matt fixed a hard gaze at Nikolai. "Look, assuming what you've told us is the truth, then you just raised the stakes considerably. Like it or not, a lot more people are going to need to be involved now."

Nikolai gazed back, unimpressed. "Fine, fine. Let's just hope bureaucracy is not our undoing."

2:09:34 . . . 2:09:35 . . . 2:09:36 . . . 2:09:37 . . .

Marenkov frowned disapprovingly at the dashboard as the jeep headed down the road.

Obviously a few years older and not as well maintained by its owner, the jeep was considerably slower than the car he'd driven to Alexi's. Unfortunately, once he was forced to flee, he had to change vehicles as soon as possible. The authorities knew what car he had and this was the first alternative he'd seen. It had been easy enough to hot wire the jeep but struggling to get any sort of speed from it, he wondered if it might have been a better idea to wait and look for something better.

He pulled off the road and pulled to a stop in an alley. It was quiet and secluded. It was probably a safe enough spot to wait for Alexi's next call.

If he calls again. Marenkov banished the thought from his mind before his hands could begin to shake. If Alexi had gone to such trouble to force Marenkov to get to him, he wouldn't give up that easily, nor would he dispose of Galina, his only leverage at the moment. Alexi had never been quite as good at business as Marenkov but the man was no fool. He almost certainly had a second hideout as was likely on his way there right now. Once he's sure it's secure, he'll call me and we can.

Marenkov was jarred out of his train of thought by the rubbery squeaking of an object being run against the windshield. He sighed as he recognized the sight of a young woman running a squeegee over it. Her clothes and hair were unkempt and while the jeep certainly needed to be cleaned, she seemed to making it dirtier.

"Nyet." Marenkov mumbled. "No, please. I do not want . . . " he trailed off as it became clear she would continue no matter what he said. After she finished, she leaned toward the driver's side window as Marenkov gazed back at her in annoyance.

"Hey, come on," the girl pleaded impatiently, "I just cleaned your window."

Marenkov was about to raise his voice in telling her to leave when something stopped him. Instead he found himself reaching into his pocket and pulling out a twenty. It was the last American money he had left but since by the end of the day, he'd either be in the custody of Alexi or the Americans, it really didn't matter. He handed the bill to the girl who thanked him profusely before walking off.

Marenkov sat back in his seat wondering why he'd just done what he did. It was curious. The girl looked was taller than Galina, younger by at least five years, and had dark hair while Galina was blonde. Yet something in the poor girl reminded him of her. Maybe it was simply the fact that she was somebody's daughter, he thought.

2:13:47 . . . 2:13:48 . . . 2:13:49 . . . 2:13:50 . . .

Galina looked impatiently at Alexi as the cars tore down the road.

They, too had been forced to switch vehicles, though their options were much better: two SUV's from a parking lot. Hopefully, their owners wouldn't notice them missing for sometime.

"I don't like this." Galina shook her head nervously. "We should have heard from Dimitri and Yuri by now. Something's happened."

Alexi paused in thought, then looked at her. "Even if that's true, there's nothing we can do. Ultimately, they were expendable."

Galina looked at Alexi. "Expendable? Dimitri worked for you for two years."

Alexi gave her a cold stare and raised a finger at her. "If losing him is the price of this job getting done, it is acceptable. Do not lecture about things you do not understand."

Galina leaned back and sighed. "How long until we get to the house?"

"It'll be at least another half hour. We'll give your father another call once we've set up." Alexi answered, looking at the road, not noticing the disapproving stare Galina was giving him.

2:21:05 . . . 2:21:06 . . . 2:21:07 . . . 2:21:08 . . .

The White House, Washington, D.C.

White House Chief of Staff Mike Novick was several inches shorter than his boss, President David Palmer, so it took some effort to keep up with him when walking, particularly with the slight hunch Mike had developed over the years. At times, it made him sound more drained than he actually was when speaking with the President. Times like now, for instance.

At the moment, the President was supposed to be getting ready for a fund-raiser being hosted by Alan Miliken, one of his biggest supporters. That was before Mike had received a call from Eric Rayburn, the deputy head of NSA. Moments later, Mike was having someone call David's brother Wayne, asking him to fill in for David and telling the President about a possible nuclear threat.

"Has Russian Security confirmed this man's identity?" Palmer asked as they headed toward the Oval Office.

Mike nodded "They have, Mr. President. They're taking him to CTU now for debriefing."

"Mr. President." One of his secretaries, an older woman who had been with Palmer since his first senate run, stood up as the President entered. "I have President Petrov on the line for you."

Palmer nodded. "Thank you, Beth, I'll take it in here." Palmer walked to his desk, reminding himself that a conversation with the Russian President had been inevitable as soon as he received news about the Russian agent. At the very least, it would give him a chance to have some real contact with the man for the first time since Palmer had taken office. Older than his American counterpart by more than twenty years, Palmer had only met Alexander Petrov once before when both had attended a state dinner held at the White House by one of his predecessors. Palmer had only been able to speak to him briefly.

He knew that, like Palmer, Petrov had survived two prior assassination attempts, and seemed to have held nearly every position possible in the Kremlin, both before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite accumulating a long list of enemies over the years, both in his own country and abroad, Petrov somehow managed to not only endure but thrive. Still, even with his political longevity, it had been a surprise to everyone when he announced his candidacy for President, almost as much a surprise as his election and recent reelection. Palmer had yet to decide if he was someone to consider a friend. Hopefully this incident would give him a better indication.

"Mr. President." The raspy, accented voice of President Petrov emerged from the phone. "I assume your advisors have informed you of the discovery made by one of our agents."

"They have." Palmer responded solemnly. "Am I correct in assuming you believe what your agent says to be true?"

"Absolutely." Petrov responded. "He is one of our best agents. I have spoken to him personally. Mr. President, perhaps this is an opportunity for us to work together for a common goal. This investigation is of course taking place on your soil but since it is one of our agents who understands the situation best, perhaps you would consider allowing our people to work together on this."

Petrov's tone wasn't particularly comforting to Palmer but he did have a point. They needed Petrov's man's help on this.

"Very well. CTU has been running the investigation on our end. I'll have him paired with one of our agents."

"Good. I'll have someone from FSB's office sent over to CTU. Our agent will report to them and they in turn will keep me updated."

Palmer raised an eyebrow. Petrov was no fool. He was expecting regular updates from his liaison to ensure his man was kept in the loop.

"Certainly. We should get back to our respective agencies. Time is of the essence. Good luck, Mr. President."

"And to you, Mr. President."

Palmer hung up the phone and turned to Mike, who'd been watching and listening closely to the entire conversation. "Petrov wants his man working with our people on this. I don't think we have a choice."

Mike shrugged. "Well, this guy was able to infiltrate Lenkovich's operation. Maybe we can get him back, have him lead us to Lenkovich."

Palmer nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. But have our people keep a close watch on this man. I've spoken to enough politicians to know when I'm not getting the whole story."

Mike nodded solemnly. "Yes, Mr. President."

2:34:26 . . . 2:34:27 . . . 2:34:28 . . . 2:34:29 . . .

Matt noticed Nikolai eyeing the place suspiciously as the two entered the CTU briefing room, where Tony, Lily, Patrick, and Michelle were waiting. He'd probably be doing the same thing if Nikolai was taking him to his agency's office, Matt conceded.

George trotted down the stairs from his office and extended a hand to Nikolai as he walked in. "Agent Torumov, George Mason, director of CTU. We spoke on the phone earlier."

Nikolai took George's hand but showed no emotion as he shook it, or when George introduced the other staff members. "Yes. I trust you've spoken to your superiors about what I've told you."

George looked pained for a moment. "They have. They've also consulted with your people and for the moment at least, this is effectively a joint operation. You'll be working in the field with Agent Harper. Your office in Los Angeles has been contacted and they're sending someone over as a liaison."

Matt looked at George, then Nikolai. "Now the question is where do we start?"

Nikolai raised his head slightly. "Trying to contact Lenkovich through me is not possible. He's so paranoid he wouldn't let any of us know the number for the phone he was using here. I suspect he'd be suspicious even if I tried to contact him now anyway."

"So what do we do?" Patrick asked, shifting uncomfortably in his chair when Nikolai looked at him.

"There is one lead: the man Lenkovich acquired his hideout through." Nikolai continued. "I know where you can find him."

Matt shook his head. "No, I went to Marcus Reynolds' place myself. The place was ransacked and Reynolds was missing. He's almost certainly dead."

Nikolai shook his head and a faint trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't mean Reynolds. Lenkovich purchased more than just one piece of property. He wouldn't say where the other ones were but I know he used more than one. I only saw the other dealer once. We didn't speak. His name Larson. I never heard his first name but I would recognize his face."

George nodded. "All right, it's a start. Lily, look through the records for this guy." He turned to Matt and Nikolai. "Once we get a match, you two can head out. Take Turner and Eckland along as backup."

Matt nodded. "Got it."

Tony gestured to Matt as the others left. "Listen, Matt. I just wanted to say you might want to watch yourself around this guy." He said quietly, leaning in. "Officially, the KGB doesn't exist anymore but a lot of these FSB guys tend to work the same way."

Matt sighed and glanced at Nikolai speaking to George just outside the conference room. "Thanks for the warning."

2:39:04 . . . 2:39:05 . . . 2:39:06 . . . 2:39:07 . . .

After waiting for half an hour, Marenkov was seriously wondering if Alexi would ever call. He was jostled as the phone suddenly started ringing.

Marenkov immediately raised the phone to his ear. "Yes?" he answered impatiently.

"Are we ready to try this again?" Alexi's voice asked from the other end.

"Let me hear her voice first." Marenkov answered coldly.

Looking annoyed, Alexi handed the phone to Galina.

"Father?" She whimpered into the phone.

"Galina, have they hurt you?"

"Nyet. But I'm afraid. I you don't-"

Alexi abruptly pulled the phone out of her hand. "All right, you've heard her voice. Now down to business. You're going to need to take a little detour again to make sure you get here safely. Now listen very carefully . . . "

Galina turned away as Alexi began giving precise directions. She had no more love for her father, but found the coldness in Alexi's voice off-putting. Besides which, now that the Americans were aware they were here, this plan was becoming more dangerous than ever.

Whatever Paxtonis paying you, Alexi, it had better be worth all this.

2:47:41 . . . 2:47:42 . . . 2:47:43 . . . 2:47:44 . . .

Lily had quickly been able to bring up a file on a questionable businessman named Ed Larson. The man had spent five years in prison before getting into real estate. Just the type of man Alexi Lenkovich would deal with, Matt thought as the two SUV's pulled up to his house.

Matt and Nikolai walked up the driveway, flanked by the two field agents George had sent along with them. Greg Eckland was young-looking and shorter with a head of dark reddish hair. Hank Turner was black and taller than even Nikolai. Neither agent was particularly exceptional as far as field agents went but they were capable enough for this job, especially with what Matt had in mind.

Walking over the grass and weeds protruding from cracks in the walkway, the four men made their way to the door. Matt looked at the others, then gave the door a tentative, but hard knock.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice emerged from the other side of the door.

"It's him" Nikolai whispered. "I recognize the voice."

"Federal agents, Mr. Larson. We need to ask you a few questions."

Silence.

Matt and Nikolai looked at each other in confusion for a second. Then the creaking sound of a rusty door swinging open came from the back of the house.

"Dammit! He's running! Nikolai, Turner, cut him off around the back!"

As Matt and Eckland kicked the front door open and rushed in, Nikolai and Turner raced around the house to the backyard in time to see Larson race across the lawn.

Fortunately, despite his size, Nikolai proved remarkable quick and agile. Darting through the uncut grass, he grabbed Larson and pulled him to the ground.

"Where did you think you were going?" Nikolai hissed in Larson's ear.

With help from Agent Turner, Nikolai dragged Larson back into the house, allowing Matt to finally get a good look at the man. Even the mug-shot in his file looked more flattering than he did in person. Balding, unshaven, a few tattoos on both his exposed arms, and having obviously put on a bit of weight since that photo had been taken, it was a wonder Larson had gotten any business done, let alone something like real estate.

Nikolai led Larson into the kitchen and sat him down in the only chair that wasn't overturned. He turned to Eckland. "Go check the rest of the house and make sure there are no surprises." He then turned to Matt. "And you can go tell your boss we have him."

Both Matt and Eckland gave Nikolai disapproving stares before walking off, while Turner watched Larson intently.

A flicker of recognition registered in Larson's eyes as he stared at Nikolai. "Wait a minute. I remember you. I saw you with Lenkovich. What are you doing?"

"Where is the property you sold to Lenkovich?" Nikolai asked.

Larson stared in disbelief. "What are you? Some kind of Russian cop?"

"Something like that" Nikolai answered, raising an eyebrow. He grabbed Larson's arm, his fingers burying themselves in the man's flesh. "Now where is the property you sold to Lenkovich. There will be consequences if I must ask again."

Larson grinned smugly. "I did five years in San Quentin. I'm not afraid of a beating."

Nikolai released his grip from Larson's arm slowly unholstered his gun. "Who said anything about a beating?"

Turner looked up. "Wait a minute. What are you doing? This isn't how we do this."

Nikolai didn't take his gaze off Larson, attaching a silencer to the gun. "This is how I do this."

Instantly, Turner has his own gun out and had it aimed at Nikolai. "Put the gun away." Nikolai still stared at Larson. "I said put it away!" Turner barked.

Larson snorted. "You're not gonna shoot me. I don't believe you."

Nikolai raised his gun slightly and fired two rounds into Turner's chest. Turner went down with a grunt and didn't get up. Nikolai gestured at the unmoving agent. "I think he does."

Nikolai turned back to the now trembling Larson. "They're just stupid American agents I am using to get to Lenkovich." Nikolai rasped. "What do you think you mean to me?"

"Wait a min- wait a minute!" Larson stammered. "Look. I can tell you where he is."

"Where!"

Larson's trembling continued. "It's this house. 4729 Harmon Bay."

"Get up!" Nikolai gestured to the front door with his gun.

"Where are we going?"

"My car has an online map. I'm going to confirm what you just told me." Nikolai again gestured at Turner's body on the floor. "You won't die nearly quickly as he did if you are lying."

Matt and Eckland waited until Nikolai and Larson had walked out the door before heading over to Turner.

"Are you all right?" Matt asked as Turner sat up.

Turner sighed, tapping the bulletproof vest concealed under his jacket. "I'm good. Larson bought it."

Matt nodded. "Good. Once Nikolai confirms the location Larson's giving him, we'll head out. You two can take him back to CTU."

Turner smiled. "I gotta admit this was a good plan, Matt" He looked at Matt, then Eckland. "But next time, one of you guys can be the one to get shot."

Matt chuckled.

Nikolai kept an eye on Larson, handcuffed to the front SUV several feet away, as waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

"It's me." He whispered when they finally answered. "I have a possible location on Lenkovich. Do we have enough people to take him ourselves?"

"Nyet." The female voice on the other end responded. "You'll have to keep working with the Americans for now."

"I understand."

"The President wants this matter settled. We cannot allow the possibility of Marenkov falling into Lenkovich's hands. If he has to die to prevent that from happening, that is acceptable."

Nikolai's breathing increased slightly. "I've been partnered with an American agent who's trying to take Marenkov alive. He might have objections to that."

There was a pause. "Then if he also died in a confrontation with Marenkov, that would also be acceptable. I'm almost at CTU now. I'll contact you again when I can." The phone beeped as the female voice disconnected.

Nikolai looked back at the house, suddenly feeling very uneasy.

2:59:57 . . . 2:59:58 . . . 2:59:59 . . . 3:00:00 . . .

NEXT: As Matt and Nikolai close in on Marenkov, George father reveals a very personal secret to him, while Palmer's suspicions of Petrov grow.