Complications, chapter 5

Jack stood anchored in the doorway to his office, caught in the war between his body's need for action and his brain's need for reason. He wanted to follow through on his original plan and go to the last place Kate had been seen. But the logical part of him knew that wasn't necessarily the quickest way to find her.

Tony took control, sensing Jack's indecision. "Adam, go to your station and keep working on the satellite imagery. Go right back to the beginning if you have to and track her from there. And, call Chloe in to help you," Tony called after him before turning to Jack. "Okay, Jack. What's going on here? Are you sure this has something to do with Ramon?"

"It has to Tony. Why else would someone take her?" Jack answered. Shaking his head, he continued: "I should've known this could happen. I knew I was putting her at risk by being near her, but I was just worried that they would do something to me and she would get caught up in the middle. I never thought they would go after her directly."

"Okay, so it's most likely the Salazar's. Do you think Hector would come here, or do you think he sent someone to take care of this for him?"

"He's probably here. The only person he might trust with this would be Eduardo, Eduardo de Leon."

"I'll get someone to work both of them up. We'll see if we can track them from when they entered the country."

"Okay, let me know as soon as you find something."

"Where are you going?"

"I've still got a couple of contacts in the Salazar organization here. I'm going to see what I can find out there."

Jack was crossing the main floor of CTU when Michelle stopped him. "Jack, I've got a call for you on line 2."

He walked to her station, taking the phone from her. "Bauer."

"Hi, Jack. Long time, heh?"

"Hector." Jack motioned for Michelle to set up a trace. "What do you want?"

"Jack, you disappoint me. It's not what I want, but who I have. And who I want." Hector paused, giving his words time to sink in, then continued: "Go to a computer and pull up the IP address 257.211.16.5."

Jack cursed inwardly as he missed a couple of keystrokes and then the page materialized before him.

"You're looking at a live feed, Jack. As you can see, she hasn't been harmed. Yet. Can you say the same for my brother?"

"Hector, you son of a bitch," Jack's voice was deceptively calm. The screen before him held a grainy, overhead view of a small room. Kate stood against a wall, her eyes closed and head tilted so she faced the camera. "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna rip your heart out and kill you. I'm gonna…"

"Jack, Jack, enough of that. You're not gonna do any of that. Your turning this into some great big drama when it doesn't have to be. It's very simple. I have your woman. You have my brother. A simple switch and we can both go our separate ways, no harm done."

"How do I know that she really is okay? How do I know I'm watching a live feed and not a tape?"

"Come on, Jack. I know that you know that we haven't had her long enough to tape her and then kill her. You're just trying to keep me talking so you can trace the call. It's not going to work. But, keep watching."

Jack saw the door open to the room where Kate was standing. She pushed herself from the wall at Hector's entrance so all he could see was the top of her head.

"Miss Warner, it's so nice to make your acquaintance." Jack watched as Hector raised his gun to Kate's chest, his other hand still holding the phone to his ear.

"Hector!"

Kate heard Jack's growl through the phone held to her captor's ear. "Jack!"

The desperation in Kate's voice ripped through the center of his being. His helplessness raged through him like a wild bull.

In sharp contrast, Hector continued his casual conversation. "Now, Miss Warner. Kate.You don't mind if I call you Kate, do you?" She stared at him in mute defiance. "Kate it is. So Kate, Jack here doesn't believe that the view he is watching is live. That's right, he can see us." Pointing with his gun to the overhead light fixture, he continued: "Look up there, Kate. Wave hi to Jack."

Kate looked at the ceiling, not seeing anything besides the light fixture to tell her where the camera was located. Hector continued to hold the phone to his ear, waving with his gun hand at Jack. He returned his focus to Kate, levelling the gun back at her chest.

"Now, Jack," he continued. The casual tone of his earlier conversation was replaced with one of severity and authority. "I want my brother back. You have thirty minutes to make the necessary arrangements and then I will call you back."

"I can't make that kind of decision, Hector. You know that. I don't have that kind of authority."

"I don't believe that, Jack. If you can't do it, I'm sure you can get to the people that can. Make it happen, Jack. You're little lady seems real nice. I'd hate to have to hurt her."

Hector terminated the call before Jack could respond to the threat rendered against Kate. That, along with everything else, served to emphasize Jack's feelings of powerlessness. He needed to gain control of the situation. He couldn't believe it had gotten so far out of his control. 'It's my fault. I wasn't prepared for this. I hadn't even imagined this could happen. How could I not imagine this could happen.'

Jack's mental tirade against himself was interrupted as he refocused his attention on the monitor before him. Hector had yet to leave the room and was still holding the gun, although it was lowered some. It appeared as though they were exchanging words, but there wasn't any sound to accompany the image before him.

"Kate, just sit tight," he mumbled to himself. "Don't argue with him." He knew she would argue. He knew she wouldn't continue to sit in silence as she had been. "Just don't push him too far."

He continued to watch, waiting for Hector to leave the room, for him to put his gun away. After another minute, he finally holstered his weapon. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he should leave, but couldn't seem to pull himself away from the screen before him. He realized that Michelle stood awkwardly at his side. 'She probably needs her desk back.'

"Uh, Michelle, I need you to make sure that someone keeps an eye on Kate at all times. And send this up to my computer too."

He glanced at her, seeing her nod in agreement. Then her brow creased to a frown and he turned back to the monitor.

The exchange between Hector and Kate had grown more heated. Kate's posture seemed more defiant and Hector's gestures more insistent. Then suddenly, while Jack looked on, Hector grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her forcibly back against the wall. Her head snapped back and Jack caught a glimpse of the pain and fear that had crossed her features.

His body was rigid with the anger flowing through it. He held the edges of the desk with a white-knuckled grip that threatened to damage a lesser material. Jaw clenched, he seethed while Hector continued to hold Kate against the wall, levelling countless threats against her. Threats unheard by Jack and imagined, most likely, to be much worse than they actually were. Finally, he released her and left the room. Kate's shoulders and head slumped forward, but she remained standing against the wall. Her hair hung like a curtain across her face.

Jack eased his grip on the desktop, dragging his gaze from Kate's dejected form. He took a moment to gather himself. In that moment, he felt Michelle's soft hand rest lightly on his forearm.

"Jack," she spoke softly. "She's okay. She's not hurt."

"I know!" He snapped before she could continue. "Adam! Wait, I already know. You didn't get a trace on his cell phone. He wouldn't have talked that long if there was a chance. Keep working on the satellite. She's not far from where Kim last seen them. Find her!"

He didn't wait for Adam to answer, but stormed up the stairs to his office. He closed the door and dimmed the glass before dropping in the chair at his desk. His window into Kate's world was already up on his monitor; she still hadn't moved from her earlier position. He covered his face with hands that were shaking and cursed at himself. His hands were shaking, his stomach was clenching and he was sweating profusely. He didn't know if his physical symptoms were an indication that he was in the early stages of withdrawal or a reaction to the terror he felt for Kate and his son. He didn't have time for either.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. I should have the next couple chapters up in the next day or so.