Three months after Day Three
Two and a half months later
Courthouse, Los Angeles
Tony was full of nerves as the judge spoke. As they had expected, the court had found him guilty of treason and now he was waiting to find out his fate. It wasn't the loss of freedom that concerned him. He was instead terrified of being apart from Michelle. They would hold on and stay strong for each other, but it was easy enough to think that now. What if his sentence was for years behind bars? Could they then hold on and stay strong, to reunite once the long stint in prison was over?
Finally, the moment came and he could only stare at the judge and hope for leniency. As the judge sentenced him to seven months in federal prison, he felt bittersweet. It was nothing compared to the years he could have gotten, but it still felt like an eternity.
As guards escorted him out of the courtroom, he looked around for Michelle, and their eyes met. Smiling at each other for as long as they could, both knew they were trying not to break down. It would be a long seven months.
Myers' apartment, Munich, Germany
Alex and Nina Schwartz were Americans born to German parents who had come to live in Munich for a while. Of course, this was all a well-crafted facade, but they were still being as cautious as they needed to be. Jürgen's arrest soon after the meeting had not helped matters. He had died in his cell that night, with the official cause of death being suicide. Nina knew the truth, though, a phone call early that morning confirmed it. Whilst she did feel sorry for a trustworthy contact, it was the nature of their business.
Alex slammed the door shut as he rushed inside the apartment, and Nina looked at him with curiosity.
"He's still hanging around," he spoke. The mysterious man he was referring to had been lurking around the area for some time. Now he was being seen in the apartment block itself, and it was clear that he had some interest in the siblings. They had overheard a phone conversation he had been having a few days before and learnt a couple of things. First, that he was American. Second, that he had mentioned their real surname at least three times during the call.
"We should move on, it's not safe here," Nina replied. Picking up her phone and dialling a number, she was already forming a plan in her head.
"This is Nina, we need transport today," she spoke into the phone as she paced around. Alex stood near the door with a gun drawn. They doubted the mystery man would try and break in but they weren't willing to take any chances. As Nina ended the call, she approached Alex.
"I've arranged transport to Chicago."
"Chicago? Are you sure?" Alex asked. He had to assume she knew what she was doing, but it seemed reckless to go back to the States so soon. Not that he had much choice in the matter, he was a fugitive and staying with her gave him security. Take that away and chances were he would be dead or captured within weeks.
"They'll assume we're avoiding the US," Nina replied before she looked at the door. "Where was he when you last saw him?"
"To our left, near the main entrance," Alex replied.
Nina cocked her gun, before opening the door with care. Poking her head out, she looked around and found the corridor now empty.
"We need everything in the car, then we drive south to my contact," she spoke as she grabbed a bag. Soon enough, they were busy preparing to get out of there quick.
Jack's car, Los Angeles
It had taken a lot of strength for her not to break down as she had left the courthouse. As soon as she had sat down in Jack's car, her strength faltered and she began to sob. Jack took hold of her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm sorry, it's all been so hard," she said after a few minutes. She took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes.
"No need to be sorry, you've been so strong," Jack replied.
"You might not be saying that in a few months," she smiled slightly before it fled her face once more.
"You remember the day George died? He told me something on that plane, that I should forgive myself. I wasn't to blame for my wife's death and you aren't to blame for Tony's actions either. Forgive yourself, Michelle," he spoke. He wondered if he himself had taken that advice. The guilt he felt was still there, and Nina's latest escape wasn't helping. Telling himself that it wasn't the time to think about her, he returned his attention to Michelle.
"I know, I just wish he never had to spend a day in prison for what he did," Michelle replied. Even seven months seemed too harsh a sentence for what was an act of love.
As they set off, Jack's mind wandered to what was going to happen next for him. Once he had dropped Michelle off at her friend's apartment, he had a meeting to go to. A meeting that he was sure would only end one way.
CTU Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Chase was sat in the Director's office, waiting for her to come in so that he could finally announce his decision. He had spent hours contemplating it, deciding if he would be okay with a desk job or not. He concluded that if he could no longer be a field agent, he had no desire to stay at CTU. Despite this, he was sad to leave the agency. He had loved his job even with the injuries he had suffered doing it. Plus, he had met Kim here. Their relationship was still young, but it was growing stronger.
"Hello Chase, I'm Erin O'Driscoll," Erin spoke as she entered the room before sitting down. She smiled at him with sympathy, having heard all about the events of that day. One of her tasks as the new Director was to clean up the mess left in the wake. It was going to take her some time to do that.
"Director, I've made my decision and I'm going to resign. I can't be stuck behind a desk," Chase told her, feeling relieved that he had finally been able to do so. He had no intentions of regretting this decision at all. Erin nodded, not at all surprised by this news. She had known many field agents who had ended up behind a desk due to injury. Very few were able to adapt to it.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I wish you good luck," she replied.
Moments later, he was heading down the stairs back into the bullpen when he saw Jack approaching.
"She wants to see you too?"
"Yeah, can't say I'm looking forward to it," Jack replied. He had been reluctant to come back here so soon.
"Take a seat, Jack," Erin spoke as he entered the room.
"I have a pretty good idea why I'm here, Erin, so let's cut to the chase", Jack said, his voice raspier than usual. Erin studied a document on her desk before replying.
"As you're aware, I have to decide on your future with CTU and I've made it. I'm sorry, Jack, but I have to fire you," Erin replied with sympathy. Jack was hardly surprised at the news, but he felt there was no point sticking around. He nodded before standing up and turning to leave.
"If you need any help finding a new job, CTU will assist you in any way we can," she told him. He scowled and turned around to face her.
"I can find my own damn job!" He replied before leaving the room, unwilling to deal any further with the agency. Erin watched him as he walked into the bullpen and out of view. She hoped that he could get his life back on track.
Alex and Nina's car, Munich, Germany
With everything in the car, they had set off on their way out of both Munich and Germany. Alex drove whilst Nina kept a lookout for any signs they were being followed. He could tell that something else was on her mind other than the mysterious man. Deciding not to ask, he took a glance in the mirror. None of the cars behind them stood out to him.
Nina was running the plan through her mind over and over again, making sure that there were no obstacles. They would go to a private airfield, make a quick stop in France and then on to the United States. The quick stop was to pick up new identities, not as good quality as Martina made but good enough. She glanced over at Alex and wondered if he was feeling any anxiety about returning to the US. Yes, the government wouldn't think they had come back, but that wasn't the only reason. Victor had been in touch with her, and he had asked her to do something for him. It was a simple coincidence that it involved someone in Chicago.
"Looks like we lost him," she spoke. Her experience of tails told her that the mysterious man had never gone after them. Still, they had to be careful with someone they knew to be a danger. If it had been a quieter place she might have considered shooting him before they left.
"This is our exit," she continued. Soon enough they would be out of Germany. She hoped that they would one day return. They would have to leave that until she was sure the dust had settled from the escape.
CTU Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Jack was deep in thought as he sat in his car. He had no idea what to do next, now that he was no longer a CTU employee. One of the biggest reasons he had even gone back was to keep an eye on the whereabouts of Nina, and now he was out of the loop. Of course, he had friends who would be more than happy to give him updates on the Myers siblings. Starting the engine before setting off, he wasn't sure if leaving CTU was good for him or not. That was a thought that worried him.
