3:00:00
Chloe sat staring out of the car window. There was an uncomfortable silence as Jack drove on. The thoughts that had been tumultuously rioting in her brain came to a halt and everything blurred together. She felt nothing. She had become completely numb.
Jack glanced worriedly at her as he turned a corner.
"Chloe," he began, "I know this is hard for you, but we need to focus on stopping Emerson."
Chloe sat silent and unresponsive. Her face blank, no trace of emotion could be deciphered.
Jack tried again, hoping to emit some response. "Chloe, this is important. We can't let Emerson get those weapons from Paragon."
She sighed deeply and grumbled, "He's not after the weapons. I'm sure it's something else. Why don't we just go to CTU? I don't care if they arrest me. I didn't do anything wrong."
The car came to a sudden stop, causing Chloe to be jolted back into her seat.
"I'm not going to let them arrest you, Chloe." Jack said, "We have to do this ourselves."
Chloe gave Jack an annoyed look and said, "Why? If CTU already knows he's trying to get into Paragon let them deal with it. I just want to get all of this behind me and pick up the pieces."
"You don't understand." Jack pleaded, "There's a site not far from here that was linked to Emerson. It suggests that he might be using it as a storage point once the weapons are secured from Paragon. Emerson already has you involved. There has to be something specific he wanted you to do."
"Jack, I don't really know what he wanted me to do besides get through the security programming. I don't think he would need me to do that if he was after weapons." Chloe argued.
"Besides, I know him," she continued "He wouldn't know what to do with them once he had them anyways. There must be something else. I mean I was married to the guy, I think I would know."
Jack flinched momentarily at the mention David and Chloe's marriage. He was certain Emerson's objective was to obtain the weapons from Paragon. The evidence was too great to ignore. The storage site had to be investigated.
"Come on, Chloe," Jack said, "We have to switch cars. This one might be bugged with a tracking device."
Chloe exited the car without question and followed Jack down the street to a nearby parking lot. He found a black Monte Carlo and tried the door handle. Finding that it was locked, he picked the door lock quickly and entered. Chloe followed looking around nervously as she entered the vehicle.
"I don't think this is such a good idea." Chloe stammered.
The engine came to life and Jack put the car in drive.
3:32 PM
The Monte Carlo drove down the dirt road at a casual speed and parked at a turn out point far away from the building in question, trees shrouding their car from prying eyes. Large trucks could be seen parked outside of the facility and a few men were working around them.
Jack exited the car and walked to the other side, opening Chloe's door for her to exit as well. After a moment of hesitation she slid out of the passengers side, standing up and crossing her arms in confusion.
"We have to get closer," Jack said while reaching into his bag pulling out a pistol and some spare ammunition, "we have to find proof that Emerson is planning to store the weapons here."
Chloe looked off in the distance at the multiple trucks and large storage building. She was sure that David would not be after weapons of mass destruction but it was unclear why he would have all of this if it wasn't true.
"I can't go with you," Chloe said, "why can't I just wait here for you?"
Jack placed his hand on Chloe's shoulder and explained, "You need to stay close. I don't want to have to worry if you're safe while I'm out there."
Chloe felt more than a little awkward at the mention of Jack protecting her and worrying over her safety. She was acutely aware of his hand on her shoulder and the instant security that gesture alone could provide her. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and nodded, mentally trying to prepare herself for any kind of danger that they might face.
3:46 PM
Jack and Chloe leaned next to a truck parked farthest away from the main building. Now that they were closer, they could see the building was a large storage facility.
Jack motioned Chloe to follow him as he stealthily crept along the side of the truck to the next truck closer to the building, his pistol gripped securely in both hands. They could see a few men unloading some crates for a forklift to retrieve directly next to them. Two guards stood behind the men holding large machine guns.
Chloe gave Jack a panicked look and edged closer to him. After scanning the surroundings he found a route to the building that would keep them unseen. They moved quickly and managed to sneak past the guards and laborers.
They moved quickly along the building heading for the side entrance. Jack halted suddenly and ducked beside a pile of equipment pulling Chloe down with him. He had spotted another guard near the door coming out of the woods.
Jack waited for the guard to get closer. The man was only a few feet away and facing them. As soon as the man turned, Jack rose quietly placing the man's head between his hands and jerked it to the side, snapping the neck in one swift hard motion.
Jack eased the body of the guard down to the ground and dragged it to the side of the building where he and Chloe were hiding. She had seen Jack kill before but it was still shocking.
"Let's go." Jack said to her hurrying to get inside the building.
3:52 PM
The inside of the building was filled with crates of varying sizes and a space was cleared in the middle ready to receive more of whatever was being stored there.
Jack looked around searching for something to open one of the crates. He found a crowbar lying next to an already open, empty crate and wedged it beneath the lid of a concealed one.
Chloe looked around at massive complex, filled with identical boxes. The foundation of her belief that David was not interested in weapons began to grow shaky.
One heave with the crowbar and Jack had managed to open one of the smaller crates. He shoved the lid off and he and Chloe peered inside.
The crate was full of C4.
Every thought Chloe had that David's objective was not based on destruction flew from her mind.
"Oh my God," she said in surprise.
3:56 PM
David sat on a chair next to the ravaged desk. He rubbed his jaw, still throbbing with pain. One of his men appeared in the doorway, promptly and he glanced up. "Sir, we have word that Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brian are at the storage facility."
David sighed heavily and his expression cleared. "Good."
Allhis pain was forgotten.
4:00:00
