A couple of hours after he'd spoken to Bill they were on the move again. Jack was determined to find the men behind the conspiracy and realised they could only do it if they kept CTU out of the loop. Jack's motives were partly driven by the need to protect himself and those he cared about. He was confident they had stopped the immediate threats but knew that unless he found those behind the conspiracy, found proof that he was not working against his own country, he would never really be free.
He suspected that the men behind Logan were an international conglomerate of wealthy and powerful business types; owners of international security firms with a vested interest in creating a culture of fear and dread for the American people. Jack had found out from a number of sources that the terrorist attacks both today and 18 months ago had been engineered by these men with the help of the Chinese. The plan had been in place for the Chinese to torture Jack for information on US security, when this had failed they then planned to use him to carry out some of the terrorist activities. The ultimate purpose being to increase the need for enhanced security systems across the globe; security systems that had been designed in the US and in China.
Jack and Chloe were headed for the offices of SCA, the largest security corporation in the US. Jack had a plan to smuggle Chloe in to hack into their server and identify members of their senior team who'd had recent dealings in China.
"So, how're we going to get in without being seen Jack?"
"There's a secure underground facility where you'll be able to access what you need. It'll be difficult without satellite coverage but you're here and there's no-one else at CTU I can trust to help us. We're lucky it's the middle of the night; there will only be security guards on duty."
"Yeah, right Jack. We're breaking into one of the worlds largest security firms in the middle of the night and you think our only problem is going to be a couple of guards?" Chloe rolled her eyes as if to say she thought he was crazy; actually Chloe knew he was pretty crazy but that didn't stop her believing in him.
"We don't have a choice Chloe" he said in frustration.
They pulled up two blocks from the building, deciding to enter through a back route that would take them directly into the room where they needed to be. Jack had a decoder that could disarm their security system for up to two minutes. Jack armed himself with a gun, passing Chloe a taser and a second weapon should she need it.
"Chloe, try not to get too trigger happy. We want minimum casualties; unless you feel your life is in immediate danger, just use the taser. Remember though that I have your back and I will do everything to make sure that nothing happens to you".
"I know Jack" she said, feeling comforted that she was going into this situation with him.
They approached the point of entry, Jack going first, with Chloe closely behind; so close that she could feel the heat from his body warming her against the chill of the night. Suddenly Jack put out his right arm to usher her against the wall behind him, just then Chloe noticed two security officers patrolling the area. Jack told her to wait while he crept up behind the guards, knocking one out with the base of his gun before grabbing the other in a strangle hold. He lowered the man to the ground as he lost consciousness then ushered Chloe to join him.
They grabbed the security card from one of the guards to open the door, once inside Jack used the decoder to disarm the security system. Chloe got to work, smiling to herself at the irony of how easy it was to get into their system. Within a minute and a half she had retrieved the information they needed, printed it off and got out of the room. They left through the door they'd come in by and headed back towards the car.
Just as they were leaving the grounds of SCA Jack spotted an LAPD patrol car pulled up opposite the back entrance to the building. He motioned for Chloe to stay close as they backtracked away from their escape route.
"We're going to have to climb the wall Chloe" he whispered.
"I don't climb walls Jack, you have to remember this is me – I have never been good at that sort of thing" she said, suddenly feeling nervous and a little trapped.
"Don't worry, I'll help you" he said, urging her to put her foot in his clasped hands so he could help her to the top of the wall. Chloe sighed and was surprised at how easy it was with his help. Jack quickly jumped down the other side of the wall, landing gracefully then reached up to help her down. It was all going so well until the taser fell out of Chloe's pocket, falling to the ground with a loud clatter.
"Dammit" said Jack, noticing the movement of the patrol officer as an indication that he'd heard it and sensed that someone was there. The officer left the spot where he was leaning against his vehicle and, hand on weapon started to move towards them. Jack was sure he couldn't yet see them as they were standing in a shadow where a street light was deflected by a large tree. Quickly Jack kicked the taser out of sight and, looking at Chloe urgently said "sorry Chloe but we need to distract him."
"How?..." her words were cut short suddenly by the contact of his lips on hers. Chloe stood rigid in shock, unable to believe that this was happening. Just then Jack deepened the kiss, using his tongue to elicit a response so that their kiss appeared genuine to the approaching officer. Chloe felt a warmth radiating up her spine, a sensation that prompted the response Jack was looking for. She held onto his shoulders as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her closer to that their bodies were joined at every angle. Logical thought out of the window, Chloe kissed him back and, although convinced she was mistaken thought she heard him groan in response.
Just then, the voice of the officer interrupted them.
"Sir, madam. May I ask what you are doing?"
"Well, I would have thought that obvious" said Jack, pulling away from Chloe but still with his arms around her and shielding her face from the officer – he knew her bruises were likely to cause further questions they didn't have time to deal with. Chloe was glad he'd kept his arms around her, she wasn't sure she would still be standing if he let go of her completely.
The officer looked at them both, noting their breathlessness and close contact. "Well, might I suggest you take it somewhere more appropriate sir?" the officer said, attempting to sound disapproving while actually being amused by the antics of this obviously enamoured couple.
"Sure" Jack said, "On our way now." With that, he took hold of Chloe's hand and pulling her with him moved in the general direction of the car. Jack drove off straight away, wanting to get away from the immediate area before the officer could realise the connection between them and the break in.
Eventually they pulled up next to a park in a residential area of the city. Chloe took out the document that she'd printed and told Jack the name of the man they had identified as being a primary contact for the Chinese. Chloe searched the name Carl Gardner on the laptop and identified that he'd been involved as a major sponsor for Logan's administration.
"What are we going to do now?" Chloe asked.
"We're going to go and talk to Mr Gardner. But first we need to get a recording device. I want names and I want answers Chloe and when I get them I want them recorded."
"I can call Morris; he's probably our best bet."
"I'm not sure it's safe to contact him Chloe, particularly as he helped us last time. If I were Bill I'd be having him watched, I'd be tapping his phone lines."
"That's why he's got a scrambled cell. After what happened with Logan, then you, he wanted me to be able to reach him if I was in trouble without fear of being caught" she said picking up Jack's cell phone from the dash.
Chloe arranged to meet Morris a couple of miles from his home, he was aware there was a chance he was being watched and promised Chloe he would take evasive action and only meet them when he knew he was clear. When they arrived Morris was already there, sitting in his car waiting. As they approached he got out, Chloe walked towards him "hello love, what kind of trouble are you in now?" he asked. As Chloe got closer his expression changed from friendly regard to one of shock at the injuries to her face.
"What the hell has happened to you? Are you ok?" then he noticed Jack getting out of the car and shot him a dark look full of frustration and anger. "Bauer! What have you got her into this time? Don't you ever have a sense of responsibility for her? She tells me you will do anything to secure the interests of this country, but what about her? Look at her!" he said, the emotion at seeing her like that feeding into the anger he already felt towards Jack. Anger that he asked too much of her, that he'd always asked too much of her but more than that; anger that Jack had her emotionally whereas he, once her husband had nothing of her anymore.
"Morris, stop" said Chloe. "If it hadn't been for Jack I'd probably be dead by now".
Jack on the other hand stood there thinking that Morris was right. He'd always relied heavily on Chloe but she was the one person he could turn to, the one person he could trust to help him, to trust him even when she didn't know the full story of what he was doing.
Eventually Morris had calmed down, handed Jack the recording device and left, but not before telling Jack that he would personally find him and kill him if anything happened to Chloe.
