Writers Note: These next few chapters are dedicated to a very close friend of mine named Jade. Her support towards the story has been nothing but amazing! Our three am Riley/Lucy "snooping" is irreplaceable. So thank you SpongeJade for always making me pick up my pen and continue with the chapters. I heart you!
Also like to thank Marina for role playing. Nothing can replace our midnight role plays. And Kim to my Renee for amazing suggestions. Thank you Danny for action edits!
Ok I'll shut up now! Enjoy!
Chapter 10 - War
Mood: "I would march across the desert to defeat my enemy, and I would lie here in the trenches with your picture next to me"
"Jack turn left!" Chloe intructed via comm. "The warehouse should be on your right."
"I have a visual" he confirmed. "Listen up!" he called. "Chloe says there are about six moving bodies in there, but there could be more so watch your back!"
"Who's in charge of ops?" Cole asked.
"Agent Burke?" Jack eyed her. "You up for this?"
The young agent stood tall and gave a confident nod. "Yes sir." she agreed
"Ok, assume your position!"
Jack and four other CTU operatives Formed a line and placed their backs against the wall.
Jack signalled the team to stay still while he input the entry code Chloe gave him to the warehouse.
"Chloe it won't open!" he shouted.
"It should Jack, that's the only code there is" Chloe replied puzzled.
"Well, it's not opening" Jack said, irritated.
He tried again while Chloe searched her computer for other possible solutions.
"Wait" she called
"What is it?"
"Describe the lock"
"Black, square box, with pin numbers and digital format" Jack obeyed.
"Feel the bottom. Is there a clip?" Jack rubbed his forefinger along the edge of the lock.
"Yes!" He confirmed
"Pull that back and hold it while typing in the numbers"
Jack did as Chloe instructed and the lock clicked open.
"We're in!" he called.
The TAC team followed tentatively behind Jack, scrutinizing his every move.
"There's a suspect by a white van" he whispered into his comm.
"Cole, do you have a shot?"
He watched as Cole lined his scope with the male. "I have a shot!" he replied.
"Ok, once he takes this shot, the others will come running out so everyone get into position and keep your eyes open." he ordered.
Once Jack got a nod from each operative, he gave his last nod to Cole and cocked his gun.
BANG.
The suspect by the white van fell down on the ground.
Four men with assault rifles and submachine guns came running out at the sound and Jack took another shot, hitting one of the guys in the head.
"Cole, back me up!" he ran to hide behind another crate as Cole shot at the remaining suspects.
"Chloe, have you spotted Tony yet?"
"Not yet Jack." she replied.
"Where's the next room?"
"Down the hall to your left. But Jack, you have to get through the mob first"
"Copy"
Jack snuck behind another crate and aimed his sight at another suspected, shooting him in the head as well.
He ran past another crate and took aim again, missing his next target but Cole had shot him shortly after.
Once Jack was sure the coast was clear, he stood up and ran for the next room, busting down the door, gun held high and screamed "Show yourself!"
He continued to search the room for others but it was empty. He found a laptop on the table.
"Chloe are you getting this?" he asked
"Yes Jack. It looks like some kind of tracking device."
"Dammit!" Jack shouted
"Jack, what is it?"
"They must have been tracking us the whole time! Tony was never in the building when we got here" he suspected.
Jack continued to scan the programs on the laptop when he heard a shuffle from the closet. He instantly upholstered his gun and raised it to the closet door.
"Who's there?" He shouted.
No one answered.
He continued to the closet door and turned the door knob to open it.
He cradled the trigger of his gun and looked around, moving bags and boxes until they revealed a young blond-haired girl, half naked, hiding among the clothes.
Jack lowered his weapon, and raked his short hair with his hands. He studied the child. She couldn't be much younger than Lucy. Fourteen at the oldest. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, her bloodshot eyes piercing right through Jack.
"Jack do you copy?" he heard Chloe shouting through the comm.
"We have a problem"
Jack walked out of the warehouse and headed towards to the CTU van, where the limp child sat petrified.
He knelt down to speak to her at eye-level. "Hi sweetheart, my name is Jack. Can you tell me your name?"
The girl shook in fright and wrapped the navy blue blanket around her body more tightly. "S-Serena" she whispered.
"Okay Serena, I promise I'm not going to hurt you, I'm here to protect you. Can you tell me anything about the man that did this to you?"
Jack saw how damaged the girl looked and was heartbroken when the memories of Lucy and Renee flooded back to him.
He waiting patiently until the girl was ready to explain.
"H-he was tall. Umm, the lights were off so I couldn't see him very well." she cried. "I think he had brown hair, I'm not sure though."
The girl sank into her hands and sobbed. "I'm sorry"
The girl was apologizing for the pain she was in. Just like Lucy.
Just like Renee.
"Hey...don't be sorry...what happened...it's not your fault...Is there anything else you can tell me about your...attacker?"
The girl tried to think of anything else she could say to help. "One of the guys who threw me in the closet had a weird tattoo"
"Did you happen to get a good look at the tattoo? I know this is hard, but any bit of information you can give me will go a long way"
"I uh..." the girl closed her eyes and tried to picture the markings."Some had snakes, some were weird shapes... a mixture of things. That's all I remember"
"Weird? Weird how?"
"I don't know!" she yelled in frustration. Jack looked at the poor girl.
I really wish Renee was here right now...she would know exactly what to say. Jack thought to himself.
It had been a long time since he had to connect with a victim, and he felt a little rusty.
"Serena...I know this is hard. I also know that you don't want to think about what happened, and put this all behind you...but we need your help to catch this man. If we can't..." Jack looked off into the distance and thought of Lucy. How scared and fragile she was after what Charles had done to her. "I just want to help you...I'll give you some time to think."
Jack moved away from the girl to give her some space to put her thoughts in order, and called Chloe.
Back at CTU Chloe was debriefing the group when she heard Jack over the comm.
"Excuse me"
Chloe stepped out and turned her comm on.
"What is it Jack?"
"Chloe, I've got a girl here. Looks like she's been sexually assaulted. She looks to be the same age as Lucy...as a matter of fact...she looks a lot like Lucy..."
Suddenly a light went on in Jacks head. He prayed to God that he was wrong.
"Did Charles have...any tattoos that distinguished him?"
"Not that I know of Jack. What kind of tattoos?"
"She said they looked like snakes...and they had some sort of weird shapes mixed in. I can't get much out of her due to the shock. Chloe...this girl looks almost identical to Lucy...I may be over thinking, but what if this is supposed to be a warning for me?"
"Jack, did you say snakes?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing. Just when you said snakes... didn't the Red Square markings involve snakes?"
"It's possible...but what would Red Square have to do with any of this?"
Red Square was diminished, wasn't it?
"I don't know Jack. But if Tony's working with them, it's for serious reasons."
Jack paused, trying to put the pieces together. Nothing added up to Red Square having any motive to do anything like this. And Tony? He had no affiliation with them when he was working with Wilson. Hell, Wilson has nothing to do with them at all...nothing seemed to add up as to why they would be working together.
"Do you think they regrouped?" he asked.
"It's possible..." She paused. "Jack, if that's the case, is there anything that Red Square would want from Renee?"
Jack's heart raced at the mention of Renee. "What...what do you mean? You think... you think they would try to come after her? To...hurt her?
Chloe paced and tried to think of a way to piece the puzzle together.
"Jack, I honestly don't know."
He knew there was only one thing left to do.
"Agent Burke!" he called.
The young CTU operative ran over to receive orders.
Jack took her behind the car and checked to make sure no one was listening.
"I need you to go LA and watch over my family." he said, keeping his voice low.
The request caught Agent Burke off guard. "Why me?"
"Because, you're around the same age as my niece. And I need someone around her she can trust. Sending any other agent here would freak her out." he explained.
The young agent pondered the request and raked her fingers through her long brown hair.
"Alright," she agreed.
"Jack, what's going on?" Chloe asked.
Jack sighed. "Chloe, get Renee on the phone."