In Mexico Chapter 15 and 16
Chapter 15
The jeep ride was quiet and fast. Jack and Oscar were in one car, Ramon in the other. They passed by the wall breach that had been successfully completed in their absence. Through the hole, Jack could see several of his…no not his anymore…Ramon's men with their hands on their heads. The main gate was opened by two local police. Jack saw their faces when they saw Ramon drive by in the jeep. Fear, plain and simple.
As the jeeps slowed to a stop, he saw Tony. Seeing him, there was no relief at this being over, just anger that he hadn't been allowed to finish. He glared at Tony. Tony stared back, confused by Jack's expression. As they were herded off the jeep, he saw Tony approaching. He dropped his eyes to the ground and shook his head, signaling Tony to stay away.
Maria had seen him first. "Tony, there he is," she had announced. They'd been inside the wall with the majority of CTU's forces for several minutes now without sign of Jack, Ramon, or Hector. Tony had known it was too early to panic, but he had begun to panic never the less. Without those three, this would be a disaster.
Tony wasn't sure which man Maria was seeing. His relief was immense when he turned and saw both Jack and Ramon Salazar…and next to them their friend Oscar. Oscar was looking the other way, Ramon was staring straight ahead, but Jack looked right at him.
Jack looked different. Thinner, tanner, his hair longer and blonder. Well, six months had passed. But somehow the thinness did not look all that good. When he looked at Tony, Tony didn't see his friend. His eyes were cold. Jack was distant and angry even from afar.
When he walked toward him and Jack shook his head, Tony realized immediately he wanted to stay under cover. No one who didn't know Jack would suspect him as an agent. Jack looked as fierce and feral as any of these men.
He walked back to where Maria stood gaping. "Is that Jack?" she asked for confirmation. She'd only seen pictures, having been brought aboard just for this terminal mission. The man in the pictures had not been smiling, but his handsome features and blue eyes had been warm. Warm was the last word she'd use to describe the man in the weathered work shirt, jeans, and heavy boots that had jumped off that jeep.
"I…" she paused, "I pictured him different," she finished vaguely.
"He is," Tony said abruptly and walked away. He didn't want to discuss Jack right now, not with Maria who didn't know him. He suddenly wished that Michelle was here so he could talk with her about this. She'd always had better insights about Jack and what motivated him than he'd ever had. But of course, it was easy to want her here now that the danger had passed. If it had been her in that bar, forced to take Oscar to her bed…well, this mission might not have turned out as well.
He stopped and turned. "Maria, head to the house with some agents. Search it and clear it out. And see if you can find out anything about Hector. Oh, and about Jack…he's staying embedded for now. Warn all our agents not to blow his cover."
"Okay, Tony," was all she said. She had spent enough time with Tony to know when he was stressed out. He was stressed out.
He put the comm unit to his mouth. "Ryan?"
"Yeah," Chapelle answered from his post at the base camp.
"We have Jack and Ramon."
"Alive?"
Tony's blood boiled. Heartless son of a bitch. "Yes, alive." Tony kept the irritation out of his voice. "But no Hector yet. We're searching the house and then we'll try to ask Jack. But he wants to stay under. So I have to be careful."
"Well, when you do get to him, ask him why the hell he didn't call us for two weeks. He'll have to answer for that."
Tony didn't bother responding. Maybe the best thing he could do for Jack was to bring Ryan in here and see these men and this place. Then he could take him to Los Rios and show how everyone lived with the oppression and fear of Ramon Salazar. But maybe even that wouldn't get through to that thick headed asshole. The best he could do would be to run interference for Jack when the debriefing started and questions were asked that couldn't be answered. Tony had a feeling there'd be a lot of those.
He saw Chase coming.
"How did we do?" Tony asked about casualties.
"Three gunshot wounds, none life threatening, and several shrapnel injuries. All in all, very good considering what could have happened."
"What do you mean?"
Chase had seen Jack being led as a prisoner towards the detention area. He had been incredibly relieved to see him but had passed by, knowing it was not the right time to greet his boss.
"Jack must have been very busy yesterday. All their heavy equipment is disabled." Chase pointed at an abandoned launcher visible past the barn. "A few of those mortar rounds would have significantly increased our casualties. The kid must have gotten the warning to him. Good work Tony," Chase congratulated.
In the chaos of the night and morning, Tony had forgotten to wonder about the note he'd given Oscar. He was glad the gamble had noticeably paid off.
They both looked towards the side of the barn where all the prisoners were being gathered. Jack, Ramon, and Oscar were still off to the side with their own small group of guards. Most of the other men had been cuffed and were sitting in small clusters along the long wall of the structure.
"Is he okay?" Chase asked.
Tony knew that Chase had sensed something wrong just as he had.
Tony didn't have a chance to respond before a loud cry sounded into the tense atmosphere of the compound. He watched from thirty meters away as the boy, Oscar, broke free from the guard next to him and sprinted a few meters to where three bodies had been laid out, just to the side of the growing collection of prisoners.
One of the bodies was Oscar's father. As much as the boy resented what he had done, the man was still his father and the last of his family still left to him.
Jack tightened as he felt the Mexican guards stiffen in alert around him, wary even though the boy, in his obvious grief, clearly posed no threat to any of them.
Suddenly Jack realized that all of the men who Jack had sent to defend the nearer breach were among those bodies—including the elder Ordonez. He'd sent Oscar's father to his death. This nightmare was never going to fucking end.
The guards remained at the ready, but at least had the compassion to let the boy grieve a few moments. But only a few moments. To Oscar, though, the time was just not enough. He needed to mourn the loss of his mother, his father, and the life he had left behind when he'd come to the ranch.
And then there was the knowledge that he'd done this. He had given Tony and Maria the information so that they could come here and kill his father. Rage at Tony, the federales, his father, Ramon…at everyone, consumed him. When he felt the hand take his thin arm to drag him away from his father's body, he fought back.
He didn't think how hopeless this fight was. In a rare moment for Oscar, he wasn't thinking at all. He punched and kicked at the first, and then the second man who tried to restrain him. When they backed off, without a second's hesitation, he charged the closer guard.
Jack saw all this happening as if in slow motion. He saw the disaster coming before the participants even began to play their roles. Without waiting, he lunged towards the nearest guard, the one who had already had his gun at the ready, already aiming at Oscar. He heard the shot just before his shoulder impacted the sturdy body. In that instant he knew he had been too late, but he turned for confirmation anyway.
Oscar was still standing; his eyes and mouth wide open in shock and pain. But the red stain spreading across his chest was clearly fatal. For Jack, the world stopped in that moment. The hopeless futility of this one last death paralyzed him as he watched Oscar's long legs buckle beneath him.
The moment stopped only when Jack felt a blow between his shoulder blades and fell hard to the ground. A boot followed to his abdomen. He wished that they had simply shot him too.
Chase and Tony were moving at the same instant as Jack. From thirty meters away, they had no chance of saving Oscar, but of the men around Jack, only they knew that he was an agent.
"No, STOP," Tony screamed as two of the Mexican agents raised their rifles. One poised to strike a blow to Jack's chest with the stock, the other planning a more final blow with a bullet. The agents paused just long enough for Chase and Tony to reach them. Each of the CTU agents restrained one of their Mexican counterparts.
As the moment of crisis passed, both Chase and Tony realized they had just blown Jack's cover. Tony saw the entire collection of Salazar's men, including Ramon himself only several meters away, staring with unabashed amazement at their frantic reaction to a threat to a man who was supposedly just another prisoner.
Tony knew it was too late to backtrack now. Jack was out.
He bent down to the still figure at his feet. Hell, let Jack be angry. In truth, he was relieved for his friend. Enough was enough…and by the appearance of Jack's bruised face, his thin body, and his off the handle behavior, Jack looked like he'd had enough.
"Jack," Tony asked, touching him on the shoulder, "are you okay?" He reached out to help him up.
Jack felt the hand on him but didn't really register the voice. His mind was still on Oscar. And like Oscar in his last moments, his thoughts were crowded by rage. He let the hands guide him to his feet. When he was steady, he was surprised to be looking directly into Tony's concerned face. Tony-who had come down here uninvited. The man who had used Oscar to get to him.
Instantly, wordlessly, Jack's hands grasped roughly onto Tony's shirt. He stepped threateningly into the bigger man. Under Jack's force, Tony stumbled backward until Chase intervened. Chase saw Jack's unfocused fury and moved before the brunt of that fury came down on Tony.
"Jack!" he called, "Jack! Calm down." He grabbed at Jack's shoulder and arm and pushed him back. Under his hands, he felt Jack's hard muscles pause and then slowly relax. But Jack didn't let go of Tony. He didn't relax the murderous look on his face.
Tony stood still and let Chase do the talking, stunned by Jack's rage. He'd seen Jack angry before, but never, nothing like this.
"Jack, it's okay, it's over," Chase said quietly. Chase was scared for Jack. The man in front of him seemed foreign. He was suddenly glad they'd broken his cover. Jack was obviously in too deep.
Jack heard him. But he knew this would never be over. And it wasn't okay. He peered down at his arm, at the little bit of blue ink that was visible below his sleeve. He looked back up at Chase. And he let go of Tony.
For once, Ramon Salazar was not the center of attention on the ranch. All eyes, including Ramon's were focused on the two American agents and Jack. He'd seen them protect Jack. Ramon had heard the younger one call Jack by name. And now he watched as Jack turned away and went to Oscar's body—unmolested and unhindered by any agent, policemen, or guard.
Ramon knew what this meant, but he was too stunned to process it intellectually. Instead, he stood dumbfounded like each and every one of his remaining men and watched Jack slowly close Oscar's eyes and straighten out his tangled, lanky body. Then he picked him up and laid him gently next to his father.
When Jack stood, he was in control again and could do what he had to do. He looked at Chase and Tony to let them know he was okay. He walked resolutely towards the very same guards who minutes before had been holding him prisoner. One still held the plastic ties he had just been about to put around Jack's wrists. Jack took them from his hand and pushed past him.
In two steps, he was standing face to face with Ramon. Both men's faces were neutral as they stood quietly staring at each other. This time, for the first time, it was Jack that broke the silence with an order.
"Turn around, Ramon, you're under arrest."
Jack raised the bindings in front of Ramon's face. Finally Ramon reacted. Ramon smiled. He'd been outwitted and outplayed. And for that, he had to respect Jack. He turned around as ordered. But the smile disappeared when the hard reality of the bindings came to rest tightly around his wrists.
Jack felt Ramon tense as he finished tightening the ties. The sun had just broken over the opposite wall and Jack saw Ramon squint into the glare then lower his head to avoid it. Jack, at that moment, drew very close behind him. He left his hand on Ramon and tugged hard on the tie, causing it to dig painfully into Ramon's wrist. Ramon gasped softly.
"Who's fucked now, Ramon?" Jack asked scornfully into his ear. Jack paused, leaning his weight against Ramon, feeling his own heart pound against the still, warm back.
"You remember earlier, when you told me what you were going to do to me tonight…you know, after this was over? Well it's over. And I'm going to make sure you're in a Federal prison where you'll be treated to that daily." He stood there letting the threat sink in, breathing hard on Ramon's neck, letting him feel helpless and controlled.
"Agent Bauer," a voice called.
Jack didn't answer right away. He held his face close to Ramon's. He smelled sweat and the fading scent of his aftershave, amazed and dismayed at how familiar it all was.
This was the end of the mission in Mexico. He was glad. He didn't want to feel familiarity to this animal.
Jack took a step back, putting distance between himself and Ramon. "Yeah?" he finally answered the waiting junior agent, looking his way, but keeping his hand in contact with his prisoner.
"The transport is here-if you're ready, sir."
He was ready.
"Agent Bauer." Ramon said flatly as Jack came around to his side and took him roughly by the arm to lead him to the waiting armored truck. "Agent Jack Bauer, sir" he repeated, testing the name on his tongue, teasing the 'sir'. "So that's your name."
Jack said nothing. He'd been wondering how long Ramon would keep his mouth shut, how long the revelation would stun him into silence. It had already been longer than he'd predicted. Now Ramon would return to the offensive, pretending this was no more than a glancing blow.
Ramon turned to look at him as they reached the back doors of the transport. "You know that changes nothing. What you did here…for me…to yourself. What I did to you. That all happened; it's not going away."
Jack knew. "Shut the fuck up and get in the truck," he said simply in reply. The words felt good coming out—saying something to Ramon that before would have gotten him killed. But the words were just window dressing. Ramon, as usual, had struck to the core. The anger and despair that he was barely holding in check was not going away.
Two fully armed CTU agents acknowledged Jack and climbed into the truck after Ramon. From inside the dim interior, Ramon caught Jack's eye one last time. Their last silent battle of wills in Mexico ended as the truck doors slammed shut between them. But Jack had the satisfaction of seeing, through the last few inches before the door shut all the way, Ramon's face fall and his shoulders slump in defeat.
Jack released his breath and looked down at his dusty boots, then up at the still rising sun.
"Jack," Tony called behind him.
"Tony," he said. Then "Chase," as the younger agent approached too. Chase handed Jack his badge.
Jack looked at his picture and the gold star like he'd never seen them before, the silver chain spilling over his hand. "Thanks," he said softly, intending the small note of gratitude for more than being given his badge. As way of apology for attacking Tony, he offered a small smile and then his hand.
Tony shook his hand. His smile was wider and more heart felt than Jack's. "Glad you're back and okay."
"Yeah," Jack said, already distracted, seeing the compact group of 'his' men sitting under guard beyond Tony's shoulder. Some eyes were on him. Others quickly averted theirs when Jack looked their way. Some would not look.
Tony turned and saw what Jack saw. Jack's discomfort was palpable. Tony thought he was going to say something. But instead, he looked down at his feet and toed at the dirt under his boot. He glanced at the rag tag group of men once more. This time not a one would meet his eyes. He walked away without another word to his colleagues.
Both Chase and Tony saw all those dark eyes look up after Jack turned away and follow his progress towards the main house. A few looked confused, but most seemed filled with hate.
"I can't imagine…" Chase began and stopped. It wasn't his place.
"What?" Tony asked, trying to understand about Jack and this place…and what it was going to take to get Jack really back.
"What he must feel…betraying these men."
"What?" Tony repeated. "These men? They're Ramon's muscle…thugs and drug runners."
Chase shook his head. Tony wasn't the military type like him and Jack.
"You may not agree with their cause, Tony…and neither do I. But they are soldiers. Jack's men. He's been with them for six months. From what you told me about Oscar…" He paused remembering the boy's death. "He told you how much the men respected Jack. How well he had trained them."
"Today, he turned on all of them in the middle of a battle." Chase continued. "I know Jack…I've heard how he was in Special Ops. This has got to hurt…and hurt bad."
Tony had caught up. "Honor even among thieves," he whispered.
"For damn sure, if Jack had anything to do with it," Chase confirmed.
Both men stood there silently for a second. "I've got to go check on the men and clean up. Then start the inventory of the weaponry," Chase finally said.
"Yeah. And I have to find out where Hector is." Tony said. That wasn't a small detail. He'd give Jack a few minutes for whatever he was doing in the house, then ask. In the meantime, he would call Ryan and bring him up to speed with the events of the last fifteen minutes, knowing he would catch grief about not having grilled Jack about Hector yet.
Chapter 16
Maria and Claudia had established an uneasy truce. Agent Lopez had allowed her to continue to care for the handful of wounded men until they had a chance to evacuate them to medical care. But Lopez had demanded that all those without arm injuries be cuffed.
Lopez had concluded that Claudia posed no physical threat, despite the fact that she was bristling with indignation at the invasion of her home. Maria saw that despite the brave front, the woman was nervous and upset. She couldn't blame her.
"Agent Lopez," one of the uniformed agents reported to her, "the house is clear and secured."
"Thank you," Maria replied. "Tell Agent Ameida that the tech team can come in now. Leave me two men to guard the injured."
"Yes, maam."
The injured were stable, their wounds dressed. The woman, Claudia, had settled uneasily into a chair at the far end of the massive dinning room table. Next to her sat her young brother, his small sturdy body leaning into her for protection and comfort. Maria couldn't imagine a child on this ranch. She felt for the boy.
"Jack," Claudia exclaimed, pushing the boy off her chest and standing.
Maria had not seen him enter. Closer now, she could see the man in the picture in the tanned and hardened face. She saw Jack pull his eyes from the woman as he seemed to only now notice Maria. She was confused. Wasn't he under cover? But in his hand, she saw he held a CTU badge. That plan must not have worked out.
Jack's eyes bounced from woman to woman.
"Jack, " Claudia repeated. "What is happening? What happened outside?" She took several steps towards him. "Ramon and my father…where are they?"
Jack fidgeted nervously. Maria watched with interest, the warning about not exposing Jack's cover reverberating in her head. She knew he was out…but this woman did not. Maria saw a cloud of confusion cross Claudia's features as she realized all the other men were under arrest and under guard. But not Jack.
"Jack?" she said a third time, alternately scanning the faces of the two Americans.
"Agent Lopez," Jack said quietly.
They had never officially met. Should she nod? Should she say his name? Should she give him a report? "Yes?" She went simple.
"I need a moment with Claudia." Without waiting for Maria's permission, he reached for the woman's small arm.
Claudia had gone pale as reality had set in. She pulled away from Jack, stunned into silence. She looked down and saw the badge only partially concealed in his hand.
"No, Jack. That's not possible," she exclaimed, backing away from him.
"What's wrong, Claudia?" her brother asked innocently. He only saw his sister was upset. He stood and went towards Jack.
"Jack, where's Ramon and my father?" Jack had always been nice to him and Claudia.
"Get away from him, Sergio," Claudia demanded, pushing the perplexed boy gently back towards the chair.
"Claudia, please…in private." Jack pleaded
Claudia didn't look at him. "Sergio, stay here with the agent. I'll be right back."
"No, Claudia, I don't want to. I want to find Papa."
"Sergio!" Claudia shouted.
Jack intervened. "It'll just be a minute Sergio, I promise."
Sergio looked up at Jack. "Okay, but then will you take me to Papa?"
"Yes, Sergio," he agreed, addressing the boy without his eyes ever leaving Claudia's, "then we'll go find your father.
Maria had been trying to make herself small, disappear if possible. But at least the drama had pulled all their attention onto each other and they had forgotten her. She watched Bauer lead Claudia towards the back of the house. Sergio eyed her, the foreign woman, suspiciously as he sat back down in the oversized dining room chair.
She released the breath she'd been holding. This was a mission, for her, a very brief one. But the reality of being undercover for six months crashed down on her. It just wasn't about the good guys catching the bad guys. It was how you lived for months at a time. Jack had formed relationships. That this was bound to happen had never crossed her mind.
She granted Bauer his privacy and didn't stop to consider exactly what this relationship was. Claudia was a beautiful woman.
Tears already stained Claudia's face when Jack closed the bedroom door behind them.
"Let me see it," she said.
Jack was confused.
"The badge Jack—I want to believe this…let me see it."
Jack looked down at the badge in his hand. Claudia moved quickly and took it from him. Jack wasn't about to wrestle with her.
The tears flowed more freely as she studied his face and name on the small rectangular laminate. Jack's heart was breaking. His hand rose towards her face. He took a chance and did not stop it from finding her cheek. His thumb wiped gently at a falling tear.
"Jack Bauer. Special Agent. Counter Terrorist Unit," Claudia read aloud.
"All this time and I didn't even know your real name." She dropped the badge but didn't watch it land at his feet.
Her eyes were profoundly sad. Jack wanted to hug her and assure her that it would all be okay. But it was Claudia who would decide that. She was the one who had been lied to.
She pushed his hand roughly away from her face and turned from him. Jack said nothing as she walked to the window and looked out at the chaos in the courtyard.
"I wanted to tell you," he began after a few moments. "But I couldn't. You knowing…it would have been dangerous for you. I couldn't put you in that position."
"You couldn't trust me?" she accused despite knowing he was right about the danger knowing would have put her in.
"If I could trust anyone, it was you. But…" Jack stopped trying to explain. He was in enough constant danger, added worry that she would turn or slip was a risk he was never willing to take. Even though he had longed each night they were together to be himself with her—to feel a little less foreign at least for those short times.
"I should have known." She thought about how gentle he'd been, how he'd always cared what she wanted. He'd never hit her. "You were never like the others. I just wanted that. I never stopped to consider why."
"Claudia," Jack approached her from behind and put his hands on her hips, urging her to turn to him. He was crestfallen when he felt her stiffen.
"Get away from me, Jack."
"Claudia, please."
"Out there, in those vans, my father is under arrest. Because of you. Hector will go into hiding. Because of you. How am I going to live?"
She turned to him. There was no understanding for him in her beautiful face. Still, Jack tried. "I said I would get you out. I meant that. You and Sergio can leave with me. Today."
She studied his face. Finally she spoke. "I don't know who you are."
She didn't give Jack a chance to respond before she turned and quickly left the room.
"Where's Jack?" Tony asked as soon as he entered to find Maria guarding a young boy.
"He's in the back talking with someone. He'll be back in a minute," Maria answered vaguely.
"Who?" Tony asked.
Just then, Claudia reappeared alone. Maria saw her trying to wipe away too many tears to cover that she'd been crying. Tony was baffled.
"Claudia, can we go find Papa now?" Sergio jumped to his feet. "Where's Jack?" he added peering around the corner from which she'd come.
"I'll go find him," Tony volunteered.
Tony wandered only a minute around the house before he found him in one of the bedrooms. Jack was sitting on the bed looking out the window. Outside, the chaos was diminishing as each potential surprise or bobby trap was eliminated and nerves, on both sides, settled down.
"Are you…" He stopped himself from asking if Jack was okay. He wasn't. And Tony didn't want to make him say the lie. Jack hadn't turned around and looked at him. The woman had been crying. He didn't want to know if Jack was too.
"I need to know where Hector Salazar is." Tony came to the point.
"He's been off the ranch for a few days." Jack stopped. "Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you have Agent Lopez take the boy to his father? He deserves that. And the father…he's a good man."
"Okay, Jack. And Hector?"
Jack stood and faced Tony. His eyes were dry. But a thin layer of perspiration had formed on his face. And Tony thought he saw a fine tremor in Jack's hands as he dropped the chain attached to his badge around his neck.
"Yeah, come on, I'll show you where he was supposed to be, just outside Buenos Aires. By now, he's heard about the raid from one of the local policemen you had here today. He'll be long gone."
Tony nodded his head. At least they had Ramon.
Jack tried to walk past Claudia without looking. But as much as he knew it would hurt, he couldn't stop himself.
Her eyes went immediately to the badge, which now hung from his neck like every other generic American agent that swarmed and invaded her home. She hadn't softened since she had left the bedroom.
With the advantage of time, Jack thought he could sway her. But, once again, he didn't have that advantage. He looked away without saying goodbye. Even if he never saw her again, he hoped she eventually found a way to forgive him.
Jack kept going, out of the dinning room, through the foyer and out onto the porch. Tony followed silently at his heels. He knew he needed to take Tony to Ramon's office. The records, the computer, the chain of evidence…all that was crucial to their case. But right now, all he could think about was Claudia and how badly he wanted a fix.