Six Years Later

He peered around in concern as the red-haired FBI agent led him down the hallway. Jack felt strange being back in such a place, hearing the beeps and noises of a room full of computers as well as the familiar technical terms thrown left and right. The FBI office was oozing with stress, so starkly different to the lifestyle he'd had for the past several years. After Michelle's death, Jack distanced himself from practically everybody, instead opting to live a more relaxed lifestyle out in the country. It was mundane, but he had a dog and a job that kept food on the table, so why complain? Kim came down to visit, but she knew something had changed in him and eventually found that she saw him less and less frequently. Chloe had tried to get in touch a few times, but at some point, she too ceased her contact with him. Most likely because, as suspected, the CTU Los Angeles office was disbanded not long after that horrible day. Various agencies had occupied it for brief periods before the building was eventually demolished and abandoned.

Maybe it was lonely and miserable, but Jack reminded himself that isolating himself from his loved ones would keep them safe. In his eyes, it was the only way he could prevent them from danger. It was a stable life, one that kept him sane, one that kept him at ease.

That was until he received an unexpected letter and phone call from the FBI, no, not the Los Angeles office, but the head office in Washington DC. It confused Jack at first. After all, he wasn't exactly in action anymore. What bewildered him more was continuing to receive urgent-sounding letters with every passing day. He checked them for signs of fraud but still hadn't believed it. Finally, two FBI agents showed up at his small ranch, peevishly asking Jack to come with them. So he obliged and now found himself sitting stiffly in a small office, hearing the agent shut the door behind them.

"You're hopefully aware of the vigilante-style murders which have been going on for some time now." She began.

Jack nodded. Even in his isolation, he knew about the plethora of brutal killings that had been going on in recent years. Initially, it had started with criminals on parole, particularly those who had committed atrocious crimes but, through some seedy connection, had earned the right to be free. This didn't make it out to the public at first but had at least stirred the attention of local law enforcement since they could never resolve any of the cases. It got particularly confusing when the incidents spread across state borders. The victims had no connection other than being released early despite being convicted of horrific acts, usually murder, terrorism, or anything that involved hurting people and otherwise being worthy of the death penalty.

Then it extended to the lawyers responsible for pushing parole, random guards and government agents who were later found to have associations with shady dealings or crime organisations. In the last few months, it had ramped up even further. Prisoners were being broken out from high-security facilities, only to have their bodies found, often horrendously slaughtered, several days or even weeks later. It had the FBI and other government agencies scratching their heads, wondering who could be so vengeful. The killer seemed so brutal, yet at the same time, so skilled and intentional in their actions.

But what did any of that have to do with him?

"I haven't exactly been active, Agent Walker. I'm not sure why I'm here."

She looked back at him with a stern expression. "We've recently obtained a lead. A lead that indicates one of the people behind these killings is someone you know."

Opening the laptop in front of her, she clicked away for a few seconds before turning the screen to show a freeze-frame from what he presumed was security footage. As the picture loaded, he furrowed his brow. It showed a scowling woman who struggled to shove a restrained prisoner with a bag over their head into the back of a van. It appeared that her balaclava had been pulled off her face, revealing short, curly hair. One side of her head was shaved. Dark makeup surrounded her almond-shaped, brown eyes. At the base of her neck, Jack could see the outlines of a tattoo.

His head swung from side to side slowly.

"This isn't possible. Michelle Dessler's dead."

"Apparently not."

He glanced up. "I was there when she died."

"Reports stated that the EMTs pushed you out of the room. And that she was cremated days later. Or so you were lead to believe."

Jack's cheek twitched. "You're trying to tell me that not only Michelle Dessler is alive, but that she's some kind of mass murderer?"

"Her husband was killed one month into a prison sentence he didn't deserve. And the people who killed him were barely punished, one of them even getting parole. Could you blame her for being mad at the system?"

He scoffed. "So you think this is about revenge for Tony? She's not like that."

The agent shrugged. "Maybe at the start. But you see how far it's gone now. She doesn't believe prison is enough of a punishment for anyone. She sees bad people getting away with living while her husband is still dead, so she wants them dead too. Prisoners aren't even making it to their execution date without her killing them first."

"You don't know that they're all connected. You can't just-"

"Then you can ask her yourself." She grabbed a piece of paper from her desk and passed it to him. "We have reason to believe she's still here in DC. Dean Gardiner, a serial rapist in one of the local federal prisons, is set to be released on parole today. If our profiling is correct, Michelle will be there to make sure he doesn't get too much fresh air when he walks out of those gates."

He still wasn't convinced. The shock of it all was too much for him. No matter what she told him, he was incapable of refuting her claims, instead continuously finding himself drawn back to the image on the screen.

"Tony was killed only a few years after she single-handedly witnessed the government nearly start a world war over a falsified recording. Is it really so hard to believe she has no faith in the government? Maybe she stayed at CTU for the right reasons, so she could try to change things. But I know she would have seen dozens of immunity deals signed, dozens of people get away with the things they've done." Agent Walker folded her arms. "I know it's not easy for you to hear. I'm sure as her friend you want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the fact is, Mr Bauer, that Michelle is alive, she's angry, and she's taken matters into her own hands."

Jack sighed. "So what's the plan?"

She changed the computer screen to display traffic cam footage near a small house. "We let the guy go home, stake out his place, and hope she shows up."

"Fine."