A/N: Thank you Jaudreylover24 for the review of the last chapter! Nobody ever stays dead in 24 :D

They had watched Gardiner's house for several hours by now. Other agents were parked further back, ready to apprehend any suspects if necessary. The lights were only on in one room. During this time, Jack had learned how thoroughly the FBI agent had been investigating the cases and could see the resolution in her expression. Agent Walker's intuition was telling her that Michelle would be here, and it was clear she wouldn't let anybody stop her.

Meanwhile, Jack had been blindsided reading through the information regarding these murders. If one could even call them that. They were more like executions. The victims had clearly shown signs of struggle and injury long before the final blow was delivered. He'd sat in the car trying to think of a logical explanation. Michelle wasn't the kind of person to be selfish and do things for personal gain only. This hadn't been on the spur of the moment. She had carefully planned these killings, researched her victims intently, and assessed every situation. There'd been no unrelated casualties, no innocent bystanders being hurt. This was Jack's biggest sign that it was truly Michelle doing these things because she had made an explicit effort not to allow civilians to come to harm in the process. He also found himself thinking about how it would have been if the roles were reversed. Perhaps if Michelle had died by Saunders' hand and Tony was getting his revenge.

"Look." Renee said suddenly.

An unmarked van pulled up not too far from where they were. They watched as a figure stepped out, moving towards the back of the house quietly and swiftly. At the moment, their identity was unclear, but they would soon know. There was no smashing of glass or commotion, no obvious indication that they were breaking in. However, the lights didn't come on in any other room. This was unlikely to be a simple visitor or occupant of the house. They were sure that this criminal lived alone and had no immediate family. When Jack and Renee noticed shadows and movement in the room where the criminal was, they quickly got out of the car. Renee was already giving orders to have the other teams trail them. The back door was unlocked, likely picked open, and the alarm had been discreetly disabled.

Jack moved upstairs towards the lit room as fast as he could while Renee and a few other agents swept the lower level. He quietly stepped across the hallway floorboards, trying to hear what was happening. There was a single voice. It was female and painfully familiar.

"You think nobody knows that you bribed the DA, huh?"

He heard a wince, slightly muffled by the door.

"Well, I do. The rest of the world might think that you're innocent, but I'm going to make you pay."

The same person who had winced before let out a louder cry of pain.

There was no doubt about the identity of the first voice now, and Jack couldn't bear to let his mind make up stories anymore. He had to know the truth. When he opened the door, he found Gardiner gagged and bound to a chair. Deep cuts across his chest caused blood to drip onto his shirt and the floor. He reacted to Jack's entrance, causing Michelle to whip her head around to face him. If she was surprised, she didn't show it. But seeing her face-to-face stopped him from maintaining his own collected facade.

"Michelle…"

She turned back to the prisoner. "Looks like it's your lucky day." Michelle pulled out a gun and shot the man in the chest before running to the window, frantically trying to open it.

Jack ran to grab her from behind, and he could immediately tell how much stronger she was. She was so different to the broken-down, exhausted version of her he had known so many years ago. The gun fell from her grip. Michelle shoved her body weight against him, elbowing his stomach sharply. At the sound of Jack's groan, the scattered footsteps on the lower level suddenly grew louder and made a racket as they climbed the stairs. Michelle faced Jack now. Her fist was already on a collision course towards his face. He pushed it aside, grunting as she kneed him in the stomach. They had never fought each other, save for a few training drills when she'd started at CTU. But right now, Jack could tell her movements were calculated. She wasn't holding back. There was no hesitation. No uncertainty. She knew what she wanted.

Every moment of eye contact formed a silent communication between them. Jack tried to predict her next move and whether there was some kind of play here. Maybe he'd only witnessed one act, but he knew that every other murder in that file was unmistakably Michelle's doing. Which meant Jack had nothing to base his judgement on. He didn't know what to expect anymore. And Agent Walker's words suddenly made more sense. The speculations and theories around her motivation for killing these people no longer sounded farfetched. It made him angry. He felt betrayed. He felt lied to. He felt responsible and that he should have been there for her more. He told himself that he should have fought harder to prevent Tony from going to prison in the first place, even if his actions had warranted it.

One of the agents must have caught up because, for a split second, Michelle looked like she was caught off-guard. He managed to punch her in the face, but she retaliated quickly, kicking and pushing him back with everything she had. Her nose started to bleed. Jack shoved her against the wall, pinning her by the throat. Renee stood alongside him, pointing a gun at her. She didn't react, instead staring into Jack's eyes. He couldn't see a single shred of the warmth and kindness of the person he once knew. The gaze was stony and harsh, as though the past six years had taken every sense of humanity and faith within her and crushed it.

"What happened to you?" He asked desperately. "Michelle, what the hell happened to you?"

Again, she didn't respond or react in any way. She complied as one of the other agents cuffed her.

They drove back to the FBI and took her straight to an interrogation room. One of the superior agents, Larry Moss, tried to talk to her. He called her a murderer, called her delusional, called her a revenge-seeker, among other things. She didn't speak. She didn't even wipe the blood which had dried around her nose and mouth. When talking didn't seem to do anything, he tried showing her photos of the bodies, her victims, to see if that provoked her. There was no pride, no guilt, no anger, nothing. The killings seemed detached from her, as though to her, each one was simply a task, another person on the list to cross off so they couldn't cause or create destruction in this world anymore.

Jack and Agent Walker watched intently from the vestibule as Agent Moss' frustration only seemed to grow. They had part of the picture, but there were still unanswered questions. Was she being paid in any way like an assassin? Was she choosing these victims herself? How was she evading security cameras and cleaning up the evidence so effectively? How was she able to move around so quickly? She couldn't be working alone, but who could be helping her? Who could possibly have the same mindset as her? Who could care so much to help Michelle do this with such a risk of being caught?

Agent Moss sighed as he stormed back in.

"Nothing. Nothing. She's a psychopath."

Jack looked over at her again, trying so hopelessly to read her and understand what was truly going through her head.

"Let me try. I'm the one that knows her the best. I might be the only one who can get her to talk."