There was another crisis going on at CTU Los Angeles. After Jack Bauer's return from China, he had started to again work for CTU but more as a consultant. He was nowhere ready to go back to field.
He and Bill were currently on the phone with the same man who had abducted Jack, China's former government official, Cheng.
"What do you want this time, Mr Cheng?" Bill tiredly asked him. It had been another 24 hours being at work for both him and Jack and they had just learned who was behind the bombings happing in Los Angeles that day.
"Well, it's simple really. I want the code that exists only inside the mind of 'the CTU patient'."
Jack instantly looked at Bill with confusion. But Bill didn't even look at him which made him even more suspicious.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Bill simply answered Cheng.
"Is Mr Bauer there with you now? Is that why you are denying her existence?"
"What do you want with her, Cheng. She doesn't know anything."
"On the contrary, Mr Buchanan. What is inside that girl's head is very valuable. Okay, let me put it this way, if few bombings won't motivate you enough, then maybe Mr Bauer is more motivated, especially when I tell you that I have his lover, Audray Raines."
Jack instantly stood up from where he was sitting and started making threats.
"Touch one hair on her body and I will-"
"What? What will you do? Not give me what I want? Then you will sentence them both to death. If you don't get the code from her, my men have orders to kill both her and Miss Raines before you can even blink. Now, Jack you have exactly 48 hours to get that code or you sentence them both to an ugly death."
After that the line went dead.
Jack then turned to Bill and pointing at the phone, "Who was he talking about? Who is the mysterious CTU patient?"
"Jack, sit down." Bill reluctantly said, having decided to tell his friend the truth.
"No, I won't sit down." Jack got threateningly close to Bill and continued, "I won't ask again, Bill. Tell me."
When Bill didn't say anything at first, Jack was starting to lose his patience and yelled at his face, "TELL ME, BILL!"
"Chloe, he's talking about Chloe."
At first Jack searched his eyes for any indication that he was lying and then million thoughts ran through his mind as he stepped away from Bill and started pacing.
"What are you talking about?"
"Jack, before the government got you out of there, Audrey, her father and Chloe launched a plan to get you back. Only Chloe went to China with some of our covert operatives."
Jack stopped pacing and looked at Bill like he had just grown to heads.
"Tell me that it's not true, Bill?"
"I wish it was, but even I didn't know about the operation before-"
"Before what?" He raised his voice at Bill again.
"Before they were captured, everyone were killed besides Chloe and based on the information we now have, she was tortured and even raped for months before US government negotiated a deal for the two of you."
Listening that explanation, Jack got so angry, he kicked the first thing in his vicinity which happened to be the chair he had been sitting on before.
"What code does she know? Where is she anyway? Why did Cheng refer to her as the CTU patient."
"Jack, you were both in a very bad shape when you returned, you recovered quicker and the government spared more resources on you while she…"
"She what, Bill? Spit it out?" Jack yelled yet again.
"She's in a mental institution, Jack. She's not well."
"What?" Jack looked at Bill in disbelief. That was the last thing he expected.
"Yeah, the doctors say she is suffering from severe case of PTSD and has clinical depression. Is very closed off and paranoid."
"And the code she is suppose to know?"
"We don't know much about how she got it, but it's basically a code for accessing all of China's nuclear weapons and Cheng wants it bad. There's already three psychiatrists missing or dead who have tried to get it from her. Chloe always says that she will never tell it to anyone."
"I take it the Chinese government has no idea?"
"What do you think?" Bill sarcastically replied.
"Where is she kept? I need to see her." Jack asked him, his voice almost breaking.
"I can tell you, but Chloe's family has forbidden anyone from seeing her, especially you. They know all about you and what you can do and they have hired the best bodyguards for her."
"They think I would ever hurt her?" Jack asked in disbelief.
Bill was silent at first but then said softly, "Jack we all want to believe that you wouldn't hurt her but your track record of how far you would go for your loved ones speaks for itself."
"Exactly, Bill." Jack said and stormed off.
Cate Castle was currently sitting outside her sister's room with one guard at the door. Not knowing the danger they were both currently in as Jack was around the corner assessing the situation.
Suddenly they heard a noise. It was late at night and the wing should have been empty.
"Go, look what is it." Cate told the guard and the man did as told while Cate stood at the door, looking at where the man went, her gun already in her hand. It got so very quiet, she couldn't hear anything anymore. Suddenly she felt a cold object at the back of her head.
"Drop your weapon," the man hissed.
Cate would have died for her sister but in this case not doing what she was told could have killed both of them, so she reluctantly dropped the gun which Jack picked up.
"I'm sorry for doing this, Cate, but you are leaving me no choice."
And that was the last thing she heard before everything went black.
When she woke up, someone had turned on the alarm and the hospital was in a chaos and her sister of course wasn't in her room anymore. Cate didn't recognize the man's voice but she knew it could only be Chloe's co-worker Jack Bauer who had gotten to her sister.
"I will find you, Clo' and stop him from hurting you, I promise." She muttered to herself.
When Chloe woke up, she instantly understood, without even opening her eyes, that she was somewhere outside. But she felt very comfortable. When she did open her eyes, she saw that she was on a terrace in an armchair, she was still in her hospital PJs but she had a blanket on she didn't recognize and even as confused as she was about her whereabouts, she had to admit, the view was spectacular. She was up in the mountains, looking down on a valley, everything was green and serene. A little further away was a lake and it just left her speechless.
"I'm glad you like it," came a voice behind her.
Chloe could have recognized that voice from anywhere, after all she had worked with the man for years on and off, needing to listen to only his voice as he spoke to her on the phone or through other communication devices. And now he was right there behind her. With out turning around to look at him, he asked, "Jack?"
"Hi, Chloe."
Slowly he turned around to look at him. He looked good for someone who had been in Chinese prison less than a year ago.
Chloe reluctantly sat back In the chair and simply said, "I wish you hadn't done that."
"Done what?"
"Kidnapped me."
Jack feigned disbelief, "Is that what you think it is, Chloe? I'm not kidnapping you," Jack chuckled. "This is just two friends reconnecting after having gone through a similar ordeal."
"Cut the crap, Jack." Chloe said as she stood up again. "Sorry to tell you but you wasted a trip to…to wherever this is. I'll never tell anyone. It's the last thing keeping me alive."
Chloe started to bolt, she had the intention to go inside the house as it was pointless to try to leave the premises. But she was cut off by Jack stepping in front of her with his signature serious look. If Chloe didn't know him so well, she would have been scared of him.
"I am the last thing keeping you alive. And you know that."
They stared at each other for the longest time, neither giving in. Until Jack finally stepped away and let her leave. "Go, you have the master bedroom all to yourself. All your things are there."
Then Jack's cell phone rang and he gestured for her to go.
"Jack, where are you?" came Bill's nervous voice at the other end of the line.
"You know I can't tell you."
"Jack-"
"Bill, listen to me. We have 48 hours," Jack looked at her watch and continued, "40 now to get the information from her. Just let me handle her and if I can't get it by then, I'll bring her back. You have my word."
"Okay, Just know that I can't hold back her family from searching for you."
"I know," Jack simply said and hung up.
Jack went upstairs to check on her. She found her not in the master bedroom but in the bedroom he wanted to take for himself. Chloe was sitting on the bed, with face resting on her palms, her face hidden.
"Chloe?"
"Who is it this time? Kim? Audrey? Her father? The president?"
"Audrey," Jack reluctantly said.
Chloe huffed at him.
"And thousands of people who are going to be killed in the bombings in LA if we don't stop Cheng."
Chloe raised her head, stood up and went to look out the window.
"There's no "we". Not anymore, Jack. You made it perfectly clear when you left me to rot in that place."
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard you have been better. And you haven't come to visit me once since then. Too busy riding off to the sunset with Audrey." Chloe said in a mocking voice.
"First of all, me and Audrey are not together. Not yet anyway."
Chloe just glared at him.
"And secondly, I just heard about your ordeal last night. I had no idea you followed me to China or what happened to you there."
"I don't believe you," he muttered as she was playing with the sleeves of her PJs.
She knew those were the main words to fuel his mind so he quickly closed the distance between them, grabbed her by her upper arms and made her look at him in the eye.
"When have I ever lied to you, Chloe?"
Chloe held her own as she replied, "There's a first time for everything, Jack."
He let go of her and started pacing, "This is what it's about? You won't tell me the code, because you are angry I haven't been visiting?"
Chloe didn't say anything, just stared out the window as tears were streaming down her face.
"Chloe, I had no idea. I-"
"No idea about what, Jack." Chloe turned to look at him, "That I cared so deeply for you? That I loved you more than anyone? Newsflash: I don't. So the code is *304924239432. Take it and go, save your precious damsel." By now she was hysterical and started throwing things at him, just some Knick-knacks she found all around her. "GO, what are you waiting for."
Jack didn't move an inch. He was too dumbfounded to move. He had always suspected that her feelings ran deeper than just friendship but he had never brought it up and he had to admit to himself that he himself wasn't sure what he felt for her. He was also dumbfounded because he saw how unwell she was. Not insane, just not herself due to what she had gone through.
As she was still throwing things at him and screaming, he quickly closed the distance between them and hugged her, even though she struggled against him using all her strength which wasn't much because of all the sedatives she had been given in the hospital.
Although sun was still high in the sky, Chloe was now sound asleep in the master bedroom. Jack sat with her, until she drifted off.
Chloe had told her the code but it was an emotional exchange and he could hardly remember any digits from it. But it didn't matter, she would tell him tomorrow.