Several months later…

It was morning in Maine. Carl Sutherland had woken up and stretched, before walking over to the window and opening the curtains. Looking out at the calm Atlantic, he felt a rare sense of peace. Life here was slow and relaxing, with nothing to worry about. All too often it felt undeserved.

Carl, known as Jack Bauer in a former life, lived quietly in this little village on the coast. He had travelled across the continent, calling in favours and spending thousands to ensure his past didn't follow. So far, everything was working out.

He had taken the chance to reinvent himself, adding a sprinkling of truth to the story. Carl was from California, a former surfer who had spent years working as an English teacher. His wife had passed away, so he had left their home town looking for somewhere to retire. As far as anyone in the village knew, he had no remaining family. Jack Bauer was hidden deep beneath the surface.

...

The black sedan made its way through the dark city streets. Nina was sat in the back, her thoughts on their destination. Finally, after almost a year, she had found him. The man who wanted her dead for reasons unknown. Now she would ensure she got to him first, to find out why.

She glanced over at the driver, a local contact. "The house is being watched?"

He nodded. "Five men, all armed. He's got no idea."

Nina smiled, before gazing out of the window. Soon, she would meet a man she had never heard of before today. She would find out why he wanted her dead so badly, before he found out why she wanted him dead more.

It was warm and sunny in the village. Jack was on his usual morning walk through the quiet streets. He felt such safety here that he didn't even change his daily route. There had been no suspicious people hanging around, no strange incidents. Of course, he still had a gun on him just in case. He knew all too well how quickly things could spiral out of control.

He would often think of Teri whilst he walked. If things had been different, she would be there at his side. She would have fallen in love with this village as much as he had, if not more. So much would have appealed to her.

Sitting down on a bench that looked out to sea, he imagined them as an old couple enjoying retirement. They would be spending their final years here, just day after day of serenity. Maybe Kim and any grandchildren would come and visit, although the distance would be a problem.

"Hello, Carl," a woman spoke as she approached. Middle-aged, with light brown hair and blue eyes, she had a strong local accent as if she had never left the village.

He smiled as she sat down. "It's nice to see you, Sarah," he replied, happy for her company. They had struck up a friendship in the last few months, but he had been careful not to get too close. He was hiding his true self, his true history, and she didn't deserve to get dragged into that.

...

The car had been silent for a while before her phone rang. She answered, knowing that it would be Schulze checking in. "We'll be there in ten minutes," she told him. Ten minutes until she would learn the truth.

"Let me know as soon as it's done," he replied. He had found the man for her, a few days ago. Now all he could do was wait for her to finish things.

"I will," Nina spoke, before ending the call. She knew he would be concerned, despite knowing who she was.

She took out her gun, screwing a silencer on. Despite all of the man's criminal and terrorist links, she couldn't decide on a reason for why he wanted her dead. He hadn't even tried again since Kevin. Was he testing her, trying to see how she would react? Maybe the imminent confrontation was exactly what he wanted. If it was, she didn't intend to lose.

Placing the gun on the seat next to her, she sighed. What if this wasn't the end, and he was just the middleman? Schulze had been unable to find anything that suggested he was.

...

"Dad's doing better today. He's been asking about you," Sarah spoke.

Jack nodded. Her father was dying of cancer, and he had visited several times over the past few months. The old man was friendly and clever, just like his daughter, but he seemed to know that her friend Carl was hiding something. "That's good."

Sarah gazed out to sea. She had spent her whole life in the village, where she ran a bookshop on the main street. It had been a peaceful, fulfilling life and she couldn't imagine living anywhere else. She lived alone with her father, her mother having died when she was a child. He had done everything to give her a happy childhood, but it had always felt like something was missing.

Jack glanced at her, knowing what she was thinking about. He knew all too well the pain of losing a parent. "Let's go and see him."

She looked at him and smiled. "He'll be happy to see you."

...

As the car came to a stop across the street, Nina studied the house. It was an unremarkable building, typical for the middle class neighbourhood it stood in. The houses were surrounded by large gardens and high walls or fences, making her job easier.

"Keep the engine running," she told the driver, before climbing out.

He nodded and watched her as she approached the house. Until she returned, he would keep a close eye on the front gate. Even with the armed men surrounding the house, she still needed a quick escape just in case.

She was careful to open the gate quietly, her eyes on the house to look out for any movement inside. No curtains twitched, no thin strips of light moved or disappeared. He was inside, but even the men in the garden knew which room he was in. The thick curtains behind every window gave him an advantage.

Approaching the front door, she considered her strategy. She could pick the lock, sneak in and take him by surprise. It would be quieter, but it was dangerous without knowing where he was in the house.

Deciding to be more direct, she knocked on the door. Her gun was held firmly, her attention on the door as it creaked open.

The man looked at her, not noticing the gun. "Yes?"

She was quick to raise her gun, aiming at his forehead. "We need to talk," she began, before gesturing. "Inside, now."

...

Jack and Sarah had arrived at her house. As they entered, he glanced at a family picture from years before. It showed her and her parents, back when she was about 10. He had been in many rooms in the house, but this was the only picture he had ever seen of her mother. Neither Sarah or her father really said much about her, and he had never asked.

They walked into the living room, where they saw an elderly man. He was thin, with grey hair and tired blue eyes. A blanket covered much of his frail body.

The man smiled as he saw Jack. "Carl, it's good to see you," he spoke in an hoarse voice. He was fond of his daughter's friend, the mysterious man who said little of his past.

"Good to see you too," Jack replied. The old man was looking better than he had the last time Jack saw him.

Jack and Sarah sat down on the sofa, close to the chair her father rested in.

...

It had all seemed too easy. He had been quick to hold his hands up and move back inside. For a moment, it felt like she had the wrong guy, that she would have to kill an innocent man. Not that it would be the first time. Schulze was adamant that they had the right guy, and she would just have to trust him.

They walked into the kitchen, the only room with a light on. Nina noticed the unfinished meal on the table, he must have been eating when she knocked. He wouldn't get to finish that last meal.

"Sit on the stool, hands underneath you," she ordered, her gun still aimed at his head. Mistaken identity or not, she had to remain in control. Even if she was the one with the gun, this was his house and she wasn't sure just what he was capable of. He seemed harmless, but she knew not to assume.

The man looked at her as if he had been expecting her. "You're Nina Myers."

Nina smiled, hiding her relief. That would make the next few minutes a lot more bearable. "You paid Kevin to kill me."

She smirked, although she could understand how he was feeling. There were many things she regretted, wished she could undo.

...

Jack listened as Sarah told her father about her upcoming plans for her bookstore, but his thoughts drifted to his own parents. His mother, who had died when he was only a kid. His father, cold and distant, who cared more for his business than his sons. He had often wondered how the two met. Maybe his father wasn't always the money-obsessed man he became.

It wasn't just him and Sarah who had lost a parent as a child. Kim, too, had lost her mother. It was one of many reasons why Nina's betrayal had hurt so much. She had doomed Kim to the same loss he had suffered, continuing the painful trauma for another generation.

"Carl, maybe you could come to the bookstore tomorrow and help out?"

Taken out of his thoughts, Jack nodded. He hadn't heard exactly what Sarah was asking him to help with, but he was happy to help her.

...

He hadn't resisted at all, and he wasn't about to start. Nina had left him in no doubt that she was going to kill him. His plan had been a reckless idea from the start, and now he was going to pay for it.

She pressed her gun against his forehead. "I want to know why. Tell me, and this will all be over."

He sighed, sure that his answer would seem pathetic to her. "I wanted to prove myself."

She raised an eyebrow. "Prove yourself?"

He nodded, feeling the cold gun move against his head. "I would have been the man who had Nina Myers killed. You know how many people want you dead."

She almost felt flattered. He had wanted to hit a big target, make himself look serious to the criminal underworld. So many people did want her dead, but they didn't need to prove themselves to anyone. They were criminals, terrorists and a certain federal agent.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Please, make it quick."

She nodded, before pulling the trigger. Once his body fell to the floor, she shot him twice in the heart.

...

Jack was back at home, in the attic of his cottage. He was kneeling next to a small box of pictures, one of his few reminders of his past life. Some were fairly recent, showing people like Chase or Kate Warner. Others were almost as old as he was, showing him as a small child. There were few that included his mother, and his father was present only in one.

He took a few in his hands and looked at each one carefully, knowing when and where it had been taken. Faces that he still remembered, voices he could still hear in his mind. This was his only connection to the past, to Jack Bauer, and it brought him comfort to see loved ones again.

Every single one of the pictures was valuable to him, part of a collection he had built up over the years. One of the most valued had been taken when he was three years old, back in the late 1960s. It not only showed him and his mother, but his father too. For once, they had looked like a happy family.

...

As soon as Nina left the house, the men in the garden stood up and headed for the back gate. Their job done, all they needed to do now was slip back into the shadows.

She was quick to get back to the car. Nobody would be aware of the man's death for hours, long after she would have left the area. There would be no evidence left behind, and the police would likely not care too much about the murder of a criminal.

The car set off as soon as she closed the door. She took one last look at the house before they turned a corner, her mind on the man she had just killed. His reason seemed ludicrous to her, but she didn't care. He was dead and there was nobody holding his strings to go after.

Pulling out her phone, she called Schulze. "It's done."