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Because I haven't done any in awhile...
Jun. 22nd, 2007 09:12 am| Your Famous Last Words Will Be: |
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| You Are 28% Weirdo |
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| You Are Scissors |
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Jun. 22nd, 2007
Fighting For Salvation (3)
Jun. 22nd, 2007 06:17 pmThat's right, I finally finished Chapter 3 of THE BEAST. Here it is for your reading pleasure.
Tony paced back and forth in the waiting room, his hands constantly running through his hair. The sounds around him faded as he tried to push his panic away. It had only taken him ten minutes to get to the hospital, and he had spent the next ten trying to get information about Ava. But he wasn't family; hell, he wasn't even a friend.
The news was on, and the reporter captured Tony's attention when he heard Ava's name mentioned. Looking up, he felt his heart drop into his stomach and all the air suddenly left his chest. On the screen was Ava's car – a fiery heap of metal that lay crumpled on the side of the road.
His legs suddenly shaking, Tony eased himself into the nearest chair.
***
"Dammit!" Jack yelled as Ava's phone once again went to voice mail. He needed an update on the search, and he knew that if anyone could find Kim, it was Ava.
***
"There's a man outside who's very worried about you," the nurse commented as she watched Ava try to get her t-shirt on.
The younger woman stopped with the shirt only halfway over her head. "Excuse me?"
"Another agent. I believe he said his name was Almeida."
Ava sighed as she finished dressing. "You have GOT to be kidding me. This is JUST what I need."
"What are you talking about?" the nurse asked.
"He's going to yell at me. I am NOT his favorite person."
The nurse looked at her as though she had three heads. "Honey, I don't know what you're talking about. But that boy has been yelling at anyone he could get his hands on to find out how were. He's worried. Very worried." She paused, looking at Ava closely. "Should I send him in?"
Biting her lip, the younger woman nodded. The nurse gave her a small smile and then left, presumably headed for the waiting room.
Ava fiddled with the ring on her right hand as she waited for Tony. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out why he was there. She wasn't surprised that the hospital had called CTU, but she had expected Jack to show up before Tony did. The nurse's description of his behavior gave her another reason to pause. Tony had never shown the least bit of concern for her well-being. But according to the nurse, he had been…worried, and obviously so. Reasons for his behavior danced around her head, but she quickly rejected them, chastising herself for even thinking them.
The door opened slowly and Tony's head peeked around it. Avoiding her gaze he looked her over, trying to determine the extent of her injuries. Convincing himself that she was really okay, his eyes rested on the bandaged cut above her left eyebrow.
"You can come in," Ava said quietly, interrupting his thoughts.
He gave her a small smile as he came the rest of the way into the room, softly shutting the door behind him. They sat there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. Ava let her gaze wander around the room as Tony kept his eyes locked on the floor. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked up at her.
"They wouldn't tell me how bad it was, since I'm not family."
Ava shrugged, trying not to wince as a bolt of pain shot through her. "Cuts and bruises. A nasty bump on the head. Couple bruised ribs. Nothing serious."
Tony chuckled. "Is that what the doctor said or what you say?"
She rolled her eyes as she went to slide off the bed. "Does it matter? Let's get out of here."
He was at her side in an instant, his hands on her hips in an effort to keep her on the bed. They struggled for a minute, Tony trying to push her down and Ava fighting to remove his hands. Their dance continued until Tony froze suddenly. Then he was yanking his hands back as though they were burned and his eyes dropped back to the ground.
"Fine," he muttered. "Do what you want."
Ava glared at him. "When did you start caring what happens to me anyway?"
His response was cut off as she placed her feet on the floor and attempted to stand. Her balance seemed to be off as she wobbled, taking a stumbling step forward. Tony's hands reached out automatically, one grabbing her elbow and the other reaching around her waist and dragging her to him. She leaned into his chest as he steadied her, her eyes closing as she breathed in the scent of his laundry detergent.
The door opening behind them caused them both to jerk away, putting appropriate distance between them again. Tony ran a hand through his hair as the nurse entered the room, a knowing smile on her face. She moved towards Ava, a ringing cell phone in her hand.
"Honey, your phone has been ringing since the minute they brought you in here. Maybe you should answer it."
Frowning, Ava took the phone from her and flipped it open.
"Connolly."
"Ava? Where the hell have you been?"
"Well hello to you too, Jack. I'm at the hospital. Where are you?"
She could almost feel him falter on the other end. "Hospital? Is Kim…?"
Ava hurried to reassure him. "Kim's not here, Jack. I was in a car accident."
He closed his eyes in relief before he snapped them open again as he processed her words. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine. Right before I crashed I found her. She was in a van with at least one guy. She was arguing with him. When he saw me, he ran me off the road," she paused, sighing. "I'm sorry, Jack. I lost her."
There was silence as Jack closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. "Alright," he said quietly. "Alright. Can you drive?"
"Probably. But Tony's here, so he can drive."
"Tony? What's he doing there?"
Ava shrugged even though Jack couldn't see her. "You can ask him yourself later."
"I need you two back at CTU."
"We're on our way." She snapped the phone shut and turned to Tony. "Come on. Let's get back to work."
***
Almost as soon as they were in the building, Nina grabbed Tony by the elbow and steered him down the hall and away from the main floor. Ava watched them curiously before shaking her head and heading over to see Jamey.
Nina pulled him into one of the holding rooms, waiting until the door was closed before rounding on him.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"What was what?" Tony shot back, immediately defensive.
"You, running off without a word and then showing back up with Ava in tow."
Tony sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "She was in a car accident, Nina. The hospital called and I went to check on her."
"Since when do you care how she is?"
"Her car was totaled. I'm surprised she survived. Somebody needed to go see if she was alright, and seeing as how Jack was gone and you hate her, I decided to go."
Nina nodded, crossing her arms. "So is she?"
"Is she what?"
"Alright."
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I think so. She won't admit how beat up she is, but she seems to be functioning okay."
"Good," she mumbled. "Come on, we have to get back to work."
***
Ava sighed as she saw Nina walking down the corridor in the opposite direction, and she struggled to plaster a polite smile on her face. As soon as the other woman was past, the façade dropped and Ava rolled her eyes.
"Ava."
She stopped dead as the other woman called her name. She should have known better than to think she was in the clear. The expression on Nina's face when she and Tony had returned to CTU was not a happy one, and Ava had known that it was only a matter of time before the older woman made her displeasure known. Struggling to keep her annoyance in check, Ava turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Actually-"
"It'll only take a minute," Nina assured her, a strange smile on her face.
Realizing that she would look like the mean bitch if she refused, Ava nodded, following Nina into the same holding room she had dragged Tony into. Shutting the door behind them, Nina watched Ava as the younger woman sat on the table.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I hear you were in a car accident. Are you alright?"
Fighting to keep the surprise from her voice, Ava replied, "Yeah. I'm fine." She hesitated. "Thanks for asking."
There was silence as the two women just stared at each other. Growing more uncomfortable by the minute, Ava finally dropped her eyes, looking around the room and trying to come up with some reasonable excuse to leave before things got really awkward. She slowly slid off the table and opened her mouth to speak.
"It won't work you know."
Ava shut her mouth as she stared at Nina in surprise. "Excuse me?" she spluttered.
"Your little games to get Tony's attention. They won't work."
"Why would I want Tony's attention?" Ava asked, her arms coming up to cross over her chest.
"It's obvious, Ava. That you like him. Everyone can see it. It's kind of pathetic, really."
"Oh? Well, you are the expert on pathetic, aren't you Nina?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Ava shrugged. "Nothing. Except that we all see how you follow Jack around like a little puppy dog. While at the same time you string Tony along just because you can't stand to be alone. Like you said…pathetic."
Nina smiled, walking over to the other woman until their faces were only inches apart. "At least Jack and I were involved. But you and Tony? He wouldn't go for you even if I weren't in the picture."
"And why exactly is that, Nina?"
"What guy would really want a woman who won't…put out? Do you really think you have enough to keep a guy like Tony interested if you're not giving him any? No guy wants that." She paused, sneering at the younger woman. "Besides, even if Tony WAS interested, he'd be gone as soon as he got in your pants. Inexperience isn't exactly a turn on-"
Ava's fist had shot out before she even had time to think about it. She was only aware of it when she felt the jolt go through her arm when her fist came in contact with the side of Nina's face. The other woman staggered back, her hand flying up to the spot where she'd been hit. She stared at her in shock as Ava just scowled at her.
"Go to hell, Nina," she hissed before walking past her and storming out of the holding room.
***
Jack pulled her aside almost as soon as she had left the room. He took a hold of her elbow and went to steer her back inside, but she stopped him.
"You don't want to go in there, Jack."
"Why not?"
"Because somebody else is in there."
"Who?"
"Nina."
"Why is Nina in there?"
"She and I…had words."
"About what?"
Ava sighed. "Personal information about me that I should never have divulged to her in the first place. Next time I try to talk to her about ANYTHING outside of work, please remind me that I will pay for it later."
Jack looked at her closely. "What did she say to you."
"Something nasty and hurtful. It doesn't matter. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later when she goes whining to you about her black eye."
That pulled Jack up short. "Black eye? Are you telling me that you hit Nina?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you."
Jack sighed, rubbing at his forehead absently. "Come on, I need to talk to you."
"I'm not going to get in trouble, am I?"
"For what?"
"Punching Nina."
"No. You're not going to get in trouble."
"So then what do we need to talk about?"
"If you come with me like I asked, then you would find out."
Ava sighed again. "Fine."
He led her back out onto the main floor and up the stairs to his office. After he had closed the door behind them, he leaned against his desk and gestured for her to sit down.
"I'll stand, thanks."
Jack crossed his arms and hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to start. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just say it.
"Walsh is dead."
Ava looked up sharply. "What? How?"
He sighed, closing his eyes. She noticed how tired he was as his shoulders slumped even further. "He was pinned down and called me. I went to help him, but…they killed him."
"They?"
"I don't know who they were. Before he died…Richard passed me a key card, and said that the mole was using it to carry information out of CTU. That all we would have to do is find out whose computer it was loaded from. So I gave it to Jamey."
Ava shifted impatiently. "And? Did she find out who the mole is?"
Jack nodded. "Nina," he said quietly.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No. It came from her computer."
"That doesn't mean she put the info on the card."
Jack looked at her sharply. "Are you defending Nina?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "I hate the woman. You know that. I think she's a bitch and she's evil, but…she's not…evil."
"It's where the evidence leads for now. I can't just ignore it."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Jamey's going to shut down her access. I'll figure it out from there."
"A top-notch plan, I see."
"Do you ever take anything seriously? Or is this all a joke to you?"
"I'm sorry. I just…if I dealt with all this the way you and everybody else around here does, I'd break. I don't understand how you can have the weight of the world on your shoulders and not have to sit down once in awhile. I poke fun. I make sarcastic comments. That's what makes me able to go take out the bad guys later and not want to jump off a bridge in the meantime."
Jack's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
She shrugged. "Don’t worry about it. We all deal with things differently. Tony gets jealous and questions everything. You get all angsty and angry and yelling. Nina verbally assaults me. Jamey just gets quiet and starts typing faster."
He gave her a small smile. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Well, first I'm going to back to my station for a minute. Then I'm going to go back out and find your daughter."
"Teri called a little while ago. She's worried about Kim."
"Well, yeah."
"No, I mean she's more worried. Kim called a little while ago and said she was at a party."
"That was obviously a lie. She did NOT want to party with that guy in the van."
"She told Teri she loved her before she hung up."
Ava started moving toward the door. "That's teenagerese for 'I'm in trouble and I need your help.' I'll go back out and start looking again."
"Thank you," Jack said quietly as the door shut behind her.
***
"Your phone is ringing," Tony snapped as soon as she got back onto the floor.
"What's your problem?" Ava asked.
"Just answer your damn phone."
Ava continued to look at him, refusing to answer the phone until he answered her question.
Tony looked down at his desk, suddenly absorbed in some files. "I saw Nina's face," he said tightly.
"Yeah, that would put me in a shitty mood too," Ava grumbled as she picked up her phone. “Connolly.”
Tony looked up from his papers when he realized that Ava was on the phone, but not saying anything. Her face was pale, and she was holding on to the edge of her desk. She closed her eyes as she continued to listen to the person on the other end, her jaw clenching.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time for this right now…no, I really don’t. I’m at work…no…but…whatever, I’m hanging up now.” She snapped her phone shut and tossed it onto her desk.
“You alright?” Tony asked, keeping his eyes focused the files in front of him.
“Leave me alone, Almeida,” she whispered.
He was about to reply when Jack and Nina came jogging down the stairs, Jack heading down one of the corridors without a word to anybody and Nina heading back to her station. Tony shook his head as he watched him go, the tension in his expression clearly visible.
“What is your problem with him?” Ava asked suddenly.
“He’s out of control.”
“According to you.”
“He needs to be reigned in.”
“He gets results.”
Tony laughed bitterly. “Come on, Ava. I know you’re not someone who believes that the ends actually justify the means.”
“No, but I’m also not someone who thinks that you should make decisions when your brain is clouded by jealousy.” With that, she stalked down the corridor, following the direction that Jack had been headed in.
Fuming for a minute, Tony reached over and picked up his phone.
***
“Jack!”
He turned in surprise. “Hey, I thought you’d left already.”
Ava smiled as she caught up to him. “Had to stop at my desk. I’m on my way out now.” She paused, looking back toward the main floor. “So did you and Nina talk?”
He grimaced. “She’s not the mole.”
“Oh?”
“Jamey traced back to when the card was loaded from her computer.”
“And?”
“She couldn’t have done it.”
“And you know this because…”
“Because I was with her that day.”
“Oh.” They walked together quietly for a moment before Ava smirked up at him. “Told you she wasn’t the mole.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jack replied.
Their banter was interrupted by a sudden loud noise echoing down the corridors. Jack looked up in surprise before growling in frustration.
“What the hell is going on?” Ava demanded loudly.
“Lockdown.”
“Is that as inconvenient as it sounds?”
Jack nodded. “Somebody must have called Division.”
“Betcha I could guess who.”
He looked at her sharply. “We need to get out of here.”
“Why? I mean, I know I need to go look for Kim, but where are you going?”
“We got an address off the key card. I’m going to check it out.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Another fun plan of yours, I see.”
“Shut up,” he mumbled as he eyed the guard at the end of the hallway.
“We’re ignoring lockdown, aren’t we?”
“I think so.”
“Mason isn’t gonna be happy about this.”
“I’ll apologize later.”
“Yeah right. You want me to go hit the guard?”
“I can do it.”
Jack walked up to the man confidently, smiling at him. Before the guard even had a chance to greet him, Jack had slammed his fist into his face, effectively knocking him out. He never saw the other guard coming around the corner, but Ava was right there. As the man passed her, she pulled out her gun and turned it so that she was holding it by the barrel. With one quick arm movement, she slammed the butt into the back of the man’s head and he crumpled to the floor. She looked up to find Jack watching her in amazement.
“You ready?” she asked, walking past him and toward the door.
Tony paced back and forth in the waiting room, his hands constantly running through his hair. The sounds around him faded as he tried to push his panic away. It had only taken him ten minutes to get to the hospital, and he had spent the next ten trying to get information about Ava. But he wasn't family; hell, he wasn't even a friend.
The news was on, and the reporter captured Tony's attention when he heard Ava's name mentioned. Looking up, he felt his heart drop into his stomach and all the air suddenly left his chest. On the screen was Ava's car – a fiery heap of metal that lay crumpled on the side of the road.
His legs suddenly shaking, Tony eased himself into the nearest chair.
***
"Dammit!" Jack yelled as Ava's phone once again went to voice mail. He needed an update on the search, and he knew that if anyone could find Kim, it was Ava.
***
"There's a man outside who's very worried about you," the nurse commented as she watched Ava try to get her t-shirt on.
The younger woman stopped with the shirt only halfway over her head. "Excuse me?"
"Another agent. I believe he said his name was Almeida."
Ava sighed as she finished dressing. "You have GOT to be kidding me. This is JUST what I need."
"What are you talking about?" the nurse asked.
"He's going to yell at me. I am NOT his favorite person."
The nurse looked at her as though she had three heads. "Honey, I don't know what you're talking about. But that boy has been yelling at anyone he could get his hands on to find out how were. He's worried. Very worried." She paused, looking at Ava closely. "Should I send him in?"
Biting her lip, the younger woman nodded. The nurse gave her a small smile and then left, presumably headed for the waiting room.
Ava fiddled with the ring on her right hand as she waited for Tony. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out why he was there. She wasn't surprised that the hospital had called CTU, but she had expected Jack to show up before Tony did. The nurse's description of his behavior gave her another reason to pause. Tony had never shown the least bit of concern for her well-being. But according to the nurse, he had been…worried, and obviously so. Reasons for his behavior danced around her head, but she quickly rejected them, chastising herself for even thinking them.
The door opened slowly and Tony's head peeked around it. Avoiding her gaze he looked her over, trying to determine the extent of her injuries. Convincing himself that she was really okay, his eyes rested on the bandaged cut above her left eyebrow.
"You can come in," Ava said quietly, interrupting his thoughts.
He gave her a small smile as he came the rest of the way into the room, softly shutting the door behind him. They sat there awkwardly, neither knowing what to say. Ava let her gaze wander around the room as Tony kept his eyes locked on the floor. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked up at her.
"They wouldn't tell me how bad it was, since I'm not family."
Ava shrugged, trying not to wince as a bolt of pain shot through her. "Cuts and bruises. A nasty bump on the head. Couple bruised ribs. Nothing serious."
Tony chuckled. "Is that what the doctor said or what you say?"
She rolled her eyes as she went to slide off the bed. "Does it matter? Let's get out of here."
He was at her side in an instant, his hands on her hips in an effort to keep her on the bed. They struggled for a minute, Tony trying to push her down and Ava fighting to remove his hands. Their dance continued until Tony froze suddenly. Then he was yanking his hands back as though they were burned and his eyes dropped back to the ground.
"Fine," he muttered. "Do what you want."
Ava glared at him. "When did you start caring what happens to me anyway?"
His response was cut off as she placed her feet on the floor and attempted to stand. Her balance seemed to be off as she wobbled, taking a stumbling step forward. Tony's hands reached out automatically, one grabbing her elbow and the other reaching around her waist and dragging her to him. She leaned into his chest as he steadied her, her eyes closing as she breathed in the scent of his laundry detergent.
The door opening behind them caused them both to jerk away, putting appropriate distance between them again. Tony ran a hand through his hair as the nurse entered the room, a knowing smile on her face. She moved towards Ava, a ringing cell phone in her hand.
"Honey, your phone has been ringing since the minute they brought you in here. Maybe you should answer it."
Frowning, Ava took the phone from her and flipped it open.
"Connolly."
"Ava? Where the hell have you been?"
"Well hello to you too, Jack. I'm at the hospital. Where are you?"
She could almost feel him falter on the other end. "Hospital? Is Kim…?"
Ava hurried to reassure him. "Kim's not here, Jack. I was in a car accident."
He closed his eyes in relief before he snapped them open again as he processed her words. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm fine. Right before I crashed I found her. She was in a van with at least one guy. She was arguing with him. When he saw me, he ran me off the road," she paused, sighing. "I'm sorry, Jack. I lost her."
There was silence as Jack closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. "Alright," he said quietly. "Alright. Can you drive?"
"Probably. But Tony's here, so he can drive."
"Tony? What's he doing there?"
Ava shrugged even though Jack couldn't see her. "You can ask him yourself later."
"I need you two back at CTU."
"We're on our way." She snapped the phone shut and turned to Tony. "Come on. Let's get back to work."
***
Almost as soon as they were in the building, Nina grabbed Tony by the elbow and steered him down the hall and away from the main floor. Ava watched them curiously before shaking her head and heading over to see Jamey.
Nina pulled him into one of the holding rooms, waiting until the door was closed before rounding on him.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"What was what?" Tony shot back, immediately defensive.
"You, running off without a word and then showing back up with Ava in tow."
Tony sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "She was in a car accident, Nina. The hospital called and I went to check on her."
"Since when do you care how she is?"
"Her car was totaled. I'm surprised she survived. Somebody needed to go see if she was alright, and seeing as how Jack was gone and you hate her, I decided to go."
Nina nodded, crossing her arms. "So is she?"
"Is she what?"
"Alright."
Tony nodded. "Yeah, I think so. She won't admit how beat up she is, but she seems to be functioning okay."
"Good," she mumbled. "Come on, we have to get back to work."
***
Ava sighed as she saw Nina walking down the corridor in the opposite direction, and she struggled to plaster a polite smile on her face. As soon as the other woman was past, the façade dropped and Ava rolled her eyes.
"Ava."
She stopped dead as the other woman called her name. She should have known better than to think she was in the clear. The expression on Nina's face when she and Tony had returned to CTU was not a happy one, and Ava had known that it was only a matter of time before the older woman made her displeasure known. Struggling to keep her annoyance in check, Ava turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Actually-"
"It'll only take a minute," Nina assured her, a strange smile on her face.
Realizing that she would look like the mean bitch if she refused, Ava nodded, following Nina into the same holding room she had dragged Tony into. Shutting the door behind them, Nina watched Ava as the younger woman sat on the table.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I hear you were in a car accident. Are you alright?"
Fighting to keep the surprise from her voice, Ava replied, "Yeah. I'm fine." She hesitated. "Thanks for asking."
There was silence as the two women just stared at each other. Growing more uncomfortable by the minute, Ava finally dropped her eyes, looking around the room and trying to come up with some reasonable excuse to leave before things got really awkward. She slowly slid off the table and opened her mouth to speak.
"It won't work you know."
Ava shut her mouth as she stared at Nina in surprise. "Excuse me?" she spluttered.
"Your little games to get Tony's attention. They won't work."
"Why would I want Tony's attention?" Ava asked, her arms coming up to cross over her chest.
"It's obvious, Ava. That you like him. Everyone can see it. It's kind of pathetic, really."
"Oh? Well, you are the expert on pathetic, aren't you Nina?"
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Ava shrugged. "Nothing. Except that we all see how you follow Jack around like a little puppy dog. While at the same time you string Tony along just because you can't stand to be alone. Like you said…pathetic."
Nina smiled, walking over to the other woman until their faces were only inches apart. "At least Jack and I were involved. But you and Tony? He wouldn't go for you even if I weren't in the picture."
"And why exactly is that, Nina?"
"What guy would really want a woman who won't…put out? Do you really think you have enough to keep a guy like Tony interested if you're not giving him any? No guy wants that." She paused, sneering at the younger woman. "Besides, even if Tony WAS interested, he'd be gone as soon as he got in your pants. Inexperience isn't exactly a turn on-"
Ava's fist had shot out before she even had time to think about it. She was only aware of it when she felt the jolt go through her arm when her fist came in contact with the side of Nina's face. The other woman staggered back, her hand flying up to the spot where she'd been hit. She stared at her in shock as Ava just scowled at her.
"Go to hell, Nina," she hissed before walking past her and storming out of the holding room.
***
Jack pulled her aside almost as soon as she had left the room. He took a hold of her elbow and went to steer her back inside, but she stopped him.
"You don't want to go in there, Jack."
"Why not?"
"Because somebody else is in there."
"Who?"
"Nina."
"Why is Nina in there?"
"She and I…had words."
"About what?"
Ava sighed. "Personal information about me that I should never have divulged to her in the first place. Next time I try to talk to her about ANYTHING outside of work, please remind me that I will pay for it later."
Jack looked at her closely. "What did she say to you."
"Something nasty and hurtful. It doesn't matter. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later when she goes whining to you about her black eye."
That pulled Jack up short. "Black eye? Are you telling me that you hit Nina?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you."
Jack sighed, rubbing at his forehead absently. "Come on, I need to talk to you."
"I'm not going to get in trouble, am I?"
"For what?"
"Punching Nina."
"No. You're not going to get in trouble."
"So then what do we need to talk about?"
"If you come with me like I asked, then you would find out."
Ava sighed again. "Fine."
He led her back out onto the main floor and up the stairs to his office. After he had closed the door behind them, he leaned against his desk and gestured for her to sit down.
"I'll stand, thanks."
Jack crossed his arms and hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to start. Taking a deep breath, he decided to just say it.
"Walsh is dead."
Ava looked up sharply. "What? How?"
He sighed, closing his eyes. She noticed how tired he was as his shoulders slumped even further. "He was pinned down and called me. I went to help him, but…they killed him."
"They?"
"I don't know who they were. Before he died…Richard passed me a key card, and said that the mole was using it to carry information out of CTU. That all we would have to do is find out whose computer it was loaded from. So I gave it to Jamey."
Ava shifted impatiently. "And? Did she find out who the mole is?"
Jack nodded. "Nina," he said quietly.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No. It came from her computer."
"That doesn't mean she put the info on the card."
Jack looked at her sharply. "Are you defending Nina?"
Ava rolled her eyes. "I hate the woman. You know that. I think she's a bitch and she's evil, but…she's not…evil."
"It's where the evidence leads for now. I can't just ignore it."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Jamey's going to shut down her access. I'll figure it out from there."
"A top-notch plan, I see."
"Do you ever take anything seriously? Or is this all a joke to you?"
"I'm sorry. I just…if I dealt with all this the way you and everybody else around here does, I'd break. I don't understand how you can have the weight of the world on your shoulders and not have to sit down once in awhile. I poke fun. I make sarcastic comments. That's what makes me able to go take out the bad guys later and not want to jump off a bridge in the meantime."
Jack's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
She shrugged. "Don’t worry about it. We all deal with things differently. Tony gets jealous and questions everything. You get all angsty and angry and yelling. Nina verbally assaults me. Jamey just gets quiet and starts typing faster."
He gave her a small smile. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Well, first I'm going to back to my station for a minute. Then I'm going to go back out and find your daughter."
"Teri called a little while ago. She's worried about Kim."
"Well, yeah."
"No, I mean she's more worried. Kim called a little while ago and said she was at a party."
"That was obviously a lie. She did NOT want to party with that guy in the van."
"She told Teri she loved her before she hung up."
Ava started moving toward the door. "That's teenagerese for 'I'm in trouble and I need your help.' I'll go back out and start looking again."
"Thank you," Jack said quietly as the door shut behind her.
***
"Your phone is ringing," Tony snapped as soon as she got back onto the floor.
"What's your problem?" Ava asked.
"Just answer your damn phone."
Ava continued to look at him, refusing to answer the phone until he answered her question.
Tony looked down at his desk, suddenly absorbed in some files. "I saw Nina's face," he said tightly.
"Yeah, that would put me in a shitty mood too," Ava grumbled as she picked up her phone. “Connolly.”
Tony looked up from his papers when he realized that Ava was on the phone, but not saying anything. Her face was pale, and she was holding on to the edge of her desk. She closed her eyes as she continued to listen to the person on the other end, her jaw clenching.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time for this right now…no, I really don’t. I’m at work…no…but…whatever, I’m hanging up now.” She snapped her phone shut and tossed it onto her desk.
“You alright?” Tony asked, keeping his eyes focused the files in front of him.
“Leave me alone, Almeida,” she whispered.
He was about to reply when Jack and Nina came jogging down the stairs, Jack heading down one of the corridors without a word to anybody and Nina heading back to her station. Tony shook his head as he watched him go, the tension in his expression clearly visible.
“What is your problem with him?” Ava asked suddenly.
“He’s out of control.”
“According to you.”
“He needs to be reigned in.”
“He gets results.”
Tony laughed bitterly. “Come on, Ava. I know you’re not someone who believes that the ends actually justify the means.”
“No, but I’m also not someone who thinks that you should make decisions when your brain is clouded by jealousy.” With that, she stalked down the corridor, following the direction that Jack had been headed in.
Fuming for a minute, Tony reached over and picked up his phone.
***
“Jack!”
He turned in surprise. “Hey, I thought you’d left already.”
Ava smiled as she caught up to him. “Had to stop at my desk. I’m on my way out now.” She paused, looking back toward the main floor. “So did you and Nina talk?”
He grimaced. “She’s not the mole.”
“Oh?”
“Jamey traced back to when the card was loaded from her computer.”
“And?”
“She couldn’t have done it.”
“And you know this because…”
“Because I was with her that day.”
“Oh.” They walked together quietly for a moment before Ava smirked up at him. “Told you she wasn’t the mole.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jack replied.
Their banter was interrupted by a sudden loud noise echoing down the corridors. Jack looked up in surprise before growling in frustration.
“What the hell is going on?” Ava demanded loudly.
“Lockdown.”
“Is that as inconvenient as it sounds?”
Jack nodded. “Somebody must have called Division.”
“Betcha I could guess who.”
He looked at her sharply. “We need to get out of here.”
“Why? I mean, I know I need to go look for Kim, but where are you going?”
“We got an address off the key card. I’m going to check it out.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Another fun plan of yours, I see.”
“Shut up,” he mumbled as he eyed the guard at the end of the hallway.
“We’re ignoring lockdown, aren’t we?”
“I think so.”
“Mason isn’t gonna be happy about this.”
“I’ll apologize later.”
“Yeah right. You want me to go hit the guard?”
“I can do it.”
Jack walked up to the man confidently, smiling at him. Before the guard even had a chance to greet him, Jack had slammed his fist into his face, effectively knocking him out. He never saw the other guard coming around the corner, but Ava was right there. As the man passed her, she pulled out her gun and turned it so that she was holding it by the barrel. With one quick arm movement, she slammed the butt into the back of the man’s head and he crumpled to the floor. She looked up to find Jack watching her in amazement.
“You ready?” she asked, walking past him and toward the door.
