Fighting for Salvation (9)

Chapter 9

            "Jack?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Can I make a suggestion?"

            "Only if it's helpful and not snide."

            Ava glared at him. "I think we should get a new vehicle."

            "Why?"

            "Because a limo isn't exactly inconspicuous. Especially one that's been driven into a cement pillar."

            "She's got a point," Carroll interjected.

            Jack pushed the gun into his head harder. "Shut up." He turned to Ava. "Think you can get us a car?"

            She shrugged. "I've been stealing and destroying cars all day. I'm thinking of putting it on my resume."

            "Always the smart mouth."

            "Made you smile, though."

 

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            It didn't take long for Ava to acquisition a new car, and they were soon heading for wherever Kim and Teri were being held. The ride was silent and tense, Jack holding his gun steady against Kevin's head, and Ava deep in thought.

Her mind flashed to her father, and the things Tony told her. Their relationship had never been strong, and things had only deteriorated as she got older. He used to be a closet alcoholic, but in the past few months his drinking had become more erratic, more obviously detrimental to those around him. His newest wife had finally left him, winning the prize of being the wife that put up with his crap the shortest. But Ava just couldn't get free of him. She had told him on numerous occasions that she no longer wanted to speak to him – that she needed to be free of him, for her mental and emotional help. But he always found her, calling her and ranting about just how much of a failure and disappointment she was.

Things had gotten better once she started working at CTU. Her dad seemed to have finally gotten the message, and she had a lot of new friends in her life. Jack and Teri had really taken her in and treated her like family. She was at their house most days of the week for dinner, and she had bonded with Kim as well, the two of them having movie dates almost every Friday. Jack had grown to take her father's place, being everything that he could never be. He supported her, encouraged her, let her talk about anything that was on her mind. It hurt her to see him in so much pain now, filled with the fear of losing the family he loved so much.

Her thoughts ceased as the car slowed, and she took a look out the window. They were on a long dirt road, with nothing but trees around them. She wondered for a moment if this was a trap, if Carroll was going to drive them all off the edge of a cliff. But soon they were stopping on the side of the road.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked.

Carroll answered. "There's a guard post up ahead. If he sees you with a gun to my head, he'll probably kill all of us."

"There's a couple blankets back here," Ava noted. "We could hide."

Jack nodded. "I'll still have my gun pointed at you, Carroll. Make a wrong move, and you'll have a whole in your back."

 

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“Myers.”
            “It’s me.”
            “Jack? Where are you?”
            “We’re outside of the compound where Teri and Kim are being held. I need sat images.”
            “Jack…”
            “Please, Nina.”
            “Jack, Green is just getting more suspicious as time goes on. Why don’t you tell her what’s going on? She can send a team in.”
            “No,” he replied quickly. “A team might endanger my family more.”
            “How?”
            “If Gaines sees a bunch of CTU agents, he might panic and kill them. Ava and I are going to sneak in, get them out, and get whatever information we can.”
           Nina sighed. “Give me the location. I’ll get you those sat images.”

 

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            Jack tried not to move too much, but he was incredibly uncomfortable on the floor of the backseat. He had himself positioned behind the driver’s seat, his gun resting against Carroll’s side. Ava was beside him on the passenger’s side, and he knew that she couldn’t be much more comfortable – she was at least as tall as him, with very long legs, and her feet her so big that they usually warranted jokes. To be stuffed into a space so small was probably driving her just as crazy as it was him.
           Once again, he thanked God that she was there. Despite her constant joking and sarcasm, she was a comfort to have around. She never gave up, no matter the odds, and she always managed to lighten the mood just enough to help others to keep going as well. She had risked her life for him and his family more than once today, and it made him feel better that she was going to be in this fight with him.

            “It’s no wonder you and Teri separated,” Carroll said suddenly, jerking Jack out of his thoughts. “I watched her, while we were looking for Janet and Kim. All you do is leave her, over and over again. Everyone could see how lonely she is except you. I wasn’t surprised at all when she opened up to me – I get the feeling she never gets to talk to you. You just leave her home everyday, with no one to talk to, no one to share with-“
            Jack slammed the barrel of his gun into Carroll’s ribs, causing him to grunt.
            “Shut up, Carroll. Or I’ll shoot you here and we’ll find our own way in.”

            The rest of the ride was silent as the car approached the guard post. Jack increased the pressure of his gun against Carroll, his body tensed as he waited for their cover to be blown. But Kevin stuck to the plan, snapping at the guard when he asked about his bruised face. Jack could practically hear Ava’s smirk when he commented on his broken nose. Then they were moving again, Carroll driving slowly along the dirt road for a ways before pulling over.
            Jack and Ava immediately sat up, both relieved at being able to stretch their limbs and breathe fresh air. Ava moved out of the car quickly, her gun out as she scanned the area around them for any more guards. Jack remained in the backseat, seemingly deep in thought.
           “Well?” Carroll asked, irritation clear in his voice.
           “I think you’ve outlived your usefulness,” he said quietly.
           “So what? You’re gonna kill me?”
           Jack shook his head. “Ava’s already yelled at me once today for killing someone. We don’t have time for that kind of argument right now.”
           “What then?”
           Instead of answering him, Jack turned his gun and slammed the butt of it into the back of Carroll’s head. The man slumped forward against the steering wheel, unconscious. When he stepped out of the car, Ava was staring at him, an eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips. He faced her silently, waiting for her response.
          “Nice,” was all she said.

 

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            They stared down at Jack’s PDA as the sat images from Nina popped up onto the screen. Little dots showed them where all the men were, and Ava didn’t like what she was seeing.
            “That’s a lot of men, Jack.”
            “Yes.”
            “And they probably all have guns.”
            “I would imagine so.”
            She sighed. “So…do we have a plan or are we simply hitting bad guys?”
            “Shooting them would probably be more effective.”
            “You know how I feel about shooting people.”
            Jack pointed to a building on one of the images. “This is where Carroll said they were keeping Teri and Kim.”
           “So that’s our goal?”
           “Yes.”
           She took a deep breath. “Okay. Lead on, MacDuff.”
           Jack just stared at her. “Huh?”
          “It’s from Macbeth…oh, nevermind. We don’t have time for a dissertation on Shakespeare right now. Let’s go.”

 

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            They moved quickly and silently, avoiding guards whenever they could, disposing of them whenever necessary. The place was crawling with men, and it certainly looked as though the operation involved much more than just holding Teri and Kim hostage. The bright sun overhead left them very few shadows to hide in, so they relied on buildings and vehicles for cover. After a little while, they found themselves at the door of the building they wanted. Ava watched for any guards as Jack slowly opened the door.
           An arm came swinging down at his head, but he caught it before it made contact and found himself staring at Teri. Her eyes went wide at the sight of him before she was wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing his name. Ava came in and quietly shut the door, trying to stay out of the way as Kim ran at her father and embraced him as well.

            She watched them with a small smile as Jack asked them over and over again if they were alright, as he kissed them and held them as tightly as he could. It was the happiest she had seen him all day, and she saw some of the tension ease out of his shoulders as he held his family and convinced himself that they were really there, that he had really found them in time.
           “Can we leave now?” Kim asked suddenly.
           Jack smiled at her. “Soon, sweetheart. I’m going to get you both out of here.”
          Ava shifted her feet, looking around the room. “I think I should go scout out the rest of the compound.”
          He turned to look at her sharply. “Why?”
          She shrugged. “We need a safe route out of here, and we don’t have one at the moment. And maybe I can find Gaines. That would go a long way to helping us figure out who’s really behind the Palmer hit.”
          Jack walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and frowning when he felt her tense at his touch.
          “I don’t want you putting yourself in any danger,” he said quietly.
          She smiled at him. “Stay with your family, Jack. Let me do what I can to get us out of here.”
          She pulled back from him and moved toward the door when she was stopped suddenly by Kim standing in front of her.
         “You tried to save me.”
         Ava nodded. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”
        “I thought you were dead. When I saw your car crash.”
        “I thought I was too.”
        Kim reached out and hugged her tightly then.
       “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
        Ava hugged her back, letting herself relax for a second. She went to pull away when Teri was there as well, adding her own embrace.
       “Thank you,” she whispered.
       Ava stepped back then, blinking away the tears in her eyes and giving them all a smile.
       “Be back in a flash.”

 

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            "Any word on Jack and Ava?" Tony asked quietly as he approached Nina's station.

            She nodded. "They're at the compound where Teri and Kim are being kept. I just sent them sat images."

            "So they're both okay?"

            Nina watched him for a moment. "Yes. Ava's fine, Tony."

            "I was asking about both of them."

            "You were asking about her."

            He sighed. "Are we going to go through this again?"

            "No. But you're going to make a decision by the end of the day."

            "Fine. But for now, can we just focus on helping them?"

            "Yes."

            Whatever they were about to say next was put off as Alberta Green came striding toward them with two security guards, a slightly victorious expression on her face. She stopped in front of them, looking at them with a small smile before speaking.

            "Until further notice, the two of you are suspended. These guards will escort you to separate holding rooms. You are to have no further contact with each other. I'll be in shortly to see which of you is going to talk."

            Nina and Tony glanced at each other as the guards stepped forward and led them away from the floor.

 

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            Tony wasn't too surprised when Alberta walked into the holding room a few minutes later. He had expected her to start with him, because he was sure that she saw him as the weaker link. He watched her warily as she approached the table and sat down. There were no files with her, and she gave him a small, sympathetic smile.

            "Why are you doing this, Tony?"

            "Doing what?"

            "Protecting them."

            "Protecting who?"

            "Jack. Nina. Ava."

            "I told you where Ava is. I'm not protecting her."

            "I've noticed some tension between you and Nina today."

            "Which is none of your business."

            "It is if it affects your work."

            "Which it hasn't."

            "Are you sure? I know you're the one who called Division earlier this morning and reported Jack. Are you telling me that wasn't done with any jealousy?"

            "He was out of control. I thought someone needed to rein him in."

            "And now you're protecting him. Why? Did Nina ask you to? Does it bother you that she'd do anything to help him? Even sacrifice your relationship?"

            "Our relationship has nothing to do with this."

            She sighed, looking down at the table for a moment.

            "Tell me about Ava."

            Tony frowned. "What about her?"

            "I've asked around. It seems you two don't get along very well."

            "We have our differences."

            "Really? I fail to see what those are. I would have expected the two of you to be friends." She paused. "She and Nina on the other hand…I hear they get along even less."

            "So?"

            "Other agents have told them that they routinely get into verbal altercations. I heard from someone that Ava went so far as to attack Agent Myers today."

            "I don't know anything about that."

            "You didn't notice the bruise on Nina's face?"

            "I saw it. She told me Ava did it. That's as far as the conversation went."

            "You weren't curious as to why Ava would lash out?"

            "It's between them. I didn't want to get involved."

            "You know what I think Tony?"

            "I'm sure you're going to tell me."

            "I think you have a little crush on Ava, and that's what has Nina all riled up."

            "Do you usually concern yourself with your subordinate's personal relationships?"

            Green's face fell into a deep frown. "I'm saying this for your own good, Tony. Both women are trouble."

            "I don't think that's your judgment to make."

            "It's obvious they both have feelings for Jack."

            "Look," Tony said sharply, leaning on his elbows. "I know you think you can break me by playing on my inferiority complex when it comes to Jack. But it's not gonna happen. I trust Nina. And Ava shouldn't even be a part of this conversation – she's taking care of her father, not running around after Jack."

            "Are you sure?"

            "Yes."

            Green pursed her lips. "Why would she confide in you?"

            "Excuse me?"

            "You've practically admitted that the two of you don't get along. Why would she tell you about her father? Why would she trust you with that information?"

            Tony shrugged, thinking fast. "She didn't really have a choice. I answered her phone earlier and it was him. It was obvious that he was inebriated. I hounded her until she told me what was going on."

            "Are you really willing to go down for all of them?"

            "Are you really willing to waste all this time on me when you should be out looking for the guys who want Palmer dead just because you want to advance your career?"

            "That was out of line, Agent Almeida."

            "So is this interrogation."

            "There is one deal on the table. Immunity for whoever talks first. Take it or leave it. I'm sure Nina isn't thinking about you right now."

            "Why don't you go ask her then?"

            "You're making a mistake, Tony."

            "That's my call to make."

            They stared at each other as silence descended over the room.

 

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            As Ava ducked and weaved around buildings and behind vehicles, her weariness started to creep up on her. She had been up for more than twenty-four hours, and her body was beginning to protest. She found herself almost wishing for a guard to find her so that the adrenaline would kick up and wake her back up.

            She moved toward the main building, where multiple vans were being loaded. Ava realized that they were getting ready to leave, that they had found Teri and Kim just in time. She doubted that Gaines was going to go to the trouble of moving them if he no longer controlled Jack. The weight of that realization threatened to overwhelm her for a minute, and she leaned against the side of a building to take a steadying breath. She was still fairly new to the federal agent gig, and she hadn't acclimated to all it entailed yet. She still couldn't wrap her brain around the idea of people she loved being in mortal danger. But they were, and she had to do whatever she could to get them out safely.

            Looking once again around the corner at all the vans, Ava came to the conclusion that they could not go out on the road they had used to come in. Another way would have to be found. Sighing, she moved back toward Jack and his family, hoping that they could find a back way from there.

 

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            Tony and Alberta were still staring at each other when her cell phone began to ring. Without breaking eye contact, she answered.

            "Green."

            "Alberta, it's Jack Bauer."

            "Jack? We've been looking for you."

            "I know. I'm sorry I didn't involve you earlier – but I didn't know who I could trust and I couldn’t endanger my family."

            "You've found them then?"

            "Yes, I'm with them now. But we need help getting out of here."

            "Did you find the man responsible for taking them hostage?"

            "No. He's here, but I want to get my family safe first. Then I'll go after him."

            "If you had involved me earlier we could have already extracted them. Instead, you chose to go rogue."

            "And you could have helped me earlier, but instead you chose to play political games and alienate the people working for you. Let's cut the crap, Alberta. You want my job, and that's why you don't want me to be right about this."

            "You acted outside the bounds of this agency, Jack. You endangered the life of a senator. I can't-"

            "I found the people behind the Palmer hit."

            Green stopped. "Are you sure?"

            "Yes. They took my family to make me cooperate. I pulled that Secret Service agent's gun to save Palmer. Not to kill him." He paused. "Send a team in, Alberta. Let's catch these guys so they don't have another chance at the senator."

            She thought for a moment. "Fine. Give me your location."

            After he had done so, Jack spoke again. "Agent Connolly is scouting the premises. She should have more information for your team when they get here."

            Green stared at Tony. "Thank you Jack."

            Hanging up, she folded her hands neatly in front of her. "It seems you lied to me, Agent Almeida."

            "About?"

            "Ava Connolly's whereabouts."

            "Oh?"

            "It seems she's with Jack Bauer."

            "I see."

            "You knew that. And you lied to me."

            "I only relayed the information I was given, Alberta. I can't do anything if Ava mislead me."

            "That's your stance? That she lied to you and gave you faulty information?"

            "Yes."

            "You do realize I'll ask her about this when she comes in."

            "She's always been a truthful girl. I'm sure you'll get the straight story."

            Green sighed and stood up. "Get back to your station, Agent Almeida. We need to send an extraction team to get Jack and his family out, and to catch the men behind the attempted hit on Palmer."

            Tony almost made a sarcastic comment, but bit his tongue at the last moment. As much as he enjoyed antagonizing Green, it wasn't worth it – they had a job to do, and for the time being at least, he had to work with her.

            With a nod, he left the room.

 

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            Ava cursed when her phone suddenly started to ring. She had forgotten to put it on vibrate, and she prayed that no one heard it as she ducked behind another building.

            "Connolly."

            "It's me."

            "Is everything okay? Teri and Kim?"

            "We're fine. Where are you?"

            "I'm heading back towards you guys. There's no way we can get out the way we came in."

            "That's what I thought. Did you see Gaines?"

            "Considering I don't know what he looks like? No, I didn't see anyone that looked like they were in charge."

            "Okay. We have someone bringing a van to get us."

            "Who?"

            "His name is Rick. He's one of the guys who took Kimberly."

            "And now he's helping?"

            "That was my thought exactly. But Teri and Kim say he's been helping them since they got here. That we can trust him."

            Ava paused, biting her lip. "Okay. I don't like it, but under the circumstances, I don't see that we have much of a choice."

            "Agreed. There's a back road out of here that leads to a lake. I've called CTU and they're going to send a team in."

            "You called them?"

            "I had no choice. We need help."

            "Okay. When's this kid getting you the van?"

            "He should be back any minute."

            "Alright, if I'm not there, leave without me."

            "What? No."

            "Just do it, Jack. I'll catch up with you."

            "I'm not leaving you here."

            "And I won't have you waiting around for me and endangering your family. There's a lot of guards between us and I might get held up. Just go. I'll find the road, I'll follow it to the lake."

            Jack paused, thinking. He was torn between his refusal to leave her behind and his family's safety. A sudden noise outside interrupted his thoughts and he pulled his gun as Rick came bursting through the door.

            "Who's that?" Ava demanded, hearing things over the phone.

            "It's Rick. He's got the van."

            "Then go. I'm on my way. I'll meet you at the lake."

            "You'd better, Ava."

            "See you soon."

 

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            The sound of gunfire erupted somewhere ahead of her, and Ava increased her speed, ignoring the stitch in her side. Truth be told, she hated running with every ounce of her soul. But shots were coming from the direction of that back road Jack had told her about, and she worried that they had been caught.

            She skidded to a stop just before the tree line, staring at the scene before her. A red van was stopped across the road, and men were shooting at it. Now and then she could see Jack returning fire from behind the vehicle. Ava froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, her mind racing incoherently.

            Then she was moving without realizing what she was doing. Both of her guns were out and she fired at Gaines' men, taking down quite a few of them as she ran through their midst. Her attack caught them all by surprise and by the time they aimed their guns at her, she was already to the van, sliding over the hood and behind it.

            "What the hell were you thinking?" Jack hissed as soon as she settled on the ground.

            "I needed to get over here. They were in my way. I took a couple of them out for you."

            Jack paused. "You actually killed them?"

            Ava shook her head. "Took out their knees. Kinda hard to shoot when there's a hole in your kneecap."

            "You need to get over your aversion to killing people."

            "We can argue about that later. Where are Teri and Kim?"

            "I sent them ahead. It's too dangerous here."

            "Do you want me to stay and help you?"

            He shook his head. "Go after them. Get them to the lake. Keep them safe."

            She nodded. "Good luck, Jack."

 

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            She had just gotten to Teri and Kim when there was a sudden explosion behind them. The three women turned around, watching as fire erupted into the sky.

            "Jack," Teri whispered, turning back.

            Ava grabbed her arm. "No. He's fine, Teri."

            "How do you know?"

            "Because I'd bet serious money that Jack blew the van up. It's a nice distraction and it puts a big fire between him and Gaines' men."

            "Ava's right, Mom," Kim said, despite the fear in her eyes. "We need to keep going."

            Teri finally nodded. "Alright."

            They ran down the path and into the woods.

 

           

           

           

Pieces (4)

Two chapters in one day. I must be insane.

Chapter 4

            Jack and Kim moved quickly, looking for a car they could hotwire and drive to the next meeting place. They stayed low, using the vehicles as cover should Mandy be nearby. As Jack tried the handle of a red Mazda, his gaze drifted across the parking lot and came to rest on something happening out front.

            His blood ran cold as he watched Nina march Milo and Chloe out of the building and toward an SUV nearby. He struggled to breathe, the knowledge that for the second time that day Chloe's life was in danger because of him weighing heavily on him. All thoughts of escape fled as he struggled to think of a way to save her.

            Kim noticed his sudden preoccupation and her gaze followed his. She swallowed hard when she saw their friends being taken away.

            "Dad?"

            "I knew it."

            "Knew what?"

            "That I shouldn't have left her. Not with Milo. Not with anybody," he added quietly.

            She put her hand on his arm, making him focus on her.

            "Then we need to go get her back."

            He shook his head. "I need to get you out of here."
            "You can't let Nina have her, Dad. She's already taken Mom – you can't lose another woman you love to her."

            His eyes narrowed at her words. "You know?"

            Kim laughed. "Please. It's obvious. Well, to everyone but her."

            He hung his head. "I can't risk it."

            She grabbed his chin and forced his eyes back up to hers. "No, what you can't do is let that bitch get away with this. Let's follow her. Then you can end this. Once and for all."

            Jack marveled at the strength his daughter possessed, and her confidence snapped him out of his despair. He looked at the car they were standing next to and nodded quickly, tugging at the door and breathing a sigh of relief when it opened.

            "Let's go then."

 

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            He drove quickly, but made sure that he stayed far enough back that Nina wouldn't realize she had a tail. Constant worry flooded him as he followed her, his mind imagining what she would do to Chloe when they got to wherever they were going. Kim was right – he couldn't lose anyone else to that woman, especially not his best friend.

            Kim watched her father out of the corner of her eye. She could tell that this new development was weighing heavily on him, that it was threatening to pull him under. But she could also see his determination. He wasn't going to let Nina win this time – he would finish this no matter what.

            Her thoughts shifted as a car passed them on the right. Her eyes skimmed over the driver absently, her mind still focusing on the problem at hand. But her mouth dropped open as her gaze rested on someone in the backseat.

            "Dad?"

            "Yeah?"

            "I think we have another problem."

            She pointed and Jack turned to look at the car next to them. Staring back at them was Nadia, pleading with her eyes for them to see her, not wanting to draw Mandy's attention. Jack was momentarily stunned at the coincidence – and then he found himself wondering where Tony was.

            Before his thoughts could go much further, Mandy turned her head and stared at him in surprise. She quickly got her expression under control though, and promptly slammed her car into theirs. Jack gripped the wheel in an effort to keep control, but Mandy simply continued to ram them. Cursing, he decided that he'd had enough and turned the wheel sharply, pushing the other car back across the road.

            The two cars sped down the road, crashing into each other and then pulling apart again while they prepared for another hit. Jack clenched his jaw at the pain racing through his body – his left side was going to be one big bruise in a few hours. He knew they couldn’t keep this up much longer. Traffic had been sparse so far, but they couldn't count on that. And the cars weren't faring well - he had to put an end to this now.

            He slowed down slightly, letting Mandy gain a little bit of a lead. She turned to look at him with suspicious eyes, but for the moment she couldn't figure out what he was doing. Then Jack swung the car out to the right before turning the wheel sharply left and plowing his front end into the very back of the side of the other car. The vehicle went into a violent spin, its front end slamming into Kim's side before careening off the road and into a line of parked cars on the side of the street.

            Jack pulled over, immediately turning to Kim.

            "Are you alright?"

            She nodded, still in a daze from what had just happened.

            Jack got out of the car and pulled his gun, moving slowly toward the other vehicle. The back door opened and Tony clambered out, rubbing his head. Nadia followed him – neither looked seriously injured.

            "Are you two alright?"

            Tony nodded, and then winced.

            "She knocked me out. I woke up while you were slamming us across the road."

            "She started it."

            Kim moved closer as Nadia spoke up.

            "So what do we do now?"

            "Do you guys have any idea where Mandy was taking you?"
            "I was unconscious," Tony pointed out sadly.

            "She said something about mansions by the beach," Nadia told them. "I didn't really understand what she was talking about."

            Jack thought for a moment. "I think I know where it is. There's a place by the beach where there are a bunch of warehouses. Their known ironically as the Seaside Mansions – a lot of druggies hole up there."

            "Alright," Nadia nodded. "So what's the plan?"

            Jack looked at his friend. "Tony, I need you to get Nadia and Kim someplace safe."

            "What?"

            "I can't put Kim in any more danger, and Nadia isn't even a target. There's no reason for her to put her life on the line."

            "How about you stop talking about us as though we're not here?" Kim demanded, stepping in. "I'm not leaving you."

            "And neither am I," Nadia asserted. "You need help, Jack. I don't care who's after you guys. I can't just walk away. Chloe and Milo are my friends, and so are you two." She looked at Kim. "I don't actually know you very well, but you're Jack's daughter and that's all I need to know."

            Kim nodded her agreement.

            "I'm not letting you do this alone," Tony added. "You'll just get into more trouble. You're going to need someone to watch your back."

            Jack hung his head at the onslaught of argument. After a minute he looked up again, his eyes hard with determination.

            "Fine. Tony, you come with me. Nadia, I want you to take Kim away from here."

            "No!" Kim argued.

            Jack turned to face her. "Kim, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you because of me. Go with Nadia. Please."

            She opened her mouth to protest again, but Nadia caught her eye, nodding her head just a little to let her know that it was okay. Kim huffed and crossed her arms.

            "You'd better not get hurt," she warned. "Either of you."

            Jack breathed a sigh of relief when she relented. Leaning in, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

            "We'll try our best," he murmured. "You two go back to CTU. See what you can find, okay?"

            Kim nodded and hugged her father as Nadia moved closer to Tony, brushing her hand against his.

            "Kim's right. You two better be careful. I want you both back in one piece."

            Tony stared at her for a moment, a smile teasing at his lips. He reached out and squeezed her hand gently.

            "Don't worry."

            They pulled back when Jack turned to talk to them again.

            "You two take the Mazda. Tony and I will find another car."

            "What about Mandy?" Kim asked.

            Jack stared at the crumpled car that was still on the side of the road. A crowd had gathered and there were sirens in the distance, but he couldn't leave Mandy as a loose end. Striding toward the car, he cocked his gun, deciding that a bullet in the head would put a stop to her coming after them.

            As he walked across the street, the car burst into flame. Jack was thrown back against the pavement as a fireball erupted and shot into the sky. He stared in shock at it, suddenly realizing that he must have punctured the gas tank while they were crashing into each other.

            Tony came over to help him up.

            "At least we don't have to shoot her in front of a bunch of witnesses," he murmured. "But we should get out of here. Before the police show up."

            Jack nodded, still in a daze from the explosion, his eyes fixated on the flames. Finally he shook his head and turned to the two women.

            "Call me when you get to CTU," he told them. "We'll see you soon."

            Nadia and Kim watched as the two men casually walked up to another car, opened the door and hotwired it before they drove off.

 

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            Nadia turned to look at the other woman.

            "You don't really want to go back to CTU, do you?"

            Kim shook her head. "I was hoping you had an alternate plan."

            "I say we follow them."

            Kim pondered that for a moment. "They'll probably need help. I doubt Nina's alone. It could even be a trap."

            Nadia nodded. "Exactly. So we're agreed?"

            Kim thought a moment longer and then nodded her assent. They walked over to their badly beaten car and got in, breathing a collective sigh of relief when it started back up. Ignoring the looks of the crowd, they drove off, following Jack and Tony.