Fighting for Salvation (5)

[failegaidin]

Kind of a short chapter. At least comparitively.

            "What are you doing?" Nina asked as Ava started searching her pockets.

            "I have to call Teri," she mumbled as she pulled her cell phone out and started dialing. "You need to call Jack," she told her, the phone ringing against her ear.

            "Why?"

            Ava held up a finger as Teri answered the phone.

            "Hello?"

            "Teri? It's Ava."

            "Have you found Kim yet?"

            "No. Listen, Teri. Is that Alan guy still with you?"

            "Yes. We're going to check on some information Janet gave us. Is there a problem?"

            "Jack's not with you?"

            "No. He said he got a call from Nina at the hospital. He disappeared."

            "Okay, Teri. I need you to listen to me very carefully. Do not let any reaction to what I'm telling you show on your face. The man with you is NOT Alan York. He is NOT Janet's father. We just identified the real Alan York. He's dead. Do you understand?"

            Teri paused. "Yes. Yes I understand."

            "Good. Now, I need you to tell me where you guys are headed." There was silence on the other end. "Teri? Teri!" Ava pulled the phone away from her ear and cursed as she saw the screen flash 'Call Lost.'

            "What's going on?" Nina demanded.

            "Did you call Jack while he was at the hospital with Teri?"

            "You've been with me sine you got back." When Ava just continued to stare at her, Nina sighed. "No. I didn't call him."

            "Shit."

            "Are you going to start explaining things?"

            "Jack told Teri that you called him and then he disappeared. Teri is now alone in a car somewhere with a man pretending to be Janet York's father. Those are both very bad things."

            "Did Teri tell you where they were?"

            Ava shook her head. "No. Her phone cut off before she could." She paused. "I have to try and find her. There's no telling what this guy is going to do to her."

            "How are you going to find her?"

            Ava shrugged. "I don't know."

            "So…what? You're just going to drive around L.A. looking for her?"

            "You'd rather I sit here and twiddle my thumbs? Jack asked me to find his daughter and now his wife has been taken too. I have to do something!"

            "Well maybe if you hadn't been so busy crashing your car and snuggling up to Tony-"

            "I was run off the road, Nina! And it's not my fault you can't keep your boyfriend happy-"

            "What's the problem here?"

            Everyone in the room turned to see Jack standing in the doorway. Ava noticed a slump to his shoulders that hadn't been there when she had last seen him getting on the helicopter. His eyes moved over them as they shuffled nervously. Milo spoke first.

            "Ava and Nina were arguing. Again."

            "Over what?"

            "We've got a problem, Jack," Ava said, ignoring his question for the time being. "We managed to I.D. the corpse."

            "And?"

            "It's Alan York."

            Jack just stared at her, the news moving through him as he slowly put the pieces together. His eyes widened and his hands began to shake as he leaned on a table for support.

            "Then who is my wife with?" He shook his head, standing up straight again and taking a firmer tone. "Are they at the hospital still? Did you warn her?"

            "They're following up on some information from Janet – although I doubt that's where it came it from. I called her Jack. I told her."

            "Did you find out where they're headed?"
            Ava shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. We got disconnected."

            He closed his eyes, the pain evident in his expression. Ava took a step closer, but then he shook his head again, his face taking on a different feel that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

            "Alright. I have to go up to my office. I'll be there if you need me."

            He moved to walk out of the room again, but Ava stopped him. "What do you want me to do?"

            Jack sighed. "Right now that keycard is the only lead we have. I want everybody on it." With that, he stalked out.

 

***

 

            "You're grumpy," Ava commented as she sat next to Jamey.

            "So are you."

            "Yeah…well…I've had a rough morning."

            "I saw the picture of your car…or what's left of it. You're lucky to be alive."

            "I know."

            Jamey glanced up at Nina across the floor. "She seems to hate you even more than usual."

            "Am I that awful of a person?"

            "No. But neither is she. You two just rub each other the wrong way. And I think a lot of the problem is Tony."

            "I don't see why," Ava muttered. "He hates me. That should make her happy."

            Jamey raised an eyebrow at her. "You're kidding right?"

            "About what?"

            "Tony doesn't hate you."

            "Yes he does."
            "I saw him when we got the phone call about your accident. I've never seen him so scared. He ran out of here, pushing Nina aside when she asked what was wrong. If you ask me, that's why she's being meaner than usual."

            Ava struggled to find something to say. "Well, it's not my fault if Tony's got wandering eyes. I certainly haven't done anything to encourage him. I tried to be nice. To both of them. The attempt failed miserably."

            Jamey smiled at her. "I heard a rumor that you're responsible for the shiner Nina's sporting now."

            Ava glared. "Bitch deserved it."

            "What happened to your Christian patience and forgiveness?"

            "It goes out the door when she comes around. She knows exactly what buttons to push to piss me off."

            "Well, you have to work with her. Just ignore her. You don't need to fight fire with fire."

            Ava mulled Jamey's words over in her head, knowing that she was right and yet hating to admit it. She could pretend to be nice to just about anyone, but Nina always got under her skin, always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her see red. Her eyes drifted across the floor as she continued to think, coming to rest on Jack as he stood next to Milo's station. His behavior had shifted slightly, and she still couldn't figure out what exactly was different. But something had changed since he'd gone to the hospital. She sat up in surprise as she watched Jack knock over Milo's cup of pistachios and then quickly eject the keycard from the computer and slip another one in. He was apologizing and walking away from the station before she even had time to process what had just happened.

            "Did you see that?" Ava suddenly exclaimed.

            "See what?" Jamey asked, looking around.

            The other woman kicked herself for not keeping her mouth shut. For some reason, she didn't want to out Jack yet – not until she knew why he was acting like this. Covering quickly, she laughed, pointing at Milo. "He spilled his nuts all over the place."

            Jamey glanced over to his station. "Serves him right," she mumbled, a slightly satisfied look on her face.

            "You have a real problem with competition, you know that?"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "Milo's not doing anybody any harm. He's just doing his job."

            "It's my job."

            "True. But there's always someone who can do something just a little bit better than you."

            She glared. "Are you saying Milo is better than me?"

            "At decrypting that card? Yes."

            Jamey just stared at her.

            "I'm sorry. It's the truth. On the other hand, you're easier to work with. And you're way more professional. And you kick his ass in just about everything else. But we needed him for the decryption. You know that."

            Jamey huffed. "Fine. But I could have done alright if I wasn't so busy with everything else tonight."

            "Okay," Ava smiled.

            "You're humoring me."

            "Never."

            "Bitch."

            "Pretty much."

 

***

 

            Twenty minutes later and Ava was still struggling with what was unfolding around her. She had watched with mingled curiosity and apprehension as Milo started working on the card again. A few minutes later he was swearing and calling Nina over, complaining that there was something wrong with the keycard. Jamey went over to investigate, clearly wanting to cause Milo grief over getting stuck on the decryption. But as the conversation across the floor continued, Ava could tell that Milo was convincing Nina that Jack had switched the card out with a useless one.

            Moments later she watched as Nina walked resolutely up the stairs and into Jack's office. Her vision was obscured by the blinds that covered the glass walls, but she could tell that they were arguing. Within a few minutes, though, they were moving down the stairs together, Nina wearing a jacket that she hadn't had before. Ava got up, watching as Tony moved over to them, clearly trying to figure out what was going on. As she moved closer, she heard Jack give him the brush-off, explaining that he and Nina were expected at a meeting before leaving the floor. Ava stopped by her desk, grabbing a jean jacket she kept at the office and placing her personal cell next to her computer. Checking to make sure that she had her work phone in her pocket, she moved to follow Jack and Nina.

            She was almost off the floor when she was stopped by the sound of Tony's voice.

            "Where do you think you're going?"

            She sighed and turned to face him.

            "Out."

            "Out where?"

            "Does it really matter?"

            "Yeah. It matters."

            "Fine. I'm going to see what I can dig up on this guy impersonating Alan York. Maybe I can get a lead and find my way to Teri and Kim."

            Tony's eyes searched hers for a moment. "You're lying."

            "Then where do you think I'm going, Tony?"

            "I don't know. But every time you leave lately, you're doing something for Jack. And then you manage to get yourself into trouble – the car accident, breaking out of lockdown, helping a prisoner escape…"

            "What's your point?"

            Tony moved closer, placing a hand on her arm. "Why do you keep doing whatever he asks you?"

            "You're just upset because Nina does whatever he asks and now they've disappeared together." She watched his jaw clench. "I don't get it, Tony," she said quietly. "Why do you put up with her crap?"

            For a minute he looked as though he was actually considering her question. But then his eyes went cold and he tightened his grip.

            "Why don't you just forget whatever mission Jack has sent you on and do your job? We need you here, not running around like some hero."

            Ava ripped her arm out of his grasp. "And I thought I might get an honest answer out of you for once."

            Shaking her head sadly, she turned and left the floor.

 

***

 

            Ava found it difficult to follow Jack as he drove the car away from CTU. For one thing, she was forced to drive one of CTU's bulky SUV's, and she felt like it stuck out like a sore thumb as she tried to keep a safe distance. There was also the fact that there was someone else following them. It was a four-door sedan, silver, and she could see that two males were sitting in the front seat. One of them had a small digital camera hanging out the window as he filmed Jack's progress. Ava desperately wanted to know who the video feed was for.

            She saw both cars turn off onto an abandoned dirt road, and she searched for somewhere to hide her extremely conspicuous vehicle. Driving past them, she found a small ditch further down the road. She parked the car and quickly got out, moving along the tree line as she went back to the turn-off.

            Positioning herself behind a large tree, Ava peered out at the scene across the street. Jack and Nina were out of the car, and they seemed to be arguing. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Jack push Nina away from him before raising up his right arm. With only the slightest hesitation, he fired three bullets into her torso, causing her to stumble back, falling down the embankment behind her. She watched as Jack walked back to the car, glancing at the men following him, and then climbed in, driving back onto the road and toward the main part of the city.

            She waited until both cars were out of sight before rushing away from the trees and down the embankment, praying that she wasn't too late.

           

           

Comments

[sej-1986.livejournal.com]

I loved this part in S1, I think I can remember screaming at the TV for Jack to hurry up and write that note to Nina before Gaines saw him!!

Once again, another brilliant chapter! Still loving Ava!!!

[failegaidin.livejournal.com]

Glad you're still onboard! I'll try to start figuring chapter six out soon!

[noalinnea.livejournal.com]

I love how you blend your/Avas perspective with the events of season one. This story is amazing, can't wait for more!

[failegaidin.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you like it! I'll try to plot the next chapter this week (of course, that doesn't mean it will get written this week).

[agentobrian.livejournal.com]

This story just keeps getting better and better.

[failegaidin.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you!