Fighting for Salvation (13)

[failegaidin]

This might be the last chapter you guys get from me until Tuesday - I don't usually write on the weekends, and Monday is Labor Day, so...we'll see. 


Chapter 13

            "Shit, shit, shit!" Ava cursed as she dialed Jack's number again.

            After realizing that Teri and Kim had been kidnapped again, it had taken her a few minutes to shake herself out of her morbid reverie. The pain that her body had gone through and the emotional rollercoaster of the day was starting to get to her, and she felt herself teetering on the edge of despair. It was taking everything she had not to sink to her knees right then and there and break into sobs, the hopelessness and futility of it all overwhelming her. Finally, she had reached up to clutch the silver cross she wore, taking deep breaths and muttering a quiet prayer. When she opened her eyes again, she knew that she could keep going, at least for a little while.

            But now she couldn't get a hold of Jack. She had called him three times now, and every time his phone went to voicemail. She cursed again, momentarily at a loss for what to do next. Finally, she dialed another number.

            "Almeida."

            "Tony!"

            "Ava? What's wrong?"

            "Where the HELL is Jack?"

            "He's at the hotel dealing with the Alexis Drazen thing."

            "I need to talk to him. Now."

            "Why? What's wrong?" he repeated.

            She sighed. "They're gone, Tony," she whispered, and he could hear the tears in her voice.

            "What?"
            "They're gone," she repeated, her voice strong again. "The agents are dead. Teri and Kim are gone."

            "Fuck."

            "Pretty much."

            "So what are you going to do?"

            She walked across the lawn, not even bothering with the path as she headed back to her car in the driveway. Looking out across the road, she stopped suddenly, a frown on her face.

            "Ava?"

            "I think I know what direction they went in."

            "How?"

            "Skid marks. All over the road. This is a quiet neighborhood. Skid marks aren't the norm."

            "So…what? You're going to drive around, hoping you catch up to them?"

            "Do you have a better plan?"

            "No, but…dammit, Ava! This was supposed to be an easy job. It wasn't supposed to turn into another harrowing adventure."

            She shrugged. "It is what it is, Tony. And with Jack busy, I'm the only one that has a chance of helping them."

            "Alright. Fine. But you keep me updated, you understand?"

            "Yeah, yeah. Talk to you soon."

 

88888888888888888888888888888888888

 

            Tony sighed as he hung up the phone. It seemed like every time he turned around, Ava was in some kind of peril. He chuckled as he realized that he usually spent most of his time arguing with her and causing her trouble. But something had shifted today. He didn't want to fight with her anymore; he didn't want her to think that he hated her. The truth was, he wanted to get to know her better. She was the most interesting person he'd met in a long time, and he thought that they could be good friends if it weren't for Nina.

            His thoughts shifted as he pondered his girlfriend – or soon to be ex-girlfriend. He hadn't realized that he'd made his decision until he told Ava that he wasn't going to let Nina control him like that. Tony sighed as he realized that he had never loved her – he had just been so surprised when she seemed to show an interest in him. He supposed it had something to do with his inferiority complex towards Jack, but he didn't want to admit that he had taken the man's leftovers just to prove something to himself.

            He was jarred out of his thoughts by the phone on his desk ringing again. Torn between hope and fear, he reached out and picked up the receiver.

            "Tony Almeida."

            "I need to speak to Jack Bauer."

            "I’m sorry, Agent Bauer isn't available. Can I help you?"

            "What about Nina Meyers? Is she there?"

            Something clicked in Tony's head.

            "Kim?"

            "Yeah. Is Nina there?"

            "No, she's with your dad. We know something happened at the safe house Kim. Are you alright?"

            "I'm fine, but…I don't know where my mom is."

            "Okay, just tell me where you are. I'll come get you."

            "What about Ava?"

            "She's out looking for you. Tell me where you are, Kim. I'll call her and let her know. She'll come get you."

            There was a long pause.

            "No, I don't think so."

            "Kim, you need to trust me."

            "No. I don't know you. You could be working with them."

            "Kim-"

            "I'll only talk to my dad or Ava or Nina."

            "They're not here, Kim. They're in the field. Just let me-"

            "I'm sorry."

            The line went dead and Tony slammed the receiver back into its cradle, swearing loudly. Mason walked over to him, a concerned expression on his face.

            "Who was that?"

            Tony sighed. "Kim Bauer. The safe house was hit, George. Ava was just there. The agents are dead."

            "What?"

            "She's looking for Teri and Kim and now."

            "Did Kim tell you where she was?"

            "No. She said she'd only talk to Jack, Ava or Nina. I got a partial trace. I'm working on it now." He paused. "We need to call Jack. Let him know what's happened."

            "No," George said firmly.

            "What? George, he deserves to know that his family is in danger."

            "It will only distract him. We need him focused, Tony. The senator's life depends on it."

            "This isn't right."

            "Maybe not. But it's what needs to be done." He frowned as Tony picked up the phone again. "Who are you calling?"

            "Ava. I can update her, right?"

            "Yeah. And keep me posted on what she's doing. I want to know if she finds them."

            "Will do."

 

8888888888888888888888888

 

            The phone rang a couple times before Ava managed to fish it out of her pocket and flip it open.

            "Connelly."

            "Any luck yet?"

            "You know, I suddenly have oodles of respect for crime scene guys."

            "Why?"

            "Because they focus on the tiniest things, like skid marks, and manage to figure EVERYTHING out."

            "Does that mean you're having trouble?"

            "This shit is HARD, Tony. I keep stopping – wait."

            "What?"

            "Hang on."

            She pulled the car over to the side of the road and got out. It had been a little while since she'd seen any skid marks, but there hadn't been any turnoffs. She was sure that they had come this way. But the marks on the road in front of her were different from the others. The road was straighter here, and there was really no reason for the tires to have made any tracks on the pavement. These looked like somebody had stopped suddenly…

            Turning to her left, she saw a dirt path running back in the direction she had come from. She put the phone back up to her ear as she headed towards it, her heart pounding in her chest.

            "Ava?"

            "I think I might have found something."

            She froze as she looked over the edge of the cliff – down below were the smoking remains of a car that were still burning in places. Ava nearly dropped the phone as she stared in shock and fear.

            "Ava!"

            "Fuck," she whispered.

            Then she was scrambling down the rocks, trying to get to the wreckage as fast as she could. Coughing as she breathed in the smoke, she searched the car and then the area surrounding it, relief flooding over her.

            "Tony?"

            "Ava, what the hell is going on?"

            "I found a car. It looks like one of the Bauers'. It's a burning wreck."

            Tony's heart stopped.

            "Did you find…"

            "They're not here. There aren't any bodies. It looks like it went over the edge and crashed. They must have jumped out."

            He breathed a sigh of relief, and then suddenly remembered why he had called her in the first place.

            "Kim," he said. "She called. A few minutes ago."

            "What? Where is she?"

            "I don’t know."

            "What do you mean?"

            "She wouldn't tell me. She only trusts a few people, Ava. I'm not one of them. I couldn't get her to tell me." He paused. "I got a general area of where she called from, though. She didn't stay on long enough to get a full trace."

            "Are there any payphones in the area?"

            "Two. I've got Milo getting the logs of any calls made recently. We'll find her, Ava."

            "Alright. Call me back as soon as you know anything."

 

88888888888888888888888

 

            It didn't take long for Tony to call her back.

            "We found it."

            Ava sighed with relief. "Where?"

            "Down on Somerset. But there was a call made right after she called me."

            "To who?"

            "A woman – Melanie Jackson. She lives in Echo Park. You want the address?"

            "Yeah. The chances that someone else made the call are slim. With any luck, I'll find Kim in Echo Park."

 

888888888888888888888888

 

            George Mason looked up as there was a knock on the door.

            "Come in," he called.

            Tony stepped in, shutting the door behind him.

            "I just talked to Ava. She's on her way to Echo Park to look for Kim."

            "Why Echo Park?"

            "A call was made from the payphone Kim used right after I talked to her. It went to an address there. We think maybe she called someone for help and went to see them."

            "That's pretty thin, Tony."

            "I know, but it's all we have right now."
            "Alright. Thanks for the update." He turned back to the paperwork on his desk, but noticed after a few moments that Tony was still standing there. "Was there something else you needed?" he finally asked.

            "I think we need to tell Jack."

            "No."

            "Look, George, this is his family. They've been in danger all day, and he deserves to know that they're not safe."

            "It will only jeopardize the mission."

            "Dammit, George! Stop treating this like a job for a minute. We're talking about a scared mother and her teenage daughter. They're out there, with people after them who want nothing more than to use them and then kill them. All the trouble they’ve faced today is connected with the hit on Palmer. How can you expect Jack to work this out when he can't see the whole picture?"

            "I said no, Tony. I will not distract him from the task at hand."

            Tony sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine. Then give me some agents."

            "For what?"

            "To search for Teri and Kim."
            "You've already got Ava."

            "She's not enough."

            Mason chuckled. "I'll tell her you said that."

            "I'm serious! Kim and her mother got separated. We have no idea where Teri is right now. We need more than one agent on this and you know it!"

            "And where will you send them, Tony?" Mason asked, his voice rising in anger. "Like you said, we have no idea where Teri Bauer is. Are you just going to send them off on a wild goose chase? We have a serious threat aimed at a U.S. senator. I need all available agents on that and on that only. You're lucky I haven't dragged Ava's ass back here – she's one of the best we've got and I'm letting her run around after Jack's family. Now this discussion is over. Get back down to the floor and back to doing your job."

            He wanted to argue more, but he knew that he had pushed as far as he could with Mason. Resisting the urge to slam his fist onto the desk, he left the room silently. Instead of heading back to his station, however, he veered to the right and went down to the locker rooms. He wasn't sure if any agents would be there, but he was hoping to find at least one.

            When he opened the door, he found Monroe standing with his back to him. The young black agent was a friend of Ava's, and Tony thought he was lucky that it was him he found.

            "Hey, Monroe," he greeted.

            The agent turned, a big smile on his face.

            "Almeida. What's up?"

            "I need a favor."

            "Uh-oh. Higher ups not giving you what you want?"

            "Like usual. You heard about what happened to Bauer's family today?"

            The smile faded. "Yeah, man. We all heard. They okay?"

            "We don't know. The safe house was attacked. All the agents are dead."

            "What?"

            "Ava's out trying to track Kim down. But we have no idea where Jack's wife is."

            "And you need my help?"

            Tony nodded. "I need you to sit on the Bauer residence. There's a chance the people chasing Teri might show up there looking for her. Or she might show up, not knowing where else to go. Either way, it will help us."

            "Why won't Mason assign someone?"

            "He says we need everyone on the Palmer threat."

            "He's right you know."

            "Yeah."

            "But so are you. If the bastards who have been after the Bauers all day are the same ones trying to kill Palmer, then I don't see how we can lose if we try to find those women."

            Hope flared in Tony's chest.

            "So you'll do it?"

            "Yeah, I'll do it. Just make sure Ava knows she owes me one."

 

88888888888888888888888888888888888

 

            Ava frowned as she parked across the street from the address that Tony had given her. There were a few cars in the driveway, and she could hear yelling coming from the kitchen. Checking to make sure she was armed, she got out of the car slowly, her balance still iffy from the pain meds she was on. Her shoulder was a little stiff, and she silently vowed to spend the next week in bed after this was all over.

            She moved toward the voices, seeing that they were coming through a screen door that led into the kitchen. As she got closer, she recognized Kim and that guy that had helped them escape from the compound. Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved faster, opening the door and striding into the kitchen.

            "Kim!"

            The teenager stopped talking abruptly and turned, her eyes widening in surprise.

            "Ava? What are you doing here?"

            "Looking for you. Can't you stay out of trouble for just a couple hours? I'm really getting tired of tracking your ass down."

            "I can't find Mom," Kim told her, her voice wavering. "I just want to find her and get my dad and go home."

            Ava reached out a hand and held it against Kim's cheek. "I know," she said gently. "This will all be over soon. Let's get you out of here and back to CTU."

            "What about my mom?"

            "We'll find her."

            "How do you know that?"

            Ava smiled. "I keep finding you, don't I?"

            She turned Kim toward the door and started pushing her in that direction, grateful that finding her had been much easier this time, and much less painful. As Kim reached out her hand to push the door open, a hand clamped down roughly on Ava's left shoulder and dragged her backwards.

            "Where the hell do you think you're going?" a voice demanded.

            "Frank!" the guy yelled – Ava thought his name was Rick. "Let her go!"

            "No," Frank responded, pushing her into the wall and pulling out his gun. "I said nobody leaves until this thing is done!"

            "You REALLY don't want to fuck with me today," Ava warned.

            "Is that a threat?"

            "Yes."

            "What's a little girl like you going to do?" He pressed the muzzle of the gun against her head. "I could kill you right here, right now."

            "No," she replied. "You couldn't."

            A quick uppercut to Frank's chin sent him backwards, and Ava quickly grabbed the hand holding the gun and twisted. She almost had the weapon out of his grasp when she looked up and saw another guy with a gun to Kim's head.

            "Drop it," he ordered, cocking the gun.

            Seething, Ava let go of Frank and stepped away from him, her hands raised so that they could see she was cooperating. Frank stood up and glared at her, rubbing his wrist. There was blood coming from his mouth, and she suspected that he had bit his tongue when she punched him. He walked up to her, and without any change in expression, backhanded her and sent her sprawling across the floor.

            "Nobody leaves," he repeated.

 

8888888888888888888888888888888888

 

            "Where are you going?" Tony asked as Mason walked past his station.

            The director stopped. "I'm going with Jack."

            "Why?"

            "Because somebody needs to keep an eye on him. First Elizabeth Nash goes crazy and almost kills Alexis Drazen. And now our other lead is dead because Teddy Hanlin couldn't put his past with Jack away. There's been too many screw-ups today. The address that Senator Palmer managed to dig up from the missing Drazen file was in the same grid where that guy was supposed to cut the power. It's worth checking out."

            "Alright. You'll keep us posted?"

            "Don't worry, Tony. We won't keep you out of the loop." He paused. "Nina will be coming in soon. Update her and keep looking for other leads. This has got to break soon. One way or another."

 

888888888888888888888888888888888

 

            "You've had an exciting day," Tony murmured as Nina walked up to his station.

            "Between trying to keep Alexis Drazen from dying and trying to keep Teddy Hanlin from killing Jack, it's been loads of fun." She leaned against his desk. "So what have I missed here?"

            He gave her a long look before answering. "The safe house was hit."

            Nina stared at him in utter shock. "What?"

            "The agents are dead. Kim and Teri are missing. Ava's hunting Kim down as we speak."

            "Why didn't you call us?"

            "Mason said not to."

            "That's a pathetic excuse, Tony! We've been ignoring orders all day! Jack deserves to know that his family is in danger again."

            "That's exactly what I told George."

            Nina leaned over and picked up Tony's phone, slamming her finger into the numbers.

            "Mason."

            "You're an ass, George."

            "Excuse me?"

            "How dare you keep this kind of information from Jack!"

            "Yes, we'll have to check into that."

            "He's there, isn't he? Sitting right next to you?"

            "I see your point."

            "George, you have to tell him."

            "No, no. We'll talk about that later."

            "George-"

            "Thanks for keeping me updated."

            The line went dead, and Nina stared at the receiver with barely-restrained fury. Leaning over again, she punched in another number.

            "Who are you calling?"

            "Jack." She sighed in frustration as the phone went directly to voicemail. "Dammit!"

            "He's not picking up?"

            "I think it's off." She hung up, slamming the receiver back into its cradle. "This isn't right, Tony. He deserves to know."

            "I know."

            "So what do we do?"

            "Nothing." When Nina shot him a glare, he sighed. "There's nothing we can do."

 

88888888888888888888888888888888

 

            "This is a stupid idea," Ava repeated.

            "I told you to shut up, bitch!" Frank screamed at her.

            She winced at the shrillness of his voice. His desperation was obvious and growing by the minute. The drug deal that he had set up was falling down around his ears, but he refused to admit it. The suppliers would be there any minute, expecting to be paid for the product they were delivering. But from what Ava could figure out, the money wasn't there, because it was the money Gaines was supposed to pay Rick and his partner. But they had never been paid, and Frank was convinced that their only option now was to rip-off the dealers.

            They hadn't patted her down – just more evidence that they weren't thinking or planning clearly. Her gun was tucked into the back waistband of her jeans, and she had positioned herself against a far wall when Frank ordered them all into the living room. She didn't really think she could take all of them on at once, but if it came down to that, at least she could defend herself and Kim as they tried to make their escape.

            Her thoughts were interrupted as a group of men walked into the room. A couple of them carried large duffle bags, and Ava surmised that the drugs were in there. All the players were in the room then, and Ava's entire body tensed as she realized that things were coming to a head.

            "You got the money?" one of the dealers asked.

            He wasn't a large man, and his curly blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail that reached to his shoulder blades. She could tell by the way his clothes fell on him that he was carrying, but she doubted that that would change the plan.

            "You got the product?" Frank retorted.

            The blonde man nodded to his associates and they put the bags on the coffee table. One of them unzipped and pulled them open, showing that they were full to the brim with drugs.

            Frank smiled as he looked down at the merchandise, and then quickly pulled his gun, pointing it at the blonde man.

            "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

            "Change in plans," Frank explained. "You're gonna leave the drugs and just walk away."

            "Like hell, man. You're gonna pay us!"

            He pulled out his gun, as did his companions. Frank was now outnumbered four to one, but the smile on his face never faded.

            "Boys," he called over his shoulder.

            From the kitchen came the rest of Frank's guys, each toting at least one firearm. They calmly flanked their leader, keeping their weapons trained on the dealers. The blonde man looked as though he wanted to start something, but then thought better of it. They were outnumbered and out-gunned, and he apparently decided that the money wasn't worth his life. Nodding to his companions, they each set down their weapons and put their hands up.

 

888888888888888888888888

 

            "You're tense," Nina observed as Tony paced near his desk.

            "I can't get a hold of Monroe."

            "What do you need him for?"

            "I sent him to sit on Jack's house."

            Nina frowned. "Why?"

            "I figured that whoever is looking for Teri and Kim might watch the house, hoping that one or both of them would show up."

            "Did Mason agree to this?"

            Tony paused. "No. He said we couldn't spare anyone to look for them. He said I was lucky he was letting Ava look."

            "He's handling this wrong."

            "I know."

            "So what are you going to do?"

            He leaned his hands on the desk, silent as he thought. He hadn't heard from Ava since he'd given her the address in Echo Park, and he was afraid to call her in case she was in the middle of trying to rescue Kim. Monroe's silence was unsettling…he was a good agent and always kept in contact with CTU. The fact that he wasn't answering his phone meant that there was something wrong.

            Grabbing his cell phone and keys, he pushed himself away from the desk and headed for the door.

            "Where are you going?" Nina called after him.

            "To check on Monroe."

 

888888888888888888888888

 

            Tony knew that something had gone horribly wrong the second he pulled into the driveway. As he got out of the car, he dialed Monroe's number again. Raising the phone to his ear, his arm froze halfway as he heard a cell phone ring from somewhere in the bushes on the side of the house. He closed his phone without hanging up and pulled out his gun, moving slowly across the yard. When he rounded the corner, he stopped in his tracks, shock rippling through him.

            Monroe lay sprawled out on the ground, blood seeping from a gunshot to the chest. Tony knelt beside him, desperately searching for a pulse and breathing a sigh of relief when he found it. It was faint – the agent was very close to death. He called it in as an agent down, keeping his voice low; there was every reason to think that the shooter was still on the premises.

            A sudden yell from inside the house forced him away from Monroe's body as he ran toward the back door. He slowed once he was inside, stepping lightly so that he wouldn't alert anyone to his presence. The kitchen and hallway were clear, and he moved on toward the living room.

            A man stood with his back to him, his gun held out in front of him. Tony craned his neck to see around him, and his eyes widened as he saw Teri Bauer on her hands and knees behind the couch, cringing from the bullet she expected to come at any moment.

            Without any hesitation, Tony took aim and fired three shots, all of which plunged into the back of the would-be assassin. Teri looked up in surprise when she realized that she was still alive, and sobbed with relief when she saw Tony moving toward her.

 

8888888888888888888888888

 

            As the tension in the room grew thick enough to choke a person, Ava wondered if she could grab Kim and slide out the back. There was no one in the kitchen now, and she doubted if Frank wanted to jeopardize his drugs and his life just to chase them down. If he turned to deal with them, there was every chance that the dealers would pick their weapons back up and open fire. Nobody wanted that – except maybe the dealers.

            Moving slowly, she pushed herself away from the wall and moved her gaze to Kim, trying to catch the girl's attention. Melanie, Rick's girlfriend, caught her eye instead, and she glowered at Ava. The agent got the feeling that she wasn't the easiest girl in the world to get along with. Returning the glare, she continued to try and communicate silently with Kim. After what seemed like an eternity, the teenager finally seemed to understand, and she began to slowly drift toward Ava.

            Just when she thought they might actually be able to get away with it, the game changed. The sound of crashing doors and heavy footsteps suddenly surrounded them as a SWAT team descended on the house. The blonde man pulled another weapon and pointed it at Frank.

            "You're under arrest, asshole."
            It was then that Ava realized the whole thing had been a setup. The dealers were undercover narcotics agents, and they had planned the deal as a bust. She sighed in relief – at least there wasn't going to be a shootout.

            "Arrest them," the undercover cop ordered. "All of them."

            As Ava was slammed into the wall and her arms yanked behind her back, it dawned on her that things had just gotten a lot more complicated.