failegaidin

Season 1 is officially done!! I will be continuing on through the seasons, but this feels like a very big milestone for me. Thanks to all those who have faithfully read and commented - it means a lot to me! Hopefully this weekend I'll make some more Tony/Ava icons, too.

Chapter 16

Ava tried desperately to keep from freaking out. After realizing what Nina was doing, she moved away from the doorway quickly, not wanting to be caught. Her mind reeled as she saw the implications of this new information. Everything they had done today, all the efforts that they had made, had all been undermined by someone that they trusted. Even when Ava had found out that Nina had been telling Tony lies about her, she had never suspected that the woman was actually working against them.

She moved down an empty corridor and leaned back against the wall. Closing her eyes, she tried to steady her breathing and make her brain slow down. Something had to be done, but she wasn't sure what. Her first instinct was to tell someone, but her options were limited with Jack out in the field. She couldn't tell Tony – there was a big chance that he wouldn't believe her, that he would think she was just trying to get back at Nina. If he told her of Ava's suspicions, she might be in even more trouble. The only other option was Mason, but she knew that he would demand proof. That was something she didn't have much of, and her dislike of Nina was well-known.

Sighing, Ava pushed herself off of the wall and started walking back towards the floor. She was just going to have to find the proof, then. And the only way to do that was to make sure that Nina never left her sight.

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Ava tried to look casual as she sat at her station. She had a Word document open, and her fingers were moving quickly, but she wasn't doing any actual work. The truth was, she hardly knew what to do with her work computer. She had signed on as a field agent, and she had only ever used computers for personal use and taking notes. The machines at CTU completely baffled her. But she could see Nina from her seat, and also hear what George was saying on the phone at a nearby station. He was talking to a highway patrolman, who had found a young girl claiming that she was the daughter of a federal agent. Ava typed the conversation on the computer as she listened. From what she could tell, Kim had been put on the phone and she was telling George something about where she had been taken.

Her eyes drifted over to Nina. The woman was standing a little distance away, but Ava could tell from the expression on her face and the way her hands idled over the files she was looking at, that she was listening intently to George's side of the conversation. There was nothing overtly suspicious about what she was doing, but Ava knew better. If the other woman was speaking Serbian, then she was talking to the very people CTU was fighting against. She knew those people, and she was passing them information.

When Mason hung up the phone, Ava logged off her computer and walked towards him. His face was haggard, and she could see that the stressful day was taking its toll on him.

"What was that all about?" she asked, causing him to stop at the foot of the stairs leading up to his office.

He turned to face her.

"That was Kim Bauer. She escaped from the Drazens. Apparently their waiting for Jack. She was the bait to lure him in so that they could kill him."

"But now that we know she's not there, we can keep him from going in, right?"

"Hopefully. Nina's going to call him now."

"I can do it," Ava suggested quickly.

"No, that's okay. Nina's already making the call."

He turned away and headed up the stairs. Ava's mind raced as she tried to figure out what her next move should be. Her gaze rested on somebody on the other side of the floor, and an idea formed.

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"Milo?"

"Hey, Ava," the young tech greeted her. "I hear you've had quite the rough day. Car accidents, getting shot…"

"Yeah, and I think it just got even more interesting."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I need your help."

"Okay. What's up?"

She took a deep breath.

"I can't tell you."

"That's not very fair, Ava," he pointed out.

"I know. But Milo, I don't know how to do the technology stuff. Please."

"You know you'll owe me, right?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Of course. So you'll help?"

"Yeah. What do you need?"

"I need to hear Nina's phone conversation."

"The one she's having right now?"

"Yes. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, that's easy."

"Thanks, Milo."

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"…and the prison schematics were messed with," Nina continued.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Tony confirmed it."

"Only a few people had access, Nina. That means that Tony, Mason or Chappelle is the mole. I need you to find out which one."

"I'm on it." Nina paused. "Look, Jack…we got a call from the coastal patrol."

"And?"

"They found a body."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. It's Kim. They just confirmed it."

There was silence on the other end.

"Are you sure?" he rasped.

"Yes."

He took a deep breath.

"I have to go, Nina."

"Jack, what are you planning?"

"I have to finish this."

"It's a trap. You know that."

"It doesn't matter."

"What about Teri?"

"I have to go. If I don't come back…"

"Jack!"

The line went dead. Ava quietly hung up the phone and stared across the floor at Nina. The pain in Jack's voice had struck her very core, but the older woman didn't seem fazed in the least. Without any hint that her ex-lover had just told her he was going to sacrifice himself, she turned to her computer and shut it down. Picking up a few files from her desk, she then walked off the floor and down one of the side corridors.

"What's wrong?" Milo asked when he saw Ava's face.

"I have to go do something," she said distantly. Then she raised her eyes to his. "You need to go to Mason. Tell him that Jack is walking into a trap. That he thinks Kim is dead and is going to go on a rampage. Tell him now."

"What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain it later. Go now, Milo. I'm serious."

He nodded and started to move away. Then he stopped and turned back around, a serious look on his face.

"Be careful," he said quietly.

She gave him a small smile.

"I will."

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She moved down the corridor slowly, unsure of what room Nina had gone in. Opening each door, Ava stuck her head in, listening for any noises that would indicate where the double agent had gone.

As she neared the end of the hall, she opened a heavy door leading into a room full of servers. A movement in the far corner caught her eye and she slipped in silently, moving until she had a clear view of Nina working on one of the computers. Everything looked normal until Ava noticed the gun within reach of the other agent's hand – it had a silencer on the end. Taking a deep breath, she moved out of the shadows.

"I always knew you were evil, Nina," she said, crossing her arms. "I just didn't realize quite how evil you actually are."

At the sound of Ava's voice, the older woman's head snapped up, fear in her eyes. But when she saw that she was standing there without any weapon trained on her, she smirked.

"So you came to play the little hero? Stop me from making my big getaway?"

"Something like that."

"I should have known it would come down to this in the end. You always find a way to get mixed up in things that are none of your business."

"Speaking of butting in, I heard about those lies you told Tony about me. Nicely done. He turned on me faster than you can imagine."

Nina shrugged. "I couldn't have you two being buddy-buddy in the end. Then you might have figured things out sooner." She paused. "How did you figure it out, by the way?"

"I overheard a few phone conversations. You talking in Serbian was the big giveaway." Ava took a step closer. "So, you and Tony…did you ever really care about him, or was he just a pawn in your game?"

Nina laughed. "He was so easy to manipulate. All he wanted to do was come out of things looking better than Jack. You should have seen the light in his eyes when I asked him out. He thought he'd make things work where Jack had failed."

"So you used him."

"Don't go feeling sorry for him, Ava. He used me, too. He never loved me. I was something to rub in Jack's face."

"Please tell me your motivation for all of this wasn't bitterness over something as petty as that."

"Of course not. It was money – plain and simple."

"Well, at least your motives were pure." She paused, looking around. "So what do we do now?"

"You're the one that followed me, remember?"

"I don't suppose you'd come quietly?"

"Sorry. Jail isn't exactly my plan for the future."

"So we duke it out? A duel between mortal enemies?"

"I don't have time for that."

Without any hesitation, Nina picked up the gun and aimed it at her. Ava's eyes widened and she leapt to the side, cursing loudly when she felt the bullet rip into her somewhere near her ankle. She rolled when she hit the ground, the force of impact jarring her whole body. Gritting her teeth, she managed to push herself up just in time to see Nina charging toward her, the gun no longer in her hands. Ava turned to face her, throwing a hard elbow into the side of her face. The other woman stumbled slightly, but recovered quickly and slammed her fist into Ava's gut.

Neither woman held back. There was no mercy, no reprieve. They brutalized each other, both taking out all of their anger and frustration on the other. Blood was drawn with almost every blow, but neither stopped to nurse their wounds.

Ava could feel her body starting to fail. Wounds from earlier in the day were screaming at her to just lie down and rest, to let them heal before she put them through this kind of torture. Her left shoulder was so bad that she could only throw punches with her right arm, and her right ankle was throbbing. Blood was pouring out of the wound, and she was pretty sure that the bullet was still lodged in her. She tried to put most of her weight on her left foot, but that was hard to do when she was constantly ducking and weaving. Her torso ached; her bruised ribs groaned in protest every time she twisted.

Finally, Nina landed a punch to her face that sent her sprawling to the ground. As Ava struggled to regain her feet, she looked up to see the older woman swinging a chair at her. It made contact with her back and head, sending her crashing to the floor again. Satisfied that the fight was over, Nina moved back to her computer, shutting it down and putting it in her bag.

"I'm sorry that I have to leave you," she said, her attention focused elsewhere. "But I have somewhere to be."

When Ava didn't respond, Nina looked up to see where she was. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the younger agent charging at her, a look of rage and desperation in her eyes. Nina reached into her bag, pulling something out. Then Ava slammed into her, knocking them to the ground. Her mouth opened in surprise as she looked down and saw that Nina had plunged a screwdriver deep into her left shoulder, right through the spot where she had been shot earlier. Blood was pouring from the wound and all the strength left her body. Nina smiled at her viciously, and still holding the handle of the screwdriver, she push Ava off of her, effectively driving the tool deeper.

"I'm leaving now," she said as she got back to her feet. "That was a nice try, though. You almost had me."

Ava lost consciousness as she heard the door slam shut.

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"Dammit, George! Nina is the mole!"

"You don't know that, Jack. You have no proof!"

"She called me and told me that Kim was dead! You said yourself that she knew Kim had been found by a highway patrolman and that she was fine."

"Yes, but I need proof, Jack!"

"Then I'll get you some," he growled.

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Mason stared in horror as he watched the video feed that Jack had sent to him. He saw Jamey Farrell sitting in a room, handcuffed to the table. Then Nina slipped in, wearing rubber gloves. Without any hesitation, she moved toward Jamey, breaking the tea cup that was next to her and using one of the shards to slit her wrists. The gloves masking her fingerprints, everyone would assume that it had been suicide.

He paused the video when Nina turned and looked right at the camera. Reaching over, he picked up the phone and called Division to tell them that there was a traitor in their midst.

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Tony stood numbly as Nina was led away in handcuffs. She had almost made a clean escape, but Jack had driven in at the last minute, forcing her car to crash in the parking garage. His mind reeled from everything that had just happened. He had never suspected Nina, but the proof was undeniable.

He found himself suddenly wondering about their relationship. How long had she been a double agent? Had she only been with him to use him? Tony silently cursed himself as he realized what an idiot he'd been. More than one person had told him that he was following her too blindly, that he was letting his emotions get in the way. And now it turned out that they were all right.

"Tony?"

His head jerked up and he saw Jack standing in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

He shrugged.

"Do you know where Ava is? I've been trying to call her and she's not picking up."

Tony frowned. At the mention of her name, he flashed back to the argument that he had had with her just a little while ago. He realized that Nina had been lying to him, that she had been trying to separate him from everybody else. Guilt starting building up in the pit of his stomach as he remembered the things he had said to her.

"You and she were never sleeping together, were you?"

Jack shook his head.

"No," he said gently. "I'm going to go find Teri and Kim. Will you go find Ava? Make sure she's okay?"

Tony nodded and turned to walk back into CTU. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed her work cell, but it went right to voicemail. Ava rarely remembered to keep the stupid thing on. He tried her station number as well, but she wasn't there, either. Rolling his eyes, he dialed her personal cell number, realizing that he should have tried that one first – she never went anywhere without it.

He continued walking, wandering aimlessly, the phone ringing against his ear. His mind drifted back to Nina and the way she had used him. But then a sound reached his ears and snapped him back to reality.

There's no time for us.
There's no place for us.
What is this thing that builds our dreams,
Yet slips away from us?

Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?

Tony recognized the song immediately. He knew that Ava was a Queen fan, and something tickled in the back of his mind as he remembered that he had heard the song coming from her phone once or twice. Then he stopped, suddenly realizing what he was hearing. Ava's phone was ringing nearby, and she wasn't picking up.

He pulled out his gun and moved forward slowly, checking each room on his way down the corridor. Finally, he found the door where the music was loudest. He opened it carefully, his gun out in front him. But he almost dropped it when his eyes rested on the scene before him.

Ava was lying on her back on the floor in a pool of her own blood. A yellow-handled screwdriver was stuck in her shoulder, and he saw that there was blood coming from her leg as well. He rushed to her side, turning her head and feeling for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Hands shaking, he dialed Mason's number and brought the phone to his ear. Then he reached out a hand and brushed the hair out of her face.

"Come on, Ava," he whispered. "Stay with me."