Thursday, November 30, 2006
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 2
Jack's hand closed around Kiefer's, shaking it out of obligation but feeling a lot more like punching his lights out. Maybe if he shot him right here and now, Chapelle would let him get back to what was important. But instead, he folded a bit of a smile around his lips and nodded shortly, releasing the hand of the man he was supposed to baby-sit for god knew how long.
"Please, come this way Mr. Sutherland." Chapelle said, taking him by the arm and directing him to Nina's station. Jack nearly choked at Chapelle's tone of voice.
"This here is Special Agent Nina Meyers. She's the head of our Communications Department, everything filters through her basically."
Jack noticed how nervous Nina was shaking the man's hand. Her eyes were going back and forth and her veins showed so he could tell her heart was pounding.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Special Agent Meyers." Kiefer said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on it.
Jack fought back his nausea when he did this and rolled his eyes. The moment Chapelle guided Kiefer to the situation room, Jack stepped up to Nina and whispered a few words into her ear.
"You're worse than Kim."
It made her chuckle and she sat down at her station, realizing how badly she was shaking. Jack followed Chapelle into the situation room but got a devastating look because he hadn't been right behind them.
"Start up the program Bauer." Chapelle snapped and Jack hurried to the table.
This was not the moment to get into a squabble with Chapelle. He sat at the computer and started up the program, but three seconds into it, he got a pop-up window warning him no disk had been inserted. He checked the disk drive and it was indeed empty. That drive should always hold an empty disk. Chapelle was looking down on him, angry for yet another delay in this thing and he placed his hands on his hips again, displaying his aggravation for everybody.
"Well? Get a disk Bauer."
Jack was already up and on the move by the time he spoke and he almost froze in his tracks, reached for the doorknob while straightening his back and walked out of the room. Chapelle didn't see him grit his teeth to keep from blowing his top. He crossed the floor and called out to Nina.
"Who was in the situation room last? There's no disk in there."
"I don't know who last used it Jack." Nina said, already reaching into a drawer to retrieve a disk for him.
"Find out and tell them off." Jack growled. "I just got my head bashed over it and I haven't been in the situation room since yesterday's briefing."
"I'll get right on it." He reached for the disk, but Nina didn't let go of it, forcing him to look at her again. "You know what I just noticed?"
"What did you just notice Nina?" Jack asked a little aggravated.
"You look like him." Nina replied. Jack blinked and when he looked at her again, he knew she was completely serious about this.
"Yeah right." Jack chuckled as he ripped the disk from her hand. "If I looked like him, I'd hang myself." Jack growled, his gaze shifting back to the man sitting in the situation room. "I can't believe Chapelle is serious about this."
He marched back to the situation room and entered without hesitation. He sat down again and inserted the disk into the drive, looking up and meeting Kiefer's eyes. An apologetic smile played on his face when he explained in short.
"There's always supposed to be an empty disk in here, I don't know who worked here last but they forgot to replace it."
Kiefer nodded quietly. Jack could tell he was edgy, nervous. Uncomfortable even.
"There you go, all set." Jack said seconds later.
The program had booted again and had found the disk, moving on to open the file they needed.
"So, tell me mister Sutherland, how did this thing start?" Jack asked, looking up from the keyboard again. Chapelle interrupted before Kiefer could reply.
"I'll handle this agent Bauer."
"Yes sir." Jack said quietly, pushing up from the chair and stepping away from it.
Chapelle took his place and gave Kiefer what he believed to be a reassuring smile, unaware of Jack's glare and gritted teeth. He moved over to the door and took up his position, standing at ease. He watched Chapelle with a grim look on his face, his anger rooting deeper with every minute that passed. This was not going to be a pleasant assignment. He already hated the mere idea of having to function as a bodyguard to some or other VIP. That was not what he was getting paid for. He was paid to stop terrorists from attacking what was dear to him. If this guy had stepped on someone's toes, that was his problem, there were plenty of bodyguards for hire and he wouldn't be the first Hollywood star to get protection.
But the fact Chapelle was treating him like this made his blood boil and he knew he would come to regret it if he blew up at him. Especially in front of the man he was supposed to protect. So he sucked it up.
Chapelle went over a number of questions and Jack bit his tongue a few times, wanting to interfere and elaborate on something, but he chose not to. He would spend a lot of time with the man, he could fill in the blanks as he went. Jack listened with half an ear to Chapelle's nitwit questions, but his attention drifted to the large screen on the far wall. Information was displayed on it and he strained to read it from this distance.
"Jack!" Chapelle snapped noticing his absence of mind. Jack's head shot around, eyes locked on Chapelle at once. "Focus on this Jack. I'm on top of everything else." It only added to Jack's anger and Kiefer's discomfort. Nearly half an hour later, Chapelle rounded up, saving the information to the disk. He got up and extended his hand.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Sutherland, Special Agent Bauer will take it from here."
"Thank you." Kiefer replied softly, shaking Chapelle's hand.
Jack took a step to the side to let Chapelle by but remained near the door. The tension in the room was palpable once the door closed behind him. Kiefer stayed in the chair and Jack stayed near the door, avoiding eye-contact. Both of them were uncomfortable, but they would have to find a way to get through it.
Kiefer was the first to break the silence.
"You don't like me do you?"
The sound of his voice surprised Jack and he looked at him, squarely meeting his eyes. "No I don't." he replied calmly.
Kiefer chuckled at his response. "Well at least you're honest about it. Look, I didn't ask for this and I'm sure you have much better things to do," Kiefer continued, "I could ask him to assign someone else."
"He would need good grounds." Jack replied calmly.
"I can tell him I don't feel comfortable."
"That won't do, he'd only come down on me because I make you feel uncomfortable. I made a mistake and this is his idea of punishment. I won't get away from it that easily."
"Well I guess we're both stuck then, aren't we?"
"I guess."
"I'd like to go over a few things with you if that's alright." Jack continued, taking a seat at the computer again.
"Sure."
Jack opened the program again and accessed the file Chapelle had just saved. He scanned the information and noticed half of the required fields hadn't been filled. His shoulders dropped slightly as he realized this was another one of Chapelle's tricks to make him lose face. This was his assignment and he had to make sure the files were complete and up to date.
"Do you have any idea of who might be behind this?"
"No, none whatsoever." Kiefer replied, obviously stressed out.
"Can you tell me when and how this whole thing started?"
"Please, come this way Mr. Sutherland." Chapelle said, taking him by the arm and directing him to Nina's station. Jack nearly choked at Chapelle's tone of voice.
"This here is Special Agent Nina Meyers. She's the head of our Communications Department, everything filters through her basically."
Jack noticed how nervous Nina was shaking the man's hand. Her eyes were going back and forth and her veins showed so he could tell her heart was pounding.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Special Agent Meyers." Kiefer said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on it.
Jack fought back his nausea when he did this and rolled his eyes. The moment Chapelle guided Kiefer to the situation room, Jack stepped up to Nina and whispered a few words into her ear.
"You're worse than Kim."
It made her chuckle and she sat down at her station, realizing how badly she was shaking. Jack followed Chapelle into the situation room but got a devastating look because he hadn't been right behind them.
"Start up the program Bauer." Chapelle snapped and Jack hurried to the table.
This was not the moment to get into a squabble with Chapelle. He sat at the computer and started up the program, but three seconds into it, he got a pop-up window warning him no disk had been inserted. He checked the disk drive and it was indeed empty. That drive should always hold an empty disk. Chapelle was looking down on him, angry for yet another delay in this thing and he placed his hands on his hips again, displaying his aggravation for everybody.
"Well? Get a disk Bauer."
Jack was already up and on the move by the time he spoke and he almost froze in his tracks, reached for the doorknob while straightening his back and walked out of the room. Chapelle didn't see him grit his teeth to keep from blowing his top. He crossed the floor and called out to Nina.
"Who was in the situation room last? There's no disk in there."
"I don't know who last used it Jack." Nina said, already reaching into a drawer to retrieve a disk for him.
"Find out and tell them off." Jack growled. "I just got my head bashed over it and I haven't been in the situation room since yesterday's briefing."
"I'll get right on it." He reached for the disk, but Nina didn't let go of it, forcing him to look at her again. "You know what I just noticed?"
"What did you just notice Nina?" Jack asked a little aggravated.
"You look like him." Nina replied. Jack blinked and when he looked at her again, he knew she was completely serious about this.
"Yeah right." Jack chuckled as he ripped the disk from her hand. "If I looked like him, I'd hang myself." Jack growled, his gaze shifting back to the man sitting in the situation room. "I can't believe Chapelle is serious about this."
He marched back to the situation room and entered without hesitation. He sat down again and inserted the disk into the drive, looking up and meeting Kiefer's eyes. An apologetic smile played on his face when he explained in short.
"There's always supposed to be an empty disk in here, I don't know who worked here last but they forgot to replace it."
Kiefer nodded quietly. Jack could tell he was edgy, nervous. Uncomfortable even.
"There you go, all set." Jack said seconds later.
The program had booted again and had found the disk, moving on to open the file they needed.
"So, tell me mister Sutherland, how did this thing start?" Jack asked, looking up from the keyboard again. Chapelle interrupted before Kiefer could reply.
"I'll handle this agent Bauer."
"Yes sir." Jack said quietly, pushing up from the chair and stepping away from it.
Chapelle took his place and gave Kiefer what he believed to be a reassuring smile, unaware of Jack's glare and gritted teeth. He moved over to the door and took up his position, standing at ease. He watched Chapelle with a grim look on his face, his anger rooting deeper with every minute that passed. This was not going to be a pleasant assignment. He already hated the mere idea of having to function as a bodyguard to some or other VIP. That was not what he was getting paid for. He was paid to stop terrorists from attacking what was dear to him. If this guy had stepped on someone's toes, that was his problem, there were plenty of bodyguards for hire and he wouldn't be the first Hollywood star to get protection.
But the fact Chapelle was treating him like this made his blood boil and he knew he would come to regret it if he blew up at him. Especially in front of the man he was supposed to protect. So he sucked it up.
Chapelle went over a number of questions and Jack bit his tongue a few times, wanting to interfere and elaborate on something, but he chose not to. He would spend a lot of time with the man, he could fill in the blanks as he went. Jack listened with half an ear to Chapelle's nitwit questions, but his attention drifted to the large screen on the far wall. Information was displayed on it and he strained to read it from this distance.
"Jack!" Chapelle snapped noticing his absence of mind. Jack's head shot around, eyes locked on Chapelle at once. "Focus on this Jack. I'm on top of everything else." It only added to Jack's anger and Kiefer's discomfort. Nearly half an hour later, Chapelle rounded up, saving the information to the disk. He got up and extended his hand.
"Thank you for your time Mr. Sutherland, Special Agent Bauer will take it from here."
"Thank you." Kiefer replied softly, shaking Chapelle's hand.
Jack took a step to the side to let Chapelle by but remained near the door. The tension in the room was palpable once the door closed behind him. Kiefer stayed in the chair and Jack stayed near the door, avoiding eye-contact. Both of them were uncomfortable, but they would have to find a way to get through it.
Kiefer was the first to break the silence.
"You don't like me do you?"
The sound of his voice surprised Jack and he looked at him, squarely meeting his eyes. "No I don't." he replied calmly.
Kiefer chuckled at his response. "Well at least you're honest about it. Look, I didn't ask for this and I'm sure you have much better things to do," Kiefer continued, "I could ask him to assign someone else."
"He would need good grounds." Jack replied calmly.
"I can tell him I don't feel comfortable."
"That won't do, he'd only come down on me because I make you feel uncomfortable. I made a mistake and this is his idea of punishment. I won't get away from it that easily."
"Well I guess we're both stuck then, aren't we?"
"I guess."
"I'd like to go over a few things with you if that's alright." Jack continued, taking a seat at the computer again.
"Sure."
Jack opened the program again and accessed the file Chapelle had just saved. He scanned the information and noticed half of the required fields hadn't been filled. His shoulders dropped slightly as he realized this was another one of Chapelle's tricks to make him lose face. This was his assignment and he had to make sure the files were complete and up to date.
"Do you have any idea of who might be behind this?"
"No, none whatsoever." Kiefer replied, obviously stressed out.
"Can you tell me when and how this whole thing started?"
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3 Comments:
That was even better ;)
I'm starting to think if Kiefer's problems did't start because of Jack's appearance.
Anyway, you can call me The Reader. :)
I'm happy you're enjoying the read so far joasui, but Jack is not bad news on this one ... except to the bad guys of course.
Thanks for leaving your comments,
Moody
(and you can call me The Writer ;-))
Yeah, I realized that when I read your introduction again :)
I always enjoy good work :)
Unfortunately, I won't be able to read it every day, but I'll try come here at least twice a week. I promise I'll keep commenting :)
Greetings
Joanna
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