Tuesday, December 12, 2006
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 11
Jack shook her hand and got in the elevator, riding it up to the ground level again. He left the building, got back in his car and drove straight to CTU. He handed the memory stick to Nina and told her what was on it.
"Get someone on it as soon as you can. I'd like to get this thing over with."
"How is he?" Nina asked, "As a person I mean."
"He's a hard working professional," Jack replied, "a little like me … now get on that stick."
"Yes boss, sure thing boss, whatever you say boss." Nina stuttered, saluting and pretending to be impressed.
It always got a smile out of him and it did so now as well.
"Bauer!" Chapelle's voice shot through the room, "In my office on the double."
Jack crossed the floor and headed up the metal stairs to the office he hoped to soon call his.
"I thought you said you needed Almeida to pull off a decoy manoeuvre? What are you doing here?"
"I just got back from Mr. Sutherland's security company." Jack started to explain.
He knew Chapelle would only back off if he had something solid to offer.
"There's a video camera above his door and nobody had thought of checking the footage. I just spent two hours at the security company looking through it."
"Did you get anything?"
"I have recordings of every single drop since day one and I just put Nina on it. She'll put the data through face recognition."
"Do you need Almeida on this?"
"I wouldn't mind some back-up." Jack said, "The threats are getting more specific."
"What do you mean?"
"Yesterday's letter only contained one phrase: ‘don't attend the Golden Globes, you will not walk away'." Jack quoted.
"The Golden Globes are in three weeks and Mr. Sutherland is determined to attend."
"Then you have less than three weeks to make some arrests agent Bauer."
"I know sir, that's another reason why I wouldn't mind having Almeida backing me up."
"I'll assign him to you for the duration of this investigation. Don't fuck up again Bauer."
"I won't." Jack replied coldly.
"Now get back to it." Chapelle snapped, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
"Yes sir."
Jack left the office, nodded to Nina and left the building, got in his car and finally drove home to get that change of clothes. The house was empty, Kim was in school and Teri was probably out shopping or doing a presentation of her work. Either way, it was for the better. He scribbled a quick note and left it on the kitchen table, then headed upstairs to the master bedroom, picked out a set of clean clothes and went into the bathroom for a decent shower. He felt better stepping into the clean clothes and he packed a small bag before he left again, he could leave it in the car and change whenever he needed to. Even if it was only the shirt.
Then he made it back to the studios.
Kiefer was on a cigarette break when he drove up to the building and he joined him and Tony to fill them in on what had been found so far. He didn't have much, but at least they had something on record. Something they could work with.
"Chapelle assigned you to me for the duration of the investigation." Jack said to Tony, "I need you to get some sleep and meet us at his home tonight. I want you to take first watch and I'll take second."
"All right." Tony said quietly, "What time do you want me there?"
"Do you have any idea what time you'll be done here?" Jack asked Kiefer.
"None whatsoever. It could be five, it could be nine, it could even be midnight but I doubt it will. We've been making good progress, but we've got a couple of complicated scenes scheduled for this afternoon so it might run late."
"Be there at 8." Jack said to Tony, " If we leave earlier, I'll call you."
Tony checked his watch, he had a few hours of sleep ahead of him.
"Have you picked up your badge at security?"
"Not yet."
"Make sure to pick it up before you leave, you'll need it tomorrow."
Tony shook hands and left, steering his car to the main security gate and going in to collect his badge.
"They've never come two nights in a row." Kiefer said suddenly, "What makes you think they would now?"
"I don't know." Jack replied truthfully, "But I'd rather be ready to pursue if they do."
"So you're not saying you think I'm in immediate danger, you just want to be prepared for anything."
"That's right." Jack replied, hoping to set Kiefer's mind at ease again.
His tension had been audible in his voice and visible in his eyes. The specific threat about the Golden Globes worried him more than he was willing to show. They would have to work fast on this one or the man would collapse under the pressure, he might be playing a tough guy on TV; off screen he was just another human being, as vulnerable and open for attack as any other. Maybe even more so being a celebrity.
Kiefer finished another cigarette and they went back inside. The set had been changed again and they started rehearsing for the next scene, so Jack stayed out of the way, keeping a watchful eye on what was going on. They took a few more breaks but Kiefer only went out for a cigarette on one of them, he was too busy to smoke, too busy to even think about smoking.
Shortly after five, Jack's PDA buzzed in his pocket and he exited the studio to check the information he had received. The message was from Nina, and she was sending two files he needed to go over with Kiefer. They had several positive ID's on people who had dropped letters off and two of them could be linked back to Kiefer, Chapelle wanted to know what his relation to those people was.
He went back inside to see Kiefer in a heated discussion with two of the stuntmen and a cameraman, this was not the time to disturb him, Chapelle would have to wait a while. But not ten minutes later, Jack's cellphone buzzed and he left the studio again to answer the call.
"Bauer." he snapped without checking his display.
"Bauer, this is Chapelle, I'm still waiting for the information I requested." Chapelle snapped back.
"I'm sorry sir," Jack replied, backing down at once, he did not feel for another confrontation with Chapelle, "I haven't had an opportunity to go over the information with Mr. Sutherland."
"Why not?"
"Because they're filming sir, I can't just break it up and haul him out of the studio."
"This is important Bauer."
"I know it is sir. I'll ask him about it as soon as they take a break."
"Make them take a break, it's his life you're trying to save isn't it?"
"Yes sir, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Jack ended the call without waiting for Chapelle's reply. It didn't matter anyway, they had both said what they needed to say. But he had no intention whatsoever to interrupt the filming, Chapelle would have to wait. This whole thing was taking enough of a toll on Kiefer already, if he knew some of the people involved, it might be too much for him to handle. He would talk to him after work, no matter what Chapelle thought. He went back into the studio and took up his position behind the director's area to watch over the whole thing. He could see most of the set, but he could also see exactly what was going on in front of the camera's, which was more important since that was where Kiefer was most of the time. They took another break not much later and Kiefer went out for a smoke. He looked beat and Jack tagged along more for the company than for anything else.
"Are you okay?" he asked when they sat down at one of the tables, "You look tired."
Kiefer met his eyes and held his gaze for a long time, then he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"I'm knackered."
"Can't you call it quits?"
"There's only one more scene we need to finalize, I'd like to get it done, that way, I'm sure I'll have the weekend to myself."
…
"I saw you leave twice, did you get anything?"
"I got a call from Nina," Jack said, "we got a few positive ID's from those recordings. She called to let me know they've put a team on that. They'll be looking into the people we've identified, see if there's a history of anything similar. Most importantly we'll check if we have a current location on them and if we do, we'll pick them up for questioning."
"That's great." Kiefer exclaimed, his eyes brightening up instantly.
"That's absolutely fantastic, I didn't think you'd get a breakthrough so quickly. The cops have been ‘looking into it' for almost three months without finding anything at all. You come in and you get positive ID's in less than 2 days."
…
"That is your doing Jack. You thought of the security camera." Kiefer continued, intent on letting Jack know how he felt about it.
"I get paid to think of that kind of stuff." Jack replied, a shy smile playing on his face.
He wasn't used to getting compliments about his job.
"I hope they'll give you a raise after this, you deserve it."
Jack said nothing about the files he had on his PDA, he could always pretend he had gotten it shortly before they were done filming or even in the car on the way home, his PDA was on silent alarm anyway. Kiefer had three cigarettes in all, taking some time to relax and prepare for the next scene. It was obvious to Jack the news about the positive identification of people seen on the security tapes had a soothing effect on him, it allowed him to hope this whole situation might be over soon.
With his hopes up a little, he was better able to concentrate and the scene went a lot better than he himself would've thought before starting it. They did a few takes to make sure they had enough material to work with and called it a day. It was nearing 8 pm again and by the time Kiefer had showered and changed, it was well past 8.
"I don't know about you," Kiefer said when he got into the car, "but I need food."
"We had sandwiches brought in for lunch and I am in dire need to sink my teeth into a nice and juicy piece of meat."
"Where to?" Jack asked as he turned over the engine.
"Home." Kiefer replied, "There's an excellent steakhouse around the corner."
Jack drove the car out of the parking lot and steered it along the still densely travelled streets towards Kiefer's neighbourhood. It was mainly Hispanic and Jack was happy he had gotten Tony to back him up, he would easily blend into the crowd. He called him on his cell and Tony answered on the second ring.
"Tony it's Jack, we're about ten minutes out. What's your status?"
"Everything is quiet here Jack. No sign of any kind of hostility. But are you sure I'm looking at the right place? I've got a building with huge mural designs painted on it."
"That's the one Tony." Jack replied, "Have you had anything to eat yet?"
"No, I haven't had the time, I was thinking of grabbing a tortilla once you were inside."
"Forget that, we're heading out for dinner in the neighbourhood, I need you there. Meet us at the door, casually."
"Old friends style?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, you and him, not you and me."
"Got it."
They ended the call and Jack pocketed his cell again.
"Well, now's your chance to prove you're good at what you do." he said, giving Kiefer a sideways glance, "We're about to meet up with Tony outside your door. He's an old buddy of yours and you invite him for dinner to catch up on lost times. It'll explain why he joins us without raising suspicion."
"Hmm … that's gonna be quite a challenge for me Jack." Kiefer replied jokingly.
"I'll have to dig deep in order to pull that one off."
"Like I said, now's your chance to prove my daughter has a reason to like you."
They both chuckled and the tension of the situation was broken down. Jack rounded the corner and spotted Tony a few yards down the street, seemingly window shopping. He parked the car right in front of the door like he had done the previous evening, but this time, he simply went around the car and Kiefer got out when he had reached his door, making it all look more like he was a bodyguard doing his job, rather than on the verge of freaking out. They made it halfway to the door when Tony came into play.
"Kief? That you?"
Kiefer stopped and so did Jack, lowering his hand to his gun and shielding Kiefer from the man who had just spoken to him.
"Hey man, long time no see." Tony continued, approaching.
"Stay right there buddy." Jack snapped.
"It's okay Jack," Kiefer interjected, "he's a friend."
"Relax, it's okay."
"How's life?" he continued, addressing Tony this time, stepping around Jack.
"Ah, I'm just chillin'." Tony replied, stepping into Kiefer's embrace.
"It's good to see you again." Kiefer said, giving him a couple of hearty slaps on the back.
Tony played his part to perfection, returning the hug, a big smile on his face.
"Who's he?" Tony asked when they stepped back.
"Bodyguard." Kiefer said, rolling his eyes, "Fox is going crazy on me."
"Why's that, you been chasing the cuties a bit too much to their likings?"
"Looks like one mean chaperone they set you up with." Tony continued, chuckling.
Jack gave him a cold look, but remained unresponsive to the teasing.
"He's okay, don't worry about him."
"So, what are you up to these days?"
"Nothin' much. You?"
"Still the same."
"You'll never change, will you."
"Why change, I like me the way I am."
"Hey, do you reckon we could go for a drink or some. Catch up a little."
He paused, giving Jack another playful look.
"If your chaperone lets you."
"How about dinner instead?" Kiefer replied, "I just got off work and I'm starving."
"Sure, if it's okay by the chaperone." Tony chuckled.
He was really getting into it and Jack made a mental note of it. It could prove a serious asset for undercover work.
"The chaperone's name is Jack Bauer." Jack replied dryly, "You can address me as Jack or sir, even though I would prefer the latter."
"Wow, touchy hey." Tony teased again.
"Come on, let's go." Kiefer chuckled, putting his arm around Tony's shoulders again and heading off in the direction of the steakhouse he had in mind.
They made it to the steakhouse without encountering any problems and Jack requested a table, preferably a booth near the rear, away from the kitchen, the restrooms and the entrance but near an emergency exit. They got exactly what he had in mind and he placed Kiefer with his back to the door, facing away from the largest part of the room, put Tony next to him and sat opposite them himself.
"So?" Kiefer asked, fighting back a smile, "Did I do good?"
"I'm not that easily convinced." Jack replied, fighting back a smile of his own.
"You on the other hand," he continued, addressing Tony, "are a natural. I'll remember this next time we need to put someone undercover."
His words boosted Tony's confidence and he sat up a little straighter. Jack was his boss after all, whether he got the position of Special Agent in Charge or not, he would still be his boss and Tony had to answer to him first. Getting this vote of confidence in his skills made him feel great.
They ordered their food and struck up a conversation, wisely avoiding the subject of the threats and chatting about acting, movies and music instead. Kiefer had some wine with his dinner but both Jack and Tony stayed away from alcohol, they were on duty and couldn't afford a drink, even if Kiefer tried to convince them to have one. He gave up trying after a while and just ordered a glass of wine with his dinner. The food was excellent and the personnel discreet, they all knew Kiefer, had known him for years and nobody gawked at him anymore. That was the reason why Kiefer liked to go out here, everybody knew him and they had all come to know him as just the next guy and not some hotshot celebrity.
Kiefer picked up the tab, not wanting to hear any of their objections and they ended up giving in. Jack decided it would be best if Tony tagged along and joined them inside ‘for a last drink', after what he would leave and take up his surveillance post. Jack stayed half a step behind them, bringing up the rear and they reached Kiefer's home without any trouble. Kiefer opened the door and went in first, supposedly to keep the dog calm. Tony stayed with him while Jack made a quick pass, finding the place clear as he had expected it to be, otherwise, Molly wouldn't have been so excited and happy.
They all headed upstairs to Kiefer's apartment and Jack finally brought up the information Nina had sent him.
Kiefer gave him a long stare.
"When did you get this?"
"This afternoon," Jack replied truthfully, "I didn't want to interrupt your work. You had a hard enough time concentrating as it was."
"I appreciate that."
"Let's have a look at what you've got."
Jack opened the first file and showed the PDA to Kiefer who gasped at once seeing the name at the top of the screen.
"You're kidding me right?"
"Why?"
"Where did you get this file?"
"Nina sent it to me, this is one of the positive ID's we got from the security tapes."
"Impossible." Kiefer replied harshly, "I don't believe you."
"Hey, I'm just on the receiving end of this." Jack said, trying to calm things down again.
"I have no idea how she got to this information, I got it and Chapelle told me to ask you about it."
"Who is it?"
Kiefer gave him a long and hard stare, thinking about what he was going to say, how he was going to put it. He had been wrong reacting like that to Jack, it wasn't his fault, he was just relaying the information.
"It's someone I've worked with on several occasions." Kiefer started, "Someone I have a special connection with."
"This can't be right. It can't be."
"Where did they get this information?"
"The data from the security tapes has been put through face recognition software. If enough points match, the program can tell you who you're looking at even if you can't see the entire face." Jack explained.
"I don't believe it." Kiefer said again, "I want to see where they got it. I want to see this with my own eyes and I want to see it now."
"We'd have to go to CTU." Tony said.
"Then we go to CTU." Kiefer replied coldly.
"Okay, let's go." Jack said, closing the file on his PDA again.
"One car?" Tony asked.
"Negative." Jack replied, "Remember you're the old buddy."
"You leave first, we'll be ten minutes behind you."
"Do I wait for you?"
"Drive slow, I'll catch up."
"Okay."
Tony set out and Jack and Kiefer waited by the door. Ten minutes after Tony had left, Jack and Kiefer went out to his car and set out as well, driving at a speed slightly above the speed limit, knowing Tony would be driving slightly under the speed limit. They would catch up in a few minutes. Jack called Nina and told her to meet them at CTU, he needed her to repeat the process. She didn't like the idea but she followed her orders and jumped in her car. She reached CTU minutes after Tony and Jack did and the moment she walked into the building and saw Kiefer, her bad mood shifted.
"I need you to show me the tape that matches this file." Jack said without introduction, he didn't like to waste time.
He showed her the file Kiefer had reacted to and she set to work at once.
Minutes later, she pulled up the correct sequence and she played it at Kiefer's request. He was making her nervous, the good kind of nervous, but she tried to hide it as best she could. Jack would have her skin if she let her feelings get in the way. Right now, a job needed to be done. Kiefer studied the image on the screen intently and made her loop it, freeze it, zoom in and advance frame by frame. Twenty minutes later, he pushed up and looked Jack squarely in the eye.
"I don't know what software you use, but that is not the man you think he is."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I'm positive. You're program is wrong."
"Nina, run that through the face recognition again." Jack ordered.
It took her a moment to fire up the system, but within minutes, it was running smoothly.
"Okay, how about this one?" Jack asked, showing Kiefer the other file on his PDA.
Kiefer looked at the name, at the picture, read the file, racked his brain to remember. Recollection flirted with him, but it stayed beyond his reach, he could remember shards of conversations, single images as well. He knew this guy. But where from?
He ran his hands through his hair and laced his fingers behind his head, pulling forward but pushing his head backward at the same time and he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a long moment.
God he needed a cigarette.
He reached for his pack and plucked one out. He struck a light without thinking and lit up his cigarette, taking a long puff, filling his lungs with the poison he knew would eventually kill him. But he needed it too much to quit. He would never survive a day without a smoke. A few hours if he was really busy, but never a day.
Suddenly it hit him.
"That's it, I remember where I know him from."
He whirled around to find all three agents looking at him expectantly.
"He was on the rodeo circuit when I was."
"Rodeo?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I used to compete in team roping." Kiefer explained, getting a raised eyebrow in response.
"He was on the circuit. Not in team roping though, he was a bull rider."
"That's where his name crosses yours." Jack said.
"What kind of a contact did you have with him?"
"Not much if any, the bull riders looked down on us and there wasn't much interaction. I know I've always admired them, but the feeling wasn't mutual."
"Why not?" Nina asked.
"They ride big mean bulls, adult, vicious beasts, capable of killing a man with a single kick of their hooves. We chase calves around on horseback. There is no comparison."
"Did you ever have a run-in with him? Anything you remember why he might hold a grudge against you?" Jack asked.
He was tired, but his mind kicked into overtime now that some of the pieces were falling together.
"I suppose we must've gotten into our share of discussions and disputes about the differences of what we did. But I don't think he stood out or held a grudge against me."
"Ever get into a fight with him?"
"Possibly. We got into fights a lot of the time. Being on the road, you develop a tendency to go out drinking every so often. I've gotten into my share of bar fights and drunken brawls."
"Ever put anybody into hospital? ”
"On occasion, but usually I was the one to end up needing stitches or at least a cold pack and a painkiller or two."
"We're going to explore that thread deeper." Jack said, "Nina, can you take care of that?"
"Sure Jack, I'll put one of the analysts on it."
"Good. How far are you on the face recognition?"
"It's still running. It might take a while, I'll get the analyst started on this and I'll check on the progress."
"Okay, good."
"Tony, can you find out if we have a current location on this bull rider?"
"Sure Jack, I'll get right on it."
Tony turned to his station and started up his computer, accessing the search program he needed for the task and typing in the name of the bull rider, William Bonney. He linked the running software to his PDA, so it would send any information straight to him. Nina came back from having set an analyst to work on finding out when and where Bonney and Kiefer had come into contact and she checked on the progress of the face recognition software.
"It's running slower than usual, I don't know what's wrong with it, I'll have to check on the server status. But it will take several hours to be done anyway."
"I'd better get you home." Jack said to Kiefer, "There's nothing more we can do at this time."
"I guess you're right." Kiefer agreed.
He managed to hide how good those words sounded to him right now. He was absolutely knackered and couldn't believe he was still on his feet. The wine had long taken control of his brain, which was probably why he hadn't been able to concentrate just then. Thankfully, their schedule for tomorrow wasn't as loaded as it had been the previous days. It being Friday also helped.
Jack motioned for Tony to follow them and they headed out to the cars again, with Tony setting out ahead of them and driving faster so he would be there by the time they arrived. He had settled in for the night when Jack's car pulled up across the street and he watched both men enter the building. He had told Jack there was no use in taking over, it was almost 1 am by the time they got back to Kiefer's place and Jack needed to get some rest in order to be alert the next day. They had discussed it for a moment but Jack had agreed and Tony knew he was the first line of defence for the night.
The trust Jack had in him had also boosted his ego. He was the latest arrival at CTU Los Angeles and he still had to prove himself, but at least Jack was giving him plenty of occasion to do that. Today was another example of that. Jack could easily have requested a more experienced agent to back him up on this, but instead he had given Tony the benefit of the doubt.
Those comforting thoughts kept him awake and alert for the rest of the night.
"Get someone on it as soon as you can. I'd like to get this thing over with."
"How is he?" Nina asked, "As a person I mean."
"He's a hard working professional," Jack replied, "a little like me … now get on that stick."
"Yes boss, sure thing boss, whatever you say boss." Nina stuttered, saluting and pretending to be impressed.
It always got a smile out of him and it did so now as well.
"Bauer!" Chapelle's voice shot through the room, "In my office on the double."
Jack crossed the floor and headed up the metal stairs to the office he hoped to soon call his.
"I thought you said you needed Almeida to pull off a decoy manoeuvre? What are you doing here?"
"I just got back from Mr. Sutherland's security company." Jack started to explain.
He knew Chapelle would only back off if he had something solid to offer.
"There's a video camera above his door and nobody had thought of checking the footage. I just spent two hours at the security company looking through it."
"Did you get anything?"
"I have recordings of every single drop since day one and I just put Nina on it. She'll put the data through face recognition."
"Do you need Almeida on this?"
"I wouldn't mind some back-up." Jack said, "The threats are getting more specific."
"What do you mean?"
"Yesterday's letter only contained one phrase: ‘don't attend the Golden Globes, you will not walk away'." Jack quoted.
"The Golden Globes are in three weeks and Mr. Sutherland is determined to attend."
"Then you have less than three weeks to make some arrests agent Bauer."
"I know sir, that's another reason why I wouldn't mind having Almeida backing me up."
"I'll assign him to you for the duration of this investigation. Don't fuck up again Bauer."
"I won't." Jack replied coldly.
"Now get back to it." Chapelle snapped, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
"Yes sir."
Jack left the office, nodded to Nina and left the building, got in his car and finally drove home to get that change of clothes. The house was empty, Kim was in school and Teri was probably out shopping or doing a presentation of her work. Either way, it was for the better. He scribbled a quick note and left it on the kitchen table, then headed upstairs to the master bedroom, picked out a set of clean clothes and went into the bathroom for a decent shower. He felt better stepping into the clean clothes and he packed a small bag before he left again, he could leave it in the car and change whenever he needed to. Even if it was only the shirt.
Then he made it back to the studios.
Kiefer was on a cigarette break when he drove up to the building and he joined him and Tony to fill them in on what had been found so far. He didn't have much, but at least they had something on record. Something they could work with.
"Chapelle assigned you to me for the duration of the investigation." Jack said to Tony, "I need you to get some sleep and meet us at his home tonight. I want you to take first watch and I'll take second."
"All right." Tony said quietly, "What time do you want me there?"
"Do you have any idea what time you'll be done here?" Jack asked Kiefer.
"None whatsoever. It could be five, it could be nine, it could even be midnight but I doubt it will. We've been making good progress, but we've got a couple of complicated scenes scheduled for this afternoon so it might run late."
"Be there at 8." Jack said to Tony, " If we leave earlier, I'll call you."
Tony checked his watch, he had a few hours of sleep ahead of him.
"Have you picked up your badge at security?"
"Not yet."
"Make sure to pick it up before you leave, you'll need it tomorrow."
Tony shook hands and left, steering his car to the main security gate and going in to collect his badge.
"They've never come two nights in a row." Kiefer said suddenly, "What makes you think they would now?"
"I don't know." Jack replied truthfully, "But I'd rather be ready to pursue if they do."
"So you're not saying you think I'm in immediate danger, you just want to be prepared for anything."
"That's right." Jack replied, hoping to set Kiefer's mind at ease again.
His tension had been audible in his voice and visible in his eyes. The specific threat about the Golden Globes worried him more than he was willing to show. They would have to work fast on this one or the man would collapse under the pressure, he might be playing a tough guy on TV; off screen he was just another human being, as vulnerable and open for attack as any other. Maybe even more so being a celebrity.
Kiefer finished another cigarette and they went back inside. The set had been changed again and they started rehearsing for the next scene, so Jack stayed out of the way, keeping a watchful eye on what was going on. They took a few more breaks but Kiefer only went out for a cigarette on one of them, he was too busy to smoke, too busy to even think about smoking.
Shortly after five, Jack's PDA buzzed in his pocket and he exited the studio to check the information he had received. The message was from Nina, and she was sending two files he needed to go over with Kiefer. They had several positive ID's on people who had dropped letters off and two of them could be linked back to Kiefer, Chapelle wanted to know what his relation to those people was.
He went back inside to see Kiefer in a heated discussion with two of the stuntmen and a cameraman, this was not the time to disturb him, Chapelle would have to wait a while. But not ten minutes later, Jack's cellphone buzzed and he left the studio again to answer the call.
"Bauer." he snapped without checking his display.
"Bauer, this is Chapelle, I'm still waiting for the information I requested." Chapelle snapped back.
"I'm sorry sir," Jack replied, backing down at once, he did not feel for another confrontation with Chapelle, "I haven't had an opportunity to go over the information with Mr. Sutherland."
"Why not?"
"Because they're filming sir, I can't just break it up and haul him out of the studio."
"This is important Bauer."
"I know it is sir. I'll ask him about it as soon as they take a break."
"Make them take a break, it's his life you're trying to save isn't it?"
"Yes sir, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
Jack ended the call without waiting for Chapelle's reply. It didn't matter anyway, they had both said what they needed to say. But he had no intention whatsoever to interrupt the filming, Chapelle would have to wait. This whole thing was taking enough of a toll on Kiefer already, if he knew some of the people involved, it might be too much for him to handle. He would talk to him after work, no matter what Chapelle thought. He went back into the studio and took up his position behind the director's area to watch over the whole thing. He could see most of the set, but he could also see exactly what was going on in front of the camera's, which was more important since that was where Kiefer was most of the time. They took another break not much later and Kiefer went out for a smoke. He looked beat and Jack tagged along more for the company than for anything else.
"Are you okay?" he asked when they sat down at one of the tables, "You look tired."
Kiefer met his eyes and held his gaze for a long time, then he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"I'm knackered."
"Can't you call it quits?"
"There's only one more scene we need to finalize, I'd like to get it done, that way, I'm sure I'll have the weekend to myself."
…
"I saw you leave twice, did you get anything?"
"I got a call from Nina," Jack said, "we got a few positive ID's from those recordings. She called to let me know they've put a team on that. They'll be looking into the people we've identified, see if there's a history of anything similar. Most importantly we'll check if we have a current location on them and if we do, we'll pick them up for questioning."
"That's great." Kiefer exclaimed, his eyes brightening up instantly.
"That's absolutely fantastic, I didn't think you'd get a breakthrough so quickly. The cops have been ‘looking into it' for almost three months without finding anything at all. You come in and you get positive ID's in less than 2 days."
…
"That is your doing Jack. You thought of the security camera." Kiefer continued, intent on letting Jack know how he felt about it.
"I get paid to think of that kind of stuff." Jack replied, a shy smile playing on his face.
He wasn't used to getting compliments about his job.
"I hope they'll give you a raise after this, you deserve it."
Jack said nothing about the files he had on his PDA, he could always pretend he had gotten it shortly before they were done filming or even in the car on the way home, his PDA was on silent alarm anyway. Kiefer had three cigarettes in all, taking some time to relax and prepare for the next scene. It was obvious to Jack the news about the positive identification of people seen on the security tapes had a soothing effect on him, it allowed him to hope this whole situation might be over soon.
With his hopes up a little, he was better able to concentrate and the scene went a lot better than he himself would've thought before starting it. They did a few takes to make sure they had enough material to work with and called it a day. It was nearing 8 pm again and by the time Kiefer had showered and changed, it was well past 8.
"I don't know about you," Kiefer said when he got into the car, "but I need food."
"We had sandwiches brought in for lunch and I am in dire need to sink my teeth into a nice and juicy piece of meat."
"Where to?" Jack asked as he turned over the engine.
"Home." Kiefer replied, "There's an excellent steakhouse around the corner."
Jack drove the car out of the parking lot and steered it along the still densely travelled streets towards Kiefer's neighbourhood. It was mainly Hispanic and Jack was happy he had gotten Tony to back him up, he would easily blend into the crowd. He called him on his cell and Tony answered on the second ring.
"Tony it's Jack, we're about ten minutes out. What's your status?"
"Everything is quiet here Jack. No sign of any kind of hostility. But are you sure I'm looking at the right place? I've got a building with huge mural designs painted on it."
"That's the one Tony." Jack replied, "Have you had anything to eat yet?"
"No, I haven't had the time, I was thinking of grabbing a tortilla once you were inside."
"Forget that, we're heading out for dinner in the neighbourhood, I need you there. Meet us at the door, casually."
"Old friends style?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, you and him, not you and me."
"Got it."
They ended the call and Jack pocketed his cell again.
"Well, now's your chance to prove you're good at what you do." he said, giving Kiefer a sideways glance, "We're about to meet up with Tony outside your door. He's an old buddy of yours and you invite him for dinner to catch up on lost times. It'll explain why he joins us without raising suspicion."
"Hmm … that's gonna be quite a challenge for me Jack." Kiefer replied jokingly.
"I'll have to dig deep in order to pull that one off."
"Like I said, now's your chance to prove my daughter has a reason to like you."
They both chuckled and the tension of the situation was broken down. Jack rounded the corner and spotted Tony a few yards down the street, seemingly window shopping. He parked the car right in front of the door like he had done the previous evening, but this time, he simply went around the car and Kiefer got out when he had reached his door, making it all look more like he was a bodyguard doing his job, rather than on the verge of freaking out. They made it halfway to the door when Tony came into play.
"Kief? That you?"
Kiefer stopped and so did Jack, lowering his hand to his gun and shielding Kiefer from the man who had just spoken to him.
"Hey man, long time no see." Tony continued, approaching.
"Stay right there buddy." Jack snapped.
"It's okay Jack," Kiefer interjected, "he's a friend."
"Relax, it's okay."
"How's life?" he continued, addressing Tony this time, stepping around Jack.
"Ah, I'm just chillin'." Tony replied, stepping into Kiefer's embrace.
"It's good to see you again." Kiefer said, giving him a couple of hearty slaps on the back.
Tony played his part to perfection, returning the hug, a big smile on his face.
"Who's he?" Tony asked when they stepped back.
"Bodyguard." Kiefer said, rolling his eyes, "Fox is going crazy on me."
"Why's that, you been chasing the cuties a bit too much to their likings?"
"Looks like one mean chaperone they set you up with." Tony continued, chuckling.
Jack gave him a cold look, but remained unresponsive to the teasing.
"He's okay, don't worry about him."
"So, what are you up to these days?"
"Nothin' much. You?"
"Still the same."
"You'll never change, will you."
"Why change, I like me the way I am."
"Hey, do you reckon we could go for a drink or some. Catch up a little."
He paused, giving Jack another playful look.
"If your chaperone lets you."
"How about dinner instead?" Kiefer replied, "I just got off work and I'm starving."
"Sure, if it's okay by the chaperone." Tony chuckled.
He was really getting into it and Jack made a mental note of it. It could prove a serious asset for undercover work.
"The chaperone's name is Jack Bauer." Jack replied dryly, "You can address me as Jack or sir, even though I would prefer the latter."
"Wow, touchy hey." Tony teased again.
"Come on, let's go." Kiefer chuckled, putting his arm around Tony's shoulders again and heading off in the direction of the steakhouse he had in mind.
They made it to the steakhouse without encountering any problems and Jack requested a table, preferably a booth near the rear, away from the kitchen, the restrooms and the entrance but near an emergency exit. They got exactly what he had in mind and he placed Kiefer with his back to the door, facing away from the largest part of the room, put Tony next to him and sat opposite them himself.
"So?" Kiefer asked, fighting back a smile, "Did I do good?"
"I'm not that easily convinced." Jack replied, fighting back a smile of his own.
"You on the other hand," he continued, addressing Tony, "are a natural. I'll remember this next time we need to put someone undercover."
His words boosted Tony's confidence and he sat up a little straighter. Jack was his boss after all, whether he got the position of Special Agent in Charge or not, he would still be his boss and Tony had to answer to him first. Getting this vote of confidence in his skills made him feel great.
They ordered their food and struck up a conversation, wisely avoiding the subject of the threats and chatting about acting, movies and music instead. Kiefer had some wine with his dinner but both Jack and Tony stayed away from alcohol, they were on duty and couldn't afford a drink, even if Kiefer tried to convince them to have one. He gave up trying after a while and just ordered a glass of wine with his dinner. The food was excellent and the personnel discreet, they all knew Kiefer, had known him for years and nobody gawked at him anymore. That was the reason why Kiefer liked to go out here, everybody knew him and they had all come to know him as just the next guy and not some hotshot celebrity.
Kiefer picked up the tab, not wanting to hear any of their objections and they ended up giving in. Jack decided it would be best if Tony tagged along and joined them inside ‘for a last drink', after what he would leave and take up his surveillance post. Jack stayed half a step behind them, bringing up the rear and they reached Kiefer's home without any trouble. Kiefer opened the door and went in first, supposedly to keep the dog calm. Tony stayed with him while Jack made a quick pass, finding the place clear as he had expected it to be, otherwise, Molly wouldn't have been so excited and happy.
They all headed upstairs to Kiefer's apartment and Jack finally brought up the information Nina had sent him.
Kiefer gave him a long stare.
"When did you get this?"
"This afternoon," Jack replied truthfully, "I didn't want to interrupt your work. You had a hard enough time concentrating as it was."
"I appreciate that."
"Let's have a look at what you've got."
Jack opened the first file and showed the PDA to Kiefer who gasped at once seeing the name at the top of the screen.
"You're kidding me right?"
"Why?"
"Where did you get this file?"
"Nina sent it to me, this is one of the positive ID's we got from the security tapes."
"Impossible." Kiefer replied harshly, "I don't believe you."
"Hey, I'm just on the receiving end of this." Jack said, trying to calm things down again.
"I have no idea how she got to this information, I got it and Chapelle told me to ask you about it."
"Who is it?"
Kiefer gave him a long and hard stare, thinking about what he was going to say, how he was going to put it. He had been wrong reacting like that to Jack, it wasn't his fault, he was just relaying the information.
"It's someone I've worked with on several occasions." Kiefer started, "Someone I have a special connection with."
"This can't be right. It can't be."
"Where did they get this information?"
"The data from the security tapes has been put through face recognition software. If enough points match, the program can tell you who you're looking at even if you can't see the entire face." Jack explained.
"I don't believe it." Kiefer said again, "I want to see where they got it. I want to see this with my own eyes and I want to see it now."
"We'd have to go to CTU." Tony said.
"Then we go to CTU." Kiefer replied coldly.
"Okay, let's go." Jack said, closing the file on his PDA again.
"One car?" Tony asked.
"Negative." Jack replied, "Remember you're the old buddy."
"You leave first, we'll be ten minutes behind you."
"Do I wait for you?"
"Drive slow, I'll catch up."
"Okay."
Tony set out and Jack and Kiefer waited by the door. Ten minutes after Tony had left, Jack and Kiefer went out to his car and set out as well, driving at a speed slightly above the speed limit, knowing Tony would be driving slightly under the speed limit. They would catch up in a few minutes. Jack called Nina and told her to meet them at CTU, he needed her to repeat the process. She didn't like the idea but she followed her orders and jumped in her car. She reached CTU minutes after Tony and Jack did and the moment she walked into the building and saw Kiefer, her bad mood shifted.
"I need you to show me the tape that matches this file." Jack said without introduction, he didn't like to waste time.
He showed her the file Kiefer had reacted to and she set to work at once.
Minutes later, she pulled up the correct sequence and she played it at Kiefer's request. He was making her nervous, the good kind of nervous, but she tried to hide it as best she could. Jack would have her skin if she let her feelings get in the way. Right now, a job needed to be done. Kiefer studied the image on the screen intently and made her loop it, freeze it, zoom in and advance frame by frame. Twenty minutes later, he pushed up and looked Jack squarely in the eye.
"I don't know what software you use, but that is not the man you think he is."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I'm positive. You're program is wrong."
"Nina, run that through the face recognition again." Jack ordered.
It took her a moment to fire up the system, but within minutes, it was running smoothly.
"Okay, how about this one?" Jack asked, showing Kiefer the other file on his PDA.
Kiefer looked at the name, at the picture, read the file, racked his brain to remember. Recollection flirted with him, but it stayed beyond his reach, he could remember shards of conversations, single images as well. He knew this guy. But where from?
He ran his hands through his hair and laced his fingers behind his head, pulling forward but pushing his head backward at the same time and he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a long moment.
God he needed a cigarette.
He reached for his pack and plucked one out. He struck a light without thinking and lit up his cigarette, taking a long puff, filling his lungs with the poison he knew would eventually kill him. But he needed it too much to quit. He would never survive a day without a smoke. A few hours if he was really busy, but never a day.
Suddenly it hit him.
"That's it, I remember where I know him from."
He whirled around to find all three agents looking at him expectantly.
"He was on the rodeo circuit when I was."
"Rodeo?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I used to compete in team roping." Kiefer explained, getting a raised eyebrow in response.
"He was on the circuit. Not in team roping though, he was a bull rider."
"That's where his name crosses yours." Jack said.
"What kind of a contact did you have with him?"
"Not much if any, the bull riders looked down on us and there wasn't much interaction. I know I've always admired them, but the feeling wasn't mutual."
"Why not?" Nina asked.
"They ride big mean bulls, adult, vicious beasts, capable of killing a man with a single kick of their hooves. We chase calves around on horseback. There is no comparison."
"Did you ever have a run-in with him? Anything you remember why he might hold a grudge against you?" Jack asked.
He was tired, but his mind kicked into overtime now that some of the pieces were falling together.
"I suppose we must've gotten into our share of discussions and disputes about the differences of what we did. But I don't think he stood out or held a grudge against me."
"Ever get into a fight with him?"
"Possibly. We got into fights a lot of the time. Being on the road, you develop a tendency to go out drinking every so often. I've gotten into my share of bar fights and drunken brawls."
"Ever put anybody into hospital? ”
"On occasion, but usually I was the one to end up needing stitches or at least a cold pack and a painkiller or two."
"We're going to explore that thread deeper." Jack said, "Nina, can you take care of that?"
"Sure Jack, I'll put one of the analysts on it."
"Good. How far are you on the face recognition?"
"It's still running. It might take a while, I'll get the analyst started on this and I'll check on the progress."
"Okay, good."
"Tony, can you find out if we have a current location on this bull rider?"
"Sure Jack, I'll get right on it."
Tony turned to his station and started up his computer, accessing the search program he needed for the task and typing in the name of the bull rider, William Bonney. He linked the running software to his PDA, so it would send any information straight to him. Nina came back from having set an analyst to work on finding out when and where Bonney and Kiefer had come into contact and she checked on the progress of the face recognition software.
"It's running slower than usual, I don't know what's wrong with it, I'll have to check on the server status. But it will take several hours to be done anyway."
"I'd better get you home." Jack said to Kiefer, "There's nothing more we can do at this time."
"I guess you're right." Kiefer agreed.
He managed to hide how good those words sounded to him right now. He was absolutely knackered and couldn't believe he was still on his feet. The wine had long taken control of his brain, which was probably why he hadn't been able to concentrate just then. Thankfully, their schedule for tomorrow wasn't as loaded as it had been the previous days. It being Friday also helped.
Jack motioned for Tony to follow them and they headed out to the cars again, with Tony setting out ahead of them and driving faster so he would be there by the time they arrived. He had settled in for the night when Jack's car pulled up across the street and he watched both men enter the building. He had told Jack there was no use in taking over, it was almost 1 am by the time they got back to Kiefer's place and Jack needed to get some rest in order to be alert the next day. They had discussed it for a moment but Jack had agreed and Tony knew he was the first line of defence for the night.
The trust Jack had in him had also boosted his ego. He was the latest arrival at CTU Los Angeles and he still had to prove himself, but at least Jack was giving him plenty of occasion to do that. Today was another example of that. Jack could easily have requested a more experienced agent to back him up on this, but instead he had given Tony the benefit of the doubt.
Those comforting thoughts kept him awake and alert for the rest of the night.
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