Thursday, January 04, 2007
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 27
Day Eight.
Polly's arrival at the apartment woke everybody up. Molly barked in excitement and both Jack and Tony greeted the woman by pointing their guns at her. The commotion woke Kiefer who stumbled out of his room and calmed the situation down before Polly freaked out. She prepared coffee and took Molly out for her morning walk while the men sat down at the kitchen table.
"What's happening now, Jack?" Kiefer asked after a short silence.
"I've got an assault team standing by near the apartment we have under surveillance. They have orders to move in as soon as Kendrick shows up."
"What about the others?"
"We'll probably catch a few in the process, but right now, I want to take Kendrick out of play before they get to you. These guys are getting more organized and they're getting bolder. I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to bust through the door and take all of us out."
"Do you think Kendrick is the one we want?"
"Right now, I think he represents the biggest danger to you."
"Who will lead that assault team?"
"It's an agent by the name of Banks. He's very capable. We've worked together on occasion and I know his team is one of the best we have."
"I'd be more comfortable knowing you were leading them." Kiefer replied softly.
"I wouldn't be here to protect you."
"If Kendrick is at that apartment, he can't be here at the same time."
"I'm not comfortable with that. I'd rather stay right here and make sure nothing happens-"
"What if he gets away?" Kiefer interrupted him.
"What if they can't contain him?"
"I know you wouldn't give him half a chance to get out of there."
They held each other's gaze for a long moment.
"I would like for you to lead the assault when Kendrick shows up at that apartment."
His voice was soft and his tone neutral, but the message was clear.
"You can always take me somewhere else if you don't think I'm safe here."
"You mean protective custody?" Tony asked.
"If needs be." Kiefer replied calmly, meeting Tony's questioning gaze.
"What about work?"
"What about it?" Kiefer replied in the same calm tone, "I'll be out of action for a few more days and Kendrick's been showing up at that apartment almost every day. Besides, the Golden Globes are coming closer. They'll want to finalize their plans. I don't think we'll have to wait too long for him to show up again."
"I agree, but I can get an extra team out here to cover for me."
"So you'll do it?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"No need for that, I wouldn't feel comfortable sitting here waiting to hear back from the team either."
"You want a piece of it too?" Jack added, turning to Tony.
"Sure."
"I'll call a team in and we'll go to CTU to get the gear we need."
"all right."
Jack made the call, requesting two extra teams at their location, one outside, one inside.
The teams got there less then an hour later and as soon as the agents were up to speed, Jack and Tony drove to CTU to get the gear they would need.
Jack made sure they had flak jackets and com units along with enough ammo and a back-up gun each.
They ran into Chapelle on their way out.
"You going camping Bauer?" Chapelle called from a distance.
"No sir, we're gearing up for an assault." Jack replied dryly.
"Since when do you participate in assaults Special Agent Bauer?" Chapelle asked smugly.
"Since Mr. Sutherland asked me to take point on that, sir."
"Oh. I suppose he wants you out of his hair for a while."
"Actually it's because he feels more confident in my ability to handle the situation." Jack replied matter-of-factly.
"I wanted to let agent Banks handle it, but since Mr. Sutherland insisted, I might as well take point myself. This is my investigation after all."
"I saw your report." Chapelle continued, trying to keep his composure and superior attitude.
"It's incomplete."
"No it's not." Jack replied, "It's a preliminary report. It's meant to keep you informed of the progress we're making on the investigation. You'll have my detailed report on your desk as soon as we round up."
"It had better be."
"Don't worry, it will be. Now if you don't mind, we have final preparations to make."
He ushered Tony towards the door, meeting Nina's eyes as he turned and giving her a discreet nod, then he followed Tony. He stowed the gear in the back of the vehicle, it would stay there, that way they were sure they wouldn't forget anything when they set out.
When they got back to Kiefer's place, Jack dismissed the second team, keeping only 2 teams on site, as long as they were there, there was no use for more resources than that. They had four agents on the street, half a block up and half a block down, and he and Tony inside with Kiefer. As soon as they got the call from the surveillance team, two of the agents would join Kiefer inside until Jack and Tony returned from the assault or until the ‘all-clear' was given in which case they would be dismissed.
The day went by peacefully and Jack and Tony took turns resting. Kiefer was still drifting in and out of sleep most of the time and all three of them could use the rest. The day slipped on to night and nothing happened. Kendrick would not be seen that day.
The assault.
Wednesday was a busy day at Heyes' place. People came and went all day long and it appeared they too were getting into their final preparations. Jack was glad he had gotten a step ahead of them on that. His team was already standing by, ready to move in at the first sign. Bonney was the most ‘active' guest that day. He kept running back and forth, sometimes alone, sometimes bringing others. The mysterious woman was there too. But she was no longer a mystery. A helpful FBI agent had helped Nina to identify her as Melissa Phelps, known associate to several people on the terrorist watch list. She was also Bonney's wife.
There was no sign of Kendrick all day, but then, shortly after 8pm, he showed up.
Jack got the call from the surveillance team and he kicked into action at once.
"Tony, we're rolling."
"Is he confirmed?"
"Yes, Kendrick is at the apartment. You call that team in here, I'm calling Banks."
He made the call, alerting the assault team who prepped at once. Tony and Jack would meet them outside their apartment and they would set out from there. The agents arrived minutes later and Jack went over to Kiefer's room to let him know they were going.
"Get that son of a bitch." Kiefer replied dryly.
"Will do." Jack promised.
By the time they got to the staging area, Banks had established coms with CTU and Jack was pleased to hear Nina on the other end of the com unit. Tony and Jack quickly geared up, securing their flak jackets in place and hooking their com units up. They checked their weapons and spare clips and went over the plan one last time before setting out. One group went with Jack, heading to the front of the building, the other with Tony, heading for the back, covering both exits and moving in stealthily.
They merged in the third floor hallway and posted a man at the head of the stairs on each end. There were two doors to the apartment and Jack signalled for the agents to proceed as planned. They placed small explosive charges on the hinges and around the handle on each door, ensuring the door would be blown out of their way completely once the charges detonated.
They backed away from the doors and Jack counted down, showing three fingers, then two, then one and when he made a fist, both agents hit the switch on their detonators, setting off the charges and blowing the doors out of their frames.
The silence was immediately torn up by screams and shouts, curses and moving bodies, agents clad in dark blue assault gear piling into the apartment and people inside scattering.
Guns were drawn.
More screams filled the air.
Jack shouted a warning.
"Federal agents, put your weapons down!"
Nobody obeyed the order.
Bullets spewed from barrels.
They hit a lot of different materials; human flesh, furniture, body armour, walls.
People squealed as bullets ripped through their flesh.
Blood gushed from the wounds as bodies dropped to the floor or toppled onto furniture.
Chaos reigned for a long moment and Jack tried to locate Kendrick in the midst of it.
He spotted him moving towards the door covered by Tony's team and he hit the com switch.
"Tony, Kendrick is coming your way."
"Copy that." Tony replied swiftly.
Jack knew Tony had quite some field experience and could handle himself in combat, but he tried to make it across the room to assist in the apprehension of the most dangerous hostile in the room.
The gunfire ceased as people around him engaged in hand to hand combat and he got entangled in a fighting group, which forced him to turn his attention away from Kendrick to deal with the thug coming at him. He treated the man to a quick double jab, hitting him with the butt of his gun across the face and bringing his left hand up, slamming his knuckles into the man's throat. He tried to gasp as the punch cut off his respiration and Jack kicked him hard, sending him to the floor. He finally made it past the fighting men just in time to see Kendrick flee from the apartment.
"Tony?" Jack called worriedly, but the very next instant he saw Tony dash for the door.
"Don't let him get away." Jack bellowed as another one of the hostiles blocked his path.
He took a hard punch to the face and staggered half a step back under the power of it. The man moved in on him at once, thinking he had an easy target, but Jack turned and swung his leg around, landing a rounded kick which threw the other to the side. His momentum carried him over the back of the couch and he toppled out of Jack's way.
He sprinted out of the apartment, leaving Banks' team to mop up the place. His primary target was getting away and he had to do what he could to stop him. He couldn't rely on Tony to get it done on his own.
The agent at the top of the stairs was down.
Dead or unconscious.
Jack didn't have time to check.
"Tony?" he called loudly.
"Down." Tony called back.
Jack went down the stairs three at a time, hoping to catch up with Tony and Kendrick. The sudden gunfire halted him with one floor left to go. He spotted Tony on the landing. He was pinned down and Jack brought his gun up. He squeezed off two shots and watched the man across the hall tumble to the floor.
"Clear!" Jack yelled, starting down again.
Tony jumped up and ran down the last flight of stairs.
Kendrick had gotten further ahead now and he sprinted after him.
As Jack reached the landing Tony had been pinned on, another shot rang out and he was flung back by the impact of the bullet. It hit the middle of his chest, flattening itself against his flak jacket, but throwing him back nonetheless. He hit the wall behind him with his right shoulderblade and his momentum carried him to the side, smashing into and through the window.
He grunted as breaking glass cut into his arm and rained down on his head. He barely managed to keep himself from plummeting out of the window and pushed off, shaking his head to clear the glass out of his hair. He took aim at the man he had shot only moments earlier and squeezed off two more rounds, both of them slammed high into the man's chest and Jack made it past him without further delay.
Kendrick was out of the building already and Tony was at the door.
Much to Jack's horror, he didn't stop and threw his weight against it, sending it crashing into the wall as it flew wide open, taking away every last bit of cover he might've had.
"Tony DON'T!"
Three shots rang out in quick succession even before the sound of his voice died down.
Tony went down hard as the first salvo hit him and three more shots were fired. Jack could only see them hit home, putting Tony out of action. He sprinted the last few yards to the door but as he reached it, he was greeted by a long burst of automatic fire and he had to dive for cover.
"Tony?"
"Yeah." came Tony's painfully faint response.
"I need a medic down here." Jack said into the com, "We've got an agent down near the back exit."
He tried another peek around the corner of the door and this time the dark alley remained silent. No more shots were fired and he carefully stepped out of the building, hurrying over to Tony. The sound of squealing tires at the far end of the alley told him Kendrick was getting away. He got on the phone to one of the surveillance teams and sent them in pursuit of Kendrick.
"Dammit!"
The word carried the purest of anger and he furiously kicked a garbage bin to get rid of his frustration.
Three agents piled out of the building and Jack snapped out of it, holstering his weapon again and moving over to where Tony lay.
He had taken four direct hits and needed to get to a hospital. One of the first bullets had caught him high in the left shoulder, which had thrown him in a spin and the last three bullets had hit him in the legs.
He had been taken out of action.
Efficiently.
With the agents tending to Tony, Jack headed up to Heyes' apartment to check on the status there. All hostiles except Kendrick were down or had been taken. They really had been making preparations, Jack counted 9; four had been killed, Bonney, Heyes, Phelps and two unknowns apprehended. Three of them needed medical attention, but Jack ordered them transferred to CTU without anything more than a bandage on their wounds. One of the medics quickly dressed his wounds as well; he had a big gash running clear across his arm and a few smaller cuts as well as a few on his neck, but nothing serious. The biggest wound would need proper care, but he didn't have time for that now, he had a situation to wrap up.
But he had a problem. He had three suspects to interrogate as quickly as possible.
He hoped to get a location on Kendrick or at least find out what their plans had been, if he knew what the plan had been, he would be able to evaluate the chances of Kendrick trying to pull it off on his own.
He had to get started on those interrogations, but first he called CTU and arranged for two more teams to be dispatched to Kiefer's apartment, both teams were to join the one already inside with Kiefer and they were only to be dismissed by Jack himself.
Next he called agent Burke, he needed him to interrogate Heyes. Burke was an interrogation specialist, he knew more techniques to convince someone to talk than Jack could imagine.
But he still needed someone to interrogate Phelps and with Tony down, he had to call someone else.
But who?
Who was he to call?
He wanted a man for certain, even if it was to interrogate Phelps.
A man would be more impressive. Not that Nina couldn't handle an interrogation and be aggressive when she had to, it just didn't seem a good idea. He had to get as much information on Kendrick as humanly possible and he had to get it fast.
He fished out his cellphone and punched in a number, taking a deep breath as he pressed the dial button.
"Ryan Chapelle." Ryan said in an annoyed tone of voice as he picked up.
"Sir, this is Jack Bauer."
"What do you want at this time of day Bauer?" Ryan snapped.
"Sir, we are transferring 3 prisoners to CTU and they need to be interrogated. I've already called agent Burke in to handle Heyes and I'll handle Bonney, but I need someone to interrogate Melissa Phelps."
"What about Almeida?"
"Agent Almeida was injured during the operation sir, he's on his way to hospital right now."
"So what do you want me to do Bauer?"
Jack clenched his jaw for a long moment. He hated to have to do this and Chapelle was forcing him to do it. The son of a bitch wouldn't spontaneously offer his help, he would wait for Jack to ask him.
"I was hoping you could take care of Phelps' interrogation sir." Jack said as calmly as he possibly could.
"Who is she and what do you have on her?"
"Melissa Phelps is the woman who hired Lettis to drop the letters. She is associated to several known terrorists on the FBI's watch list and she is also William Bonney's wife."
"Is that all?"
"No sir, Nina got the complete file from the Bureau. Those are the highlights."
"Okay, what's your ETA?"
"Just over twenty minutes."
"Give me forty."
"Thank you sir."
Chapelle hung up without responding and Jack stuffed his phone back into his pocket. The remaining surveillance team would stay behind at the scene to keep everybody out of the apartment until the forensic and IT teams arrived. Jack had requested an IT team for the computers and other equipment found in the apartment, they might find the information they needed on them.
He drove to CTU and checked with Nina. She prepared the file she had on Melissa Phelps and put it in the middle of her desk where Chapelle would have no trouble finding it. Milo and Jamey were busy processing the information on the two unknown prisoners, trying to find out who they were and what their role was in this thing. One of them had been injured and Nina had only allowed a medic in to dress the wound, the man hadn't been given any pain medication and had been taken to a cell. His unknown companion sat quietly in a cell down the hall and Heyes, Bonney and Phelps had been prepped for interrogation. Phelps had taken a stray bullet in the thigh and her wound had been dressed, again without administering any pain medication. Bonney was more severely injured but he had been treated in the same superficial way.
Burke joined them at Nina's station and Jack went over Heyes' file quickly, telling Burke what information he wanted from Heyes. The man headed towards holding room 3 without further delay, taking Heyes' file with him to go over it if he had to. Jack and Nina went to holding room 1 where Bonney had been put.
As they were about to enter, Jack heard someone calling his name and when he turned around, he saw Chapelle coming down the hall.
"I just got here, where is the file on Phelps and where is she?"
"Her file is on Nina's desk and we put her in interrogation 2."
"Have you started on him yet?"
"No, I was about to." Jack replied, "Burke started on Heyes a few minutes ago."
"Okay, what about the others?"
"Still unknown at this time. Milo and Jamey are working on that."
"Good. Let's go to work."
Jack was surprised by the change in Chapelle.
There hadn't been any kind of smugness or superior attitude like he always seemed to have about him.
He shrugged it off and went into the interrogation room.
Bonney was clearly in pain, Jack could tell from his body language and from the look in his eyes, but he was biting it back. The man had been a bull rider for years, he wasn't going to crumble and cry like a baby because he had gotten hurt. He probably had a pretty high pain level and Jack knew he would have to play his cards differently.
When the door suddenly opened after almost two hours into the interrogation, Jack turned angrily, ready to snap at whoever was interrupting him now that Bonney was finally starting to respond. He came face to face with Chapelle.
"Jack, I need a word with you." Chapelle said calmly.
Jack understood at once and followed Chapelle out of the room, closing the door behind him, but ‘accidentally' leaving it ajar. Their voices would easily carry into the room.
"I've got results with Phelps." Chapelle started, "She's willing to cut a deal with us to keep from being handed over to the FBI when we're done."
"That's good." Jack responded, "Has she given you anything on Kendrick yet?"
"Not yet, she wants to see the agreement first. I'm having it drawn up as we speak, it should be ready in about 15 minutes."
"Good, keep me posted."
Jack went back into the interrogation room, finding Bonney shifting nervously in his chair.
"Was there something you wanted to say William?" Jack asked, having made a point of using the man's first name from the start.
Polly's arrival at the apartment woke everybody up. Molly barked in excitement and both Jack and Tony greeted the woman by pointing their guns at her. The commotion woke Kiefer who stumbled out of his room and calmed the situation down before Polly freaked out. She prepared coffee and took Molly out for her morning walk while the men sat down at the kitchen table.
"What's happening now, Jack?" Kiefer asked after a short silence.
"I've got an assault team standing by near the apartment we have under surveillance. They have orders to move in as soon as Kendrick shows up."
"What about the others?"
"We'll probably catch a few in the process, but right now, I want to take Kendrick out of play before they get to you. These guys are getting more organized and they're getting bolder. I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to bust through the door and take all of us out."
"Do you think Kendrick is the one we want?"
"Right now, I think he represents the biggest danger to you."
"Who will lead that assault team?"
"It's an agent by the name of Banks. He's very capable. We've worked together on occasion and I know his team is one of the best we have."
"I'd be more comfortable knowing you were leading them." Kiefer replied softly.
"I wouldn't be here to protect you."
"If Kendrick is at that apartment, he can't be here at the same time."
"I'm not comfortable with that. I'd rather stay right here and make sure nothing happens-"
"What if he gets away?" Kiefer interrupted him.
"What if they can't contain him?"
"I know you wouldn't give him half a chance to get out of there."
They held each other's gaze for a long moment.
"I would like for you to lead the assault when Kendrick shows up at that apartment."
His voice was soft and his tone neutral, but the message was clear.
"You can always take me somewhere else if you don't think I'm safe here."
"You mean protective custody?" Tony asked.
"If needs be." Kiefer replied calmly, meeting Tony's questioning gaze.
"What about work?"
"What about it?" Kiefer replied in the same calm tone, "I'll be out of action for a few more days and Kendrick's been showing up at that apartment almost every day. Besides, the Golden Globes are coming closer. They'll want to finalize their plans. I don't think we'll have to wait too long for him to show up again."
"I agree, but I can get an extra team out here to cover for me."
"So you'll do it?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"No need for that, I wouldn't feel comfortable sitting here waiting to hear back from the team either."
"You want a piece of it too?" Jack added, turning to Tony.
"Sure."
"I'll call a team in and we'll go to CTU to get the gear we need."
"all right."
Jack made the call, requesting two extra teams at their location, one outside, one inside.
The teams got there less then an hour later and as soon as the agents were up to speed, Jack and Tony drove to CTU to get the gear they would need.
Jack made sure they had flak jackets and com units along with enough ammo and a back-up gun each.
They ran into Chapelle on their way out.
"You going camping Bauer?" Chapelle called from a distance.
"No sir, we're gearing up for an assault." Jack replied dryly.
"Since when do you participate in assaults Special Agent Bauer?" Chapelle asked smugly.
"Since Mr. Sutherland asked me to take point on that, sir."
"Oh. I suppose he wants you out of his hair for a while."
"Actually it's because he feels more confident in my ability to handle the situation." Jack replied matter-of-factly.
"I wanted to let agent Banks handle it, but since Mr. Sutherland insisted, I might as well take point myself. This is my investigation after all."
"I saw your report." Chapelle continued, trying to keep his composure and superior attitude.
"It's incomplete."
"No it's not." Jack replied, "It's a preliminary report. It's meant to keep you informed of the progress we're making on the investigation. You'll have my detailed report on your desk as soon as we round up."
"It had better be."
"Don't worry, it will be. Now if you don't mind, we have final preparations to make."
He ushered Tony towards the door, meeting Nina's eyes as he turned and giving her a discreet nod, then he followed Tony. He stowed the gear in the back of the vehicle, it would stay there, that way they were sure they wouldn't forget anything when they set out.
When they got back to Kiefer's place, Jack dismissed the second team, keeping only 2 teams on site, as long as they were there, there was no use for more resources than that. They had four agents on the street, half a block up and half a block down, and he and Tony inside with Kiefer. As soon as they got the call from the surveillance team, two of the agents would join Kiefer inside until Jack and Tony returned from the assault or until the ‘all-clear' was given in which case they would be dismissed.
The day went by peacefully and Jack and Tony took turns resting. Kiefer was still drifting in and out of sleep most of the time and all three of them could use the rest. The day slipped on to night and nothing happened. Kendrick would not be seen that day.
The assault.
Wednesday was a busy day at Heyes' place. People came and went all day long and it appeared they too were getting into their final preparations. Jack was glad he had gotten a step ahead of them on that. His team was already standing by, ready to move in at the first sign. Bonney was the most ‘active' guest that day. He kept running back and forth, sometimes alone, sometimes bringing others. The mysterious woman was there too. But she was no longer a mystery. A helpful FBI agent had helped Nina to identify her as Melissa Phelps, known associate to several people on the terrorist watch list. She was also Bonney's wife.
There was no sign of Kendrick all day, but then, shortly after 8pm, he showed up.
Jack got the call from the surveillance team and he kicked into action at once.
"Tony, we're rolling."
"Is he confirmed?"
"Yes, Kendrick is at the apartment. You call that team in here, I'm calling Banks."
He made the call, alerting the assault team who prepped at once. Tony and Jack would meet them outside their apartment and they would set out from there. The agents arrived minutes later and Jack went over to Kiefer's room to let him know they were going.
"Get that son of a bitch." Kiefer replied dryly.
"Will do." Jack promised.
By the time they got to the staging area, Banks had established coms with CTU and Jack was pleased to hear Nina on the other end of the com unit. Tony and Jack quickly geared up, securing their flak jackets in place and hooking their com units up. They checked their weapons and spare clips and went over the plan one last time before setting out. One group went with Jack, heading to the front of the building, the other with Tony, heading for the back, covering both exits and moving in stealthily.
They merged in the third floor hallway and posted a man at the head of the stairs on each end. There were two doors to the apartment and Jack signalled for the agents to proceed as planned. They placed small explosive charges on the hinges and around the handle on each door, ensuring the door would be blown out of their way completely once the charges detonated.
They backed away from the doors and Jack counted down, showing three fingers, then two, then one and when he made a fist, both agents hit the switch on their detonators, setting off the charges and blowing the doors out of their frames.
The silence was immediately torn up by screams and shouts, curses and moving bodies, agents clad in dark blue assault gear piling into the apartment and people inside scattering.
Guns were drawn.
More screams filled the air.
Jack shouted a warning.
"Federal agents, put your weapons down!"
Nobody obeyed the order.
Bullets spewed from barrels.
They hit a lot of different materials; human flesh, furniture, body armour, walls.
People squealed as bullets ripped through their flesh.
Blood gushed from the wounds as bodies dropped to the floor or toppled onto furniture.
Chaos reigned for a long moment and Jack tried to locate Kendrick in the midst of it.
He spotted him moving towards the door covered by Tony's team and he hit the com switch.
"Tony, Kendrick is coming your way."
"Copy that." Tony replied swiftly.
Jack knew Tony had quite some field experience and could handle himself in combat, but he tried to make it across the room to assist in the apprehension of the most dangerous hostile in the room.
The gunfire ceased as people around him engaged in hand to hand combat and he got entangled in a fighting group, which forced him to turn his attention away from Kendrick to deal with the thug coming at him. He treated the man to a quick double jab, hitting him with the butt of his gun across the face and bringing his left hand up, slamming his knuckles into the man's throat. He tried to gasp as the punch cut off his respiration and Jack kicked him hard, sending him to the floor. He finally made it past the fighting men just in time to see Kendrick flee from the apartment.
"Tony?" Jack called worriedly, but the very next instant he saw Tony dash for the door.
"Don't let him get away." Jack bellowed as another one of the hostiles blocked his path.
He took a hard punch to the face and staggered half a step back under the power of it. The man moved in on him at once, thinking he had an easy target, but Jack turned and swung his leg around, landing a rounded kick which threw the other to the side. His momentum carried him over the back of the couch and he toppled out of Jack's way.
He sprinted out of the apartment, leaving Banks' team to mop up the place. His primary target was getting away and he had to do what he could to stop him. He couldn't rely on Tony to get it done on his own.
The agent at the top of the stairs was down.
Dead or unconscious.
Jack didn't have time to check.
"Tony?" he called loudly.
"Down." Tony called back.
Jack went down the stairs three at a time, hoping to catch up with Tony and Kendrick. The sudden gunfire halted him with one floor left to go. He spotted Tony on the landing. He was pinned down and Jack brought his gun up. He squeezed off two shots and watched the man across the hall tumble to the floor.
"Clear!" Jack yelled, starting down again.
Tony jumped up and ran down the last flight of stairs.
Kendrick had gotten further ahead now and he sprinted after him.
As Jack reached the landing Tony had been pinned on, another shot rang out and he was flung back by the impact of the bullet. It hit the middle of his chest, flattening itself against his flak jacket, but throwing him back nonetheless. He hit the wall behind him with his right shoulderblade and his momentum carried him to the side, smashing into and through the window.
He grunted as breaking glass cut into his arm and rained down on his head. He barely managed to keep himself from plummeting out of the window and pushed off, shaking his head to clear the glass out of his hair. He took aim at the man he had shot only moments earlier and squeezed off two more rounds, both of them slammed high into the man's chest and Jack made it past him without further delay.
Kendrick was out of the building already and Tony was at the door.
Much to Jack's horror, he didn't stop and threw his weight against it, sending it crashing into the wall as it flew wide open, taking away every last bit of cover he might've had.
"Tony DON'T!"
Three shots rang out in quick succession even before the sound of his voice died down.
Tony went down hard as the first salvo hit him and three more shots were fired. Jack could only see them hit home, putting Tony out of action. He sprinted the last few yards to the door but as he reached it, he was greeted by a long burst of automatic fire and he had to dive for cover.
"Tony?"
"Yeah." came Tony's painfully faint response.
"I need a medic down here." Jack said into the com, "We've got an agent down near the back exit."
He tried another peek around the corner of the door and this time the dark alley remained silent. No more shots were fired and he carefully stepped out of the building, hurrying over to Tony. The sound of squealing tires at the far end of the alley told him Kendrick was getting away. He got on the phone to one of the surveillance teams and sent them in pursuit of Kendrick.
"Dammit!"
The word carried the purest of anger and he furiously kicked a garbage bin to get rid of his frustration.
Three agents piled out of the building and Jack snapped out of it, holstering his weapon again and moving over to where Tony lay.
He had taken four direct hits and needed to get to a hospital. One of the first bullets had caught him high in the left shoulder, which had thrown him in a spin and the last three bullets had hit him in the legs.
He had been taken out of action.
Efficiently.
With the agents tending to Tony, Jack headed up to Heyes' apartment to check on the status there. All hostiles except Kendrick were down or had been taken. They really had been making preparations, Jack counted 9; four had been killed, Bonney, Heyes, Phelps and two unknowns apprehended. Three of them needed medical attention, but Jack ordered them transferred to CTU without anything more than a bandage on their wounds. One of the medics quickly dressed his wounds as well; he had a big gash running clear across his arm and a few smaller cuts as well as a few on his neck, but nothing serious. The biggest wound would need proper care, but he didn't have time for that now, he had a situation to wrap up.
But he had a problem. He had three suspects to interrogate as quickly as possible.
He hoped to get a location on Kendrick or at least find out what their plans had been, if he knew what the plan had been, he would be able to evaluate the chances of Kendrick trying to pull it off on his own.
He had to get started on those interrogations, but first he called CTU and arranged for two more teams to be dispatched to Kiefer's apartment, both teams were to join the one already inside with Kiefer and they were only to be dismissed by Jack himself.
Next he called agent Burke, he needed him to interrogate Heyes. Burke was an interrogation specialist, he knew more techniques to convince someone to talk than Jack could imagine.
But he still needed someone to interrogate Phelps and with Tony down, he had to call someone else.
But who?
Who was he to call?
He wanted a man for certain, even if it was to interrogate Phelps.
A man would be more impressive. Not that Nina couldn't handle an interrogation and be aggressive when she had to, it just didn't seem a good idea. He had to get as much information on Kendrick as humanly possible and he had to get it fast.
He fished out his cellphone and punched in a number, taking a deep breath as he pressed the dial button.
"Ryan Chapelle." Ryan said in an annoyed tone of voice as he picked up.
"Sir, this is Jack Bauer."
"What do you want at this time of day Bauer?" Ryan snapped.
"Sir, we are transferring 3 prisoners to CTU and they need to be interrogated. I've already called agent Burke in to handle Heyes and I'll handle Bonney, but I need someone to interrogate Melissa Phelps."
"What about Almeida?"
"Agent Almeida was injured during the operation sir, he's on his way to hospital right now."
"So what do you want me to do Bauer?"
Jack clenched his jaw for a long moment. He hated to have to do this and Chapelle was forcing him to do it. The son of a bitch wouldn't spontaneously offer his help, he would wait for Jack to ask him.
"I was hoping you could take care of Phelps' interrogation sir." Jack said as calmly as he possibly could.
"Who is she and what do you have on her?"
"Melissa Phelps is the woman who hired Lettis to drop the letters. She is associated to several known terrorists on the FBI's watch list and she is also William Bonney's wife."
"Is that all?"
"No sir, Nina got the complete file from the Bureau. Those are the highlights."
"Okay, what's your ETA?"
"Just over twenty minutes."
"Give me forty."
"Thank you sir."
Chapelle hung up without responding and Jack stuffed his phone back into his pocket. The remaining surveillance team would stay behind at the scene to keep everybody out of the apartment until the forensic and IT teams arrived. Jack had requested an IT team for the computers and other equipment found in the apartment, they might find the information they needed on them.
He drove to CTU and checked with Nina. She prepared the file she had on Melissa Phelps and put it in the middle of her desk where Chapelle would have no trouble finding it. Milo and Jamey were busy processing the information on the two unknown prisoners, trying to find out who they were and what their role was in this thing. One of them had been injured and Nina had only allowed a medic in to dress the wound, the man hadn't been given any pain medication and had been taken to a cell. His unknown companion sat quietly in a cell down the hall and Heyes, Bonney and Phelps had been prepped for interrogation. Phelps had taken a stray bullet in the thigh and her wound had been dressed, again without administering any pain medication. Bonney was more severely injured but he had been treated in the same superficial way.
Burke joined them at Nina's station and Jack went over Heyes' file quickly, telling Burke what information he wanted from Heyes. The man headed towards holding room 3 without further delay, taking Heyes' file with him to go over it if he had to. Jack and Nina went to holding room 1 where Bonney had been put.
As they were about to enter, Jack heard someone calling his name and when he turned around, he saw Chapelle coming down the hall.
"I just got here, where is the file on Phelps and where is she?"
"Her file is on Nina's desk and we put her in interrogation 2."
"Have you started on him yet?"
"No, I was about to." Jack replied, "Burke started on Heyes a few minutes ago."
"Okay, what about the others?"
"Still unknown at this time. Milo and Jamey are working on that."
"Good. Let's go to work."
Jack was surprised by the change in Chapelle.
There hadn't been any kind of smugness or superior attitude like he always seemed to have about him.
He shrugged it off and went into the interrogation room.
Bonney was clearly in pain, Jack could tell from his body language and from the look in his eyes, but he was biting it back. The man had been a bull rider for years, he wasn't going to crumble and cry like a baby because he had gotten hurt. He probably had a pretty high pain level and Jack knew he would have to play his cards differently.
When the door suddenly opened after almost two hours into the interrogation, Jack turned angrily, ready to snap at whoever was interrupting him now that Bonney was finally starting to respond. He came face to face with Chapelle.
"Jack, I need a word with you." Chapelle said calmly.
Jack understood at once and followed Chapelle out of the room, closing the door behind him, but ‘accidentally' leaving it ajar. Their voices would easily carry into the room.
"I've got results with Phelps." Chapelle started, "She's willing to cut a deal with us to keep from being handed over to the FBI when we're done."
"That's good." Jack responded, "Has she given you anything on Kendrick yet?"
"Not yet, she wants to see the agreement first. I'm having it drawn up as we speak, it should be ready in about 15 minutes."
"Good, keep me posted."
Jack went back into the interrogation room, finding Bonney shifting nervously in his chair.
"Was there something you wanted to say William?" Jack asked, having made a point of using the man's first name from the start.
Digg this | 
de.licio.us 
Fark it
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home