Saturday, January 06, 2007
When Fiction Meets Reality - Pt. 29
With Chapelle now supporting him the way he was, Jack felt confident they would get to the end of this. He joined the team at Kendrick's room and found the place to have been cleared in a haste. Kendrick apparently hadn't made good time heading back there and for whatever reason, he had decided to make a quick sweep of the room, leaving clothes and bathroom items behind. Jack doubted they would find anything there, only DNA of Kendrick himself, even though the bathroom might contain more than just his. Jack had a feeling Melissa Phelps was closer to Kendrick than to Bonney whom she was married to. The bin by the table was of more interest to Jack though, as it contained several pieces of papers. He had a forensic team on the way so he didn't touch any of it, but from the looks of it, there were bills and notes. Hopefully they would contain something they could use to locate Kendrick.
When the forensic team got there, Jack had the assault team retreat and secure the perimeter.
He called the chopper in again to fly him back to CTU, instructing the pilot to set it down on the motel's yard. It got there twenty minutes later and Jack climbed in.
Chapelle was in the situation room with Nina and Jamey when he walked in and he joined them there.
"Anything new?" he asked as he pushed the door open.
"Yeah, we got some information from Heyes which enabled us to get into the computers at his apartment." Chapelle replied.
"Looks like they were going for a public kill."
"What do you mean?"
"At the Golden Globes."
"Do you think Kendrick will proceed as planned?"
"He might. He ditched his car ten minutes ago and we lost track of him."
It brought Jack up to speed on the most recent developments.
"I want this man found."
"Do you think we should put Mr. Sutherland in a safe house?" Jack asked.
"No, but I'll increase the security. With Tony down, you'll need someone else. I'll assign two teams to it, that way, there will be five of you with him at all times."
"Good. What else have we got?"
"Nothing from Phelps, she's keeping her lips sealed."
"Can I give it a try?"
"Sure, be my guest, she's still in 2."
"What about Bonney?"
"Didn't move him."
"His intel checked out, can I move him to holding?"
"Sure."
"Good."
Jack left the situation room and went back to the interrogation room, going in to see Bonney first. The man sat slumped in his chair, tired and a little out of things because of the pain medication he had been given and the sound of the door startled him. When he saw Jack, he panicked slightly, expecting something bad.
"Your information checked out William." Jack said quietly, "I'm going to have you moved to a cell so you can get some rest."
"How long do I have to stay here?"
"I don't know, that's up to the attorney to decide."
"And you did what you said you would if my information was correct?"
"Not yet, the attorney isn't available at night, but don't worry, everything will be in my report and I'll get in touch with him in the morning to make the changes."
"Thank you."
Jack left the room and instructed the guards to take Bonney to a holding cell, then he went into the next room.
Phelps still hadn't gotten any medical assistance and she was obviously in a lot of pain. She looked dead tired, her eyes bloodshot and teary. She looked up when the door opened and a shiver ran down her spine when she met Jack's eyes casting a cold and devastating look at her. He slowly closed the door and crossed the room where he stood squarely in front of her, his hands rested on the table, leaning across it.
"Your husband gave us Kendrick." Jack said calmly.
Her reaction was exactly what Jack had hoped for.
Disbelief.
How could her husband have given up the information?
"The Stardust Motel on Hilgard." Jack continued.
This time, her expression turned to shock.
"We've got teams on the way over, he'll be in custody before the night is over."
He left a blank, letting his words hang in the air for a moment.
"You can't do anything for him anymore, but you can help yourself."
"Your husband got a nice deal for himself, you can get something out of this too. If you cooperate with us, we can bring the charges against you down, I don't think you would like to go before a judge to explain yourself on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Or would you?"
"No."
"Then tell me what I want to know."
"What do you want?"
"I want to know who's behind this. Is there anyone else involved beside Kendrick?"
"No, he came up with the idea."
"Do you have any idea why?"
"At first it started out as a joke, he just wanted to scare the guy, maybe get a public announcement out of it or something. But when nothing happened and Kiefer got a bodyguard and driver, John just lost it. He got obsessed with hurting him. In any way possible. He was thinking about poisoning the dog, but I talked him out of that. Then he said he'd go after his daughter to really scare him, but she was already under surveillance and he couldn't make his move."
She paused and met Jack's eyes.
"I never thought he'd actually hurt anybody, but then he sent Princeton after him."
"And Kiefer ended up in hospital with a concussion."
"I was really scared then."
"Why didn't you tell Kendrick you wanted out of it if he scared you?"
"I think he would've killed me."
"To keep you from talking?"
"Yes."
"What is your relation to Kendrick?"
"We're lovers." Phelps replied quietly.
She had been cheating on Bonney with Kendrick.
"Does your husband know?"
"I think he suspects it."
"Do you think Kendrick wanted to involve him so he had control over him? To keep him contained in case he found out about you two?"
"Maybe … I guess."
"Do you think Kendrick could've hurt your husband if he found out about it?"
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
"John said he'd kill him if he tried to stop me from seeing him."
"When was that?"
"Just a few days ago."
"Why do you try to protect the man who said he would kill your husband?"
"Because I love him." Phelps sobbed.
"Enough to put your future at stake?"
"No."
"Then I want you to help me put him away. If he's in jail, he can't touch you or your husband."
"I will."
"Good. I'll call a doctor to tend to your wound and give you a painkiller."
He left the room and went over to Chapelle who had been watching the interrogation.
"Looks like she's finally crumbling."
"Yeah, I told her we were about to nail Kendrick and she caved in."
"I saw that. That was a very clever approach."
"It usually works well and given the state she's in, I was hoping for it to have the desired effect."
"Will you handle the rest of it or should I send someone else in there?"
"No, I'll do it."
"Why don't you go home and get some rest."
"I still have reports to write."
"Not tonight you don't. Get some rest, your job isn't done yet."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Jack, I've got this covered. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."
"Right now, you're dismissed."
"Yes sir."
Jack left Chapelle's office but instead of going home, he returned to Kiefer's place. He called ahead, letting the teams on site know he was on his way so nobody accidentally shot him if he let himself into the building. He was greeted by two agents at the top of the stairs, the rest of them were inside the apartment, scattered around the rooms. He dismissed all but two and checked on Kiefer before turning in for a short night. It was almost 4 already.
---------------------------
Thursday.
Jack woke to Molly's bark and he shot out of bed and out into the living room.
"Stand down."
His voice was raspy with sleep but the men responded to it nonetheless.
"What the hell is wrong with you people anyway?" Polly asked angrily.
"Every damn morning someone's pointing a gun at me over here. I'm gonna ask a fucking raise if you keep this up."
Jack was surprised by Polly's cursing, he hadn't thought of her as such a verbally expressive person.
"I'm sorry. I should've told these men about you."
"Yeah you should've," Polly replied, giving him a hard stare, "you prick."
"I'm not drinking any more of your coffee." Jack replied as he turned and went back to Sarah's room.
He met Kiefer in the hall and greeted him with a soft.
"Polly's a bit cranky this morning, beware of the coffee."
Kiefer nodded and went out into the living room, greeted the agents and went to the kitchen to talk to Polly.
She was a lot less wordy with him around and simply stated she was getting upset about the guns every morning.
"I'll make sure they know you are allowed to come in here." Kiefer promised.
A few minutes after Polly had left with Molly, Jack emerged from the back, freshly showered but still fighting sleep.
"So how did it go last night?" Kiefer asked.
He knew it didn't go all too well simply because the agents were still there.
"Kendrick got away." Jack said with a sigh.
"We got everybody else, but he got away. Bonney gave up his location, but by the time we got there, he was gone. We're doing everything we can to find him, but until we do, you'll have to put up with a lot more of us."
"How many more?"
"Two teams at all times, that's four agents plus me."
"What about Tony?"
"Tony got injured last night, he's in hospital."
"God, how bad is it?"
"He'll be okay, he got shot in the legs."
"You got hit too." Kiefer said, pointing at the bandages.
"Just a few cuts, nothing serious, I smashed through a window with my arm."
"It doesn't look like it's ‘just a few cuts'."
"I just showered and put the old bandages back on, that's why. I'll get it dressed properly later on."
"Why? I've got a first aid kit, I can do that."
Kiefer got up before Jack could say anything and he retrieved a first aid kit from a cupboard under the sink.
"Let me get that."
Jack refrained from any comments and let Kiefer cut away the dirty bandages he had wrapped around his arm again. Within minutes, the wounds had been cleaned and dressed again, including the ones on his neck.
"There, all patched up again." Kiefer said with a smile.
"Thanks." Jack chuckled.
"So? Now what?"
"We're looking for Kendrick, all we can do is hope for him to get spotted. We're not counting on him going dark, he might want to carry out his plans-"
He bit his tongue the moment he said that but it was too late, the words were out and Kiefer reacted at once.
"What are his plans?"
Jack met his eyes and he knew he wouldn't get away with it. He had to tell him the truth, Kiefer would see straight through him if he tried to lie to him.
"He wants to kill you at the Globes."
The silence that followed was loaded with nervous tension and he saw the emotions switching rapidly in Kiefer's eyes. He was scared and angry at the same time, nervous but determined not to let anyone dictate his life, afraid it might go wrong but confident Jack would be able to deal with Kendrick if he showed up at the Globes. And they still had 2 weeks to find Kendrick.
"I trust you to find him before then." Kiefer finally said after a long silence.
They didn't.
---------------
At the Golden Globes.
Kiefer was determined to attend and Jack had no other choice but to set up a security detail for the evening. Nina would accompany Kiefer, that way, they had someone close at all times, she would arrive with him and sit with him throughout the evening. Jack and 8 more agents would be roaming around the room, securing the perimeter, three would cover the backstage area and the access to the stage.
Jack and Nina rode with Kiefer in the limo. Nina wore a dark red gala dress and assorted purse along with medium high heels. She looked smashing in that dress and Jack couldn't keep his eyes off her on the way over to the gala. He knew she could kick a mean piece of ass, even on heels, he had seen her do it. Besides, she had a Sig Sauer Mosquito strapped to her thigh and she could draw it in a matter of seconds. She was lethal in more than one way.
And she appeared to have the same effect on Kiefer, who kept complimenting her along the way.
Kiefer wore a simple black tuxedo, a crispy white shirt and a dotted tie, Jack wore a similar outfit, only of cheaper quality and with a jacket wide enough to hide his shoulder holster.
None of them wore flak, Kiefer had refused because it would be impossible to hide under his tuxedo and he didn't want to look like an idiot on national television. Jack wasn't wearing one for some of the same reasons, although he couldn't care less about what he looked like on TV. Even though he knew both Teri and Kim were watching the awards. Kim had been thrilled when he had told her he would be at the Golden Globes and she was about to find out who the heck he had been protecting for so long.
Finally, the ear buds both he and Nina wore, remained totally invisible.
When they arrived at the site, Jack got out first, holding the door for Kiefer and Nina. She took his arm as he offered it and stayed right beside him with Jack two steps ahead. The area had been scanned thoroughly and Kendrick had not been spotted in the crowd. It didn't mean everything was safe, he could have hired someone else. For once, Kiefer stayed away from the fans and never stopped on the way to the main entrance. They reached it without any problems.
If Kendrick showed up, he would be inside.
They took their seats and Jack checked in with his team already on site. The area was clear. Kendrick hadn't been seen.
The evening went by without incidents, but when Kiefer came up as a nominee, the tension rose in the agents on site. This was the moment of weakness. If Kiefer won the award, he would get on stage to accept it, at what point he would be alone, unprotected. And all the cameras would be on him, so it would be the perfect time for Kendrick to strike.
Jack moved closer to the stage, scanning the faces around him. If Kendrick had hired someone, it could be anybody. They could get to him before he reached the stage or when he was on it, anything could happen and it put his senses on high alert.
"And the winner is …"
The woman left a blank, Jack looked up at her, he couldn't remember her name, but he wished she'd get on with it already. Every fibre in his body told him this was the moment of truth and he cursed her for her melodramatic pause.
"Kiefer Sutherland."
The crowd cheered and a spotlight came on, finding Kiefer at his table. Both he and Nina got up and Nina gave him a big congratulatory hug, whispering a quick ‘don't draw it out' into his ear, meaning for him to get on and off stage as quickly as possible. He returned the hug, giving her a genuine squeeze and he whispered his ‘I won't' back. He moved away from the table with the spotlight on him all the way to the stage. This was making it even easier to shoot him, they were literally highlighting the target. Jack saw Nina following as close behind him as she dared without drawing too much attention, she wasn't supposed to be there with him. People stopped him a few times to congratulate him and Kiefer couldn't ignore them. He shook hands and accepted pats on the back, giving a few hugs along the way as well, but only to people he knew well and knew wouldn't be a danger to him.
He reached the stage and climbed the stairs on the right side, nearest to where Jack stood.
But as Kiefer made his way to the centre, Jack's ear bud nearly exploded when one of the agents yelled a warning.
Kendrick was leaping up the stairs on the opposite end of the stage, weapon in hand.
"Gun!" Jack bellowed as he leapt onto the stage.
Screams filled the air and people scattered at the first sign of danger.
The two presenters froze on the spot and gawked at the armed man running towards Kiefer who had stopped dead in his tracks. He had his eyes locked on Kendrick, seemingly unafraid of the weapon in the man's hand, but his heart pounded furiously in his chest and his mouth was dry. Kendrick's arm levelled and Kiefer saw the man's finger curl around the trigger.
The burst of automatic fire sounded incredibly loud and Kiefer was flung backwards. He hit the ground hard knocking his head on the wooden boards. There was no pain though and he wondered why he didn't feel anything. Kendrick could not have missed and the weapon had spat out at least 4 bullets.
He couldn't move though but then he realized he was pinned under Jack's weight.
He had thrown himself between Kiefer and Kendrick, taking the bullets instead of Kiefer.
Jack had reached him the moment Kendrick pulled the trigger, his weapon was on semi-automatic and it spewed a short burst of bullets, meant to take the target down in a quick and swift way. All four bullets struck home and the impact threw him forward, slamming into Kiefer who went down hard. Jack knew he was badly hit but he also knew Kiefer was all right, he was moving.
Jack clenched his teeth and pushed up, he had to take Kendrick out before he reached them and put a bullet through Kiefer's skull. With a grunt, he pushed off Kiefer and rolled, bringing his gun around on Kendrick while raising himself on a knee.
"Drop it Kendrick!" Jack warned.
The panic in the audience was keeping the agents from reaching the stage or even taking Kendrick out and Jack realized he was on his own until his back-up managed to break through the crowd of hysterically screaming civilians.
Kendrick was staring back at him, glaring because his attempt had been foiled and he brought his weapon around on Jack. Jack's arm wavered for a moment but he steadied it by raising his left arm in support and he squeezed off three rounds. The recoil almost knocked him down and it sent a hot flash of pain through him. Kendrick went down as all three bullets struck him in the chest and Jack struggled to his feet, keeping his gun trained on the downed man. He moved towards him, positioning himself between Kiefer and Kendrick in case he found enough strength to bring his weapon up again.
His vision was clouding and blackness started to seep in from the edges. He clenched his teeth and clasped his hands tighter around his gun, he couldn't black out now. If Kendrick wasn't out of action, he could still get to Kiefer. He had to stay on his feet.
Seconds later, three agents clambered onto the stage and a fourth one sprinted across the stage, moving between Jack and Kendrick.
"We've got him Jack." the agent stated.
Jack couldn't tell who it was but he knew his job was over now.
He fell to one knee, his gun lowering away from Kendrick.
"Jack!"
Jack barely recognized Nina's voice as his vision narrowed further.
The pain was overwhelming now and he could feel his blood gush from his wounds. He lost his grip on his gun as he fell forward, crashing to the floor but not feeling that impact anymore; he had lost consciousness before hitting it.
He sensed hands on him without really feeling them and he heard people speak to him without understanding their words. He realized it on a subconscious level, the same way he realized he was being rolled over and lifted off the floor. He also realized he was losing blood rapidly, his life was literally flowing from his veins.
Everything went completely black and silent after a while.
He gasped suddenly and opened his eyes wide, only to squeeze them shut as quickly as he opened them. The light stung fiercely and he kept them shut for a long moment. He concentrated on feeling. There was a hint of pain in his chest, flaring up slightly with every breath he took. His heart was beating fast but regularly and it slowed gradually as he came to realize he was in hospital.
He slowly opened his eyes again and looked around. Nina was asleep in the lazy chair in the corner of the room and next to him, in a second bed, was Teri, also sleeping quietly. His hand found the alarm button and he pressed it to call a nurse. Two of them came running and Jack knew it could only mean one thing, they expected his condition to take a turn for the worse.
When they saw him awake, one of them hurried back out to the station to call the doctor. The other one came over to the bed.
"How are you feeling Mr. Bauer?"
"Like hell." Jack whispered back.
"I bet you do. Do you remember what happened?"
"I got shot."
"You most certainly did."
She checked his temperature and noted it on his chart.
The doctor ran in just then and the nurse stepped out of his way.
The commotion woke Nina and she jumped up from the chair at the sight of the nurse and a doctor standing by Jack's bed.
How could she have slept through the alarms?
But as she approached the bed, she knew there had been no alarms, Jack was awake.
Finally.
He had been unconscious for three days and his heart had stopped twice. She had revived him the first time; his heart had started pumping again after a few chest compressions and by the time the crash team ran in, he was all right. The second time however, they had needed almost three minutes to get his heart going again; they had almost given up on him, but his heart had reacted to the electric current rushing through it and it had resumed its job.
He wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least his odds were a lot better now.
Kiefer visited him twice despite his hectic schedule and he spent most of his time thanking Jack for saving his life.
One week later, he was released from hospital and he returned home to recover further with his family.
Kiefer visited him there as well, despite Jack's complaints. He didn't want Kiefer to be bugged by Kim and her friends, but Kiefer waved those complaints away, he didn't mind signing some autographs and posing for a few pictures. Kim almost fainted the first time Kiefer walked into their living room, but Kiefer put her at ease and she was slightly less impressed on his next visits.
But only slightly.
Jack recovered quickly and two weeks after he was released from hospital, Kiefer asked him if he could do him a favour.
"I would like for you to be my guest at the upcoming SAG awards."
Jack was stunned by the request, but he accepted.
As expected, Kiefer won the SAG award as well and when he gave his acceptance speech, it was short and to the point.
"I will be very brief as I really have only one person to thank at this time. I would like to dedicate this award to the man who gave up three weeks of his life to protect mine. Special agent Jack Bauer … this is yours."
A spotlight beamed down on Jack and two cameras focused on him, catching the sudden blush that crept across his face as the crowd around him cheered wildly. They all knew.
And so do we.
You can always count on Jack Bauer to get the job done!
When the forensic team got there, Jack had the assault team retreat and secure the perimeter.
He called the chopper in again to fly him back to CTU, instructing the pilot to set it down on the motel's yard. It got there twenty minutes later and Jack climbed in.
Chapelle was in the situation room with Nina and Jamey when he walked in and he joined them there.
"Anything new?" he asked as he pushed the door open.
"Yeah, we got some information from Heyes which enabled us to get into the computers at his apartment." Chapelle replied.
"Looks like they were going for a public kill."
"What do you mean?"
"At the Golden Globes."
"Do you think Kendrick will proceed as planned?"
"He might. He ditched his car ten minutes ago and we lost track of him."
It brought Jack up to speed on the most recent developments.
"I want this man found."
"Do you think we should put Mr. Sutherland in a safe house?" Jack asked.
"No, but I'll increase the security. With Tony down, you'll need someone else. I'll assign two teams to it, that way, there will be five of you with him at all times."
"Good. What else have we got?"
"Nothing from Phelps, she's keeping her lips sealed."
"Can I give it a try?"
"Sure, be my guest, she's still in 2."
"What about Bonney?"
"Didn't move him."
"His intel checked out, can I move him to holding?"
"Sure."
"Good."
Jack left the situation room and went back to the interrogation room, going in to see Bonney first. The man sat slumped in his chair, tired and a little out of things because of the pain medication he had been given and the sound of the door startled him. When he saw Jack, he panicked slightly, expecting something bad.
"Your information checked out William." Jack said quietly, "I'm going to have you moved to a cell so you can get some rest."
"How long do I have to stay here?"
"I don't know, that's up to the attorney to decide."
"And you did what you said you would if my information was correct?"
"Not yet, the attorney isn't available at night, but don't worry, everything will be in my report and I'll get in touch with him in the morning to make the changes."
"Thank you."
Jack left the room and instructed the guards to take Bonney to a holding cell, then he went into the next room.
Phelps still hadn't gotten any medical assistance and she was obviously in a lot of pain. She looked dead tired, her eyes bloodshot and teary. She looked up when the door opened and a shiver ran down her spine when she met Jack's eyes casting a cold and devastating look at her. He slowly closed the door and crossed the room where he stood squarely in front of her, his hands rested on the table, leaning across it.
"Your husband gave us Kendrick." Jack said calmly.
Her reaction was exactly what Jack had hoped for.
Disbelief.
How could her husband have given up the information?
"The Stardust Motel on Hilgard." Jack continued.
This time, her expression turned to shock.
"We've got teams on the way over, he'll be in custody before the night is over."
He left a blank, letting his words hang in the air for a moment.
"You can't do anything for him anymore, but you can help yourself."
"Your husband got a nice deal for himself, you can get something out of this too. If you cooperate with us, we can bring the charges against you down, I don't think you would like to go before a judge to explain yourself on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. Or would you?"
"No."
"Then tell me what I want to know."
"What do you want?"
"I want to know who's behind this. Is there anyone else involved beside Kendrick?"
"No, he came up with the idea."
"Do you have any idea why?"
"At first it started out as a joke, he just wanted to scare the guy, maybe get a public announcement out of it or something. But when nothing happened and Kiefer got a bodyguard and driver, John just lost it. He got obsessed with hurting him. In any way possible. He was thinking about poisoning the dog, but I talked him out of that. Then he said he'd go after his daughter to really scare him, but she was already under surveillance and he couldn't make his move."
She paused and met Jack's eyes.
"I never thought he'd actually hurt anybody, but then he sent Princeton after him."
"And Kiefer ended up in hospital with a concussion."
"I was really scared then."
"Why didn't you tell Kendrick you wanted out of it if he scared you?"
"I think he would've killed me."
"To keep you from talking?"
"Yes."
"What is your relation to Kendrick?"
"We're lovers." Phelps replied quietly.
She had been cheating on Bonney with Kendrick.
"Does your husband know?"
"I think he suspects it."
"Do you think Kendrick wanted to involve him so he had control over him? To keep him contained in case he found out about you two?"
"Maybe … I guess."
"Do you think Kendrick could've hurt your husband if he found out about it?"
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
"John said he'd kill him if he tried to stop me from seeing him."
"When was that?"
"Just a few days ago."
"Why do you try to protect the man who said he would kill your husband?"
"Because I love him." Phelps sobbed.
"Enough to put your future at stake?"
"No."
"Then I want you to help me put him away. If he's in jail, he can't touch you or your husband."
"I will."
"Good. I'll call a doctor to tend to your wound and give you a painkiller."
He left the room and went over to Chapelle who had been watching the interrogation.
"Looks like she's finally crumbling."
"Yeah, I told her we were about to nail Kendrick and she caved in."
"I saw that. That was a very clever approach."
"It usually works well and given the state she's in, I was hoping for it to have the desired effect."
"Will you handle the rest of it or should I send someone else in there?"
"No, I'll do it."
"Why don't you go home and get some rest."
"I still have reports to write."
"Not tonight you don't. Get some rest, your job isn't done yet."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Jack, I've got this covered. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."
"Right now, you're dismissed."
"Yes sir."
Jack left Chapelle's office but instead of going home, he returned to Kiefer's place. He called ahead, letting the teams on site know he was on his way so nobody accidentally shot him if he let himself into the building. He was greeted by two agents at the top of the stairs, the rest of them were inside the apartment, scattered around the rooms. He dismissed all but two and checked on Kiefer before turning in for a short night. It was almost 4 already.
---------------------------
Thursday.
Jack woke to Molly's bark and he shot out of bed and out into the living room.
"Stand down."
His voice was raspy with sleep but the men responded to it nonetheless.
"What the hell is wrong with you people anyway?" Polly asked angrily.
"Every damn morning someone's pointing a gun at me over here. I'm gonna ask a fucking raise if you keep this up."
Jack was surprised by Polly's cursing, he hadn't thought of her as such a verbally expressive person.
"I'm sorry. I should've told these men about you."
"Yeah you should've," Polly replied, giving him a hard stare, "you prick."
"I'm not drinking any more of your coffee." Jack replied as he turned and went back to Sarah's room.
He met Kiefer in the hall and greeted him with a soft.
"Polly's a bit cranky this morning, beware of the coffee."
Kiefer nodded and went out into the living room, greeted the agents and went to the kitchen to talk to Polly.
She was a lot less wordy with him around and simply stated she was getting upset about the guns every morning.
"I'll make sure they know you are allowed to come in here." Kiefer promised.
A few minutes after Polly had left with Molly, Jack emerged from the back, freshly showered but still fighting sleep.
"So how did it go last night?" Kiefer asked.
He knew it didn't go all too well simply because the agents were still there.
"Kendrick got away." Jack said with a sigh.
"We got everybody else, but he got away. Bonney gave up his location, but by the time we got there, he was gone. We're doing everything we can to find him, but until we do, you'll have to put up with a lot more of us."
"How many more?"
"Two teams at all times, that's four agents plus me."
"What about Tony?"
"Tony got injured last night, he's in hospital."
"God, how bad is it?"
"He'll be okay, he got shot in the legs."
"You got hit too." Kiefer said, pointing at the bandages.
"Just a few cuts, nothing serious, I smashed through a window with my arm."
"It doesn't look like it's ‘just a few cuts'."
"I just showered and put the old bandages back on, that's why. I'll get it dressed properly later on."
"Why? I've got a first aid kit, I can do that."
Kiefer got up before Jack could say anything and he retrieved a first aid kit from a cupboard under the sink.
"Let me get that."
Jack refrained from any comments and let Kiefer cut away the dirty bandages he had wrapped around his arm again. Within minutes, the wounds had been cleaned and dressed again, including the ones on his neck.
"There, all patched up again." Kiefer said with a smile.
"Thanks." Jack chuckled.
"So? Now what?"
"We're looking for Kendrick, all we can do is hope for him to get spotted. We're not counting on him going dark, he might want to carry out his plans-"
He bit his tongue the moment he said that but it was too late, the words were out and Kiefer reacted at once.
"What are his plans?"
Jack met his eyes and he knew he wouldn't get away with it. He had to tell him the truth, Kiefer would see straight through him if he tried to lie to him.
"He wants to kill you at the Globes."
The silence that followed was loaded with nervous tension and he saw the emotions switching rapidly in Kiefer's eyes. He was scared and angry at the same time, nervous but determined not to let anyone dictate his life, afraid it might go wrong but confident Jack would be able to deal with Kendrick if he showed up at the Globes. And they still had 2 weeks to find Kendrick.
"I trust you to find him before then." Kiefer finally said after a long silence.
They didn't.
---------------
At the Golden Globes.
Kiefer was determined to attend and Jack had no other choice but to set up a security detail for the evening. Nina would accompany Kiefer, that way, they had someone close at all times, she would arrive with him and sit with him throughout the evening. Jack and 8 more agents would be roaming around the room, securing the perimeter, three would cover the backstage area and the access to the stage.
Jack and Nina rode with Kiefer in the limo. Nina wore a dark red gala dress and assorted purse along with medium high heels. She looked smashing in that dress and Jack couldn't keep his eyes off her on the way over to the gala. He knew she could kick a mean piece of ass, even on heels, he had seen her do it. Besides, she had a Sig Sauer Mosquito strapped to her thigh and she could draw it in a matter of seconds. She was lethal in more than one way.
And she appeared to have the same effect on Kiefer, who kept complimenting her along the way.
Kiefer wore a simple black tuxedo, a crispy white shirt and a dotted tie, Jack wore a similar outfit, only of cheaper quality and with a jacket wide enough to hide his shoulder holster.
None of them wore flak, Kiefer had refused because it would be impossible to hide under his tuxedo and he didn't want to look like an idiot on national television. Jack wasn't wearing one for some of the same reasons, although he couldn't care less about what he looked like on TV. Even though he knew both Teri and Kim were watching the awards. Kim had been thrilled when he had told her he would be at the Golden Globes and she was about to find out who the heck he had been protecting for so long.
Finally, the ear buds both he and Nina wore, remained totally invisible.
When they arrived at the site, Jack got out first, holding the door for Kiefer and Nina. She took his arm as he offered it and stayed right beside him with Jack two steps ahead. The area had been scanned thoroughly and Kendrick had not been spotted in the crowd. It didn't mean everything was safe, he could have hired someone else. For once, Kiefer stayed away from the fans and never stopped on the way to the main entrance. They reached it without any problems.
If Kendrick showed up, he would be inside.
They took their seats and Jack checked in with his team already on site. The area was clear. Kendrick hadn't been seen.
The evening went by without incidents, but when Kiefer came up as a nominee, the tension rose in the agents on site. This was the moment of weakness. If Kiefer won the award, he would get on stage to accept it, at what point he would be alone, unprotected. And all the cameras would be on him, so it would be the perfect time for Kendrick to strike.
Jack moved closer to the stage, scanning the faces around him. If Kendrick had hired someone, it could be anybody. They could get to him before he reached the stage or when he was on it, anything could happen and it put his senses on high alert.
"And the winner is …"
The woman left a blank, Jack looked up at her, he couldn't remember her name, but he wished she'd get on with it already. Every fibre in his body told him this was the moment of truth and he cursed her for her melodramatic pause.
"Kiefer Sutherland."
The crowd cheered and a spotlight came on, finding Kiefer at his table. Both he and Nina got up and Nina gave him a big congratulatory hug, whispering a quick ‘don't draw it out' into his ear, meaning for him to get on and off stage as quickly as possible. He returned the hug, giving her a genuine squeeze and he whispered his ‘I won't' back. He moved away from the table with the spotlight on him all the way to the stage. This was making it even easier to shoot him, they were literally highlighting the target. Jack saw Nina following as close behind him as she dared without drawing too much attention, she wasn't supposed to be there with him. People stopped him a few times to congratulate him and Kiefer couldn't ignore them. He shook hands and accepted pats on the back, giving a few hugs along the way as well, but only to people he knew well and knew wouldn't be a danger to him.
He reached the stage and climbed the stairs on the right side, nearest to where Jack stood.
But as Kiefer made his way to the centre, Jack's ear bud nearly exploded when one of the agents yelled a warning.
Kendrick was leaping up the stairs on the opposite end of the stage, weapon in hand.
"Gun!" Jack bellowed as he leapt onto the stage.
Screams filled the air and people scattered at the first sign of danger.
The two presenters froze on the spot and gawked at the armed man running towards Kiefer who had stopped dead in his tracks. He had his eyes locked on Kendrick, seemingly unafraid of the weapon in the man's hand, but his heart pounded furiously in his chest and his mouth was dry. Kendrick's arm levelled and Kiefer saw the man's finger curl around the trigger.
The burst of automatic fire sounded incredibly loud and Kiefer was flung backwards. He hit the ground hard knocking his head on the wooden boards. There was no pain though and he wondered why he didn't feel anything. Kendrick could not have missed and the weapon had spat out at least 4 bullets.
He couldn't move though but then he realized he was pinned under Jack's weight.
He had thrown himself between Kiefer and Kendrick, taking the bullets instead of Kiefer.
Jack had reached him the moment Kendrick pulled the trigger, his weapon was on semi-automatic and it spewed a short burst of bullets, meant to take the target down in a quick and swift way. All four bullets struck home and the impact threw him forward, slamming into Kiefer who went down hard. Jack knew he was badly hit but he also knew Kiefer was all right, he was moving.
Jack clenched his teeth and pushed up, he had to take Kendrick out before he reached them and put a bullet through Kiefer's skull. With a grunt, he pushed off Kiefer and rolled, bringing his gun around on Kendrick while raising himself on a knee.
"Drop it Kendrick!" Jack warned.
The panic in the audience was keeping the agents from reaching the stage or even taking Kendrick out and Jack realized he was on his own until his back-up managed to break through the crowd of hysterically screaming civilians.
Kendrick was staring back at him, glaring because his attempt had been foiled and he brought his weapon around on Jack. Jack's arm wavered for a moment but he steadied it by raising his left arm in support and he squeezed off three rounds. The recoil almost knocked him down and it sent a hot flash of pain through him. Kendrick went down as all three bullets struck him in the chest and Jack struggled to his feet, keeping his gun trained on the downed man. He moved towards him, positioning himself between Kiefer and Kendrick in case he found enough strength to bring his weapon up again.
His vision was clouding and blackness started to seep in from the edges. He clenched his teeth and clasped his hands tighter around his gun, he couldn't black out now. If Kendrick wasn't out of action, he could still get to Kiefer. He had to stay on his feet.
Seconds later, three agents clambered onto the stage and a fourth one sprinted across the stage, moving between Jack and Kendrick.
"We've got him Jack." the agent stated.
Jack couldn't tell who it was but he knew his job was over now.
He fell to one knee, his gun lowering away from Kendrick.
"Jack!"
Jack barely recognized Nina's voice as his vision narrowed further.
The pain was overwhelming now and he could feel his blood gush from his wounds. He lost his grip on his gun as he fell forward, crashing to the floor but not feeling that impact anymore; he had lost consciousness before hitting it.
He sensed hands on him without really feeling them and he heard people speak to him without understanding their words. He realized it on a subconscious level, the same way he realized he was being rolled over and lifted off the floor. He also realized he was losing blood rapidly, his life was literally flowing from his veins.
Everything went completely black and silent after a while.
He gasped suddenly and opened his eyes wide, only to squeeze them shut as quickly as he opened them. The light stung fiercely and he kept them shut for a long moment. He concentrated on feeling. There was a hint of pain in his chest, flaring up slightly with every breath he took. His heart was beating fast but regularly and it slowed gradually as he came to realize he was in hospital.
He slowly opened his eyes again and looked around. Nina was asleep in the lazy chair in the corner of the room and next to him, in a second bed, was Teri, also sleeping quietly. His hand found the alarm button and he pressed it to call a nurse. Two of them came running and Jack knew it could only mean one thing, they expected his condition to take a turn for the worse.
When they saw him awake, one of them hurried back out to the station to call the doctor. The other one came over to the bed.
"How are you feeling Mr. Bauer?"
"Like hell." Jack whispered back.
"I bet you do. Do you remember what happened?"
"I got shot."
"You most certainly did."
She checked his temperature and noted it on his chart.
The doctor ran in just then and the nurse stepped out of his way.
The commotion woke Nina and she jumped up from the chair at the sight of the nurse and a doctor standing by Jack's bed.
How could she have slept through the alarms?
But as she approached the bed, she knew there had been no alarms, Jack was awake.
Finally.
He had been unconscious for three days and his heart had stopped twice. She had revived him the first time; his heart had started pumping again after a few chest compressions and by the time the crash team ran in, he was all right. The second time however, they had needed almost three minutes to get his heart going again; they had almost given up on him, but his heart had reacted to the electric current rushing through it and it had resumed its job.
He wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least his odds were a lot better now.
Kiefer visited him twice despite his hectic schedule and he spent most of his time thanking Jack for saving his life.
One week later, he was released from hospital and he returned home to recover further with his family.
Kiefer visited him there as well, despite Jack's complaints. He didn't want Kiefer to be bugged by Kim and her friends, but Kiefer waved those complaints away, he didn't mind signing some autographs and posing for a few pictures. Kim almost fainted the first time Kiefer walked into their living room, but Kiefer put her at ease and she was slightly less impressed on his next visits.
But only slightly.
Jack recovered quickly and two weeks after he was released from hospital, Kiefer asked him if he could do him a favour.
"I would like for you to be my guest at the upcoming SAG awards."
Jack was stunned by the request, but he accepted.
As expected, Kiefer won the SAG award as well and when he gave his acceptance speech, it was short and to the point.
"I will be very brief as I really have only one person to thank at this time. I would like to dedicate this award to the man who gave up three weeks of his life to protect mine. Special agent Jack Bauer … this is yours."
A spotlight beamed down on Jack and two cameras focused on him, catching the sudden blush that crept across his face as the crowd around him cheered wildly. They all knew.
And so do we.
You can always count on Jack Bauer to get the job done!
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1 Comments:
Moody... You are a very, very, very talented writer. That was huge pleasure for me to read. And still is huge pleasure to translate. I hope it's not your last story and that I'll be able sooner or later read something else, written by you.
Thanks to Melia for publishing it. If not you, I wouldn't even know about this.
Greetings for both of you from me and the other Polish readers.
Cheers!
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