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The helicopter carrying Jack Bauer took off for an unknown location.
Jack spent the flight watching from the window in silence. There was no reason talking to the three Russians in the cabin. He doubted they spoke English and he doubted they would like to chat with him even if they knew. He didn't blame them of course. He had killed several Russian agents in the past plus their Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why would they want to be friendly with him?
The helicopter kept flying above London. Jack could see the big hospital a US drone had hit with a missile. Dozens of people had died when the missile exploded, the result of a successful hacking attempt by a brilliant hacker and a small but ruthless group of terrorists.
“OK Bauer,” the senior Russian agent said, “you have seen enough.” He gestured to the two junior agents in the cabin. One of them handcuffed Jack and the other put a blindfold on him. Jack offered no resistance.
Twenty minutes later, the helicopter landed on a small and isolated area. Judging from its speed, its direction, and by the amount of flight time, Jack concluded they were somewhere in the western outskirts of London. Jack didn't know exactly where, but he knew they were going to move him again. Why to risk interference from the British when they had a country eleven time zones wide to hide him?
Would the Russians try to harm his daughter Kim and his grandchildren? Jack had no way to know. The senior Russian agent had promised Russia would never lift a finger against them… but could he trust the man’s word? After all, he was not the one to decide, his superiors were. On the other hand, since they had him at their mercy, what would they gain from harming his family?
Would he ever see Chloe again? He didn't know. He only knew she would be safe now. The Russians had played no tricks there and he had to acknowledge that. That was why he had surrendered peacefully after all.
The two agents helped Jack exit the helicopter. The moment he exited, they applied another pair of cuffs on his legs and another around his waist. Afterwards, they moved him again and had him enter a small aircraft parked next to the helicopter.
Inside the plane cabin, the agents cuffed him on a chair. Ten minutes later, the plane took off, its destination an isolated airfield somewhere in Russia. Jack Bauer would remain tied and blindfolded for the entire journey.
Under the blindfold, two tears fell from Jack’s eyes. He had lost so much during the past years: his wife Teri, his friend Renee Walker, and finally his love Audrey Raines had all died because of his line of business. His country had questioned his loyalty more times than he could count. Enemies of various types – terrorists, corrupt businessmen, traitorous politicians like Charles Logan – had tried to kill him again and again. And after all those years, after all those dangers, after all those sacrifices, he was alone, nobody was going to help him, and nobody was going to search for him.
The only two things comforting him were the agent’s promise they wouldn’t hurt his family and the fact Chloe O’Brian was safe. For some reason, he believed the agent was telling the truth.
The aircraft reached cruise altitude and Jack finally resigned to his fate. He had faced the same situation years ago when Chinese agents had kidnapped him and taken him to their country. For twenty months he had endured the humiliation, the pain, the suffering…
In the end, the Chinese had released him… but would the Russians do the same? What would they do to him?
“He had no obligation to save me,” Chloe told Belcheck, Jack’s friend. Her face was full of tears.
“That is what a true friend does,” Belcheck said.
Both were sitting inside the car, looking outside the windshield. They had seen the Russians surrounding Jack, escorting him to the helicopter at gunpoint, and waiting for it to take off. Neither Chloe nor Belcheck could do anything to stop them. They were unarmed, outnumbered, and surrounded. Two snipers were constantly aiming at them from nearby rooftops and three troopers were covering them with their submachine guns from the ground.
“We cannot leave yet,” Belcheck said. “The Russians were very specific about that. We can only leave after their ground troops and snipers leave.”
“They are scared of Jack,” Chloe said. “They don’t take chances.”
“They are not stupid. They know what Jack is capable of doing.”
The only thing they could do was wait. Still tearful, Chloe watched as they put Jack in the helicopter and the flying machine took off, reached altitude, and slowly moved to the west. She kept watching as the helicopter became a smaller and smaller dot on the horizon.
Suddenly, they heard a shot. One of the snipers had opened fire. Inside the car, Chloe and Belcheck felt a small vibration.
“It’s the front right tire,” he said. “They shot it to prevent us from following them.”
Thirty seconds later, the ground troopers left, and so did the snipers. Belcheck and Chloe exited the car and opened the trunk to get the spare tire.
“You know,” the man told Chloe, trying to comfort her, “what Jack did was the best for both of you. He would never forgive himself it he let the Russians keep you.”
“I know,” Chloe said, tears falling from her eyes.
A few minutes later, the spare tire was in place. Belcheck gunned the engine and the car moved again. They spent the rest of their journey in silence until they reached Heathrow airport. Chloe noticed a huge aircraft there, ready to take off.
“It is Air Force One,” Belcheck said. “President Heller is leaving the country.”
Apart from Chloe O’Brian, another woman was about to enter Heathrow. Her name was Cate Morgan and she had been a special CIA agent in London… until her resignation, just a few minutes earlier.
The man sitting next to her sighed and took a sip from his coffee. He and Cate hadn’t spoken during the ride to the airport, but both knew there was one thing they would discuss for the last time.
“I know you have written it in your report,” the man said. “I know you have said it in front of all of your colleagues, I know you believe it, but I have to make that final effort.”
“Of course, you have,” Cate said. “That’s what I would have done myself if I were you. I really appreciate you for asking, but my decision is final: I am resigning from the CIA.”
“It was not your fault our former boss was a traitor,” he said. “And as for your husband…” Cate cut him short.
“It’s my fault my husband killed himself,” she replied. “Yes, he was framed for crimes he never committed but that’s not what killed him. It was me! It was I who lost faith in him and that devastated him.”
“You cannot bring your husband back,” the man said after a few seconds. “But you are a skilled agent, with brains, initiative, and a ton of experience. You can help us a lot. Heck, you are more experienced than me Cate!”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Cate replied. “You will become a great station chief. You are smart, mature, skilled, experienced. You don’t need my help to flourish.”
The man took another sip from his coffee. He had to make that final attempt, but it had predictably failed. There was nothing more he could do.
“At least you could accept a final offer from the CIA,” the man said, giving her an envelope. “It’s a one-way ticket to the States, business class. And one more thing… a gift from the men and the women in the station.”
“What is it?” The man opened his briefcase, producing a bottle of scotch.
For the first time in days, Cate smiled. That was a gift she would certainly appreciate!
“I hope you are not trying to bribe me to return,” she said in mock accusation.
“I would need to buy a whole distillery for that Cate,” came his reply. “And even that would not be enough.” She grinned.
“Thanks for the gift,” she said. “Now, I must go. I have a plane to catch.”
“Take care Cate,” the man said. “Goodbye.” They shook hands, and she exited the car.
Cate Morgan took her suitcase, placed the bottle of scotch inside it and the ticket inside her handbag, and entered Heathrow airport. Being in such a busy place, she didn’t notice Chloe O’ Brian exiting another car five hundred meters away from her.
“Locker 24601,” Belcheck said. “Jack has left a package for you. Here is the key.” Chloe took it.
“Aren’t you coming along?” Chloe asked, while pocketing the key.
“No, I will stay in London. I have some contacts here. As for you, Jack has arranged things.”
“I suppose Jack didn’t tell you what those ‘things’ are.”
“No, but don’t worry. He has left instructions in the locker.”
“Thank you, my friend,” she said. “Take care.” Chloe exited the car and saluted Belcheck.
The car left and Chloe entered the airport, wondering what locker 24601 contained. There was some delay here and because of the added security - the President of the United States had just left the country and the Prime Minister of Great Britain had also been there – but nothing to delay her for more than a few minutes. Her only worry was if someone asked to see her identity papers. Chloe had none.
Although Chloe had played an important role in averting a global catastrophe that had involved the United States, the British, the Russians, a group of terrorists, and a group of rogue Chinese mercenaries, she had no desire to think any more of that. She just wanted to calm down.
She had suffered so many tragedies during the last years. Her husband and her son had died in a car accident. Her life in London as a member of an underground group of hackers was over after the Chinese had killed all its members. And her future seemed so sad and uncertain.
There was only one certainty and one source of happiness in Chloe’s mind. Jack Bauer was the best person she had ever met, and he had sacrificed his freedom for hers. No matter what, she would dedicate her life trying to free him from the Russians, the same way Audrey Raines had when the Chinese had captured him years ago.
Chloe reached locker 24601 and unlocked it. There was only a backpack there, which she took. Afterwards, she closed the locker and sat at the nearest café for an espresso.
While sipping her coffee, Chloe opened the backpack and examined its contents. It contained some clothes, which she ignored for the time being, and an envelope she immediately opened. There was a passport with her photo in it but under a different name, an airplane ticket for Athens, Greece, three thousand euros in fifty-euro bills, and a piece of paper with a name and some instructions on it.
“Patrick Buchanan?” she asked herself when she read the name. “That name certainly rings a bell.” What arrangements had Jack made for her?
Only hours had passed but it had seemed like an eternity for President James Heller. So many things had happened in such a small amount of time. Their drones had fallen into terrorists’ hands thanks to a very advanced hacking device. The terrorists had used them to cause death and destruction, including an attempt to assassinate him with a missile. It had taken hours for the CIA and Jack Bauer to recover it.
Unfortunately, soon after recovery, the hacking device fell into the hands of rogue Chinese agents. They used it to give a US Navy submarine a fake attack order against a Chinese aircraft carrier, an attack that caused the loss of the carrier, one thousand deaths, and nearly started a war with China.
What made things even worse was his personal tragedy: his own son-in-law had schemed against him behind his back. But the absolute tragedy had been the death of his daughter Audrey in the hands of the same rogue Chinese agents who had stolen the hacking device.
President Heller entered the Oval Office. Vice-President Mitchell was already there, reading a briefing about national security policy. He stood up the moment Heller entered and approached him. The men shook hands.
“Mr. President, I am so sorry about the loss of Audrey.” Heller nodded.
“Thank you, Bill,” Heller replied. “Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss.”
“This will be a meeting of utmost secrecy,” Heller told his and Mitchell’s aides. The men and the women took the hint and exited the room along with the Secret Service agents.
“Bill,” Heller said, when they were alone, “I am the one who should be sorry. I have kept some things secret from you. Let me explain.”
President Heller spent the next minutes briefing Mitchell about his deteriorating health due to Alzheimer. The doctors gave him one year before his situation worsened so much, he would be unable to run the country. The death of his daughter only made things worse. Her loss had devastated him and would made his health problem much worse.
“I don’t know how much I will last,” Heller said. “But I know I won’t be able to function properly. That’s why I brought you here Bill. It’s time for you to take over. And I am so sorry for not telling you a thing before.”
“It would not change one thing Jim,” Mitchell replied. “My respect and friendship for you won’t change.”
“Look at the bright side,” Heller said. “You are going to become a President.” It was a futile attempt to brighten the mood, but Mitchell forced himself to laugh. It was the least he could do to cheer his old friend and President.
“Now,” Heller said after a few minutes, “back to business. I am afraid you will inherit two big crises the moment you are in office. The better I prepare you for them, the better you can handle them. Have you studied the security briefings?”
“Yes, Jim,” came the reply. “Our drones are vulnerable to hacking but we have detected where the security leak was. We are going to upgrade our encryption systems to be safe. But it will take months till our allies fully trust us.”
“Some of our hacked drones were used to attack London,” Heller says. “We will need to pay damages and compensate the families of the dead.”
“Yes, and we also need to compensate China for the lost carrier and for their dead sailors and officers.”
“Speaking of the Chinese, what about the surviving carrier sailors and officers?”
“Italian authorities have rescued them. As per your instructions, they will stay in five-star hotels in Rome at our expenses and they will fly first class to China within the next two days. The whole mess – security upgrades, compensations to the families of the diseased, repairing the buildings hit in London, paying Chine for the sunk carrier, plane tickets and hotel rooms – will cost about twenty billion dollars.”
“Have you prepared the necessary paperwork for me to sign?” Heller asked. “I don’t want to let you start your Presidency authorizing payments for something that happened on my watch. I am the one responsible for it.”
“Here it is Jim,” Mitchell said, giving Heller an envelope. “There is also the matter of our official apology to China.”
“I will take care of that when I address the nation tonight. What arrangements have you made Bill?”
“It will be in three hours, Jim. All major news networks will be there.”
“Good,” Heller said. “Bill, I want you to be in Oval Office when I address the nation.”
“It will be an honor, Jim. And your stepson will come too. I phoned him myself.”
“Thank you, Bill. Now, apart from you and my stepson there is one more person I would like in the Oval Office with me tonight.”
“You mean Jack Bauer? I am sorry Jim. We have lost track of him. CIA suspects the Russians have him, but it’s not confirmed, and the Russians will deny it if we ask.”
At the same time, somewhere in Russia…
The first hours of Jack’s captivity had been relatively uneventful. The flight from England had landed somewhere in Russia, they had taken him out of the plane, they had put him in yet another helicopter, and they had flown somewhere else, making certain he had remained handcuffed and blindfolded the whole time. Afterwards, they had made him walk for hundreds of meters until they entered a building.
Still blindfolded and handcuffed, Jack Bauer took some steps on a narrow stair. Two people were holding both his hands to protect him from falling but also to deter any escape attempts. After the stairs ended, they kept walking on a narrow corridor until they stopped. Jack tensed, sensing it was the end of his journey.
What would they do to him now? Would they shoot him with a bullet to the head as retaliation for the deaths of their agents and their Minister? Would they torture him to learn as much as they could from him?
A door opened in front of him, and the guards ordered him to move forward. Jack did so for three steps until one of them grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop. Jack sensed two people stepping close to him. One of them unlocking the handcuffs on his legs, his waist, and his arms. A hand grabbed his blindfold and untied it allowing Jack to see light for the first time after twelve hours.
Jack looked around him. He was inside a small prison cell, four meters long by two meters wide. There was a small bed to his right with a table and a chair bolted on the floor. On the table someone had placed a dish containing soup, two slices of black bread on a paper napkin next to the dish, a spoon, and a metal glass with tea. There were also a pair of shoes with socks next to the bed and a pair of blue pants and a blue shirt on it. Prison clothes, Bauer thought.
At the opposite end of the cell, there was a toilette, a faucet, and a shower. There was also a window with thick iron bars opposite the cell door. Jack looked at it. It was dark, meaning it was night outside.
“This is your new home Bauer,” a man said. Jack recognized the voice. It came from the senior agent who had captured him in London.
“Put the prison uniform on and give us your clothes and your shoes. Don’t worry, we are not homosexuals!” The other three men in the room laughed. Saying nothing, Jack did as the agent asked.
“I hope you like Russian soup,” the senior agent said when Jack had finished dressing. “There is an opening under the cell door. Put the dish, the spoon and the glass there when you finish.”
“I’d rather have an espresso,” Jack said, “and a cheeseburger.”
“You’ll get one when we let you go,” the Russian agent said lightly. “Till then, compromise.”
The four men left the cell. The door closed behind them and Jack heard the key locking it. He was alone with his dinner. Since he had eaten nothing for the past thirty-six hours, he picked the spoon up and tasted the food.
The soup was cold and had a rather bland taste. As for the bread, it was hard to swallow, like three-days old bread usually is. The tea was a bit better, but it was too cold to enjoy it. Nevertheless, he drunk it all.
So far things were much better than China, where they had kept him in a tiny cell, torturing him daily. The Russians hadn’t hit him. They even had avoided shouting. And they had put him in a relatively comfortable cell. Didn’t they want him to suffer?
Perhaps not, Jack theorized. Granted, he had killed some of their agents and their Minister of Foreign Affairs and he had nearly killed Yuri Suvarov, their President. But he had also exposed a conspiracy involving Suvarov and other highly placed Russian officials. That was of course bad news for Suvarov but good news for all other Russias who learned about the corruption of their leader. Not to mention Suvarov’s political opponents took advantage of the scandal to undermine him and replace him.
What would Vladimir Petrov, Russia’s new President, think of the situation? As a head of State, he would like Bauer harmed to avenge Russian deaths and Russia’s loss of prestige. But at the same time, Jack had helped his country get rid of criminals and indirectly had helped Petrov himself become President.
Perhaps Jack’s fate would swing the same way political wings in Russia did. But only time would tell. For the time, there was nothing he could do, apart from adapting and remaining calm. Yes, the Russians had promised not to harm his daughter and his grandchildren, but would they keep their promise if he killed another Russian? Jack was certain they wouldn’t.
“Enjoy your stay in Greece,” the customs officer told the woman standing in front of him. Chloe smiled and picked up her passport. It was not the first time she had used a fake name or had lied to the authorities. But it always made her feel uneasy.
Following Jack’s instructions, Chloe took the metro from the airport to Evangelismos Station in Athens. While waiting for the train, she listened to the news from a nearby tv monitor.
“Following yesterday’s drone attacks in London,” the newscaster said, “and the sinking of a Chinese carrier in the Mediterranean, President James Heller addressed the United States and the rest of the world.
“President Heller attributed the attacks to a successful hacking attempt against US military systems. He took full responsibility for the US failure to prevent the hacking. He also ordered these systems to be strengthened to be immune against future hacking attempts.
“The President officially apologized to Great Britain and China for the loss of life and the damages the United States have unwittingly caused. He added he has authorized a full compensation to the affected countries and the individuals who lost their lives and their properties during the attacks.
“Finally, President Heller announced his resignation, stating as reasons his devastation for the loss of his daughter Audrey, a loss that happened less than twenty-four hours ago, and a health problem that would make him unable to further exercise his duties.
“The President ended his address stating he has full trust and confidence in his successor, Vice-President William Mitchell, a man he considers a good friend and an excellent leader. He praised Mitchell’s leadership skills, his extensive knowledge and experience in both domestic and foreign policy issues, and his ability to implement effective and long-lasting solutions to problems.
“President Heller ended his address with those final words: God bless America, God bless the world, God bless President William Mitchell.”
Chloe could feel Heller’s loss. A few years ago, she had lost her husband and her son in a car accident, a loss that had devastated her. How could the man keep working in the most demanding job in the world after that?
Forty minutes later, the train reached Evangelismos station. Chloe exited it, crossed Queen Sofia Avenue, and approached Hilton Hotel, one of the most luxurious the city offered. It all seemed so strange to her: everything was so quiet there compared to the chaotic day she had lived in London. Nobody was trying to take cover from enemy fire, and nobody was looking at the sky afraid a drone would drop a bomb on them within the next few seconds.
Chloe O’ Brian entered Hilton and headed for the reception… when a familiar voice stopped her.
“Hello Chloe,” the man said. Chloe immediately stopped. That was the voice of a man who had been a close friend of hers. But that man had lost his life years ago, trying to stop a terrorist attack inside the White House. She turned her head, only to see… Bill Buchanan?
“I am sorry Chloe,” the man said and stood up. “I know I look like Bill and sound like Bill, and I know how close he and you were. But I am not Bill. My name is Patrick.”
“Patrick… who?”
“Buchanan. Patrick Buchanan.”
Chloe gave the man a better look. She was still skeptical though. When you have spent years mistrusting the authorities, when the CIA – an intelligence agency of your own country! – has kidnapped and tortured you, and when you have seen Presidents betraying their own country – like Charles Logan had done – you tend to distrust people.
Granted, it was Jack who had arranged things for her, but the mistrust remained. Fortunately, Jack had included a question in his written notes Chloe could ask to verify the man’s identity.
“What was Bill’s favorite book?”
The man standing opposite her smiled. He had expected the question and he answered without hesitation.
“The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli.”
Chloe smiled and some of the tension left her body. The man had given the correct answer.
“Nice to meet you Patrick,” she said and shook his hand. “I knew Bill had a brother but not that you were twins.”
“Hasn’t Bill told you anything about me?”
“Only that he had a brother named Patrick. But he never told me details. I’ve known Bill for years, but he only mentioned you once or twice.”
“Yeah, we were estranged, and we didn’t talk much. Our jobs didn’t overlap either. I am in the private sector; he was in the public one. We hadn’t talked for years.”
“I don’t remember having seen you at his funeral,” Chloe said.
“True, and I still regret that. But we can discuss the details while having dinner. Are you hungry Chloe?”
“I am starving,” she replied.
Patrick nodded and escorted her to the elevator. They took it and exited at the top floor where an elegant restaurant with a magnificent view of Athens existed. They sat down, ordered dinner and some wine, and resumed their talk.
“I was in Europe at the time,” Patrick said, “buried under a mountain of work. Meetings, reports, more meetings, multi-million-dollar deals, you get the picture… I learned about the attack the next day from a news site. But I only learned Bill had been among the dead after his funeral.
“Can you imagine that? My own brother was gone, and I learned it days later… from an online newspaper!” Chloe could see Patrick’s sadness on his face.
“Your brother had never put your name on the list of people to be contacted in case something happened to him,” Chloe said, trying to comfort him. “It is not your fault you never learned about his death earlier. I don’t know if that helps” It probably did because Patrick smiled a little.
“I don’t even know what Bill was doing during the last years of his life,” Patrick said.
“He had left the intelligence community and he was working on his own. In fact, we were working together at the time, trying to uncover a conspiracy.”
“I understand,” Patrick said. “Bill spent his life trying to help his country while I spent it trying to make money. I don’t regret being wealthy, but it becomes selfish and pointless after some years.
“Two years ago, Jack Bauer found me and asked for assistance. He wanted money and some of my contacts in Europe, so I provided him with both. It was my little way to do something unselfish for a change.” Chloe nodded and smiled. Patrick returned the smile.
“As I said,” Patrick continued, “that was my way to help. After that, I lost contact with Jack. Until a few hours ago, when he called me, asking for assistance.”
“Yes,” Chloe said. “I am really grateful for both of you. But I don’t know what kind of assistance you have in mind.”
“Chloe,” Patrick said, “I want to offer you… a job.” Chloe remained silent, not believing her good fortune.
“Yes, a job,” Patrick continued. “I understand you are very skilled in IT analytics and security, and I have a job exactly for you. So, what do you say?”
Chloe had spent the last years breaking the law. Even if Heller had granted her a Presidential pardon who would trust her enough to hire her? Perhaps she could return to the United States, but what would she do after her return? Beg for money on the sidewalk?
“I am out of options,” she replied. “What kind of job you have in mind, Patrick?”
“Since you have a degree in Computer Science and lots of experience as a systems analyst, the job in question is…”