Season 7 episode 4

The following takes place between 3:00am to 4:00am

Jack stared at his best friend and the guilt continued to flow through him. He walked over to where Buchanan was staring up at the stars.
“Bill, I…”
“What do you want from me now? Do you want me to go find her body for you so that you can say you’re sorry at her funeral?!”
His words stung Jack. “I didn’t know that they knew what we were doing. I just assumed that they wanted us to delete the files. Which I did. I did everything they told me to.”
“Well, that wasn’t good enough was it?” Bill’s voice faltered and he bit his lip. Jack knew that Buchanan was trying not to cry. In fact, Jack realized that nobody had ever seen him cry.
“Bill, I understand your pain, I do. Don’t tell me I don’t because I held Teri when she was dead. But we are in this situation now. Chloe’s boys are still in danger and we have yet to figure out who has them and what Mitch Anderson, the missiles, and Germany has anything to do with this!”
“What do you expect me to do?!!” Bill yelled. “My wife is dead and I’m just supposed to help you?”
“But Bill there is always that chance she’s not. It has happened before. The kidnappers do it to scare the victims as well as their family. I always take the attitude that the person is still alive.”
“He sounded pretty definite, Jack. She’s dead. I can’t help you anymore.”
Jack sighed and put a hand on Bill’s arm. “About three years ago, I was about ready to interrogate Christopher Henderson about David Palmer’s murder and you asked me what he would want me to do in that situation. Think about Karen, Bill. If she was still here, what would she want you to do?”
Bill bit his lip again but he couldn’t stop a lone tear from dropping from his eye. He took a deep breath. “She’d want me to help.”
Jack gave him a little smile. “Then don’t you think you should?”
Bill looked down for a second then looked back up and nodded. Jack turned around and started to walk away.
“Jack!”
Jack turned around to see Buchanan staring at him.
“When we get there, let me kill him.”
Jack gave Bill a half sympathetic, half painful look. “Okay.”

*****************

Karen was thrown into her cell and she laid face down on the straw for a few minutes before looking up at Milo and Edgar. She could tell from their faces that they had heard her crying and screams.
Milo sniffed and walked up to Karen. “Did they hit you?”
Karen gave him a weak smile. “No, sweetheart, they didn’t. They were going to but changed their mind when…” Karen stopped and gave a short gasp. “Henderson! The man said Henderson! He was the guy that two years ago…with Jack and the nerve gas and…I need to get a phone!” Karen leapt up suddenly and turned to Milo and Edgar. “Can you boys do something for me?”
Milo and Edgar nodded.
Karen looked around the room. “When I say to, I need you to scream as loud as you can okay?”
She climbed on top of a haystack and ripped off a chunk of wood from the ceiling. Milo and Edgar watched her as she stacked more hay on top of the pile and stuck her head up. Groping with her hands she pulled out a phone cord that stretched through.
She got down, stood beside the door and turned to the boys. “Okay, scream!”
Milo and Edgar let out the hugest, earsplitting screams Karen had ever heard and a few seconds later she heard the keys in the lock turning and a man flung the door open. “What the hell is with all of this noise? Shut up!”
Before he could move, Karen leapt from behind the door and wrapped the cord around his neck. Pulling as hard as she could the man fell to his knees and choked before going unconscious.
Edgar slowly approached the man and looked down. “Did that mean man die?” He asked fearfully.
Karen was already searching through his pockets. “I hope not…Dammit! He doesn’t have a phone on him!”
Karen grabbed his gun, stuck it in her pants and looked Milo and Edgar in the eyes. “I want you both to crawl up into that hole in the wall. Don’t move, and don’t make a sound. If anyone comes in here, don’t answer them.”
The boys chocolate eyes grew wide in fright. “Don’t leave us!” They shrieked and grabbed onto her pants.
She leaned down and gave them a hug. “If I bring you with me you could get hurt. Now go up there. If anyone finds you tell them I’m trying to find the bathroom. Got it?”
They nodded and scampered up the hole. “We love you,” Karen heard Edgar whisper.
“I love you, too,” Karen took out the gun and crept from the cell.

3:09:29 3:09:30 3:09:31 3:09:32
3:13:12 3:13:13 3:13:14 3:13:15

Jack pulled up behind a grove of trees on Central Court and stared at the houses. Only one house appeared to have its lights on. Jack turned to his friends. “Alright, this has got to be Anderson’s house. Remember what we decided. Bill and Morris will come in through the front and Chloe, Laura, and I will go through the back. Josh, is that thing tight in your ear?”
Josh felt for the comm. earpiece in his ear and nodded. “I’ll be fine, Uncle Jack. I think I may have met this guy before.”
Jack turned and looked at Josh in the backseat. “If you feel like you’re in danger or need to leave, just tap the earpiece twice and…”
“I’ll be fine,” Josh said bluntly. “I can take care of myself. You can come in at the designated time like the plan syndicates.”
Jack took a deep breath. “Okay, it’s a go.”
Josh climbed out of the backseat and strolled towards Anderson’s house.
“Are you sure that he’ll be alright? He looks really scared.” Laura watched Josh worriedly as he walked up the front steps.
“He’ll be fine,” Jack said a little uncertainly. He heard the doorbell ring and a gruff voice answered “Who’s there?”
“It’s Josh Bauer.”
“What are you doing here?”
“My mom was captured by the police. They broke in, but I escaped. She told me to come here if something ever happened.”
“How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”
“Because I could be imprisoned for the information I stole.”
Jack heard the door open and close quickly and it was a few minutes before he heard Josh speak again. “I’m not wired and have no weapon. Why would I? We’re friends.”
At the word, Jack summoned everyone to creep to position as Josh continued to talk to Anderson.
“What is this incriminating information?” Mitch asked suspiciously.
“I’ve hidden it in a safe place so that no one can get to it. Come on, I’ll show you…”
“Oh no, I am NOT falling for that!” Jack heard a ruffle and Anderson’s voice suddenly became much closer. “I know that you’ve got the police or the F.B.I. or someone out there. One of my contacts called to confirm that your mother has been captured and taken to C.T.U. You’re not going anywhere because when your mother finds out what you’ve done she’ll kill you.” Anderson drew a gun and pointed it at Josh’s head. “You’re staying here.”
Suddenly Josh began to cough uncontrollably and kneeled over. Before Mitch could do anything Jack was behind him. “Anderson! Don’t move or I’ll kill you! Drop the gun and kick it to me!”
The front door burst open and Bill and Morris ran in with the other gun on Anderson.
“Nice cough!” Chloe high-fived Josh and when Jack looked back at her she turned away uncomfortably.
Anderson snarled but kicked the gun over to Jack and interlocked his fingers over the top of his head. Bill put handcuffs around his wrists.
Chloe slowly walked over and picked up the gun, training it on Anderson.
“The game is up, Mitch. There are six of us and three of you. AND we have guns. You’re gonna tell us everything you know about those missiles, Marilyn Bauer, and the kidnapping.”
Mitch raised his eyebrows. “Do you honestly expect me to just tell you information freely? I am not stupid, and you know that. I’ll take full immunity with a presidential pardon for present AND past crimes plus a ticket to the country of my choosing.”
“No!” Bill put the gun to Mitch’s head. “They killed my wife you son of a b!tch so you’re not getting anything!”
“Bill, we might not have a choice here! We need this information or people will start to die!” Morris said exasperatedly.
“What, we’re going to get the White House involved in this?” Laura cried. “Jack, we can’t. If this thing gets to the president she’ll hand it down to C.T.U. and D.O.D. and maybe the F.B.I. This thing could become huge and we would be arrested for what we’ve done!”
“Jack’s she’s right,” Chloe said “this thing could…”
“Just wait!!!” Jack yelled. His hand shook as he held it at Anderson’s head. “Let me think.”
Suddenly Jack’s phone rang. He angrily fished it out of his pocket. “Now what? Bauer!”
“Jack, its Karen. I’m calling to tell you that both the boys and I are alive and okay. We are being held in some sort of old prison complex near a highway, I don’t know which one. The men are professional kidnappers and one of them mentioned a Henderson. Gotta go.” The line went dead. Jack could only stare down at his phone dumbfounded before looking up at his friends.
“That was…” Jack’s phone rang again.
“Hello?”
There was nothing on the other line.
“Karen!?” Jack asked again. He only heard fuzz and started to hang up when he heard a noise on the other line that sounded like footsteps.
“Jack!” Bill grabbed him. “What’s going on? Is Karen alive?”
Jack could only let relief wash over him. “She called to say that she and the boys are being held in an old prison building and that they are okay.”
Bill let out a little sob and turned away from Jack towards the opposite wall.
Chloe ran over and hugged Morris. Laura smiled reassuringly at Jack.
Jack looked down at his cell phone and heard footsteps again.
“You little b!tch!” He heard a loud slap and a cry and he put the phone to his ear.
“How did you get out? What were you doing?”
“Nothing, I…” Jack heard another loud slap and a loud cry from Karen.
Bill turned around. “Put it on speakerphone!”
“Bill…” Bill snatched it from Jack’s hand and hit the speakerphone button. A few more slaps were heard followed by a large thud.
“Please…stop it! I’m telling you the truth! I was trying to escape, that’s it!”
“Without the boys?”
“I was gonna bring someone back to save them!” Karen pleaded.
Bill looked about ready to cry or throw something. “What are they doing to her?!” He looked like he was the one being tortured.
Jack blinked. “Okay, Laura. I need you to log onto Anderson’s computer and look for any prison buildings within the area. Chloe, and Morris hook up that phone and set a trace on it just in case then look up the name Christopher Henderson.”
“Jack,” breathed Chloe, “you killed him almost five years ago.”
“I know but he or a relative may still be alive. The rest of you watch Anderson. I’m calling the president.”

3:29:57 3:29:58 3:29:59 3:30:00
3:34:09 3:34:10 3:35:11 3:35:12

Julie Dern put her head down on the table and groaned. It was 6:30 in the morning and she was still up signing papers. Her phone beeped and she lifted her head.
“Yes.”
“Ma’am, Mike Novick is here to speak to you.”
“Thank you, Grace, let him in.”
A second later Mike Novick strolled in and shook her hand. “Mrs. President. Thank you for bringing me in.”
“Mike, I have heard that you have been helpful to many presidents in this country and it is an honor. Please be seated.”
Mike took a seat in front of her chair. “So, what do you need my help for?”
“Well, normally I wouldn’t ask, but my Chief of Staff will need extra help today because I am preparing to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
Mike stared at Julie. “The Joint Chiefs? What’s this about?”
“Well, as you know Mike, after Jack Bauer captured Cheng Zhi about three years ago, our problems with China have escalated to a new level. I’m afraid that we may be nearing war. A representative is coming to discuss the matter with me at 10:00 this morning.”
Mike frowned. “But I don’t understand. They know we have Cheng and were perfectly okay with it. Why the sudden change?”
“I’m assuming that this is when Noah Daniels completed Wayne Palmer’s term in office?” Julie’s eyes flashed angrily. “Or am I mistaken again?”
“No, you’re very right ma’am.” Mike completed awkwardly. “But Mrs. President, why would we need to prepare the Joint Chiefs? I am very aware at how capable you are…”
“I don’t do well with flattery, Mike” Julie began dangerously. “But I wanted to let you know that I do NOT appreciate when other nations, especially Communist ones, circumvent the president. Daniels made a deal with them, Mike. He agreed that he would give that circuit board back and they’d let us keep Cheng. However, Noah failed to produce it after a year and a half so now China is very upset and I am slowly losing my patience with them. They have informed me that if anything, I mean anything, goes wrong at this meeting then they will take it as a declaration of WAR!”
“But Mrs. President, Jack Bauer nearly had to give himself up three years ago. Asking him to do that again, would be…horrible. After what he’s done for this country?”
“I have never met Jack Bauer. He may be a great man, but it’s my job to run this country and I will do what’s best!”
Julie’s phone beeped. “What, Grace?”
“Ma’am, I have Jack Bauer for you on line one.”
Julie’s jaws dropped. “Grace, is this a joke?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Alright. Send Marsha in, and quickly.”
After Marsha rushed in Julie cleared her throat. “This is President Dern and you’re also on with my Chief of Staff Marsha Grey as well as Mike Novick.”
“Mrs. President, I know that you probably don’t want to do anything for me right now, but I desperately need your help. We have a man here by the name of Mitch Anderson…”
“Mitch Anderson!” Marsha shrieked. “He was the one that shot down Air Force One!”
“Bauer what are you doing with him?” Julie asked in an irritated tone, “You don’t work for C.T.U. anymore. You’ve been missing for three years and suddenly you show up with a federal fugitive?”
“Actually I work with NSA and I found some German chatter this morning. I followed up on the lead and it led me to Marilyn Bauer and Mitch Anderson. They were planning an attack on the L.A. arsenal in the afternoon. Also, a woman named Karen Hayes was kidnapped and is being held by the same people.”
“Karen Hayes!?” Mike jumped up alarmingly. “What? How did this happen?”
“Mike, this is Bill Buchanan. We were at our house and they jumped us. They took her and knocked me out. Jack and his friends practically saved my life.”
“What are you asking for Jack?” Julie asked.
“I need you to grant Anderson a full presidential pardon for past and present crimes. Not only does he know where Karen is, but he has important information on the missile attack and what Germany has to do with this.”
“Jack, you are asking me to pardon a man that nearly killed an ex-president and to help you with a lead on an attack no one knows about and a country that is our ALLY?”
“Yes” Jack answered.
“I’m sorry, Jack. But I just can’t do that. Not only do I know nothing but you are acting very strange and secretive. How do I know that you are not pulling a fast one?”
“I don’t do that ma’am.”
Julie turned to Marsha. “Well? What do you think?”
“I don’t think we should give him this pardon. He has been known to act very rationally. I don’t think he can be trusted.”
“Yeah, well I do.” Mike put his hands on his hips. “This man has saved countless lives in under fifteen years while losing a wife and estranging himself from his child. Do you think he would be doing this as a joke? He has information that very well may be important and been overlooked. Not only should we take him seriously, we should follow up on it. What if this interfered with your meeting with the Chinese?”
“We are 6000 miles way from L.A.” Julie replied.
“Yes, but have you ever given it a thought that somehow this could be connected with what Jack found?”
Marsha gasped. “But it can’t!”
Mike rolled his eyes. “If you gave Jack Bauer a chance then maybe this could work!”
Julie tapped her hands on the table and then took a deep breath. “For now, I am not granting the immunity. If you bring me up to speed on what’s going on, I’ll think about it.”
“Mrs. President, bringing all these agencies into this will not make it better! We are being watched and…”
“Mr. Bauer I will not let you usurp my authority. My decision has been made!”
Julie heard a voice call to Jack.
“One moment” he put the phone down and went in the other room.
A few minutes later Jack returned. “We have the location of the place where Karen Hayes is being held. We are going there now and once we retrieve information from her captors we will debrief you.”
Suddenly, Julie heard what sounded like a charge setting on the other line.
“Jack, what is that?”
There was silence. Suddenly Julie heard Jack’s voice scream. “It’s a bomb! Everyone get out now!”
An explosion was heard and then the line went dead.
“Jack?! Jack?!”

3:44:44 3:44:45 3:44:46 3:44:47
3:48:12 3:48:13 3:48:14 3:48:15

Jack felt the heat on his back as he lay next to Mitch Anderson on the grass outside of the door. When he’d heard the charges setting he’d yelled get out but Jack began to feel sick when he realized someone probably didn’t make it out.
“Bill?! Chloe?! Laura, Josh, Morris?!!” Jack screamed over the inferno. He thought he heard a response but it was very distant and he couldn’t tell who it was. Jack looked over at Anderson and saw blood trickling out of his mouth.
“Mitch! Wake up! Please don’t be dead!” Jack felt his pulse and started pumping his chest. But it was no use.
“Dammit!” Jack yelled. There was no way that Mitch would have killed himself like that. Someone was trying to make sure that their tracks were hidden.
Jack slowly got to his feet walked back a few steps and surveyed the damage.
He saw two figures moving and he rushed over.
Bill was supporting Laura around her shoulders; she’d received a deep gash on her leg and looked ready to faint.
“Are you alright?” Jack asked.
Bill nodded. “I was able to push Laura out the window with me, she was the closest. Morris and Chloe were still in the back. I don’t know if they made it out with Josh.”
“Anderson is dead.” Jack said bitterly. “He must have caught the brunt of the blow.”
Bill shook his head and helped Laura to a sitting position. “I’ll help her, Jack. You find everyone else. The firemen will be here soon, so we gotta get outta here.”
Jack raced to the other side of the house. Chloe was lying in the grass moaning. Jack dove towards her. “Chloe? Chloe, what happened?”
She looked up and threw her arms around him and sobbed. “Oh, Jack. He’s dead. I tried to grab him but he pushed me out. I saw him fall to the floor before I blacked out!” She stopped and winced at a sore on her shoulder.
“Who? Who pushed you out?”
Chloe let out a sob. “Josh.”
“No.” That was the only thing Jack could get out. “No he’s not. He’s not dead. HE’S NOT!”
“Morris grabbed me before I could get to him. I had no choice. Jack, please, don’t be mad at us!”
Jack looked around. “Where’s Morris?”
Chloe pointed to a nearby tree where Morris sat against it. He looked the least hurt of all of them.
Jack ran over and grabbed Morris. “Tell me Josh is not dead. TELL ME!”
Morris could only shake his head. “I’m really sorry. I only had time to grab one person. He pushed Chloe to me and I just ran. I…it’s my fault. Hate me if you want.” Morris sounded terrible.
Rubbing away the tears flowing from his eyes, Jack grabbed Morris. “We have to leave. Grab Chloe and let’s go.”
Jack raced to the front yelling “Come on Bill,” and he got in the car. About a minute later everyone jumped in and Jack sped away.
“Jack, I’m sorry…” Laura sounded pathetic.
But Jack ignored her and pushed Josh out from is mind.

*****************

“We should have given him the immunity!” Mike practically yelled while pacing the floor. “Now they could all be dead!”
“Don’t!” Julie screamed. “Don’t you blame this on me! It was Bauer’s fault! He should have been WAY more careful!”
“Now what?” Mike exclaimed. “He had a lead and we just lost it!”
“We should all just take a deep breath and hopefully this’ll fix itself.” Marsha answered.
Mike looked at Marsha like she was mental. “This can’t just fix itself! Bauer may be dead! What do we do?”
Julie’s phone beeped. “What is it Grace!?”
“Ma’am I have a Bill Buchanan…”
“Put him on!” Julie hit the button for line one. “Bill!”
“Mrs. President I’m afraid that I have some bad news. Just as we found the location where my wife is being held a bomb went off. Most of us made it out except for Jack’s nephew and Anderson himself. We are leaving the sight as we speak.”
Julie sighed. “Why did he kill himself?”
“Ma’am, we don’t think he did. Anderson was a professional, not a radical. He definitely did not set that bomb because he truly wanted immunity. Someone must have planted it to protect that information.”
“What do you want?”
“As we head up this lead, we are asking you to look up any connections Anderson has had with any known terrorists or extremists in the last couple of years. I know this isn’t protocol but hopefully you can tell right now that this threat is larger than any of us could have imagined.”
“We’ll do it.” Julie hung up the phone and looked at Mike and Marsha. “Get started.”

3:55:57

Jack kept his eyes on the road and continued to focus on rescuing Karen and the boys. He ignored the whispering in the back of the SUV and refused to think about Josh.
They were a few minutes away when Jack’s phone rang.
“Bauer.”
“Jack, its Nadia!” Jack heard tires squealing and shots in the background.
“Nadia? What’s going on?”
“Marilyn Bauer escaped from the holding room. She took out every guard and retrieved their weapons. She started shooting people in C.T.U. but I managed to slip way and grab this car. She’s shooting at me…” Jack heard Nadia scream and then tires squealing again. “She’s calling in back-up Jack. They are going to take over C.T.U. and will have all of its resources. Then they’ll be able to track you and kill you. You and everyone with you need to get somewhere safe.”
“We can’t right now. We are following a lead and can’t let it go or people will die. When we’re done, we’ll hide.”
“Jack, I’m scared. Where can I go?”
Jack racked is brain. “Who do you trust?”
There was silence.
“Nadia?”
“I trust Doyle.”
“Then go there and keep a low profile. Call me back if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Jack.” The line went dead.
Jack turned around but from the looks on everyone’s faces he could tell they heard the whole conversation.
“No one is safe anymore.” Jack said sadly. He pulled behind a house and pointed at the prison building around the corner. “That’s it. Everyone grab anything useful out of this car because we are not coming back to it. This operation needs to run smoothly or else we’ll die and/or be discovered. Remember what we discussed. Let’s go.”

3:59:57 3:59:58 3:59:59 4:00:00