24 Music

A security guard caught his eye and he only nodded a greeting. There was a bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Today wasn’t going to be like the other days, the easier days where he sat at a desk, looking over paperwork. He could feel the tension, the same tension he felt just before David’s assassination. He stepped into a pool of dim light and was surrounded by the ringing of phones and the blend of voices, speaking in urgency. Jack wasn’t surprised when Bill Buchanan, the head of CTU came bounding down the stairs from his office, a look of panic on his face. “Jack, come with me, we have to talk,” Bill turned, leading them to the situation room. The moment Jack stepped in all went silent. Chloe sat with her hands in her lap, and the lap top on the table in front of her. Audrey sat next to her and gazed very briefly in Jack’s direction. Bill spoke in a voice that kept everyone fully attentive, including Jack.

“We received a call a few minutes ago, informing us that there will be an attack sometime today here in Los Angeles.” He looked at Jack as though expecting him to speak up, he didn’t. He knew this was coming, and he dreaded the arrival. “The call was anonymous, but someone has been detained. A man by the name of Todd Kelly, according to the caller this man has information about the attack.”

“Who’s bringing him in?” Jack asked after he was sure he had taken in enough of the information to speak.

“Curtis and Sean.”

Bill then looked directly at Jack. “Jack, you’re going to interrogate Todd Kelly.” That was all Jack had to hear. He knew Bill was assigning jobs to the others in the room, but he didn’t care. “This is priority one so lets get on it.”

Everyone left the room, including Jack who intercepted Chloe on her way to her station. “Can you get me Todd’s profile?”

Chloe looked up, her lap top hugged to her chest. “Yeah. When do you need it?”

“Before Curtis gets in. Can you do that?”

Chloe nodded and made a beeline to her station. Audrey passed her, but slowed upon hearing the conversation. She sped up when it ended, avoiding Jack’s eyes. He turned. “Audrey?” He called after her. She paused and only turned part way to look at him beneath her lowered eyes.

“Jack, we both have work to do.”

“I know that,” he breathed and made his way towards her. “Just tell me--”

The conversation ended when Curtis burst in with a hand cuffed man in his grip. A wave of cold swept through the agency, but Jack wasn’t sure if it was only him who had felt it. He didn’t like Todd even though he only caught a glimpse of his face as he and Curtis walked by. Todd didn’t wear any kind of expression, not fear, not pride, not innocence, but Jack felt every kind of emotion he could feel when the suspect passed by him. He backed off and nudged a desk without realizing it. Straightening, he approached Chloe who was hastily typing away on her computer with frustration furrowing her eyebrows. “I’ve searched all the main data bases, but I can’t find anything, Jack,” she told him, pulling up window after window after window until her screen looked like it had been attacked by a virus. “Todd Kelly doesn’t exist.”

Jack came around to bend over her shoulder. “Keep looking, Chloe. I need to know everything there is to know about this guy.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she replied in a tone of exhaustion before going back to her search.

Jack could feel sweat on his brow as he walked in the direction of holding room 7 where Todd Kelly would be interrogated. He stood in front of the door. Something was holding him back, a bad feeling that grew hot in his gut. He had to ignore it. Todd knew something about the terrorist attack. For all Jack knew Todd was one of the terrorists. He keyed in the password, and pushed the door open, demanding authority the minute he entered, but Todd didn’t cower nor did he cringe upon seeing Jack. He nodded to him in a greeting, and this infuriated Jack enough to approach the table that Todd sat behind and press both hands onto it. “If you want this to be quick and painless you are going to tell me everything you know, right now,” Jack started, trying to look as though he had the upper hand and could do whatever he wanted to Todd.

However, Todd didn’t enhance the feeling. “Jack Bauer, I’ve heard so much about you. It is an honour to finally be meeting the man who took out the former president of the united states. Kudos, by the way, well done.”

Jack’s face melted behind his skin and he straightened. “We received a phone call, claiming that your name was linked with the attack that is going to happen sometime today so start talking or I will make this experience very unpleasant for you. Do you understand me?”

Todd shrugged. “If it’s English, I understand it, well-- it could’ve been German too--”

“Tell me what you know,” Jack demanded in a loud voice that rang throughout the room.

Todd went silent, staring blankly at Jack. “Some people can’t handle it, but you-- I think you can. I guess it just depends on your limit.”

“What are you talking about?” Jack growled.

Todd didn’t have to explain since the moment the words were out of his mouth, he felt a wave of dizziness as though he had been hit by a floodgate of emotions. He stumbled back, confused that he was suddenly seeing double.