(Untitled)

[action_antihero]

July 17, 2012
11:48am

Jack winces slightly as one of the medics dabs something on the cut on his forehead that makes it sting even more before applying a butterfly bandage. He hadn't noticed the cut until Bill had pointed it out to him, not that it was large enough to make itself known beyond a small dribble of blood to his temple.

"Here, hold this

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[accessobrian]

Chloe rubs her hands together nervously, alternating between watching the little lines of code flash on her screen and the general unease going on around her. Christ.

The lines stop. She reads carefully, not wanting to make a mistake. "I've got the contents of the memory stick."

[theredshirts]

Bill looks over from where he's talking with one of the analysts, excusing himself. "Send it to the situation room," he says to Chloe, then raising his voice, "I need all the department heads in the Situation Room right now."

[action_antihero]

Jack isn't one of the department heads, but as far as he's concerned if anyone should be able to see what's on that memory stick, it's him. Bill doesn't make and exception to his coming in, either, standing near the glass wall as Milo, Mike, Nadia and Chloe come in.

[accessobrian]

Chloe opens the folder containing the data from the hard drive. "The memory stick is filled with audio files of recorded conversations. This is the most recent recording we have."

[theredshirts]

Outside the situation room CTU is humming with activity, but inside the air is silent and heavy with expectation. There's a slight click and a moment of empty background noise, before Henderson's voice speaks up, clearly. "You shouldn't be calling me here."

"I wouldn't have to call you if things had gone as planned. You said Bauer wouldn't be a problem! I told you to deal with Palmer, to cover it up! I never authorized you to kill him! And the nuclear bomb--" At the sound of the voice, nearly hysterical, all heads in the room come up, looking from one person to the next, everyone thinking the same thing. No, it can't be--

"Palmer knew hardly anything and he already knew too much. All he'd had to do was make one phone call and everything would have started falling apart before I could do anything to contain it. The bomb was a necessary risk. You knew there was a chance of its being used once it got into their hands

[theredshirts]

Doyle just shook his head over and over in stunned disbelief--How? How?

How was the President involved in this? It just didn't make any sense. Then, something did make sense to Doyle. They had to fight this, somehow, some way. It had to stop. There was no justifying this. Not at all--God had made a hell for this a man. Doyle was convinced of that. You couldn't lead those in your care to the slaughter-- He wasn't sure how, but Doyle knew Logan had to fall.

"God help us."

[theredshirts]

Bill had thought he'd felt he was in over his head when the nuclear bomb had gone off, when he'd found out it wasn't the only one. But it's nothing compared to what he feels now, knowing that the accomplice they've been searching for is none other than the President himself.

Everything they've done over the last few weeks, everything they've been fighting to prevent...it's the one person who's supposed to stand for the protection of the country and the citizens in it who allowed it to happen. Whether he'd given his direct approval or not, he'd worked with Henderson, he'd authorized giving nuclear weapons to terrorists.

"Chloe," he says softly, after a moment, "What's the earliest recording we have?" Just how long had Logan been planning this, while appearing in front of his people and claiming to be serving their interests?

[accessobrian]

Chloe has that information already. " December tenth of last year." The voice on the recording numbed her all over- this was the President, he was supposed to represent the good- and this was the worst situation anyone could be involved with.

[theredshirts]

Bill nods, though he can hardly believe what he's hearing. Even with what he's heard he doesn't want to believe that the President had been in on it for months, remembering every speech Logan has made in the past few months about protecting the country.

"Play it," he says, his voice a little hoarse.

[action_antihero]

Jack listens to the recording, some part of him still not fully believing what he hears.

"Whoever helped Bauer fake his death by changing his records in the national fingerprint and DNA databases either couldn't get into the Special Forces database or didn't think of it. They got a hit on Bauer's records a couple hours ago."

His Special Forces file--he hadn't even realized that anyone could access that. That they would have run the samples from Toronto against it. Fuck, he never should have gone in that warehouse. If he hadn't, they wouldn't have found out he was alive, no one would have had to try and rescue him from the Chinese, Tony would be alive--

"We could control how the Chinese learn about him, use it to our advantage. ..."

Jack stops, cold realization replacing the numbness. "We need this in with the group..." "Chloe. Look for a recording made on or around March 22nd of this year."

Bill looks up at Jack curiously, but Jack waves him off.

[chelleuncurled]

Outside the room, Michelle's fielding logistical concerns. She's almost finished telling Division her version of events. Her back hurts, she wants to lie down, and she's coming off the fear and adrenaline of the last few hours. At least it feels like it's almost over

[accessobrian]

"I have one from March twenty-first, do you want me to check for any others, or just play this one?" Chloe waits for Jack's nod.

[action_antihero]

"Just that one," Jack says, his voice shaking just a little. Please don't let this be what I think this is...

As the recording starts to play, Jack leans against the back of one of the chairs, gripping the headrest so hard his knuckles are turning white.

"This is Henderson. Are we on schedule?"

" Yes, everything's going to plan."

Even though he's expecting it, Jack still sucks in a breath when he hears the voice: a mixture of Chinese and British accents. The General's voice, the same one he still hears in his nightmares.

[chelleuncurled]

She taps on the glass and since Bill doesn't wave her off, Michelle opens the door. "Bill - ," she tries to get his attention, but the next part of the tape silences her.

[action_antihero]

Jack doesn't notice her coming in; nor does anyone else, for that matter. They're all too riveted by the recording, the voices of the General and Henderson filling the room

[chelleuncurled]

Incentive.

Michelle is barely aware that she's leaning against the glass, listening to Henderson's voice and he's talking about incentive and the plan and oh God the other man, he killed Tony, he was the one, and Henderson worked with him and -

He killed Tony. He set it up. He killed her love.

Too much left to lose.

Henderson broke her friend, he arranged for everything, he's the reason she hears muffled sobs and why Chris takes sleeping pills and why Tony's dead...

She listens and something inside of her cracks.

He's responsible.

He has to pay for his crime. Justice must be served.

And in that moment he's all the other men who have gotten away with murder. She picks up the gun that one of them left on the glass tabletop and leaves the room.

He has to pay.