Can't Stay Away

“I Can’t Stay Away”

Chapter 1

Jack Bauer sighed as he sat down on the couch in his tiny apartment. This would take some getting used to. Just three weeks earlier, he had been Agent Jack Bauer at the Counter Terrorism Unit in Los Angeles. Now he was Jake Reid, just an ordinary civilian. And that was harder than he had imagined. His gaze drifted to the cell phone on the table. Michelle Dessler had given it to him with a filter for one minute of undetected talk, and he had called President Palmer to say goodbye. After that, however, he had gotten on his computer (he still had some of his old CTU software) and fixed the filter so that he was allowed up to five minutes of undetected talking. Every few weeks, he called Tony and Michelle, or Bill Buchanan, or Secretary Heller. They told him that everything was going well, and that they had arrested and interrogated the last of Marwan’s henchmen the day before. That brought a smile to Jack’s face. He remembered well the day that his ex-girlfriend, Audrey Raines, and her father had been kidnapped and almost executed by Marwan’s men. He was relieved to know that none of those men would hurt anyone ever again.
He also remembered how frightened and angry Michelle had been when he called her for the first time after leaving CTU. “Jack!” she had hissed. “What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Jack sighed. “I know, Michelle. It’s risky. But you and Edgar put a good filter on this phone. No one will find me” he said soothingly. “I miss you guys. I thought it would be easier living as a civilian and not having to go out on missions all the time…but it’s not. I had counted on leaving when I wanted to and was ready to. I never wanted this.” His voice cracked, and he quickly cleared his throat. “Uh, listen…I don’t have much time. Is Tony there?” Michelle sighed. “No, he’s in a briefing meeting. He took your place after you left” she said. “I’ll tell him that you called tonight, when we’re at home…so no one can hear.” Jack winced. He knew that this was risky…but he wasn’t ready to give up his old life completely yet. “Um…is the cover still in place? Does everyone still think I’m…?” He couldn’t bring himself to say dead.
“Yes,” Michelle replied. “Everyone except me, Tony, and Bill…obviously. You’re safe.” She was quiet for a moment. “Jack, Audrey is…she was very upset.” Jack inhaled sharply. “Audrey….My God” he said helplessly. “I never thought about what this would do to her. How—how is she?” Michelle hesitated. “She just got back from Australia for Paul’s funeral. I…I think she still loves you, Jack. She was so upset when Bill told her that you were dead.” Jack fought back tears. “She’ll never know.”
“Yes,” Michelle reassured him. “She’ll know. As soon as the Chinese are satisfied and we’re positive that they aren’t going to investigate, we’ll let her know. Don’t worry, Jack.” Then the phone beeped, signaling that time was almost up. Jack hung up, with promises to call again.




Chapter 2

Jack sat the phone down with a sigh. It had only been a few weeks, but he missed CTU already. The grumbling of his stomach told him that he was hungry, and he went to the kitchen to see what was in the refrigerator. He found some pasta that was left over from dinner the night before, and slid it into the microwave. When it was warm enough, he took it and went into the living room to eat and watch TV.
There never had been anything good on in the middle of the day, and there never would be. With a groan, Jack turned off the TV and stood up. Maybe he needed a walk to clear his mind. He found his shoes and stepped out the door. Running was easy for him, since it had been part of his endurance training for CTU. Soon he had settled into a comfortable rhythm.
When Jack returned to his apartment, he found a newspaper on the kitchen counter. It had been placed there by his housekeeper, Lisa. Jack kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch to read the day's news. As he had suspected, most of the news was about the meltdown of the nuclear plants a few weeks ago, and about Marwan, the "mastermind of the plot". It made Jack miss his old life even more, and he quickly turned the page. He needed a job, so he scanned the job section of the paper. Then, in the third column from the left, he found a job that he knew would be perfect. The local police station was looking for new officers (and people to do desk work, but Jack had no interest whatsoever in that). It was as close to his old job at CTU as he could get, and to Jack that was perfect. As a matter of fact, he had been a police officer before coming to CTU, and he realized that he was eager to take that job again.
He was tired, so Jack circled the ad in bright yellow ink and sat the paper aside. He would visit them tomorrow morning.
For the first time in weeks, Jack felt happy. Maybe his new identity wasn't so bad after all.



Chapter 3

Jack smiled as he surveyed himself in the mirror. He had dressed simply, in jeans and a t-shirt, but at least they weren't dirty or full of holes. And, remembering what his clothes had often looked like after a day in the field at CTU, that was good enough for him. He took a deep breath and left his apartment, with the newspaper clipping about the police job clutched tightly in his hand.
His car was a black Ford, just like the one he'd driven at CTU. Jack started the car and drove away from his apartment. He could only hope that things would go right for him.
In a matter of minutes, Jack arrived at the police station. "Here goes nothing" he muttered, parking the car. His footsteps were quick and impatient, and soon he had reached the door. Taking a deep breath, he went inside.
A young female officer sat at a desk just inside the doorway. She glanced up as he approached. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked politely. Jack nodded, and showed her the clipping. "My name is Jake Reid. Did you say that you need new officers?" he asked curtly. The woman nodded hesitantly. "But, sir...we don't accept just anyone. There are specific requirements you have to meet" she said firmly. Jack nodded. "I'm aware of that." The woman smiled. "Okay. Well, the police chief is in a meeting right now, but he's the one you'll need to talk to. Why don't you have a seat, and I'll let you in when he's finished. By the way, I'm Officer Lucas." Jack took a seat in the room that she pointed him towards, sighing. He hoped that this had been a good idea!
It seemed like an eternity had passed, but at last Officer Lucas came to get him. "He can see you now" she said, and led him down the hallway. The door to the police chief's office was open, and the young female officer led Jack inside. Then she left the room.
The police chief glanced up as Jack entered the room. "I'm Chief Reynolds" he said. "So you want a job as an officer, eh?" Jack nodded. "Yes, sir." Reynolds pointed to a chair. "Sit down, and we'll talk." Jack took a seat in the chair, and Reynolds began to question him. He asked Jack's name, age, and address. Then they got to more personal questions. "Have you ever used drugs?" the chief asked sternly. Jack was easily able to say no. He had been offered heroin, but had turned it down. "What makes you think you'll be a good officer?" Reynolds asked bluntly. Jack smiled slightly. "I know how to defend myself, and I'm not afraid to do it. My father was an officer, and he passed his skills on to me." That was a tiny lie. Eric Bauer had been a CTU agent, not a police officer...but these people knew nothing about Jack Bauer. They saw him as Jake Reid, so...it was fine.
Reynolds asked Jack a few more questions. Then he stood up. "Can you shoot a gun, Jake?" he asked. Jack nodded; he could do that well. The chief beckoned to the door. "That's your first test. If you do well there, we'll keep testing you. If you pass...you'll be a member of our squad. Let's go." Smiling, Jack followed him out the door.




Chapter 4

Chief Reynolds led Jack through a door marked “TARGET PRACTICE: SHOOTING RANGE” and handed him a pistol from a locked cabinet. This was part of what he liked about his job at CTU: meeting challenges. He knew that this would be an easy test to pass.
He examined the pistol that Reynolds handed him. It was a 9mm pistol; identical to the one Jack had carried in the field at CTU. Reynolds pointed down-range, to where a target had been set up. It was a paper target in the shape of a person. (Jack had trained with these targets back at CTU, and this was achingly familiar.) “Let’s see what you can do with that” the chief said, and stood back to watch him. Jack took the gun in his hand, eyed the target, and fired. A direct hit…and another, and another, and another. Each shot hit its mark perfectly, and Jack smiled with satisfaction. He ejected the empty clip, sat the gun down, and turned to Chief Reynolds. The man was staring at Jack. “You ever had a job like this before?” he asked. “That was perfect, and there’s nobody that can shoot like that unless they’ve been an officer of some sort.” Jack nodded. “Yes, sir. I worked as an officer in Los Angeles for five years” he said. Reynolds shook his head. “We could use somebody like you. But we still have more tests for you. Follow me, please.” Jack smiled to himself, and followed the chief down the hallway.

Jack’s body ached. He hadn’t undergone tests like these since he came to CTU three and a half years ago. He’d had blood tests to check for drug use (and still had bruises on his arm from the needle in the lab), he’d done more target shooting, and he’d been tested in self-defense. Jack smiled to himself. The instructor testing him in self-defense had come out of it with more bruises than his trainee! They had given him psychological tests, and asked him endless questions. Jack couldn’t wait for the testing process to be over!
A few weeks later, Chief Reynolds called Jack into his office. When Jack was seated in front of him, Reynolds took out a manila folder, opened it, and began to speak. “Your tests were absolutely perfect” he said with a smile. “Congratulations, Mr. Reid. Or…should I say Officer Reid?” Jack stared at him. “I passed?” The chief nodded. “You passed with flying colors” he said. “Welcome to our squad.” He shook Jack’s hand. “Be here at five-thirty tomorrow morning. You’ll pick up your uniform, and then you can get to work.”




Chapter 5

Jack sighed with relief as he unlocked his front door and stepped inside. He hung his uniform and jacket in the closet and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Then he placed his gun, holster, and belt in the securely locked cabinet in the basement. For three months now, he had been an officer at the police department, and he had settled into a routine. The past few days had been grueling, but he enjoyed it. Now, however, he wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower, watch TV, and take a nap.
He found a can of stew in the pantry, and heated that on the stove. Then he took it into the living room, and turned on the news. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright. The spoon in his hand dropped into the bowl, sending up a splash of hot broth, but Jack hardly noticed. “The government has received a taped message from a Middle-Eastern terrorist by the name of Mohammad Abdul al-Jarrah. This man is believed to have been working with Habib Marwan, the mastermind behind the attacks on our nation two months ago. The government thought that they had captured all of Marwan’s followers, but apparently this man escaped them” the newscaster said. “This new tape says that he is planning to strike again.” Then the station switched to a clip of the video. A bearded man stood in front of a camera, speaking in Arabic. Jack had picked up a few words of Arabic, Turkish, and Farsi while tracking Tomas Sherak and Habib Marwan, and he was able to understand the message. It gave him chills. “Our leader, Abu [Abu is an affectionate Arabic term meaning Father or Leader] Habib Marwan, martyred himself for our cause a few weeks ago” al-Jarrah said. “He was defeated by the evil American infidels, who halted our plans. This time, they will not succeed. With Allah’s help, we will prevail.” Then, in very clear English, he said, “I will give you only one warning. Beware of August 11, at 10:00 A.M…and beware of the days following it.” Then the tape ended. “All government and law enforcement personnel are being called to set up a defense against this man” the news reporter said. Jack didn’t want to hear any more. He turned the TV off, and sat in stunned silence. His mind flashed back to two months ago when the particular day, the one that changed his life, began. He remembered receiving the message from Tomas Sherak, frantically calling Audrey, watching the video of Heller as a hostage…attempting to stop the EMP, trying to piece together leads….catching and losing Marwan again and again….and he remembered Palmer’s call that one of Logan’s agents was coming to kill him. From there, his life was turned upside down.
Jack stood up, suddenly angry. He wasn’t going to sit idle while the government tried to stop Mohammed al-Jarrah. Even if it blew his cover, he was going to help the government stop this man. Marwan and his men had already destroyed Jack’s life and much of what he held dear. He wasn’t going to let them succeed again. Determined, Jack picked up the phone and called Chief Reynolds.



Chapter 6 Part 1
This segment is too short to be a chapter, so I’m dividing the chapter into two parts.

Jack shook his head and sighed. He had called Reynolds and told him that he wanted to help…and the chief had flat-out called him crazy. He had told Jack that he had nowhere near enough experience to help. (Jack smiled at this. If only Chief Reynolds knew Jack’s secret…). Besides…they had no information at this point. The most that law enforcement would be doing, he said, was helping with disaster cleanup and first-aid like they had done after Marwan’s attacks.

A few weeks later, however, Reynolds called Jack into his office. His face was gray and he looked stunned. “Look” the chief said quietly, pointing to the TV in the corner. Jack could only stare. Al-Jarrah had begun putting his plan in action. He had detonated two bombs in Washington DC, and the effects were disastrous. And, Jack thought grimly, if this nutcase thinks like Marwan, this attack is only the beginning.
Reynolds pulled something up on his computer screen. “Officer Reid,” he said, addressing Jack formally for the first time that Jack could remember, “The Counter-Terrorism Unit in Los Angeles has sent an email to all the police and FBI agencies in the surrounding cities. They are asking for the most experienced agents to come and assist them. I think that you are qualified for the job.” He glanced at Jack. “I’m sending you, along with three others, to CTU LA tomorrow morning.”



Chapter 6 Part 2

Jack gaped at him. “Wh—what?” he croaked. The chief showed him the email. “I’m sending you to CTU LA tomorrow morning” he repeated. “Is there a problem?” Jack shook his head. “No…no, sir” he managed. Reynolds nodded. “Good. I’m sending you home for the rest of the day. Get some sleep. Something tells me that you’ll need it.” Then he dismissed Jack with a nod.
Jack’s mind raced when he arrived at home. It had been months since the Chinese embassy had tried to capture and kill him. He could only hope that it had been long enough, since there was no way out of this; not without blowing his cover. Well, Jack, he thought, you wanted to return to CTU, and you got your wish. Let’s hope you can handle it. Suddenly, he knew that he needed to alert Michelle. Almost frantically, he grabbed his phone and dialed.
“CTU, Dessler.” Michelle’s voice was calm and controlled, but she also sounded strained and stressed. “Michelle, it’s me” Jack said quietly. “I need to talk to you now. It can’t wait. Do you have a minute?” “Yes,” Michelle said hastily, “of course. Why? What’s wrong?” Jack sighed. “I assume that you know about Mohammed al-Jarrah’s attacks” he said. Michelle’s voice sounded tired. “Yes, we do. We’re swamped. Why?”
Jack ran a hand through his already-disheveled hair. “Have the Chinese stopped investigating my case?” he asked. Michelle sighed. “Yes, thank God. They’re finally satisfied, and we are 100 percent sure that there will be no more investigations” she replied. “Why, Jack?” Jack sat down on the couch. “Michelle, I’m coming back to CTU” he said. Michelle drew in a sharp breath. “What?! How? Why?” she exclaimed.
Jack shifted the phone to his other ear. “I got a job with the police squad” he said. “Division sent them an email asking for their best officers. The chief, Reynolds, wants me to go to CTU.” He sighed. “I know it’s risky,” he said, “but there’s no way out. Not without blowing my cover. I have to come back; there’s no question about it.” Michelle was silent. “That’s why I needed to know” Jack told her. “I need to be sure that nothing will happen…no unexpected ‘surprises’ from the Chinese!”

“I’m positive” Michelle said. “The Chinese are satisfied. You’ll be safe. When…when will you get here?” Jack looked at the paper that Reynolds had given him. “Tomorrow morning at 8:00” he said. “Is that okay?” Michelle was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. “It’ll have to be okay” she said. “We’ll think of some way to tell everyone. I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a pause, and Jack started to hang up. Then Michelle spoke. “And, Jack?” she said quietly. “Good luck. We…we’ll be waiting.” Then she hung up.




Chapter 7

The next morning dawned bright and early. Jack was nervous, and he woke well before his alarm clock went off. He was too nervous to eat much, so he choked down some dry toast and put on his uniform. Then he got in his truck and drove to the police station. Reynolds was there waiting for him. He greeted Jack, went over some final instructions, and then it was time to go. Jack slid into his truck, and reached for his keys. His hands were shaking as he put the key in the ignition and drove away.
The road leading to CTU was familiar. Jack had taken the same route every day for years, and he could have done it with his eyes closed. This time, however, he was nervous. The drive went much too fast for his liking, and all too soon he had arrived at CTU. It was time to go.
Jack stepped out of the car, straightened his uniform, and checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. Then he walked towards the door leading to CTU. Michelle had given him the access code, and the door slid open. Jack took a deep breath and stepped inside. The hallway stretched before him; long, well-lit, and very familiar. With a small smile, Jack began to walk.
Soon he arrived in the interior of CTU. His mind was playing tricks on him, and for one heart-stopping moment, Jack saw Cheng sitting in the conference room. Then his vision cleared, and he saw that it was Edgar. Jack sighed with relief.
Suddenly, the other agents saw Jack. They burst into applause, and rushed to welcome him back. Jack smiled. At last, he was back where he belonged.
“Jack!” Chloe was staring, looking as if she’d seen a ghost. Jack couldn’t help himself; he hugged her happily. It was great to be back. “You’re a police officer now?” Chloe asked, suddenly noticing his uniform. “What are you doing here?” she exclaimed happily. “I’m here to help” Jack said. “My boss sent me to help you guys out.”
He grinned. “You knew you wouldn’t get rid of me that easily” he said. “I’m Jack Bauer. Since when do I let something like faking my death stand in the way of my work here?” He glanced around. “I couldn’t stay away. I missed you guys too much.” Jack produced a file folder from his bag. “I’m back. Let’s get to work.” He strode towards the meeting room with the other CTU agents close behind. It was great to be back.

THE END