(no subject)

[geeky_agent]

It had been fifty-three hours now since Jack went missing. After she had called Chloe, she'd found another hotel, deciding to stay in the city and look for him. Chris had been worried about revealing too much information, so used to being on guard but that wasn't necessary anymore. The worst had happened.

So, Chris called the hospitals, slipping up a few times when she was supposed to say "Frank Flynn" instead of "Jack Bauer". She hadn't called Kim, she felt guilty for that but convinced herself that was for the best. Chloe could be more objective about the situation. If she tried, she'd make herself believe that.

She leaned back in the chair, feeling bone-tired. More than tired, her body hurt, she had this constant feeling of something akin to nausea and she felt cold all the time. In the past fifty-three hours she hadn't slept more than five and she hadn't eaten much either, most of her calories coming from coffee. It was stupid and she knew it but it was hard to keep food down. Harder still to sleep when Jack was always on her mind, he was the first thing she thought of when she woke up and she was sure he was there in her now-forgotten dreams.

Despite the weariness that came from running on empty, it was hard to sit still and do nothing because then she had time to think. Time to wonder what was happening to Jack, what could have happened to Jack, each possibility worse than the last. It was easier to keep busy, calling every hospital, searching every police report, focusing on the task at hand. Even then, her mind wanders.

His hands sliding up her back, tangling in her hair. "Sweetheart, I want you back more than anything."

The sound of the ringing phone came to her attention. Fear and hope bubbling up inside her, she picked up the receiver.

Comments

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"Chris, it's Chloe. Jack's cell was broken, but I was able to track the last signal broadcasted. The Port of Vancouver." Chloe curls her toes in her shoes and bites the tip of her thumbnail.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

Chris blinks at all this information.

"Is he still there? I mean..." she sighs, the lack of sleep is catching up with her and it's difficult to think clearly. In a steadier voice, she continues, "Any leads on his location?"

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

Chloe tries to sound optimistic; Chris is sounding distressed.

"Well, I thought, that port could have had at least a few ships leaving at or around the same time. So I checked schedules and two ships left very near that time. I'm tracking them now."

Chloe eyes the analyst staring at her from across the room and he goes back to what he was doing. "I'm using CTU satellite technology, so I don't think we'll have a problem." Hopefully that's a little comforting?

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"All right. That's good." Chris stood up from her chair, needing to move around, too nervous to sit still. If Jack was on one of those boats then he was still alive.

"Any ideas on who the boats belong to? Where they're headed?"

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"Yes, one is headed to China, the other to India."

A short pause. "I told Michelle and Tony."

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"Keep an eye on both but the one headed to China is probably the one we want." She pauses in her pacing, rubbing her forehead. The Chinese had him, Chris was convinced of this. It couldn't all be a coincidence.

"Yeah? How'd they take the news?"

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

She cradles the cell in her neck for a minute, typing up a protocol guideline memo to look like she's busy enough to not be bothered. "Of course they were upset. Michelle answered, luckily, because I don't think I could have told Tony without having my ear drum broken. I could hear him in the background when Michelle told him. I hung up after I told her where the ships were going."

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"Thanks for telling them, Chloe," she says quietly, feeling guilty for dumping so much of this on her. Stranded up here without her laptop, without access to CTU's resources, she felt useless.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, there's a brief pause before she asks, "What about Kim and Chase?"

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"They would have wanted me too." Chloe frowns, mistaking Chris's guilt for dumping on her for guilt over not thinking to call Tony and Michelle.

"I called them, but Chase said she was on vacation, and I didn't want to get them involved if it wasn't absolutely necessary." Funny thing though, Chloe doesn't exactly believe that.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"All right. It'll probably be better to let Kim know once we have an idea of where Jack is and what condition he's in anyway." She has a feeling Chloe didn't want to tell Kim anymore than she did. They'd have to tell her eventually but right now, Chris was in no position to push Chloe to do that even if she wanted to.

"I'm going to get the earliest flight out to LA that I can."

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"Okay. Would you like me to meet you or send a car or send Michelle and Tony.. God I must sound stupid." Chloe changes the cell to the other hand, then rubs her forehead with the free hand.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

Chris runs her hand through her hair, it was impossible to focus, her mind fluttering from one thought to the the next. This latest nugget of information fueling her worries and hopes.

"No, you're not. Thank you, Chloe... for everything."

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"I just want to help, and the only way I know how to help is with technology." Chloe gets another odd look from the analyst across the room.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

This earns a small, humorless smile from Chris. "I understand the feeling."

She swallows, her throat feeling dry and she can't remember the last time she drank or ate anything. "Um, once the boats dock and we figure out where Jack is being held, then we're going to have to figure out how to rescue him. I'll be flying to wherever it is, obviously."

Beyond that, though, she barely knew where to start.

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"Okay. Once you infiltrate, I can try to set up some sort of communications and surveillance for you if you want." Chloe bites her lip and tears the skin a little. She sucks on it, trying not to look fidgety.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

Chris relieved that she wants to help though she never really expected otherwise. Chloe had always been a good friend to Jack.

"Depending on wherever there destination is, I might need you to come with me."

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Okay." Chloe pulls up the surveillance of the two ships for the last 15 minutes and rechecks the coordinates. "I'll see what I can do. The ships are still on their courses."

How the hell am I going to explain that to Buchanan.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"I know I'm asking for a lot, Chloe. I just don't have that many people I can turn to right now."

Almost no one. There were only a handful of people on earth who knew that Jack had faked his death. Chloe was the only one with easy access to these kinds of resources.

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

Chloe taps a few keys, watching the little dots sit. They've been fuzzy for a while now.

"No. No, it's okay. I'm one of a very select few that actually know Jack's still alive, last thing we need to do is bring outside help in. I don't know who we can trust right now."

Stupid moron. Can't he just pay attention to whatever it is that HE'S doing?!

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Chris manages to rasp, her throat tightening with emotion. They were up against impossible odds. The people who had Jack had the backing of their government, Jack didn't.

Suddenly, there was a worse possibility than not knowing. What if we can't save him?

"I'll let you get back to work."

[accessobrian.livejournal.com]

Chloe blinks and pauses a second before refocusing on her phone. "Okay. Bye."

She claps the cell shut and puts it back in her purse, rubbing and blinking her eyes awkwardly.

[geeky-agent.livejournal.com]

"Bye."

She hangs up the phone, lingering by it. Her throat hurt from trying to hold back the tears. It was useless anyway. As soon as she opened her mouth to breathe, it turned into a sob.

Slowly, because walking any faster required energy she didn't have, Chris made her way over to the bed. It wasn't long before she fell into a dreamless sleep.