What a great way to start off Mondays :)

[ladyofavalon77]

I had to go to work today even though it's Martin Luther King's birthday and other places are closed *cries*  However, we were really slow so I could catch up on things like POA's, signature cards, and other miscellaneous paperwork.  Not that bad thought it was still a looooooong day and I wanted to get home to catch up on things here.  Oh well, can't have everything!  Soon as I got in, I popped in my tape of Grease Auditions and Brothers and Sisters so I could write the review for last night's entry.  In between, I ate dinner (beans, macaroni and cheese, and sausage with a some cinnamon applesauce and cornbread).  However, the real entertainment began at 8 PM when the final two hours of 24 started...and I had not yet seen them :D

So 24 Episodes 6.3 (8 AM to 9 AM) and 6.4 (9 AM to 10 AM).  All I can say is WOW!! Just when you think they won't do it they go and do it.  And in a big way too.  First things first...Wayne Palmer came off a little bit stronger this time.  There weren't any real good Bill/Karen scenes so I was quite sad about that.  Also I didn't see any arguing with Lennox like she did before.  Hopefully more of both later.  Sandra Palmer had her ups and downs but mostly downs as she took on the role of irritating trial advocacy lawyer.  Her best scenes are arguing with her brother.  I would LOVE Waleed if he would only drop the stupid accent...it's just not him.  Poor guy!   Assad working with Jack was great, negotiating the peace agreement with the President and staff was great.  I LOVED how they staged the car accident to get the guy to ride with Assad.  Brilliant move!

Now Curtis...poor poor Curtis.  I never liked him much to begin with.  His need to seek revenge against Assad just became hilarious as the hour wore on because he's so bad at acting in general.  I did like the fear I saw on Assad's face when Curtis had the gun to his head.  I DID feel sorry when Jack shot him dead and Curtis looked at him with such hurt in his eyes.  Poor guy...what a way to go...and the same way David went...a bullet through the throat.  Jack's breakdown after this is Emmy worthy alone but combined with all he's went through these last four hours as a character he should get that Emmy a second time.  Great acting seriously!  The bomb going off at the end was a great final blow to those of thinking 24 would never set one off...at least not this early.  The music, the looks on everyone's faces (especially Karen's)...you couldn't have directed it any better.  Well done, 24...WELL DONE!

And before I leave, another chapter of "If I Should Lose You." This chapter focuses on Logan's reaction to Martha's kidnapping and a brief interaction with Pierce.  It actually turned out the best because I seem to know him so well hehe.  Happy Reading!

 

CHAPTER 3 

This was not supposed to happen. He had had a plan. One that had been in the works for months. It was fail safe and well thought out. All he needed to do was make sure his man followed through on his end. He had calculated the risk, weighed his other options, and carefully timed his decisions. But what he had not counted on was Marty…his beautiful, loving but wildly unpredictable wife. Her decision to ride with the Suvarovs had almost prevented the attack from taking place but worse than that it had set off an unforeseen chain of events that he had been trying to avoid all day. Unfortunately she would now pay the consequences for her rash actions…and he would have to make a difficult decision once more…the welfare of the country or the welfare of his wife.

God, Marty, why do you have to be so stubborn! Couldn’t you have trusted me just this once?

Reaching into his suit pocket, President Charles Logan took out his personal cell phone and checked to see if he had missed any calls. He knew the phone would have alerted him if that was the case but wishful thinking made him look anyway. Sighing in frustration, he placed the phone back on his desk and walked over to the floor length glass windows overlooking the Retreat’s spacious breezeway. As he clasped his hands behind his back, Logan thought about the earlier phone call he had received from the Russian terrorists. He could still remember the combination of fear and terror that overwhelmed him as he answered the phone.

Hello?

As soon as the call was over, he had looked to Mike Novick for guidance even as he knew it was a lose/lose scenario. Allow the terrorists out of the country with deadly nerve gas that could be traced back to the United States or allow them to kill his wife while he was forced to stand by and do nothing. Giving up the Suvarovs was supposed to have put an end to this crisis but now Martha had just handed them a golden opportunity…a hostage…and a valuable one at that. It wouldn’t be long before the press caught wind of her disappearance and turned it into a national story, bringing everything to light he had tried so carefully to hide. He needed to act and he needed to act now.

Walking back to his desk, Logan picked up the cell phone once more and paused a moment before dialing a number he had come to know well. And while waiting for the person on the other line to pick up, he found himself idly drumming his fingers on the smooth desktop. How had he let things get out of hand? And would he be able to salvage what was left of the original plan that had been agreed upon so many months ago?

“Henderson.”

“Christopher, it’s me. I have a mission for you.”

“With all due respect, Mr. President, this is really not a good time. Jack Bauer just paid me a visit at Omicron. And I think it would be safe to say that CTU is not far behind.”

“What was Jack Bauer doing at Omicron!”

“Following a lead from Nathanson. He didn’t know all the details but he had pieced together enough to trace the day’s events back to me. I dealt with the situation.”

“You mean you killed him.”

“Mr. President, we could continue this argument if you want but you and I both know it won‘t get anywhere. I did what needed to be done. Now I think it would best for both us to part ways until this crisis is over.”

“Unfortunately, Christopher, things have gotten a little more complicated…the terrorists have taken Martha.”

“Well, with all due respect, that is not my concern. When you recruited me, you specifically outlined my mission and that mission was to make sure the nerve gas fell into the right hands without being traced back to you. I am not responsible for what happened after that mission was executed”

“And I‘m telling you your mission has just changed. Find these terrorists, take care of them, and bring Martha back. I don’t care how you do it. Just make it work!”

And without waiting for a reply, Logan hung up the phone, furious that the man HE had hired would have the gall to question his orders. What an outrage! When this was all through he would have some choice words with Mr. Henderson in private. The man could stand to learn a few lessons about respecting and following your Commander-in-Chief.

Wiping a tired hand across his face, the President took a moment to collect his thoughts. The day was almost over but for him it was just beginning. Measures would have to be taken to ensure his involvement in both incidents was not discovered. The stakes had just doubled and he was not sure if he liked the new odds.

But there was no time to rework his plan as he heard a soft knock on the closed study doors. Quickly retrieving the cell phone off his desk, Logan took one more careful glance over his work area for anything incriminating before calling out to the person to come in. He then took a seat and attempted to study his notes for an upcoming speech as his visitor walked into the room….Aaron Pierce.

Quickly rising to thank the man for his actions earlier at the motorcade, he held out his hand to the veteran Secret Service agent before telling him, “Aaron, I’m glad you’re all right. I heard you were critically wounded. Despite everything that happened, you did a good job today.”

Aaron simply nodded and awkwardly shook the hand of the man he was sworn to protect. He clearly disagreed with the President’s assessment of the situation but did not want to be impertinent. Logan’s estimation of the man immediately went up a few notches.

“What did you want to see me about?”

“It’s about Mrs. Logan, sir.”

And he visibly flinched at the mention of his wife’s name, walking back around the desk to distract himself from what was coming. “What about Martha?”

“I wanted you to know that she was very brave during the attack. Even when her life was in danger, her only thought was for my safety and the safety of the Suvarovs.”

Gripping the top of his desk chair, Logan closed his eyes and knew that Aaron could see the pain written across his features. “I…I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her. I should have called back the motorcade. It was my fault this happened.”

“There was nothing you could have done, sir. Mrs. Logan can be a very determined woman.”

And at this fitting description of his troublesome wife, he gave a brief, cheerless laugh before turning toward the speaker. “You know her well, Aaron…you know her well.”

“Sir I have one request.”

“Anything.”

“I would like to lead the taskforce to find Mrs. Logan. I have some experience in criminal investigation and I promise you I won’t stop until we find her.”

“There’s not a man who could do the job better,” Logan replied, reaching over to place his hand on Agent Pierce’s shoulder. “Find her, Aaron. Whatever it takes, whatever you have to do, find her.”

“I will, sir,” Aaron replied firmly before excusing himself from the room, leaving President Logan to wonder if it had made the wise decision. True there had been no other way to stop Agent Pierce from leading the investigation without arousing his suspicions but still he wondered if he could have thought of another answer had he had more time.

Reaching into his suit pocket once more for his cell phone, he paused as his fingers closed around it. Should he call Henderson off the rescue attempt and let Agent Pierce handle the situation? Or should he allow both men to pursue the same objective? If Aaron was successful, he might uncover more than just his wife’s location and that could put all of his plans in jeopardy. However, after a few minutes of reflection, Logan decided it would be best to leave things as they were. The pressure of Aaron’s investigation would keep Henderson on his toes and ensure the success of the mission. He would just have to keep a careful eye on the situation to make sure he came out the winner in whatever scenario played out.

 

You were told specifically not to interfere in the attack and yet my men had to move up their time table when the motorcade turned around. Did you not understand my instructions?

No, no…I didn’t know CTU would discover the motorcade route so quickly. I did everything I could-

Enough! You will pay for this oversight and you will pay dearly. Did you think your wife’s presence would prevent us from carrying out our plans?

She wasn’t supposed to be there! She decided to go last minute and…and I didn’t know until after the motorcade left.

Even if I considered believing you, it wouldn’t matter. You have just provided the security we need to get out of the country…or do you want to lose more American lives today?

She’s alive?

For now. The vessel that was supposed to carry the nerve gas to Russia has already left port. We will need an alternate means of transportation and since you were so concerned in “helping” us earlier, I consider it fitting that you “assist” us again. You have one hour.

But that’s not enough time. There is paperwork to process…shipping manifests to check. And I have to make sure none of this can be traced back to either of us.

How you do it, I care not. Just remember this…do you want the last thing you hear to be your wife screaming for mercy before I end her life? It is your choice…Mr. President.

No, no, I’ll do it. Just…don’t hurt her.

Follow the plan exactly and I won’t have to.

 

You wanted to ask me something?  Can you come back later?  Like maybe a few days later when this crisis is over?

Comments

[sheepfairy.livejournal.com]

Man, Jack freaking out after he shot Curtis was just amazing.

And yay new fic chapter!

It was!!

[ladyofavalon77.livejournal.com]

hehe a sort of new chapter! I need to write the others so I'll have a full 24 :D

[agent00.livejournal.com]

OMG! I didn't watch the episode 4 yet but I know about Curtis! I'd been reading spoilers :(
I liked Curtis!!! *bawls*

I'll watch the episode 4 today!

Oh!

[ladyofavalon77.livejournal.com]

Awww *hugs* He was a steadfast reliable character...I wish they had created a better end for him :)