This is the alternative finale to Live Another Day. I've divided this episode into two parts and it might be a BIT longer than an hour but I think this is much more fitting end, especially if it's also a series finale as well. This can also be the prequel to my story 24 Season 10.

LIVE ANOTHER DAY ALTERNATE FINALE

THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 10 PM AND 10:30 PM

PART 1

ANATOL STOLNAVICH'S RESIDENCE

"It was an accident….I…..we just struggled…." Mark began saying. Jack Bauer ignored him and goes to Anatol's desk searching for more intel.

"Nothing useful here, just personal correspondence," Kate said disappointedly after looking through his file. "Dammit I wish Chloe was here."

"Stolnavich wouldn't have something like that in the open anyway," Jack said, opening up the desk drawer. He slammed his elbow down onto it, revealing a hidden compartment with a cell phone. Jack took the phone over to Anatol's body, placing his hand on the touch screen and the phone's main screen unlocks.

"I got something here," Jack said, "They're making arrangements for a shipment out of the Port of Southampton tonight, leaving in less than one hour. Suddenly Mark's phone alerts him of a text message.

"Oh my God. Jack!" Mark exclaims. He rushed over and showed Jack the screen showing the night vision scope of Cheng's sniper with Audrey in the crosshairs. Then the phone rings.

"Who is this?" Jack demands.

"Ah, Mr. Bauer. I think you know who I am," Cheng says, "Stop pursuing me. Once I am safely away, I will let her go. If not, my man has orders to kill her. If you come near me, Audrey dies instantly."

"Cheng, listen to me…"

"Those are the rules, is that clear?" Cheng demands harshly.

"Yes." Jack responds. The phone clicks dead.

"I can't believe this," Kate says, "We need to speak to the President immediately."

LONDON STREETS

We see an aerial night shot of the London Eye with the Houses of Parliament lit up below then the presidential limousine driving through the streets of London with a Metropolitan Police escort.

Ron Clark speaks into the phone and looks at President Heller.

"Mr. President, sir, it's Jack Bauer on the line. You have to take this now, I'm sorry," he tells the President with a concerned look on his face.

"Jack? Any luck with Stolnavich?"

"Stolnavich is dead but we have intel on Cheng's position. He's scheduled to be smuggled out of the UK on a container ship called the Leticia, flying under a Dutch flag but we believe its crewed by Russian loyal to Stolnavich. But we have a serious problem, sir."

"What is it? What kind of problem?" Heller asks.

"I'm sorry, but Cheng has a sniper holding Audrey hostage. He'll kill her if we move in on him," Jack tells him.

Heller shakes his head. "Oh my God." Ron Clark looks over to him.

"Sir, do you have any idea where Audrey is?"

"She set up a meeting in Battersea Park with her friend from the Chinese Embassy. She had a Secret Service detail with her," Ron says, "We have to assume all of them are dead."

Heller is silent for several seconds. "How much time do we have?" The question seems directed at everyone.

"The Chinese air and naval forces are continuing on a direct vector toward Okinawa," the General informs him, "We believe they will cross the 12 mile territorial limit within the next 30 or 45 minutes."

"Here's what we're going to do. We're almost the secure site at the CIA station. Jack, send the electronic communications between Anatol Stolvanich and Cheng there immediately, we're going to use that to buy some extra time to bargain with President Wei. I also want a helicopter standing by ready to take Bauer and another CIA Tac team to Southampton. And Jack?"

"Yes, sir?"

"This is our one and only shot. We're running out of time on this. I can't guarantee the Chinese will hold off their attack on our military bases. You will have to leave for Southampton in twenty minutes. Jack, I want you to know that I'm sorry about the things I've said to you in the past. Nothing that happened to Audrey in China was because of you. I…..I was just too proud to blame myself like I should have. It was my fault. I should have pushed harder for your release and stood up to Charles Logan's friends in the government. If I had done so, Audrey wouldn't have gone to China to find you."

Jack breathes out. "Thank you sir. I won't let you down this time. I give you my word."

BATTERSEA PARK

Audrey's phone buzzes and she slides it open.

"Audrey, it's Jack. Don't make any moves or do anything to suggest you're talking to me. We're approaching your position on foot. Do you know where the sniper is? Look down if you don't."

Audrey looks down slowly.

"Okay, we're what we're going to have to do. Kate and I need to get a location on the sniper. Our team is setting up a perimeter. On the count of three, I need you to make a run for the clump of trees behind you."

"1…..2…3"

Audrey gets up suddenly and the sniper fires twice at her feet. Jack sees a flash in a third floor window of the brownstone building facing the park. Jack and Kate both open fire into the window, and several CIA agents join with with automatic gunfire, strafing the entire apartment overlooking the park. Muzzles flashes light up the light as chunks of concrete and glass fall down from the third floor, along with the body of the sniper.

"Audrey! Audrey!" Jack says. Audrey is panting is crying. "Audrey you okay?"

She nods through her tears and hugs Jack tightly." We see the sound of an approaching helicopter and we see the chopper flying low over the rooftops.

CONTAINER SHIP, SOUTHAMPTON HARBOR

"Come in! Acknowledge! Tamada!" Cheng curses in Chinese. The his phone rings.

"Wang, what's going on?" He demands. The man on the other end if Wang Choy, another former Chinese operative who had been purged from the Chinese intelligence service after the more pro-Western Wei had taken power.

"Lin is dead, Jack Bauer and the Americans are here. They'll be coming for you!" Wang Choy says.

Cheng slams his fist down on the table as he looks around the bridge of the ship. "We're moving out NOW!" he demands, then says into the phone, "Kill that bitch! Bauer and Heller will pay for everything they've done to me."

"Yes, Comrade Cheng," Choy says in Chinese. We see he has two AK-47s in a bag that are fully armed. He is hidden behind some trees as the sound of the CIA helicopter approaches.

SPLIT SCREENS

Wang Choy is running across the park. The CIA helicopter is flying above London. The ship is pulling away from the docks in Southampton. Heller and the White House staff are entering the CIA Station.

BATTERSEA PARK

Jack and Audrey and the CIA agent are making their way across the park when Jack catches a glimpse of something in his eye. Suddenly gunshots ring out and he and Kate immediately push Audrey to the ground. Three CIA agents are cut down.

"Death to the American imperialists!" Wang Choy screams as he fires both guns in a rage. "Long live the Communist Revolution!" Two more gunmen working with Cheng engage the CIA.

Kate and Jack both open fire. We see that Audrey has blood on her shirt. Kate pulls the pin on a grenade and tosses it at the terrorists. One of them takes cover but the other is blown to pieces. The exchange of gunfire continues until Jack has a clear shot. He squeezes the trigger, shooting Wang in the chest and neck. Wang still refuses to die and brings up his AK-47 to fire again. Jack puts a bullet through his brain. A car pulls up with more more Cheng's men. Jack throws a grenade which lands on the top of the car and detonates, destroying it and killing all of Cheng's remaining henchman.

"Jack!" Audrey gasps. He sees that she's been shot. The bullet went through her side.

In a split screen, the helicopter lands and Erik Ritter comes out with his team. Jack looks at Audrey's wound and looks relieved. "It's a flesh wound, you'll be fine. Thank God! Thank God," Jack says, tearing falling down her face. "I….I don't know what I would have done if I lost you again."

"Just go get that son of a bitch. As long as he's alive he'll always be a problem."

"I know."

"Kate!" Ritter says. They all look around and see Kate's lifeless body on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Oh my God, no," Audrey says, starting to cry as she looks down at the woman who had given her life to save hers. She nods Kate's hand and sobs. "You didn't have to do that."

Jack kneels down next to Audrey. He also takes a long look at Kate thinking about the long day they've had. The camera moves up to Kate's face and there is silence.

SILENT CLOCK

CIA STATION

"Mr. President, I just spoke with Prime Minister Davies's office," Ron informs him, "The Royal Navy and British Coast Guard base in Portsmouth has been alerted. They have orders to block off Cheng's escape."

Jack nods. "Jack and the CIA are on the way there now. Make sure the British military understands we absolutely needs Cheng alive.

LETICIA CARGO SHIP, SOUTHAMPTON HARBOR

We see the cargo ship streaming out into the English Channel while in a split screen, British military helicopters are taking off from Portsmouth, across a wide river from Southampton.

"Attention Leticia, this is the British Royal Navy. We know you have Cheng Zhi on board and you are hereby ordered to return to Southampton immediately. If you do not comply, you will be fired upon," a man says in a British accent on the radio.

"They won't kill us," Cheng scoffs, "They need us alive to prove to that Western puppet Wei that they didn't attack the Shenyang on their own."

"But we don't have any leverage left," his aide reminds him. "All our men in the park are dead. Audrey is safe."

Cheng smiles. "Powerless? The device we have is the most powerful thing in the world. But so much for sneaking away unnoticed."

ROYAL NAVY FRIGATE MARGARET THATCHER, IN THE IRISH SEA

Admiral Trevor MacDonald suddenly gets up from his seat on the bridge of the frigate as several alert bells are ringing.

"What in blazes is happening?" he demands. "Captain Johnson?'

"We've lost control of our electronics…..wait…..bloody hell!" Johnson exclaims. "More and more of our weapons systems are going offline, including our weapons control programs and missile launch capabilities."

"We….the computer itself has locked on to several targets!"

"Bollocks," Admiral MacDonald yells, "The computer does not just target on its own, this is not some sci fi movie, it's not self-aware."

"It must be something else, sir," Johnson says.

"Get me fleet command immediately!" MacDonald orders. "What are the targets?"

Johnson looks at his screen and the missile lock display. "Whoever is in control of our systems already has three targets locked in. First is the cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas off the southern coast of Ireland. They've also targeted the entertainment district in downtown Glasgow and two high-rise apartment blocks in Edinburgh and Newcastle."

AIRBORNE OVER SOUTHERN ENGLAND

The tranquil English countryside spreads out below as the CIA helicopter's flight path takes it out of the London area.

"Jack, we have another problem," Heller says, "After we got word Audrey is safe, we alerted Davies and the Royal Navy attempted to stop Cheng's escape. Instead of slipping away unnoticed, Cheng used the override device to take control of a British Royal Navy frigate, the Margaret Thatcher off the Scottish coast. They've targeted Edinburgh and Newcastle as well as a Royal Caribbean ship off Ireland with cruise missiles. Cheng sent an ultimatum to Prime Minister Davies threatening to fire the missiles if he is not given free passage out of British waters."

"Dammit, how could this happen? That son of a bitch!" Jack says.

"Jack, we will get through this. We made it this far, son," Heller says, pacing the room.

BRITISH MOTORWAY

The helicopter sets down on the shoulder and Chloe O'Brian is picked up, then the aircraft quickly takes off again, attracting the attention of several motorists.

"Chloe, you okay?" Jack asks with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got banged up escaping from Cheng. Jack I had no idea Adrian would lie to me or that he was working with Cheng. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

"No, Chloe, it's my fault," Jack says softly, "If I hadn't gone after Mikhail Novakovich four years ago, you wouldn't have been fired from CTU for helping me escape the country, you would still be in New York, with your family….." Jack chokes, "You would never have met Adrian, or made the device. All this is because of me."

"You can't blame yourself, Jack," Chloe says. "What's the situation on Cheng now?"

"He had his men hold Audrey hostage in London but she's safe now," Jack replies, "But when the Royal Navy tried to stop his ship, Cheng used the device to take control of a frigate armed with cruise missiles."

CIA STATION, PRESIDENTIAL QUARTERS

"What kind of risks are we talking about?" Heller asks.

General Samson informs him, "The cruise missiles have a flight time of 10 minutes between the frigate and the targets, during which they can be recalled. That's our window of opportunity."

"So the best option is to hit them hard? Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Mr. President. If we go in with a small team, success is not guaranteed and they will retaliate by launching the missiles. If we destroy the ship, Cheng will launch the attack and there will be no way to recall it without the override. Sir, the only option is to land men on that cargo ship, take control, and get Cheng. That's the only option we have on the table."

Heller nods. "Patch me through to Jack Bauer."

…10:30