Chapter 14:
Tony stood with his back pressed against the wall, trying to get his breathing under control. His entire body trembled and he slid along the wall until he was sitting on the floor. He hugged his knees to his chest and let go of his tears. He was helpless and he hated it. He was a part of one of the most powerful anti-terrorism agencies in the United States of America and yet he couldn't save his own sister.
Amy. Her tear stained face and terrified eyes flashed through his memory and he almost doubled over in pain. She was his youngest sibling, the baby who clutched his finger tightly when she was hours old, the beautiful child who would fly into his arms when he returned from the Marines, the girl who curled up beside him in a hospital bed refusing to leave without him, the teen who missed her prom to make sure he was okay after a horrible car accident, the sister whom he comforted after their father had a heart attack and promised that he would always protect her.
Tony's tears flew harder when he remembered that. He failed to protect her, she would have been dead if……..
Tony gasped quietly as it hit him. The terrorists were toying with the hostages, not with them so it didn't make any sense that one of them pointed his gun at Amy then moved it in the last second to shoot the girl next to her. Amy couldn't see him so it didn't really matter.
Tony jumped to his feet and ran to the situation room. Everybody turned to him when he pushed through the door and he stopped short. He hadn't realized until now that he probably looked like crap. In another time, he would have blushed at how unprofessional he looked but now, he simply didn't care.
Michelle doubled back in surprise when Tony entered. He was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot and his face was puffy. It was clear that he had been crying and that realization cut her deeper than she thought possible. She was tempted to take him in her arms and assure him that everything would be alright and it frightened her. What was it about Tony Almeida that just pulled her towards him and made her feel so strongly for him?
Cassie stared wide eyed at Tony. He was visibly upset which, considering the situation, would be the understatement of the century, she thought. His red trimmed eyes held a swirl of emotions that she was afraid would swallow him whole and break him. He was torn between his head and his heart. On one hand, he had to do his job as efficiently as always to help those hostages and he shouldn't let his feelings cloud his judgment or hold him back. That was his duty and what he signed up to. On the other hand, his sister's life was at stake and anyone who even considered telling him to stay objective was out of their mind. Tony wasn't one to just turn off his feelings and that was part of the reason he was so good at what he did. He was very passionate in everything he did, including his job.
Milo glanced at Tony briefly then turned his attention to the screen in front of him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or say to his colleague. True he had known him for some time but he always felt left out. Back before the fiasco with the Drazens, Milo had been the newest addition to the team. Joining CTU about 6 months prior to that day, he wasn't a part of the top circle as he liked to call it. It seemed that every time a high risk situation presented itself, only specific people were allowed to participate. Of course technically, everybody at CTU worked together but in fact, Jack, Nina, Tony and Jamie did most of the work in these cases and occasionally, Cassie was brought on board. Milo knew that it wasn't easy to gain Jack Bauer's trust so he accepted his situation and waited for Jack to actually realize that he was trustworthy. To think about it now, he realized that he got it all wrong. There was no circle; Nina was just very good at making it look like there was. She always gave the tasks that she knew Jack would follow himself to Tony and Jamie. She wanted Jack and Tony to be in constant touch so as to throw them off their game and to also give Jamie the chance to get as much information as she can. She allowed Tony to make Cassie participate as bait. She knew that they were friends so it was as if she was telling Tony she trusted him enough to let him bring his friend to their little circle. She succeeded in isolating all of them from the rest of CTU.
Mason swore under his breath when he laid eyes on Tony. The situation was getting complicated by the second and it looked like Tony was already breaking. He was at a loss of what to do. His head told him to send Tony home but he knew that he needed to be a part of this. He wouldn't be able to cope if his sister died with him sitting in his house doing nothing. He would think it was his fault and that would kill him slowly. Mason sighed in frustration. Despite what everybody else thought, he cared about his agents and the man in front of him had enough blows in the last month to last him his whole life.
Tony cleared his throat when he noticed that everybody was staring at him. He wet his lips nervously, knowing that Mason would put up a fight before giving him what he wanted. He turned slightly to Milo: "I want you to play the video of the execution again"
Mason's mouth hung open at his words. Out of everything that Tony could have said, he didn't expect that. He suddenly realized that he was wrong; Tony wasn't breaking, he already broke. He was simply out of his mind. He wanted to see the video in which his sister almost lost her life, the one that he almost fainted while watching. After a brief struggle with himself, he made up his mind: "Tony, I…I hate to do this but I have no choice. I'm sorry but I think you should go home"
"I'm. Not. Leaving" Tony spoke slowly, making his intentions clear. Mason lowered his head for a moment then met Tony's eyes again. Tony was surprised to find deep sadness and sympathy and he cursed himself. He was acting as if Mason was Chappelle or Hammond, another jerk from Division whose first goal was to cover his own ass. It slipped his mind that he actually cared. All his actions since the beginning of this whole thing said so. Any other Division jerk would have given him a lecture about professionalism and relieved him from his duties the second he made a mistake but not Mason. He took time to let him know that he understood and he was there for him. He put up a show of being a heartless guy who cared about nothing but the job but deep down, he really cared.
Tony ran his hand through his hair trying to find the appropriate way to explain his need to see the video. He never broke eye contact with Mason who shook his head and whispered: "Then I'm sorry"
Tony understood what he was about to do instantly and his hand jumped to grab Mason's before it reached the phone. He used the other one to knock the phone out of his reach. Cassie, Milo and Michelle jumped in horror but Mason's stare didn't waver: "Don't make this harder on yourself, Tony. And don't forget that you're technically assaulting you superior. If you didn't let go this instant, I assure you, you won't like the consequences"
"Just listen to me George. That's all I'm asking for. Listen" Tony pleaded with him and Mason faltered. He held the younger agent's gaze steadily and Tony choked out: "Please"
His tone and expression really got to Mason. This was very out of character for Tony. Mason had witnessed several arguments between Tony and Jack and Tony never pleaded to be heard. He always blurted his opinion and left, slamming the door behind him. He didn't care for one second that he could get himself fired during one of those fights. But he also realized that most of those times, Tony's opinion was disregarded. Jack had his own way of dealing with things and Tony felt that he was trying to undermine his authority. Jack made it clear that it was his opinion that mattered and it angered Tony. They were together on the same ship and Tony was determined not to let Jack sink it. None of the two men understood the other so it was a battle between the two wills.
However, that wasn't the situation here. Tony wasn't fighting to gain his deserved respect, he wasn't fighting to prove himself qualified to be part of the decision making as he should have been ions ago. He already achieved all this. He was just asking for a chance to explain something he clearly believed would help them and Mason couldn't deny him that. God knows that he deserved it.
Mason nodded and cocked his head towards a chair: "Sit down". Tony heaved a sigh of relief and sat down. The others followed his lead and waited for him to speak: "Those bastards had 5 girls instead of 3 because they were toying with them. They had no intention to play with us or the rest of the hostages so why didn't Amy got shot? She clearly couldn't see the gun pointed to her head, we could and the rest of the students could but not the girls. It wasn't another trick to inflict more pain on the hostages. Something happened that stopped that man from shooting Amy. The only thing that happened in front of our eyes was that guy whispering something to the one with the gun. My guess is that he told him not to kill her"
"But why?" Michelle wondered and Tony shook his head: "I have no idea, that's why I need to see the video"
All eyes turned to Mason as he went over what Tony said. He was right, something didn't add up: "Milo, let's see the video"
Milo squirmed in his seat, not liking the fact they had to see that horrible scene again but he did as he was told. Once the video began to play, Tony gripped the table so hard that his knuckles went white but he didn't take his eyes off the screen, even as the three girls were shot. When the video ended, Tony moved to Milo's side and rewind it then enlarged a picture of the man who presumably saved his sister's life. Nobody understood what he was doing until he brought a photo of Sam Carr and put it beside the first picture: "Look at the eyes. It was Sam, he saved Amy's life"
Cassie's cell rang at this point and she left the situation room to take it as Mason asked: "Does Sam know Amy?"
Tony dropped on a chair: "He met her once about 8 years ago. Plus, she looks a lot like me George. It shouldn't be hard for him to recognize her"
"So let me get that straight, your old Marines buddy is aiding some terrorists who killed three girls in front of our eyes without mercy but he stopped your sister's murder" Milo summarized: "Why would he care? He definitely didn't care about the other girls"
Tony felt the beginning of a headache creep in and he massaged his temple slowly. He still couldn't believe that Sam was working against them but everybody else thought so and he wasn't about to argue with them about it. He was walking a thin line as it is and he didn't need Mason to think that he was letting his emotions drive him.
Cassie rushed in at that point, her eyes sparkling: "I just got a call from a CIA agent. Apparently, Sam Carr is doing undercover work for them"
All of them turned to her in surprise as she continued: "A terrorist named Neil Watson arrived in LA a month ago and they had info that he was planning something big so they sent Sam in. He inflated the group but couldn't find out what was going on. He told them yesterday that Watson was putting the plan in motion but he didn't release any information to his people, just ordered them to get ready for some action the next day. The CIA lost comm with Sam after that"
All of them were stunned into silence as realization dawned on them. Tony's eyes shone as he connected the dots, everything finally made sense:" He would have blown his cover if he tried to save the girls, that's why he didn't do anything"
"But he couldn't let his friend's sister die" Michelle concluded absently
Tony turned to Mason and smiled:" We have a guy inside George. I believe our chances to save the hostages just went up"
Cassie cut in at this point:" The CIA has transferred Carr's line here. If he called or sent anything, we would receive it"
Mason regarded his agents worriedly, he knew that knowing that Carr was on their side had lifted their spirits and gave them hope. But he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that nearly choked him. Carr had to be careful so as not to blow his cover and Mason wasn't sure that he would be able to provide them with anything useful during the next hour. His eyes met Tony's who nodded slightly at him, showing that he had the same worries. But in the same time, he had faith in his friend. The guy managed to safe his sister without arousing suspicion and Tony was sure that he would do everything in his power to give them something.
Mason cleared his throat, attracting the other's attention: "Alright people, we may have a break through but we need to take everything into consideration. Cassie, inform Baker of the situation. I want him to be ready to go in the second we get something. Milo, see if you can get anything useful from the video. Michelle, contact the CIA and get everything they have on Watson. Find out if there's a connection between him and Cross and Reichs……or Nina" he added as an after thought.
The three nodded and left. Mason busied himself by looking through some files while Tony stood his ground, waiting for Mason to meet his eyes. When it became clear that he was ignoring his presence on purpose, Tony decided to talk:" I know I was out of the line before, George and…….Look, once this whole thing is over, I'll take full responsibility of my actions. If you decide to suspend or fire me, well, you have every right to"
Mason remained silent so Tony turned to left but Mason's voice stopped him: "Tony?" He turned to find Mason still going through the files: "switch Carr's line to your station and update me every 15 minutes" Tony shook his head in exasperation and went to his station.
"Hey" Tony turned to Michelle's soft smile and tried to return it but failed. Thankfully, she didn't comment, just handed him a file. He questioned her with her eyes as he flipped through it: "I didn't find any direct connection between Watson and the others. However, I found a scrambled number that called the three of them about 4 months ago. I traced it to a hotel in DC but there's no way to know who did it"
"Nina" He threw the file on the desk and explained: "4 months ago, Jack, Nina and I were in Dc for a meeting in District. The logical answer is Nina"
"Which doesn't give us anything consider she's not going to help us" Michelle muttered then checked her watch: "30 minutes, dammit"
Tony picked the phone to call Milo as the computer peeped. He signaled Michelle to check it. She found some numbers and drawings that she couldn't make head or tail of: "What on Earth is this?"
Tony turned to her and stopped short. He dropped the phone and jumped the steps to Mason's office, shouting over his shoulder to Michelle: "Get this to Baker now"
He could hear Mason shouting on the phone from half the way to the office:" My people are pulling their weight Ryan. There's nothing they can do……"
He trailed off as Tony ran into the office: "Sam send us their locations"
Mason's eyes widened:" I'll have to get to you later Ryan" He hung up without waiting for a reply:" You sure?"
Tony nodded:" I just received it. He used the Special Forces code. Michelle is sending it to Baker as we speak"
Michelle entered at this point: "Baker says they'll be ready in 15 minutes"
"Good. Tony, I want you to get the Infra red pictures to try to track them if they moved. I want all of our resources on this. We have one chance, only one"
15 minutes later, they all crowded around the monitor waiting for Baker to enter. He was going to blow up a wall and take the hostiles by surprise. The video feed showed them the explosives attached to the wall and they heard Baker start the count down. The second he reached one, all of them held their breath as the explosives went off.
Baker's team swarmed in, aiming at the terrorists locations. Through the smoke, Tony saw Sam take off his mask and open fire. Unable to defend themselves from both sides, the terrorists fell quickly:" The perimeter is secure. The mission was a success. I repeat, the mission was a success"
A cheer rose from all of them as Tony closed his eyes in relief. His eyes met Michelle and he gave her a bright smile making her knees go weak. She made her way to him:" Well, it's finally over"
"Nope, not yet. The best part is yet to come: paperwork" He joked and she laughed at his sarcasm: "It's not that bad. I bet you'll finish it by the time Amy arrives"
He grimaced: "I highly doubt that. Plus, I still have to survive one of Mason's lectures and probably getting fired or, at least, suspended"
Before Michelle could comment, Mason motioned for Tony who followed him to his office leaving Michelle worried sick. She already felt connected to Tony and she couldn't imagine CTU without him. She hoped that Mason would cut Tony some slack considering the situation. If not, she really didn't know how she would be able to cope.
Tony sat down in front of Mason, waiting for him to speak:" You said before that you'll take full responsibility of your actions once this whole thing is over, you still ready to do that?"
Tony felt his temper flare, what the hell that was supposed to mean?: "I think you know me better than that George. I'm a man of my word and you know it"
"Indeed" Mason agreed: "And I also know how close you're to your family and how hard this situation was on you, that's why I'll disregard what happened. However, if it was to happen again, the consequences would be severe"
Tony nodded as Mason continued: "Now, I suggest you collect your sister and go home. I'll be expecting you at the beginning of your shift tomorrow"
Tony stared at him as he picked the phone as if telling Tony that the conversation was over. Tony made his way to his station, fighting to keep his face straight. Always trying to look like a heartless guy George, he thought.
He didn't notice Michelle whose face became as white as a sheet when he started collecting his things: "Oh my God, he actually fired you?"
Tony turned to her and was taken back by the fear displayed on her face. He was even more surprised at the way his chest tightened and the overwhelming desire to protect her from getting hurt. He noticed that she took his answer as a yes and looked even more distraught: "No, he didn't. He actually told me to go home"
Michelle heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at him and he lost himself in her smile. How could such an angle work in a world full of terrorists and blood and death like theirs? How could a flower like her bear to see such horrors and remain standing?
He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Cassie until she put her hand on his shoulder: "Amy is in medical. They're just making sure she's okay, Tony. Nothing is wrong with her" She added hurriedly before he could panic and he smiled in gratitude. Of course he knew that it's just a procedure but after everything that happened, he couldn't help but be a little overprotective. He bid farewell to Michelle and Cassie and left before Michelle caused his thoughts to spiral out of control again.
He met some of Baker's team on his way to medical and congratulated them on a job well done. He entered the medical ward of CTU and smiled in relief when he saw his sister through the glass window. His smile widened when he saw Sam there as well: "Always the overprotective type Sam"
Sam turned to him with a smile and hugged him briefly: "It's so good to see you again Tony"
Tony batted his shoulder: "Likewise, my friend. Likewise". He headed to the bed where her sister was sitting with a doctor checking her for injuries. Amy stood up ignoring the doctor's protests and threw herself in his arms, burying her face in his chest. He put her arms around her and kissed her head. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt and he rubbed her back to calm her down. He met the doctor's eyes above her head: "Is she okay, Mark?"
Mark smiled at his obvious concern: "Minor cuts and bruises, other than that, she's perfectly fine"
Tony nodded his thanks then addressed his sister: "Come on kiddo, let's get you home"
She nodded against his chest and he led her outside with Sam hot on his heels. Once they left medical, Tony stopped as he saw Baker approach them and turned to Sam: "Sam, I don't know how to thank you. If it wasn't for you……"
He trailed off and tightened his grip on his sister and Sam narrowed his eyes at him: "If your sister wasn't here, I would have punched you for saying that. Amy is my sister too Tony. You don't have to thank a brother for saving his sister, do you?"
Tony grinned as Sam tapped Amy on the shoulder: "Do I get a hug or what?"
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek then returned to her brother who motioned towards Baker: "Sam, I think you've already met Agent Tom Baker, correct?"
Sam nodded and shook hands with Baker: "We need to debrief you so if you would follow me Agent Carr"
"Sure" Sam agreed as Baker turned to Tony: "You too Tony. Mason wants you upstairs"
Tony frowned at him: "He told me to leave. Did something happen?"
Baker shook his head: "He just wants you here when Senator Fantau and Mr. Edwards arrive to collect Lucy and James"
Tony felt his sister tremble at that and he turned to her but she refused to meet his eyes. He figured he would ask her once they were alone: "Alright Tom. Let's go"
The four of them made their way to the bullpen and Baker led Sam to a room to debrief him. Cassie saw them and dragged Michelle who was standing with her to talk to Amy: "Hey you. You okay?"
Amy smiled and hugged her: "I'm fine Cassie. Sorry I gave you guys such a scare"
Cassie squeezed her hand lightly then remembered that Michelle was there: "Oh God, I forgot to introduce you guys. Amy, that's Michelle Dessler. She filled Tony's old position. Michelle, that's Amy Almeida, other wise known as Mimi"
Michelle smiled politely at Amy but she was more concerned with watching Tony. He had his eyes focused on his sister and was studying her intently.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by Mason's approach. He nodded at Amy with a quick" Glad you're okay" then addressed them: "Senator Fantau and Ralph Edwards are here so situation room, now" He then turned to Amy: "You can come too, Amy"
Tony noticed the nervous look that spread over Amy's face but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He knew that something was wrong, something that was related with her being in the wrong class but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was and he knew it wasn't the right time to ask her. He put his hand on her back and guided her to the situation room.
The others appeared moments later and Mason stepped up, introducing everybody to them. Second later, they were joined by Sam and Baker. Words of thanks were passed around then it was over. Everybody left the situation room but Tony who grabbed Amy's hand to prevent her from leaving: "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" Amy questioned nervously
He regarded her for a second then spoke slowly and calmly: "You were in a med class Amy, don't you think that's a little weird?"
She looked away as he continued: "You and James Edwards locked gazes the second he stepped in. Not to mention how nervous you got when his name was mentioned so again I ask, what's going on?"
Amy looked at him and saw the warmth and love in his brown orbs. She realized she was worrying him over nothing and she felt guilty. She took his hand in hers and smiled: "You don't have to worry, big bro. It's nothing"
"I can't help it" Came the soft reply and she felt tears prickle her eyes. She knew that it was in his nature to be this protective and she realized that she wouldn't have it any other way. She led him to a chair and decided to tell him everything: "You're right. There is something going on between James and I"
He raised his brow in question and she took a deep breath: "We're dating Tony. That's why I was in his class"
He looked surprised for a minute: "That's it. That's the big secret?"
She nodded and he rubbed his face: "I don't understand Amy. Why didn't you tell us? Did you think that we'll object? I mean, he looks like a decent guy; he's in med school and from a good family. Why did you hide it from us?"
"It wasn't my intention" She exclaimed: "It's still new; I mean we've been dating for about a month and….. You know what it was like Tony. What was I supposed to do? You've just discovered that your girlfriend was a traitor and I was supposed to come in the middle of all that and say: hey guys, guess what? I started dating a new guy"
Her tears were flying freely now and Tony moved to wipe them away: "Hey, calm down a little. I understand why you didn't tell us and I'm sure the others will too. However, I have something to ask you"
She looked at him expectedly: "I want to meet him. You know, to give him the whole" if you hurt my sister" speech" and then maybe rough him up a bit"
She slapped his arm and he chuckled: "Alright, no roughing up. Can I intimidate him though? Come on, at least let me do that"
She laughed then turned serious: "You think mom and dad will be upset with me?"
"I don't think so" He replied honestly: " But if they were, I think telling them you were a hostage less than an hour ago will solve things"
She smiled at him brightly and he brushed her hair out of her eyes: "We just want you to be happy, Mimi. I know that we over react sometimes but you're the youngest and we need to make sure you're happy…..and safe" He added and she responded by hugging him: "I love you too"
He shook his head in amusement and pulled her to her feet: "Come on, let's go face the music"
She held onto his arm: "You'll be there?"
He smiled softly and kissed her forehead, whispering: "Always"