Vulnerable

A/N: Sorry it took so long. Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy! R/R/R Please.

7:19:33 PM

Jack followed cautiously behind the suburban for nearly twenty minutes. Chloe was attempting to lock onto Jack's location using the GPS in his cell phone. He hit the speaker phone as his phone rang.

"Jack, it's Chole. CTU teams along with local enforcement have been informed. The aerial team is prepared to attack and local teams can be in your area in ten minutes."
"Chloe, we don't know why they killed Director Duncan or kidnapped his daughter. I don't think they would have killed the Director if they wanted ransom. We don't know what their motives are, if we attack while they're driving they might kill the hostage." Jack said, keeping his eyes on the SUV up the road, still staying back on the busy highway enough so he could see them.
"Well... Jack, wha---" The line was suddenly cut short.
"Chloe? Chloe?" He hit the redial, no dial tone.
"Damnit!" Jack picked up his phone. No bars, fucking figures.

Jack glanced up at the suburban which was making a turn. They'd made their way into the National Forest, Jack realized this was the reason for his lack of service, despite the usual range of his phone. He backed off the SUV a bit more, a single car between them. Jack continued driving, hoping that Chloe would be able to send out back-up to his general location.
He watched the suburban turn and take off down a dirt path. The car behind that continued following. Jack passed the road watching the SUV disappear over a hill. He pulled his own car over to the side of the road a few "blocks" from the entrance to where the kidnappers vehicle had turned. Opening the back of his truck he loaded himself with back up weapons and extra ammunition.
Jack took off in the woods, following the road. No backup. No cell phone. He was on his own, again.


7:47:56 PM

Cal had awoken from her taser induced incapacitated state. She'd awoken, hands behind her back, blindfolded and a gag in her mouth. The young woman had quietly listened to her surroundings before alerting her captors with movement or sound that she was awake. Cal had come to the conclusion she was still in the car due to the hum of the motor and the occasional bump or turn she felt. Her captors had lay her down in a seat, she assumed it was the back seat from the sound of the voices that came from somewhere in the close distance.

"Jack Bauer wasn't supposed to see us. Are you sure everything will still go accordingly, Marik?" An uneasy voice spoke.
"Yes, yes Andrei. Pasha is not expected for twelve more hours. Artur, Sergei and Vadim are completing their mission as we speak. CTU will be spread too thin to efficently deal with a missing agent and teenager. We'll have plenty of time for Bauer."

Cal's eyes widened. They didn't want her, or her father, they were just the bait. Jack was the target.

The SUV rolled over what felt like gravel to Cal. She whimpered as she bounced, her weight coming back down on her shoulder multiple times. She felt the car come to a stop. Silence surrounded her until someone spoke.

"Our princess is awake." A voice she hadn't heard spoke.
"Perfect." The one they called Marik responded.

Marik, Andrei and Shurik exited the car. Shurik, the tallest of the Russians with dark hair and eyes, a goatee adding to his attractive features, moved the seat he'd been sitting in forward and took Cal by the arm. She resisted until he pulled her firmly from the car. Intenting to make her abduction as difficult as possible for her kidnappers, she dropped to the ground as soon as she felt ground beneath her feet. Shurik sighed and looked at the teenager with disbelief as she now planted herself firmly on the ground, refusing to move by her own will. Cal had figured by this time that she wasn't going to be seen by the public wherever she was at, so she figured screaming, especially with as muffled as it would be with the gag, was useless. Shurik knelt down, scooping the girl into his arms. Cal gave up, there was no use being dropped, other than it hurting like hell, she reasoned.

8:01:33 PM

Jack was positioned, watching the building that the SUV was parked next to. He'd seen five men already. From the conversations he'd overheard, it was Russian. The reasons for a Russian attack on a L.A. CTU Director, and much less his daughter were few, none which made sense to the seasoned agent. Jack had brought a few weapons, the CTU vehicle he'd taken wasn't as equipped with various firearms as he'd hoped. His experience said that a few semi-automatics would suffice until he could get ahold of an enemy firearm.
Quietly, he slipped down the hill. Sneaking up behind a guard, a silenced weapon causing the Russian to drop. Jack collected his automatic weapon and continued on. He looked up at the sound of footsteps on the garage of the white complex he'd approached. A radio sounded as another guard saw his slain comrad.
Another Russian rounded the corner Jack had taken concealment around. He raised his weapon, but Jack had already fired a shot into the man. He too dropped, causing the guard from above to fire shots down at him.

Marik heard the gunshots from within the complex and spoke a few Russian words to his kidnapping accomplices then took off down the halls armed with a tranquilizer gun. He found Jack in the bay of the garage, he'd managed to flank the agent who was distracted by a guard who was heavily firing on him from his cover. Marik grinned a sly, sick grin as he raised the rifle and squeezed off two well aimed shots. Hitting the agent, injecting him with liquids to induce a sweet sleep. Bauer dropped to the ground with a dull thud.

8:10:46 PM

CTU was overwhelmed. Jack Bauer was now missing, and three suicide bombers had walked into a crowded mall, now holding innocent shoppers hostage. Division was sending someone to take over, but until then, Tony was running the show. He wanted Jack back as soon as possible, but trusted the agent enough to take care of himself. Now, just under one hundred innocent civilians needed his help. CTU was focusing on the needs of the many, rather than the needs of Cal Duncan and Jack Bauer.

"Inital reports from Los Angeles SWAT are saying that the bombers have sectioned themselves to one portion of the mall. Security cameras have been cut. There's only three entrances to the particular section of the mall. And it's a mall so, no windows. Bombers only made one inital contact with the SWAT and now are refusing to talk." Chloe spoke, a grim look on her face. "Tony, what about Jack? It's been an hour since we've heard from him."
"Jack can take care of himself, Chole. If something comes up in the Duncan case we'll go back to it, but right now, the mall hostage situation is our primary concern." Tony said, not sure he liked what he was saying any better than Chole did. Division was Division, however, one missing agent and a missing teen apparently didn't make so much as a blip on their radar when civilian hostages were concerned.

Tony walked away from Chloe, only to return a few minutes later, leaning over her work station. "Run with what Jack told you before his cell cut out. When we get a break with the bombers we can try to get a few agents out looking for Jack and the Duncan girl."
"Thanks, Tony."

8:16:12 PM

8:37:34 PM

Cal sat quietly in the cell they placed her in. Her emerald eyes watched the special agent intently as he sit unconscious. Each footstep from outside the cell Bauer and herself were being kept in, inspired her with fear. She knew now that they had Jack, what they'd wanted all along, she was nothing more than a pawn and to be disposed of. It didn't take a rocket scientist to determine she'd be killed. She eyed the cell for potential weak spots. Nothing. It looked like a jail cell, except there were no beds, bathrooms or anything for potential leverage for their hostages.
Her eyes went back to Jack. His arms were chained to the wall next to his head. His legs were secured to the ground with shackles and a strap. She'd been tempted to go over to him and attempt to free him from his ties, the passing guard discouraged her, however. She was somewhat surprised they'd unbound her, and allowed her to see them. Cal accounted it to the fact that she wasn't going to have the chance to ID them.
Cal stood up from her corner in the back of the cell and walked wearily towards Jack who neared the front of the cell. She sat down next to him, frowning at the blood slowly trickling from a gash in his forehead. She untied the rag that hung around her neck, previously used to gag her with, remaining from when they released her from the bondage. Cal took it, holding it gently to the gash. Jack stirred a bit, suddenly snapping awake as he recognized his surroundings, memory somewhat blurry but serving him well enough to know what had happened.

"Are you alright?" Jack mumbled a bit groggily, recognizing the young girl.
"Mm-hm." She nodded, looking at him concerned. "I heard them talking. They weren't after my dad or me. It was all to get you here. Someone named Pasha is supposed to be coming in the next twelve hours. They said something about another mission."
"Have you ever seen them before? Maybe around your house, your school." Bauer spoke, trying to bide time so he could get his mind working.
"No, never. Did you see my dad? Is he going to be alright?" Cal sat up, tucking her now tangled brown hair behind her ears.
"When I called CTU, I was told CTU doctors were taking care of him." Jack lied, not wanting to upset her further. His eyes examined the rooms, looking for an out. "Do you have a cell phone?"
"I did. They must have taken it from me when I passed out." She spoke, contemplating what Bauer had said of her father.

They sat in silence, the gears of their minds turning in deep thought.

"Agent Bauer..."
"Yes." He spoke curtly, his eyes meeting hers.
"I didn't know if you knew. My name is Calliegh, Cal for short. I didn't know if you knew it." She said softly, quieting some as she heard footsteps down the hall.
"You called me Jack before, you don't have to call me Agent Bauer. Cal, I'm going to need you to do a few things so we can get out of here, alright?" Bauer said, listening to the footsteps as well. Cal nodded to him as two figures appeared just outside their door.

8:55:10 PM

Marik and Shurik approached Bauer's cell. They observed the two carefully before Marik spoke.

"Special Agent Jack Bauer. Such a pleasure to meet you." Marik grinned from just beyond the cell. "Such a noble man, dashing off after the damsel in distress. Pity it landed you into more trouble than you bargained for."

Jack didn't speak. He was contemplating whether or not he wanted to let Cal out of his sight. If he suggest they let her go, they could end up killing her. Keep her here and they may kill her anyway. He stayed silent.

Shurik turned to Marik and whispered. "We have Bauer. Should I take care of the girl now? We don't need her any longer."

"There's no reason we can't keep her around for a little entertainment. No use in kidnapping and killing her without having a little pleasure from it." Marik grinned again. "Take her first. Andrea will have a fit if I have my way with this one, I can't take the woman's constant badgering."

Shurik turned towards the cell. He reached into his pocket, jingling the keys lightly before pulling out the correct key to unlock their cell. Jack and Cal were watching him intently, she wanted to run, but knew there wasn't anywhere to go. Jack was mentally swearing, if he'd gotten the chance to have Cal untie his legs they may have had a chance, but somehow they were keeping one step ahead of him. Shurik leaned down, quickly shutting the door behind him, then grabbing Cal by the arm. He started to drag her back out of the cell.

"Wait, Shurik. Make him watch." Marik grinned, watching Bauer for his reactions to his instructions.

The most handsome of the kidnappers continued to pull Cal along. Out of any reach of Bauer but in direct view. He pinned down the fighting teenager, one hand pinning her hands above her head. Cal struggled, not bothering to scream, whimpering and squirming beneath him as he sat on her slender waist. His free hand slipped under her shirt, sliding slowly up her warm stomach.

"Stop it! Let her go!" Jack growled like a rabid dog at the man attempting to violate the young girl he'd vowed to bring home safe.

Shurik was unbuttoning his pants when a voice from beyond the cell sounded in a mischevious tone.

"Wait! I have a better idea."

8:59:59 PM