"Pretty Bad Things" (Spoiler Warning for Overseas

Posted: Jan 14, 2009 2:24 pm

This story is an attempt to create the back story of what Tony’s been up to for the past three years, including the role he played in certain events of Season 6 while we all thought he was dead. It will explore the complex friendship between Jack and Tony and how that friendship will be put to the test when Jack finds out the truth.

For those of you who read this before, I completely rewrote first chapter of this story, based on recent developments on the show. I decided to rewrite it because the 2 PM episode gave me an opening to work my story into the events of the day. This now takes place at the end of the day. The threats have been averted and Tony is prepared to make good on his promise to Jack and turn himself in.

Chapters 2 and 3 are the same as before, and 4 is new.

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Jack, Tony and Chloe are boxing up “Rogue CTU” while they wait for Bill to come pick them up to take Tony to FBI headquarters.

“Alright, we’ll come outside in a minute,” Jack says into the phone.

“It doesn’t seem fair that you still have to go back to jail after everything you’ve accomplished today,” Chloe says in typical Chloe fashion.

“It is what it is,” Tony replies. “Thanks again for all your help…you can be a pain in the ass but we couldn’t have done it without you,” he says, looking up for the first time.

“You’re welcome,” she responds. She walks over and gives Tony a hug.

“Take care of yourself, Chloe, alright?” Tony says.

“I will. You too,” she responds.

Jack hangs up and glances over at Tony.

“You ready?” Jack asks softly. Tony nods slowly, looking down, and reluctantly follows Jack to the stairs.

They step outside “rogue CTU” and walk toward Bill’s van. Bill is on the phone in the driver’s seat. Jack gets in the vehicle but notices Tony lingering back.

“Come on, Tony. We’ve got to go,” Jack says gently.

“Yeah, I know. Just give me a sec,” Tony says, glancing around one more time, trying to take in what freedom is like before turning himself in. After a few moments he climbs into the van, blinking back tears as he stares out the window.

“Alright, thanks again,” Bill says before hanging up the phone. He turns around toward Jack and Tony.

“Jack, I just talked to Renee. She said she would meet you guys at Teaism over on 8th Street. That way you can take Tony to have some real food and the two of you can talk. She’ll take Tony back with her when you’re done.”

“Bill, I appreciate it, but I’d rather just get this over with,” Tony says quietly.

“If that’s what you prefer I’ll take you there now,” Bill says to Tony. “But I think you and Jack should have a chance to talk before you go.”

“I already told you everything I did. Can’t you just fill Jack in?”

“Yes, I can, and I will if you want me to. But the two of you have been friends for years…I think you’ll both be better off if you tell him yourself.”

“It’s up to you, Tony,” Jack says softly.

Tony sighs. The thought of telling Jack everything he’s done makes him more nauseous even than the thought of going back to prison, but deep down he knows Bill is right.

“I guess you’re right,” he says after a minute. “Besides, I am pretty hungry,” he admits.

They get into Bill’s van and Bill drives them a few blocks to the restaurant. Renee meets them outside. She is holding a GPS ankle bracelet.

“I’m sorry to do this, but Agent Moss wanted me to put this on you just in case,” she tells Tony.

“Is that really necessary?” Bill asks.

“I told him I didn’t think so, but I was overruled,” she says.

“It’s fine,” Tony says. “That way I won’t…I won’t even be tempted to run,” he admits. Jack smiles sympathetically.

“We’ll be out here when you’re ready,” Renee says.

Tony nods and puts the bracelet on his ankle, then follows Jack into the restaurant. They sit down and order, and then there is an awkward silence, neither knowing where to begin.

“Listen, Jack, I know that you’re going to be disgusted when I tell you some of the things I’ve done and I don’t blame you for that,” Tony says after a minute. “But I just want you to know that I get it. I get that some of the things I did were wrong and that my actions have consequences, and I’m probably going to spend the rest of my life in jail for it. So I don’t blame you if you get angry with me, but please try not to lecture me, alright?”

“Fair enough,” Jack agrees.

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Posted: Jan 25, 2009 6:40 pm

Here's part 2. Thanks to everyone who reviewed part 1!

This part now takes place right after the first chapter. To recap, the terrorist attacks are over and Jack, Tony, Bill, Chloe, Renee and whoever else from FBI they brought in saved the world yet again. Following Bill’s advice, Jack took Tony to a restaurant to have a last taste of real food and give him a chance to tell Jack his whole story before he turns himself in. This chapter now takes place right after the last one.

Flashbacks are in italic.

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“I don’t even know where to begin,” Tony says.

“Start at the beginning,” Jack encourages. “What’s the first thing you remember after you woke up away from CTU?”

Tony takes a deep breath before he begins to answer.

“The beginning part is a little blurry, but I vaguely remember waking up at one point and hearing someone tell me to relax, then telling someone else to sedate me. I don’t know how much time went by but hours later I woke up in an unfamiliar warehouse somewhere that was probably an hour or two outside LA. I was confused and disoriented and for a second I thought maybe the entire day was just a really bad dream. But my injuries were still there, and they had the news on so it became clear pretty quickly that it wasn’t.”

FLASHBACK

Tony wakes up on a cot in a large warehouse, clearly disoriented. He looks around and has no idea where he is. He closes his eyes again, hoping that maybe the last 24 hours were just a bad dream and if he goes back to sleep he'll wake up safe at home next to Michelle again. But the scars on his face start to sting, and he opens his eyes and feels his face and it becomes clear that it wasn't all just a dream. He still does not know where he is, but he hears the news on a nearby TV, so he gravitates toward it in hopes of figuring out what the hell is going on.

"It began this morning with the assassination of former President David Palmer," the anchor is saying on TV. Tony's stomach lurches as hearing this confirms that it was all real.

"Until I heard that on the news, I was holding out hope that it was all just a nightmare," Tony tells Jack.

"I know the feeling," Jack says sympathetically.

Tony looks around and tries to get his bearings about.

"Tony, you're up," an unfamiliar British-sounding voice calls out. Tony turns and sees a tall skinny man with grayish hair approaching him.

"Who the hell are you?" he demands.

"Name's David Emerson," the guy says jovially. He extends a hand, which Tony shakes warily.

"You're probably wondering how you got here, right?" Emerson asks.

"Among other things, yeah," Tony replies.

"No problem. I'll answer all your questions. What's the last thing you remember?"

Tony thinks for a minute, struggling to piece it together. "I was at CTU, and I was in the same room with the b*stard who killed my wife. I was going to kill him but for some reason I hesitated...I was holding a needle with poisonous chemicals and I was about to inject him but for some reason I couldn't do it...then the next thing I know I was on the floor and sharp waves of pain were going through my body...for some reason I think my friend Jack was there at some point..."

"Jack Bauer?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Heard the name."

"Is he here? I need to talk to him."

"Nah, nobody knows where he is."

"What are you talking about?" Tony demands.

"Disappeared a few hours ago. He told his girlfriend he'd be right back and then he was gone. Apparently he told the president earlier today he would disappear again when this was all over...at least, that's what the government wants us to believe. I think what's happened today proves you can't trust anything the government says or does."

"You mean because of Christopher Henderson?"

Emerson chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Tony snaps.

"Sorry, Tony, I forgot you'd been asleep the past few hours. This goes way beyond Christopher Henderson. What happened today goes all the way up to the President."

"What???"

"See for yourself," Emerson says, taking the TV off mute.

"President Charles Logan is expected to announce his resignation within the hour. It's unclear at this point whether he'll face criminal charges for his alleged role in the assassination of former President David Palmer," the anchor says.

"What the hell? You're telling me President Logan ordered the attack on David Palmer?"

"It looks that way, yeah. Or it looks like he knew about it and didn't stop it, at the very least. He staged the shooting at the airport this morning to try to give him an excuse to invoke the terms of the treaty he signed with Subarov. David Palmer found out about it and that's why they killed him. They went after you and your wife to try to provide a distraction, a cover story for why he was killed."

"So you're telling me the b*stards who killed my wife report to the president???" Tony asks with disbelief.

"Looks that way, yeah," Emerson says with a sigh. "I knew the government was corrupt but until today I had no idea it was this corrupt. It makes what we're doing feel that much better."

"What the hell are you doing? Who are you, and how did I get here?" Tony demands.

"Relax, Tony, one question at a time. I told you before, my name's David. That guy over there by the computer is Tom, and that's Morgan over there. I've got a few other guys out on assignment, but they should be back soon."

"What do you mean, out on assignment? Is this some covert military unit or something?"

"Not exactly, no. It's an independent operation...all of us are ex-government or military who have been screwed over by the government just like you."

"So what, you plan missions to get revenge?"

"Sometimes. Depends what our clients want. Or sometimes we take on missions on our own...we're working up a plan to make sure Logan is held accountable for what he did today."

"Who are your clients?"

"It varies. Independent groups, governments, individuals within the government who have other agendas. You'll be amazed when you see how much corruption there is, how many of the people you've reported to over the years when you thought you were serving your country had other objectives."

"Is that why you brought me here? You thought I'd want to help with your illegal business to get revenge?"

"I wouldn't quite put it like that, but I have been watching you for a while, and after what happened today I thought you'd make a good recruit."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not interested," Tony says, and starts to walk toward the door.

"Where are you going to go?" Emerson asks.

"Back to CTU...I'm going to help them find Jack and find out what the hell is going on."

"That's a mistake, Tony. You go back there, and they're not going to tell you anything. They know you tried to kill Henderson earlier and they won't trust you near any of their information knowing you might use it to go on a personal vendetta. You'll have a much better chance of being able to find Jack and take care of the people who are responsible for your wife's death if you stay here."

"Why's that?"

"Because aside from us, everyone thinks you're dead," Emerson says with a grin.

"After that he explained how he'd brought me there, and he encouraged me to at least hang out for a few days while I recovered, and to see how things played out with Logan and whether you turned up," Tony explains to Jack. "I started to walk away but I had no idea where I was, and I was still in pretty bad shape physically from the car bomb and the chemicals Henderson injected me with, and I realized I was in no shape to go anywhere. And as far as I could tell you were gone, and I didn't know who else I could trust."

Jack sighs. He knows it's not his fault that he was on a boat on the way to China, but he can't help but feel bad for not being there for his friend, just as he felt bad for telling Audrey he'd be right back and having to break that promise.

"So after a few days, what happened?" Jack asks.

"After a few days it became clear that Logan was barely going to pay for his crimes, and you were nowhere to be found. Emerson had a guy on the inside at CTU and he said CTU was still looking for you but the powers above were convinced that you had disappeared on your own and were trying to get CTU to end its investigation, supposedly for fear that if they kept digging your cover could be exposed and it could cause problems with the Chinese. Homeland was still controlling CTU at that point and they were inclined to go along with the White House explanation, even though some of them had misgivings. I knew it was hogwash, and that's part of why I stayed where I was...I figured maybe I could help from the outside, especially if people thought I was dead. Meanwhile, Emerson started working on a plan to get us inside Logan's retreat."

"What, you were going to take out Logan yourself when it became clear he wasn't going to jail?"

"I almost did, Jack. Emerson gave me a fake ID and uniform for one of the Secret Service agents assigned to the roof and I was in position to take him out with a sniper. Morgan was impersonating another Secret Service agent and he buzzed the Secret Service agent who was with Logan to try to distract him. But just as I took the shot the agent with Logan turned and saw the bullet coming and got in the way, so I ended up killing him instead. I managed to get away but I was shaking...I knew what I did was wrong and when I got back I told Emerson I wanted out, but by that point he had a new job that he knew I'd be interested in."

"What job was that?" Jack asks in an interrogating manner.

Tony looks away, nervous about how Jack is going to react to the next part.

"Emerson had gotten a lead from a client that we thought might be a tip-off about where you were. He knew I suspected that the Chinese had something to do with your disappearance and the new request he had from the client suggested that I was right. The client wanted information about Russian nuclear technology, and he had advised Emerson to use Secretary Heller's daughter to get it."

"What?" Jack snaps, fighting to keep his anger in check. "Tony, I swear to G-d, if you did anything to put her in danger..."

"I didn't, Jack. At least, not deliberately. My job was to contact her and help facilitate an exchange of information that could lead to information about where you were. My goal was to help her find you after it became clear that everyone else had given up."

"Hold on a second," Jack says with a mixture of anger, fear, and disbelief. "You're telling me Audrey knew you were still alive?"

"Yeah," Tony says quietly, looking away. His tone makes it clear that Jack isn't going to be happy when he hears the rest of the story.

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Like it so far? Hate it? Either way, please let me know. I'll try to have more of this up sometime this week, so stay tuned.

Posted: Feb 01, 2009 2:38 pm

Here's chapter 3. To recap, the terrorist attacks are over and Jack, Tony, Bill, Chloe, Renee and whoever else from FBI they brought in saved the world yet again. Following Bill’s advice, Jack took Tony to a restaurant to have a last taste of real food and give him a chance to tell Jack his whole story before he turns himself in. This chapter now takes place right after the last one. Most of this chapter is in flashback, which is signified by purple italic.

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FLASHBACK: 6 MONTHS AFTER SEASON 5

Tony has just returned to Emerson's warehouse after the failed attempt to take out former President Logan. He is visibly shaken up. Emerson gets off the phone and approaches him.

"Tanner confirmed that you weren't followed. I hacked in and modified the Secret Service report, so hopefully that'll keep them busy for a while. Did you ever take off your helmet?"

"No," Tony says absent-mindedly, still shook up.

"And you used the gloves when you knocked out the other agent?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, then you should be in the clear. But I don't understand why you didn't take the second shot...after you took out the Secret Service agent you had a clear shot at Logan."

"I don't know...I just lost my nerve...I didn't want to kill anyone besides Logan...I thought I could go through with this but I don't know...I don't think I can do this anymore..."

"Tony, you can't just go back to your former life now. If you do that people will wonder where you've been...how are you going to explain why you've been missing for the past six months, and how someone else is buried in your tombstone?"

"Then I won't go back. I just need a fake ID and I'll go somewhere and start over...and you don't have to worry about me talking to the authorities. There's no way I'd be able to cut a deal given the politics of the situation."

"What politics?" Emerson asks.

"When David Palmer granted me a pardon on his last day in office it caused a bit of an uproar politically. Wayne Palmer was his chief of staff at the time. Now that Wayne's running for president if it came out that I turned up and had killed a Secret Service agent since I got out of prison it would be the end of his campaign...since the attorney general works for the man Palmer's trying to replace you can bet that they'd love to put me back in jail and whack him for whatever role he played in letting me out in the first place. So you can let me go and you don't have to worry about me going to the authorities. Or if you don't believe me go ahead and kill me...honestly I really don't care anymore," he says glumly.

"Tony, relax. Nobody's going to kill you. If you want to leave nobody's going to stop you, but before you decide anything I've got something you might be interested in."

"What's that?" Tony says in an exasperated tone.

"I got a call the other day from someone who says they have information about where your friend Jack is."

"What the hell? Who is this person and why would they contact you?"

"Because he knew you were working with me. He says he works for Jack's father...I had it checked out and he looks legit. He says he has some contacts in Southeast Asia who he might be able to cut a deal to get more information from. But he needs some information from DOD to make a trade with."

"Stop right there. The source you were using claimed to work for my father?" Jack demands.

"Yeah. At that point I suspected that the same people who were responsible for Michelle's death were involved with your disappearance, but I had no idea that members of your own family were involved with all that."

"You didn't check this guy out first?"

"Of course we checked him out, Jack. We confirmed that he worked for your father and that he had what appeared to be legitimate business dealings with the Chinese. Some things looked a little sketchy but from what we could find it looked like your father was trying to work some back channels to get you back the same way we were. I know you hadn't been close with your father and I was a little suspicious, but I didn't think he actually wanted you to be tortured in a Chinese prison. Hell, my father told me I was dead to him the day I was convicted of treason and I don't even think he'd want that for me."

Jack sighs, realizing Tony has a point.

"So if he wanted information from DOD why did he contact you? Why didn't he contact Audrey directly?"

"I asked that same question, Jack."

RESUME FLASHBACK
"I never worked for DOD," Tony says skeptically. "I have no idea how to get into their system even if I wanted to."

"No, but Jack's girlfriend does. And it looks like she still hasn't given up looking for him even though everyone keeps telling her he disappeared on his own."

"We don't know that he didn't," Tony replies. "And there's no way in hell Audrey would give up sensitive national security information no matter what it was for. When I worked with her at CTU that day she was getting upset over protocol violations."

"Yeah, and don't you remember how much she regretted the way she acted towards Jack that day? Don't you remember her telling you after Jack disappeared that it was all her fault for not being convincing enough when the Chinese questioned her?"

"How the hell do you know what she said to me after Jack disappeared two years ago?"

"I have my sources. I told you, I've been keeping tabs on you for a while."

"Fine. So even if Audrey was willing to do this, why do they need me? Why not just approach her directly?"

"Because, you saved her life two years ago, Tony. You talked to her after she thought Jack was dead and tried to make her feel less guilty. You called her a few times after Jack disappeared the first time to see how she was doing. She knows you, and she trusts you. She's more likely to go along with this if the request comes from someone she trusts."

"So what, you just want me to call her and ask her if she's willing to give up classified information in hopes of finding more information about Jack?"

"You can't call her. You've got to do it in person."

"And then what?"

"Then it depends what she says. If she says no you're free to walk away and do whatever you want with your life. If she agrees get back in touch and we'll help set it up."

"And what's in it for you?"

"I told you before, Tony...we're going to have to look out for each other, like brothers. That means not assuming an ulterior motive whenever I try to help you out. You're good at what you do and if you decide to stick around I could use your help on a few other projects coming through the pipeline. But you've got to stop being so suspicious of me...when have I ever given you any reason to doubt my motives?"

"You're right, I'm sorry. Right now I'm suspicious of everyone."

"Not a bad policy, especially in this business. But hopefully in time we'll be able to trust each other. But for now, I'll give you the information I have and you can do what you want with it. I can't give you the information about my source until after you talk to Audrey, because that was the deal I made with him. But I'll give you the information about what he wants from her and you can decide whether or not to talk to her. Like you said, she probably won't go along with it, but just telling her what this guy is trying to trade should give her a clue in her investigation about where he is."

"Yeah, I guess. But I don't know...when Jack disappeared the first time I promised him I'd keep an eye out for her. If I go to her with this information I could be putting her in danger."

"She's putting herself in danger already by nosing around as much as she is. Besides, you've got a lot of loyalty to Jack considering he was willing to put your wife in danger. Don't you think it's a little ironic?"

"It's not his fault," Tony says angrily. "The people who killed Michelle tried to set Jack up to take the fall for it, and I'm pretty sure they're the same people who either made him disappear again or got him captured. He's a victim just like me."

"Yeah, well, at least you recognize you're a victim. From what you tell me about Jack, I wouldn't be surprised if he came back and started right back working for the same government that keeps screwing him over."

"Yeah, maybe. But that's beside the point."

"Look, Tony, you said yourself, you think the same people who are behind Jack's disappearance were responsible for Michelle's death. So figuring out what happened to Jack might also help you get answers to your other questions. Besides, what do you have to lose? Even if Audrey doesn't want to help my contact find Jack at least she'll know he's still alive."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tony agrees. "Even if she doesn't want to go along with the plan I think I can trust her to keep my cover a secret, and either way maybe I can help her figure out what happened to Jack."

"What do you have to lose, right?" Emerson says.

"Nothing," Tony says despondently. "I've got nothing left to lose anymore."

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No pressure, but if you have a minute to review I'd love to know what you think. Reviews keep me motivated to write more...please feel free to be honest whether you like it or not. More coming soon...hopefully before the next episode, since I'm always worried that something will come out on the show that contradicts my story.

Posted: Feb 01, 2009 4:19 pm

Ok ... i just found this, so i'll have to find the time to read. I do LIKE hoe you're writing your own "extended" scenes, i'm guessing.

one thing, is this going to be with the story in real time, like what's going on inbetween scenes, like jack/tony scenes are happening as they show the president and other character sin other scenes ...

is that when your story is all taking place?

this is really interesting, can't wait to read, and give some feedback

Posted: Feb 03, 2009 4:03 pm

I'm glad you hadn't read it yet, because I decided after last night's episode to overhaul the first part. So if you did read that read it again...it's totally different.

In answer to your question, I am not going to do extended scenes. I started out trying to do it that way but it was too hard because the action keeps moving and finding a point in the story for Jack and Tony to have a lengthy conversation was just too impractical given that they always have 10 minutes left to save the world. So this all takes place at the end of Day 7, when the threat has been averted and Tony is preparing to make good on his promise to Jack to turn himself in when the crisis was over.

I'm glad you found this fic and I look forward to hearing what you think of it!

Posted: Feb 04, 2009 5:20 pm

alright, thanx for warningf me on the update. i still have not found time to read through it. but i am interested; and i may give you a reply chapter by chapter ... i don't have much time on th enet, especially to red through the whole story thus far, but i'll try and get a chapter done at a time, and let you know.

Posted: Feb 28, 2009 8:53 am

I like this!
Look forward to reading more.
It's a nice style you have and the flashback idea in the present tense works well.

Posted: Feb 28, 2009 1:07 pm

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“Part of me felt like I should try to talk her out of it, but I couldn’t,” Tony explains to Jack. “I couldn’t try to talk her out of it, because I knew…” he chokes up a little. “I knew that if I had even the faintest chance to get Michelle back I’d do anything and everything to get her back no matter how dangerous or illegal or what the cost. So how could I tell Audrey not to do the same for you?”

Jack sighs, angry with Tony but finding it hard to argue with his logic.

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