Collateral Damage - Marc Cerasini [100]
"Good job, Jack."
Jack nodded, still numb.
Tony called out to Jack. "Morris is on the line."
Jack waved him off. "Take a message."
Tony listened for a moment, one hand on his ear. "It's the latest casualty report, Jack. Eleven hundred and fifty-eight, so far. Those figures are expected to rise."
Jack groaned, turned away.
Layla moved, too, far away from the others. In the center of the roof, she oriented herself, then faced Mecca. She threw up her hands, then folded them across her breast as she began to mutter a prayer.
Henderson tugged off his sunglasses, stared. "What's she saying?" he whispered.
"The Salat al-Janazah" Jack replied. "The Muslim prayer for the dead."
Henderson blinked. "I didn't know Agent Abernathy was one of the Faithful, did you?"
Jack smiled. "Yeah. I did." He faced his boss. "You'd be wise to appoint Judith Foy the new Director of CTU New York. And I'd recommend Layla for the number two spot. She's young, but..."
Henderson silenced Jack with a raised hand. "There isn't going to be a CTU New York, Jack. Not after this mess."
"You can't be serious?"
"The orders have been issued from on high," Henderson informed him. "Walsh and the President are in agreement on this."
"But what happened here proves the need for a CTU presence."
"Security was compromised from the start," Henderson replied. "The division was infiltrated before it even opened. The political meltdown over this hasn't even begun yet."
Henderson shook his head. "CTU will continue to guard the rest of the country. But from now on, New York City is on its own."
The man curled his long arm around Jack's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jack, you have enough on your plate with Los Angeles."
Jack stepped away, processing everything Henderson had said. With the mention of L.A., he suddenly remembered his wife and daughter, realizing in a rush how much he missed them. He pulled out his personal cell phone, noticed a text message from Teri. A reminder.
Coldplay poster. MTV store.
Don't disappoint your daughter.
He smiled.
"How about breakfast?" Henderson called to him. "On me. I'll bet you haven't eaten in a day."
Jack glanced at his watch. "Fine, Christopher, but after that I'm heading uptown."
Henderson looked at him askance. "Sightseeing?"
Bauer shook his head. "Just keeping a promise."
* * *
Table of Contents
Prologue
1THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 A.M. AND 8:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
2THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00 A.M. AND 9:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
3THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9:00 A.M. AND 10:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
4THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10:00 A.M. AND 11:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
5THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11:00 A.M. AND 12:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
6THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 12:00 P.M. AND 1:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
7THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1:00 P.M. AND 2:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
8THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 2:00 P.M. AND 3:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
9THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3:00 P.M. AND 4:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
10THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 4:00 P.M. AND 5:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
11THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 5:00 P.M. AND 6:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
12THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 6:00 P.M. AND 7:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
13THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7:00 P.M. AND 8:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
14THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00 P.M. AND 9:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
15THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9:00 P.M. AND 10:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
16THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10:00 P.M. AND 11:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
17THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11:00 P.M. AND 12:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
18THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 12:00 A.M. AND 1:00 A.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT