Collateral Damage - Marc Cerasini [42]
In one quick motion, Rachel slipped the strangling cord around the sleeping woman's throat and pulled it tight...
9
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3:00 P.M. AND 4:00 P.M. EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME
3:00:00 P.M. EDT
CTU Heliport
Hudson River
In his right hand, Jack Bauer clutched the cell phone to his head. With his left, he covered his ear to shut out the high-pitched whine of the turboshaft engines.
He was standing on a concrete pier at the edge of the water. A Sikorsky S-76 "Spirit" helicopter idled behind him, its wide, composite blades cutting the humid air. A barge streamed up the Hudson, leaving a roiling wake as it passed.
"Any word from Tony?" Jack asked Morris back at CTU Headquarters.
"We've got a problem on that score," Morris replied.
"Apparently a man fitting Agent Almeida's description is wanted in connection with the murder of a security guard at Newark General Hospital."
Jack cursed. "That has to be a mistake."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? Except that the Newark Police received an anonymous tip five minutes ago. And the tipster gave Tony's name. Our boy's been framed, Jack-o."
Jack's mind raced. Another leak at CTU. But who's the mole?
"You've got to warn him," he ordered Morris.
"I have, by voice mail," Morris said. "We haven't been able to reach Tony or Rachel Delgado, the agent who accompanied him to Newark. Frankly, I fear the worst."
"Almeida can take care of himself," Jack said, dismissing that problem for now. "I want you to keep monitoring Brice Holman's signal. I'll keep this line open for any updates. I'll need to know his exact location once I reach Milton."
"Better move, Jack. Or Holman might not be there when you arrive."
Jack glanced at the idling helicopter and cursed again. "We're leaving right now," he told Morris. Then he ended the call.
He walked up to Layla Abernathy. She stood on the tarmac, blinking against the dust, her hair twisting in the wind. A heavy duffel bag was slung over her shoulder. As Jack approached, she lowered her own cell phone.
"I'm still trying to get clearance," she explained. "I'm on hold with the Deputy Mayor's office."
Jack reached up, his hand covering her fingers. He closed the phone in her hand. "We've waited twenty minutes. That's already too long..."
"I can't convince the authorities, Agent Bauer!" Layla shouted to be heard over the noise. "If they thought it was a real emergency, we'd get immediate clearance. But..."
"We're going," Jack said. "Now."
He took the bag from her shoulder, tossed it into the cabin. Then he guided Layla through the hatch. The interior of the S-76 Spirit was almost spacious — large enough to seat an assault team of eight, along with their special equipment.
Jack thrust Layla into a seat. "Strap in," he commanded.
Then he moved to the cockpit.
The pilot and copilot wore dark blue CTU flight suits, and helmets with visors and interior headsets. The man in the pilot's seat had a CTU Rapid-Strike Team patch on his chest, and a Glock on his belt. His name tag read "Fogarty."
"Take off," Jack said.
"We can't, sir," Captain Fogarry replied. "We've been denied clearance..."
Bauer's eyes flashed angrily. "Take off now. On my authority."
"Sir, I can't. I could lose my job..."
"Listen," Jack rasped. "Director Holman is in danger. There's already been an attempt on Deputy Director Foy's life. She's in a hospital now and I don't know her condition. Unless you want to be responsible for the death of your boss, I suggest you take off immediately."
Fogarty frowned, then shifted his unhappy gaze to the copilot. "Prepare for takeoff," he said.
The whine of the turboshaft increased in volume. With an abrupt lurch, the helicopter lifted off the pier and swooped over the river. The landing gear retracted before the aircraft banked and shifted direction, heading due west at a hundred and fifty miles per hour.
* * *
3:02:21 P.M. EDT
Room 424
Newark General Hospital
Lucky break, Tony Almeida mused, seeing the birthday party at the nurses' station. First one I've had all