capeandcowllogs | Ya one in a million cause you got that shotgun shine

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Ya one in a million cause you got that shotgun shine

WHO: Jack Bauer and OPEN
WHERE: NoHOPE
WHEN: Visiting hours, Saturday 10th through the week.
WARNINGS: Should be none.
SUMMARY: Jack has been incarcerated in the Import asylum after being apprehended by Wonder Woman. Visiting hours are open.
FORMAT: Whatever works.

Suicidal tendencies. Violent behaviour. Paranoid traits. Anger issues. Possible PTSD.

Jack had been caught again, but this time he wasn't going back to the Superjail as a convict. This time, it had been decided that he was sick, that he needed help. He was a psychiatric patient now. They were going to treat him.

Despite not having superpowers to speak of, Jack was kept under careful and delicate watch in his room. They had his file, they knew what he was capable of. Even his plastic utensils were scrutinized and accounted for after every meal. After Harvey Dent's suicide, even his clothing was treated with suspicion, in case his shirt became a makeshift noose or garrote. His room was locked, his window was bulletproof glass, and everything, everywhere was so damn white.

He cooperated with them, within reason. As far as he was concerned he wasn't sick- his behaviour in Venezuela had been the result of Vulcanus' damn virus. But these people were just doing their jobs, and he understood. He answered their questions. They talked a lot about his past, about his career, his experiences. He didn't let them get too close though. His family was off-limits, especially his wife.

He was anxious throughout though, tense, on-edge, and it was hard to hide. Always watching, looking for openings or threats. As far as Jack was concerned, he was running out of time. His capture and institutionalization couldn't have been kept secret, not for someone with as many warrants as Jack had. Soon the world would know that Jack Bauer was captive in NoHOPE. And there would be those who weren't content to leave him that way. Sooner or later, they would come.

The hospital had at least one advantage over Superjail, from Jack's perspective. It would be a little easier to escape.

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"Fair enough. In that case, I'm glad you're both here. Because you're right, we do need a way to fight back and right now that's not happening."

He looked at both of them in turn, making eye contact. "The first thing we need to get straight is that what I did in Venezuela was a disaster. I got no information out of those people because they didn't know anything. I attacked innocent people and handed Vulcanus a media victory for nothing. If we do this, none of us are going to stoop that low again. We clear?"

Now that he was in his right mind, the memories of terrorizing people and believing they deserved it, seeing them as political objects or subjects for punishment, made him sick in his stomach. In those moments, he'd been more like the people he fought against than he'd ever wanted to be.

Julian didn't much care how much of a media win Vulcanus had taken out of what Jack did. What did it matter? That was one more win on a whole pile of victories. ImPort PR had been suffering since the public fight with the Skrulls, and he didn't see a lot of point in trying to fix that. He didn't think people's minds would be changed anyway, not when ImPorts were caught up in dangerous fights all the time here. That was always going to make them look bad.

What he did care about was Jack's apparent refusal to go after lower level workers. He'd liked that plan. He'd thought they could get to the top that way, like working up a hierarchy. Obviously that wasn't on the cards, but he bit back any protest. Jack still sounded like he had things to say.

"What you did wasn't different from what they did. If that made people turn on us, all that does is prove their double standard." Which, from Julian's point of view, didn't need proving anyway. "But I don't care. Either way, Callie's right. You stood up and fought them when it mattered. You're the only one who tried, so I'll do this your way. You got my word."

Callie nodded. "Anything that we can do that will be rational will be best. Attacking on impulse without knowing for sure who's in front of us wont fly with me." She glanced at Julian and back at Jack. "Any leads we have, we need to start paying attention to them and following through. If it means recruiting more support without certain authority figures knowing, so be it."

"Glad to hear it," he said, speaking both to Callie and to Julian's promise. He was glad the kid wasn't going to be a problem- it had been a long time since he'd seen someone with that much rage. "Because that's exactly what I've got in mind."

Jack leaned forward and spoke more quietly to them through the glass. "Earlier this year a Skrull defector told the Network Vulcanus was using Skrulls to infiltrate the world's governments. I believe her, it just makes sense they would use them that way. And now, we don't have power dampeners in our communicators interfering with powers that could detect them. Exposing those Skrulls gives us our best shot at discrediting Vulcanus and the ImBargo Act."

Julian considered this. It wasn't a surprise. He remembered the message Bauer was talking about, but given that it had come from a Skrull, he hadn't taken it at face value. Now that ImBargo had happened, it was a different story. That kind of warped politics was too much of a coincidence. He'd suspected Vulcanus had something to do with the Act since it happened.

"You think the countries who signed ImBargo have Skrulls in control? But then our only chance is to find out who. Even if we had a way to find them - which we don't - we'd have to get across their borders first."

"Well, we can always use diplomacy as a cover." Callie nods. "That's not a problem. Especially since Mitch wants us to try to strengthen our image. What's better than actively trying to get connections with each Country's leaders? It's already been flagged as a motion of tension. If we actively try to 'smooth things over' we might get the information we need." She looks at Jack specifically. "Unfortunately, with your track record... even if we can get you out of here, Bauer, I doubt they're going to want you to cross borders. We need to assemble a team that we can trust that will be good at retrieving the information we need."

"I think it's likely enough that we ought to investigate," he replied to Julian. "Callie, that's a good idea. You're right, I can't come with you. Even if you could get me out of here, right now I'm a liability. There's a lot of people who won't listen to me after what I've done." And he wasn't just talking about Venezuela, either.

"So you need to take point on this. Set up a diplomatic mission, get past the blockade, make sure you bring telepaths, magic users, anyone whose powers could detect or expose a Skrull. All you need to do is identify one ImBargo supporter as a Skrull publicly. That'll be enough for people to start asking questions." Questions like why a Skrull would advocate for Vulcanus' policies. Jack knew people would be a lot less willing to excuse Vulcanus if they suspected their own countries were being targeted just as Imports had been.

Yeah, and they'd be even less willing to excuse them if they saw Vulcanus was working with something just as foreign as the ImPorts. The Skrulls had done as much damage in that battle in Times Square as the ImPorts had, and even though their deaths had turned people against the ImPorts, Julian didn't think most people would like the idea of an invasive alien species having influence over their government. That would be bound to turn people against Vulcanus.

The problem was finding the imposters, and proving that they weren't human. Skrulls were good at masking themselves. The only way to uncover them that Julian knew was to cut a piece off them, and watch it revert to Skrull skin. That was never going to put anyone on their side, unless they had a way of being sure their victim was an imposter before they did it.

"What about you?" He looked at Jack, frowning. Then he turned to Callie. "We can't just leave him here. Even if he can't come with us." And back to Jack. "You need to be out there talking to people. So some of them won't trust you, that ain't anything new. You know there's people who'll act if you tell them to. You shouldn't be in here."

Callie nodded, "You were brought in here because of your actions occurring from the virus, right? You weren't in your right mind. I can probably pull strings to push for your release-- under D.O.I. supervision of course." She grinned. "Which in the public eye will appear to be a short leash, but under both myself and Julian, it'll be like you aren't restricted at all."

Jack frowned. "It might not be that simple. I never served my time for the things I did to get fired from the police force- or what I did after." The charges there ran up to murder, burglary, assault and arson, and that wasn't even counting the act of war he'd committed against Dolvania during the Iron Crown operation.

"Still, anything you can manage will help. It's not safe for me to stay here- not for me, and not for the City." Jack was still expecting a Dolvanian death squad to blow in the door any day now. He'd done things that wouldn't go unanswered. He focused on Callie, then on Julian.

"Both of you are sticking your necks out by taking my side. I want you to know I appreciate that, it means a lot."

The reminder of what Jack had done before didn't matter much to Julian now. All things considered, he knew people who'd done as bad or worse back home, and whether or not they paid for it tended to be a sliding scale. When Jack had done what he did, Julian had taken it as more proof that the police - and anyone with that kind of authority - couldn't be trusted.

Things were different now. Jack had stood up for them. That was the thing that mattered.

"You took our side," he said. "And without the virus you wouldn't have gone as far as you did, but no one else took a stand like that. That means we're already on the same side, so don't mention it."

"Personally, I feel like I owe it to you." Callie admits. During that fiasco with the police force, she said she'd support him and help him any way she could... and she ended up falling back to the bureaucracy of her job and all plans to help him out of the situation went to the back burner. She rose an eyebrow. "How much 'time' did they say you needed to serve due to your previous actions? We can pull you out of the recent problem on your record easy, and.... I might just have to set up a hearing about your past infractions."

"All right." Jack favoured them both with a nod. He didn't entirely agree with Julian- he knew Ghost was more devoted to taking down Vulcanus than even Jack was, for instance, even if most of the hacker's work was less high-profile than international hostage-taking. Still, the thought counted.

"When I was Ported out of jail, I hadn't been put on trial yet. Because so many of the charges were international, they were taking their time pulling everything together- evidence, witnesses. Technically I haven't been sentenced to anything, unless I've been convicted in absentia." One of the hidden blessings of the Atatla operation being revealed: prosecuting Jack had become a very tangled international affair.

"If that's still the situation, then you should be able to get your hearing," he told Callie. It sounded like a good opportunity. Memories tended to be a bit shorter in the City, with a new crisis or atrocity coming every other week. Enough time had passed that a hearing might be able to make something happen. "Do you know what kind of case I'd have if we got a shot?"

Julian isn’t sure about that. His feeling was that whether they were successful would depend on how big of a focus Jack’s crimes were to those involved. Jack had probably been put on the backburner what with everything else that had happened over the last few months, ImBargo included.

He glanced at Callie; she was involved with the legal side, and she’d been working with Dent. She’d know how to answer that better than him.

Callie nodded briefly. "I'd expect a critical eye, but all things considered, I think we have a good chance to claim that your drive just needs to be focused and monitored regularly. We can 'assign' you a counselor from the D.O.I. to help with any social disabilities you potentially have and we'll use your expertise as a former officer in our law enforcement division- working closely with Julian himself. As long as I prove to the court that your abilities, while it has posed a threat in the past, can be channeled to support our struggling social status- we got it." She sounded fairly confident. "PR for Imports as a whole, using you as a shining example to reformation, they might go for it to help subside native paranoia of us."

Jack actually smiled at that. Callie's confidence and positive attitude- justified confidence, not the stupid kind that disregarded the facts- was something he hadn't seen or felt himself in a while. What she was saying made sense, and that felt good. He might actually have a shot at getting out of here and getting back to work- and with a safety net in case he was 'compromised' again.

"I like the sound of it. A lot of what I did as an officer saved native lives, you can use that. Do whatever you can to make it happen- the sooner I'm out of here the better." He looked at Julian and smirked at the kid. "If this goes off, I guess you're going to have to act like you're my boss."

Wow, okay. So Julian hadn't seen that one coming. Thinking about it, though, they could pull it off. He'd already publicly shouted about his support for Jack, and Callie had agreed. Yeah, that part had been private, but still. Maybe Jack showing up in the DOI wouldn't seem weird after that. If this was going to work, the cover would have to hold. So he smirked back, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Somehow I don't think that part'll be a problem. Anyways, it's a good plan." He glanced at Callie, nodding. "If we can make that stick at appeal, we're golden. ImPorts might be harder to fool, but I doubt we're the only ones on your side here."

"Great. Then that's the plan we're going with." Callie nodded, with a smile. "You hang tight here until I get you out of here, Jack- and you know I will. In the mean time, Julian and myself will see what we can do about building our numbers in support and once we get you out of here we'll talk international plans." She rose an eyebrow in the general suggestion. "Agreed?"

"Agreed." They had a plan, they had a chance. "But don't wait too long on getting me out. Hitting the Skrulls and hurting Vulcanus is a higher priority, and you don't need me for that." Even though he dearly wanted to be there when Vulcanus paid even in part for all that they had done.

He looked to Julian. "You're not the only ones. I have a few other contacts, they could be able to help us out after this is set up. But for now it's safer for everyone if I don't tell you who they are." He was thinking about Scathach especially- her position at the Institute would be in jeopardy if people realized she was allied with someone like Jack.

Julian nodded. He hadn't really expected names to be named. Those supporters hadn't been loud about what they thought, so he wasn't surprised that Jack was quiet about it too. They'd come forward if he and Callie started trying to get support ourselves. Still...

"Is there no one you want us to contact? If there is, now's the time to get them on board. Right at the start." He glanced at Callie. "We'll need all the help we can get, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'd like to get things well prepared before you're released. If you have allies already, Jack... it'd be wise for us to know of at least one."

Now Jack thought hard. What they were saying made sense, but he was not going to put Scathach at risk in case either of these two were compromised in any way. She was the last of the tight, trusted circle that had once existed between, her, Jack, Geddoe, and Seras. He couldn't lose her.

"Spider-Man," he answered instead. "You can trust him. He won't go as far as I would, there are lines he won't cross, but I trust him to do what's right." And since they were probably going to have to do things beyond those lines...

"There's also a mercenary I know, Yelena Belova," Jack added. "She's good. She's very good. Very professional. If you need something stolen or sabotaged or exposed, she'll get it done." Jack was still unaware that 'Yelena' was really the Avenger Black Widow- all he knew was that her performance as a member of the Dependables had been incredible.

Julian didn't know Belova's name, though he knew that Spider-Man was associated with the Avengers. He was distrustful of Avengers in general, partly because of his experiences of the Registration Act and the Initiative back home, and because of everything Marvel Girl had told him about them fighting with the X-Men.

Still, right now Vulcanus was bigger than all of that. Vulcanus were against all ImPorts. They all had to work together. That was something Rachel had tried to get across to him. He understood that now.

"Okay. That's a start. We can try to bring others into that circle. I don't think everyone will listen, but some will. We can do this."

With a short nod, Callie stood up.

"We'll keep you posted, Jack. Seems to me, Julian and I have plenty of work to do." She smiled, giving a nod to her Head of Security. "We'll take action where everyone else is afraid to. Sometimes doing something worth while means taking risks. In the mean time... we have to think about some back up plans in case things don't work out for us. First and foremost, we need to protect each other, right?"

"No, the first priority is protecting the people who can't protect themselves," Jack answered immediately. "Natives and Imports." He needed to make that clear, especially to Keller. He had gotten the strong impression that the kid didn't much care whether the entire 'ordinary' human race lived or died, but Jack was driven to defend everyone threatened by Vulcanus regardless.

Those distinctions weren't as important as the fact that he had allies and a plan and possibilities, though. He could endure his time here better now, knowing people like these would make sure things still got done. "Good luck, both of you."

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