Who is Chloe O'Brian Chapter 10
As the darkness of night deepens, Tony pulls the car behind a small cabin. Looking between the trees as he steps from the car, he sighs and opens the door to the back seat. Leaning in, he presses a hand to his friend’s shoulder, fast asleep with Chloe in his lap.
Rousing awake, Jack turns and looks out the windows and takes in the small cabin nearly completely hidden by the trees. “Chloe must have picked this for the seclusion” he thinks.
Letting Tony lift Chloe out of his arms, Jack steps out of the car and stretches his body. Pressing the light on his watch, he’s surprised two hours have passed.
“Jack, there’s a generator beside the porch. Get it started.”
Looking up sharply at Tony, he nods as the other man begins walking up the steps of the porch.
After starting the generator, Jack runs back to the car. Popping the trunk with the lever, Jack searches through the trunk. Grabbing the army bag from the house, he pulls up the floorboard of the trunk. Situated against the spare tire he pulls out a shotgun and a box of shells. No longer surprised by Chloe’s resourcefulness, he pockets the box of shells and carries the bag and shotgun into the cabin.
Tony already has laid Chloe on the single bed in the two room cabin. Currently removing the remains of her torn blouse, he looks over his shoulder and waves Jack over. “In the bathroom, there’s a trunk, drag it in here”
With a nod, Jack takes the four steps into the smaller room. Easily finding the grey trunk on the floor, he drags it back to the bed. Flipping the lid he finds several changes of Chloe’s clothes and beneath that a fully stocked med kit. Handing it over to Tony, he says “She’s lost too much blood”
Grunting, Tony rolls up his shirt sleeve. Pulling his belt from his jeans, he tightens it around his upper arm. “Hand me that tubing and a bag of saline.”
He watches as Tony quickly inserts the needle into Chloe’s arm, connecting the tube and hanging the saline over the headboard. Watching as Tony connects the other tube to his own arm, he grabs his wrist. “Do you know what you’re doing?” He hisses.
“Relax Jack.. I’m O positive… it’s her best chance” Pushing his hand away, he waits until the tube fills with blood before he connects it to the adapter on Chloe’s. Sliding to the floor, Tony leans against the bed, resting his arm above him to the bed next to Chloe’s.
With a frustrated shake of his head, Jack tapes the needle against Tony’s arm and then gives Chloe’s wound all his attention. Flushing it out, he begins stitching the entrance. Once done, and fresh gauze pads taped to his handiwork, he gently rolls her on her side to get to the exit.
“How much do you know?” Tony asks from the floor.
“Only what she’s told me.”
“Which is?” Tony growls out in impatience.
Carefully tying a stitch in her shoulder, Jack bites through the thread and wipes the wound down with alcohol before answering.
“I know her name. That she used to be a liaison between MI5 and the CIA. I know she’s supposed to be dead, and I know ...” Looking directly at Tony; “… Someone else knows she’s alive”
“This is a temporary safe house Jack. I don’t know the next leg of her backup plan. Unless she wakes up soon, we’re on our own.”
Sitting back on the bed, he gently rolls Chloe over onto her back. Laying his hand on her cheek, he leans down and leaves a soft kiss on her forehead before looking back to Tony. “What else do you know? Do you know who’s after her?”
With a shrug to his shoulders Tony answers “No. I know about all that you know.”
“You didn’t ask?” Jack looks at him incredulously.
“Look Jack… I knew all needed to know. A friend needed help. So I went. I didn’t ask Harry, and Harry didn’t tell me.”
Jack’s voice furious, he grits out “How could you not be prepared?!”
“Prepared? What the hell do you think this is Jack?!” His hand sweeps over the cabin. “I didn’t need to know anything more than she was willing to offer me.” Hanging his head against his chest he adjusts his arm on the bed, flexing his fist. “You didn’t see her Jack..” He whispers.
Looking his friend in the eyes, he explains. “I got a call from Harry. He told me he had an agent who needed to go dark. I asked him how dark and his answer was ‘dead’. That was all I needed to know.”
“You should have told me Tony”
“No Jack. I shouldn’t have! You don’t get the point. You know this better than anyone… when an agent needs to be dead, they have to be dead! We both know the more people kept in the dark the better, right?”
With a slump of his shoulders Jack nods his understanding. Watching Tony on the floor, he sees the man’s own shoulders slump. His eyes dark and a wave of sadness at their situation washes over him as he hears; “We need to know who exactly is after her”
Something clicks in Jack’s mind. Quickly pulling out his keys, he tosses them to Tony. “That drive has her entire file on it.”
Tony’s eyes widen as he looks at the drive. Looking around the room, a small smile creeps across his face. “Jack, pull the couch away from the wall. Under the floor, you’ll find a laptop.”
Raising his eyebrow, Jack immediately jumps up and runs to the couch. A quick push and he tests the floor boards with his foot. Recognizing a soft spot, he crouches and pulls his pocket knife out. Flipping the blade, he pries loose the floor board. Pulling out a plastic wrapped bag, he drops the board back into place.
Moving back to the bed he drops to the floor beside Tony as he tears away the plastic and pulls out a laptop. Plugging it in, he pushes the drive into the USB port. Immediately, a file folder appears on the desk top. Clicking it open, both he and Tony stare intently at the screen as the picture of her government ID fills the screen. The ID showcases an image of a very different Chloe. Her hair a dark black, her face a bit younger, and her expression firm with her chin held high. A red banner flashing below her picture “DECEASED” causes Jack’s next breath to hitch in his throat.
Rousing awake, Jack turns and looks out the windows and takes in the small cabin nearly completely hidden by the trees. “Chloe must have picked this for the seclusion” he thinks.
Letting Tony lift Chloe out of his arms, Jack steps out of the car and stretches his body. Pressing the light on his watch, he’s surprised two hours have passed.
“Jack, there’s a generator beside the porch. Get it started.”
Looking up sharply at Tony, he nods as the other man begins walking up the steps of the porch.
After starting the generator, Jack runs back to the car. Popping the trunk with the lever, Jack searches through the trunk. Grabbing the army bag from the house, he pulls up the floorboard of the trunk. Situated against the spare tire he pulls out a shotgun and a box of shells. No longer surprised by Chloe’s resourcefulness, he pockets the box of shells and carries the bag and shotgun into the cabin.
Tony already has laid Chloe on the single bed in the two room cabin. Currently removing the remains of her torn blouse, he looks over his shoulder and waves Jack over. “In the bathroom, there’s a trunk, drag it in here”
With a nod, Jack takes the four steps into the smaller room. Easily finding the grey trunk on the floor, he drags it back to the bed. Flipping the lid he finds several changes of Chloe’s clothes and beneath that a fully stocked med kit. Handing it over to Tony, he says “She’s lost too much blood”
Grunting, Tony rolls up his shirt sleeve. Pulling his belt from his jeans, he tightens it around his upper arm. “Hand me that tubing and a bag of saline.”
He watches as Tony quickly inserts the needle into Chloe’s arm, connecting the tube and hanging the saline over the headboard. Watching as Tony connects the other tube to his own arm, he grabs his wrist. “Do you know what you’re doing?” He hisses.
“Relax Jack.. I’m O positive… it’s her best chance” Pushing his hand away, he waits until the tube fills with blood before he connects it to the adapter on Chloe’s. Sliding to the floor, Tony leans against the bed, resting his arm above him to the bed next to Chloe’s.
With a frustrated shake of his head, Jack tapes the needle against Tony’s arm and then gives Chloe’s wound all his attention. Flushing it out, he begins stitching the entrance. Once done, and fresh gauze pads taped to his handiwork, he gently rolls her on her side to get to the exit.
“How much do you know?” Tony asks from the floor.
“Only what she’s told me.”
“Which is?” Tony growls out in impatience.
Carefully tying a stitch in her shoulder, Jack bites through the thread and wipes the wound down with alcohol before answering.
“I know her name. That she used to be a liaison between MI5 and the CIA. I know she’s supposed to be dead, and I know ...” Looking directly at Tony; “… Someone else knows she’s alive”
“This is a temporary safe house Jack. I don’t know the next leg of her backup plan. Unless she wakes up soon, we’re on our own.”
Sitting back on the bed, he gently rolls Chloe over onto her back. Laying his hand on her cheek, he leans down and leaves a soft kiss on her forehead before looking back to Tony. “What else do you know? Do you know who’s after her?”
With a shrug to his shoulders Tony answers “No. I know about all that you know.”
“You didn’t ask?” Jack looks at him incredulously.
“Look Jack… I knew all needed to know. A friend needed help. So I went. I didn’t ask Harry, and Harry didn’t tell me.”
Jack’s voice furious, he grits out “How could you not be prepared?!”
“Prepared? What the hell do you think this is Jack?!” His hand sweeps over the cabin. “I didn’t need to know anything more than she was willing to offer me.” Hanging his head against his chest he adjusts his arm on the bed, flexing his fist. “You didn’t see her Jack..” He whispers.
Looking his friend in the eyes, he explains. “I got a call from Harry. He told me he had an agent who needed to go dark. I asked him how dark and his answer was ‘dead’. That was all I needed to know.”
“You should have told me Tony”
“No Jack. I shouldn’t have! You don’t get the point. You know this better than anyone… when an agent needs to be dead, they have to be dead! We both know the more people kept in the dark the better, right?”
With a slump of his shoulders Jack nods his understanding. Watching Tony on the floor, he sees the man’s own shoulders slump. His eyes dark and a wave of sadness at their situation washes over him as he hears; “We need to know who exactly is after her”
Something clicks in Jack’s mind. Quickly pulling out his keys, he tosses them to Tony. “That drive has her entire file on it.”
Tony’s eyes widen as he looks at the drive. Looking around the room, a small smile creeps across his face. “Jack, pull the couch away from the wall. Under the floor, you’ll find a laptop.”
Raising his eyebrow, Jack immediately jumps up and runs to the couch. A quick push and he tests the floor boards with his foot. Recognizing a soft spot, he crouches and pulls his pocket knife out. Flipping the blade, he pries loose the floor board. Pulling out a plastic wrapped bag, he drops the board back into place.
Moving back to the bed he drops to the floor beside Tony as he tears away the plastic and pulls out a laptop. Plugging it in, he pushes the drive into the USB port. Immediately, a file folder appears on the desk top. Clicking it open, both he and Tony stare intently at the screen as the picture of her government ID fills the screen. The ID showcases an image of a very different Chloe. Her hair a dark black, her face a bit younger, and her expression firm with her chin held high. A red banner flashing below her picture “DECEASED” causes Jack’s next breath to hitch in his throat.