Krycek Snippet #4

"There is a man in our possession, in lot six. I need him gone," CSM said behind a spillage of smoke.

"Who is he?" Krycek asked.

Instead of answering, CSM took a long drag and looked at Krycek blankly. "Just do it, Krycek."

Knowing better than to push it, Krycek stood silent, his jaw clenched. He turned and started to walk out of the plush, wood-paneled office.

"Alex." CSM called at his back.

Krycek stopped at the door.

"No kind of interrogation will work on him, so I wouldn't try to go fishing for information," he stuffed a fresh cigarette between his lips. "Also, you're responsible for the disposal, too."

After a pause of acknowledgment, Krycek jerked the door open harder than he intended. He hated being treated like a glorified errand boy.

The sweat on his forehead was annoying the hell out of Jack Bauer. His hands were cuffed to a handle-shaped bar melded into the metal tabletop, so he tried to wipe it off on his shoulder. But there was still the little bit left that remained, itching and almost trickling down. Then the lock on the door clicked. About damn time, Jack thought.

Krycek walked into the gray, cement-walled room, regarding Jack with interest. "Who are you?"

Jack wasn't doing his job if he didn't know when a man was acting or when he was telling the truth, and Krycek certainly was not pretending. Frustration coiled inside his stomach; he didn't have time to play twenty questions with a peon who was out of the loop. "I need to speak with C.G.B Spender," he demanded.

Krycek blinked, taken aback. That was why Spender had asked Alex to personally oversee this man's death to the very end. It was very serious business when anyone outside the Syndicate knew CSM existed, much less what his name was. This intrigued Kryek even more. "It was Spender who sent me to kill you," he said.

Bauer tossed his head impatiently. "I'm agent Jack Bauer of the CIA's Counter Terrorist Unit. Killing me is the last thing you want to do. Now, I need to talk to Spender."

Krycek huffed incredulously. "He told me you wouldn't talk."

Jack laughed dryly. "Yeah well, that's because he's a sick, lying sack of shit. And what you're asking isn't exactly classified information to him anyway. He knows why I'm where, that's why he wants you to kill me."

"And why are you here?" Krycek asked, casually pulling out his gun.

Bauer's lips formed a thin, grim line at the sight of the weapon. "Whatever he's paying you, it's not enough. Do you know who Spender is? That man is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of civilians through the use of a biochemical weapon. You're taking orders from a terrorist."

"What kind of biochemical weapon?" said Krycek.

"In Los Angeles, we apprehended a man who killed several people by spraying a biotoxin. It was found to be a special strain of streptococcus." Bauer said.

All the pieces fell into place as Jack spoke, causing Krycek hold still, frozen in thought at the news.

Jack frowned upon Krycek's apparent non-reaction. "Are you working for Spender or not?"

Krycek knew what this was about now and thought keeping tabs on Mulder did come in handy after all. "Do you know that right now there is a joint FBI/CIA sting operation in effect, targeting the militia group considered responsible for those attacks?"

"Yes, I've been debriefed," Bauer said, nodding. "They're running their Washington lead. But you didn't answer me."

"I do work for Spender....in a limited capacity," Krycek opened. "What would you say if I told you what you're looking for isn't here? That the men you are trying to catch aren't the New Spartans, but certain forces within the highest levels of our government doing everything in their power to ensure the tests continue? That your mission and that of the operation in Washington is just a farce, a set-up planned to fail?"

Jack understood that in spite of everything Krycek had said, his biggest credential was that he hadn't killed Bauer yet. "Who are you," Jack asked.

Krycek wasn't going to answer that. "I can help you, Mr. Bauer. But I'm not going to take you to Spender. However much you think you know about him, he's only a self-delusional player in all this. What you need to do is pull down their network."

"Why are you helping me," Jack hid the original question this time.

Yet again not answering Jack, Krycek knew it would be safer that his own involvement went unknown. If he could send Bauer on the right track, then it would easily take off several months' work in trying to get Mulder's head out of the sand. Alex was glad to have come across this man. Needing both his good hand and the partly movable fake one, Krycek tucked the gun away and pulled out the blindfold intended for Jack's assassination.

"Hey!" Bauer started, snapping back to his formerly irritated disposition.

Krycek walked behind him and placed the black cloth over Jack's eyes, tying the ends behind his head. "Pay attention to your lead, and don't come back here. I won't pretend to kill you next time if you do."

"What lead?" Jack barked under his blindfold.

Krycek smoothly retrieved his semi-automatic again from inside his jacket and slammed the butt of handle into the back of Bauer's head.

When Jack Bauer came to, he found himself back inside his car. Wincing and rubbing his head, he noticed a folded piece of paper taped to the steering wheel.