"Excuse me, can you reveal the identity of the agent in the footage?"
"We're with BBC News—we'd like to request an exclusive interview with the agent. Would that be possible?"
…
Within seconds, sharp-eyed journalists locked onto a new angle: the mystery man in the surveillance videos. Microphones and cameras surged forward like a tidal wave, nearly poking Director Boris in the face.
CTU had released crystal-clear footage, but with one detail conspicuously obscured—the agent's face was heavily pixelated. You could tell he was male, but that was it.
"Apologies, we can't share that information. We ask for your understanding. CTU is a counter-terrorism agency—we deal with extremely dangerous individuals. It's our responsibility to protect our agents' identities for their safety."
Boris rejected the requests outright, just as he and Jack Bauer—and Owen himself—had agreed in advance. The credit had to go to CTU New York. Owen would stay anonymous for now, though compensations on both ends were already in motion.
With that, Boris abruptly ended the press conference, giving no room for follow-up. Judging from the stunned excitement in the room, the event had been a resounding success.
CTU came across as fast, effective, and decisive—while the NYPD, by contrast, looked helpless. The agency had offloaded responsibility skillfully, and they could stand firmly on the facts. There was nothing fabricated. A 4-minute response time and 13-minute resolution? No other agency in the country could boast such numbers.
…
In the next two days, Owen didn't immediately return to Los Angeles. He still had unfinished business in New York. CTU's version of the incident stood up to scrutiny—but the one detail left open was why Owen had shown up so quickly at the scene. He made sure to coordinate with Beth on that, and she had zero issues covering for him.
CTU New York, for its part, treated him with great respect. Owen had saved their asses. If it weren't for him, they might not have collapsed—but Director Boris's career certainly would have. Grateful, Boris offered Owen a temporary office in the New York CTU facility.
That's where Owen now sat, placing a call to his old teammate Heartbeat.
"Yes, that's the situation. It's a brand-new unit. Not limited to domestic ops. Definitely dangerous. You need to think it through…"
"No problem, boss. I've thought it through. I'm in."
"Good. Get to New York as soon as you can. I'll speak to Tony about releasing you."
One down.
Jack had already given the new team an official name: Counter Terrorist Rapid Reaction Force—CTRF, or simply the Rapid Response Team.
He'd set the team cap at 10 agents. Owen preferred to keep it lean, planning for a five-person core, inspired by the IMF team from Mission: Impossible and the CIA's "Team Seven."
So far it was just him and Heartbeat. That left three open slots.
They needed to be versatile—operators who could fight, but also bring something specialized to the table. At least one sniper. One intelligence specialist. The last would remain a flexible role.
The first name that came to mind for the sniper position was Bob Lee Swagger. But he quickly ruled it out. Swagger had all the credentials—ex-Marine sniper, combat legend—but he was a wanted fugitive. He couldn't operate freely within the country.
Sniper: on hold.
For intelligence, he needed someone with elite-level data analysis and hacking skills. Combat ability could be optional—this was more of a support role. But someone with both? Almost all were already locked into top-level organizations.
His first pick: Becky—code name "Sweetpea." She and Owen had worked together several times. In Colombia. On the Ethiopia assassination case. Her performance had always been solid, and they trusted each other.
Chloe was another option—but she was too "by-the-book." Excellent at data synthesis and systems analysis within CTU's frameworks, but not the rogue tech wizard he needed.
Becky was different. Her methods were "creative." She often hacked into systems just for fun. The Rapid Response Team wouldn't always have official support—he needed someone who could get things done off-grid.
That settled it. He dialed Becky.
"Hey, Becky. How's it going?"
"Not bad. You?"
"Same as always…"
"Oh, Owen. Wait—you're in Los Angeles now, right?"
Owen rolled his eyes. Of course she knew where he was. She probably installed some kind of module on his phone that instantly pinged his location. How she did it, he had no idea—state-of-the-art GPS tracking required at least 7 seconds. They'd barely exchanged three sentences.
But it confirmed what he already knew: she was good. Too good.
"Oh my God, don't tell me that tunnel explosion and today's Wall Street shooting are your fault."
Another bullseye. She hadn't used any analysis—just a gut feeling. Wherever Owen went, trouble followed. It had become a law of nature.
Owen groaned: "Becky, listen—I have a proposal for you."
"What? Is another crisis about to blow up? Do I need to pack my EMP gear?"
He ignored her drama and explained the Rapid Response Team plan.
There was silence on the line.
"…Owen, that's a lot. I'll need to think about it."
"Of course. Take your time. Let me know when you've decided."
He hadn't expected her to say yes right away. She was the NSA's Chief Security Officer now. Asking her to give up her plush D.C. office and go chase gunfire with him was… well, a lot.
Odds were she'd say no. CTU couldn't offer much more than NSA in terms of pay or prestige. But it sure could offer more danger.
He then thought of another candidate: Paso, from Team Seven. A cyber specialist with mission experience. He'd gone on live ops with a black ops team—unlike Becky, he could handle fieldwork.
But Paso was also a CIA asset. Poaching from Team Seven felt… wrong. They'd been through hell together. What if Harry—their tank of a team leader—took it personally and tried to punch him into next week?
Still, Paso hadn't been an original Team Seven member. He'd been reassigned to them after their previous hacker died in action.
That fact made Owen feel a little better.
Sometimes, you had to swing the pickaxe. Hard.
He made the call. But Paso's line just rang. No answer.
------------------
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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