Two days later, after settling both work and family affairs, Owen arrived in Washington with Monica. Stepping off the plane, standing on the soil of the nation's capital, Owen had only one thought: Damn, finally changing maps.
Just outside the airport, he spotted Heartbeat—cool as ever in his sunglasses. His freshly shaven bald head gleamed under the D.C. sun like a beacon.
"Welcome to Washington!" Heartbeat teased, grabbing their luggage. He had arrived a few days earlier, specifically to pick up Owen and Monica.
"Hi, Monica."
"Hi, Heartbeat."
As always, Monica was cool and aloof with anyone who wasn't Owen.
"How've the last few days been?" Owen asked casually. After all, the couple of days following a mission were usually considered downtime—a standard in the field. After intense operations, operators were granted a brief break to recuperate and spend time with their families.
While Owen had gone back to L.A. to wrap things up, Heartbeat had gone directly to D.C.
Owen assumed he'd already reported to CTU HQ—but to his surprise, Heartbeat said, "Nah, I haven't checked in yet. You know Jack's style—I wasn't about to rush into that pressure cooker."
Owen chuckled and shrugged. That was fair. Jack Bauer did have a certain energy—any place he stepped into immediately felt like the world was ending.
"So where've you been these last couple of days?"
"Assateague Island."
At the mention of it, Heartbeat's face lit up.
"It's a national park just a few hours' drive from D.C., along the Chesapeake Bay. The coolest thing? Over 300 wild ponies walking along the beach. You can camp, swim, even surf—though the waves aren't as good as Hawaii or Cali. Still, it's perfect for couples."
He kept going, clearly excited. And honestly, it sounded pretty great. Owen made a mental note to take Monica there if time allowed—they were both new to Washington and eager to explore.
Chatting along the way, the car soon pulled up to their destination.
Owen stepped out and looked up at the building marked "CTU Headquarters." It was a modest five-story structure—nothing extravagant. Typical of Jack Bauer's style: practical, low-profile, no-nonsense.
After clearing security and riding the elevator up, they stepped into the main hall—and instantly felt the familiar tension in the air. Owen and Heartbeat exchanged a glance. Yep. Jack Bauer had definitely been here.
The layout was almost identical to CTU Los Angeles. The central floor buzzed with analysts, a wall-sized digital display dominated the front. To the side, less formal workstations seated field agents. Not far off was the weapons room—clearly the operations section.
Washington's CTU wasn't just the national headquarters—it also doubled as the local field office. While its Intelligence Division had access to the broadest database in the country, the Operations Division could only handle D.C.-area cases. For cross-state or international missions, coordination with other field offices or Owen's Rapid Response Team was required.
Owen crossed the hall, heading toward Jack Bauer's office—located, as usual, in a second-floor corner suite overlooking the action.
"Steve Owen?"
Before he'd gone far, a woman who looked like a secretary stepped up and addressed him directly.
"Yes?"
"Please follow me. Director Bauer asked to see you as soon as you arrived."
"Understood."
Owen, Monica, and Heartbeat followed her up to the second floor. Through the glass walls, they could see Jack Bauer inside, on the phone. He spotted them, waved them in, and the secretary stepped away discreetly.
Jack gestured for them to wait a moment, then wrapped up his call.
"Owen, finally. Everything sorted?"
"All done."
Owen then introduced Monica to Jack. Though they'd heard of each other, it was their first time meeting face to face. As for Heartbeat, Jack already knew him—he was an old face at CTU, and his parents were Jack's close friends.
Once introductions were done, Jack pointed to a section of the operations floor. "That space down there is reserved for your team. It should be enough for now. If your personnel expands, we'll adjust accordingly. I've called in the heads of Intelligence and Operations to meet you."
He pressed a button on his desk, and soon a man and a woman came up the stairs.
"This is Steve Owen, commander of the Rapid Response Team, and these are his team members. Steve, this is Simon Riley and Janie Stowe. Simon was with the British SAS—he heads Operations. Janie's ex-CIA, top of her field in intelligence."
Owen greeted them both—they'd be working closely in the future. Afterward, Jack instructed them to help Monica and Heartbeat get set up. He had a few things to discuss with Owen privately.
Once the others had left, Jack got straight to the point.
"Sorry, Owen—but I need to ask: will your relationship with Monica affect the team's performance? I'm not against internal relationships, but only as long as they don't compromise the job."
"I guarantee it won't, Jack."
Owen's answer was firm. He understood Jack's concern. In high-stakes, high-risk units like theirs—or in intelligence work—romantic relationships were typically discouraged. Emotions clouded judgment.
But Owen was confident his relationship with Monica wouldn't cause issues.
Truth be told, Jack already knew about them—including how seamlessly they operated as a team. That kind of synergy was invaluable in the field. It was the one reason he hesitated to say no.
The only incident that had ever given Jack pause was when Owen had stormed Colombia with a team to rescue Monica. But even then, Jack had been involved.
"Alright," Jack finally said. "Just remember what you promised."
He chose to trust Owen. Ultimately, Owen understood the stakes better than anyone. If personal feelings compromised a mission, the cost would be measured in lives. Jack believed Owen knew where the line was.
With that settled, Owen had a list of needs for Jack to approve.
First up—equipment. Light arms? He could take his pick. As long as it wasn't tanks or aircraft, CTU would provide. Jack had once promised him an unlimited budget—and now regretted it a little. Owen's requests were based on SEAL standards. Outfitting one operator could cost hundreds of thousands.
After some negotiation, they agreed: standard equipment would match SEAL specifications, including uniforms and night vision gear. Specialized equipment like ASDS units would be deferred—for now.
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