"Boss?"
Janet shot a glance from the side, and Jack understood, motioning for someone to take Sarayev away.
Once Sarayev had been removed, Janet resumed, "The voice comparison results are in…"
"Who was it?"
"It wasn't someone from Chechnya. The speaker's name is Najib Harvey, the second-in-command of Amir…"
"Amir? Amir Freedom Party?"
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances. Why would the Amir Freedom Party rescue a Chechen, and why impersonate Chechens to do it?
"Brrr-brrr-brrr\~\~\~"
The desk phone rang. One of Janet's subordinates picked it up, spoke briefly, then looked toward Jack. "Director, the White House is requesting a video conference regarding the hijacking…"
Jack nodded. The large screen lit up, revealing the scene at the White House: a group of people gathered around a table. Among them, Owen recognized the Secretary of Defense, high-ranking Air Force and Navy officers, the President's advisory team, and at the center sat President David Palmer.
"Jack, what the hell is going on?"
President Palmer cut straight to the point.
"Mr. President, ten minutes ago we received a recording from individuals claiming to be Chechen terrorists. They stated they had hijacked Flight 343 from Athens to Washington, with over 200 hostages aboard. They demand we release Sarayev…"
"What's our countermeasure?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. President, options for handling a hijacking mid-air are limited. We can't intervene while the plane's in flight. We have to wait until they land. They've agreed that if we release Sarayev, they'll release half the hostages in Bogotá. I believe that's the best opportunity for an anti-hijacking operation…"
"Do we have any experience with anti-hijacking ops?"
"Of course. But there are some inconsistencies. The hijackers claim to be Chechen and are trying to rescue a key Chechen figure, yet our systems show the operation is led by a member of the Amir Freedom Party. That doesn't add up…"
Silence fell over the White House side. Clearly, the situation was more complex than expected. Could the two organizations have joined forces?
While everyone was deep in thought, a sudden voice rang out from CTU: "No, it's not that simple."
Everyone turned toward Owen, who had spoken.
The Secretary of Defense at the White House frowned. "Who is this man?"
Surprisingly, President Palmer intervened. "No, let him speak. At a time like this, any insight is valuable. We need as many expert opinions as we can get…"
Owen realized he had just blurted out and leaned toward Jack to quickly explain his theory. President Palmer, growing impatient, urged, "Agent Owen, please share your thoughts. We need all the help we can get…"
Seeing Jack give him the nod, Owen addressed the screen. "What came to mind just now is that last week, we tracked a batch of former Soviet VX nerve gas acquired by the Chechens, but its final whereabouts remain unknown.
According to our intel, the Chechens intended to sell the gas to the Will of the Persian Gulf. The Will of the Persian Gulf has had a long-standing close relationship with the Amir Freedom Party, which leads me to believe that the VX gas may now be in the hands of the Amir Freedom Party.
Impersonating Chechens and demanding Sarayev's release is likely a smokescreen. Their true motive is revenge. Don't forget, two months ago, a Navy SEAL team killed their top leader, Tarabji Faha, in the Persian Gulf region. Our voice-matching system just confirmed that the speaker in the recording is Najib Harvey, Amir's number two and Faha's loyal follower…"
When Owen finished, both CTU and the White House were silent. If what Owen suggested was true, it was horrifying.
"Agent Owen, do you have any evidence to support this?"
President Palmer asked after a long pause.
"I'm sorry, Mr. President. This is just my hypothesis based on available intel. But I believe we should prepare for the worst-case scenario."
Owen had no concrete evidence. It was all reasoned speculation from scattered intelligence. Maybe he was overthinking, but what if he was right? No one could guarantee the terrorists wouldn't take such a route.
"If that's the case, Mr. President, I recommend the Air Force destroy Flight 343 over open sea. We cannot allow it to enter U.S. airspace."
The Secretary of Defense's suggestion was heartless, yet undeniably the safest option. Sacrificing a small number of lives to protect the many—morally gray, but logistically sound.
Yet President Palmer hesitated. That was over 200 lives—Americans and foreign nationals. If he ordered a military strike, his political career would be finished.
The international community wouldn't consider America's rationale. They'd call this administration butchers. Even domestically, opposition leaders would seize the opportunity to attack him. Even if they agreed with his decision in private, they'd never let such a political opportunity pass.
Destroying the passenger plane was not an option—at least not yet. President Palmer had made up his mind.
"No, those are 200 lives…"
"But Mr. President, if there's really VX nerve gas on board, their likely target is Washington. That would endanger nearly a million people…"
President Palmer's expression was stormy. The decision weighed heavily: try something and possibly save those 200 lives and his presidency, or risk a catastrophe that could claim a million.
"Jack, how lethal is VX nerve gas?"
The President was still seeking confirmation.
"VX is a nerve agent. One teaspoon spilled on the ground can kill every living creature within a hundred feet. If a teaspoon detonates in the air, nothing would survive within eight city blocks."
"No. I still believe we can't do that—not without trying something first…"
The President ultimately rejected the Secretary of Defense's proposal, then looked hopefully at Jack Bauer.
"How much time do we have left?"
"One hour and forty-three minutes, Mr. President."
Jack knew the President wasn't asking for time—he was asking if there was any other way. CTU and Palmer were tied together. If Palmer went down, CTU would go down with him.
After several minutes of silence, Jack slowly said, "There might be one way…"
Palmer's eyes lit up, hoping Jack had a perfect solution to end this crisis.
Jack scanned the room and said, "I know the Air Force has an experimental aircraft, a modified 'Blackbird' originally designed to dock with the space shuttle in low orbit. After the project was terminated, the Air Force repurposed it for high-altitude crew transfers from bombers. Maybe we can try using that…"
As soon as Jack finished, all eyes turned to the lone Air Force general in the room. The general nodded. "He's right. The Air Force does have this test aircraft—the Flying Fish. But it's still experimental…"
"How were the test results?"
"All six docking tests were successful—but those were with bombers that have dedicated docking ports. A Boeing 747 is a civilian aircraft…"
The Air Force colonel trailed off, but everyone understood the implication.
President Palmer's eyes were resolute. "Then we'll have to try it this time!"
------------------
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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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