Bobby and his men were guarding the entrance to the safe room. The rooftop battle couldn't be heard from down there at all.
"We did it"
Staz's voice came through the radio, full of joy. They had just delivered a harsh lesson to the rescue team sent by the Pentagon. So what if those men were Delta Force? Staz now had nothing but hatred for the United States.
Bobby was about to say something when he suddenly noticed the elevator—the only one connecting the library to the safe room—had started moving.
Watching the floor numbers change, Bobby frowned. Given the current situation, all their men should have gone up to the rooftop. Why would someone be coming down?
He gave a signal to his two subordinates, and the three of them raised their weapons and formed a fan-shaped formation around the elevator entrance.
"Staz, did you send someone down?"
Bobby asked through the radio.
"No. Why?"
"The elevator is moving."
As the elevator neared their floor, the three exchanged glances once more and tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Ding" The elevator arrived with a chime, and to their surprise, it was empty.
They exchanged bewildered looks, unable to figure out what was going on. Just as the doors were about to close, something suddenly rolled out, clattering across the floor with a heavy metallic thud.
"Fuck Get down!"
Bobby shouted, diving to the side. His two men reacted quickly as well.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the area.
The next second, Owen dropped down from the elevator ceiling and walked toward the safe room, delivering finishing shots to the wounded men on the ground.
The grenade had seriously injured all three. They hadn't even recovered when Owen finished them off, sending them to meet their maker. Owen had no idea these men were former Delta Force operatives—if he had, he would've said, "This Delta's pretty lame."
...
On the rooftop, Staz slapped off a bit of flame that had landed on his shoulder. His earlier good mood was shattered by Bobby's cryptic message. "Bobby, how's it going down there?"
"Bobby? Bobby..."
Staz called repeatedly, but was met with silence. His expression darkened. "Damn it. Scott, take your team and come with me..."
Staz charged down the stairs like a madman, his men following closely behind.
...
When Owen saw the code-cracking device attached to the safe room's keypad, he couldn't help but sigh at their luck—or rather, President Palmer's luck. The device had already cracked the fifth digit. Given a bit more time, it would've broken the entire code. The consequences of that were frightening.
"Mr. President, I'm at the door..."
Owen spoke into the intercom. A pneumatic hiss followed as the heavy safe room door opened. President Palmer appeared, seated next to him on the floor was Jack Bauer. Jack wasn't unconscious, but he didn't look great either.
"Jack, are you okay?"
Owen rushed over, concerned. Jack looked weak but responded, "Not dead yet..."
"My original plan was to get Jack out and keep the President in the safe room. After all, there's no place safer than here inside the White House. But now that's clearly not going to work..."
As he spoke, Owen pointed to the code-cracker on the wall. Seeing the progress bar, both President Palmer and Jack felt a chill down their spines. The safe room was originally designed to withstand a nuclear blast, but it wasn't well protected against internal sabotage.
On the other side of the room, George Walker had just stepped forward to warmly shake President Palmer's hand, saying enthusiastically, "Mr. President, sir, I'm here to help. My name is George Walker. My father is Wills Walker..."
At first, President Palmer assumed Walker was part of CTU. But upon hearing the introduction, he looked surprised. "You're Wills Walker's son?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
"I just awarded your father a medal last month, thanking him for everything he's done for America."
"Yes, sir, I saw the broadcast. In fact, our whole family watched his retirement ceremony. It's my father's pride—and our family's pride as well..."
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have to leave immediately..."
Owen had to cut in as he saw them exchanging pleasantries at such a critical time.
"Oh, of course. My Jennifer..."
Naturally, Walker couldn't go anywhere without mentioning his woman.
After resupplying with weapons, the group prepared to leave.
Following a long ride upward, the elevator finally reached the first floor. Owen, seeing Walker was physically strong, asked him to carry Jack on his back. President Palmer, uninjured, followed on his own.
Once they exited, Owen picked a direction, and the four quickly moved out. Moments after they left, Staz and his men arrived. Seeing the elevator stopped at the first floor gave Staz a bad feeling.
A few moments later, the elevator returned to the safe room floor—but by then, the safe room was wide open, with no sign of the President.
However, Staz's attention wasn't on that. He stood frozen, staring at Bobby's lifeless body on the ground.
"Buddy... no... buddy..."
Staz's face twisted in pain and disbelief.
Martin arrived shortly after. The rooftop battle had been satisfying, but losing the President was a massive blow to their plan.
"I'll kill him. I'll kill him no matter what..."
Staz roared with rage. Martin frowned and said, "Calm down, Staz. You can't lose your head now. Remember what we're trying to achieve. I don't think Bobby would want you to lose control..."
Martin spoke helplessly, even invoking Bobby's name. After all, he and Staz were merely collaborators—Staz and his team weren't under Martin's command.
In a small room nearby, Owen and the group had taken shelter. He listened at the door for a moment, then turned to the others. "I've got a plan..."
At first, everyone thought he was crazy. But the more they considered it, the more it started to make sense.
Seeing no objections—especially from President Palmer—Owen contacted the quick response team.
The call connected quickly, and Owen relayed his idea to the team. As the core of the unit, all of his decisions were fully supported by the quick response team.
"How do we get out?"
The White House, also known as the President's Residence, was where the President lived. This meant Palmer was extremely familiar with the building.
Sure enough, without much hesitation, President Palmer said, "The basement. I know a hidden tunnel that leads out."
A hidden tunnel?
Wait a second. Owen raised a hand to stop him. Could it be the one from the movies—the tunnel Reagan supposedly used to secretly meet Marilyn Monroe? Owen remembered that scene well.
"Is it the tunnel Reagan used for his secret meetings with Monroe?"
"Yes, you know it too."
Of course I do, Owen thought. I also know someone planted bombs in it.
(End of Chapter)
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