Tony was unaware of the rampage Owen had gone on in Paris to protect his family. He simply sensed that if Owen were allowed to continue unchecked, things would spiral out of control.
Before Owen could act, Tony intervened.
"Agent... um, your name?"
"Donny Berkeley."
"Alright, Agent Berkeley. You should know that CTU was hit by a terrorist attack today. Every agent and their families are at risk. Your actions could easily be misinterpreted. I don't care what evidence you think you have, but I suggest you leave immediately and inform your superiors to stop this nonsense. Otherwise, CTU may start questioning your true intentions. And I might begin to suspect that you and your superiors have certain... ties with Cruel Angel."
"What? Are you insane? That's a serious accusation! We're the FBI! How could we possibly be involved with terrorists?"
"Agent Berkeley!" Tony's voice sharpened, his expression hardening.
"If you refuse to leave, I will have no choice but to take action. Moreover, I want you to deliver this message to your superiors: If this behavior continues, CTU will initiate an investigation into your motivations. We'll monitor you, your boss, and everyone involved. Your credit cards, personal connections, sources of income—every detail will be under scrutiny. And those 'gray income streams' of yours? They'll become very public knowledge."
"You're threatening me?"
"Absolutely."
Tony's cold, direct response left Owen momentarily stunned. He had never seen Tony like this before.
Agent Berkeley hesitated, clearly conflicted. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "Fine. I'll pass along your message. Good luck... you're going to need it."
With a final glare, Berkeley climbed into his car and sped off without looking back.
"Thank you, Tony," Owen said sincerely. He had been dangerously close to acting on his violent instincts, and Brian's exchange of glances with him earlier confirmed that his friend had considered the same course of action. They couldn't risk their involvement in Paris being exposed, especially with Amanda now entangled in this situation.
Tony shrugged off the thanks. "No problem. Just calm your family down for now. Also, if you want to put pressure on the FBI, I suggest you ask Chloe for help. No one's hands are clean over there. We'll make sure they reconsider their options. Oh, and... steer clear of Nina on this one."
With that, Tony departed, leaving Owen with a clear strategy.
Owen now understood Tony's suggestion: if they could uncover evidence of corruption or other dirty secrets, the FBI would be forced to back down. As Tony had said, they wouldn't want to risk antagonizing CTU at the cost of their own careers.
Chloe was the key. With her extensive access to CTU's surveillance and data systems, she could easily dig up information on Berkeley and his team—without Nina finding out.
Brian soon left as well, having played a crucial role in both protecting Owen's family and uncovering the FBI's involvement.
As Owen returned to his house, he found Amanda and his mother anxiously waiting by the window. Amanda ran to him the moment he stepped inside, tears streaming down her face.
"Steve... I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have..."
She sobbed as she clung to him. Owen gently stroked her hair, comforting her.
"It's okay now. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you or Mom."
"Steve…"
His mother approached, her expression filled with worry and relief.
"Mom, I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."
His mother hugged him tightly, clearly drained from the recent ordeal. With Owen away for several weeks, she had borne the emotional burden of the situation alone. Now, with all three of them huddled together, a semblance of peace returned.
"I saw the news about you tonight," she whispered. "It was terrifying. Steve, if CTU work is going to be this dangerous…"
She hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
Owen knew exactly what she wanted to say. However, after Tony's support tonight, quitting his job immediately would feel wrong.
"Mom, CTU isn't that different from working in the major crimes unit. Today was just... an unusual case. I promise I'll be careful—for your sake."
She sighed, finally relenting. "Alright. You're an adult now. I trust you to make the right decisions."
After spending some more time reassuring his family, Owen returned to CTU. The organization was still reeling from the terrorist attack, and all hands were needed on deck.
Nina had been interrogating Salim throughout the night, convinced that he was somehow linked to Cruel Angel. She found the timing too coincidental: just as Salim attempted to assassinate Jack Bauer, CTU suffered a terrorist attack. The same pattern had occurred in Chicago, where their CTU leader was killed.
Data analysts had also worked through the night, splitting into two teams. One team focused on tracking down leads related to Cruel Angel, while Chloe's team cross-referenced everything they knew about Salim. Despite their efforts, nothing substantial had turned up.
The atmosphere in the office was tense, with exhaustion etched on every face. For CTU agents, however, this level of pressure was almost routine—especially under Jack Bauer's leadership.
Owen, having rested in the medical wing overnight, felt relatively better than his colleagues. Tony had kept him off active duty due to his earlier health episode. As he wandered into the main hall, he noticed several agents yawning and grabbing coffee, while others slumped over their desks for a quick nap.
His phone buzzed unexpectedly—it was Chief Javier of the West Hollywood police.
"Hey, Owen! How're you holding up? Are you hurt?"
Javier had obviously heard about the night's events, which wasn't surprising. Many of the officers on the scene had been from his precinct.
"Thanks for asking, Chief. It's just a minor injury. I'm doing fine now."
"Glad to hear it..."
The two exchanged some small talk before hanging up. Owen decided it was finally time to approach Chloe.
When he found her, Chloe was already prepared. Tony had clearly spoken to her beforehand. Without a word, she handed him a USB drive.
"I looked into Donny Berkeley and his team. The files on here should help you."
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