Early the next morning, Owen arrived at the Los Angeles FBI Headquarters, ahead of schedule, as planned.
Originally, he had arranged to go rock climbing with Carlos today, but Jack Bauer had called him last-minute, canceled his vacation, and told him to report to the FBI for training.
With no choice but to reschedule with Carlos, Owen still had no idea what exactly this training entailed. All he knew from the call was that it was meant to "improve their combat effectiveness."
Now, standing outside the FBI building, he waited. Jack hadn't arrived yet, so Owen, bored, turned on the radio, hoping to find something interesting to pass the time.
Just then, a car pulled up beside him—it was Tony Almeida.
"Hey, Tony."
"Jack's not here yet?"
"Nope. Do you know what this is all about?"
Owen turned off the radio, parked his car, and joined Tony at the entrance as they waited for Jack. This was a good opportunity to gather some intel.
Tony explained that CTU's field team had been suffering heavy casualties lately. First, Tony himself had been injured, then Joshua, and during an operation just a few days ago, several more agents were wounded. Of the eight field agents, all but the newly recruited Owen had been injured at some point.
Adding to this, the Keys Island Incident had been a wake-up call. Even though the SEALs had done most of the fighting, and the situation had been exceptional, it still gave Jack a clearer picture of what terrorist firepower could look like.
CTU had always been strong in intelligence gathering and analysis, but Jack realized that wasn't enough—they needed enhanced combat capabilities to match. So, he made two key decisions:
Intensify combat training for the field agents. Recruit more elite operatives to bolster CTU's SWAT team.
At that moment, another car pulled up. Jack Bauer had arrived.
Once he parked, the three of them entered the FBI building together.
Owen now understood that Jack planned to send CTU's field agents to train with the FBI SWAT unit—specifically, their best team—to sharpen their combat skills.
But why FBI SWAT?
Tony had explained this as well—before CTU was established, counterterrorism was handled entirely by the FBI. To deal with increasingly extreme situations, the FBI had restructured its SWAT teams.
The new SWAT selection process was rigorous:
All members were externally recruited. Candidates had to be former special forces—preferably with combat experience. Each member had to possess a specialized skill (sniping, explosives, tactical entry, etc.).
This instantly elevated their combat effectiveness. Some recruits had served in Navy SEALs, Israeli Sayeret Matkal, and other top-tier military units. The result? One of the deadliest SWAT teams in Los Angeles.
Of course, this high standard made recruitment difficult. Former special forces operators were highly sought after—many became bodyguards for the rich, private security contractors, or even mercenaries, all of which offered far higher salaries.
FBI SWAT's annual salary ranged from $80,000 to $100,000—the highest among law enforcement SWAT units in LA, but still lower than private sector opportunities.
To compensate, the FBI had lowered its requirements slightly—allowing experienced police SWAT officers with crisis management skills to apply.
One key advantage of the FBI system was flexibility—field agents and SWAT operators could switch roles.
Some field agents who preferred direct combat transferred to SWAT. Some SWAT members who wanted more investigative work transferred to field agent roles.
This interchangeability made FBI SWAT more dynamic than most police tactical units.
Inside the FBI Headquarters, Tony led them to the Director's Office. He knocked, received permission to enter, and the three of them stepped inside.
"Tony, long time no see!"
"Director Womack, good to see you."
"Oh no, to hell with the 'Director' title—just call me Womack, like you used to."
Behind the desk sat a white man with a neatly trimmed mustache. After a brief exchange with Tony, he turned his attention to Jack and Owen, extending a hand.
"I'm Jim Womack."
"Jack Bauer."
"Steve Owen."
Both men shook hands with him.
Womack nodded approvingly. "Bauer, I've heard a lot about you. You're practically a legend in Los Angeles."
Jack remained expressionless, unfazed by the compliment.
Womack didn't take offense—he likely knew Jack's personality well enough. Instead, he continued,
"Tony already filled me in on your request. No problem at all. Ever since CTU was formed, our workload has decreased significantly. I know how dangerous your work is, and you're absolutely right to take care of your men's lives."
"I should mention," Womack added, "our SWAT team was recently restructured. Every member is highly educated and possesses a specialized skill. Their current commander is Elisa Cohen, a former Sayeret Matkal operator. The rest include combat veterans from various warzones and even an electronics expert. I think your guys will learn a lot from them."
He spoke proudly, but Jack remained unimpressed. However, Owen was intrigued.
"FBI SWAT has a former Sayeret Matkal operative?"
Sayeret Matkal—Unit 5101—was one of Israel's most elite special forces units, formed after the Yom Kippur War. It was part of the Israeli Air Force's top-tier special operations and ranked among the country's top three commando units.
This unit frequently carried out covert missions across the Middle East and was known for its secrecy and deadly efficiency.
Seeing Owen's reaction, Womack seemed pleased and was about to continue boasting when Jack cut him off.
"Thanks for your help, Womack. But we just had a terrorist attack, and we're extremely busy. Since Tony already briefed you, can we just get started?"
Jack's direct, no-nonsense attitude never changed.
"Oh, of course."
Womack picked up his desk phone, made a quick call, and then turned back to them.
"Everything's set. Just head over to the SWAT training facility—it's not far from here."
As they exited the FBI building, it became clear that neither Jack nor Tony planned to accompany Owen—they had to return to CTU.
Jack's presence here was purely procedural—after all, CTU and the FBI were separate agencies, so some formalities were necessary to secure their cooperation.
As for why Owen was the only one being sent first, Jack had explained briefly:
CTU was too busy to send the entire field team at once. They could only train one agent at a time. Since Owen was new and had no ongoing cases, he was the first to go.
So, Owen was on his own.
He took a deep breath and got into his car.
"FBI SWAT, huh?"
A former Sayeret Matkal operative as commander.
Specialists from various battlefields and intelligence sectors.
Jack Bauer clearly expected more from him than just desk work.
This was going to be interesting.
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