Reborn in America’s Anti-Terror Unit

Owen was driving home when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and chuckled. "Babe, it's only the second day. I remember someone very clearly warning me not to contact her for three days..."

"Steve Owen, please be serious. I have important news to report."

To his surprise, the voice on the other end was male. Owen frowned and looked at the number again—it was definitely Monica's.

"Jack?"

He was baffled. The voice definitely sounded like Jack Bauer's—but what was he doing with Monica? And why was he calling from her phone? Plus, Jack's tone was off, overly formal and theatrical, nothing like his usual clipped style.

"Yes, Owen. I'm calling to inform you that you've been reinstated."

"Really?"

"Hahaha—hahhh!"

Suddenly, the voice changed to Monica's. It was clearly a prank. But Owen still wanted answers—what was Jack doing with Monica, and how?

"Monica, babe, what's going on? Why are you with Jack?"

Monica only laughed harder, and another female voice could be heard laughing nearby—probably Becky.

"Alright, darling. Just come over and I'll explain everything. And—I have something important to discuss with you."

Monica left him hanging with a little mystery. Owen was completely confused, but since he had nothing else going on, he whipped his car around in a quick drift and sped toward Monica's place.

…

At Monica's place.

"What? You're going to Germany? To train with GSG9? When?"

The moment Owen walked in, Monica dropped the bombshell.

"This afternoon," she said apologetically, straddling his lap on the sofa, kissing his lips gently. "Sorry, babe. But this is a special program arranged by Director Womack for Team A. I can't say no."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Not sure yet. Maybe four weeks, maybe eight."

Owen rolled his eyes.

"This is the important thing you had to 'discuss' with me? I don't agree!"

"Come on, babe. I know it's sudden, and I don't want to be away from you either. But it's my job..."

As the two of them continued to snuggle and talk, Becky—who had been treated like invisible air—finally rolled her eyes.

"I can't take this. I'm out. Before I have to hear you two start banging."

She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She'd been by Monica's side the past couple of days, but clearly, Monica had already forgotten her bestie in favor of her man.

"Bye, Miss Goody-Goody~"

Owen teased as she left.

"Later, Garlic Mouth! Hope you skipped the garlic today!"

Becky shot back without hesitation.

"What?! You told her about that?"

Owen nearly leapt to his feet. This silly girl—how could she tell her best friend everything? Monica gave him an awkward smile and frantically motioned for Becky to leave.

Becky smirked and vanished through the door. Monica quickly tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright. Don't be mad. I kinda let it slip that day..."

Owen sulked, then suddenly remembered something else. "Hey, what was with Jack Bauer yesterday?"

At that, Monica burst into laughter.

"Gahaha~~"

She couldn't stop giggling. Owen could tell he must've asked something dumb, but he still didn't get it. Annoyed, he smacked her on the butt. "Come on, tell me already. What's going on?"

Monica didn't reply. She just slid off his lap, grabbed a device from the nearby table, and gestured for him to watch. She pressed it to her throat.

"Owen, this is Jack Bauer. You're reinstated."

Owen's eyes went wide. Monica was clearly the one speaking—but the voice was Jack's.

"You guys actually pulled it off?"

"Yup! Becky and I worked on it for ages. Turns out it wasn't that hard—Becky figured out the voice conversion algorithm, and I handled the electronics."

"You two are geniuses!"

Owen took the device and tested it himself. It was incredible. Just by sticking it to his throat, his voice came out as Jack Bauer's.

He already knew Becky was a hacking prodigy, and Monica had a master's in electrical engineering from Stanford. But he hadn't expected the two of them together to be this brilliant.

The whole thing had started as a joke. Owen had casually told Monica about Ethan Hunt's silicone masks and voice changers from Mission: Impossible. It was just something silly he'd mentioned. But Monica had actually made it real.

These two were geniuses.

"That's not all. There's more. Come with me..."

Monica led Owen into her workshop.

A lot of Americans loved turning their basements into workshops—and Monica was no exception. Hers was fully stocked with gear, some of which Owen didn't even recognize.

She pulled open a drawer filled with gadgets.

An electronic master key!

As soon as Monica demoed one of the devices, Owen recognized it. It was just like the "universal key" from Mission: Impossible—capable of opening any lock.

There were other gadgets too—each one more impressive than the last. Owen was blown away.

"You made all these?"

"Not just me. Becky helped. I'm good with circuits and electronics, but anything involving algorithms or code—I leave to her."

"You two are amazing."

Owen excitedly played with the devices. Many of them were straight out of a spy movie.

He looked at Monica with shining eyes—he'd hit the jackpot. She wasn't just the perfect lover—she could also play the role of Q from the James Bond films.

Monica, however, misunderstood the look. Her eyes turned sultry, and she leaned into him.

Owen caught on immediately—but who would be dumb enough to ruin a beautiful misunderstanding? Looked like he'd be "clearing out the ammo reserves" today. He glanced around. The workshop wasn't a bad spot. They hadn't tried that yet...

Thirty seconds later, creaking noises filled the basement. Amid heavy breathing, Owen asked nervously, "Honey… your workbench doesn't seem very sturdy?"

"Shut up. Don't stop…"

Owen zipped it, and the rhythm of the creaking sped up. A loud bang echoed not long after, followed by Monica's furious voice:

"Goddammit, Owen! You owe me a new workbench!"

…

That afternoon, completely "spent," Owen drove Monica to the airport. In the departure lounge, they met ASH and a now-recovered Campbell. Campbell looked great—his neck wound had fully healed.

Owen hugged everyone warmly. They hadn't seen each other since Colombia, and he truly missed these comrades who'd gone through life and death together.

There were still twenty minutes until boarding, so they sat and chatted.

ASH was mid-conversation about the GSG9 program when Owen's phone rang. He was so engrossed in the talk, he didn't check the screen and answered directly.

"This is Owen. Who's calling?"

"Owen, you're reinstated. Report to CTU immediately. There's a mission for you."

The voice on the other end was Jack Bauer's. Owen's face twisted in suspicion—again with this?

"Give it up, Becky. I'm not falling for the same lame prank twice..."

He wore a smug "nice try" look. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Not happening.

But the voice on the phone turned stern. "What Becky? Owen, it's Jack Bauer. Get to CTU. This is urgent."

The tone was so firm that Owen started to second-guess. He muted the call and leaned toward Monica. "Hey… that voice-changer thing—does Becky have it?"

"No. That was just a prototype. We only made one. Yesterday's call was just a test."

Owen's face went dark. Crap. He'd just done something stupid.

"Acknowledged, Jack. I'm on my way!"

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