Reborn in America’s Anti-Terror Unit

"Jack, cover me!" 

Owen shouted Jack's name as he led David Palmer toward the passageway.

"Bang bang bang bang~~~"

Jack Bauer's gunfire answered the call. Though he didn't hit anyone, it provided just enough suppression for Owen and David Palmer to sprint from one pillar to the next.

While running, Owen didn't forget to unleash another signature wide-armed arc—not aimed at those pursuing them, but at one of the two Red Viper operatives stationed at the door, engaged in a firefight with SWAT.

"Ahhh—"

The enemy was hit. Owen, rushing and without time to aim precisely, didn't kill the target with his curved shot, but managed to strike his arm.

Not every U.S. special forces unit is trained to shoot equally well with both hands. SEALs and Delta Force can, but it seemed the Rangers—and by extension, these Red Vipers—couldn't. The injured man didn't switch to his left hand as Owen had anticipated. He kept using his wounded right arm, drastically reducing his combat effectiveness. The already thin firepower at the doorway was now even weaker.

Whether SWAT sensed the shift in suppressive fire or caught a glimpse of David Palmer, their assault intensity immediately escalated.

The battle at the door grew fiercer. More SWAT operatives tried to push in, forcing the Red Vipers to reallocate more troops to hold them off, leaving fewer to pursue Owen and Palmer.

Still, a hail of bullets chased the trio. As Owen led Palmer forward, the rounds seemed to have eyes, trailing right behind them.

"Ahhh! Let go of me!"

"Don't shoot! I'm a hostage!"

The attackers finally remembered the hostages. None of the guests had managed to escape since the firefight began, instead hiding wherever they could.

Palmer's campaign manager was unlucky enough to be grabbed and shoved to the doorway as a human shield, nearly getting shot by SWAT. Alongside him, two more female hostages were dragged forward. SWAT hesitated, clearly thrown off by the hostages.

"Let's go—we have to move now…"

With all three now together, Jack Bauer spoke urgently. The slight advantage they had just gained was undone by the hostage tactic. Jack didn't know who was commanding the team outside, but with so many VIPs inside, a direct assault had to be carefully considered.

If they didn't escape now, it would be too late. He and Owen had the same idea: use the utility passage Janet had taken earlier.

It didn't matter where it led—they just had to get out of here. As for the hostages, Owen and Jack could only regretfully admit they couldn't save them.

"Jump!"

At the entrance of the passage, Owen and Jack worked together to hoist David Palmer inside, followed by Jack, then Owen.

Owen had little interest in politics or politicians. In his mind, they were all mouthpieces—half-useless. But after this short experience, he had a decent impression of David Palmer.

The man wasn't entirely useless. Palmer was in his prime, physically fit, clearly someone who exercised regularly.

He also wasn't unfamiliar with combat—likely had military experience. Earlier, it hadn't shown because he'd been surrounded by agents, but once they were all dead, he grabbed a gun and defended himself effectively, not needing much protection from Owen.

The only reason Owen and Jack had to toss him into the passage together was to save time.

Owen reactivated bullet time mode, using rapid fire to cover their retreat. Once Jack made it in, Owen quickly emptied his remaining rounds and dove in himself.

He'd used a passage like this once before, back at Zhongchen Tower—they felt similar.

Luckily, he was right. Since the female assassin had chosen this as her escape route, it wouldn't be a straight drop. Sure enough, it sloped downward, and the three of them slid through the darkness.

Just moments after Owen entered, gunfire echoed from the top of the passage. Clearly the attackers didn't dare follow, so they opted for a blind spray into the tunnel.

But they had no idea the passage was sloped—they fired uselessly into the void, missing by a mile.

On the first floor, the three of them crash-landed onto the thick mat. Owen hit last but got up first.

He had learned his lesson—last time, the robbers had followed them down the tunnel with two grenades. There was no reason to believe this new enemy wouldn't do the same.

He yanked Jack and David Palmer aside quickly. When nothing else fell from the tunnel, he relaxed. The three of them looked around.

It was unclear what floor they were on, but outside it was quiet—no gunfire. Only the distant sounds of shooting echoed down the tunnel.

"Thank you for saving me. Who were those people back there?"

Now that it was temporarily safe, David Palmer expressed his gratitude and asked the question on his mind.

"They're members of a group called the Red Vipers," Owen replied. "But those guys are just tools—someone else is pulling the strings. It's complicated. They're trying to kill you because it's tied to the death of the Ethiopian archbishop…"

Owen briefly explained everything he knew, now that no one was pursuing them. David Palmer fell silent. Jack Bauer, who had previously only heard parts of this through Owen's recording, learned new details for the first time.

"What about that gunner sergeant?"

"He didn't come. He's wanted. I told him to find a place to hide…"

Before they came, Owen had already advised Swagger to lay low. Owen himself might be a suspect, but at least there were still reasonable doubts. He could talk his way through.

Swagger, however, was a nationally recognized fugitive. If law enforcement or any agency personnel encountered him, they might shoot him on sight—no questions asked.

"Do you still have that recording?"

"Yeah."

Owen pulled out his phone and played the audio recording for David Palmer.

He had backed up the recording and sent it to Becky as a precaution—a potential lifeline. He hadn't expected to actually need it. Who could've imagined Jack would be coerced into destroying the original?

David Palmer listened silently, saying nothing even after the recording ended.

As a politician, he saw things from a different perspective than Owen and Jack.

Learning that the archbishop had been killed to suppress exposure of the YouTube massacre, he could easily deduce who was behind it. His years in politics gave him that insight.

Before entering politics, David Palmer had worked in the NSA. He understood the power and reach of the forces involved far better than Owen did. He also grasped just how serious this situation really was.

After weighing the pros and cons, David Palmer came to a decision:

This must not be exposed.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]