SWAT was responsible for clearing the left side of the house, while CTU's tactical team handled the right side and the second floor.
Owen moved carefully, his steps light and deliberate. He had practiced these room-clearing maneuvers countless times with SWAT. His tactical boots, combined with his controlled movement, allowed him to minimize noise as he approached the closed door ahead.
Behind him, Monica and Ash had finished clearing their sector and regrouped.
Just as Owen positioned himself to breach, Heatwave moved to take the opposite side of the doorway—then suddenly, a familiar click sounded from inside.
Owen immediately signaled for Heatwave to back away, stepping back himself.
Almost instantly, an explosion ripped through the door, blasting a hole in it, followed by a burst of automatic gunfire.
The enemy had anticipated their entry. The element of surprise was lost—this had now become a full-force assault.
Owen let his M4A1 hang from its sling and quickly pulled a grenade. He yanked the pin and tossed it through the hole in the door, shouting, "Grenade!" to warn his teammates.
A muffled boom followed. Splinters and dust sprayed from the opening.
Owen kicked the door open and rushed in, his weapon raised.
Inside, a disoriented man was still firing wildly. The grenade hadn't killed him, but the shockwave had thrown off his aim.
Bullets ricocheted around the room, sending debris flying. Owen felt sharp stings on his face as fragments hit him.
His ESS tactical goggles absorbed the impact of the debris. They couldn't stop a direct rifle shot, but they were enough to block shrapnel.
Owen returned fire. The enemy barely had time to react before he went down.
Out of caution, Owen fired another shot to make sure. He scanned the room—no other hostiles were standing.
More teammates entered behind him. One enemy on the floor was still moving, reaching for his weapon—but before Owen could react, someone else put a bullet in his head.
Some were still groaning in pain, but SWAT didn't hesitate. Anyone who moved was given a finishing shot.
Maybe CTU would have preferred capturing some alive. But FBI SWAT wasn't in the mood for prisoners. If anyone had tried to stop them from executing these men, they might have snapped.
"Left side clear," Ash reported over the radio.
Then, without hesitation, she pulled out her sidearm and executed the last wounded enemy.
SWAT remained professional—despite their barely contained rage, they followed procedure perfectly. Breach, clear. Breach, clear. It was like a well-rehearsed drill.
Especially Ash.
Owen had heard about her condition. She had been like a bomb ready to explode these past few days.
But now, in the middle of combat, she was eerily composed. Her movements were precise. Her commands were sharp.
Only in that final execution shot did Owen sense a flicker of emotion.
Meanwhile, CTU's tactical team had nearly completed their assault.
Clearing the right side of the house had been straightforward. The only difficulty came when they moved upstairs.
But with riot shields providing cover, they broke through quickly. The enemy's makeshift barricade barely slowed them down.
Four men were killed. Two were captured alive.
Tony interrogated them briefly, and their identities were revealed.
They weren't part of the original group.
According to CTU's analysis, the first three waves of attackers were either Montell's direct forces or mercenaries with established ties to his cartel. They had been highly trained.
But more recent groups?
They were just opportunists.
People who had heard about the $100 million bounty and wanted to try their luck.
These guys had no real connection to the cartel. They were amateurs. And before they even had a chance to act, they had been wiped out by the combined forces of CTU and FBI.
Tough luck.
CTU found their weapons and plans in another room—shockingly, these guys had intended to launch a prison break.
They were delusional.
Montell's forces might have had a chance at something like that. But these guys? They wouldn't have even made it past the outer perimeter.
With the site cleared, the teams withdrew.
The two surviving prisoners were loaded into CTU vehicles for further interrogation.
Owen walked back with SWAT to their vehicle. Since they only had three members here, they hadn't used their armored BearCat G3—instead, they had come in a standard Chevy SUV.
Ash, Monica, and Heatwave stored their gear in the trunk.
Heartbeat was occupied, questioning the prisoners. As a psychology expert and negotiator, he was a key player in interrogations.
Owen saw an opportunity.
"Listen," he said to the three SWAT members. "I've got intel on the Montell family. Are you interested in joining me?"
He didn't need to explain further.
They understood exactly what he meant.
Ash's eyes lit up.
She had already been planning to kill Alex and avenge their fallen comrades. Womack had been holding her back.
The three of them had been secretly planning their own revenge. But they hadn't shared it with anyone—they wanted to make sure they could take Alex out without getting themselves killed in the process.
But Owen was different.
He was one of them.
If Owen was planning something, then it was worth considering.
Ash glanced at Monica and Heatwave.
They both nodded.
She turned back to Owen and gave him a firm nod in return.
They were in.
At that moment, Heartbeat emerged from the CTU vehicle, looking toward them.
Owen quickly said, "It's settled. I'll call you soon."
Then he walked away, blending in with the returning CTU personnel.
He had no idea that Ash had already been planning something on her own.
Instead, his mind was racing with ideas.
With Ash and her team on board, his plan had a much higher chance of success.
Maybe he should introduce them to Bryan.
If Bryan understood their skill sets, he could help refine the plan even further.
Lost in thought, Owen didn't notice that Heartbeat's eyes had been on him the entire time.
As a psychology major, Heartbeat could read people.
And Owen's behavior had been off.
Something was going on.
Something involving the SWAT members.
And no matter how much Owen tried to hide it, he wasn't a good liar.
Heartbeat was certain—Owen was keeping a secret from him.
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