Just as Owen was about to turn up the volume on the radio to listen more closely, his phone suddenly rang.
"Hel… hello? Are you a friend of Eddie's?"
The caller was a woman, her voice trembling with panic and barely holding back tears. Owen frowned.
"Eddie? Eddie Murphys?"
"Yes! You're his friend, right?"
Her voice was laced with desperation. Once Owen confirmed he knew Eddie, she sounded visibly relieved—her tone brightened momentarily before rushing out in urgency: "Thank God! Please, you have to save him!"
Save him? What the hell?
Owen was caught off guard. He had just spoken to that fat bastard not long ago—now someone was calling, begging for his rescue?
"Wait—who are you? What happened to him?"
Owen quickly pulled over to the curb and turned up his phone's volume.
"I'm his girlfriend. Just now, some men stormed in while he was on the phone. They had guns—just dragged him off without saying anything. I found your number on his phone. Please, I'm begging you—save him!"
"Do you know who those people were? Were they cops? Enemies? Who?"
"Sorry, I should've said sooner—they were FBI. They had 'FBI' printed on their vests."
FBI?
Owen's first thought: Why the hell would the FBI arrest Eddie? His second thought: That fat bastard has a girlfriend?!
"Alright, I got it. I'll handle this."
He reassured her, then hung up the phone. He didn't hesitate—he was going to help Eddie.
Sure, Eddie was a black-market arms dealer. Sure, he was greedy, annoying, and always eating—but he had helped Owen. If not for Eddie's M2HB, they might never have wiped out the Red Vipers so cleanly.
Besides… Owen kind of liked the guy.
He immediately called Chloe. At CTU, the Data Support Division also handled inter-agency communications.
"Chloe, the FBI picked up a guy named Eddie Murphys. He's helping me trace the source of the TATP. I need to know why they grabbed him—he's a critical asset."
"Got it. Give me a minute."
Owen didn't start the engine again. He stayed parked on the curb, waiting.
A few minutes later, Chloe called back.
"Owen, the FBI is denying they even have him."
Owen's brows knitted. Either the feds were playing games, or Eddie's girlfriend had misidentified them. But the idea that someone would impersonate FBI agents right now seemed absurd—no one would be that reckless under this kind of heat.
He decided to call Monica for confirmation. The line picked up quickly, but the background noise was chaotic. Owen raised his voice.
"Hey babe, did you guys just arrest someone named Eddie Murphys?"
"What? Owen, you know the rules. I can't disclose mission details."
"Come on, this is really important to me."
"I can't say. All I'll tell you is—I just got back from a field op."
"I understand."
He ended the call. That was confirmation enough. The FBI had nabbed Eddie—and they were keeping it quiet. Clearly, they thought Eddie was worth holding onto.
Owen's only option now was to escalate—he called Tony.
"Owen?"
"Tony, the FBI just picked up a key informant—Eddie Murphys. He's helping me track the bomb material. Chloe tried to reach out, but they're refusing to acknowledge the arrest."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Apply pressure. Get him released."
"He's that important?"
"Yes. Very."
"Alright. I'll call Womack. Give me a few minutes."
Owen waited. Time crawled by. After ten minutes, Tony's name flashed on the screen again.
"Owen, Womack agreed to release him. Go to the FBI's L.A. field office. Ask for his deputy—Benjamin Affleck. He's handling the release."
"Thanks, Tony. How did you convince them?"
Owen had heard whispers that Tony wasn't getting much respect from other power players in L.A. since taking over CTU. He was curious how Tony pulled this off.
"Simple. I told them Eddie is a CTU informant, and since we're taking point on this case, all resources fall under our jurisdiction. They can't cherry-pick the benefits without CTU's blessing."
Owen's eyes lit up. For a second, he saw a flash of Jack Bauer in Tony.
When Jack was CTU's head, his skill and reputation made him a major player in the L.A. intelligence community. Nobody messed with him. But after he left and Tony took over, some had treated Tony like an easy target—like a rookie they could push around.
Now Tony was asserting himself. It would piss some people off—but if CTU cracked this case, no one could complain.
"Got it."
As Owen was about to hang up, Tony added, "Owen, one more thing—try not to piss off Benjamin Affleck."
"He someone I should know about?"
Tony hesitated, choosing his words carefully.
"He's a legacy. This FBI gig is just a stepping stone. His dad's the current Secretary of State. His mom sits on IBM's board. Best not to make enemies if you don't have to."
"Understood."
Owen wasn't some hot-headed rookie anymore—he knew the value of connections. Especially someone like Benjamin: young, seemingly harmless, but connected to enormous power. No need to make an unnecessary enemy.
He drove to the FBI field office. After a brief wait, he was ushered in to meet Benjamin Affleck.
The guy was young, clean-cut, and energetic, with a head of golden hair. Owen expected him to be arrogant, but to his surprise, Benjamin was warm and friendly.
The reason became clear quickly.
"Steve Owen? I'm Benjamin Affleck. Great to meet you."
They shook hands.
"I saw Die Hard last night. Fantastic movie. I read it was based on the Zhongchen Tower incident—so I looked into it. Turns out, you were the inspiration for the main character.
That rooftop jump scene? That actually happened?! I can't believe it. I have no idea how you made that decision in the moment."
"There was no decision. It was either jump… or die."
"Haha! You've got a sense of humor. I like that."
Nobody had expected Benjamin Affleck to be a Die Hard fan. Because of the movie, he had developed a surprising admiration for Owen.
"Uh… about Eddie Murphys…"
"Oh! Right, right—almost forgot. Follow me, he's this way."
Owen was soon reunited with Eddie. The guy looked tired and worn down, but the second he saw Owen, his face lit up.
"Thanks, man."
Owen led Eddie out. The FBI didn't hassle them—Benjamin personally walked them to the front door.
"We should play golf sometime."
"Absolutely."
Owen waved goodbye, then drove off with his favorite fat arms dealer.
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