The Chinooks returned to the U.S. military base. Though the wind and rain still raged, they now felt almost pleasant.
Owen was more than satisfied. The mission had gone well—no fatalities among the main team or either of the A and B squads, and only a few minor injuries. The fiercest combat had taken place with Owen's main team, but in the end, everything had gone off without a hitch.
New members Bayev and Fred had performed admirably. Bayev had even become something of a star, hogging the spotlight for much of the op. Fred hadn't had a chance to show off his sniping skills, since there was no need for it, but he proved himself as a solid assault team member—if a bit too chatty.
More importantly, the team's coordination had been smooth. The addition of two new members hadn't caused any friction or disruption. That pleased Owen the most—any factor that could hinder combat effectiveness was simply unacceptable.
At the base, the U.S. military medic frowned deeply as he tended to David's wounds—especially when he removed the massive clamp from David's groin. There was genuine sympathy on his face. Given the urgent nature of the rescue, Omega hadn't bothered removing any of the more complicated torture devices, opting instead to bring David back with them as-is.
Shortly afterward, the military arranged a special flight to return the hostage to Los Angeles. Owen and his team boarded a different flight bound for Washington.
By the time Owen's group landed in D.C., the hostage had already arrived in Los Angeles. CTU-L.A. had taken over, and David was immediately transferred to a local hospital where his parents were already waiting.
Before the Omega members had even disembarked, vehicles from their unit were already waiting on the tarmac. They climbed in straight from the aircraft, heading directly to Omega HQ.
As soon as they stepped inside, a round of applause broke out. The intelligence analysts and C Squad members all smiled and welcomed them home. Omega's entire battle had been broadcast via helmet cam—though the second half had cut out due to the storm.
Still, everyone in Omega knew just how brutal the fight had been. The intel team could see in real time whether their information was accurate, and the combat teams could see firsthand how their fellow operators handled missions. Live combat experience was far more valuable than any training.
Owen waved and smiled. The brief welcome ended, and C Squad came over to help unload their gear. Since they'd used military transport, they were allowed to bring some of their weapons, while others had been returned to the base for storage and reissue.
"You did great out there—I saw you. You were so fast the cameras couldn't even keep up," Dumb Sweetie said with a grin.
Owen thought to himself, Of course the cameras couldn't keep up. When I'm using bullet time, even HD can't catch me.
"Flatter me all you want, I'm not giving you a raise," Owen replied, mock-serious.
Dumb Sweetie rolled her eyes. "I found a structural issue with the team configuration. Want to hear it?"
"Oh? What is it?"
Now Owen was interested. The roles within Omega had mostly been assigned based on experience, with much of the setup borrowed from standard CTU operations. Whether it was optimal had always been an open question—only field experience could prove that.
"One pay grade increase."
Now it was Owen's turn to roll his eyes.
"Stingy bastard. Fine, I'll tell you anyway. I think Omega's missing a liaison-command role."
"Liaison command? What's that entail?"
Owen hadn't quite picked up on her point yet.
"Put simply, Omega used to operate only domestically. Local CTUs would handle coordination and clearance. But now that Omega is running international ops, you need someone who understands how to deal with foreign governments and forces. Sure, this mission happened in international waters, so it didn't matter. But next time, if you need to operate inside a sovereign nation, you can't just sneak in. Without permission, if something goes wrong, no one can back you up."
Owen nodded. It was a valid concern. Omega had previously only dealt with threats inside the U.S., which simplified things. But abroad? That was someone else's turf. They had no homefield advantage. Using force on foreign soil without notification could lead to disastrous consequences—some countries might even label Omega a terrorist organization.
Yes, the U.S. was powerful—but not every country bowed to it. This role, he realized, was absolutely critical. Someone with a deep understanding of global politics, connections in multiple countries, and enough command sense to make quick decisions—especially if the main force lost contact and needed someone to act independently.
The more Owen thought about it, the more he realized how difficult such a person would be to find. Someone with strategic vision, a broad network, operational knowledge…
He turned to Dumb Sweetie. "Becky, got anyone in mind?"
Becky shook her head. Owen looked away in disappointment. Finding someone like that would be tough. It'd have to wait.
Just then, Owen's phone rang. Chloe's voice came through: "Owen, Jack's having Tony hold a press conference about this case. They're officially announcing Omega's existence. You might want to take a look."
Owen acknowledged and hung up, then pulled up a news channel on the main screen. A live broadcast was underway. Tony stood at the podium, speaking.
"Members of the press, just yesterday, a disturbing case unfolded in Los Angeles. A young military enthusiast, obsessed with SEAL Team Six, fabricated an entire identity using Photoshop and posted it online. His actions caught the attention of a domestic terrorist cell, who used tech to locate his home, kidnapped him, and immediately transported him by ship to Yemen.
"He was brutally tortured along the way, as the terrorists attempted to extract military intelligence. Had we not intervened, his fate likely would have included a livestreamed execution, amputation, forced conversion, or worse.
"Within thirty minutes of the incident, Omega took charge of the case. Utilizing advanced technical capabilities, they pinpointed the hostage's location and conducted a successful raid on international waters. The operation was a success. The terrorists' ship was destroyed, multiple hostiles were neutralized, and the hostage was rescued. He arrived safely in Los Angeles earlier this morning and is currently recovering."
Before Tony could finish, the press erupted. Reporters shoved microphones forward, hands flying in the air. Tony pointed to one.
"Hello, Director Almeida. I'm Linda from CBS. I'd like to ask—what exactly is Omega? Why have we never heard of it until now?"
Tony smiled. She was one of the pre-arranged reporters. The briefing, ordered by Jack, was clearly backed by the White House.
"Omega is an independent counter-terrorism division spun off from CTU. While still under CTU's umbrella, it operates under direct White House authority. It was formed by President Palmer himself in the aftermath of the White House crisis. It's worth noting that many of Omega's current members performed exceptionally during that event."
The mention of the White House crisis stirred a frenzy. The media had long tried to dig into that story, but the classification level had been too high. All they'd ever gotten was the official statement—until now.
"Director Almeida, how is Omega different from existing CTU branches? Aren't you overlapping functions? Why create a new department?"
This question wasn't scripted, but it hit Tony right in the sweet spot.
"The biggest difference between Omega and CTU is that Omega is the highest-level counter-terrorism unit in the U.S. It has the authority to act offensively. Congress has approved that Omega holds the highest jurisdiction in all counter-terror operations. Aside from the military, all other departments must comply with Omega's directives in such cases.
"And most importantly, if Omega determines that a foreign or domestic threat poses a significant risk to U.S. national security, they have full clearance to strike first. In other words, Omega is not a defensive force. They are an offensive one."
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