The two donned their bomb suits, and Jack felt as if he were back in Virginia Beach, undergoing special training under Clay's guidance, dismantling various dangerous explosives.
But back then, mistakes offered a chance to learn and start over. Now, failure meant death.
Even the most formidable bomb suit couldn't withstand the devastation of four pounds of C4 explosives. At best, it could allow the wearer to die with more dignity, or perhaps even leave their body intact for burial.
The hurried footsteps echoed again, this time coming down the stairs from Jubal, who placed a wireless signal jammer the size of a miniature computer case at Alice's feet.
"This is the latest model we found in the building. Once turned on, it can block all radio signals within a radius of one mile (less than two kilometers). Hannah and other field agents are outside searching for the suspect."
He squatted in front of Alice and patted her shoulder gently as if to comfort her. "We will definitely save you, but I need your help now. I need you to recall as many details as possible about the man who held you hostage. This is crucial."
Alice nodded touchedly and tried to recall. "When I was in the SUV, he tied my hands behind my back and held them tightly, which shows how strong he is. He was also very rough when he placed the bomb on my neck."
"Wait a minute." Aubrey, who had been half-crouching opposite her, noticed the blind spot. "You mean he was holding your hands when he was installing the bomb, without using handcuffs or restraints?"
Alice suddenly realized, "Yes, that means there was a second person at the time, and he had an assistant."
Jack beside her quickly picked up the phone and called Hannah, "Hey, Hannah, you may be looking for two needles in a haystack. There are at least two suspects. According to my speculation, they are very likely the two who escaped from the warehouse area last night.
To fully monitor the Federal Building, you need one person to monitor it to the south and one to the north. The south is Federal Plaza, which is facing me now. It's very close. I suggest you split up and start with the building to the north. You only have 10 minutes."
"We've found the SUV in the underground parking lot of the north building. I found Alice's ID card inside the car, and the parking attendant confirmed that no one had left the parking lot exit during that time. I suspect the suspect is observing the federal building from the windows upstairs."
Hannah's voice was remarkably calm. Efficient communication was paramount in these times. Even then, she quickly whispered, "Are you okay there, Jack?"
"Of course, we're ready." Jack instinctively glanced at Clay, who was concentrating on applying a silicone patch to Alice's neck.
He thought to himself, if something went wrong, he'd accept it. He'd finally assembled the future team members, and he couldn't afford to stumble on his first mission. The new office wasn't even finished yet.
Meanwhile, Jubal had just finished a call with the operations center upstairs, but he hadn't hung up yet. "Okay, analysts have identified several suspects in the windows of the building across the street through external surveillance. Alice, think hard. Is there anything we've missed? We need to identify who it is."
"No, I've said everything I can think of," Alice's expression grew anxious again. "It doesn't matter if we can't find them, right? You can definitely deactivate the bomb, right?"
As she spoke, she gripped Aubrey's hands tightly, her nails digging into his flesh.
From the beginning, to prevent her from breaking down and doing something stupid, Aubrey had been half-crouching in front of her, holding her hands. Whether he was telling her a joke to distract her or Clay and Jack were working on a solution to the collar, he never left her side.
"Hey, hey, look at me, Alice. Do you think I look nervous?" Aubrey seemed oblivious, as if the other person's nails weren't digging into her arm.
"No," Alice shook her head vigorously.
"That's right. I trust Jack and the colleagues outside. Although I've only been in the New York office a short time, the legends here are already known even in Quantico.
And didn't Jack just say that you'll soon be part of that legend? He just extended a formal invitation to you in front of Ms. Moger."
This time, Alice nodded vigorously again. She subconsciously pulled back her right hand and wiped the tear marks from her cheek.
She didn't look very pretty at the moment. Her eyes were swollen, her makeup was smudged from the tears, and there was a noticeable redness on her wrist.
Aubrey was worried about the movement of her hand, so he grabbed her right hand again and noticed the injury on her wrist, "Hey, what's wrong with your wrist?"
"It might be the injury when that man controlled me. I just said his movements were very rude." Alice paused, with surprise on her face, "He is wearing a ring on his right hand, it should be a big one."
"Well done, Alice." Jubal picked up the phone and said loudly, "Guys, zoom in on the images of those suspects. The person we are looking for is the one wearing a big ring on his right hand. Yes, the one in the right window on the second floor? Confirm, arrest him!"
After that, he left two wireless headsets and ran towards the elevator, "I leave this to you. We will keep in touch through the radio."
Jack and Aubrey put on headphones and assisted Clay with his preparations, listening to the conversations of the field agents inside.
The arrests were not going smoothly. The team that went upstairs didn't capture anyone alive. A Latino male suspect, upon realizing he was being controlled, committed suicide by biting through a poison sac in his mouth.
It was unclear why a drug lord like Vargas would employ such a killer—whether it was through threats against the suspect's family, or simply because money made the world go round, or perhaps a combination of both.
But now was clearly not the time to delve into the matter. The real problem was that the agents had found nothing resembling a remote detonator on him, only an unregistered cell phone with a single number.
Technicians at the operations center located the number with unprecedented speed. As Jack had predicted, it was located on Federal Plaza across from the Federal Building, where Hannah was currently sprinting with the suspect's phone.
Federal Plaza, which Jack passed daily, was small, consisting of a green belt and a few outdoor tables and chairs for passersby and tourists to relax, facing the Federal Building's south-facing main entrance.
"Should we activate the signal jammer?" Aubrey followed Jack's gaze, looking toward the square.
"Wait, Hannah needs to call that number to confirm the suspect's identity. We only have one chance." Jack quickly began to remove his bomb suit, ready to go out and help.
Seeing his actions, the others couldn't help but guess what he was going to do. Aubrey's hand, gripping Alice's, trembled, and they exchanged glances.
In fact, among the crowd, Clay, who had been busy with his head down, understood Jack's approach best. This was also the SEAL approach: after identifying the target and assessing the risk, they act decisively.
He paused his work, picked up the signal jammer from the ground, and walked behind a pillar to gaze out at the small square through the floor-to-ceiling windows. "It's almost 50 yards (about 45 meters), are you sure?"
"If I cross the street, it's only 30 yards." Jack checked the SIG Sauer P320-XTen in his hand, his tone brimming with confidence.
"Who are you betting on?" Clay narrowed his eyes, scanning the several people standing and sitting in the small square one by one.
"That woman with curly black hair sitting with her back to us is fiddling with her makeup mirror, probably trying to observe what's going on here." Jack pressed the wireless earphones in his ear.
"Hannah, I see you. Going to call that number."
Hannah had already skirted the green belt and was approaching quickly. She immediately noticed the woman sitting alone.
"It's ringing!" Hannah had barely finished her words when she saw the woman with curly black hair frantically pulling her phone from her small bag on the table, ready to answer.
"FBI! Freeze!" Hannah shouted, and the woman instinctively stood up.
At the same time, the glass doors of the federal building slowly opened, and a figure sprinted out at the speed of a 100-meter sprint, crossing the street between the building and the square in the blink of an eye.
"Don't move!" Hannah dropped her phone and drew her sidearm. At the same time, Jack, with an abrupt stop that almost defied common sense, positioned himself behind the woman. The two of them, one in front and one behind, flanked her from a distance, while simultaneously avoiding each other's line of fire.
"FBI! Everyone else get down!"
The woman panicked and turned to look at Jack behind her. When she turned back to look at Hannah, a look of determination flashed across her face, and one hand quickly reached into her bosom.
"Buzz~~~" A sharp electric sound echoed through the wireless headsets of all the nearby agents and the ears of those on their phones. This was Clay turning on the wireless signal shield.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two gunshots rang out simultaneously. Amid the screams of passersby, the black-haired woman's head shattered like a watermelon, and her body fell to the ground, twitching under the remaining nerve reaction.
(End of this chapter)