A few minutes later, Owen was already in a taxi. He had planned to head to Fairfax County Police Department today to retrieve his vehicle, but Jack's urgent call left him no choice but to head straight to CTU.
Inside the cab, Owen ignored the annoyed glance of the Black driver and switched the radio from hip-hop to the news channel.
The young driver tried to switch it back, but Owen lifted his shirt to reveal the gun in his holster. The driver immediately backed down.
"Sir... where are you headed?"
"CTU headquarters."
As the cab sped along the highway, Owen paid no further attention to the driver and focused on the news broadcast.
"According to the latest reports, at 5:03 PM local time yesterday, a bombing occurred at a kindergarten in Manila, Philippines. Authorities have confirmed it was a terrorist attack. The confirmed death toll stands at 29, with 54 injured. Among the deceased are 27 children, one local female ice cream vendor, and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harrison Campos. The Philippine President delivered a televised address last night, strongly condemning the terrorists' despicable act..."
Owen flipped through several stations and quickly pieced together the events. Someone had carried out a terrorist attack at a kindergarten in Manila. The primary target was the American ambassador—and they succeeded. But the cost was the lives of countless innocent children. It was an act so vile that it defied comprehension. Even among terrorists, such a method was considered inhuman. Perhaps even their peers would struggle to justify this.
In all the terrorist attacks Owen had seen, this was the first where the location was a kindergarten. While there were mass shootings in U.S. schools, those were rarely classified as terrorism—usually the impulsive acts of disgruntled individuals. CTU didn't even get involved in those—local police and the FBI handled them.
But this was different. The target had been clear: the American ambassador. Yet the perpetrators had shown complete disregard for the lives of innocent children. These people weren't just terrorists—they were monsters.
The taxi soon arrived at CTU. Owen left the fare on the seat and walked in without a word. The driver didn't even dare ask for payment.
Inside, he headed straight to the second-floor office.
"Jack..."
Seeing that no one else was in the office, he pushed open the door.
"You're here. I assume you've heard about the Philippine ambassador."
Owen nodded. "Saw the news."
"Take a look at this first."
Jack's face was grim. He handed Owen a tablet. On the screen was surveillance footage from the bombed kindergarten. The video clearly recorded every moment of the attack—how the terrorists used the ice cream truck to attract the children, how they lured the ambassador close, and finally, how the bomb was detonated. The most shocking moment was the close-up of Makarov pressing the detonator, his face full of provocation and arrogance.
After watching, Owen handed the tablet back to Jack. "Who is this guy?"
Jack, expecting the question, tossed over a stack of files. As Owen flipped through them, Jack continued, "The man in the video is Vladimir Makarov. He was a member of the Russian extremist group 'The Core.' Three months ago, the group's leader, Zakhaev, was assassinated by a sniper. According to intel, the group quickly fractured into two factions—moderates and extremists. Makarov swiftly rose as the leading figure of the extremists."
Jack paused, then added, "What you just saw is surveillance footage from the kindergarten bombing. We obtained it before the Philippine government did. Makarov obviously wanted the video to go public to boost his credibility within The Core and secure his position as Zakhaev's successor. Naturally, we want to prevent that, so we got the footage first. But even with this head start, the Philippine authorities will eventually retrieve their own copy. We've got, at most, 48 hours before it's leaked."
Owen nodded. He couldn't say for sure, but he suspected the so-called "moderates" might be CIA proxies. The CIA was infamous for meddling across the globe, training anti-government forces to destabilize enemies. Ironically, many of these trained "assets" eventually turned on America. Chechen rebels, and many extremist groups... CTU's files were filled with terrorist factions that had some history with the CIA.
Pushing aside those tangled thoughts, Owen returned his focus to the present. Makarov clearly hated the United States. Preventing his rise was the politically correct move.
Then another thought struck Owen. "If Makarov rose this fast, could he have been the one who got rid of Zakhaev?"
"No," Jack answered firmly. "That was a military operation jointly conducted by General Shepherd and the British SAS. Makarov wasn't anything special back then. But after Zakhaev's death, he shot to prominence. And now, after this attack goes public, his status will peak."
This Makarov was clearly no ordinary figure, Owen thought.
"How much do we know about him?"
"Not much. Vladimir Makarov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy and entered the Russian army as a captain. He initially served with the 98th Airborne Division, then transferred to the Alpha Special Forces. He undertook two missions in Chechnya. According to reports, a unit under his command participated in several brutal 'cleansing' operations. Unfortunately, that's all we have. He wasn't particularly notable before, so our intel is thin."
Owen nodded. "So, what do you need from me? Am I heading to the Philippines?"
"Yes. Makarov has disappeared. We need to track him down."
"What about my team?"
Owen shook his head. "Still recovering. They won't be operational for at least another week."
Their last mission had been the Quick Response Team's first—and they'd been unlucky. Multiple unexpected developments had forced them into intense firefights. Though they'd avoided casualties, everyone except Owen had been injured. While none of the wounds were critical, it was enough to sideline them from fieldwork.
The team was down, but the stakes were high. An American ambassador had been killed in broad daylight. It was a global slap in America's face—Washington couldn't just sit idly by.
"I'll go alone," Owen offered.
His goal in the Philippines would be tracking Makarov's trail. There likely wouldn't be any heavy fighting, so he figured he could handle it solo. But Jack immediately shook his head.
"No. This is a joint operation between the CIA, CTU, and NSA. The Philippines isn't our turf, so everything has to be handled quietly. That said, we're still leading the operation. NSA will send a cyber intelligence officer to support you. She'll go with you to the Philippines. The CIA will have someone on the ground waiting."
"She? NSA sent a woman?"
"Yes. She's not field ops, but will handle all your intel support in the Philippines."
"Alright. So when do we leave?"
"The sooner, the better."
(End of Chapter)
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