"What about my mother and sister?"
That was the first thing Owen asked upon hearing the devastating news about the stand-ins.
"Don't worry. They're both fine. I've already contacted them. Even if the stand-ins gave up the truth in the end, it's nearly impossible for Makarov to trace their real identities," Jack reassured him.
"I need to call them."
Owen immediately took out his phone. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack—he just needed to hear their voices himself to feel at ease. Jack shrugged understandingly and left the office to give him some privacy.
The first call Owen made was to his mother. The phone rang only once before she answered. Linda's voice came through instantly.
"Steve, my baby…"
"Mom, it's so good to hear your voice. Are you both okay? What about Amanda?"
"She's fine. We're both safe. Jack already told us what happened. Amanda's in her room. Hold on, I'll let her talk to you."
Owen waited, listening to the sound of footsteps on the other end. After a few seconds, Amanda's voice came through.
"Steve, looks like you pissed off some serious terrorists again. Am I gonna have to switch schools—again?"
Owen chuckled. Hearing her sarcasm made everything feel a little lighter. His family was safe. That's all that mattered.
He talked to his mother and sister for a long time, apologizing repeatedly. Because of his work, they'd had to make enormous sacrifices.
After finishing the call with them, he spoke with McCall for nearly half an hour, only then feeling truly at ease. The list of participants in the stand-in program was stored in a specialized, isolated database—completely off-network and accessible only through designated methods by senior CTU personnel, most of whom were also beneficiaries of the program. The chances of betrayal were extremely low.
Once Owen hung up, Jack returned, and the two spent a long time discussing next steps.
Later that same day, Owen personally visited the scene where the stand-ins had been killed. Whether for show or out of genuine concern, he needed to be there.
The bodies had been removed, but the bloodstains still told a story of brutal torture. He could only hope they hadn't given up the truth before dying.
On the bathroom mirror, the killer had left a message in lipstick: "Tenfold Repayment."
That all but confirmed it—this was Makarov.
There were two possibilities.
First: the stand-ins broke under torture and revealed the truth, and Makarov realized they were decoys. But this seemed unlikely. For one, the message on the mirror had the tone of a victor. If Makarov had discovered the truth, he would have written something like, "This is just the beginning."
Moreover, people who agreed to be stand-ins were usually prepared for this outcome—terminally ill patients, or those with their own reasons. Death and the large insurance payout to their chosen beneficiaries were often the ultimate goal. Telling the truth would have gone against their interests.
The second possibility: the stand-ins played their roles flawlessly. Makarov fell for it and believed he had exacted his revenge. That was the ideal scenario—it meant Makarov would keep his focus on Owen, and Owen's real family would remain safe. From here on out, Owen just had to maintain the appearance of a man grieving the loss of his loved ones.
Immediately after, Jack issued instructions to every CTU division in the country.
CTU was mobilized.
The brutal murder of Owen's stand-ins had crossed a line—CTU's red line. In a matter of hours, nearly every available resource was redirected to Makarov.
Satellites, informants, AI-assisted pattern matching systems, undercover agents, deep-cover contacts—CTU deployed them all.
Since the rift with the CIA hadn't been mended yet, the NSA stepped in to help gather intel overseas.
Across the country, countless informants were roughed up. CTU agents weren't holding back—they wanted any information that could lead them to Makarov.
Small-time gangs were obliterated. Normally, CTU wouldn't bother with them, but now it was different. If they couldn't produce intel on Makarov or his Core Group, then their destruction was assured.
Panic spread through the criminal underworld—especially among Russian gangs. Everyone was asking:
Who is Makarov, and what did he do?
CTU's blitz had two purposes:
One, to make a public show of retribution. If someone killed a CTU agent's family, this kind of fury was the expected response.
Two, they genuinely wanted to find Makarov. For any enforcer of justice, retaliation against family was the one red line. Cross it, and death was guaranteed.
In mere days, both the underworld and official agencies were hunting Makarov. Owen even posted a $200,000 bounty on the dark web for any information on him.
The Rapid Response Team cancelled all leave the moment they heard the news. Most of them didn't even have families to worry about.
Ghost's wife and child were long dead.
Swagg was a loner.
Monica was an orphan—her adoptive parents had died in a car crash.
Heartbeat's parents were both Air Force officers, and like Owen, he was also under the stand-in program. So far, everything was normal.
Across the U.S., the Core Group suffered devastating losses. CTU attacked every known or suspected affiliate. Even when CTU didn't act directly, they pushed rival groups to move. The message was clear:
Either the Core Group dies—or you do.
Makarov's network in the U.S. had never been strong, but now it was virtually annihilated. Owen's objective was simple:
Make Makarov a pariah—hunted by both law enforcement and the underworld.
Because of him, the Core Group's U.S. branch had been uprooted. Those who survived went into deep hiding.
Makarov wasn't the only one with a say in the Core Group—others were sure to be angry with him. The group's stance would shape how other organizations treated Makarov. The fewer allies he had, the greater the chance he'd slip up.
Unfortunately, despite the nationwide dragnet, no clues about Makarov surfaced. It was as if he had vanished completely.
"How is it looking, Owen?"
The Rapid Response Team had just returned from a mission. They had raided a hideout—not a Core Group cell, but one with known connections. Nikki had flagged it. The team wiped it out in under twenty minutes.
Owen shook his head. He hadn't taken part in any operations the last few days. Outwardly, he was still playing the role of a grieving man, letting the public think he'd been devastated by the attack. All missions were led by Ghost, the team's deputy commander.
Other official agencies had begun noticing CTU's uncharacteristic aggression, particularly law enforcement and the FBI. CTU's temperament had clearly soured—but one look into the reason, and everyone backed off.
Word on the street, even among CTU's own personnel, was that one of their agents' families had been killed in retaliation.
Only Jack and a select few in the Rapid Response Team knew the full truth.
(End of Chapter)
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