Chapter 59: CTU Under Terrorist Attack

CTU has branches in major cities across the United States, each responsible for counter-terrorism in its designated area. For instance, the Los Angeles CTU covers the entire state of California.

Similarly, there is a CTU branch in San Francisco, though it is a third-level division with only an operations team, with command and intelligence analysis under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles CTU.

The mention of Miami CTU by Jack Bauer, responsible for the entire state of Florida, underscores the shock of such a unit suffering over 70% casualties in a single attack, an alarming development.

"What do we need to do now?"

"Nothing can be done at the moment. We lack sufficient intelligence. Tony has already taken some people to verify a few suspicious locations, but they've been stuck in traffic. We can only wait for now..."

Before Jack could finish, Chloe interjected urgently, "Jack~~~ The communication filtering system just intercepted a conversation mentioning the Cruel Angels. The call lasted 9 seconds, made by one Sarah Bovar, a German, located near the intersection of Markriel Street and Isaac Avenue..."

"Notify Tony to...never mind, Owen, you go... Chloe, send the location to Owen..."

Owen nodded, quickly storing his luggage in his locker, arming himself with his issued weapon and gear.

Jack stepped closer, "Just to confirm. If anything changes, Chloe will notify you. Call for backup immediately if there's an anomaly. Take my car..."

"Understood."

Owen caught the keys thrown to him and headed for the door, with Chloe calling out, "I've sent the mission details to your phone..."

"OK."

Owen jogged to the parking lot, found Jack's car with the key fob, reviewed the mission brief on his phone, and drove off the lot, quickly joining the highway.

Just as Owen left, from a nondescript spot on the roadside, someone in an old Ford with the engine still running said, "No problem, the license plate and model match exactly. It's definitely Jack Bauer's car."

"Follow him," came a voice from the back seat.

"But with the Cruel Angels causing such a stir, is this really the time for us..."

"I know. That's why we need to do this even more. Didn't you hear the news? Miami CTU's head was taken out by the Cruel Angels, so Jack Bauer must be ours. Otherwise, people will only remember the Cruel Angels, not our Red Front... Follow him..."

The car fell silent, the old Ford merged onto the highway, trailing Owen discreetly, unaware of the tail.

Shortly after the Ford disappeared into the traffic, a fully enclosed van turned down the street towards CTU's parking lot. It strangely parked a distance away from the main entrance, against a wall.

Two guards, puzzled, approached the van, intending to ask questions. The driver suddenly turned off the engine, making the sign of the cross as if praying.

Confused and never having seen such behavior, the guards approached cautiously.

The van's interior was lit, revealing the nervous, sweating driver, but his eyes were oddly bright. Then, he seemed to make a decision.

The next second

Boom~~~~~

The van exploded, hurling the two nearest guards like rag dolls.

Debris and body parts littered the ground, car alarms blared, nearby vehicles and CTU's main entrance were severely damaged, and the van turned into a fireball, flickering in the darkness.

Inside CTU, Jack Bauer and other staff were blown away by the force of the explosion.

After a moment of silence, groans of pain emerged. The wall behind them had vanished, replaced by a gaping hole, beyond which the burning wreck blazed.

The area was a mess, with Jack lying nearby, conscious but pinned under concrete debris.

People quickly came to their senses, rescuing the injured and taking them to the medical room.

They were fortunate; the thick walls absorbed most of the blast. Most suffered only minor injuries, requiring simple bandages, except for Jack, whose leg was injured and temporarily immobilized.

With Tony absent and Nina temporarily taking command, Los Angeles CTU, following Miami CTU, also fell victim to a bomb attack.

They had just contacted Miami CTU, confirming the attackers had posed as maintenance workers, causing high casualties with an internal bomb.

Los Angeles was lucky. The Cruel Angels had intended simultaneous attacks, but the Los Angeles bomb carrier was stuck in traffic. Forced to detonate in Miami first, Los Angeles heightened security, preventing direct infiltration. The attackers settled for an external explosion, nearly killing Jack Bauer.

"Isha, report our attack to headquarters..."

"Chloe, raise the Cruel Angels' threat level to the highest..."

"Neymar, access surveillance to trace the bomb vehicle's path. I need to know where it came from..."

"Dominic, call 911 for ambulances..."

As arrangements were made, Jack appeared in the operations area, his presence pausing everyone's work. Nina approached with concern, "Jack, how are you..."

Jack interrupted her, reassuring everyone he was fine, and ordered, "Simultaneous attacks in two locations, they used a significant amount of explosives. Trace the source of the explosives... Also, inform Tony..."

Before Jack could finish, someone reported, "Wait, the Cruel Angels just released a statement claiming responsibility for both Los Angeles and Miami incidents..."

They turned a computer monitor towards him, the projection wall destroyed. In the video, a person in a black hood boasted about the Cruel Angels' responsibility for the attacks, claiming it was retaliation for the arrest of their members.

CTU had seen countless such videos, but this one left a profound impression. Yet, Jack was unfazed, "Analysis team, compare the voice in the video with our database... Inform field agents to be vigilant for targeted retaliation..."

"Understood."

Staff began calling field agents, warning them of potential dangers.