Day Three.
Day Four.
Day Five.
…
Monica hadn't come after him in the past few days, and Owen also hadn't gone out of his way to provoke her. Sure, learning from her was great, but getting beaten up wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience. Besides, there were other things he needed to learn.
Owen was like a sponge, absorbing knowledge from everyone around him.
Whenever he was alone, he practiced shooting. Monica was the perfect example—not just because of her technique, but because of her work ethic. The phrase "A sharpshooter is built with bullets" wasn't an exaggeration.
If Monica could train this hard, he had no excuse to slack off.
Once everyone else arrived, Owen latched onto them, learning everything he could.
Alyssa loved this new atmosphere—it benefited the entire team's growth. Ever since Owen joined, SWAT had changed.
From Thales, Owen had fully mastered the use of linear explosives—the next step was understanding explosive compositions for different scenarios.
That was advanced stuff—it required hands-on experience, and there was no shortcut.
As for Coulson, Nicholas, Maurice, Campbell, and even Alyssa, Owen didn't spare a single one.
Everyone had a skill he could learn from, and he was shameless about asking questions. He was a rookie in many areas, so he wasn't afraid of losing face.
In return, after teaching shooting techniques, Owen started sharing other skills—mainly driving techniques, since he excelled in that.
And if they had extra time?
He taught them how to crack sunflower seeds.
Yes, sunflower seeds.
At first, the foreigners were stunned—to them, sunflower seeds were bird food.
But their curiosity got the better of them—how the hell was Owen able to perfectly separate the shell with just his tongue and teeth?
Soon enough, they were hooked.
From that moment on, the training ground floor was littered with sunflower seed shells.
Seeing some of these tough SWAT guys intensely practicing this ridiculous skill made Owen laugh every time.
But there was one person who surprised him—Monica.
After just a few hours of practice, she could perfectly crack sunflower seeds with effortless speed—just as fast as Owen.
Some people are just built differently…
—
Time flew by.
After their first mission, there had been several more.
Owen was getting more comfortable in his role within SWAT.
Two days ago, SWAT executed a hostage rescue—a man had taken over a convenience store, repeatedly threatening to harm the hostages inside.
Once they pinpointed his and the hostages' positions, Alyssa made a bold decision—instead of negotiating, they would breach the wall and separate him from the hostages.
This was Owen's first time witnessing Thales' breaching skills in action.
Thales used standard linear explosives.
Since they were blowing through a wall, he increased the charge, setting the explosives in a rectangle just big enough for a person to pass through.
While the suspect was distracted by police negotiators, there was a thunderous explosion—a human-sized hole appeared in the wall.
Before the suspect could react, Campbell's "Skittles" (flashbang grenade) landed inside.
Then—SWAT stormed in.
The entire mission was textbook-perfect—
No injuries. No casualties.
It was a risky plan, but the execution was flawless.
Yesterday, they teamed up with the DEA for a drug bust.
The targets were two major drug dealers and their crew of armed men.
The operation took place at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
They chose to strike at the moment the deal was completed.
Evidence secured. Suspects caught red-handed.
As soon as the police sirens roared in, the drug dealers panicked.
They weren't going down without a fight.
An intense gunfight erupted. The dealers had heavy firepower, but the DEA was prepared—they had brought two SWAT teams along.
The shootout quickly reached its climax.
And as usual—
Owen and Monica shined the most.
Their shooting speed and accuracy gave their team a huge advantage—once they targeted someone, that person was dead within seconds.
They significantly reduced enemy numbers, making things easier for the rest of the team.
The battle ended quickly.
Even Team B's leader admitted he was jealous of Alyssa—having Owen and Monica in a team together made a massive difference in both firepower and survivability.
Alyssa was pleased.
Owen and Monica's teamwork had been unintentional, but the results were undeniable.
And most importantly—
Owen had shown incredible discipline during these past missions.
No more reckless disobedience.
No more acting on his own.
—
Half a month flew by.
SWAT life was extremely structured—
Morning: Free training.
Afternoon: Team drills—CQB, hijacking scenarios, biohazard attacks—all kinds of simulated missions.
Evening: Free time, then off-duty.
If an emergency happened? They responded immediately.
If nothing happened? It was just another ordinary day.
Owen suddenly remembered what Tony had told him before.
Jack Bauer had two goals:
Strengthen CTU field agents. Enhance CTU's SWAT teams.
If that was Jack's plan… why not just recruit these FBI SWAT guys?
After spending time with them, Owen knew firsthand—
These guys were the best SWAT team in all of Los Angeles.
If CTU needed a special forces unit, why not just take them?
Owen thought about it… but quickly gave up on the idea.
The reasons were simple:
1. The FBI pays way more.
A-Team was the top-tier squad in FBI SWAT.
Their salaries were higher than the rest—Owen estimated that each member made around $100,000 per year, with Alyssa likely earning even more.
Even other SWAT teams in the FBI made at least $80,000 per year.
CTU couldn't match that salary.
2. The FBI keeps them busy.
The FBI and CTU had different missions.
CTU typically handled high-level terrorists, but when things got serious, they called in special forces units like Delta Force or SEAL Team Six.
SWAT only handled the low-end terrorist threats.
And let's be real—how many terrorists attack LA each year?
Meanwhile—the FBI handles thousands of violent crimes.
In the U.S. alone, there were over 30,000 shootings per year.
Even if only a fraction fell under FBI jurisdiction, that was still plenty of work for their SWAT teams.
The choice was obvious.
Owen didn't even need to ask—these guys weren't leaving the FBI.
Of course, this was Jack Bauer's problem, not Owen's.
Owen just felt a little reluctant knowing that one day, he'd have to leave SWAT.
—
The sun was setting—today had been another peaceful day.
Just before clocking out, Alyssa received a notification.
It wasn't an emergency.
SWAT command had received a request from the Los Angeles city government.
Tomorrow, a major corporate signing event was being held at the Caesar Hotel.
The task?
Provide additional security.
This was basically guard duty—the easiest kind of mission.
Alongside the LAPD's SWAT and uniformed officers, their only job was to maintain order and keep suspicious individuals away.