While the others practiced at the underground shooting range, Owen didn't join in. He had already taught them everything he could. How much they could grasp depended on their own abilities.
Shooting, like many other skills, relied heavily on natural talent. Some people could immediately grasp the essence of a technique with just one explanation, while others might never fully understand it, even with hands-on coaching.
To Owen's surprise, Heartbeat was one of those with natural talent.
During the ambush while transporting Alex, Owen had noticed Heartbeat's accuracy.
Regardless of whether it was Owen or Monica taking down an enemy, Heartbeat was always right behind them, finishing off targets with precise headshots.
Although most of the enemies were already immobilized by then, his accuracy with static targets was undeniable. And now, after learning Owen's techniques, his improvement was visibly rapid.
Owen was quite satisfied with his new partner.
The underground shooting range was spacious, with twelve shooting lanes. Even with the entire field team present, there were still empty spots.
Owen felt a bit tempted to test out the curved shooting technique he had witnessed before. Back on the battlefield, he had instinctively mimicked that female assassin and managed to fire one curved shot. However, since then, he hadn't been able to replicate it.
For him, shooting was all about feeling. When everything clicked, he could hit exactly where he wanted, shot after shot. But if something felt off, even activating bullet time wouldn't guarantee perfect accuracy—he could only ensure that every shot landed somewhere on target.
He glanced around at the others but ultimately decided against it. Curved shooting was simply too unnatural—if someone saw him do it, he wouldn't be able to explain it. It was something that shouldn't be possible through human ability alone.
Leaving the shooting range, he stepped into CTU's main hall, which was as busy as ever. Checking his watch, he saw that it was almost 7 PM. Amanda and his mother were probably getting dinner ready at home.
He planned to tell his mother that he wouldn't be staying at home for the foreseeable future.
Both Bryan and Jack had warned him about this. CTU had already masked his personal records—his information was now invisible to the public, only accessible within CTU's internal database.
For now, this meant his family was safe. But to prevent enemies from tracking him and finding his family, he needed to minimize contact with them.
It wasn't an easy decision, but after what had happened when Salim's men came after his family, he knew that staying away was ultimately for their safety. It was one of the harsh realities of his line of work.
Leaving CTU, he found his car in the parking lot and pulled out onto the main road.
After the previous terrorist attack, CTU had built additional security walls, sealing off the parking lot and tightening overall security. Unauthorized vehicles were no longer allowed inside, making the facility significantly safer.
Before heading home, Owen took a detour through the city, following the counter-surveillance techniques he had learned from Instructor Morrie in Las Vegas.
After two loops through the city with no signs of a tail, he finally drove toward home.
Once inside the Purple Forest Lane community, he slowed down significantly. The neighborhood had many children who often ran around unpredictably, and residents were always careful when driving.
Pulling up in front of his house, Owen stepped out of the car. Before he even entered, he could hear laughter inside, along with Amanda's excited shrieks.
Curious, he pushed the door open and found his mother and Amanda in the living room. To his surprise, Mr. McCall was there as well. He was demonstrating something to Amanda, making her giggle uncontrollably.
"Mom, Mr. McCall..."
"Oh, Owen, you're back. I guess that means it's time for me to leave," McCall said with a warm smile. He seemed to have been having a pleasant conversation with Owen's mother and sister.
"No, no, Mr. McCall, you're such an interesting person! I'd love to invite you to stay for dinner. I hope you won't refuse," his mother said.
"Well..."
"Please, don't turn us down. We'd love to have you," she added, glancing at Owen. Amanda chimed in as well, clearly fond of the older man.
Owen wasn't about to reject his mother's invitation, especially since McCall had helped their family before.
"That's right, Mr. McCall. We've never had the chance to invite you over for a meal. Tonight seems like the perfect opportunity."
"Alright, thank you for the kind invitation," McCall agreed with a smile.
"Great! I'll go prepare dinner then. Oh, by the way, do you eat Chinese food? Tonight is our 'Chinese food night.' Every Thursday, we have Chinese cuisine."
"Chinese food? Of course! I love trying dishes from different cultures," McCall replied cheerfully.
Smiling, his mother headed into the kitchen.
Owen invited McCall to sit on the couch and then turned to Amanda. "Amanda, what were you two doing earlier? You seemed to be having a lot of fun—I could hear you laughing from outside."
Grinning, Amanda pulled out a book. "This is a gift from Mr. McCall!"
Owen glanced at the title—Safe House.
He recognized it. It was a popular novel that year, telling the story of a young girl who had to outsmart intruders after being trapped alone at home.
He nodded at McCall in appreciation. Meanwhile, Amanda suddenly jumped up from the couch and motioned for Owen to come closer. "Owen, try to attack me from behind!"
"...Attack you? Why?"
Owen was confused but played along, reaching out as if to grab her from behind.
To his surprise, Amanda reacted instantly. Just as his hands touched her shoulders, she twisted his wrist, ducked under his arm, and moved behind him.
With his joint locked, Owen was caught off guard and had no choice but to roll with it to avoid injury.
Landing on his back, he heard Amanda burst into laughter.
Owen lay there, stunned. He hadn't expected that. He had completely underestimated her and walked right into her trap.
Standing up, he saw the smug look on Amanda's face. She gestured for him to try again.
This time, Owen was more cautious. He reached for her shoulders again, and just like before, she grabbed his wrist and attempted to maneuver behind him.
But Owen was ready. He positioned his leg to block her retreat, forcing her back toward him.
Of course, Amanda had a counter for that too. Instead of retreating, she dropped to the ground, using her weight to pull Owen down.
Owen nearly lost his balance but managed to steady himself. He reached out to grab Amanda, but she had already placed a foot against his thigh, preventing him from closing the distance.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Owen recognized the technique immediately.
He grabbed her foot, thinking he had her trapped, but Amanda suddenly hooked his leg with her arm and pushed against his thigh with her other foot.
In an instant, Owen felt himself losing balance. It was a clever move—her lower body applied inward pressure while her upper body pushed outward, disrupting his equilibrium.
Of course, he could counter it, but instead, he let himself fall to the ground, playing along.
Her techniques were surprisingly effective. In a real situation, an attacker caught off guard would likely fall, giving her a chance to escape.
"Not bad!" Owen clapped from the ground.
Amanda's techniques had been a mix of Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and they were very practical.
Seeing his sister gain self-defense skills made him genuinely happy. But he was also curious. "Where did you learn this?"
"Mr. McCall taught me! I've been practicing for two days. Today, I even used it on a guy who got too close to me!" Amanda said proudly.
Owen glanced at McCall with gratitude.
Not only had he given Amanda a book about self-defense, but he had also personally taught her effective techniques. It was clear that he was deliberately equipping her with the skills to protect herself.
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