Season 5 Descriptive Summary Ep 5.08 - Bob

Season 5: Episode 5.08: Bob
12/16/2005
Summary by superintelligentone aka SIO

The show starts with the caption “Siberia” as we see a passenger train traveling through a snow covered wilderness at night, sounding its horn. Inside, we see an old woman reading a book at front right side of the car and another old man across the aisle looking out the window. Behind him are some middle aged men playing chess. The door at the rear opens and a younger man named Lukas Basarov enters from one of the passenger cars further back. As he cautiously walks up the aisle, it appears as if he is looking for someone or something. When Basarov nears the men playing chess, one of them, a bald man, accidentally knocks a chess piece into the aisle. The younger man calls out “Whoa” then kneels down and picks up the piece for them. The bald man says in Russian “Thank you, sir.” Lukas smiles politely, then looks intently at the chess board noticing the best next move for the game. He tells the grey haired man in Russian “Just a suggestion.” The man looks at him with interest as Basarov says “Try... Knight to C-5.... Huh?” The man studies the chess board, then uses the move and nods, saying in Russian “You are right.” Lukas smiles and chuckles. The man repeats “You are right” as Basarov rises to his feet and continues down the aisle. As he heads towards the door to the next car, we see that he has left a device that is beeping every second under the seat across from the men. One additional LED illuminates with each beep.

Lukas enters the next car and takes a seat at the second window. He begins reading the newspaper that he hid the device in, then checks his wristwatch. After noting the time, Basarov gets a strange expression. The lights of the device in the next car is flashing rapidly. The man that he advised lifts up his chess piece and announce in triumph “Checkmate.” The sound of a capacitor building up a charge whines and a bright flash of light is seen. From outside of the train, we see a bright flash come out from the windows of the second passenger car. Lukas tosses his newspaper down in the front car and returns to the adjacent car.

As Basarov walks down the aisle of the second car, we see there are charred bodies in an otherwise normal setting. He reaches under the seat across from the chess players and retrieves the device. Lukas glances at the dead men and then heads towards the third car.

Sometime later, we see the skyline of Los Angeles at night. Inside Marshall’s lab, Rachel Gibson asks him “Did you crack Dean’s encryption?” As he and Dixon finish looking through some files, Flinkman replies “Well, I was working on it, but... I got a little sidetracked.” Dixon looks up at him and then glances over at Thomas Grace. Marshall explains “I intercepted a string of MI-6 transmissions. They’re all about the testing and sale of a prototype MPB. Tom replies “That’s impossible.” “Yeah, I thought so, too” is Flinkman’s response. Looking around for an explanation, the rookie agent asks “What’s an MPB?” Marshall replies “Sorry. It’s a Micro Pulse Bomb. These things - super nasty. Incinerate the people, leave everything else intact. Marcus adds “There was an incident aboard a train in Siberia two days ago. Information’s leaking out slowly, but...” Before he can finish, Grace interrupts, saying “You think that’s the test?” After Dixon nods, Tom points out “There’s no way the Brits are pursing an MPB. That breaks every arms treaty known to man.” Agent Gibson then asks Marcus “Well, have you notified the Director General? (The head of MI-6)” Shaking his head, Dixon explains “Until we know who we can trust, we can’t approach MI-6 officially. Jack and Sydney are in England trying to find out more. In the meantime, we’re going to go over every single transmission Marshall pulled off the server to see if we missed something” touching the stack of files emphatically. Taking several files off the top, Marcus announces “I’m working on these.” Rachel follows suit and says “Okay.” Thomas shows the files that he’ll work on and says “I’ll take these.” Marshall holds his set of files and his face indicates that he thinks that they are in for a lot of work.

On a black screen is the caption ‘Yorkshire’. Chamber music is heard as we see that it is daytime at a manor house on a country estate. At the garden party being held out back, we see a white gloved waiter bringing a silver teapot to the table where Sydney is sitting with a matronly woman wearing a pink tweed jacket and hat. Syd smiles politely as the Englishwoman tells her with pride “You should see my youngest grandchild Daisy....” Sydney thanks the waiter as he refills her teacup, and then resumes listening to the grandmother’s story as she continues “Four years old and already a master of the computer.” Syd smiles and says “Wow” showing that she is paying attention. The woman chuckles, then pointing at Sydney’s pregnant belly asks “Have you chosen a name?” We see that Syd has shifted her attention off to the side to observe a well-dressed middle-aged man with a blonde woman, chatting with another couple of guests. They are Ambassador Joseph Vachon and his wife Elizabeth Powell. The matronly woman continues “I myself have always been partial to ‘Rupert’ - such a distinguished name.” Sydney shifts her gaze further to the right and sees her father, Jack, turn from chatting with a distinguished-looking older man with silver-hair, moustache and beard. Wearing eyeglasses, tweed jacket and sweater vest, Director Bristow looks like a college professor. He looks at Syd with a questioning expression, so she signals him with her eyes in Elizabeth’s direction even as the matron continues “A shame it fallen out of favor. Wouldn’t you agree, dear?” Sydney turns to look at the woman and replies with a smile in a Southern accent “Rupert - it’s classic.” Director Bristow concludes his chat by saying “Will you excuse me?” Syd sees him turn and leave, so she tells her tablemate “Can’t seem to get enough of that Devonshire clotted cream. We don’t have it in the States.” Setting her napkin down onto the table, Sydney tells the woman “If you’ll just pardon me?” The matron replies “Yes, of course.” Syd picks up her purse and replies “Thank you” and waves goodbye as she leaves.

At a table filled with deserts, Elizabeth Powell places one of the pastries onto her plate and explains to the man standing next to her in a British accent “I prefer the cinnamon, but the blackberry is also very good.” The man in the tweed cap smiles and nods. When Elizabeth turns around, Sydney walks up to her and says in her Southern accent “Excuse me, ma’am. You forgot a napkin.” She hands the woman the napkin that she is carrying. Ms. Powell stares momentarily in surprise at hearing the apparent passphrase, then smiles and replies “Oh... Thank you” then nods. Syd nods and tells her “You’re welcome.” They then walk away from each other. The woman stops to glance at the napkin, then turns to look back at Sydney with a surprised expression.

Inside the manor house, Jack taps out a few notes on the piano in the music room as he stands waiting for his contact. Walking into the room with a warm smile, Elizabeth Powell says nostalgically “Do you still play?” With a hint of regret, he replies “No, gave it up years ago” then removes his spectacles. Setting down her handbag onto a table, Elizabeth walks up to him and says “You shouldn’t have approached me here.” Director Bristow replies “I take it Joseph still doesn’t know what you do for a living. She raises her eyebrows and says with a sly grin “How would it look for the French Ambassador to have a spook (slang meaning spy) for a wife?” Her smile fades as she confides “Besides, this is where I get my best intelligence.” Jack points out with a contemptuous tone “I already talked with the Minister of Finance. He’s a dimwit.” Leaning forward, Ms. Powell asks “What’s this about, Jack?” Pausing because he regrets having to make the accusation, Director Bristow explains “We believe someone operating within MI-6 (British Intelligence) is attempting to acquire a micropulse bomb. After a momentary pause, Elizabeth replies “Well, that’s outrageous. MI-6 would never sanction it.” Nodding, Jack immediately replies “I agree. More likely, whoever it is represents some corrupt element.” With a look of surprise, she asks “Are you suggesting we have a double agent?” With certainty, Director Bristow explains “Yes... But it goes much deeper than that. Have you ever heard of Prophet Five?”

Back outside at the garden party, her husband, the French Ambassador, walks up to a guest and asks him with concern “Have you seen Elizabeth?” The man shakes his head and replies “No. Sorry.” Ambassador Vachon hurries off to continue his search. Seeing him headed towards the house, Sydney tries to delay him. She approaches him with a broad smile and says with the same Southern accent that she was using with the old woman “Excuse me! Pardonnez-moi (Pardon me). Are you Joseph Vachon, the French Ambassador?” With a puzzled expression, he replies “Why, yes, I am.” Syd says with delight “I knew it!” and then explains “Hey, I’ve been taking French classes at night...” then glances down at her pregnant tummy and continues “‘cause little ones are supposed to pick up so quickly, you know?” The Ambassador nods politely, then glances away to his left to see if he can spot Elizabeth anywhere. Acting embarrassed, Sydney asks “I was just wondering if I could just practice a little bit on you.” After glancing to his right, Vachon reluctantly agrees by nodding and says “I suppose so, yeah.” She replies with a grin “Great” then as if trying to remember says “Okay. All right” and closes her eyes for a moment. In poorly pronounced and heavily Southern-accented French, she enthusiastically asks “Quand votre famille... (When your family goes...) part en vacances (away on vacation), qu'est-ce que vous préférez? (what do you prefer?) Une plage de soleil... (A sunny beach...) Ou de montagnes glacés? (Or the frozen mountains?) With a surprised expression, the ambassador politely nods and replies “Très bien! (Very good!)” and hums “Mm-hmm” in approval. Hopping slightly in delight, Sydney responds “Très bien! (Very good) Great. Then as she prepares for another lesson to delay him by saying “Okay. Um...” Vachon glances away, still wanting to look for his wife.

Inside the manor house, Director Bristow continues his briefing to Elizabeth, saying “The network behind Prophet Five is far-reaching. They appear to have infiltrated multiple intelligence agencies, not just MI-6.” Looking concerned, Ms. Powell asks “And you think that following this weapon will give us the key to finding out more?” After Jack nods, she realizes what he wants, saying “You want me to investigate my agency from the inside?” Director Bristow explains “I wouldn’t be coming to you if it didn’t also involve Sydney.” Raising her eyebrows with surprise, Elizabeth asks with concern “Sydney? Is she all right?” Jack then assures her “She’s fine” and then with a slight grin, adds “You just met her, in fact.” Pausing to recall who she had just me, a surprised expression comes to the woman’s face and comments “Oh, my goodness...” Smiling as she recalls what young Sydney used to look like, Elizabeth chuckles “It has been a long time...” Then recalling Syd’s tummy, she asks with a sly grin “And unless she’s wearing a very convincing disguise...” Nodding slightly, Director Bristow admits “I’m going to be a grandfather. A very young grandfather.” With affection for her old friend, Elizabeth smiles and says “Jack... she’s lovely.” Nodding in agreement, he tells her “She is.” Then getting back to business, Director Bristow says “The agent I told you about, Michael Vaughn - he was her fiancé. Ms. Powell gets a sad expression and says “Oh. I’m sorry...” Then closing her eyes and sighing, she comments “What you’re asking me to do, to investigate my own agency - that’s treason.” With a slight nod, Jack reminds her “What’s a little treason between old friends?” with a small grin. Elizabeth stares into his eyes and then purses her lips as she considers whether to do as he asks.

Sometime later, we see the skyline of downtown Los Angeles at dusk. Inside the APO Briefing Room, Director Bristow walks away from the wall of monitors displaying a document and tells the rest of the team seated at the table “My source got back to me. She confirmed what we suspected - the acquisition of the MPB (micropulse bomb) weapon is strictly off-book. MI-6 has not sanctioned it.” From his seat next to Rachel, Thomas asks “Could she identify the double agent?” Jack replies “No, but she was able to identify the engineer who designed the weapon - this man, Lukas Basarov” and turns to use his remote control to display a photo and profile of the man from the train on the screens. Director Bristow informs the group about what they know about him, saying “Tenured faculty, University of St. Petersburg. Holds advanced degrees in physics and thermonuclear engineering.” Marcus comments “Apparently, he has a side business.” Jack continues “Basarov is currently en route to a conference being held in São Paulo, Brazil. He’s scheduled to give a talk on theoretical microdynamics.” Impressed with hearing that detail, Marshall comments with a grin “Wow. Sounds awesome.” Noticing that everyone is looking at him with puzzled expressions, he explains “Well, Brazil. Isn’t that, you know, the place where they have the um, string - you know, what are they called?” He closes his eyes momentarily, rubs his brow and then turns to Dixon for help, saying “Not bikinis, but, um...” Anxious to end the rambling, Director Bristow says coldly “Thongs.” Flinkman points his finger with appreciation and announces “Yes.” Returning to the business at hand “My source found evidence which indicates that within approximately 48 hours, Basarov will receive a transmission regarding where and when the sale is taking place. We can presume he’ll be receiving this one at the conference via his laptop.” As Rachel ponders, Marshall announces “Well, that’s easy. We just access the laptop, upload the bugging software - piece of cake. I could definitely do it!” with an eager grin. Knowing how he is eager to go on a field mission, Jack explains gently “You need to be here to decrypt the transmission.” Flinkman’s smile fades with disappointment. Looking over at Agent Gibson, Director Bristow announces “Rachel’s perfectly equipped to do the work in the field. Wheels up in two hours.” As the meeting adjourns, Marshall can’t hide his disappointment, while Gibson has a guilty expression.

Sometime later as Rachel packs for her mission, Sydney enters the Briefing Room holding some small device in her right hand. She greets the young woman with a cheerful grin and says “Hey.” Looking up expectantly, Gibson looks up and replies “Hey.” As she holds up the USB data storage device for Rachel to see, Syd explains “Here’s your program. It’s a Flinkman special.” The rookie agent says “Thanks” as she accepts the USB drive, but she looks preoccupied. Noticing that, Sydney asks with concern “You’re sure you’re okay with this?” Trying to assure her mentor, Agent Gibson looks at her and explains “Yeah. I’m actually glad that I’m going - anything to keep the investigation moving.” Syd chuckles, then asks “When’s the last time you did something just for fun?” Surprised at the suggestion that she is too serious, Rachel confesses “Hitting Gordon Dean on the head with a shovel - that was fun. Sydney nods and grins as she says “Okay” because that isn’t what she meant. Then the young woman admits “Okay, it hasn’t been high on my list of priorities.” Syd explains “But… you have to have a life.” Rachel grins and replies “I know... Okay...” Taking a deep breath, she continues “I’ll work on it. I promise... after (the mission in) Brazil.”

On a black screen is the caption ‘Sao Paulo’. We see from an aerial viewpoint that it is a sunny day at a beach in front of several large hotels. Inside one of them, Rachel Gibson enters a hotel lobby through its revolving door, carrying a large handbag and pulling a wheeled suitcase. She looks like a young business woman, wearing conservative-looking spectacles and her blonde hair pinned back, dressed in a knee-length brown print dress and brown blazer. As the woman at the front desk greets her with a grin, the rookie agent uses a British accent to say “Hi, I’m checking in. (I’m) Lydia Sand.” Checking the reservations computer, the clerk announces “The room you requested is available. I see you’re here for the conference?” Rachel replies with a grin “Yes.” So the clerk then says “Let me get your information packet.” From behind Agent Gibson, a man at complains loudly to another hotel clerk “I don’t care what sort of geek conference you have here! I was told an upgrade wouldn’t be a problem.” After glancing at the slim man causing the commotion, Rachel sighs and rolls her eyes to her clerk, commenting “Americans!”

From inside an elevator, a ‘ding’ sound as heard as it arrives at the ground floor. Agent Gibson enters and pushes the button to the 18th floor. The doors start to close, but someone jams their briefcase between the doors in order to force them to reopen. We see that the man entering the elevator is the same loud American who was causing the commotion, Julian Sark. He glances at the floor level selected, then steps to his left to give her space. On their way up, Sark notices the name tag on Rachel’s blazer indicates ‘Lydia Sand’. Maintaining his American accent, Sark comments “So Lydia, you here on business?” Still using her British accent, she stares at him and says coldly “Yes. The geek conference.” Smarting from the rebuke, Julian sheepishly replies “You heard that, huh?” Looking at him with satisfaction, Gibson tells him “I did.” Sark hums “Um-hmm” then looks straight ahead knowing that she already has a bad impression of him. After an awkward silence, a ‘ding’ sound is heard, indicating that they reached her floor. Rachel opens her mouth as if she wants to say something else, but then steps out of the elevator. Julian steps out a moment later.

Walking down the corridor, looking for her room, Agent Gibson is unconcerned that the obnoxious American is also on her floor. She finds her room is on the right-hand side and puts her cardkey into the lock, then turns when she notices Julian has also stopped. She sees that he is smirking just before he puts his cardkey into the door across from hers. He comments “What are the odds, huh?” They each open their doors and go inside their respective rooms.

Inside her room, Rachel opens her luggage and takes out a small battery-powered drill. She bores a pencil-sized hole into the wall of the adjoining room and then feeds a fiber optic camera into the hole. Connecting the cable to her laptop computer, Agent Gibson monitors Lukas Basarov in the next room.

Meanwhile, we see another closed circuit surveillance camera installed over the door in Basarov’s room, connected by a cable running into the return air duct. Inside Sark’s room, he reports through his earpiece communicator “I’m in place. Yes, I’m looking at him right now. I’ll have the details of the trade by tomorrow. Don’t worry, Benjamin. For what you’re paying me, I won’t let anything stand in my way.”

Sometime later, we see Lukas Basarov coming down the stairs of the hotel, chatting with a Asian man wearing a conference name tag. Watching from a chair in the lobby, Agent Gibson, who is still disguised as before, approaches them as they head towards the revolving door and calls out with her British voice “Dr. Basarov? Hi. Sorry to interrupt. I was just reading your article, and well, I was wondering...” Showing him a magazine containing his article, she asks “Would you mind signing it?” Lukas takes the journal from Rachel, then smiles as he autographs it and comments to his colleague “Look. I have - what do you call them? Groupie.” The Asian man chuckles and then Basarov hands the magazine back to his fan with a smile. The rookie agent studies the magazine cover and makes a “Hmm” sound of satisfaction and then says “Thank you.” As Rachel leaves, Lukas smiles and replies “You’re welcome.” Basarov has an amused expression as he watches her walk away, then continues on towards the exit.

Back in her hotel room, Agent Gibson uses a handheld scanner on the autographed magazine that Dr. Basarov signed. She looks at the screen of her laptop computer and then sees it display ‘Scan complete’. After entering a program, Rachel sees Basarov’s fingerprints appear on the scan. She runs another program and seconds later, creates a duplicate fingerprint on a piece of latex, which she examines.

Inside his room, Sark is looking at a menu as he orders room service, saying “I would like the shrimp stew, the pork and beef skewers. And also the tomato salad. I’m trying to lay off the carbs.” Checking his monitor, Julian sees that Basarov is wearing a bathrobe, walking away from view towards the bathroom. Sark then tells the operator “Get it here in ten minutes, and I’ll triple the gratuity.”

Rachel emerges from her hotel room, looking to her left and then to the right before walking to Basarov’s room to the right of her’s. She inserts a passcard device into his door lock and then runs decryption program through her PDA (Personal Digital Assistant - handheld computer) to generate the unlocking code. The young agent opens the door and peers in before entering. Slipping into the room, Rachel closes the door behind her and puts the device away into inside pocket of her blazer. She can hear that Dr. Basarov is taking a shower. Rachel hurries over to his laptop computer and turns it on. She takes out the latex fingerprint from its case, but before she can use it, she is startled by a knock on the door. We hear Sark’s voice announce “Room service.” The rookie agent puts away the fake fingerprint, closes the laptop and looks for a place to hide.

The hallway door opens and Mr. Sark, who is dressed in a hotel uniform, wheels in a cart of food he ordered. He sees a blue keycard on the table next to the laptop computer, so he hurries over and picks it up by the end with his left hand. With his right hand, he reaches into his pocket and takes out a small aerosol spray can. He sprays a liquid latex onto the card to obtain Dr. Basarov’s fingerprints.

Hiding outside in the darkness, Agent Gibson is standing on the ledge, panting in fear as she grips the window frame, her eyes closed tight. She opens her eyes to look down at street and then presses herself flat against the wall.

Sark presses his left thumb with the fake fingerprint on it onto the biometric scanner of the laptop computer. The screen shows the thumbprint being analyzed, then displays ‘Access Granted’. He inserts a PC card into the right hand side of the laptop in order to upload a bugging program. Rachel is trying to remain calm outside on the ledge waiting for the intruder to leave. A short time later, Basarov’s laptop displays ‘Uploading Complete’ so Julian removes the PC card, closes the computer, and leaves the room.

Hearing the door close, Rachel climbs back into the room with great relief. As she breathes heavily, she hears Basarov turning off the water of the shower. She hesitates, trying to decide whether to go out the window again or to finish her assignment. Gibson decides to take the risk and rushes over to the laptop. She inserts her USB drive with Marshall’s program into the back of the computer, and then places her duplicate fingerprint on the biometric scanner. When the screen displays ‘Access Granted’, Rachel begins uploading Marshall’s bugging program. She turns with worry as she hears Dr. Basarov whistling from within the bathroom. The upload completes, so the young agent quickly closes up and leaves the room. Just she closes the door, Lukas emerges from the bathroom wearing a towel wrapped around his waist, and sees the cart of food. He walks over and checks out menu card, humming in puzzlement.

Rachel enters her room and closes the door behind her, upset about her experience. She leans against the door and takes a few deep breaths to calm down. She fans herself with her left hand and then walks away from the door.

A telephone at the APO rings and Thomas reaches over, answering “Agent Grace.” Agent Gibson says in a happy voice “Hi. It’s me.” Tom asks in a quiet, concerned voice “How’d it go?” Rachel assures him “It went fine” then adds “Great.” Satisfied with her assessment, Grace informs her “Good. I’ll notify Jack and Marshall.” With a look of uncertainty, the rookie agent asks “So... Uh, what do I do now?” Thomas advises her “Keep your PDA (Personal Digital Assistant - handheld computer) with you. It’ll alert you as soon as it intercepts Basarov’s transmission. Then go ahead and send it to Marshall. Till then, it looks like you got the night off. Just relax.” Looking relieved, Rachel replies “All right.”

A short time later, we see Rachel raise a martini to her lips. She is wearing jeans and a grey jacket over a tank-top, her hair is down, and she isn’t wearing her glasses. We see that she is seated at the hotel bar at night, looking lonely. Two seats over to her left, Mr. Sark arrives at the bar and notices her. Maintaining his American guise, he calls out “Lydia?” She turns and looks at him warily with a smirk, as if she doesn’t want talk with him. Julian smiles and asks “Right?” Taking a conciliatory tone, he continues “I’m sorry about the crack I made earlier. Twelve hours on a plane next to a screaming toddler. You know how that can be... Of course, that’s no excuse.” As she raises her glass to her lips again, Ms. Gibson glances at him momentarily and says with her British accent “Don’t worry about it.” Looking over to the bartender, Sark calls out “Whatever beer you have on tap, please.” Then turning towards Rachel, he tells her “The name’s Bob Brown.” Turning to look at him, she smiles politely and tells him her alias “Lydia...” then adds “But you already knew that.” Sark smirks with amusement, and then after the bartender sets down a glass of beer, tells him “Thank you.” After noticing her pensive silence, he says to Rachel “(Was your) Conference that bad?” Shaking her head, the young woman explains “No. It’s just, you know, tough day.” Julian takes a sip of his beer and then looks at her with interest. So she continues “Sometimes at these work events, I feel like I’m in over my head. I just started in a new division... It’s a lot more responsibilities, more risks.” Rising from his seat, Sark advises “Sounds like you need to rethink your perspective a little bit.” He moves over to sit next to her and continues “Anything in life worth doing has an element of risk... It’s what makes life interesting.” Pausing to contemplate his words of wisdom, Rachel comments “I can definitely say my life has been interesting lately...” Then with a smile, she adds “And I did manage to do what I came here for, so...” Before she can finish, Julian interrupts “Well, then good for you. As you say, cheers” and raises his glass towards hers in toast. Smiling, the young woman replies “Cheers” and then touches her glass against his. Sark smiles warmly and then they sip their drinks. Brushing a lock of her hair back, perhaps being subconsciously flirtatious, Rachel turns towards him and asks “So, Bob... Are you here on business as well?” Nodding, Julian replies “Yep... I’m in international trade.” Intrigued, she asks “What do you trade?” Being surprisingly truthful, he reveals “Whatever my clients pay me to trade.” With a smile of amusement, the young woman then asks “Do you like it?” He chuckles “Hell, yeah” then explains “I work freelance, so I get to travel, meet all sorts of fascinating people...” Then Sark flirtatiously adds “Present company included” to which Rachel turns and blushes. Turning to look straight ahead, he admits “Last year, I tried something a little different...” Then turning to resume making eye-contact, explains “Something more conventional... stable.” After nodding, Agent Gibson asks with interest “How’d that work out?” As if recalling a bad experience, Julian replies “Ahh... It didn’t. I was terrible at it.” Chuckling, he explains “I was so bored that I wanted to blow my brains out... So I decided to take less drastic measures and do something I know best.” Rachel has a sympathetic expression and then Sark takes another sip of beer. Looking a bit uncomfortable with conversation, the young woman has a shy expression as she reveals “I just moved... Left my entire life behind, actually.” After a pause to consider what he heard, Julian suggests optimistically “Well, fresh starts are good, right?” Surprised at hearing that, Rachel smiles in agreement and adds “And the new people I work with are great.” Studying her reaction, Sark notes “You don’t sound too convinced.” Shaking her head, Ms. Gibson smiles and explains “No, they are... That’s... That’s part of the problem.” Julian has a confused expression, so she continues “They’re so good at what they do... I mean, there’s this one woman - she’s amazing, and she’s about to have a baby.” As Sark takes another sip of beer, Rachel leans towards him and confides “I’m not sure I could manage work and a goldfish.” Julian then jokes “Well, aquariums are overrated. Remember that.” She smiles and laughs “Okay.” Looking pleased at making her laugh, Sark looks at her drink and asks “You want another one?” Looking coy, Rachel smiles and says “I would love one.” Julian replies softly “Okay” and nods at the bartender.

Sometime later, the two walk down the corridor towards their hotel rooms. Stopping at her door, Rachel says awkwardly “So, um… Thank you for keeping me company.” Turning from his door, Sark replies graciously “It was my pleasure.” After an awkward moment, Julian leans forward and gives her a brief kiss on the lips. Agent Gibson has a sad expression as she softly says “Good night.” He replies in a whisper “Good night” in return and steps back slightly. Then each realizing that they don’t want to part, they both move in for longer kiss that grows in passion. Pushing Rachel towards her room, Sark asks “Do you have your key?” Worrying about her equipment being discovered, she replies “Oh, no, we can’t go in my room. There are clothes all over the place. Can’t we go to yours?” and pushes him towards his room. Looking towards his room, Julian hesitates for fear of his equipment being discovered and utters a “Uhh...” sound. Gibson begs “Please?” but Sark sighs “Uhh...” with hesitation again. Whispering seductively in Sark’s ear, she pleads “Please.” Not being able to resist her charms, he throws caution to the wind. Julian kisses Rachel and replies “What the hell, yeah” and unlocks his door. He pulls her inside and they kiss even as he closes the door.

Inside Sark’s room, the two of them kiss passionately as Julian removes her jacket. He turns her around to nibble at her neck, which causes Rachel to pant and moan. She reaches behind to caress his head, then turning around, the young woman cradles Sark by the neck as she kisses him. They then fall to his bed. The scene fades to black.

Afterwards, Sark has a satisfied expression as he looks at Rachel cradled in his left arm, under the sheets. Running the fingers of her left hand up Julian’s chest, she makes a “Mmm” sound of contentment, then tells him “Just so you know, I don’t usually do this.” Sark responds “Well, I appreciate you making the exception.” Then he teases “You should know that gorgeous engineers have a way of throwing themselves at me, so...” With mock outrage, the young woman protests with a smile “I did not throw myself at you.” Julian deadpans in response “Okay, okay. If that’s what you need to believe.” Rachel huffs at his impertinence, then leans in to kiss him. After they kiss three times, Sark asks her “Want something to drink?” and strokes her hair. Smiling, Rachel replies “Yes, that’d be lovely.” Julian replies “Okay “ then kisses her again before getting out of bed. After he leaves the room, the young woman rolls over to the nightstand to check the time on Sark’s watch. Noticing his passport and airline ticket underneath, she decides to look inside. It reads: Bob Brown, date of birth as April 15, 1968, and birthplace in Chicago. Rachel then opens the ticket envelope and finds a ticket for Nassau, Bahamas. She is startled by the ringing from the PDA inside her purse laying on the floor. It is signaling her that the bugging program has detected Dr. Basarov is using his computer. The young spy places the items back as she found them, then gets out of the bed.

A short time later, Julian returns to the room wearing a white bathrobe and announces “We’re in the tropics, so how about some rum?” He is surprised to see that Rachel has gathered her belongings and is about to leave, so he wisecracks “Okay, so you hate rum.” She apologizes “Sorry, I forgot how early my flight was.” Wanting to spend more time with her, Sark complains “What are you talking about? We got a couple of hours, right?” The young woman explains “Seriously, I’ve got to meet with my boss, and I’m completely unprepared.” As he replies “Well, I hate to be the one...” Julian notices his own warning device that is monitoring Basarov’s laptop computer is flashing, so he continues “to make you lose your job.” Grateful at him allowing her to leave, Rachel leans forward and gives Sark a quick kiss on the cheek, saying with appreciation “Bob, it’s been...” Eager to get to work, Julian immediately replies “Yeah, it has” and nods in agreement. The young woman opens the door and leaves the room. Looking back at the door, Sark then goes over to his laptop and opens it.

Inside Rachel’s hotel room, we see that she is flustered as she enters, carrying her keycard, purse and jacket. She mutters “Okay” before setting down her belongings, then goes over to her computer, brushing back her hair from her face nervously.

Inside his office at the APO, Marshall Flinkman is intently playing the videogame Tetris on his computer when his cellphone rings. Not wanting to stop, he answers the call “Carrie, honey, listen, I’m into something really huge right now, okay?” But it is Agent Gibson on the other end, saying in her normal accent “No, no, no, Marshall. It’s Rachel. The transmission’s coming in early.” Looking disappointed that he has to end the game, Flinkman replies “Oh, okay. Uh, give me a sec.” He shuts down the game and looks at a screen of graphics and data as she announces “Transferring now.” Marshall replies “I’ll get right on it”, so she hangs up.

The next day at APO, Sydney is sitting at a table in the Break Room as her protégée returns with her own mug of coffee. Syd assures her “Rachel, you did great. Marshall’s almost done analyzing the transmission. It won’t be much longer.” Sitting down, Agent Gibson replies “I’m glad” but Sydney notices that Rachel has a preoccupied look. Studying her for a few moments, Syd remarks “You’re in a good mood... Anything you’re not telling me?” Looking startled that Sydney can detect the change in her, Rachel blushes and smiles as she says “I... Nothing. I just... The trip was really relaxing.” Smiling, Syd nods and urges her like a older sister would “What did you do? Spit it out.” Grinning with embarrassment, the young woman confesses “I met a guy... at the hotel.” Syd tilts her head back and grins, while Rachel continues “(It was) Some business guy, which is not at all my type, and... We were just talking at the bar, and well, one thing led to...” Smiling enthusiastically, Sydney interrupts “Another, obviously. Are you going to see him again?” With a look of regret, the young woman explains “He thinks I’m Lydia, a British engineer.” Turning her head away with disappointment, Syd comments “Oh, rats. Yeah (understanding the problem). Rachel has a regretful tone as she adds “So no, I guess.” Rewording the famous Las Vegas tourism slogan, Sydney comments “(I) Guess what happens in Brazil stays in Brazil” then sips her coffee. Overhearing the last bit of the conversation from the corridor, Director Bristow enters the room and asks curiously “What happened in Brazil?” Covering for her young friend, Syd replies “Oh... Rachel got food poisoning.” Looking at the young woman with sympathy, Jack tells her “Sorry” then reveals “Marshall decrypted the transmission. The double agent is due to meet Basarov in Spain in 14 hours. I’m leaving now to surveil the exchange.” Sydney asks “You taking anyone with you?” After a slight hesitation, her father reveals “My MI-6 contact is... joining me.” Syd raises her eyebrows, tilts her head and smirks at how he avoided saying Elizabeth’s name. Glancing momentarily at Rachel to see if she understands the implication, Jack then asks Sydney “You’ll coordinate from here?” Syd replies cheerfully “Yeah.” Her father nods and replies “Okay” then glances at Agent Gibson again to see if she has any reaction to his choice of partners. He then turns and leaves with a hint of irritation at Sydney’s teasing.

On a black screen is the caption ‘Malaga’. It is late evening in the Spanish city. Inside an old, brick office building, Director Bristow and Elizabeth Powell are preparing to monitor the exchange. Looking around at their surroundings, she comments ironically “Well, this is charming.” Smiling with amusement, Jack jokes “I knew you’d like it. I could have spared you the trip, handled this alone.” Elizabeth looks at him and replies “Someone from my agency is involved. You can’t expect me to stand on the sidelines.” Not surprised, Director Bristow comments with a grin “I figured as much.” Reaching over for a camcorder mounted on a tripod, he tells her “Why don’t you start with the cameras?” Elizabeth smiles and says “Sounds good” as she goes to set it up at the window. Standing next to a sign indicating that they are on the 8th Floor, Jack is typing at his laptop computer when Sydney com-links him “This is Phoenix. How are you doing?” He replies “We’re almost set up.” Looking at the camera, Agent Powell announces “Connection’s good.”

As Sydney watches her laptop computer, her father informs her “Okay, you should be getting visuals.” Sitting in the APO Briefing Room along with Marshall and Agent Grace, she sees the overhead view of the pavement outside of the building and replies “Got it. We’re standing by.”

Back inside their observation post, Director Bristow opens a long carrying case to reveal a pneumatic rifle equipped with a telescopic sight, and tells Elizabeth “We can tag the weapon with this tracker. Once they...” He stops speaking when her cell phone rings. Looking at its Caller ID, she smiles and explains “(It’s) Joseph.” The phone continues ringing. Jack asks her “Where does he think you are?” Agent Powell grins and replies “Developing nations summit.” A beep sound is heard as she silences her cell phone. Elizabeth then looks back up at him and says “You were saying?” Continuing with the briefing, Director Bristow explains “Once the weapon’s in transport, we’ll notify the CNA (Center for Naval Analyses) so they can recover it without tipping the double agent. Agreeing with Jack’s plan, his old friend smiles and replies “Sounds good.” Hearing the sound of a vehicle arriving outside, they look out the window and see an open truck carrying wooden crates pull to a stop. Agent Powell comments “Looks like they’re ahead of schedule.” We see Lukas Basarov get out of the passenger-side of the truck and motions for the driver to uncover the tarpaulin in the back. Watching the camcorder image from the APO, Sydney sees the micropulse weapon being revealed and comments “Do you see that?” Thomas raises his eyebrows and Marshall replies “Yeah. Given the size, I’m assuming it’s got at least a twenty-mile blast radius.” Syd appears surprised and concerned at his assessment of the power of the bomb. Moments later, smaller pickup truck pulls up next to the first truck. With concern in his voice, Director Bristow comments “I thought he was showing up alone.” “So did I” is Elizabeth’s response. Basarov is seen being approached by a bald-headed, African-looking man from the vehicle.

Taking notice of the importance of the newcomer, Sydney tells Marshall “That man - Can you get a better image?” Nodding, Flinkman replies “Yeah. I’m on it” and types at his computer. As Marshall generates a closer view, the man looks up and seems to look directly at the camera. Syd exclaims “Oh my God. That’s Masari.” Not recognizing the name, Flinkman asks “Who?” Sydney com-links the warning “Dad, those are not MI-6 agents. Repeat - Those are not MI-6 agents. That is Benjamin Masari.” Still wanting clarification, Marshall announces “Wait a minute. Who’s Masari?” Agent Grace explains “Sudanese head of the RLF - Terrorist squad responsible for bombing Western targets in Africa.”

Director Bristow quickly concludes “This is an ambush.” As predicted, we see Masari fire a burst of automatic gunfire from a machine pistol at Basarov’s driver, and a henchman shoot Lukas with a single shot. Agent Powell exclaims “The bomb!” and rushes for the pneumatic rifle in order to tag the bomb with a tracking device before it gets away. As she approaches the window with the hi-tech air-rifle, the bang of a door being kicked in is heard behind them. Jack and then Elizabeth turn with surprised expressions.

Watching Masari and a henchman examining the micropulse bomb in the back of the truck, Sydney’s video feed turns to static. Syd and Tom look at each other with confused expressions, then she com-links “Dad, can you hear me?”

We see two of Masari’s henchmen pointing machine pistols at Director Bristow and Agent Powell. Elizabeth as a look of resignation as one of them takes the pneumatic rifle from her. She and Jack exchange concerned glances.

Back at the APO, as Sydney looks at her screen and waits for her father’s reply, Marshall announces “It’s no good, Syd. They’re jamming our signal.” Sydney calls out “Oh, God. Dad.” then tries to com-link once more “Dad, do you copy? Dad, can you hear me?”

A short time later, the APO are taking action to try to help Jack and Elizabeth. Thomas is on the telephone saying “I want intel from anybody who’s ever done business with Masari. I don’t care if they crossed the street next to him... Find out what they know.” Elsewhere, Dixon walks up to Marshall and asks “Anything yet?” As he types at his laptop computer, Flinkman replies “Well, I’m indexing passenger manifests to and from Malaga. So far, nothing.” Marcus instructs him “Find something” and then leaves the room. Out in the corridor, Agent Gibson informs Dixon “The head of Interpol is on the line.” He asks “Any trace from the signal?” Shaking her head, Rachel replies “No. They must have disabled the tracker.” Looking disappointed for a moment, Marcus then orders “I want everything we have on the RLF.” She replies “Right away” and the tow of them head off in opposite directions.

Elsewhere in the APO, Arvin Sloane walks with a concerned expression as he heads to Sydney’s office. He tells her “I came as soon as I heard.” Syd apologizes “I’m sorry to pull you away from Nadia.” Still looking concerned, Sloane asks “How did it happen?” Sydney informs him “They were surveilling a weapons trade.” Arvin then starts to walk around her desk so that he can see her computer screen along with her. Syd continues “An MPB was supposed to be delivered to a double agent within MI-6. Masari and his men showed up instead. I’ve been reviewing the footage.” Looking at the video of Basarov getting shot and Masari examining the bomb, Sloane asks “What time was the meet set?” Sydney replies “2:30 am, local time.” So then he asks “Masari and his men?” “Showed up at 2:17” is her reply. Shaking his head, Arvin notes “The double agent never had a chance. They beat him to it.” Looking at him, Syd asks “You think it’s unrelated?” Pausing to think for a moment, Sloane replies “Micropulse bomb - It’s the kind of weapon that would be coveted by most criminal organizations. Returning to the front of her desk, he continues “Masari must have found out.” Syd asks “How?” Arvin then asks “How did you get your intel, Sydney?” She replies “Rachel intercepted a transmission.” Sloane then concludes “Well, maybe she wasn’t the only one.” Pausing to consider that for a moment, Sydney speculates “Someone else was in that hotel.”

A short time later in the Briefing Room, Arvin displays a fuzzy surveillance video from the São Paulo hotel and shows that the Facial Recognition program indicates that it is a match with Mr. Sark’s mug shot, saying “Say hello to an old friend - Julian Sark.” Agent Gibson stares at the picture on the screen and then gets a pensive expression as Sloane continues “Footage places him at the hotel in São Paulo at the same time that Rachel intercepted the message, which makes it likely that he did the same.” Marcus comments “I thought he was out of the game” and Marshall replies “Apparently not.” Agent Gibson now has a guilty expression as she deduces what Sark was doing at the hotel then stares at the monitor again. Dixon speculates “He must have been working for Masari. He was probably paid for the information.” Agent Grace asks “Who is this guy?” so Sydney explains “Kidnapper, extortionist, murderer... The list goes on. Formerly tied to SD-6 and the Covenant. He mostly works for himself.” Recalling what ‘Bob’ told her about what he does for a living, the young woman comments softly “Freelance” and then looks over to Sydney with a sad expression and tears starting to well up. Syd sees Rachel’s distress, but waits for a private moment to talk with her.

After the meeting ends, Agent Gibson is explaining to Sydney what happened in São Paulo. She has an apologetic expression as she says “I had no idea. I will do anything (to make things right).” With a concerned look, Syd says “I have to ask - Did he use you for information?” The young agent assures her “No... There’s no way. We, we were never in my room... He never even had access to the transmission.” Sydney nods and then looks away to ponder how Sark got his information. Rachel then suggests “I can find him.” Looking back at her, Syd counters “He’s probably halfway around the world by now.” The young agent explains “No, when I was in his room, I saw a plane ticket... He’s going to the Bahamas.”

On a black screen is the caption ‘Nassau’. From a sunny beach, we see an airliner descending towards an airport runway. From outside a building is a hanging sign marked ‘Nassau - International. All Flights –>’ At the arrival gate, a sunglasses wearing Julian Sark walks past a Bahamian policeman and then is surprised to see a familiar face waiting for him. Remembering to use his American accent, he says “Lydia.” With her arms crossed and an annoyed expression on her face, Agent Gibson doesn’t bother using her false British accent as she comments sarcastically “How nice. You remembered my name.” Responding to the cue, a woman at a payphone, a short distance away, turns to show that it is Sydney Bristow. She walks up and announces “Do you remember me?” Gritting his jaw in annoyance, Julian then comments in his normal British accent “Sydney... I suppose a congratulations is in order.” Sydney can’t help but give a momentary smirk of satisfaction. Sark does a quick look to his left in order to assess his possible escape options, then tells Syd “I’m warning you, if you’re planning on arresting me, I’m not gonna make it easy on you... People could get hurt.” Rachel gets a worried expression, then looks to Sydney for her reaction. Syd explains “My father and another agent have been taken captive by Benjamin Masari.” Julian tilts his head back and listens with interest while she adds “We need to find his base of operations.” Sark nods and clenches his jaw, then smirks “My clients pay handsomely for their privacy.” Sydney rolls her eyes towards her young protegée in reaction to his assertion of ethics. They listen as he continues “It would be unprofessional of me to give that information to you.” But understanding the man’s sense of honour, Syd reveals “Which is why we aren’t here to arrest you... We’re here to hire you. Once again, Sark nods and clenches his jaw, contemplating the deal.

Daytime in the desert of Tunisa, we see some sort of military-like facility hidden below ground, with a guard keeping watch from the rooftop. Inside the bunker, we see an officer, dressed in a khaki uniform and maroon beret, approach two soldiers dressed in khaki uniforms and black berets standing guard outside a heavy steel door. One of the guards unlocks and opens the door to reveal that Jack Bristow and his partner Elizabeth Powell are handcuffed and sitting on the floor of the cell. They look up and see that the officer entering the room is Benjamin Masari. While she looks at their captor apprehensively, Jack quips with bravado “I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten about us.” With a contemptuous grin, Masari replies “I imagine for you this cell seems... somewhat inhuman.” Sitting down on top of the room’s small table in order to get closer to their eye-level, he continues “You Westerners, so accustomed to your indulgences.” The epaulets on his shoulders shows the rank of Colonel. With an impatient tone, Director Bristow asks “Why are we here?” Leaning forward, the colonel notes “You were transmitting a video feed when you were found... Where was it going?” Agent Powell and Jack exchange glances, then she replies defiantly “Holiday photos... Costa del Sol in winter... As you say, we do like our little indulgences.” Looking disappointed at her answer, Masari looks up at one of the guards and nods to signal him. The man grabs Elizabeth by the shoulders and pulls her up to her feet. His voice increasing in volume, Jack says with rage “Do not touch her!” The other guard restrains Director Bristow, while the first one forces her arms down on the table. The colonel demands “If you want to spare her, answer me!” then cocks his pistol and presses it against the handcuffed woman’s left hand. Lowering the volume of his voice, Masari asks “Where was the transmission going?” Agent Powell shakes her head at Jack emphatically for him not to tell.
Gallantly, Director Bristow says “Take me (instead).” Looking at the colonel, Elizabeth defiantly tells him “I’m not easily frightened.” Narrowing his eyes, he replies menacingly “You should be.” She turns to see her captor lift the pistol back a few inches and fire. The woman howls in agony and falls away from the table. Enraged, Jack breaks free and hits the guard holding him in the head. Then lunging forward, the director hits Masari with a two handed blow to the mouth. The two guards pull Jack back and force him down on the floor at gunpoint. Rubbing at his sore lip, the colonel orders “(Now) The right one.” Elizabeth’s guard forces her back to the table as before. Looking at Director Bristow, Masari warns “If you want to spare her... “ Then cocking his gun and pressing the muzzle against her right hand, continues “Answer me.” Jack looks concerned as he ponders what to do. Calmly, in a business-like fashion, the colonel suggests “Perhaps we should try this again.” Looking at his prisoners, he asks “Who do you work for?” Director Bristow calls out “Wait!” so Agent Powell turns and urges “Don’t tell him!” Looking at the woman, Masari mockingly says with an evil grin “Clearly, you don’t work with your hands, huh?” and raises his pistol, threateningly. As Elizabeth looks at Masari with apprehension, another guard steps forward and whispers something to him. Jack looks on as Masari is handed a cellphone and steps out the room to take the call in private. Agent Powell is released from the table and Director Bristow looks surprised at their reprieve. Elizabeth slumps back against the wall near Jack and groans from the pain of her wound.

Stepping out into the corridor to take the call in private, Benjamin Masari asks impatiently “What is it?” Switching the desk phone to speaker-mode so that the others inside Sloane’s office can hear, Mr. Sark replies “My sources tell me things got complicated in Spain.” Surprised and angered at hearing that, Masari demands “What do you know about it?” As Sloane watches from the seat next to him with interest, Julian replies “Everything... You’ve kidnaped two agents; one’s CIA, the other’s British Intelligence... There’s an international search underway.” The colonel leans back against the wall and says with gratitude “I appreciate the information. You’ve saved me some time and a few bullets.” Sloane gets a pensive expression, holding his forefinger and thumb against the corners of his mouth. Sark suggests “Perhaps I could do more... I have a proposition.” Chuckling as he continues walking along the corridor, Colonel Masari comments “Always the businessman.” Julian continues “Well, those agents you’ve kidnaped are quite valuable... I know some people that would pay an exorbitant amount of money to get their hands on them.” Masari counters “(It’s) Best (to) kill them and be done with it.” Arvin presses the mute button of the phone, then urges Sark “Do whatever it takes.” Resuming the call, Julian says persuasively “Benjamin, you have many enemies... Given what I know, I imagine I could broker a pretty lucrative deal for myself.” Momentarily dumbfounded at audacity of Mr. Sark, the colonel asks “Are you threatening me?” Julian replies “As you said, I’m simply a businessman... When opportunity knocks...” Conceding to the threat, Masari replies “I’ll expect you within the next 24 hours.” Nodding to Sloane, Sark asks “Where should we make the exchange?” Colonel Masari replies “Tunisia... My compound.”

A short time later inside Director Bristow’s office, Dixon asks Sydney “Can we trust him?” Sitting at her father’s desk, she replies “He is telling the truth.” Rising from the chair, she announces “I’ll arrange for transport.” Objecting to her wanting to go on the mission, Marcus stops her by saying “Sydney... Getting your father from Masari...” Finding it difficult to explain that as a pregnant woman, Syd shouldn’t go, Dixon says euphemistically “We need to go in tactically.” Sydney gets a sad expression realizing that he is correct, then lowers her eyes and comments “How am I supposed to sit here and do nothing? It’s my dad.” Marcus replies with sympathy “We both know he wouldn’t want you to go.” She concedes the point, then comments with concern “I can’t lose him.” Dixon assures her “You won’t.” Sydney nods.

The next day in the Tunisian desert, we see a sunglasses-wearing Marcus Dixon is driving an old covered stake truck, with Thomas Grace dressed in black tactical gear seated to his right. Inside the cargo area at the back, Rachel Gibson who is also dressed in tactical gear hands Mr. Sark a wristwatch. Looking at the watch, he comments in jest “A gift?” The rookie agent explains “A locator. We need to know exactly where Masari’s holding them. We can’t risk tipping him off.” Julian smirks “You haven’t done this before, have you?” Insulted, Rachel gives him an icy glare. Sark continues “Look, I imagine you feel somewhat to blame for all this, but you’re not... I’m very good at what I do.” Maintaining her icy glare, Agent Gibson instructs him “When you’re with them, press the winding stem on the watch... We’ll do the rest.” Chuckling with amusement, Julian notes “I must admit, you’re quite fetching in black.” Barely stifling her rage, Rachel warns “I will gag you.” Sark stops his teasing and nods that he takes her threat seriously. The truck pulls to a stop. Agent Grace exits from his side and walks toward the back of the transport. Smirking once again, Julian asks Rachel “Does this mean we can’t be friends?” Before she can reply, Tom lowers the tailgate of the truck and announces “Time to switch.” Agent Gibson replies “Thank God” and exits the vehicle. Mr. Sark pauses for a moment and then heads out of the truck, too.

Back at the APO, Sydney hangs up the telephone on her father’s desk. From the doorway, Marshall calls out “Hey, heard the phone ring.” Shaking her head, Syd replies “Wasn’t them.”
Entering the office, he asks “Um... You, you want some company? You know, while, while we wait?” Sydney nods and says appreciatively “I’d like that.” Marshall gives her a supportive grin.

At Masari’s compound, the transport truck pulls to a stop for some soldiers. Oily smoke is coming out of the engine compartment of the truck as Mr. Sark exits the passenger door. Holding a metal briefcase, he announces to the troops “Masari’s expecting me.” One soldier goes to the back of the truck and opens the tailgate for inspection. Dixon steps out of the driver’s side and then the soldiers frisk the two of them. The soldier sees that back of the truck is empty, but underneath the vehicle, Rachel and Tom are hanging by harnesses, out of view. The soldier in charge tells Sark “I’m sure Colonel Masari will be very pleased to see you.” Turning to address Marcus, Julian tells him “If you expect to be paid, have this wreck fixed before I’m done with my business.” Commenting in Arabic to the soldier who was frisking him, Dixon says contemptuously “He still thinks he’s living in the colony.” The guard chuckles. Marcus watches as Sark is escorted into the facility, then turns to open the hood of the truck for repairs.

Inside the facility, Mr. Sark is admitted to Colonel Masari’s office. The colonel turns from looking out the window protected by steel louvers and greets him “How was the trip?” Julian replies “Exhausting, as usual.” Glancing at his surroundings, he asks “Have you ever thought about moving somewhere more accessible?” Amused, Masari replies “Remoteness is a virtue” and gestures for emphasis. Nodding, Sark agrees “Yes, and it’s also time-consuming... So...” Setting down his metal briefcase onto the desk, he continues “I’m afraid we’re gonna have to cut this visit short.” Julian opens the briefcase and shows the colonel stacks of money inside. Masari picks up a bundle, then flips the banknotes through his fingers to check their authenticity. He grins in satisfaction to Mr. Sark and starts to pick another stack to check. Julian announces “If you could take me to the prisoners, I can be on my way.” With a wary grin, the colonel asks “Why the rush?” As a matter of fact, Sark explains “I need to be in Tunis by nightfall.” Masari replies “I’m afraid that, uh...” and draws his sidearm from it’s holster. The treacherous colonel cocks the pistol, points it at Sark, and explains “...won’t be possible.” Julian looks disappointed at him.

Outside in the courtyard, Dixon fans at the steaming radiator of the truck with his hands and says in Arabic to the soldier guarding him “Can I get some water? It’s overheated.” The soldier replies “I can’t leave my post.” Just then, the soldier’s walkie talkie beeps. Acting as if he is studying the engine, Marcus notes the guard’s demeanor as he holds the radio to his ear and then responds “Of course. Right away.” Looking from the corner of his eye, Dixon sees the soldier has a grim expression as he puts away the walkie talkie and then reaches for his sidearm. Marcus takes out a silencer equipped pistol hidden in the engine compartment and shoots the man in his right thigh. The soldier groans and falls to the pavement. Responding to the ruckus, Agents Grace and Gibson roll out from under the truck. They approach the downed guard with their pistols pointed at him. Dixon kneels next to the wounded man, then points the pistol at his abdomen, yelling in Arabic “Where are the prisoners?”

From inside Masari’s bunker, the soldier guarding the door hears Marcus calling “I need help!” in Arabic. When the guard opens the door to see what is wrong, Dixon fires a single silenced shot at his abdomen. Marcus quickly looks over the man, then turns to Rachel and orders “Cover the entrance.” Looking at Thomas, he says “Come on!” The two men rush down a corridor. From around a corner, they see three soldiers chatting outside of the holding cell. Dixon nods, so Grace tosses a stun grenade at the men’s feet. The grenade explodes with a blinding flash and bang, stunning the guards. Rushing forward, Thomas and Marcus take the soldiers out with pistol-fire. Opening the door, Tom sees Director Bristow supporting the wounded Elizabeth Powell, both of them sitting on the floor of the cell. Jack calls out “She needs medical attention.” Entering the room, Agent Grace notes “You don’t look so good yourself” then checks on Elizabeth, saying to her “You okay?” She smiles and replies in relief “Yeah.” Standing guard at the doorway, Dixon calls out “An extraction team is standing by. I’ll call for them.”

From her guard position, Rachel adjusts her earpiece radio and says “Yeah.” Thomas radios her “We’ve got them.” She then asks “And Masari?” Tom replies “He and Sark are still missing.” Upon hearing that, Agent Gibson draws her pistol and begins to search for them. Cautiously pointing her gun side-to-side as she makes her way down a corridor, Rachel opens the door to Masari’s office and then gets an apprehensive expression. A quiet beeping is heard as she puts away her firearm and then presses a button of her earpiece.

From inside her father’s office at the APO, Sydney reaches over to answer the ringing telephone and answers “Yeah.” Marshall leans forward with interest. Agent Gibson tells her “Sydney, it’s me.” Syd looks relieved at hearing any news and replies “Oh, thank God... How’s my father?” The rookie agent replies “He’s alive... But we’ve got another problem.” We see that Rachel is looking at Mr. Sark, handcuffed to the MicroPulse Bomb. The countdown timer on it show 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Julian looks frustrated at his predicament.
 
Part 2

Now in Marshall Flinkman’s lab at the APO, Sydney asks him “Can we evacuate?” (Rachel & Sark). Shaking his head, Marshall regretfully replies “No. There’s not enough time. They won’t get very far.” Using her headset, Syd assures her protégée “Rachel, we’re gonna talk you through this.” So the young woman walks up to the bomb and examines it. Julian looks up at her, skeptical that she can help. Flinkman tells her “Okay, Rachel, there should be a front panel. Do you see that?” Examining the bomb from the right side to the left side, the rookie agent replies “Uhh... Yeah. It’s screwed in.” Meanwhile, Mr. Sark continues to tug his handcuffs free in vain. Offering his encouragement, Marshall tells her “Okay, great. Just unscrew it.” Rachel replies “Okay, unscrew it? With what?” Annoyed with her lack of resourcefulness, Julian sarcastically comments “Might I suggest something sharp?” Agent Gibson glares at Sark, then announces “Hold on” and turns to search Masari’s desk. Finding a letter opener, Rachel whispers “Here” and then uses it in place of a screwdriver to loosen the screws securing the panel of the bomb. As she works, she asks Julian “So... What happened?” Sark replies with annoyance “I underestimated my friendship with Masari... He assumed I was betraying him, and he took the money and he left.” Not being able to resist the opportunity to be derisive, the woman responds “Oh... So then he knows you pretty well.” Rather than respond to the provocation, Julian merely nods and makes a “Mmm” sound of agreement. The screws now removed, Agent Gibson pulls the end cap of the bomb off and sets it down. Rachel is startled as a whirring sound is heard and the weapon’s circuit board slides out into view. She notifies Marshall “Okay, I unscrewed the front panel. Now what?” As Sydney looks on with concern, Flinkman replies “Okay. If this bomb works on microwave energy, it should have a coaxial capacitor bank... Do you see that?” Looking at the circuit board, the rookie agent replies with uncertainty “Uh, maybe. I don’t know.” Recalling her past experience with defusing bombs, Syd offers “It should be attached to a power source.” Rachel then replies “Okay, I found it”, touching a component with several wires attached to it. Marshall tells her “Okay, great. You need to jam the pulse.” When the young woman asks “How?”, Marshall explains “Reroute the wires to a neutral bank.” Mr. Sark watches with concern as Rachel works, then he glances at the time remaining on the timer. Agent Gibson unplugs one wire and reattaches it to another terminal, then traces another wire to another part of the circuit board. Reaching over to the desk for a pair of scissors, Rachel prepares to cut that wire, announcing “Okay.” Watching what she is doing, Julian calls out with concern “W-wait.” She stops and looks over at him. Sark worries “If that’s the wrong wire...” With a derisive expression, the young woman replies “I thought you liked risks.” Julian counters “I also like my body... As I recall, you do, too.” She glares at him, then snips the wire. Sark flinches and then turns to see the timer counts down to 7:36. Agent Gibson notifies Marshall “It’s still armed.” He replies “That’s okay. It’s okay. Um... You just need to disable the compression generator... Look for a wire running to the microwave antenna. Okay?” As Rachel searches for the wire, Julian suggests “Don’t you want to get Dixon? No offense, but you haven’t had the best judgment lately.” Disregarding Mr. Sark, she finds the wire and announces “Okay, I got it.” Flinkman instructs her “Cut that. That should work.” Noticing his tone of voice, Sydney leans forward and asks with concern “Should or will?” Marshall sheepishly admits “Should.” Julian shuts his eyes in anticipation of the wire being cut, then the young woman tells him in an assertive voice “Just so we’re clear... You approached me. You were the one that was stupid enough to let me into your room. And afterwards, you were the one that wanted to cuddle.” Sark looks surprised. Rachel then cuts the wire and then the bomb powers down. Looking relieved, Agent Gibson announces “It’s disarmed.” Sighing with relief, Syd tells her “That was spectacular, Rachel.” As she replies “Thank you” the young agent has a look of satisfaction at showing Julian that he misjudged her. Sarks looks down acknowledging that she is correct. Back at the APO, Sydney tries to protect Rachel from gossip by tapping at Marshall’s chest and starts to warn him “About what you just heard...” Flinkman immediately replies “(I) Don’t need to know, (I) don’t want to know” and grins.

Sometime later on the grounds of Benjamin Masari’s compound, a medic radios to his base about Agent Powell’s condition. Director Bristow walks from the side of the ambulance to see Elizabeth, who is strapped onto a collapsible gurney. Her injured left hand is bandaged and she is looking at him with appreciation on her face. Jack informs her “I’ve spoken with the driver. There’s a plane waiting in Tunis. You’ll be in a London hospital by nightfall.” Ms. Powell smiles and tells him “Wish Sydney well for me.” Director Bristow has a regretful expression and shakes his head slightly as he responds “ I’m sorry, Elizabeth.” She shakes her and smiles warmly as she tells him “Don’t be.” Jack clasps her right hand and the old friends look at each other affectionately. The medics then wheel Agent Powell away to the ambulance as Jack looks on.

Inside Masari’s bunker, Agents Dixon and Grace are talking to Mr. Sark. Marcus tells him “About your payment...” Julian interrupts with “You’d love to arrest me right now, wouldn’t you?” Dixon replies calmly “Next time.” Thomas joins in “Give us the account number, we’ll wire you your fee.” Sark looks past them towards Agent Gibson who is using her cell phone and makes eye contact with her, then announces magnanimously “Don’t bother... This one’s a freebie.” He gives a small smirk and then walks past the two men towards the exit. Rachel looks up from her phone to make eye contact with Julian as he nears her. He has a slight nod and smirk for her. The young woman has an expression that suggests that she may have misjudged him too.

It is twilight in Los Angeles as Sydney is in the APO, having a telephone call with her father. She tells him “You sure you don’t need anything? I could stop by on my way home.” Jack replies “I’m fine. I’m just... exhausted.” Syd notes “That’s understandable.” We see that Jack is sitting in a chair in his dimly lit apartment as he suggests “Why don’t we meet for breakfast? I’ll come by and pick you up.” Sydney replies “That’d be great” and then adds with sadness and regret “Dad... If anything had happened, and I couldn’t have been there...” Jack then assures her “Sydney, you did exactly what I would have wanted. You and the baby are all that matters.” Her eyes welling up with tears, Syd replies “I love you, Dad... Sleep well.” They hang up their telephones. Sydney looks up and sees Marcus walking towards her office. She has an appreciative smile, then rises from the desk to meet him at the doorway. Syd gives Dixon a hug which startles him with the intensity of her embrace. They linger silently in the embrace; words not necessary between the old friends.

Back in his apartment, Jack plays at the piano that he told Elizabeth he gave up years ago, apparently in nostalgia of how things used to be. After he finishes the tune, Jack has a pensive expression.

END
 
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