04x18 - Mirage

[bunniefuu]

Vienna. Inside a club. Sydney walks past Vaughn, carrying a tray with drinks. Vaughn is sitting at a bar. They both have on disguises. It’s dark and loud music is playing. Sydney keeps walking and up some stairs. A guy stops her. They speak foreign language.

Anthony: You didn’t take their order.

Sydney: I know what they want.

Anthony: Do you know what I want?

Sydney: Why do men always want what they can’t have?

He moves aside and Sydney walks over to where Dixon, Kradic, and Aleksander, and a bodyguard. are sitting. She lays a paper on the table next to Dixon, looks at him, and hands him a drink. She hands drinks to the others.

Dixon: What’s taking so long?

Kradic: You’re an impatient bastard, aren’t you?

Dixon: Time is money.

Kradic: (unworried) The hydrosec will be here soon, at which point we’ll move on to the next stage.

Dixon: Which is?

Kradic: Dispersal. (Sydney leaves) For now, we’ll relax and enjoy ourselves. (picks up his glass) Cheers.

Sydney: (to comms to Marshall, Sloane, and Nadia, who’re at APO) Outrigger’s armed. He’s in VIP with Kradic and 2 others. Expect delivery of hydrosec any minute.

Sloane: Good work, Phoenix. Once delivery is confirmed, we need to take every precaution to ensure the hydrosec remains stable.

Nadia: Have we confirmed the method of transport?

Sloane: It was Jack’s responsibility. He hasn’t checked in yet, this morning, has he?

Nadia: No. (shakes her head)

Marshall: Now, it’ll most likely arrive in a large metal, biometric case- y’know, the kind that are usually named after large multinational corporations.

Sloane: Shotgun, what’s your status?

Vaughn: No sign of Kradic’s men yet.

We see suspicious looking man from previous episode pick up a glass and walk off. Kradic’s phone rings and he answers.

Kradic: (into phone) Yeah? (pause) Good. (hangs up)

Dixon: The hydrosec’s here?

Kradic: Out front.

Dixon: About time.

Sydney heard that on comms. She nods to Vaughn, who nods back. Suspicious looking man places a chip inside his glass. Vaughn starts walking and sees a couple of guys walking, carrying a briefcase.

Vaughn: (on comms) Got a visual on the hydrosec.

Suspicious looking man walks over to Sydney and places his glass on her tray and walks away. Sydney watches him go. She hears the glass beeping.

Sydney: Vaughn, take cover!

She throws the tray against the far wall and runs and ducks behind the corner of the other wall. The glass explodes. People start running and screaming. Kradic and his men start running. Dixon picks up the g*n Sydney gave him earlier.

Sloane: Phoenix, what’s happening?

Suspicious-looking man touches something on a palm pilot, and another wall explodes. The briefcase is on the ground, Sydney, Dixon, and suspicious-looking man go for it. People continue to run and scream. Sydney att*cks the suspicious-looking man. Syd wins, of course.

Sydney: Drop the g*n or lose your arm. (he drops it and then swings at her)

Vaughn runs in to grab the briefcase. Aleksander grabs him and puts his g*n to Vaughn’s head.

Aleksander: Don’t move!

Dixon comes up and sh**t Aleksander. One of Kradic’s men knocks Vaughn to the floor. Kradic sh**t at Dixon, who hides. Kradic spies the briefcase on the ground. Kradic takes the briefcase and makes a run for it. Vaughn punches out the guy who tackled him. Dixon starts running after Kradic.

Dixon: (to Vaughn) I’m on it!

Sydney continues to battle suspicious-looking man until she gets thrown on the floor.

Sloane: Phoenix, what’s going on?

Sydney: Third party tried to intercept the hydrosec. I’m in pursuit. (follows man outside where she loses him)

Kradic is running down a corridor. He pulls out some the hydrosec and opens a container connected to the pipes. Vaughn and Dixon come in with their g*ns raised.

Kradic: Put the g*n down! Or this goes into the drinking water! I said put them down!

Vaughn and Dixon do so, momentarily. Dixon quickly raises his g*n again and sh**t Kradic and he falls over.

Vaughn: (on comms) Send in the biohazard team. We need to contain the hydrosec.

Nadia: On their way.

Outside. Night. Suspicious-looking man is on the phone.

Elena: So the CIA has the hydrosec?

Man: They got lucky. If I can find out where they took it, I can get it back.

Elena: Leave that to me. Come to Los Angeles. Contact me when you get here. (she is in Sydney’s apartment)

Sophia/Elena walks into the kitchen. Nadia is there.

Nadia: Everything all right?

Sophia: Oh, yes. Just making a hotel reservation.

Nadia: Sophia, you just got here.

They speak Spanish.

Sophia: You’ve been too generous as it is. I will check into a hotel and I’ll visit.

Nadia: Sophia, you have to stay. I want you to be with me as long as you can. Stop being so stubborn.

Back to English.

Sophia: (smiles) Didn’t I used to say that to you?

Nadia: Stay. I insist, we want you to be here. Please.

Sophia: All right. But you must tell me the minute I become a burden.

Nadia: I promise.

APO Sydney walks to Vaughn at his desk.

Sydney: Hey

Vaughn (looks up): Hey

Sydney: Have you seen my father?

Vaughn: Nothing yet, huh?

Sydney: I’m worried. I left him like a dozen messages. He was supposed to report in 2 days ago.

Vaughn: So what do you want to do about it?

Jack’s apartment building. It’s kinda fancy in an old sort of way. Vaughn and Sydney step out of the elevator. They walk down the hallway.

Vaughn: So, this is where your dad lives, huh?

Sydney: Yeah, what did you expect?

Vaughn: I don’t know. A bunker or something. So, you’ve really never been here.

Sydney: No.

Vaughn: That’s very strange.

Sydney: As opposed to everything else about my relationship with my father. 301. Here it is. (First, she knocks. Then decides to pick the lock, and opens the door.) Dad?

Inside we see a well-kept living room. With dark brown leather couches. It’s spotless.

Vaughn: Not much for clutter, is he?

Sydney: No.

She goes over to an end table and picks up a picture of herself. She places it back and sees what looks like a bowl of pet food on the floor. Not all of the food is in the bowl. Some of it is on the ground.

Vaughn: Sydney, come here, look at this. (he’s paging through a journal) Body temperature, blood pressure, blood cell counts. He’s monitoring his vitals. (we see inside the book, it says, “Radiation Treatment Protocols”)

Sydney enters the bathroom and sees finds pill bottles by the sink. In the trash can are a bunch of bloody syringes. Sydney looks like she’s about to cry.

APO Marshall walking quickly through APO.

Nadia: Marshall.

Marshall: Oh, hey, did you hear the news? I get to run an initial analysis on the hydrosec this afternoon. I love level 4 biohazard toxins.

Nadia (smiles): My father asked me to give you this artist’s sketch based on descriptions from Sydney and Vaughn. (she hands him a drawing of suspicious-looking man) He wants to know if you can-

Marshall: Run a biometric match. Yeah, but off a sketch it’s a bit tricky.

Nadia: Can you do it?

Marshall: Flinkman doesn’t know the meaning of failure. One ugly puss, huh? Muy feo.

Elena and suspicious-looking have been listening to the conversation.

Elena: Now they have a picture of you.

Man: They have a cartoon drawing. They’ll never get a positive I. D. off that.

Elena: You underestimated them in Vienna, and we lost the hydrosec.

Man: Lucky break.

Elena: Nadia has a laptop with APO access. She brings it home every night. We may be able to use it to find the hydrosec. How long would it take you to hack in to it?

Dr. Liddel’s office. Jack rolls down his sleeve to cover a piece of gauze.

Liddel: I’m afraid our options are limited, Jack. The white blood cell anomalies are not what we’d hoped for. (he’s looking at some papers)

Jack: Limited, not exhausted. (he puts on his jacket)

Liddel: Science is full of happy accidents. Alexander Fleming spent years trying to figure out how to treat bacterial infection. He needed a vacation so bad, he forgot to wash his Petri dishes before leaving the lab. So he comes back, a week later, well rested, tanned, and what’s he faced with? A stack of moldy dishes. But he looks a little closer, and son of a g*n. Not an iota of bacteria growing anywhere near the mold. Penicillin. Just a happy accident.

Jack: Fascinating anecdote, although its relevance to my condition isn’t exactly-

Liddel: I have spent most of my career researching genetic mutations. Mostly in rats. I like rats. Much smarter than they’re given credit for. These little buggers were exposed to the mother lode of radiation. I was distracted one day-problems with my wife-and I accidently gave them a lethal dose of an alkylating agent. But lo and behold, a few of my rats survived. Milo lived to the ripe old age of 4

Jack: That’s something.

Liddel: Yes, but 84% of my rats were dead within a week. And given what they went through, death was a blessing.

Jack: We both know the prognosis for my condition. I don’t see that I have a choice

Liddel: This alkylating agent was discontinued decades ago. It’s considered too lethal, even in a controlled environment.

Jack: I have contacts. I’m sure I can procure the necessary chemicals.

Liddel: Here’s what we need. (he pulls a piece of paper out of a cabinet) Jack, as one friend to another, these dr*gs are nasty. If they don’t cure you-

Jack: I’ll turn out like one of your rats. I’ll be in touch.

APO Marshall’s lab. He’s searching for suspicious –looking man on the computer. Nadia walks in.

Nadia: Come up with anything on that assailant?

Marshall: Not yet. But I am writing an algorithm into the program too speed things up, so. . .

Nadia: (her cell phone rings) Excuse me. (she leaves the lab, and into phone) Hello.

Sophia: I hate to bother you at work, but I was hoping I could make dinner for you and Sydney and our boyfriends tomorrow night.

Nadia: Sophia, you don’t have to. (she walks over to Weiss’s desk)

Sophia: It would mean so much to me after all you’ve done.

Nadia: (to Weiss) Are we free for dinner tomorrow?

Weiss: Dinner, food, are you kidding me? Yes.

Nadia: It’s fine for us, but I have to check with Sydney and Vaughn.

Sophia: Great.

Monkeys. In cages. Some lab somewhere. Science guy Anthony working with chemicals.

Anthony: Jack.

Jack: Were you able to get what I requested?

Anthony: Yeah, sure.

Jack: Cute. (looks at the monkeys)

Anthony: Listen, I need you to promise me there’s no way this is gonna get traced back to me.

Jack: I’m familiar with your concerns.

Anthony: Look, Jack, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, tell you how to handle your business, but the human body is not designed to handle this stuff. Whoever this poor guy is you’re gonna be torturing-

Jack: Curious morality coming from a guy who kills monkeys for a living.

Anthony: What I’m saying-be conservative. (hands him 2 small bottles filled with blue liquid) A few CCs at a time, or you’re gonna be out of fun before it begins.

Jack: Thanks for the advice.

Anthony: So this-this pays off my debt to you, right?

Jack: Be seeing you Anthony.

APO Marshall and Sydney in Marshall’s lab.

Sydney: I need a favor.

Marshall: Sure, what can I do for you?

Sydney: Pull up everything you’ve got on alkylating agents. And cross-reference it with radiation sickness.

Marshall: Okay. Kind of an odd combination. (starts typing) What exactly are you looking for?

Sydney: Something’s wrong with my dad. I have to get to the bottom of it.

Marshall: (stops cold for a second) Coming right up, just uhh. . .

Sydney: Marshall, what’s wrong with my father?

Marshall: Hmm?

Sydney: You know, don’t you?

Marshall: It was after your mission to Yakutsk.

Sydney: Yeah?

Marshall: (starts typing more and pulls up report of the mission) God, he pulled the fuel right out of the core reactor. He told me not to tell you. He actually made me swear on Mitchell’s life, but seeing that you came in here to me, I guess I didn’t really violate-

Sydney: I thought you shut down the reactor from here.

Marshall: So did I, at first. But then you got trapped in the experimental chamber, and he thought it would be best if he went inside, and-

Sydney: Marshall, whatever information you have, on his treatment, I need it now.

Marshall: Syd. . .there is no treatment. I mean I have been all over the medical journals, harassing researchers that I know- some that I don’t know. (Sydney puts her hand to her forehead) If there was a treatment, I would have found it by now.

Sydney walks into Sloane’s office.

Sloane: Sydney, what is it?

Sydney: We have to find my father.

APO Breifing room. g*ng, excluding Jack is sitting around the table.

Sloane: Jack Bristow is in need of immediate medical attention. Currently, he’s off the grid. We’ve tried all usual avenues of communication.

Sydney: We have contacted every hospital and private practice in Los Angeles county. No one has record of treating him.

Dixon: Maybe he checked in using an alias.

Marshall: Well, we considered that, but the genetic mutation he experienced would require any doctor to make special note, and nothing matching your father’s criteria has been reported.

Sydney: The truth is, whatever my father has, it isn’t treatable. If he’s as sick as we think he is, it’s likely that his mental faculties are impaired.

Vaughn: Which means, someone might be preying on Jack using the false promise of a cure.

Sloane: We must act quickly. If someone is actively trying to harm Jack, he may be in no position to defend himself.

Jack walks into Liddel’s office.

Liddel: How did it go? (Jack hands the 2 bottles to him) All right. I’ll prepare this and we’re ready to go. (points to nurse) Connie will take care of your personal belongings.

Connie: How are you feeling today, Mr. Bristow?

Jack: Hopeful.

APO

Weiss: (on computer) We got a hit. (to Marshall) Jack just used a drive-thru ATM on 9th about 20 minutes ago, down near staples center.

Marshall: Great. (on computer) I’ll log onto the traffic surveillance network, see if I can spot his car leaving the bank. (finds what he’s looking for) Fantastic.

Sydney and Vaughn are driving in a car. Sydney is on the phone, Jack’s answering machine picks up.

Sydney: Come on dad, pick up your phone.

Jack: Please leave your name and number with a brief message-

Sydney: (hangs up the phone) Damn it!

Vaughn: Syd, we’ll find him.

Marshall: (to Weiss) Okay, I got it.

Sydney’s phone rings.

Sydney: Yeah, Marshall?

Marshall: We found his car, it’s parked outside a building on Pierpont.

Sydney: (to Vaughn) Do you know where Pierpont is?

Vaughn: Yeah, about 5 minutes out.

Sydney: (to phone) Oh, thank you Marshall. Remind me to kiss you.

Marshall: Uh, okay.

Weiss: What? What’d she say?

Marshall: Uh, nothing.

Dr. Liddel’s office. Jack is in the chair. It has restraints.

Liddel: Everything’s set. The whole procedure should take about 4 hours.

Jack: What are these restraints for?

Liddel: Uh, some patients go into convulsions when they’re unconscious. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself. Jack, have you thought about talking to Sydney? (he puts on the restraints)

Jack: I do keep to many secrets. When this is behind me that’s gonna change. Sydney deserves more. She deserves to know she’s the most important thing in my life. She and Laura, of course.

Liddel: I’m proud of you Jack.

Sydney and Vaughn drive up to an old warehouse building. They get out of the car, Sydney’s on the phone.

Sydney (to phone): We found his car. (she hangs up)

Vaughn and Sydney enter the building. The walls and floor are gray and it looks a bit dark. We see very ill people lying on the ground. They start walking.

Sydney: What would my father be doing here?

Vaughn: I don’t know.

They see a guy lying on a mattress. He’s wearing a jacket. Sydney and Vaughn stop to interrogate him.

Sydney: That’s my father’s jacket.

Vaughn : (to guy) Where is the man you took these from? (he grabs him) Hey! Where is he?

Sydney: Come on. (Vaughn takes his g*n, which was probably Jack’s)

Dr. Liddel’s office.

Jack: If for some reason, this doesn’t work, tell my girls I love them, Sydney and Laura.

Liddel: You’re gonna pull through this Jack. I’ll see you on the other side. (He injects him with the blue liquid medicine) I’d like you count backwards from ten.

Jack: 10. . .9. . .8. . 7. . .

Sydney and Vaughn walk in with their g*ns out. All of a sudden, we’re back in the warehouse. Jack is on a bed, injecting himself with poison.

Sydney: Dad!

Jack: It’s okay, everything’s. . .

Sydney: Oh my God, Dad! (to phone) Marshall, we need medical attention, now. (hangs up) Dad. (Vaughn is holding him up as he starts to shake, and Sydney pulls out the needle)

APO Vaughn is talking to Sloane.

Vaughn: Sydney’s with Jack. They’ve taken him to the infirmary.

Sloane: So, he injected himself with poison?

Vaughn: Well, apparently, he thought is was a cure. Now, they got it out of his system, but this illness- they say within 72 hours, his condition will advance to the point where it’s irreversible.

Slone: Did he wake up in the ambulance?

Vaughn: He kept wanting to see his doctor, Dr. Liddel. Apparently he’s been suffering from hallucinations for weeks.

Sloane: Dr. Liddel.

Vaughn: Yeah.

APO Briefing room. g*ng around table. Picture of Liddel up on the screen.

Sloane: Dr. Atticus Liddell.

Dixon: He exists?

Sloane: He did. 25 years ago, Atticus Liddel developed a radical thesis regarding the treatment of genetic mutations. IN 1981, he left the US to pursue his theories. He was working with patients devastated by an undisclosed nuclear accident in the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, it was the cold w*r. Shortly after he arrived, the Soviet’s became convinced that in addition to being a physician, Liddel was also a spy, which he was.

Vaughn: Did they k*ll him?

Sloane: No. One of Jack’s handlers informed us of the Russians’ suspicions, and Jack was able to extract him before they could act. He changed his name, gave him a new identity.

Sydney: Then there must be a record of where Liddel is located.

Sloane: No. In those times, Jack and his handler had a strict policy-anything that sensitive, they kept no documentation.

Sydney: So, we have to contact my Dad’s handler.

Sloane: Jack’s handler is dead. He d*ed 8 years ago.

Dixon: But supposing Jack knows where Liddel is, why didn’t he make contact when he first developed symptoms?

Sydney: He thought he did.

Marshall: Wow. Mr Bristow hallucinated the one man who can actually save his life. Even his delusions are lucid.

Vaughn: A man like Liddel can’t just disappear.

Sydney: Yes, he could, if he was hidden by my father.

Sydney is looking in at Jack’s desk when Nadia walks up.

Nadia: Hey. Is there anything I can do?

Sydney: We’re doing everything to find a doctor who might be able to help.

Nadia: I’m so sorry, Syd.

Sydney: Thank you. I’m gonna sit with him for a while.

Nadia: You want company? I’ll cancel dinner with Sophia.

Sydney: You should keep it. There’s nothing you can do here anyway.

Nadia: Okay. But if you need anything. . .

Sydney’s apartment. Sophia is laying out dishes. Nadia and Weiss walk in.

Nadia: Hi.

Sophia: Hi. (smiles and hugs Nadia)

Nadia: Something smells good.

Sophia: (goes over to Weiss) You must be Eric.

Weiss: Yes.

Sophia: I’m Sophia.

Weiss: Oh, hi. Eric Weiss. (Sophia gives him a hug) Oh, wow. How are you? (to Nadia) I love her already.

Sophia: I’m so sorry Sydney couldn’t make it. How sick is her father?

Nadia: It’s hard to say. They’re running some tests now. (she puts down her bags)

Weiss: Yeah.

Sophia: That’s awful. It’s very hard. When it’s a parent, it’s always so difficult. Give me those. (she picks up Nadia’s bags) I want you two to relax. You had a rough day. I’ll take care of everything. Uh, Eric?

Weiss: Yeah.

Sophia: You have no idea how excited I am to meet you. Nadia says the most beautiful things about you. (she leaves)

Weiss: (to Nadia) Really?

Nadia: She asked me if you were tall, dark, and handsome. I told her you were tall. (Weiss laughs and they kiss)

In Nadia’s bedroom. Sophia/Elena gives Nadia’s bags to suspicious looking man and she leaves. Suspicious looking takes out Nadia’s laptop and downloads files.

Hospital. Jack is lying in a bed. Sydney sits nearby. Jack starts to mumble and his eyes open.

Sydney: Dad. Dad can you hear me?

Jack: Hello.

Sydney: Hi.

Jack: What are you doing-why am-

Sydney: I need to ask you something, dad.

Jack: Oh, no, it was my turn to pick up Sydney after dance class. I’m sorry. Can- can you take care of that? I’ll cover next time Laura, I promise.

Sydney: Laura?

Jack: I don’t- I don’t know why I’m so tired sweetheart. I’m so tired.

Sydney’s apartment. Nadia, Weiss, and Sophia around the table, eating.

Weiss: (holds up a piece of food) What are these, the emperanas, these are incr- they’re so good. (Nadia giggles)

Sophia: Empanadas.

Weiss: Whatever, they’re delicious.

Sophia: I taught Nadia how to make them when she was very little.

Weiss: Well, I’ve been seriously deprived.

Nadia: Please.

Weiss: Well have you ever made these for me?

Nadia: (her cell phone, which is in her room, rings) Excuse me.

Sophia: Can’t you let it go?

Nadia: I really have to get this, I’m sorry. (she leaves the table)

Sophia: Nadia. Do you want some more wine?

Nadia: Sure.

Sophia: Red? White? (she discreetly pulls a g*n out of her bag)

Nadia: Red. (Nadia goes into her room)

Weiss: I know there’s- you know, there’s seafood in here, but what- what is this? Is this artichoke hearts? What is this?

Sophia: (watching Nadia’s door) Many things.

Weiss: And the rice. What is the spice in the rice? I can’t- is it, um. . .

Sophia: Saffron.

Weiss: Ah, saffron. I was going for cumin. Saffron- your secret ingredient, of course.

Nadia comes back out. Sophia/Elena discreetly replaces her g*n back in her bag.

Nadia: It was Vaughn.

Weiss: How’s Jack?

Sloane’s office. Sydney and Sloane.

Sloane: He’s to far gone, Sydney. In his present mental state, he will never tell us where he hid Liddel. Not to mention thet it’s possible your father doesn’t even remember.

Sydney: My father doesn’t forget things. We can hypnotize him.

Slaone: Yeah, I considered that myself, but given his situation, his condition, these hallucinations. . .

Sydney: He called me Laura. He thought I was my mother.

Sloane: He called you Laura? Not Irina? You said he called you Laura. Suppose we convince your father that he’s still living in 1981, specifically the day that he extracted Liddel out of Russia.

Sydney: My dad’s hallucinating. That’s distinctly different from what you’re suggesting.

Sloane: (waves his hands) No, no, I’m not sure it is. Calling you Laura, imagining Dr. Liddel. What if we could recreate his surroundings? Perhaps we could guide his delusions, get him to reveal exactly where he relocated Liddel.

Sydney: (eyes widen) You want me to be my mother.

Sloane: That’s right.

Sydney is sitting at a table. She’s dressed like Irina. Vaughn comes up.

Vaughn: Found a girl. (places a picture of a young girl in front of her) Six years old. She’s got your eyes. Her mom wants to know if she can use this for her acting reel. You okay? I get it. (rubs her shoulders) Not okay.

Sydney: I don’t know how I’m gonna do this?

Vaughn: Well, you know, it’s not too late. We can always have Weiss dress up as Irina. I’m sure he’d make a great housewife.

Sydney: (she laughs) I don’t remember my parents back when they were together.

Vaughn: Well, you were a little girl.

Sydney: I remember the time. I don’t remember them. My dad. . .was my dad. He was never around when I was a kid. He was always away on business. My mom. . .I don’t know what my dad was like around my mother, or what she was like around him. I don’t know how to do this.

Vaughn: Syd, it’s just a job. It’s another alias like all the others. Just trust your training. Follow your dad’s cues. Follow his leads. Besides, I’ve got sn*pers everywhere if he starts to get inappropriate. (he smiles and Sydney laughs)

Nadia: (comes in) They’re ready. (she leaves)

Vaughn: Hey, listen to me. You can do this.

Sydney enters another room, which turns out to be they’re old house. She looks around.

Sloane: (comes in from the opposite direction) Oh my God. It’s unsettling, isn’t it?

Sydney: This is my old house. (other guys comes in and place some things)

Sloane: It should be sufficient as long as Jack, doesn’t examine the details too closely. (turns) That bowl is in the wrong place. (he picks it up) Hmm, it’s murano glass. Emily and I gave this to your parents- or at least the original version- as a housewarming gift.

Sydney: It belongs on the coffee table.

Sloane: That’s right. We’ll give you a few minutes after Jack wakes up to sell the illusion. When the phone rings, give him his privacy. (moves a few things around) Medical will move in as soon as we get Liddel’s location. We’ll get this- (Men roll Jack in on stretcher)- we’ll get this over with as quickly as possible Sydney. (men lay Jack on a sofa, Sydney and Sloane watch him) You ready? (she nods) Your mother used to call your father sweetheart. It was a pet name for him. Good luck. (he walks out)

A guy injects Jack with something.

Sloane: (on comms) He should be conscious in 30 seconds. (to Marshall) Turn on the television.

Marshall: Ok, tv. . .on.

Marshall, Nadia, Sloane, and Vaughn watch Jack and Sydney through multiple cameras. The tv in the living room nexto Jack, who is lying on a couch, turns on.

Man on tv: First conference President Reagan has held since the assassination attempt a month ago. And now, here’s Sue with the weather.

Jack wakes up.

Woman: All right, thank you Jim. We’re looking at the downtown L. A. and Hollywood area, which should remain sunny and warm for the next few days. (Sydney is shown in the kitchen) . . . .

Jack picks up the remote and turns off the tv. He starts to get up.

Vaughn: Sydney, go ahead.

Sydney picks up a brown paper bag, and opens and shuts the door.

Sydney: Jack? (Jack gets up and goes to the kitchen) Oh, good you’re home. (she lays the bags on the table and starts taking food out, as Jack stares at her)

Jack: Sydney.

Sydney: She’s upstairs, isn’t she? Would you give me a hand with these? (pause) Sweetheart is something wrong?

Marshall: It’s not working.

Sloane: Just give her a moment please.

Sydney: Arvin called. He and Emily want to have dinner next Saturday. I told him we’d love to.

Jack: You could have just said we’re busy. I know how you put up with Arvin for my sake.

Sydney: Sweetheart, he’s your best friend. I’m your wife. I can tolerate him.

Jack: (smiles) How can you do that?

Sydney: (continues putting away groceries) Do what?

Jack: How can you be so perfect? Loving mother, beautiful wife, just- just by standing there.

Sloane: Vaughn.

Vaughn picks up a phone. The phone rings.

Sydney: Jack, would you get that?

Jack: (goes back to the living room and answers the phone) Hello.

Vaughn: Control number 80709. Is this line secure?

Jack: Yes, it is.

Vaughn: I’m calling from Agent Grady’s office. We’ve moved up the timetable to get Liddel out of Minsk. We have to get him out of there now.

Jack: Yes, I understand. (he watches Sydney move around the kitchen)

Vaughn: I can expedite your movements from here. What travel arrangements do you need set up? (pause) Where do you want Liddel moved?

Marshall: His mind’s rejecting this, possibly because Vaughn’s voice doesn’t sound like his handler’s.

Nadia: We should send in the girl.

Sloane: Do it, Marshall.

Marshall: Sending in. . .the girl.

Little girl, supposed to be Sydney, walks in.

Girl: Hi, dad. Is it okay if I practice the piano?

Jack: (smiles) Of course.

Little girl smiles and goes over to the piano. She starts playing.

Jack: (to phone) You still there?

Vaughn: Yes, of course.

Jack: I have company.

Vaughn: I understand.

Jack: About the doctor, I’m feeling a bit under the weather, but I’m much better now.

Marshall: It’s code, do you recognize it?

Slaone: No, it must be something Jack had with his handler.

Vaughn: Go ahead.

Jack: Despite that, I think it’d be wise to have a checkup. It’s been over a year since my last stress test. Can you schedule that for me?

Vaughn: You got it.

Jack: Thank you. (he hangs up)

Sloane: Sydney, Marshall should be able to decode the message. Keep trying to get Liddel’s location.

Jack goes back to the kitchen.

Jack: Sorry, honey, I have bad news.

Sydney: Oh?

Jack: That was Grady. Who else would it be this early on a sunday. He has a mission for me. I’m afraid I have to leave town.

Nadia: He told her. She knew he was a spy.

Sloane: It would seem so.

Sydney: What’s the mission?

Jack: There’s a doctor, who’s research has put his life in danger. I need to make him disappear. New name, new identity, new life-low risk, I promise.

Sydney: Where will you take him?

Jack: Finland. The medical community there-

Sloane: Marshall, run a biometric of Dr. Liddel against the databases of Finnish passport offices and medical licensing board.

Marshall: Already on it.

Vaughn: Sydney, we got it. Good work.

Jack: What concerns me- I won’t be back until next week. I’ll miss Sydney’s birthday again.

Sydney: That’s okay. You’ll explain it to her. She’ll understand.

Jack: She’s a child. She shouldn’t need to understand her father isn’t home to celebrate her birthday. Laura, the only memories I have of my father are of him leaving. I don’t want it to be that way for her. She deserves better.

Sydney: (you can tell she’s about to cry) The work you do is important.

Jack: Not as important as her. Or you. (pause) When I get back from Europe, I’m going to talk to my supervisors.

Sydney: What about?

Jack: I’m giving notice. Sorry. I should have discussed this with you before I made any decisions.

Sydney: No. That means more to me than you’ll ever know. (she’s about to cry as Jack kisses her hand)

Sloane: We’ll send in the med techs to sedate your father.

Jack goes over to the piano and sits next to the little girl.

Jack: That’s good. Can I join you?

Girl: Uh-huh. (she nods and he plays the piano with her)

Sydney comes in and watches them. Twinkle twinkle little star. Guy comes in and tranqs Jack.

Helsinki, Finland. We see an old man sitting in a bench. Sydney walks up to him.

Sydney: Dr. Liddel.

He gets up and walks away, without even looking at her.

Sydney: Jack Bristow. He needs your help. (he stops and turns around)

APO Marshall comes running up to Weiss and Nadia.

Marshall: Guys! Weiss, Nadia, hold on! I was about to run some more carbide tests on the hydrosec- case carbide tests, and I went to get it out of cold storage, and it wasn’t there, but of course you knew that.

Nadia: How would we know that?

Marshall: Well, it was moved at your request by your unit to a low-security facility offsite. I’m just wondering why, cause that’s some dangerous stuff.

Suspicious looking man walks down a corridor. There are 2 men tied up behind him. He attaches a device to a wall.

Elena is walking down a street and comes upon a guard.

Elena: Excuse me, sir. I’m terribly sorry but I’m lost. Could you please tell me where Division street is please?

Guard 1: Sure. Actually Division Street is the one-way street, (points) heading north.

In another section, Guard 2 goes up to Guard 3.

Guard 2: What’s going on?

Guard 3: (watching Elena on camera, then turns back to 2) Just some lady asking directions.

APO

Weiss: No one in our unit authorized anything.

Marshall: Well, the request was authenticated. It came over our secure network.

Suspicous looking man presses a button and the security cameras go out. Guard 2 and 3 notice.

G 2: Security system’s offline.

G3: I’m calling it in.

Back to Elena and G1.

Elena: You’re saying that way is a one-way street, goas-

G1: Right-(she tranqs him)-ahh. (Elena carries him over to behind a wall and drops him)

Back to Guards 2 and 3.

G3: Hey, hey-hey-how did you get in here?

Elena pulls out a g*n and tranqs both of them. Weiss tries calling the security office, no answer because G 2 and 3 are tranqed.

Elena walks down the hall with suspicious looking man. Guard comes around the corner and she tranqs him.

Weiss: Nothing. I’m getting nothing, no answer.

Nadia: Let’s go.

Elena takes a card from the unconscious guard and uses it to open a door. She enters followed by suspicious looking man. They come to a safe.

Man: It’s double-folded titanium.

Elena: Take a look at this. We can cut through that.

He uses a blowtorch to cut through it, while Elena guards the doorway.

Nadia and Weiss enter the building and find Guards 2 and 3 unconscious. They move on.

Man: (to Elena) Done.

Elena comes away from the door as Man pulls the door off the safe. Elena takes the case out and opens it to inspect what’s inside. Nadia and Weiss find another tranqed guard. They enter the room with the safe.

Nadia: Hydrosec’s gone.

Weiss: Oh, God. (he sees suspicious looking man lying on the floor dead, Elena k*lled him)

Nadia: It’s the guy from Vienna. The one Sydney and Vaughn-

Weiss: What the hell happed here?

The hallway outside APO. Sydney is walking through with Dr. Liddel.

Sloane: (comes up) Atticus. (they shake hands) So good of you to come.

Liddel: After what Jack did for me. . .

Sloane: Sydney will show you the infirmary. If there’s anything you need-

Liddel: I’d like to see my patient.

Sydney: Right this way. (they walk on)

The infirmary. Jack is asleep in his bed. Sydney picks up Jack’s hand.

Sydney: Dad. (he wakes up and looks at her) Dad. A friend is here to see you.

Liddel: Hello, Jack.

Jack: Am I cured?

Liddel: Not yet. But I’m gonna make you better.