Épisode Talon d'Achille S02E17 - Alias Saison 2

 

Trois Russes arrivent dans un couloir. Celui du centre est au téléphone et est entouré de ces 2 gardes du corps. Ensemble ils prennent un ascenseur, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 soudain l'ascenseur s'arrête. En fait il y a une sorte de bombe sur les câbles qui s'enclenche. L'ascenseur commence alors une descente infernale dans le vide, mais heureusement les sécurités s'enclenchent et l'ascenseur se stoppe plusieurs étage en-dessous. Alors qu'ils semblent être sauvés un deuxième dispositif s'enclenche et fait sauter les sécurités ! L'ascenseur poursuit sa descente infernale jusque tout en bas ! (impressionnant cette scène). Les portes de l'ascenseur s'ouvre et parmi les éclairs des câbles dénudés M. Sark rentre à l'intérieur et récupère le portefeuille.

Le Russe qui a été tué était Luri Karpuchev, un dealer d'armes pour la mafia. Kendall explique à Jack qu'Irina avait parlé de cet homme avec qui elle avait travaillé. Jack explique ensuite à Irina que Luri est mort et que Sloane est derrière tout cela. Il lui a aussi volé son portefeuille. Irina ne lui explique pas grand chose mais fait plutôt le reproche de ne pas avoir laisser partir Sydney de la CIA. Ensuite elle dit que le portefeuille contenait la clé de la safehouse (maison de sécurité) de Luri Karpuchev. En 1993, Karpuchev était en possession d'un manuscrit de Rambaldi c'est peut-être pourquoi Sloane l'a tué. Mais il l'a vendu a Ellie Stuka un ancien contact d'Irina qui vit à Bangkok en Thaïlande. Ce manuscrit (il y en a donc plusieurs !) parlait de la conception du cœur humain et surtout de l'immortalité ce qui était l'obsession de Rambaldi. Jack pense qu'Irina aurait un rôle a jouer pour attraper Sloane car il ne sait pas qu'elle est à la CIA, par contre il sait qu'elle détient ou détenait des informations sur Rambaldi. Irina semble d'accord à condition que Sydney soit libérée ensuite de la CIA.

Syd et Vaughn sont sur en train de jouer au hockey. Ils s'enlacent puis Syd reçoit alors un appel de Kendall.

Syd arrive à la CIA, Elle est attendu par un homme qui lui demande ses empreintes. Elle se rend compte aussi qu'elle est filmée ! Il lui demande si elle connaît Vladimir Petrovsky. Elle répond que non même après avoir vu sa photo. Il aurait été en France et connaîtrait Vaughn. Il lui demande si Vaughn fume elle répond que non. Ensuite il lui demande si elle a une aventure avec lui. Syd lui dit que cela ne le regarde pas. Elle lui demande à quoi sert cet entretien et qui il est. L'homme lui répond qu'il s'appelle Mitchell Yeager, qu'il est un membre de la contre-intelligence. La raison de cet entretien est que Vaughn aurait été en contact avec un nombre d'agent étranger et notamment Petrovsky lors d'une mission en France. Il lui dit aussi que si elle parle de cet entretien à Vaughn elle sera aussi considérée comme une suspecte.

Kendall n'est pas vraiment d'accord avec Jack pour son idée d'utiliser Irina comme appât. Jack lui rappelle la mission en Khasmir où elle avait été d'une grande utilité. Kendall donne finalement son accord. Jack va ensuite voir Irina et lui présente Marshall. Ce dernier lui administrer un traceur dans l'épaule d'Irina.

M. Yeager demande à Syd si Vaughn a changé son téléphone, car apparemment il utilise sept lignes de téléphone depuis le mois d'octobre. Il lui demande si elle a accès à son ordinateur pour qu'elle fasse une image de son disque. En effet il aurait téléchargé un logiciel d'encodage appelé Xenon. Syd ne croit pas que Vaughn est un traître mais Yeager lui signale que personne n'avait pensé que sa mère en était une jusqu'à l'année dernière. Il lui rappelle qu'Irina a tué père de Vaughn. Sydney refuse de l'aider mais Yeager lui demande qu'elle est sa priorité : la sécurité nationale ou son ami. Syd sort de l'entretien et croise Weiss. Elle lui demande s'il a vu Vaughn et il lui répond que non.

A Bangkok, dans une boite de nuit, Jack et Irina sont en mission. Irina habillée en tenue légère rencontre un thailandais qui l'a fait rentrer dans une arrière salle. Elle rencontre alors Stuka qui est en train de jouer à planter un couteau entre les doigts d'une enfant. Il est impressionné de la voir car il l'a croyait morte. Elle pose sa main sur la table en disant qu'elle adore les jeux. Ce dernier commence à jouer avec son couteau. La scène s'accélère et au moment où finalement il décide de planter le couteau dans la main d'Irina celle-ci a le réflexe de retirer sa main de récupérer le couteau et de le planter dans la main de Stuka. Puis elle lui place le couteau sous la gorge et lui demande où est le manuscrit. il lui révèle qu'il l'a échangé à Hong-Kong contre de l'opium avec un homme nommé Chang. Elle lui tranche finalement la gorge et tue les 2 autres gardes avec le couteau. Alors qu'elle s'enfuit un homme pointe une arme dans le dos d'Irina mais Jack le tue semant la panique dans la boite de nuit.

Dans le jet au retour, Jack et Irina parlent de la mission et de Sloane. Jack mentionne que Sloane a changé et qu'il a des connections personnelles à Rambaldi. Irina remercie Jack pour ce qu'il a fait de sa fille.

Vaughn est avec Sydney et il est étonné de ne pas avoir participé à la mission et trouve bizarre que le choix se soit porté sur Irina. Lorsqu'il est sous la douche, Syd hésite puis ouvre le portable de Vaughn, mais on ne sait pas ce qu'elle découvre.

Will et Francie discutent de Sydney. Will lui dit qu'elle travaille pour la CIA ! Francie a du mal à le croire. Il lui dit qu'il est analyste pour la CIA. Soudain il se réveille en sueur, Francie dormant à côté de lui. Il descend à la cuisine et rejoint Vaughn. Will lui parle de son rêve et Vaughn le rassure qu'au début avec le stress du travail on fait souvent des cauchemars.

A Hong-Kong, Jack et Irina se font passer comme des inspecteurs des nations unies et rentre dans le bâtiment où se trouve Chang. Ils arrivent à l'électrocuter avec le micro qui devait servir à simuler un faux interrogatoire filmé. Une fois seuls Jack sort un flingue de la caméra et Irina prend la carte codée de la salle où se trouve le manuscrit. Ils entrent dans la salle et Jack découpe le verre avec un stylo gadget et Irina récupère un petit manuscrit. Avant qu'ils ne repartent on peut voir un sourire d'avarice sur son visage. Jack la regarde alors bizarrement et ils s'en vont.

Syd regarde Vaughn mettre discrètement une enveloppe dans sa veste. Elle lui demande ce que c'est et lui demande s'il lui cache des choses. Il lui dit qu'il garde effectivement des secrets. Vaughn lui montre qu'il a mis la clé de son appartement dans cette enveloppe. Syd retourne voir Yeager pour lui dire qu'elle n'a pas fait la copie du disque de Vaughn.

Sloane est en train d'observer la page de Rambaldi qu'il a reconstitué lors de l'épisode précédent quand Sark vient lui apprendre qu'Irina a été aperçu à Bangkok au club de Stuka.

A la CIA, Jack avertit Kendall qu'il a reçu un e-mail de Sloane qui veut une rencontre. Kendall ravi donne pleins pouvoirs à Jack.

Syd observe sa mère dans sa cellule en train de regarder le manuscrit ! Elle lui dit qu'elle a appris que sa mère partait pour Panama. Syd lui demande si elle pense qu'elle coincera Sloane. Irina lui dit que cette mission sera très dangereuse. Syd est ravi que sa mère soit finalement du bon côté.

Francie est en train d'hypnotiser Will alors qu'il dort. Elle le questionne sur des documents qu'il a vu et notamment le satellite espion KH-11. Will lui révèle une série de lettres et de chiffres = X8471 - GY7983 qui sont les coordonnées satellite de Panama.

A Panama, Jack explique la mission à Irina. Puis elle demande à Jack de lui retirer le système qu'elle a dans l'épaule car Sloane sera capable de le détecter. Jack lui enlève, place un pansement sur son épaule et l'embrasse passionnément.

Pendant ce temps, avec l'aide de Weiss, Syd traque Vaughn. Elle le trouve dans un bar en train d'échanger une enveloppe avec Vladimir Petrovsky. Elle voit Vaughn lire une feuille que lui a donné l'homme. Finalement elle s'approche et lui demande ce qu'il fait là. Il lui dit qu'il fait des recherches. Elle ne comprend pas qu'il traite avec un ancien du KGB et un assassin…

Jack et Irina sont dans un van et se rendent en-dessous d'un pont. Il l'a laisse avec 2 hommes. Sark arrive dans une limousine. Il ouvre la porte arrière mais Sloane n'est pas là. Il lui dit que la rencontre se fera avec elle seule. Kendall et Jack suivent l'action grâce au satellite. Irina hésite mais arrive à ce que ces 2 gardes du corps l'accompagnent. Elle monte enfin dans la voiture avant de regarder vers le ciel, d'où elle est observée par le satellite avec les coordonnées qu'à révélé Will à Francie.

Vaughn dit qu'il a traité avec les tueurs qui avaient travaillés avec Irina et qui ont probablement été liés à la mort de son père. Il a retrouvé des appels émis par sept téléphones portables de la part d'Irina alors qu'elle était en mission avec Syd ou Jack ! Il se souvient qu'elle avait un agenda (" la bible ") et donc il n'a pas arrêté d'enquêter sur la mère de Sydney pour voir ce qu'elle comptait faire. Il a télécharger Xenon pour lire des dossiers du KGB. Il a même étudier tout ce qui était en liaison avec Irina dans sa cellule…

La limousine de Sark fonce sur la route. Soudain le satellite se brouille. Francie qui est au téléphone avec Sloane lui dit si tout est bon. Sloane lui répond que oui. Finalement Jack envoi un hélicoptère à la poursuite de Sark. La limousine passe dans un petit tunnel, mais l'hélicoptère continu à les suivre. Finalement la limousine est bloquée sur une jetée et Sark ort les mains en l'air. Mais lorsque Jack sort il se rend compte que c'est une doublure et qu'il n'y a rien dans la limousine. Il avertit alors Kendall d'aller voir si le manuscrit est toujours là. Dans le tunnel, Sark toujours dans la voiture, s'arrête, se retourne et tue les deux gardes d'Irina.

Vaughn dit à Sydney qu'il n'a rien trouvé sur Irina et qu'elle est clean. A la CIA, un agent apporte la valise contenant le manuscrit de Rambaldi.

Un van de la police s'approche de la limousine. La porte s'ouvre et Sloane est à l'intérieur. Sloane lui dit qu'il est ravi de la revoir, Irina le remercie de l'avoir libérée Elle sort de dessous son pull les vraies pages du manuscrit qu'elle avait prit soin de voler puis elle monte dans le van accompagnée de Sark…

Kendal ouvre le manuscrit pour se rendre compte que les pages n'y sont plus et qu'à la place il y a des post-it. La caméra fait alors un gros plan sur le visage de Jack complètement abasourdi puis elle s'éloigne de la jetée où se trouve encore l'hélicoptère….

Ce script appartient au site twiztv.com

***

(Three men in an elevator. One of them is Luri Karpachev, the other two are his bodyguards. They hit the button for the forty-seventh floor and the elevator starts to climb, the three of them speaking Russian with Karpachev on his cell. They hear a beeping sound. Above the elevator, in the shaft, is a bomb attached. One bodyguard hoists the other up to investigate the sound when the explosion goes off, sending the elevator down. They all scream and it stops suddenly at the thirty-eighth floor.)

KARPACHEV: (in Russian) Emergency brakes. Emergency brakes.

(They all laugh nervously but the explosion goes off again and once again they're sent plummeting down the elevator shaft, screaming. The elevator crashes to the ground. The lights flicker as the bodies of the three men remain in the elevator. There's a pounding at the door and the doors open. A crowbar is dropped. A man steps in, wearing a trenchcoat and carrying a flashlight, and calmly takes Karpachev's wallet from his coat. It's Sark.)

(CIA ops center. Kendall shows Jack a photograph of Karpachev, they stand in the hallway.)

KENDALL: Luri Karpachev, he was a high-level arms dealer in Russia with links to the mafia. Your ex-wife mentions--

JACK: I'd appreciate it if you'd refer to Irina Derevko by name.

KENDALL: Derevko listed him among former contacts when she was debriefed by the NSA.

JACK: Yes, I've heard the name myself. Sloane had dealings with him at SD-6. I'll talk to Irina, see what she knows.

KENDALL: Sorry about the...

JACK: Don't be silly.

(At Irina's cell, Jack looks pretty relaxed with his hands on either side of the glass, leaning forward a bit.)

JACK: After you surrendered yourself in to the CIA, you listed Luri Karpachev as one of your contacts.

(Irina nods.)

JACK: He was murdered yesterday, we believe by Sloane. Karpachev's body was found without his wallet. Presumably Sloane has more insidious ways to pass the time than picking someone's pocket. What might have he been looking for?

IRINA: Why haven't you tried to convince Sydney to leave the CIA?

(Jack's arms drop.)

IRINA: You and I know better than anyone -- she should leave this life while she has the chance.

JACK: Sydney can be stubborn. Where she got that from is anyone's guess. But she refuses to resign as long as Sloane is still free. Which brings me back to my question -- what was in Karpachev's wallet?

IRINA: A key card to his home safe. In '93 Karpachev came into possession of a Rambaldi manuscript. Sloane must believe he kept it in his safe but he's incorrect. Karpachev sold it.

JACK: To whom?

IRINA: Ilya Stuka. A former contact of mine, living in Bangkok.

JACK: What is this manuscript?

IRINA: Rambaldi's study of the human heart. As you know, immortality was one of Rambaldi's obsessions.

JACK: Where does Stuka keep it?

IRINA: I don't know, but I could find out if I were allowed to meet with him.

JACK: Kendall won't risk letting you out again, despite your cooperation in India.

IRINA: What if the price were worth it?

JACK: Sloane doesn't know that you're in CIA custody.

IRINA: He thinks I'm in hiding, as he is.

JACK: If Sloane believes you've surfaced, obtained the manuscript he's after, he'll want to meet with you. Negotiate a purchase.

IRINA: Which I'd be happy to do.

JACK: And we could grab him.

IRINA: And give Sydney her reason to get out.

(Ice rink. Vaughn skates around Sydney, handling a puck. He comes to a stop beside her.)

VAUGHN: Okay. The key, obviously, is balance, right? So don't worry so much about the puck and just make sure your feet are planted on the ice and then...

(He shoots the puck and gets it into the net.)

VAUGHN: ...Just a nice follow-through.

SYDNEY: Show-off.

VAUGHN: Yeah, a little bit.

(Big smile on his face, he skates over to the net and passes the puck to her. Sydney, a little wobbly, starts skating to the net and over to him. Vaughn narrates, hockey announcer style.)

VAUGHN: Bristow's got the puck! She crosses the blue line! She's at the top of the circle! She shoots, she scores!

(Sydney gets it in and skates right into Vaughn. He catches her, giving her a hug at the same time.)

VAUGHN: What--oh my God, what was that?

SYDNEY: I didn't say I was completely incompetent.

VAUGHN: You've done this before.

SYDNEY: No, I told you, I haven't skated since I was five.

VAUGHN: No, I don't believe you.

SYDNEY: Swear to God, my mother took me.

(Awkward silence. Vaughn looks down at the ice.)

VAUGHN: Well, you're better than you should be.

(He starts to skate around her again.)

SYDNEY: Sooner or later we're going to have to have a conversation--

VAUGHN: There's nothing to talk about.

SYDNEY: --About my mother.

VAUGHN: Sydney, there's nothing to say. We both know what happened. What is there to say?

SYDNEY: I think a lot.

VAUGHN: Nothing I want to talk about.

SYDNEY: I'm sorry.

VAUGHN: Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry for her.

(Sydney's cell rings. She answers.)

SYDNEY: Hello? Yeah. Okay.

(She hangs up.)

SYDNEY: I have to go in.

VAUGHN: Of course you do, it's your day off. (sighs) All right, I'll see you later.

(They kiss. Vaughn skates away.)

(Briefing room. A man, Yeager, sits behind a desk covered in files and paper. Another agent stands beside him. Knock on the door and Sydney enters.)

YEAGER: Yeah?

SYDNEY: My name is Sydney Bristow, you asked for me?

YEAGER: Yeah, have-have a seat.

(He gestures to the agent. Sydney sits down and looks at the monitor behind her. She's being videotaped. The agent approaches Sydney with a few sheets of paper.)

AGENT: Miss Bristow, I need your thumbprint here... and here.

YEAGER: These are just confidentiality agreements. They just forbid you from disclosing anything we might talk about today. If you do so, it's a felony.

(Sydney looks up, alarmed. But she does it anyway, pressing her thumb into the blue inkpad and stamping two documents, signing one of them. The agent gathers the papers and inkpad.)

YEAGER: Thank you.

(He waves the agent away.)

YEAGER: Are you familiar with the name Vladimir Pograski?

SYDNEY: No, I'm not.

(He gets up and places a surveillance photograph of Pograski on the desk in front of her.)

YEAGER: Ever see this man?

SYDNEY: No.

YEAGER: Last month you were in France with Agent Michael Vaughn. Do you recall seeing him use a pay phone?

SYDNEY: No.

YEAGER: Did you see Mr. Vaughn purchase cigarettes?

SYDNEY: Mr. Vaughn doesn't smoke.

YEAGER: I understand.

SYDNEY: No, I didn't see him buy cigarettes.

YEAGER: Are you and Mr. Vaughn intimately involved?

SYDNEY: That's none of your business.

YEAGER: Yeah, I know, it's sort of an awkward question.

SYDNEY: What is this about? I'd appreciate a little context here. You haven't even given me your name.

YEAGER: I'm Mitchell Yeager, I'm counter-intelligence threat analyst. That should give you a little context. I've been sent here to investigate Michael Vaughn. It's come to our attention that over the past three months, Mr. Vaughn has been in contact with a number of unapproved foreign operatives. He's also actively pursued contact with Mr. Pograski, who happens to be a former KGB assassin known to have ties with at least three terrorist organizations.

SYDNEY: Wait a minute, there absolutely is a reason for this.

YEAGER: Yes, I'm sure that's right. That's why I'm here.

SYDNEY: This is crazy! What are you saying, that Agent Vaughn is working for someone else? Who would--

YEAGER: Miss Bristow, Mr. Vaughn doesn't know an investigation of this magnitude is taking place and I will remind you that speaking to him about this is not only a criminal act, but will force us to consider you a suspect as well so I'll ask you again -- are you and Mr. Vaughn intimate?

(Kendall and Jack in the ops center.)

KENDALL: You suggest that we allow Irina Derevko -- a known terrorist -- to make contact with Arvin Sloane?

JACK: Sloane is searching for another Rambaldi manuscript. Irina believes it's now in the possession of an associate living in Bangkok. I'll serve as her escort. We'll recover the manuscript and use it to bait Sloane.

KENDALL: I doubt I'll be able to convince Washington to authorize it. Our intel would have to be convincingly precise and right now all we know about this manuscript and where it might be comes only from Derevko.

JACK: We may never have a better chance to get Sloane. Remember, without Irina's help, the operation in Kashmir would have been an embarrassment.

KENDALL: Jack, when the hell did we switch places? Derevko could be using this operation just to convince us that she's trustworthy.

JACK: I've had twenty years to reflect on that woman's ability to deceive. Trust me. If she lies to me again, I'll know it.

(Jack is inside Irina's cell.)

IRINA: Stuka works out of a nightclub in Bangkok. Why? Did Kendall approve the op?

JACK: Yes. We have a jet standing by.

(Irina smiles a little. There's a knock on the glass. A nervous Marshall stands there, clutching a small box.)

JACK: Oh, this is Marshall Flinkman. He worked with us at SD-6.

MARSHALL: Hey! How you doin'? You're Sydney's mom -- that's really cool! 'Cause, uh, your daughter? Awesome, by the way!

JACK: Kendall insists that you be injected with a sub-dermal tracking device. I'll have a receiver that will allow me to follow your movements on-site.

(Marshall enters. Irina looks at him like he's her next treat.)

MARSHALL: Yeah, you won't even really know it's there unless, you know, we put it under your thigh or somewhere else where you might sit on it and then you'll have, like, a "Princess and the Pea" moment where you feel it, but you don't. Do you know that "Princess and the Pea"? My mother--

JACK: Put it behind her shoulder.

(Marshall looks terrified.)

MARSHALL: Um. Okay, the thing is, it might hurt a little bit 'cause it's small but it's not really that small.

(Irina moves her hair out of the way and the strap of her shit. He gets out the injector and looks at Jack. Jack nods, allowing him to go ahead. Marshall's forehead is covered in sweat as he takes a step closer to Irina with her back to him and injects her with the tracking device. Irina doesn't flinch.)

MARSHALL: Wow... you're tough.

(In the briefing room, Sydney is still being questioned by Yeager.)

YEAGER: Has Mr. Vaughn made any large purchases recently?

SYDNEY: Not that I'm aware of.

YEAGER: Has he changed his cell phone more than once in the past six months?

SYDNEY: I've answered that -- no. Why are you asking me the same question twice?

YEAGER: We've traced four cell phones back to Mr. Vaughn since October. I was hoping you would have noticed that.

SYDNEY: I didn't.

YEAGER: Do you have private access to his laptop computer?

SYDNEY: Excuse me?

YEAGER: You know, while he's sleeping or in the shower or out of the house?

SYDNEY: We don't live together.

YEAGER: Yeah, you know, I understand that.

SYDNEY: What are you asking me?

YEAGER: There's a decryption program called Xenon and we have reason to believe that Mr. Vaughn has downloaded this program to his personal laptop computer and if he has, he's broken the law.

SYDNEY: That's insane.

YEAGER: Well, maybe it is, then we need confirmation either way.

SYDNEY: You want me to check Vaughn's computer.

YEAGER: We simply want you to make a little disk image.

(He drops it on the table in front of her.)

YEAGER: We want you to make a copy of his hard drive and uh, bring it back.

SYDNEY: Listen to me, there is not a chance that he is a traitor, that he would be collaborating with an enemy.

YEAGER: You know, I knew you mother. About twenty years ago, met her with your father. We used to go to a lot of these agency functions, you know. She was, uh, charming. Very disarming woman... who wasn't what she seemed.

SYDNEY: It is a mistake, Mr. Yeager, to confuse Michael Vaughn with anything regarding my mother.

YEAGER: She killed his father.

SYDNEY: I will not spy on Michael Vaughn.

YEAGER: Miss Bristow, what is your priority? National security, or your new boyfriend?

(Sydney walks out of the briefing room with determination and meets Weiss heading her way.)

SYDNEY: Weiss. Have you seen Vaughn?

WEISS: That's all I am to you -- just a conduit to Vaughn.

SYDNEY: No, I'm just--

WEISS: Have you ever seen Vaughn and said "Hey, where's Weiss?"

SYDNEY: I'm just looking for him.

WEISS: No, I haven't seen him. I was just called to the briefing room, do you know what this is about?

SYDNEY: No.

WEISS: All right.

SYDNEY: See you.

(Bangkok nightclub. Techno music plays as men admire the female dancers. Jack sits at the bar and takes a drink, watching as Irina enters the club wearing a slinky dress and lots of make-up. She saunters through the crowd and makes it back to the bouncer leading into the private room. She speaks Thai to him and he checks her up and down then leaves her in. A man, Stuka, is playing the knife game to a terrified woman who sits across from him. Her hand is on the table and he jabs his knife into the tabletop, between her fingers, going fast. She whimpers. Irina talks to him.)

IRINA: Stuka, I see you're still playing with children.

STUKA: This is amazing. I heard you were dead... we all did.

IRINA: Let her go. Play with me instead.

(He gestures to the terrified girl and she leaves. Irina sits down and puts both her hands down.)

STUKA: Stop it.

IRINA: Why not? You know me. I love games.

(She puts one hand down on the table. The bodyguard standing nearby takes a drink, admiring the view. Stuka digs his knife into the table, in between her fingers. Irina gasps a little. He starts going faster. Irina doesn't move, staring at him with a smile on her face, as he goes faster. He finally stops. She grabs the knife and stabs his hand. He yells out and she takes the knife out of his hand and up to his throat. The bodyguard takes out his gun.)

IRINA: Drop the gun!

STUKA: Do it!

IRINA: You bought a Rambaldi manuscript from Karpachev!

STUKA: I don't have it anymore!

IRINA: Where is it?

STUKA: In Hong Kong! I traded it for opium rights!

IRINA: To who?

STUKA: To Chang!

(Irina slits his throat anyway and, taking the knife, stabs the bodyguard in the chest and then throws the knife at the bouncer at the door. It pierces his chest. Irina walks out quickly, into the main club where Jack was. Behind her, a fourth man aims his gun at Irina's back as she walks. He's about to shoot when he's shot himself, and falls to the ground. People scream. Irina turns to see Jack, who shot the man, and saved Irina. She runs out of the club.)

(On the plane. Jack and Irina sit across from one another.)

JACK: Once we get the manuscript, how do you intend to let Sloane know it was you?

IRINA: Word will get back to him that I was in Bangkok. He'll know it was me.

(She starts to tear up a little.)

IRINA: I did not see that fourth man. If you hadn't fired... I remember the first time you introduced me to Sloane. You were both working at the CIA, he came to the house for dinner. You were true friends.

JACK: Yes. We shared a similar unsentimental patriotism... and a devotion to our wives. But Sloane changed and... it was Rambaldi that did it. I'm not sure what it is -- he never told me -- but Sloane has a personal connection to Rambaldi.

IRINA: I lived for years with the same obsession, to find a higher meaning in Rambaldi's work. I never understood how you managed to avoid getting caught up in it.

JACK: I had something neither of you did.

IRINA: (nods) Sydney.

(Jack gets up and tries to walk past her, but she grabs his hand. He stops.)

IRINA: I never thanked you for everything that... for raising our daughter.

JACK: We land in four hours. Get some rest.

(At Sydney's with Sydney and Vaughn.)

VAUGHN: Did you hear about your mother? The op they sent her on?

SYDNEY: Yeah, with my dad.

VAUGHN: How'd you find out about it?

SYDNEY: My dad told me.

VAUGHN: What, was it courtesy or was it part of--

SYDNEY: No, he just told me.

VAUGHN: Isn't that weird to you? That they wouldn't involve us at all, the decision to reintroduce Irina Derevko to the world and we're not consulted?

SYDNEY: We can't be part of every operation.

VAUGHN: Well, this one we should've been.

SYDNEY: I wouldn't read into it.

(They smile a little, breaking the tension.)

VAUGHN: You mind if I use your shower?

SYDNEY: (smiles) You don't have to ask.

(They kiss and he heads down the hall to the bathroom. A moment later the shower starts up. Sydney looks at his briefcase sitting on the counter but moves over to the fridge instead. She opens the fridge door and closes it immediately, walking over to the counter and opening his briefcase. She slides out his laptop, which is powered on, and opens it. She looks down the hall.)

(Will and Francie are having dinner.)

WILL: What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anybody. Swear to me.

FRANCIE: I swear.

(Will takes a big drink of wine.)

WILL: Okay. Sydney... okay. This is going to sound insane... but she works for the CIA.

FRANCIE: Come on. Seriously...

WILL: Francie, think about it. What bank sends their employees on that many trips? It's a cover job. It's not even a good cover job. It's insane. Those trips? They're top secret CIA missions.

FRANCIE: Come on, Will.

WILL: Oh, I am telling you, I have seen her in action. She's like Schwarzenegger. She's like the old Schwarzenegger. She's amazing!

FRANCIE: So what does that mean? I mean, are you CIA too?

WILL: No. No, I'm an analyst.

FRANCIE: Really.

(Will suddenly bolts upright in bed next to Francie, waking up from his dream. He looks over at her.)

(The next morning, Will comes out of the bedroom and sees Vaughn reading the paper and eating cereal.)

WILL: Hi.

VAUGHN: Morning.

(Will opens the fridge and gets some juice.)

WILL: Where is everybody?

VAUGHN: Sydney just went to work. Francie left about twenty minutes ago.

(Will sighs, pouring himself some juice.)

VAUGHN: You okay?

WILL: No. Actually, I'm not. I had this dream that I told Francie everything I knew about the agency.

VAUGHN: What do they have you working on?

WILL: I'm analyzing drug trafficking through the Panama Canal. And I'm reading data and then downloading information off the KH-11 satellite.

VAUGHN: Exciting, right?

WILL: Yeah, I guess. Why?

VAUGHN: Well, 'cause it's common, you know, to dream about work, have anxiety over keeping it secret. Especially in the beginning.

WILL: Really.

VAUGHN: Goes away though.

WILL: What, the excitement?

VAUGHN: No. The dreams.

(Hong Kong. Irina and Jack, wearing matching jumpsuits, stand in front of the gate of a palace. Irina hands over a document to the guard.)

IRINA: You must allow us entry immediately. Our mandate to search this location has been approved by Beijing. Any noncompliance is a breach of your agreements.

(He inspects the document, hands it back, and allows entry. Inside an office, Jack sets up a videocamera and Irina speaks to an official.)

OFFICIAL: I'm sorry for the delay. Only this morning did we learn that an inspection team was coming to the palace.

IRINA: We're investigating reports that precursor chemicals have been stored in several official buildings.

OFFICIAL: If you are suggesting that we are hiding chemicals--

IRINA: That will be fore the inspectors to decide. We are only here to conduct the interview. I'm sorry.

(She attaches a "mic" to his lapel and nods to Jack who pushes a button on the videocamera. The mic sprays something in the official's face which knocks him out. Irina reaches in his jacket and steals the key card, shows Jack. They walk down a hall and get to a gated door. She uses the key card and the move inside to a glass box which holds the manuscript inside a leather satchel. Jack takes out a "pen" which slices a hole in the glass. As soon as the glass is removed, Irina reaches in and takes out the satchel, looks at it adoringly. Jack looks at her.)

JACK: Let's go.

(They walk out with the manuscript.)

(In the ops center, Sydney watches Vaughn. He takes something from a folder. He then puts a small envelope in his jacket pocket. He glances over at her and sees her watching him. She smiles and approaches.)

VAUGHN: Did you speak to Will? He was a little freaked out this morning.

SYDNEY: What was that?

VAUGHN: Oh. Just work stuff.

SYDNEY: Come here.

(She pulls him aside.)

SYDNEY: Are you keeping secrets from me?

VAUGHN: What?

SYDNEY: Answer the question.

VAUGHN: I'm sure I am. We just started dating. Of course there are things that I don't feel comfortable--

SYDNEY: No, that's not -- I'm not talking about us.

VAUGHN: What, work then? Yeah. There are certain things, under protocol, that I'm not authorized to talk about with anyone.

SYDNEY: And that's it?

VAUGHN: Look, there is something you don't know about me. I don't like it when people question my loyalty. It makes me insane.

SYDNEY: This isn't about loyalty. I never said anything about loyalty.

VAUGHN: When you ask me if I'm keeping secrets, the suggestion's pretty clear.

SYDNEY: And you know what? Secrets will be a problem between us. After everything we've been through, you should know that.

(He takes out the small envelope from his jacket pocket and opens it. He takes out a key.)

VAUGHN: This is the key to my apartment. I was going to give it to you tonight over dinner. Obviously, an inappropriate move.

SYDNEY: Vaughn...

VAUGHN: Barnett's waiting for me.

(Briefing room with Yeager. Sydney enters. She puts the disk down on the table.)

YEAGER: You made the right decision.

SYDNEY: That disk is blank. I didn't make a copy of Agent Vaughn's hard drive. The fact that I doubted Vaughn's motives makes me sick.

YEAGER: You should be aware that by choosing not to assist, you are implicating yourself in Agent Vaughn's activities.

SYDNEY: Don't threaten me again.

YEAGER: And you could be prosecuted as an accessory.

SYDNEY: I understand.

YEAGER: Understand that there are consequences to your actions.

SYDNEY: There are consequences, that's my point. Ask youself, would you betray someone you love?

YEAGER: Well, I guess we have an answer to the intimacy question.

(Sloane inspects the manuscript he put together in the last episode. Sark enters.)

SARK: Mr. Sloane.

SLOANE: Yes?

SARK: It seems Irina Derevko was seen last night in Bangkok.

SLOANE: Where?

SARK: At a club with Ilya Stuka.

(Ops center. Jack walks up to Kendall.)

JACK: Sark made contact through one of Irina's e-mail accounts.

KENDALL: He took the bait?

JACK: He wants a meeting to discuss the purchase of the Rambaldi manuscript.

KENDALL: Can we trace his message?

JACK: No, it was sent through anonymous remailers. I'm going to set up the meeting in Panama, ostensibly between Irina and Sloane.

KENDALL: Jack, you make this happen, you can have my job.

JACK: No thanks. I'll need Delta force.

KENDALL: You'll get whatever you need.

(In Irina's cell, she inspects the Rambaldi manuscript on the heart and writes. Sydney watches her from the other side of the glass. Irina turns, sees her, and walks over.)

SYDNEY: Dad says you're going to Panama.

(Irina nods.)

SYDNEY: Do you think there's a chance you'll get Sloane?

IRINA: I wanted to see you because... it's going to be dangerous, setting this trap. I hope it goes well but there's no guarantee. So whatever happens, there's something I need you to know. Sydney, I love you.

SYDNEY: Mom--

IRINA: You don't have to say anything. I'm pretty sure I haven't earned very much, and that's okay. This was just something I needed to say.

SYDNEY: Mom, you're coming back.

IRINA: I hope so.

(She places her hand on the glass. Sydney places her hand on the glass against Irina's. They smile. Irina drops her hand.)

(Will is in bed with Francie who is sitting up next to him. His eyes are closed.)

FRANCIE: Did you have any trouble accessing the KH-11 satellite images? Was anyone suspicious?

WILL: No. I used them in my report. Nobody was suspicious.

FRANCIE: The first image you saw. See it in your mind. Do you see any markings?

WILL: No. I don't think so.

(We get a flash of the document.)

WILL: Wait. There are two sets of numbers at the bottom right hand corner.

FRANCIE: Read them to me.

WILL: X48471 - GY798623.

FRANCIE: What are they?

WILL: The orbital location of the satellite and its operational control.

FRANCIE: Good. I'm going to count back from five. When you wake up, you'll have no memory of this conversation. All you'll remember is that tonight, you had the best sex of your life. Five... four... three...

(She settles in bed next to him.)

FRANCIE: Two... one.

(Will's eyes open.)

(In a Panama hotel room, Jack and Irina sit at a table going over the plan.)

JACK: Based on our agreement, tomorrow morning you and two Delta force guards will be dropped off here. If Sloane follows the plan, he'll drive north to meet you.

IRINA: Won't he be suspicious if I don't have the Rambaldi manuscript?

JACK: Sloane is smart enough to know that you would never bring it with you at first contact. He'll expect that you have it close by. CIA will be tracking you on satellite back in Los Angeles in contact with me and a chopper waiting ten blocks away. When the call is made, the team will surround the vehicle and ambush Sloane.

IRINA: Pretty straightforward.

(She watches as Jack takes a drink of red wine from his nearby glass.)

JACK: I think we've got a shot.

IRINA: There's one thing. The tracker you put in my shoulder.

JACK: You want it removed.

IRINA: If they discover I've been tagged, it's over. We both know that.

(Later. Irina has her bare shoulder exposed to Jack. He cuts her shoulder with a scalpel.)

JACK: Of course, Kendall would have me court-martialed for this.

IRINA: Kendall is not as smart as you are.

JACK: Got it.

(He puts a bandage on her shoulder. She winces a bit.)

JACK: You okay?

IRINA: This is nothing.

(They lock eyes for a moment.)

IRINA: We need to be up early.

JACK: Yes.

IRINA: We should get to bed.

JACK: Yeah, we should.

(Irina leans forward a bit and Jack moves in. They passionately kiss and move back.)

(Sydney walks down the hall at the ops center. Weiss falls into step beside her.)

WEISS: Hey. You know the thing we're both involved in that we can't talk about?

SYDNEY: Yeah.

WEISS: Yeah, well, I know a guy from the farm who works with Yeager and he's about to file a formal charge against Vaughn. Mishandling classified intelligence.

SYDNEY: What?!

WEISS: Yeah.

(Sydney takes out her cell.)

SYDNEY: I need to talk to him!

WEISS: No, no, no, no, no, whoa. You do that and you're breaking six different laws.

SYDNEY: He needs to know that this is happening!

WEISS: Fine. But his phone is probably already tapped. Agency cars are equipped with GPS navigators.

SYDNEY: Can you access the system?

WEISS: Yeah.

(In a seedy part of town, Sydney drives up to a rundown bar and watches Porgaski make his way inside. Vaughn's car is parked there. Sydney speaks on the phone to Weiss who is back on his headset at the ops center.)

SYDNEY: I found his car.

WEISS: Roger that. Keep me posted.

(Sydney enters the bar and sees Vaughn talking to Porgaski at the counter. He gives him money and Porgaski hands over an envelope. He takes a drink and walks out by Sydney, who picks up a pay phone to not be detected. She watches as Vaughn, now alone, opens up the envelope and takes out some papers, looking them over. Sydney sits beside him. He stares ahead, clenches his jaw.)

SYDNEY: What are you doing here?

VAUGHN: Sydney...

SYDNEY: I asked you a question.

VAUGHN: What's going on?

SYDNEY: Don't tell me it was nothing.

VAUGHN: Are you following me?

SYDNEY: You just bought something.

VAUGHN: It's research.

SYDNEY: Research? What kind of research?

VAUGHN: It's something private. Something just for me.

SYDNEY: Who do you think you work for? Nothing is private. You're being investigated.

VAUGHN: What?

SYDNEY: And when they find out I told you, I'll be a target. So don't lie to me.

VAUGHN: Sydney, I am not disloyal.

SYDNEY: Then why did they say you've been meeting with high-ranking FSB officers, an ex-KGB assassin? They have you in Istanbul, Prague, Krakow without authorization. Vaughn, if there is some explanation for what you've been doing the past four months, I need to hear what it is right now.

(The CIA van drives up to the meeting point in Panama. The Delta force guards climb out, as does Irina. She looks around and turns to Jack, who is seated inside. She smiles at him. He nods. The doors close and Irina and her guards wait for Sloane. Jack speaks to Kendall via headset as the van drives away.)

JACK: They are at the location.

KENDALL: KH-11 has them on screen. There's a limousine approaching from the southwest.

JACK: I see it.

(The limo comes to a stop and Sark gets out.)

JACK: It's Sark.

(He comes around and Irina walks up.)

KENDALL: Delta team stand by.

(Sark opens the back door. She looks in. No Sloane.)

SARK: I realize the plan was for Mr. Sloane to meet you here but for security reasons, I'm afraid that's impossible. If you get in, I'll take you to him. Only you.

KENDALL: Why isn't she getting in?

IRINA: Where's Sloane?

SARK: Close. I assure you.

IRINA: Then bring him to me.

SARK: That's not an option.

IRINA: Then our deal's off.

SARK: So be it.

(He closes the door and makes his way back to the driver's side.)

KENDALL: Tell her to get in the car, damn it! We'll track her to him!

IRINA: It's a big car. I believe there's room for all of us.

SARK: That wasn't the plan. Get in.

(They open the door and start climbing in the limo's back seat. Kendall and Jack watch via the satellite in the sky.)

KENDALL: He's letting her take the guards? How'd she pull that off?

(Before Irina gets in, she looks up at the sky. Jack watches her get in.)

(At the bar.)

VAUGHN: Now I understand why you were asking about secrets. Yes, there is something I haven't told you. It hasn't been easy, accepting the idea that my job requires me to... collaborate with my father's killer. And the fact that she happens to be your mother didn't make it easier. So I've been investigating on my own for the past six months. I couldn't wait for the agency's red tape so I contacted everyone I could, anyone who knew her, who ran in the same circles. I-I retraced sat phone records that were logged while your mother was with you in India, Kashmir. Tracked recorded conversations between your mother's former lieutenants to see if she signaled them when Kendall gave her access to Echelon.

SYDNEY: I don't understand. You wanted us to work with her. You encouraged it.

VAUGHN: Because I believed your father was right about her having a secret agenda. I wanted to see what she was going to do. I mean, I did all this on my own. I paid for this myself, I had freelance agents retrace every step of every hour she's taken outside operations since her surrender. I surveilled prison guards who we assigned to her cell block, the kitchen staff who prepares her meals...

SYDNEY: They told me you downloaded Xenon.

VAUGHN: I downloaded that program to read KGB files. I had to find out if she was deceiving us again. I mean, I could not sleep at night knowing I was doing nothing. That somehow, I was helping her.

(Sydney looks at all the files he's poured out of his briefcase. She opens a file.)

(The limo drives along. Sark looks at Irina from the rearview. She looks out the window.)

KENDALL: We are visually tracking a moving target. Delta team, stand by for go code.

(All of a sudden, the satellite signal is lost and everyone -- Jack and the LA ops center -- gets static.)

AGENT: We've lost the downlink.

KENDALL: What the hell? Get back online!

AGENT: Sir, someone's hacked the signal.

(Francie talks on her cell.)

FRANCIE: Are the codes good?

(Sloane is on his cell, standing beside someone using a laptop.)

SLOANE: Yes. Thank you.

(They hang up.)

(Kendall talks to Jack.)

KENDALL: Jack, we're blind! You're gonna have to follow her from your end. Activate the tracking device.

JACK: I can't. Send in the team!

KENDALL: Delta team go, repeat, Delta team go!

(As the limo drives, the helicopter comes behind them.)

DELTA: We've got them in sight!

(The helicopter follows.)

KENDALL: Stay with that car!

(Barely making a turn, Sark looks back at Irina as they come to an overpass. The helicopter follows. The limo disappears under the overpass.)

DELTA: Lost visual. Got them again.

(The limo reappears and continues to drive.)

DELTA: We're going to head them off.

(The limo comes to a stop.)

DETLA: We got them stopped. Stand by!

(The driver of the limo gets out, hands up, and kneels on the ground. Jack's van drives up and he gets out, with his gun raised, and approaches the driver. He jerks the guy around -- it's not Sark.)

DRIVER: They paid me to drive! They paid me to do it!

(Jack opens the door to the limo -- empty. He slams it shut.)

JACK: Check the Rambaldi manuscript!

KENDALL: Get me the Rambaldi manuscript now!

(The agent runs off to get it. The real Sark/Irina limo, under the overpass, stops. Sark turns around and shoots the two Delta guards.)

SARK: Step out of the car please.

(At the bar.)

SYDNEY: And did you find anything?

VAUGHN: Nothing. She's clean.

(Back in Panama.)

JACK: Do you have the book?

KENDALL: It's coming, it's coming.

(A van marked Policia drives up to the limo. Irina walks over to it. The agent walks to Kendall carrying the briefcase. He opens it, sees the leather satchel inside. The van comes to a stop and Sark slides open the door. Sloane is inside.)

SLOANE: It's good to see you again, Irina.

IRINA: Thank you for extracting me.

(He extends his hand to her. She takes it, stepping inside the van. Sark gets in as well, closing the door behind them. The van drives away.)

(Kendall opens the satchell and there are stacks of different colored Post-Its. He's furious.)

KENDALL: Jack, it's gone.

(Jack walks away from the driver and the helicopter, putting his back to everyone, with his gun lowered.)