24

11:02 P.M.-11:05 P.M.: The nuclear bomb has gone off; the mushroom cloud continues to rise over the Mojave Desert. Palmer, Mike and Lynne all watch the explosion from Air Force One, while the CTU crew views it on a group of monitors. Kim is crushed at the supposed death of her father, and she sits on the side of the highway and cries.

Jack lights some signal flares to attract his rescue chopper. The chopper lands and Jack gets aboard. He asks an agent to contact Tony and let Kim know that he's alive. The agent tells him that radio contact is dead due to the interference caused by the bomb's detonation.

At CTU, Tony calls everyone together and tells them that George Mason flew the plane and detonated the bomb. He tells them that their main priority now is authentication of the audio found in Syed Ali's apartment, since Palmer is planning a military response within the next few hours. Yusuf chastises Tony for keeping him out of the loop, but Tony tells him that he's not authorized to be a part of their action.



11:06 PM - 11:11 PM: Michelle interrogates Syed Ali, who is battered and shackled to a chair. She plays him the audio that they found and asks him who he colluded with to smuggle the bomb into the country. Ali claims that he never met with anyone and was in Berlin at the time that the meeting took place. He says that the bomb was a Second Wave operation only. Michelle doesn't believe him and tells him that he'll be forced to tell the truth at Guantanamo Bay.

Tony and Carrie are meeting with the audio technicians, who claim that the audio is real, based on the vocal patterns of the speakers. Michelle enters and says that she believes that Ali may be telling the truth. She believes he is a broken man who now has no reason to lie. Tony thinks Ali would lie because he thinks that they killed his son. Carrie blasts Michelle for being inexperienced at interrogation techniques. Tony promises to report their findings to the president, along with Michelle's opinions.



11:12 P.M.-11:14 P.M.: On Air Force One, Mike tells Palmer that there have been no casualties from the nuclear explosion, except the pilot of the plane. Palmer says he wants to express his condolences to Jack's family, but Mike says that another man flew the plane. Lynne enters and tells Palmer that CTU has confirmed that the Cyprus audio is real. She tells him that Syed Ali denies that the three mysterious Middle Eastern countries were involved, but Palmer doesn't buy it. He tells Mike to call a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and to alert Congress that he'll be calling for a formal declaration of war.



11:18 P.M.-11:21 P.M.: Tony asks Michelle if she's okay after having words with Carrie. Michelle says that she can handle Carrie, but she thinks they should continue to investigate Syed Ali. Tony says he's sure that they'll get to the truth at Guantanamo.

On Air Force One, Palmer holds a video conference with the Joint Chiefs. General Bowden tells him that they can begin making surgical strikes almost immediately, even though it will take weeks to send in ground troops. Palmer says he wants a response by the time he addresses the nation in several hours. Lynne informs Palmer that the Prime Minister is on the phone. Palmer is reluctant to speak to him, since they are well past the point of words, but Mike tells him he should bluff so that the Prime Minister won't suspect anything. Palmer takes the call and the Prime Minister promises that his country will give their full cooperation. The minister hopes that the U.S. won't be tempted to strike back too quickly. Palmer promises not to rush to judgment and says they are still gathering evidence.



11:22 P.M.-11:26 P.M.: Jack enters CTU and passes Syed Ali, who is being taken out of the building in chains. Ali yells at Jack in Arabic, but Jack doesn't respond. Tony greets Jack and he promptly asks about his daughter's whereabouts. Tony gives him the number of the agent who went to pick her up, and Jack congratulates Tony on his promotion. Jack goes to call the agent, but can't reach him. Michelle tells Jack about her conversation with Ali and that she thinks there may be some truth in it. Jack doesn't seem care much, but Michelle finally convinces him to talk to Ali since he's the one who broke him. Jack finally agrees and asks Michelle to try to contact the agent who's looking for Kim. Carrie eavesdrops on them as Michelle makes a call.

Jack goes outside the and asks the men for a moment with Ali. He tells Ali that they faked the death of his son in order to make him talk. He tells him that he'll be able to talk to his family when he reaches Guantanamo. Jack asks him if he's telling the truth about the fake recordings. Ali says yes, just as a shot rings out and Ali falls to the ground with a bullet hole in his head. Jack and the agents draw their guns and search for a sniper on the roof.



11:31 P.M.-11:40 P.M.: Ali's body is covered with a sheet and a helicopter flies overhead, searching for the sniper. Jack and Tony discuss Ali's assassination and Jack is convinced that it proves that the recordings may be false. Tony argues, saying that their own people confirmed that they are authentic. Jack lectures Tony that since he's in charge, he should investigate every angle. Tony blasts Jack, saying that Jack is always going against the grain. Tony tells him to back off and worry about finding Kim.

Kim locates a convenience store and tries to make a call on a pay phone, but all circuits are busy. The store's owner asks her what she's doing and Kim asks to use the restroom. He lets her in and locks the door.

On Air Force One, Palmer and General Bowden discuss the estimated casualties once they wage war against the three mysterious Middle Eastern countries. Palmer worries about China and Russia entering the conflict against them. Palmer gets a call from Jack, who tells him about Ali's death and his claims that the Cyprus audio is false. Jack tells Palmer that he believes that Ali may have been telling the truth. Palmer tells Jack to keep digging for evidence, since he can't call off the attacks without it.



11:41 P.M.-11:47 P.M.: Jack calls Michelle and tells her that he now believes Ali's story, but that they need more proof. Michelle tells Jack about Yusuf's suspicious behavior, and Jack says he'll check him out. As they hang up, Jack runs into Kate Warner, who is happy to see him still alive. Kate is taken away to be debriefed by another agent as Jack goes to run a check on Yusuf.

Palmer confides in Mike that he is hesitant to continue with the retaliation now that Jack is suspicious of the Cyprus audio. Mike tells him that they must act fast or they'll lose their surprise advantage. Palmer feels they must be absolutely certain of their facts before going to war.

At CTU, Jack enters the restroom and finds Yusuf. Jack asks him if its possible that the Cyprus audio could be a forgery, but Yusuf doesn't want to talk since they haven't been forthcoming with him. He asks Jack to tell him more about the situation, but Jack says they shouldn't even be talking. Yusuf angrily leaves, just as Jack's cell phone rings. Jack answers and an unknown man tells him that he's the only one who can prove that Ali was telling the truth. The man claims that he planted the recordings in Ali's apartment and killed Ali, so Jack would have to deal with him. Jack asks him what he wants, and the man tells him to bring Kate Warner to a certain warehouse in a half-hour. The man hangs up, and the Coral Snake tattoo can be seen on his forearm -- the man is the seventh commando.



11:51 P.M.-12:00 A.M.: Kim is freshening up in the restroom when she hears an argument outside. She goes out and sees the store's owner arguing with a man who wants to be let in. When the man won't go away, the owner calls the police. "It's starting," Kim says, referring to the impending post-bomb riots. Just as the owner hangs up, the man smashes through the store glass with a shopping cart. He lunges at the owner and grabs his throat. Kim pulls her gun and fires a shot, telling the man to let him go. The man grabs Kim's gun away from her and begins filling the cart with groceries.

At CTU, Jack calls Michelle and says he may have a way to prove that the Cyprus recordings are false, but he'll need her help.

Back at the store, the man insists on paying for the goods that he is taking. He claims that he's just trying to get to the mountains with his pregnant wife. He tells the store's owner to turn on the news, and they all watch reports of the nuclear explosion that went off. Suddenly, the police arrive and begin to order the man's wife out of her car. The man yells at the cops and the store's owner tries to grab the gun away. The two scuffle over it and it goes off. The owner falls to the ground, bleeding. The cops order the man to drop the gun and come out, but he takes Kim hostage instead.

At CTU, Michelle enters the room where Kate is being debriefed. She tells the agent that he's needed elsewhere and they leave. Jack runs in and tells Kate that she needs to go with him. Jack and Kate hurry out and they are spotted by Yusuf. Carrie also spots them and immediately calls Tony. Jack and Kate are about to leave the building when Tony stops them. He demands to know where Jack is taking Kate. When Jack won't tell him, Tony pulls his gun. Jack knocks Tony's gun away and the two begin to fight. Jack knocks Tony to the ground, breaking his ankle. Jack and Kate run from the building as Tony yells after them.

Tick, tick, tick...