24

12:02 P.M.-12:06 P.M.: Jack is on the line with Michelle and reports that Rabens is lose somewhere in the subway station and that they are searching the platforms and tunnels for him. Jack wants them to keep Saunders on hand so he can identify Rabens when they find him. Michelle hangs up and is told that Gael's wife has arrived.

Tony is being debriefed by Hammond and Plachecki. Plachecki tries to get Tony to admit that he was searching for Saunders, even as he was breaking Jane out of CTU. Hammond reminds her that Tony scrambled the voice track. Plachecki asks Tony if he put Michelle's welfare ahead of the country's. Tony admits that he did.

Michelle is talking to Gael's tearful widow in a private room. She asks Michelle if Gael suffered much. Michelle remembers Gael's last request and tells her that he died quickly. Michelle says Gael was a hero who did everything he could to stop the virus. She breaks down and Michelle grabs her hand. Ms. Ortega asks if she can take Gael's personal belongings. Michelle tells Kim to accompany her and leaves her alone for a moment. Ms. Ortega spots a photo of Saunders on a computer monitor.



12:07 P.M.-12:11 P.M. Saunders is led in shackles to Chloe's station. Chloe calls Kim to help her with the live identification, but Kim says she's busy with Ms. Ortega. Chloe doesn't care and says Michelle gave her the authority to reassign whoever she wants, and Kim is it. Kim asks an agent named Barry to stay with Ms. Ortega while she helps Chloe. Barry stares helplessly at the sobbing widow, but is distracted when someone asks for his signature. She finds Gael's sidearm.

Jack's team is uploading photos to Chloe's monitor for Saunders to look at. Saunders keeps checking them off as Gael's widow walks out with a carton full of his stuff. A suspicious-looking man stands in front of a digital camera at the subway station. At that moment, Ms. Ortega sees Saunders in chains and recognizes him. She stops and Saunders glances up at her. She suddenly whips a gun from the carton and shoots Saunders twice in the chest. Uniformed men grab Ms. Ortega, who is screaming and crying, as Saunders crumples to the floor. Jack asks Michelle what's going on. Michelle crouches over Saunders as she yells for medical help, but it's too late. Michelle tells Jack that Saunders is dead. The suspicious-looking man appears on the monitor, but no one sees him.



12:15 P.M.-12:24 P.M.: One of Palmer's aides is updating him on the situation when Wayne enters. Palmer dismisses his aide and asks Wayne if he got the bottle. Wayne says he did and Palmer says that's good. Wayne looks distraught as he tells Palmer that Sherry and Julia are both dead. Palmer grabs Wayne and asks how it happened. Wayne reviews the murder/suicide in Sherry's house. Palmer slumps in a chair as Wayne tells him that their political troubles are all over. Palmer blasts Wayne for thinking about politics when the mother of his children has just been murdered. Wayne says they should spin it to look like Sherry and Alan Milliken were having an affair and Julia was seeking revenge, but Palmer suddenly screams for Wayne to get out. Both men are misty-eyed as Wayne exits. Palmer beeps his secretary and sadly tells her to get his two children on the phone.

Jack tells his men to split up the passengers into groups of 10 with a cop guarding each group. His men go off to start the separation as Chase comes over with a cup of coffee. Chase tells Jack that he doesn't blame him for what he did in Mexico. Jack tells Chase that if he's going to do this job, he has to stay detached. Chase says he doesn't want to stay detached, so he's going to transfer out of Field Ops. Jack asks what Kim thinks of it and Chase says she's okay with it. Chase says he wants to give it a shot with Kim and Jack says he supports them both.

A cop herds some men into a line, including the suspicious guy. The guy secretly opens a switchblade. Jack notices the guy acting shady, but glances away for a second. When he looks back, the guy is gone. Jack radios someone and asks what happened to the guy, but no one knows. Jack pulls his gun and runs off. He finds two dead cops at the foot of an escalator and a dead civilian at street level with people crowded around the body. One person tells Jack that he just missed a carjacking. Chase gets the victim's name from his wallet. Jack radios for a car of his own and when it arrives, they speed off in pursuit of Rabens.



12:28 P.M.-12:33 P.M.: Hammond is still interrogating Tony when Michelle barges in and tells them that they need Tony's help to locate Rabens. Hammond is reluctant at first, but Michelle says Tony's the only one who can do it quickly enough. Hammond finally agrees and sends Tony out to the floor.

Chloe tells Jack that she has a likely match for the car Rabens is driving. Tony clicks in and says he's back in play for the time being. He gives Jack a description of the car and Chase sees it nearby. Jack speeds after it. Rabens guns the car, but Jack is hot on his tail. Then a dump truck blocks Jack's way and he has to stop. Rabens smirks in his rear-view mirror as Jack tells Tony to have other units cut Rabens off at the pass. Rabens sees more CTU cars blocking his way, so he does a U-turn, but Jack is closing in from behind. Rabens dashes from his car, grabs a black bag and runs into a middle school. Jack sees him and radios CTU to surround the building as he and Chase run inside. Rabens heads up a stairway as Jack and Chase split up to search the building.



12:37 P.M.-12:47 P.M.: Jack stalks down an empty hall with his gun drawn. He looks into a room full of kids, then waves at them and continues on. Chase examines a cluttered empty storage room. Jack walks through a teacher's lounge with a refrigerator. Chase goes into a science lab with a bubbling fish aquarium. He is looking around when Rabens attacks him from behind and knocks his gun away. Chase manages to disarm Rabens as the two exchange blows, smashing glass and knocking over stuff. Jack radios Chase, but gets no answer.

Chase throws Rabens' bag out of his grasp and the virus vial slips out. The two men are grappling fiercely as both try to reach for the vial. Rabens manages to climb over Chase and stomps on his wounded hand. Chase screams, but kicks Rabens in the sack before he can reach the vial. Chase crawls over to the vial, but Rabens recovers and kicks Chase in the gut. But Rabens isn't going anywhere with the vial, because Chase attached it to his wrist with the built-in clamp that came with each vial. Rabens decides to cut his losses, but arms the dispersal device first. Rabens grabs Chase's gun from the floor and prepares to shoot him, but Jack appears behind him and shoots Rabens five times. Rabens flops to the floor as Jack approaches a battered Chase.

Jack tells Chase to lie still, then sees the vial and armed detonator attached to Chase's wrist. Jack tries to remove the clamp, but Chase tells him not to bother, since Rabens didn't even try to get it off. Jack calls Tony and tells him that the virus is armed. Tony tells Jack to find an airtight container, but Jack explains that its currently attached to Chase. Jack needs to talk to someone who disarmed another detonator. Tony says he'll call right back. Chase starts to tell Jack to give Kim a message. "Tell her yourself," Jack barks as he helps Chase move to a workbench.

Jack lays his arm across the bench so he has easier access to the vial. Tony calls back as Jack rummages through some drawers. Tony connects Jack with a tech and Jack says he needs to disarm the vial. The tech tells Jack to open the access panel on the detonator and Jack does so, revealing the timer which is counting down from three minutes, 51 seconds. The tech tells Jack to cut the red wire. Jack does so, but the timer keeps ticking. The tech tells Jack to cut the green wire, but Jack advises there is no green wire. Two minutes, 28 seconds left. Chase tells Jack to get out of there. Jack says he's not going anywhere without Chase.

Jack glances behind Chase and sees a fire axe hanging on a wall. Chase stares at the same axe and the two have a telepathic moment. "Do it," Chase says. Jack thinks the tech will call back, but Chase knows they are out of time. Jack fights back tears as he breaks the protective glass and takes down the fire axe. Chase takes off his belt and winds it around his arm for a tourniquet, holding it tight with his teeth. Jack rests the axe blade on Chase's arm for a moment, then lifts it high and cuts off Chase's hand. Blood sprays everywhere as Chase screams and passes out. Jack takes off with the vial. He radios for immediate medical assistance for Chase as he runs through the hall. The timer counts down from 20 seconds as Jack runs into the teacher's lounge and tosses the vial into the refrigerator. Jack watches through the glass door as the vial explodes.



12:51 P.M.-12:56 P.M.: Michelle is looking at a monitor when Tony enters and tells her that Hammond put him back under arrest. Michelle can't believe it since Tony helped capture Rabens. They share a final, passionate kiss and Tony tells Michelle that no one got hurt in the end. He can live with that, even if it means that he must spend time in prison. Tony leaves as Michelle breaks down.

Jack is at the hospital when Palmer calls him and thanks Jack for saving the country yet again. Palmer apologizes to Jack for ordering him to execute Chappelle earlier that day. Jack says there's nothing to forgive and that other sacrifices were made. Palmer asks how Chase is and Jack says he's already in surgery, but it will be a few days before they know whether or not he can use his hand again. Palmer says he plans to thank Chase personally when he's better. Palmer then tells Jack that he's not running for re-election. Jack says it's a mistake, but Palmer says it's what he's decided. Palmer tells Jack he hopes they can be friends after he's out of office. Jack says it would be an honor and hangs up. Agent Pierce knocks and tells Palmer that his motorcade is waiting. Wayne helps Palmer into his coat and they walk out together.



12:57 P.M.-1:00 P.M.: Kim arrives at the hospital and she and Jack hold each other for a while. Jack says the doctors are optimistic about reattaching Chase's severed hand. Jack tells her that he knows she and Chase plan to make some changes. Kim says she thought Jack would be upset, but Jack says he's proud of her and supports them in their decision. They embrace once more and Jack tells her he has some things to do, but he'll be back later.

Kim waits in the hospital as doctors operate on Chase. Palmer greets a cheering crowd outside, while Tony is led away in handcuffs.

In the hospital parking lot, Jack climbs into his car and tosses his keys on the dash. His face contorts with emotion and his body begins to shake with sobs. He begins weeping openly as the past day's events finally catch up with him. He pounds the steering wheel as his radio crackles. Someone is calling to tell him that they are interrogating one of Saunders' couriers and they could use his help. Jack pulls himself together and says he'll be right there. Jack realizes that his job is never done as he drives away.



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