2X16 - 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM
WRITTEN BY HOWARD GORDON & EVAN KATZ
DIRECTED BY IAN TOYNTON
DISCLAIMER:
This is a fan written account of this episode of 24. I do not wish to obtain
any credit for it and am doing it for no financial gain. None of the characters
and script are my own. All credit for this episode goes solely to the actors
and writers who created it.
Recap: Previously on
24.
JACK: This
is Jack Bauer. I need to speak with the President.
[Shot of President
Palmer on the phone with Jack.]
JACK: Their
not going to be able to diffuse this bomb. We’re gonna have to fly it out
of here.
--------------------------------------------------
LYNNE KRESGE:
Ground Zero has to be a precise location.
MIKE NOVICK:
The pilot will have to go down with the plane. It’s a suicide mission.
PRESIDENT PAMLER:
Who ended up flying the plane? Did you get a name?
MIKE: Jack
Bauer.
---------------------------------------------------
PAMLER: Get
air force one ready as soon as possible.
LYNNE: Sir?
Do you mind if I ask where you’re going?
PAMLER: Los
Angeles.
----------------------------------------------------
TONY ALMEIDA:
Whose he?
MICHELLE DESSLER:
His name is Yousef Auda. His government assigned him as an intelligence liaison.
Hey helped us get the hard drive from Ali’s safe house.
[Hands Tony
a tape.]
MICHELLE: It’s
a recording of a conversation that took place in Cypress about four months
ago.
TONY: Conversation
between who?
MICHELLE: Sayed
Ali and these high ranking government officials.
TONY: These
three countries not only knew about the bomb…but they bought it and supplied
it to Sayed Ali?
MICHELLE: Yeah.
----------------------------------------------------
JACK BAUER:
Kim?
KIM BAUER:
Daddy. What’s that noise? Where are you?
JACK: I’m in
a plane. We’ve found the bomb. We needed somebody to fly it over the dessert
so when it exploded nobody would get killed. That someone turned out to be
me.
KIM: No, Daddy.
JACK: I love
you more than anything in the world. Goodbye.
----------------------------------------------------
JACK: George,
what the hell are you doing here?
GEORGE MASON:
Brought something for you. (Shows him a bag.) It’s a parachute.
JACK: George,
I already told you I’m taking this plane in.
GEORGE: You’ve
still got a life, Jack. What’s left but going straight and level; then taking
it down into a dive? Am I right?
JACK: You really
think you can do this?
GEORGE: Jack,
I’m supposed to do this.
[Shot of Jack
taking cover and the bomb detonating.]
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 11:00 PM AND 12:00 AM
[Shot of everyone
watching the explosion on a screen at CTU.]
[Shot of President
Palmer watching from a window of Air Force One. Lynn Kresge knocks on a door
to enter the room.]
[Shot of Kim
watching from the side of the road. She picks up her bag and starts to walk
away but stops and sits in the gutter and cries.]
KIM: Oh, Dad.
[Shot of Jack
setting of flares in a circle around himself. A chopper comes into view and
lands in the middle of the flares. The door opens. Jack runs across and into
the chopper. The pilot hands him a helmet.]
PILOT: Agent
Bauer. My orders are to take you back to CTU, sir.
JACK: That’s
affirmative.
[The chopper
flies off.]
JACK: Lieutenant,
I need you to get in touch with Tony Almeida over at CTU. Tell him that I
made it. He needs to get a hold of my daughter; tell her that I’m still alive.
LIEUTENANT:
Radio transmissions are a no go. Cell sites are done for miles. You’re gonna
have to wait till we get there.
JACK: Copy.
[Shot of chopper
flying away. Cut to CTU.]
TONY ALMEIDA:
Everyone gather around, please? This’ll just take a minute. George Mason asked
me in advance to thank you all for your dedication. And thanks to his sacrifice
and your hard work, millions of lives were saved. And that’s a result we can
be proud of. Now, to say that this has been a long day would be a major understatement.
And I know you’re all tired; but this isn’t over yet. We still got a lot of
work to do. Now, the Cypress recording is our primary focus. And that’s critical
to any military response that Washington considers. So let’s get back at it,
huh?
YOUSEF AUDA:
Mr. Almeida? I’m supposed to update my office right now but I’ve got nothing
to report accept that I’ve been excluded from this investigation since I arrived.
TONY: Look,
I’ll tell you what I can when I can.
YOUSEF: My
country permitted your operatives to raid Ali’s apartment under the condition
that I would be involved in this investigation.
[Carrie Turner
walks up.]
TONY: I understand
your frustration, Mr. Auda. And you can call your office and tell them anything
you like. But we’ve got work to do here. And your simply not authorized to
be part of it.
[Yousef leaves.]
CARRIE TURNER:
He doesn’t look too happy.
TONY: Yeah…are
the audio guys ready?
CARRIE:
Yeah, they’re all waiting for you. Where’s Michelle?
TONY:
Interrogating Ali.
CARRIE:
Why?
TONY:
See if he can shed any light on the recording. Look, we’re gonna have to start
this meeting without her. The President’s waiting for confirmation of the
recording’s authenticity. You take care of that?
CARRIE:
Yeah.
[Cut
to Sayed Ali in the interrogation room. His arms and legs are chained together.
The recording is playing in Arabic.]
RECORDING:
You will receive the funds and the bomb through the channels we discussed.
We will change the world.
[Michelle
Dessler turns off the recording.]
MICHELLE DESSLER:
This tape was recovered from the hard drive in your apartment. It’s a record
of a meeting you had with these three men on April fifth in Cypress. (she
lays photos of three men on the table in front of Ali.] They’re all high-ranking
officials from three Arab countries; one of them your own. The tape proves
that you conspired with these men to detonate a nuclear bomb on US soil.
[She waits
for Ali to say something; he doesn’t.]
MICHELLE: Where
there others in the room who didn’t speak?
[He doesn’t
answer.]
MICHELLE: Whatever
you don’t tell me, you’ll tell the interrogators in Guantanamo under much
less comfortable circumstances. So I’ll ask you one more time.
SAYED ALI:
Tell me what you want me to say and I will say it.
MICHELLE: I
want the truth.
ALI: What does
the truth matter when you have this recording?
MICHELLE: Explain
what that means?
ALI: It means
I never spoke to any of these men.
MICHELLE: Are
you denying that the meeting took place?
ALI: There
was never a meeting. I was not even in Cypress in April.
MICHELLE: Where
were you?
ALI: Berlin.
[Michelle starts
to pack away the photos looking pissed.]
MICHELLE: They’ll
find out the truth in Guantanamo.
ALI: Why would
I lie about this when I told you the truth about the bomb?
MICHELLE: To
protect your country?
ALI: The bomb
was a Second Wave operation only. I have never met those men.
[Shot of Tony
entering a meeting.]
TONY: Agent
Gibson, I take it your team has finished the analysis of the Cypress recording?
AGENT GIBSON:
Yes sir.
TONY: Could
you walk us through it, please?
GIBSON: We
began by obtaining voice samples for Sayed Ali and the three government officials
on the recording. We deconstructed the sound waves and isolated unique qualities
that are the vocal equivalents of a fingerprint. Our studies indicate that
the voices on the Cypress audio are, in fact, those of Sayed Ali and the three
government ministers in question.
TONY: Now,
this recording could have been created by putting pieces of different conversations
together, right?
GIBSON: Yes.
But reconstruction always leaves artifacts. Mismatched acoustical signatures
or altered cadences. We found no such artifacts.
TONY: Is there
any chance that this recording could have been doctored in a way that we couldn’t
detect?
GIBSON: Of
course anything’s theoretically possible, but I can say with absolute certainty
that the finest experts using the very best equipment available could not
find any evidence that this recording is anything but a genuine and accurate
record of an actual conversation.
TONY: A conversation
in which these four men sat in the same room and conspired to detonate a nuclear
bomb on US soil.
GIBSON: Yes,
sir.
[Michelle enters.]
MICHELLE: I
just finished talking with Ali. He claims that he’s never even spoken to any
of the men in the recording. He says it’s a complete fabrication and that
he was in Berlin on April fifth, not Cypress. He could be telling the truth.
TONY: He still
thinks we killed one of his sons. He’s trying to save the rest of his family
but denying that his country is one of the three behind the nuke.
MICHELLE: I
agree; he has a clear motive to lie but if there’s any possibility that he’s
telling the truth, I think we need to investigation.
CARRIE: But
he’s not. I mean, it’s obvious.
MICHELLE: It’s
not obvious to me.
CARRIE: In
a contest between the physical evidence and the word of an attempted-mass
murderer? It’s clear which wins.
TONY: Carrie.
CARRIE: And,
no offense, Michelle, but your experience as an interrogator is limited.
TONY: Alright,
Carrie, that’s enough.
MICHELLE: I
sat three feet away from the man and I believe that he is a broken man without
the strength or resolve to lie.
TONY: Alright
look, I’m gonna tell the President what Ali said when I call him to pass on
Agent Gibson’s findings. Now if we don’t have anything else here I think we’re
finished, right? Thank you.
[Tony leaves.
Michelle and Carrie glare at each other.]
[Cut to Air
Force One.]
MIKE NOVICK:
CTU managed to detonate the bomb within a few meters of the designated coordinates.
PRESIDENT PALMER:
I’m going over the field report now and I’m not seeing any casualty estimates.
MIKE: We expect
zero direct casualties…or close to it.
PAMLER: Hm.
I want to give Jack Bauer’s daughter my personal condolences.
MIKE: You won’t
have to, sir. Bauer wasn’t on the plane at the time the bomb was detonated.
PALMER: Do
we know how this happened?
MIKE: Apparently
another man ended up piloting the plane. We’re still getting the details.
[The President
is stunned. Lynn Kresge enters.]
LYNN KRESGE:
Sir? We just got word from CTU. They’ve finished their analysis of the Cypress
audio. It’s real. And we have proof that Sayed Ali, the man behind the bomb,
was given direct support from the ministers of three different countries.
Here’s the transcript of their analysis (she hands a file to Mike and Palmer),
including margins of error.
PALMER: Do
we have any reason to doubt the veracity of this recording?
LYNN: Well,
Ali is denying it, but I suppose that’s to be expected.
PALMER: Are
the joint chief’s ready?
NOVICK: General
Bowden has them on standby.
PALMER: Well,
given the evidence we don’t have the option of not responding. I don’t see
any way around this, do you?
[Mike shakes
his head.]
PALMER: I want
to issue a statement that there was a nuclear weapon, but there were no casualties.
LYNN: I will
alert the networks, sir.
PALMER: And
contact the Hill. Let them know I’ll be calling for an emergency session of
congress. During which, I’ll be asking them for a formal declaration of war.
11:14:05, 11:14:06,
11:14:06…
11:18:17, 11:18:18,
11:18:19, 11:18:20, 11:18:21, 11:18:22, 11:18:23…
[Shot of Michelle
working at a desk at CTU. Tony walks over.]
TONY: Chappelle
wants to see your report before you send it to the Pentagon.
MICHELLE: I’m
ordering more data points. I need another fifteen minutes.
TONY: Fine.
You alright?
MICHELLE: Yeah,
I’m just a little tired. Like everyone else.
TONY: No, I
mean about before. I know it got tense between you and Carrie.
MICHELLE: I
can handle Carrie.
TONY: The truth
it, you don’t have the training or the experience to read a guy like Ali.
Now, that’s my fault; I shouldn’t have put you in that position.
MICHELLE: Doesn’t
mean we shouldn’t press him harder.
TONY: They’ll
take care of that at Guantanamo.
MICHELLE: It
may be too late.
TONY: We’re
sending him right now. I’m heading over right now to make sure the hand off
goes as planned.
MICHELLE: Okay.
[Michelle walks
away.]
[Cut to President
Palmer in a meeting on Air Force One.]
PALMER: General
Bowden, my understanding is it’ll take between eight and ten weeks to call
up reserve troops and we deploy forces for a full scale ground assault in
the region.
GENERAL BOWDEN:
Yes sir. We have the resources in place to initiate a rolling start immediately.
PALMER: Rolling
start?
BOWDEN: Surgical
strikes against early warning radar and any aircraft installations. Followed
immediately by precision bombing of targets that will severely degrade their
military and tele-communications capabilities.
PALMER: Can
these first strikes be underway but the time I address the nation this morning?
BOWDEN: When
are you scheduled to go on the air, sir?
PALMER: Six
hours from now.
BOWDEN: I’ll
be ready, sir.
[Lynn Kresge
enters.]
LYNN: Mr. President?
PALMER: Gentleman.
Ladies. Would you hold, please?
[Lynn goes
right up the President and whispers to him.]
LYNN: Deputy
Prime Minister Bargoodie is calling. It’s the second call he’s place since
the bomb was detonated.
PALMER: Well,
we’re well past the point of words, Lynn. We’re about to invade his country.
LYNN: But he
doesn’t know that yet. And if you don’t take his phone call, he may read between
the lines.
[Palmer looks
to Mike. He nods. Lynn hands the phone to Palmer. He leaves the room to answer
it.]
PALMER (into
phone): Mr. Deputy Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you for taking my call, Mr. President. The Prime Minister wanted me
to express his outrage and horror for what has occurred.
PALMER: Thank
you.
PRIME MINISTER:
That you found the bomb in time is truly a miracle.
PALMER: I’m
not sure I believe in miracles, sir. My people are very good at what they
do.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, indeed they are.
PALMER: I’m
sure you’re aware that we’ve arrested one of your citizens in connection to
the bomb. Sayed Ali.
PRIME MINISTER:
Hm. An outlaw. He has eluded us for years. Expect our full cooperation with
his prosecution and punishment.
PALMER: I would
expect nothing less.
PRIME MINISTER:
I realize that we’ve had our differences. And today has been an especially
trying day, but we are both fighting the same battle. And my government remains
dedicated to the destruction of Second Wave as well as any other terrorist
organization that may have been responsible for this atrocity.
PALMER: That’s
good to know.
PRIME MINISTER:
Mr. President, I understand you’ll be under a great deal of political pressure
to respond to what has happened. I am confident that you have the strength
to resist that pressure.
PALMER: If
you’re concerned about a rush to judgment, you needn’t be. We’re merely gathering
evidence.
PRIME MINSTER:
I appreciate your candor, Mr. President.
PALMER: And
I appreciate your solidarity, Deputy Prime Minister.
PRIME MINSIEER:
Of course.
PALMER: You’ll
hear from us soon.
[They hang
up.]
[Cut to CTU
hall. Tony signing some forms while a bunch of guards walk out with Sayed
Ali. A door opens and Jack walks in. As he passes Ali he says something in
Arabic. I’m guessing cursing him for killing his son.]
TONY: Hey Jack.
I’m glad you’re okay.
JACK: Thanks.
Look, I’m gonna get out of your way I just wanna know how I can get a hold
of Kim.
TONY: Yeah,
I spoke to a Sergeant Griggs up at the San Jose Sheriff’s Department. (Tony
hands Jack a card.) Now, we sent a man over to your sister-in-laws to meet
Kim. He was going to call when she got there but that’s his number in case
you wanna follow up.
JACK: Okay,
thanks. George told me he put you in charge.
TONY: Yeah,
how about that, huh? Trial by fire, huh?
JACK: You’re
gonna do great. (They shake hands.)
TONY: Look,
we’ll catch up later, alright?
JACK: Yeah.
[Shot of Jack
walking to a phone at a CTU desk to contact the man Tony told him about.]
WOMAN ON PHONE:
Sheriff’s Department.
JACK: Hi, is
Sergeant Griggs there, please?
[Michelle hears
Jack’s voice and turns to see him there.]
WOMAN ON PHONE:
I’d be glad to help you.
JACK: No, I
need to speak with him.
WOMAN ON PHONE:
He’s not here, sir.
JACK: Is this
not his personal line?
WOMAN ON PHONE:
What’s this regarding, please?
JACK: My name
is Jack Bauer. I’m over at CTU. It’s regarding my daughter?
WOMAN ON PHONE:
Sir, Sergeant Griggs isn’t available. If your daughter’s in any immediate
danger please let me help you.
JACK: No, she’s
not in any immediate danger.
WOMAN ON PHONE:
Do you have a location then-
JACK: Listen,
ma’am. Fine, just give me the number…Okay.
[Michelle comes
over to Jack as he hangs up.]
MICHELLE: I’m
glad you’re okay, Jack.
JACK: Thanks.
MICHELLE: Look,
I know Tony’s running things and I don’t wanna speak out of turn but I don’t
know who else to talk to.
JACK: About
what?
MICHELLE: I
think the President’s planning a major military action based on a recording
that was found in Ali’s apartment. It links high ranking officials from three
governments to the nuke. Problem is…Ali claims it was a fake.
JACK: And you
believe him?
MICHELLE: I
don’t know what to believe, I just think we outta be sure before we retaliate
against these countries.
JACK: Well,
that’s Tony’s call. I’m sorry; I’m trying to get a hold of my daughter.
MICHELLE: No,
I understand that, but you’re the one who broke Ali. You can read him better
than anyone here or at Guantanamo. Please Jack, before Ali is gone. He’s the
only one who can prove whether or not this recording is real.
JACK: Fine,
I’ll talk to him. Um, do me a favour; see if you can get a hold of this Sergeant
Griggs. Tell him its regarding my daughter.
[Jack leaves.
Michelle gets on the phone.]
MAN ON PHONE:
Sheriff’s Department.
MICHELLE: Yes,
this is Michelle Dessler over at CTU. I’m looking for Sergeant Griggs.
MAN ON PHONE:
Please hold.
[Michelle looks
over her shoulder and sees Carrie watching her.]
[Cut to outside
of CTU. A truck backing is up to the door. A guard signs a form and walks
to the door.]
GUARD: There
you go. (Into walkie-talkie) Bring him out.
[The doors
open and the guards bring out Sayed Ali. Jack comes running out after them.
He talks to one guard.]
JACK: I just
wanna talk to him before they get him to Guantanamo.
GUARD (nods):
Sure.
JACK: Gentlemen.
Hold up. Let me have a word with the prisoner. I want you to know we didn’t
kill your son. We staged it. When you get to Guantanamo, they’ll let you speak
with your family. I need to know something. The Cypress recording, is it fake?
ALI: What I
told the woman was true.
JACK (nods):
Thank you.
[A gunshot
sounds and a bullet hits Ali in the back of the neck. All the guard plus Jack
get out their guns and look around for the shooter.]
JACK: We got
shots fired on the North Roof!
[A guard next
to Jack moves toward Ali but Jack pulls him back.]
JACK: Get back
here. He’s dead. You got a radio on you? Tell them inside: Sayed Ali has just
been shot. We’ve got a shooter on one of the South-West roves. Tell em now!
GUARD (into
radio): This is Primary Escort. We have a situation. We have a prisoner down
and a sniper on the roof.
11:26:55, 11:26:56,
11:26:57…
11:31:08, 11:31:09,
11:31:10, 11:31:11, 11:31:12, 11:31:13…
[Shot of Ali’s
body being covered with a sheet.]
TONY: Could
you take care of that for me? Thanks.
[Jack walks
up to Tony.]
JACK: I just
got off the line with LAPD. The perimeters set up.
TONY: How the
hell did anybody know we were moving him?
JACK: Half
of the Intelligence community knew we had him in custody. The lead could have
come from anywhere.
TONY: Figure
the shooters gotta be connected to one of the countries implicated in the
Cypress recording, right?
JACK: Maybe.
TONY: What
do you mean? They had the most to lose but Ali talking. Who else would it
have been?
JACK: I don’t
know but after this? I’m starting to think Ali might have been telling the
truth.
TONY: You talked
to Michelle.
JACK: No, I
talked to Ali.
[A guard comes
up to Tony with a phone.]
GUARD: I’ve
got Captain Raspen from LAPD for you.
TONY: Yeah,
one minute please. (To Jack) Let me get this straight. You’re taking Sayed
Ali’s word over every expert we have?
JACK: Tony,
Ali was killed for a reason. You have to find out whether or not it was because
he could prove that that recording was fabricated.
TONY: And our
best people have already verified that recording.
JACK: Fine.
Keep the door open. Assign a few men to it.
TONY: I don’t
have any men to spare, Jack. The Pentagon’s got us processing Intel from nine
different countries and frankly I think this is a dead end.
GUARD: Sorry,
Captain Raspen just wants to know if-
TONY: One minute
please, could you just give me a minute?!
[The guard
backs off.]
TONY: Thank
you.
JACK: Tony…the
President is gonna to make some very, very serious decisions based on the
information that he got from that recording. If there’s the slightest chance
that that thing is not genuine then you have a responsibility to the country-
TONY: Oh, god,
are you gonna lecture me on responsibility, Jack?! I mean, come on. We both
know how you work. You consider going against the grain some kind of a virtue.
JACK: Why are
you talking to me like this?
TONY: Cos I
gotta job to do and I don’t appreciate being told how to do it.
JACK: I’m just
trying to help.
TONY: Look…I
don’t need your help, Jack. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate everything that
you’ve done for us today. Really, I do. But I think its time you go get your
daughter. Let us handle the rest of this, alright?
JACK: Yeah,
fine.
[Jack walks
back into the building. The guard hands the phone to Tony.]
TONY: Thanks.
(Into phone) Yeah?
CAPTAIN RASPEN:
Mr. Almeida?
[Cut to shot
of liquor store. Kim walks up to the door. It’s locked. She goes to the payphone.]
PHONE: All
circuits are busy. Please try your call again.
[Kim hangs
up.]
OWNER: Some
kinda problem?
[Owner sees
that Kim’s been crying and is scared.]
KIM: Can I
just use the bathroom? Please? I’ll be quick.
OWNER: Alright,
come on.
[The owner
leads her to the door and holds it open.]
OWNER: In the
back on your left. Watch your step.
[Kim goes in.
The owner locks the door and looks suspiciously out through the glass.]
[Cut to Air
Force One and the meeting.]
BOWDEN: Casual
estimates for the initial air campaign are minimal. A dozen at most.
LYNN: What
about the ground campaign?
BOWDEN: There
are numerous scenarios. Depending, obviously, on how long the campaign lasts,
if chemical or biological weapons are deployed against our troops. Which,
frankly, I think they will be.
PALMER: Okay,
take that all into account and give me a number, General.
BOWDEN: Simultaneous
ground assault against the three countries which lasts five weeks will result
in ten to thirty thousand American causalities.
PALMER: And
if China and Russia enter the conflict against us?
BOWDEN: There’s
no upper limit to that number, Mr. President. But it’s an unlikely scenario.
[The phone
rings. Lynn answers it.]
BOWDEN: They’ll
wanna insinuate themselves for the control of the oil fields.
LYNN (into
phone): Yes?
MAN ON PHONE:
Lynn, I have Jack Bauer for the President. It’s an emergency.
LYNN: One moment.
(To President): Sir? It’s Jack Bauer for you.
PALMER: Excuse
me again.
[He gets up,
takes the phone and walks out of the room.]
PALMER: Jack,
it’s good to hear your voice. But I’m in a meeting with the Joint Chiefs right
now.
JACK: I’m sorry,
sir, but I felt this was important enough to interrupt you. Sayed Ali has
just been assassinated. CTU was transferring him over to Guantanamo when it
happened.
PALMER: What
are you talking about? By whom?
JACK: We don’t
know yet, sir. But I think it has something to do with a conversation that
was recorded in Cypress. Mr. President? I don’t believe its genuine.
PALMER: That
recording was authenticated.
JACK: Sir,
authentication is never one hundred percent.
PALMER: Do
you have any evidence to the contrary.
JACK: Sayed
Ali said he was in Berlin when the alleged conversation took place. He said
the entire recording was fabricated.
PALMER: Okay,
I’m aware of his denials.
JACK: Mr. President.
I’m just worried that someone is trying to manipulate you into taking the
kind of military action I assume your about to take.
PALMER: Look…the
fact that Sayed Ali was killed does not prove that the recording was fabricated.
JACK: No sir.
I know that. I know it doesn’t. But I just feel the responsibility to tell
you that I believe he was assassinated because he was in fact telling the
truth.
PALMER: Do
you have any hard evidence, Jack?
JACK: Aside
from Ali’s denials, no sir, nothing concrete.
PALMER: Listen
to me, I don’t wanna initiate a military action based on erroneous information.
But I can’t stop it based on conjecture.
JACK: I understand
sir, I do. Mr. President, if I were to get you some proof, how much time would
I have?
PALMER: Our
military response is only hours away, Jack. You better do it soon.
JACK: Yes sir.
Thank you, Mr. President.
11:37:14, 11:37:15,
11:37:16…
11:41:27, 11:41:28,
11:41:29, 11:41:30, 11:41:31, 11:41:32, 11:41:31…
[CTU phone
rings. Michelle picks it up.]
MICHELLE: This
is Dessler.
JACK: Michelle,
its Jack. Look, for the time being I want you to keep this information between
us, okay? I just talked to the President; he will not halt any military action
unless we can provide him with proof.
MICHELLE: Ali
was our only proof.
JACK: There’s
gotta be another way to establish Ali’s presence at that time. Other foreign
agencies must have been tracking him as well.
MICHELLE: An
intelligence official from one of the target countries is here.
JACK: What
are you talking about? Here at CTU? Why?
MICHELLE: We
struck and intelligence sharing agreement earlier today. Look, he’s the one
who escorted the evidence from Ali’s apartment.
JACK: And you
think he knows something.
MICHELLE: He
might. Tony doesn’t want him talking to anyone.
JACK: Okay,
fine. What’s his name?
MICHELLE: Yousef
Auda. A-U-D-A.
JACK: Ok, I’ll
pull up his CV; see if I can run a background check. I’ll get back to you.
[Jack gets
up and walks to another desk as Kate Warner and Agent Baker come down the
hall. Kate sees Jack.]
KATE: Jack?
JACK: Kate.
KATE: I didn’t
think—I—I-I thought you weren’t coming back.
JACK: I didn’t
think I was, either.
KATE: How—wh-
JACK: It’s
a long story.
KATE: But everything’s
okay, right? They said the bomb was detonated safely.
JACK:
No, everything’s fine. It’s gonna be fine. How are you? Are-are you okay?
KATE:
Yeah. My Dad’s still a little shaken up.
JACK:
I’m sorry.
BAKER:
Ms Warner?
KATE:
I have to go.
BAKER:
She needs to be debriefed.
JACK:
Ok. I’ll see you in a little while.
KATE: I’m really
glad you’re okay.
JACK: Thanks.
[Cut to Air
Force One.]
NOVICK: The
Joint Chief’s are revising down their material estimate between ten and twenty
percent. That’s good news, sir.
PALMER: None
of this is good news, Mike.
NOVICK: General
Bowden is ready to walk you through the strategy statement.
PALMER: I need
a few more minutes.
NOVICK: How
long should I tell him?
PALMER: When
I’m ready, Mike.
[Mike sits
down.]
NOVICK: What
is it Mr. President?
PALMER: Telephone
conversation with Jack Bauer keeps playing in my head. I’m worried that we
may be moving too fast.
NOVICK: Mr.
President, your ability to analyze a situation is your strongest asset…but
its also your greatest liability.
PALMER: I don’t
wanna make a mistake that our children and their children will have to pay
for.
NOVICK: Sir,
we have evidence that’s been confirmed by every military intelligence expert
on the payroll.
PALMER: Everyone
accept Jack Bauer.
NOVICK: It’s
natural for you to be having doubts right now. I’d be worried if you weren’t
having doubts. But when the public learns what happened, they’ll want a decisive
response. They’ll demand it.
PALMER: We’re
not responding to satisfy anyone’s bloodlust.
NOVICK: No
sir, we’re not, we’re responding because three countries colluded with a terrorist
group to explode a nuclear bomb on our soil. And we have proof!
PALMER: What
if the proof is a lie?
NOVICK: It
isn’t.
PALMER: Are
you sure, Mike? Are you sure?
[Pause]
NOVICK: I’ll
tell General Bowden you’ll call when you’re ready.
[Cut to CTU
bathroom. Yousef is washing his hands. Jack enters. He checks to see that
no one else is in there.]
JACK: Mr. Auda,
my name is Jack Bauer.
YOUSEF: If
you’re here to give me another excuse, don’t waste your time.
JACK: I’m not
here to give you excuses; I need to ask you a few questions about the evidence
taken from Sayed Ali’s apartment.
YOUSEF: How
would I know what was found? Your people refuse to include me in the discovery
process, why not ask them?
JACK: My colleagues
might not be interested in the same questions as I am. I’m trying to determine
whether or not the evidence could have been compromised before it even got
here.
YOUSEF: Before
I tell you anything; tell me what you know. Whatever evidence was found in
Ali’s apartment, they’re keeping it from me which suggests it incriminates
my country.
JACK: I’m sorry.
I’m not at liberty to discuss that. You and I are not even supposed to be
talking.
YOUSEF: So
you’re asking me to help you without offering anything in return?
JACK: I know
I’m asking a lot.
YOUSEF: It’s
asking too much.
[Yousef leaves.
Jack’s cell rings.]
JACK (into
phone): This is Bauer.
MAN: Hello
Jack.
JACK: Who is
this?
MAN: The only
person who can prove Sayed Ali was not in Cypress in April meeting with Arab
leaders. The recording they found in Ali’s apartment, in case you haven’t
figured it out already, is bogus.
JACK: How do
you know that?
MAN:
Because I’m the one who planted it. I was in Cypress on April fifth; I placed
it in Ali’s apartment.
JACK:
And I’m just supposed to believe you?
MAN:
You don’t have a choice. That’s why I killed Ali. So you’d have to deal with
me.
JACK:
How do I know you killed him?
MAN:
I always had to take you out, too, Jack, but you moved at the last second.
Dying to know what you two were talking about.
JACK:
What do you want?
MAN:
Kate Warner.
JACK:
Why? Why do you want her?
MAN:
Just get her out of CTU. Bring her to the ally at the intersection of Meridian
and Moore Park. There’s a small warehouse. Look for the door under the neon
sign.
JACK:
My access to CTU is limited at best.
MAN:
You’re resourceful. You’ll find a way.
JACK:
You didn’t answer my question; why do you want her?
MAN:
Don’t worry about that now, Jack.
JACK:
She hasn’t been released yet from CTU. She’s still in debriefing.
MAN:
You got thirty minutes. Bring her to the warehouse; just the two of you.
JACK:
Thirty minutes is not enough time.
[The
man hangs up. Shot of his wrist. He has a Coral Snake tattoo. He’s the seventh
Commando.]
11:48:13,
11:48:14, 11:48:15…
11:52:26,
11:52:27, 11:52:28, 11:52:29, 11:52:30, 11:52:31, 11:52:32…
[Shot
of Kim in the bathroom of the liquor store. There’s yelling from inside the
store.]
MAN’S
VOICE: What’s your problem, man?!
OWNER’S
VOICE: You’re gonna have a problem if you don’t get outta here. Back away
from the window, man. I’ll call the cops.
MAN’S
VOICE: No, man, it’s not like that. I just need a few things. Let me in.
OWNER’S
VOICE: What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?
MAN’S
VOICE: Come on, man. My wife’s pregnant. I’ve got money, alright. Here’s the
money! I’ll be quick!
OWNER’S
VOICE: You’re gonna have to keep moving, buddy.
[Kim
leaves the bathroom.]
MAN:
Come on, man, you have to help me, alright?
OWNER:
Look, I’m sorry, I can’t do anything-
MAN:
Look, I’ll pay. I’ll pay you, alright? How much?
OWNER:
I don’t, look, find another store. Just find another store.
MAN:
Hey don’t walk away. Look, how hard would it be to just open up for one minute?
[Shot
pans to reveal the owner inside in front of the locked door and a frantic
man trying to get in.]
OWNER:
There’s another store that’s open ten miles down the road. West, on Route
fourteen.
MAN:
No, that’s the wrong direction! We’re going to the mountains.
OWNER:
Look, I’m closed. I’m not gonna tell you again.
MAN:
Don’t you know what’s going on?!
OWNER:
Yeah, I’m about to call the cops.
MAN:
Look, I have cash. I’ll pay you double.
OWNER:
I already closed out the register.
MAN
(sees Kim): Please! Tell him to let me in! My wife’s pregnant; she can’t be
here.
[Shot
of a scared woman looking on in a car outside.]
MAN:
Look, open the damn door!
OWNER:
That’s it! That is it.
[The
owner goes to the phone and calls the cops.]
MAN:
Come on!
OPERATOR:
9-1-1, what’s your emergency?
OWNER:
Yeah, some crazy guy’s trying to bust into my store.
OPERATOR:
Are you open?
OWNER:
No, I’m closed but he keeps threatening me.
OPERATOR:
What’s your location?
OWNER:
Yeah, it’s Kings Liquor. Soliday Canyon Road right off of Route fourteen.
OPERATOR:
Officers are on their way.
[The
owner hangs up and goes to look for the man who is out of view.]
OWNER
(to Kim): They always come out at night. All kinds of crazy people.
KIM:
It’s starting.
OWNER:
What?
KIM:
Nothing.
OWNER:
Don’t give me that. Come on, you said ‘it’s starting’, what the hell’s that
supposed to mean?
[He
walks up to Kim. The man outside throws a shopping trolley through the window.
It shatters. The owner goes and gets a bat and starts to try and ward off
the man.]
KIM:
No! Stop it!
[The
man shoves the owner into some shelves.]
KIM:
Stop!!
[The
man starts to strangle the owner. Kim gets Lani’s gun out of her bag.]
MAN:
You should’ve let me in. Why didn’t you let me in?
[A
gunshot fires. The man looks over at Kim. She’s aiming a gun at him.]
KIM:
Let go of him and get up! I said let go of him!
[The
man backs away. The owner starts coughing.]
KIM:
Now get OUTTA HERE!
MAN:
I didn’t mean for this to happen. I’m just trying to get to the mountains.
KIM:
I said go!
[The
man walks towards Kim looking scared and nervous.]
MAN:
Give me the gun. I’m not gonna hurt anyone, I promise.
KIM:
Just go. GO!
[The
man takes the gun off Kim, puts it in his waistband, picks up the trolley
and heads down the aisles getting food.]
[Cut
to CTU phone ringing. Michelle answers it.]
MICHELLE:
Michelle Dessler.
JACK:
Hey, it’s me, Jack.
MICHELLE:
Was Yousef Auda helpful?
JACK:
No, not yet. He’s got some trust issues. I’m right behind you.
[Michelle
looks behind her and sees Jack.]
JACK:
Look, I think there’s gonna be another way to prove that the Cypress recording
was faked. But I’m gonna need your help; you’re gonna have to trust me.
[Michelle
notices that Carrie is watching her.]
MICHELLE:
Yeah, whatever you need.
JACK:
Okay, I’ll get back to you in a minute.
[They
hang up.]
[Cut
back to the Liquor store. The man has finished his shopping. Kim is helping
the owner.]
MAN:
You shoulda let me in when I asked you. My wife is seven months pregnant.
I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
[The
man unloads his shopping at the counter.]
KIM:
Just go.
MAN:
After I pay. I told you I had money; I didn’t come here to steal. I said I
wanna pay!
[The
man pulls out the gun and aims it at the owner.]
OWNER:
Alright, alright. Alright. Alright.
MAN:
I’m not a criminal. Turn on the TV.
[The
owner uses the remote and turns on the TV.]
REPORTER:
Speculation has continued to grow around the unidentified explosion spotted
by at least two commercial aircraft and a weather satellite. While a statement
from the President is forthcoming, one unconfirmed source suggested that the
blast could only have been caused by a nuclear explosion. At this time-
MAN:
It’s true. My brother works at a USG station in Palmdale. He overheard the
scientists talking.
OWNER
(to Kim): You knew about this, didn’t you?
[Sirens
can be heard drawing closer. The police pull up and go to the man’s car where
his wife is.]
OFFICER:
Ma’am, keep your hands where I can see them.
[The
pregnant woman puts up her hands and gets out of the car.]
MAN:
HEY LEAVE HER ALONE!
OFFICER:
He’s inside the store!
[The
owner grabs for the gun while the man is distracted.]
OWNER:
Gimme the gun! Gimme the gun!
[A
shot goes off.]
MAN:
No!
[The
owner falls.]
OFFICER:
Put the gun down and come out with your hands up! I said put the gun down
and come out with your hands up!
[The
man looks at the police. Then grabs Kim and holds the gun to her side. She
screams. He drags her into an aisle out of sight of the police.]
[Cut
to CTU where Kate is being debriefed by Agent Baker.]
BAKER:
How long did the two men talk?
[Shot
of Michelle looking towards Kate and Baker.]
KATE:
Ah, just for a few minutes at a time. And it was mostly in Arabic which I
understand a little bit. They didn’t seem too much in a hurry about anything.
Ah…
BAKER:
So, did you get the impression that they knew each other really well?
KATE:
Yeah. Um, like they were partners.
[Michelle
enters.]
MICHELLE:
Baker?
BAKER:
Yeah?
MICHELLE:
You did the Macully interview last week, right?
BAKER:
Yeah, I did.
MICHELLE:
There’s a page missing from the transcript; must’ve happened when it was filed.
You have a copy of the original?
BAKER:
Yeah, but I have another hour or two here.
MICHELLE:
Can’t wait. Division wants it right now.
[Baker
sighs and gets up to leave.]
MICHELLE:
I’m just glad I double checked before it got sent out.
BAKER:
Yeah. (To Kate) Sorry, I’ll be right back.
KATE:
Okay.
[Baker
and Michelle leave. Jack comes in.]
JACK:
Kate, I need you to come with me now.
KATE:
I still have another hour or two with Agent Baker. Then I have to deal with
my father-
JACK:
This is urgent.
KATE:
What’s going on?
[Shot
of Yousef watching.]
KATE:
You said everything was fine. That this was over.
JACK:
It’s not. I’ll explain in the car.
[Shot
of Carrie watching Jack and Kate. She gets on the phone immediately and calls
Tony.]
TONY:
Almeida.
CARRIE:
Yeah, it’s Carrie.
TONY:
What’s up?
CARRIE:
Unless I’m misreading the situation, Jack is trying to remove Kate Warner
from CTU.
TONY:
I’ll be right down.
[Split
screen to the liquor store of Kim trying to help the wounded owner. Shot of
Kim treating the wound. Shot of Michelle walking with Baker. Shot of President
Palmer.]
MAN:
I didn’t mean to! He came at me! Please don’t let him die! Look, I didn’t
mean for this to happen!
[Shot
of Baker going back to the debriefing room and seeing Kate missing.]
MAN:
It was a mistake!
OFFICER:
Come out with your hands up!
MAN:
I was just trying to protect my wife!
[Shot
of Jack and Kate running down some stairs. An agent meets them and hands Jack
some car keys.]
AGENT:
Lower level, space eleven.
JACK:
Thanks Brian. Come on, Kate.
[They
go further down the hall. A door opens and Tony steps out. Kate gasps.]
TONY:
Where the hell you think you’re going, Jack?
JACK:
I don’t have time to explain.
[Jack
tries to push past Tony. Tony shoves him back and pulls out a gun.]
TONY:
Well, lets find the time.
KATE:
Oh my God. What are you doing?
JACK:
Kate, just stay against the wall.
[Jack
holds up his hands.]
JACK:
Tony, put down the gun.
TONY:
Not till you tell me what you’re doing, Jack.
JACK
(glances at Kate): I’m sorry I can’t. Who do you think you’re kidding here,
Tony, you’re not gonna shoot me. Put the gun down. Put the gun down.
[Jack
grabs the gun. Kate gasps. Jack punches Tony. He trips and his ankle snaps.
Jack pockets the gun.]
JACK:
Kate, come on, we gotta go. Now! Let’s go!
[Jack
and Kate run past Tony and toward the exit.]
TONY:
JACK! JACK!
11:58:57, 11:58:58, 11:58:59
12:00:00