Day 5: 2:00pm-3:00pm

Jack poses as Rossler, the programmer, and manages to trace one of the Sentox nerve gas canisters, but he goes against President Logan's orders when the terrorists target a shopping mall. Logan and Martha argue when she learns that Charles intends to cover up the real reason for Walt Cummings' suicide.

Episode guide
Previously on 24
 * President Charles Logan and Walt Cummings argue on whether the terrorists could launch chemical warfare on America. Walt's intention was to let the nerve gas blow up in the faces of the terrorists but Ivan Erwich found out about his plan.


 * Mike Novick considers to Logan to keep Cummings out of sight and cover up the story. Martha finds out they're planning a cover-up and she says Walt should be exposed and arrested for complicitly ordering the assassination of David Palmer.


 * Later; Novick tells Charles to come downstairs to see that Walt Cummings has hung himself.


 * Lynn McGill talks to his sister, Jenny, who needs his help. The two meet outside CTU, then Jenny's boyfriend hits Lynn from behind and steals his wallet.


 * Ivan Erwich tells a mechanic named Cal that he and his team needs the craftsman's help. Rossler tells Erwich he needs to cut 10 centimeters from the bottom of the casing. After Erwich kills Cal for doing his job, Rossler tells him they need to meet. Erwich agrees and he'll call back in five minutes.


 * At CTU, Chloe identifies the man from the intercepted connection from Erwich. A man named Jacob Rossler, a software programmer. Jack Bauer and Curtis Manning go to Rossler's apartment and apprehend him. Erwich calls Rossler as Jack listens. Erwich says he has the identification keys. Inessa then shoots Rossler much to Jack's dismay. Curtis states to Jack that Rossler's dead. Erwich could call any minute. Jack is worried....

The following takes place between 2:00pm and 3:00pm

02:00:00


Lynn McGill walks back in CTU, shaken. He straightens his tie and his suit. He wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth and confronts Bill Buchanan on the situation. Bill tells him that Rossler was killed by his female companion, Inessa Kovalevsky. Rossler was going to give Erwich a chip that would enable the terrorist to activate the canisters and release the gas and CTU would have been able to use Rossler to track Erwich. Chloe tells him that they had put a tracker on the chip. But the plan has to change. They don't know when the meet would take place. Erwich is also planning to target large populated areas across America. Chloe inspects a phone call to Rossler. It's Erwich.

At Rossler's building, Curtis tells Jack that Erwich's calling and CTU is on the line. Jack answers in a indistinct voice as Ewrich gives him instructions to meet in five minutes on the roof of the parking garage, corner of White Oak and Madison. He'll send one of his men to meet him in a blue van. Ewrich hangs up and Jack orders Curtis to get him the chip and calls CTU.

Bill gets on the line with Jack. Although Bill sees Erwich sending his men as a problem, Jack sees it as an opprotunity to go under cover as Rossler. McGill suggests that Rossler and Erwich might have known eachother, but Jack counters with the fact the Erwich said to look for a blue van, which indicates that they didn’t know eachother. Bill still thinks it’s a risk and Audrey says that they would probably kill Rossler anyway to tie up a loose end. Although its dangerous, Jack knows that they don’t have a choice and if they’re lucky they’ll be led to the nerve gas. Buchanan relents and lets Jack go undercover. He notifies Edgar and Chloe that Jack will need help installing the chip.

Curtis tells Jack that the chip is genuine and will release the gas but only with the correct unlock code. There is a tracker in the chip itself. Jack wants to appear non-threatening, and make the terrorists think that he is afraid of them. Cutrtis gives Jack a new comm-unit for his ear so that CTU can hear within 20 feet of him at all times, and he can hear them.

Erwich orders Komar and Polakov to go and meet Rossler. He walks over to Andrei and asks if there is another way of triggering the canisters, in case Rossler fails them. Andrei says there may be, but someone will have to be on site with the canister. Erwich orders him to “get it done.”

Mike Novick notifies President Logan that Walt Cummings body has been moved. Although Logan is upset, Novick presses him on releasing a public statement about Cummings death. Logan says they must notify his wife first. Novick then suggests that this turn of events could render the statement Logan and his wife Martha were working on pointless. According to Novick, it would be useless to publicly accuse Walt of treason since his death, and it would be devestating to the country if the nerve gas was released. He says they should attribute his suicide to personal stress or related reasons. Logan notes that Martha will be upset, but Novick reminds him that it is the his decision, not hers.

02:07:28

As Martha types the statement, her assistant Evelyn Martin walks in. She politely asks the first lady for more information about Walt Cummings death. Martha says to wait for the statement to be released, but Evelyn looks upset. She says she deserves to know why Walt Cummings killed himself. She questions whether it was really a suicide at all, or if something more sinister was going on. After making Evelyn swear to secrecy, Martha reveals Walt’s involvement in the day’s events. Evelyn is extremely disturbed.

02:09:16'

Jack drives to the meeting location, Curtis follows while CTU moniters the situation. Bill warns Curtis to maintain his distance. He sees the blue van pass, and tells Bill the liscene plate number. Edgar runs the plate number through the system. They discover that the plates don’t match the vehicle. They probably stole the van and put the plates on it. The pull up beside a parked Jack.

Komar and Polakov get out of the van and walk towards Jack. Jack gets out and acts nervous. He acts upset that there are two terrorists, stating that he was told there would only be one. They’ll give him the money once they see the chip. He pulls the chip out and they show him the promised money. First the want him to install it.

They open the back of the van and tell Jack to come closer. Following directions from Chloe, Jack installs the chip into the trigger. The terrorists tell Jack that he’s coming with them, just to make sure it works. They then force him into the back of the van. Audrey overhears this and is concerned.

Jack quietly tells CTU they are on the move, and pleas with the terrorists to let him go. Curtis wants to move in, but McGill holds him back. He says this is the only shot to catch Erwich, and orders Curtis to stand down and let Jack be taken. Audrey argues against this, but Bill agrees with Lynn. Jack has to deal with it on his own.

02:13:52... 02:13:53... 02:13:54...

02:18:13
As Jack is taken to an unkown destination, Curtis slowly follows.

Evelyn returns to Martha’s room with the press release regarding Cummings. It portrays him as a hero rather then a traitor. Martha is furious.

Logan is upset that CTU hasn’t made progress, and tells Novick to demand perfection from them. Martha storms in the office and tries to get her husband to change his mind. She is adament that they shouldn’t lie, but Mike points out that it is pointless since Cummings no longer has to face justice. Logan has made his final decision despite Martha’s pleas. Martha says that if he doesn’t tell the truth then she will. He tells her that she can start with Walt Cummings' wife. She says it will be very painful to reveal the truth but it’s the right thing to do.

02:20:55

Curtis follows Jack as CTU watches. They watch him on satellite surveillance as well.

Jack asks Polakov where they are going, but he won’t say. He tells Jack that it will take as long as he makes it. They’re going to test the remote trigger. Jack looks down and sees a canister of nerve gas. He says that he doesn’t want to be there when it goes off, but the terrorists have masks to protect him. Jack asks the target but Polakov still won’t say.

Curtis suggests intercepting but McGill refuses until they have a visual on the canister. Based on where the terrorists are headed, Chloe locates the target: Sunrise Hills Shopping Mall.

The terrorists drive in to the parking lot, and Bill tells Curtis that the target is the mall. Curtis and his teams stand by.

02:22:37

The van parks, and Curtis watches the terrorists get out. He has his teams secure the perimeter of the lot. The terrorists put the canister in a gray box and tell Jack that if anyone asks them what they’re doing, they’re working on the air conditioning. Jack trying to stall for time, refuses to go in, but the Polakov doesn’t care. Jack points out that there are hundreds of video cameras in the mall. Polakov wants the Americans to know who did this to them. Jack says that this wasn’t part of the deal, and that he didn’t want to be caught in a terrorist act. Polakov holds a gun to Jack and tells him that he will live only if he cooperates.

Audrey tells Jack that the tactical teams will recover the canisters. Jack and the terrorists put on jackets to disguise themselves as maintainance men. Audrey begans to initiate the recovery, but McGill stops it. If the move in now, Erwich will know and they won’t find the other canisters. Audrey is appalled that McGill would allow the terrorists to release the gas in the mall, and calls on Buchanan. McGill tells her that he is in charge and not Bill. Bill interupts and says that they need to call the President.

Jack and the terrorists walk towards the mall with the nerve gas. Curtis watches through binoculars.

02:24:56... 02:24:57... 02:24:58...

02:29:22
Chloe hacks into the mall’s security feed, and Jack is visible to them. Jack and the men walk past many people through the mall. Audrey tells Jack that they are waiting for the President to call. Jack sees many children at a birthday party.

The terrorists and Jack enter the security station. Polakov has Jack get the security guard’s attention. He comes out of his office and Polakov says they got a call to come and repair the air conditioning. The guard asks for paperwork and Komar shoots him dead with a silencer.

02:30:47

The terrorists look at the vents and prepare to release the gas. They take their jackets off and pull out the canister. Komar cuts into the metal paneling of the vent.

The President calls CTU and Audrey patches Jack into the call as he watches Komar. McGill briefs the President on the situation, and Logan tells him to arrest the men. Lynn tells him that if they do that they’ll lose their chance of finding the other canisters. At first, Logan is outraged that McGill would suggest releasing the canister, but Buchanan tells him that if they don’t then they risk losing hundreds of thousands to the other canisters. Logan is speechless.

02:32:43

As Jack listens to the conversation, he sees Komar and Polakov place the canister in the vent. McGill tells Novick that the casualty estimate for the mall is between eight and nine hundred. Audrey angrily notes that many of them are children. Novick suggests evacuating, but doing so would alert the terrorists and blow their cover. Logan is afraid of the public outcry but McGill tells him that it would be a covert decision. He knows with 100% certainty that when the terrorists leave the mall they will return to the other canisters. McGill asks him to let the terrorists release this canister, and Audrey says they should catch the terrorists and interrogate them.

The terrorists are almost ready to release the gas.

McGill presses Logan for a descision. Logan tells them to choose themselves, but they don’t have the legal authority, only he does. Logan puts CTU on hold and consults with Novick. Novick tells him that it’s his call. Logan gets back on the phone and tells them to allow the canister to be released. He angrily tells CTU that if they don’t find the other canisters the people in the mall will have died in vain.

02:34:52

McGill has the tactical teams pull out. The terrorists and Jack put their gas masks on. They ask Jack for the unlock code on the trigger. Buchanan tells Jack the code. Jack hesitates and then deliberately tells them the wrong code so it won’t work. McGill angrily orders Jack to enter the correct code, but Jack doesn’t listen. When the gas won’t release, Polakov pulls his gun on Jack. Jack says there is nothing he can do to make it work. Polakov knocks him unconscious.

In CTU, Audrey bows her head. McGill is upset.

Polakov calls Erwich and tells him the canisters not working. He asks Erwich if he should kill “Rossler.” Erwich says not until they have another way to release the gas. They think they’ve discovered an alternative. Andrei gets on the phone. Komar pulls Jack’s body into the security office and handcuffs him to the desk. Andrei begins to direct Polakov on how to activate the canister.

The CTU staff looks nervously. Jack is still unconscious.

02:37:22…02:37:23…02:37:24…02:37:25…

02:41:44
Jack wakes up. The terrorists are almost done opening the canister via Andrei’s instruction. Andrei has them put their masks on again.

Jack tries to reach for the security guard’s corpse to find keys to his handcuff, but it’s too far. Audrey looks at the security feed and sees many children playing in the indoor playground of the mall. She asks Lynn one last time to reconsider, but Lynn has been ordered by the president. He asks her if she has any idea how many people can die from the other 19 canisters. She says its only theoretical, while the people in the mall are for sure. She tries to guilt trip him by looking at the children. He tells her that this is war, and there are going to be casualties.

Andrei has the terrorists put their masks on again, as they are on the brink of releasing the canister. Polakov tells Komar to kill “Rossler.”

02:43:52

As Komar walks towards Jack, Polakov opens the canister. Jack pretends to be unconscious and Komar walks right next to him. Jack kicks Komar’s feet out from under him and grabs the terrorist’s neck with his legs. He breaks Komar’s neck.

Gas continues to escape the canister into the vent.

Jack grabs Komar’s gun and points it at the advancing Polakov. He shoots but Polakov moves out of the way and escapes.

Andrei is still on the phone wondering what is going on.

Jack takes of Komar’s mask and puts it on himself. He grabs the security guard’s corpse and gets his keys. He frees himself from the handcuff and gets up, gun drawn. He goes to the nerve gas and breaks the wiring, closing the canister. McGill asks Jack for status, and Jack tells him that he stopped the flow of gas but some escaped into the mall. He tells them to evacuate the mall. One of the terrorists is dead and the other escaped. McGill has Manning's team move in to find the Polakov.

Jack finds a security officer and at gunpoint forces him to evacuate the mall. He has the guard tell him where the power source for the ventilation system is so he can shut it off.

02:45:42

The people in the mall began to evacuate. When they see Jack with his mask on they panic. Jack heads towards the power source and he tells Curtis of comm that it is extremely important they catch Polakov.

As Jack enters the food court he sees some of the panicking people drop dying due to the gas. He goes into the power room and shuts down all of the power.

Jack reenters the food court and tells Curtis that he has at least eleven people down, but the gas has not gone further than the food court. He sees a dying little girl and runs towards her. He wakes her and takes his mask off, having her hold it to her face. He picks her up and runs out of the mall as fast as he can. He meets Curtis and a medic brings him a shot of atropine. He injects her with it desperately tries to revive her. Her heartbeat gets back up.

Buchanan lets Jack know that they have secured the perimeters, but they don’t know where Polakov is. Jack has them monitor the tracking device in the remote trigger, which Polakov still has.

02:48:15

Chloe tracks him moving away from the mall on foot. The little girl wakes up and Jack puts an agent near him take care of her. Curtis leaves Agent Michaels in charge, and then he and Jack run to the vehicles so they can catch Polakov.

Polakov jumps over a fence and runs down the street. He breaks into a nearby car, hotwires the engine, and quickly drives away.

02:49:26… 02:49:27… 02:49:28…

02:53:52
Lynn McGill quickly walks out of the situation room.

Jack and Curtis continue to follow Polakov.

Polakov calls Erwich. He tells Erwich that “Rossler, or whoever he was” killed Komar and tried to stop them. Erwich asks Polakov if he’s being followed, and Polakov says no. Erwich tells him to return to where the rest of the terrorists are.

Chloe coninues to track Polakov and relay the location to Jack.

McGill calls the President to apologize for what happened. Logan accuses McGill of being incapable of running CTU. McGill tells him that Bauer refused the order and wouldn’t listen to him, but Logan tells him to not use excuses and just to do his job. He threatens that he can find someone else to do the job.

Novick tells the President that the casualties in the mall are between ten and twenty people. Logan is relieved but wonders what to tell the media. CTU has the media under blackout for the time being. Novick tells Logan that one of the terrorists is being tracked by CTU. He also tells Logan that Suzanne Cummings has arrived to pick up her husband’s body, and that Martha is going to speak with her.

Martha walks in to see a shocked Suzanne. She hugs Suzanne who breaks down in tears. Logan watches from the hall. Martha comforts Suzanne and is near tears herself. Suzanne doesn’t understand why Walt killed himself. Martha tries to say something but all she can tell Suzanne is that Walt loved the country and her. She can’t bring herself to say the truth. Suzanne asks for a moment alone and Martha gets up to leave. She shares a tearful look with her husband, and then walks away.

Polakov stops at the mechanic’s shop where the terrorists were. Jack and Curtis plan to get the terrorists quickly and retrieve the 19 canisters of nerve gas.

02:58:47

Split Screen: The teams prepare to move in. Jack and the rest of the agents put their masks on. Logan sits down at his desk. Martha walks Suzanne out of the room. Bill and Audrey watch the screens nervously. Polakov runs into the shop and discovers he is alone.

From a distant car, Erwich watches CTU agents pull up.

As the agents prepare to raid the building, Erwich calls Polakov and tells him he was followed. Polakov doesn’t know how, but Erwich says it doesn’t matter. “You know what to do,” he says.

He pulls his gun to his head and as Jack enters the building Polakov kills himself.

Jack rushes in and the rest of the agents follow. They check the air. It’s clean so they remove their masks. Jack is extremely upset as no one is there and they’ve lost their only lead.

In a pickup truck nearby, Ivan Erwich drives away.

02:59:57… 02:59:58… 02:59:59… 03:00:00…

Memorable quotes

 * Charles Logan: My wife will have a considerable problem with that.
 * Mike Novick: I respect the First Lady’s moral conviction, but this is your decision, not hers.


 * Charles Logan: Martha! Enough! I’ve made my decision, and I am the President.
 * Martha Logan: Which means it’s your job to tell the truth. Even when it’s ugly.  And if you don’t, I will.


 * Lynn McGill: This is war. There are going to be casualties. If those are the orders of the president - yes, I would have to!


 * Jack Bauer: Erwich is gone, the canisters are gone, we’ve got nothing here! DAMN IT!

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Kim Raver as Audrey Raines
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
 * Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan
 * James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
 * Roger Cross as Curtis Manning
 * Louis Lombardi as Edgar Stiles
 * and Jean Smart as Martha Logan

Guest starring

 * Sean Astin as Lynn McGill
 * Jude Ciccolella as Mike Novick
 * Sandrine Holt as Evelyn Martin
 * Mark Sheppard as Ivan Erwich
 * Timothy Omundson as Polakov
 * Robert Maffia as Andrei
 * Alla Karot as Suzanne Cummings
 * Roman Varshavsky as Komar

Co-starring

 * Jay Gordon as Mall Manager
 * Herman Chaves as Mall Security Guard

Background information and notes

 * Series regular Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida) does not appear in this episode.