Day 2: 12:00am-1:00am

Jack meets with the surviving Coral Snake Commando, Jonathan Wallace, who demands Kate Warner in exchange for evidence about the recordings. Tony and Carrie spy on Michelle when he suspects that she is working with Jack. Mike and the Vice-President turn up the pressure on Palmer, when he expresses his doubts about the impending war.

Previously on 24

 * At the Counter Terrorist Unit, Michelle Dessler expresses doubts about the Cyprus recording to Jack Bauer.
 * President David Palmer is told by Jack that Syed Ali has been assassinated, and that the veracity of the recording is in question.
 * Ramon Garcia unintentionally shoots Frank Davies, and in a panic holds Kim Bauer hostage.
 * Jack Bauer gets a call from an unknown man who wants Kate Warner in return for evidence that the recording is a hoax. Jack knocks down Tony Almeida and flees with Kate.

The following takes place between 12:00am and 1:00am.



12:00:00
Jack Bauer and Kate Warner run into CTU's parking garage, and Jack uses the keyless remote given to him by a loyal CTU officer to locate their vehicle. Kate becomes hesitant and demands to know why they are fleeing, but Jack asks only if she trusts him. She does, and Jack promises an explanation in the car.

Tony Almeida, on the ground with his sprained ankle, sees Carrie Turner and tells her to notify security to stop Jack. In the garage, a guard recognizes Jack and opens the gate. The call comes in, but Jack speeds through the exit, losing a rear-view mirror in the process as the guard shouts for him to stop. Finally, Jack lets Kate know that the U.S. will be retaliating against the Middle East within a few hours, hinting at a major world war. He tells her that an unknown man called him, demanding Kate in return for evidence that the Cyprus recording was false. She wonders who it is, but Jack tells her he needs her decision; it is a very dangerous risk, but she agrees.



Carrie returns with a medic, Agent Hannah Zoltan, who examines his ankle and says an x-ray is needed. After Zoltan leaves to get a first aid kit, Carrie informs Tony that Michelle Dessler was involved in distracting Agent Baker, giving Jack the opportunity to grab Kate.

12:05:08



Outside Air Force One, President David Palmer is walking with Mike Novick, Lynne Kresge and a Secret Service agent. They enter a limousine, discussing Vice President James Prescott and the ramifications of involving foreign allies. Palmer takes the call from Prescott, who is eager to let the British ambassador know about the war plans. Palmer wants him to wait, as CTU Los Angeles is currently trying to obtain proof that the recording was false, but Prescott is perturbed and says it is simply too late for second-guessing. Palmer orders him to say nothing to the British, and Prescott reluctantly agrees. Mike expresses his hesitation too, concerning Jack's reservations, and Lynne agrees. Palmer, harried on all sides for his "equivocation", simply notes their opinions.

Deputy Raynes, outside Frank Davies' convenience store, uses a megaphone to order Ramon Garcia out of the store. Inside, Kim Bauer is tending to Davies, who is prostrate with a gunshot wound. Kim pleads with the rambling Garcia to give up and get medical attention. Davies reaches up but then slumps and expires. As Deputy Raynes shouts outside, Garcia begins rambling again, begging for Davies not to die.

12:09:04

On the road, Kate asks why CTU is working against Jack, who answers that Tony is only following protocol given that he believes the Cyprus recording is not a hoax. Jack notices a car following them, maneuvers behind it, and confronts the driver, Yusef Auda. They argue about their motives, with Yusuf finally asking the rhetorical question, why would his own country promote a war that would guarantee their decimation in the end. Jack holsters the weapon and Yusuf offers his help, now that Jack is isolated.

In CTU, Tony, on crutches, tells Michelle that he tore a ligament. He then states Carrie's claim that Jack and Michelle conspired together. Michelle resents being interrogated and lies that she did not assist Jack, proffering the idea that Carrie lied to get Michelle kicked out. They part ways as Tony remains suspicious of her.

12:12:54...12:12:55...12:12:56...



12:17:24


With Davies dead, Garcia is distraught and fears a prison sentence. Kim states that remaining in the store will only make things worse; Ramon takes a call on the store's phone from Deputy Raynes. The phone is given to Lucia, his pregnant wife out in their vehicle, who is weeping and wants him to come out. Raynes is told by Ramon that Kim will be released if Lucia is brought safely to Monterey (to protect her from the possibility of more nukes).

12:19:47

Jack parks the SUV and retrieves an automatic weapon and magazines of rounds. He instructs Kate to wait, makes his way into a dark alley, and enters the room of a building filled with junk. A man is there, with his hands raised, and he voluntarily lets Jack secure him. He is Jonathan Wallace, and Jack sees his Coral Snake tattoo. Wallace reveals that he first planted the Cyprus recording, a hoax (to ensure the Middle East was implicated), and then that he was the seventh man who killed the last six Coral Snake commandos (so the Second Wave terrorists could detonate their nuclear weapon).



Wallace uncovers the plot of the masterminds of the day's events: he knows his employers control the oil in the Caspian Sea, and a war in the Middle East will quadruple the value of their holdings for at least a decade.

12:23:57

Wallace has turned come to Jack because his employers tried to have him killed. He is asking for Kate because her father, Bob Warner, can use Warner International's "DOD variance" to authorize his safe departure. Wallace's foot under the table is lightly moving a plug in an outlet which causes the neon sign outside to flicker. The signal calls in Wallace's armed accomplice, who startles Kate and demands for her to get out of the vehicle. She steps out, but Yusuf appears from the shadows and knocks the man to the ground.

As Jack and Wallace discuss the evidence, Jack gets a call from Yusuf. Bauer hands the phone to Wallace, grinning, and says "It's for you". Yusuf proves that the gunman is indeed knocked out, but Wallace still demands that Kate come with him to arrange his departure. He does not mince words regarding Kate, saying she has to be disposed of after he lands. Jack refuses, so Wallace calmly packs his things and goes for the door. Jack, knowing the only lead is about to disappear, relents and asks Yusuf to bring in Kate.

12:26:44... 12:26:45... 12:26:46...



12:31:03


DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS, LOS ANGELES. Mike tells Lynne he wants to talk to Jack, since Jack is the only reason Palmer is hesitating with his decision about declaring war. Lynne does not like the idea of Novick going behind the President's back, but Mike wants more information regardless. Lynne gives Mike the phone number, and Mike immediately calls Tony. Tony spells out Jack's actions, stating that Bauer can't be reached, but promises to call Mike as soon as Jack responds. Frustrated, Tony calls Carrie, and Michelle watches her go to Tony's office.

12:33:47

Carrie has no leads for Tony regarding Jack's whereabouts. She brings up Michelle, and Tony asks if she has a problem working with her. Turner reaffirms that Michelle was conspiratorial with Jack, so Tony orders her to keep tabs on her communications, especially with Jack.

12:35:41

Ramon Garcia watches as Lucia, still weeping, is put into a car to be escorted to Monterey. He blames Kim and her gun for everything, and angrily shouts and threatens her. He backs off only when she states that her father was killed in the blast. Deputy Raynes calls again and tries to reason with Ramon. As he is distracted, Kim flees and escapes into the bathroom before Garcia can stop her.

12:38:48

Yusuf handcuffs Wallace's accomplice to a dumpster, and slaps him awake. When threatened, the man claims that he was working alone, so Yusuf pistol whips him unconscious. He calls Jack and says he is taking a long approach to the building (for security reasons).

Jack states Kate will be arriving in five minutes, so Wallace tells Jack the story of how Ron Samuels was deeply disappointed when he failed to recruit Jack for Coral Snake. Wallace heard from Samuels that he read Jack as a "born killer", and asks Jack if that is true. Jack says nothing.

12:39:48...12:39:49...12:39:50...



12:44:18


Michelle suspects that Carrie is spying on her due to a computer error message. She calls Carrie and then leaves to investigate it. Turner then downgrades Michelle's clearance to allow her to track Michelle's actions.

12:46:20

At District, Novick informs President Palmer that Jack has fled CTU with a material witness, injured an agent, and may have suffered an understandable emotional breakdown of some kind. Palmer makes an effort to defend Jack, because he doesn't want to make a mistake of historic proportions by going to war with false evidence. Mike is sent off to find Bauer.

Back at Wallace's location, Wallace tells Jack how he will hand off the evidence. Kate and Yusuf arrive, and Jack tells her she is going with Wallace. She is heartbroken that Jack is giving her up.

12:49:15...12:49:16...12:49:17...

12:53:45
While Carrie listens in, Michelle takes a call from her brother Danny Dessler. Danny rants that he wants answers for his own safety, and gives Michelle a hard time. Although he hasn't spoken to Carrie, who he says is "a bitch", he threatens to talk to her. Carrie deletes the record of the phone call.

12:55:30

Ramon Garcia is still inside the convenience store, weeping and begging not to be shot. He has not given up his weapon yet. Deputy Raynes converses with Deputy Nirman, revealing that they are pressured to respond to other emergency calls, so Raynes orders them in. Gunshots are heard, and medical staffers are summoned. Kim is worried for Ramon's safety.

12:56:47



Mike and Lynn have a teleconference meeting with Vice President James Prescott as proxy for Palmer, who is out being briefed by Ryan Chappelle. Prescott has a difficult time with Palmer's hesitation, so Mike tells him Palmer's concern about the possible falsehood of the Cyprus recording. Prescott then bluntly doubts Palmer's resolve in general, so Mike defends Palmer's integrity and promises that the President will get through to him soon.

Mike, with his head in his hand, tells Lynne that if Palmer turns the planes around based on the unconfirmed speculation of Bauer, it will be a disaster.

12:58:36

In the alley, Wallace demands Kate get into the trunk of a car, and Jack claims it's for her safety when she refuses. She enters and Wallace shuts the trunk door. Jack stares stone-faced as Wallace says some last words and prepares to drive off. Yusuf confirms that a tracker is on the car.

Split screen: Jack and Yusuf are preparing to follow Kate and Wallace. Carrie is busy trying to find evidence that Michelle is helping Jack Bauer. David Palmer and his staff are working on responding to the nuclear bomb. Kim is in the store afraid of her safety.

Before Wallace can get to the driver's seat, machine gun fire from the roof pelts the car and shoots out some glass. Jack gets down and returns fire as bullets strafe the vehicle.

12:59:57...12:59:58...12:59:59...01:00:00

Memorable quotes

 * Jack Bauer: They're going to be five minutes.
 * Jonathan Wallace: And here we are without a deck of cards.


 * Danny Dessler: Maybe I should call Carrie, maybe she might tell me something.
 * Michelle Dessler: I thought you two weren't speaking.
 * Danny Dessler: We're not. She's a bitch.


 * James Prescott: (to Mike Novick and Lynne Kresge) We've got planes in the air. Either we're committed or not!

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Sarah Wynter as Kate Warner
 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
 * Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida
 * and Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer

Guest starring

 * Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler
 * Jude Ciccolella as Mike Novick
 * Michelle Forbes as Lynne Kresge
 * Lourdes Benedicto as Carrie Turner
 * Gregg Henry as Jonathan Wallace
 * Donnie Keshawarz as Yusuf Auda
 * Alan Dale as Vice President Jim Prescott
 * Sterling Macer, Jr. as Deputy Raynes
 * Justin Louis as Danny Dessler
 * Lombardo Boyar as Ramon Garcia

Co-starring

 * Jamison Jones as Deputy Nirman
 * Nicole Gomez Fisher as Lucia Garcia
 * Shontina Vernon as Agent Hannah Zoltan
 * Doc Duhame as Man With Gun

Uncredited

 * Brent Sexton as Frank Davies

Background information and notes

 * Series regular Penny Johnson Jerald doesn't appear in this episode.
 * The writers of this episode, Evan Katz & Gil Grant previously worked together as staff writers on McKenna. Other writers that worked together on other shows and teamed up as writing partners on this show are Robert Cochran & Evan Katz from JAG, Robert Cochran & Joel Surnow from Le Femme Nikita, Howard Gordon & David Fury from Angel, Howard Gordon & Manny Coto from Strange World, and Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle from The Pretender.
 * The dialogue between President Palmer and Mike Novick, starting at 12:46, marks an important turning point for the season as well as for the relationship between Novick and Palmer. Palmer decides to call the planes back, based on his confidence in Jack Bauer's assessment of the Cyprus recordings as non-authentic. Novick contradicts him, and, after a controversial dialogue between them, Palmer overrules Novick and sends him out to find Bauer. Novick leaves the room silently, without any further sign of respect to the President. Compared to the extremely respectful manner in which Novick has until now answered all of the President's orders, this is most unusual. Accordingly Palmer's facial expression after Novick silently leaving the room is both surprised and worried. This marks the turning point where Novick tacitly dissociates from President Palmer. There is a similar scene between Novick and President Charles Logan in Day 5 12:00am-1:00am, ending at about 12:25.