Aaron Pierce

Aaron Pierce is a Secret Service agent who has worked under four Presidents on 24:
 * President David Palmer - starting during his campaign as Senator in Day 1 and through the end of term as President in Day 3.
 * Acting President Jim Prescott - for a few hours during Day 2 after President Palmer was removed from office via the 25th Amendment, as well as after Mandy's attack on Palmer at the end of Day 2.
 * President John Keeler - during Day 4 until a rogue stealth fighter shot down Air Force One.
 * President Charles Logan - beginning in Day 4 when then Vice President Logan assumed the Presidency and continuing into Day 5 as the head of the Secret Service detail in charge of protecting President Logan.

Day 1
During Day 1, Pierce was put in charge of the Secret Service detail protecting Senator Palmer. He helped protect Senator Palmer from two assassination attempts during the course of that day.

Day 2
During Day 2, Aaron was promoted to Presidential detail, where he was the head of the team assigned to protect President Palmer.

After President Palmer was replaced as President by Jim Prescott, Pierce was assigned to guard President Palmer until his release. When President Palmer wanted to talk with Pierce about the day's events, Pierce explained that he couldn't talk to President Palmer, but he did offer to listen. He eventually did talk, despite his best efforts to remain quiet.

President Palmer, who was trying to get access to a phone to contact Jack Bauer, turned to Pierce for help. Pierce was able to get him a satellite phone. His actions were soon discovered by Mike Novick, who ordered Pierce arrested. President Palmer protested, but Pierce was still detained. As Pierce was being taken into custody, President Palmer apologized for involving him. Pierce's last words to President Palmer as he was being arrested were, "You have nothing to be sorry for, Mr. President." After President Palmer returned to office, Pierce was reinstated.

Day 3
During Day 3, Pierce was still assigned to the security detail on President Palmer. He stayed on for an extra shift when it looked like the day was going to be rough, which seemed to comfort Palmer. He regularly stood directly outside President Palmer's door to let in a constant stream of visitors, including President Palmer's brother, Wayne, and his ex-wife, Sherry.

Day 4
During Day 4, Pierce was assigned to the security detail for Vice President Charles Logan. As the events of Day 4 unfolded, Logan was sworn in as President, and Pierce once again became part of the Presidential security detail. Pierce later revealed from news archive footage that the hired mercenary, Mandy, who was being offered immunity was responsible for the biological assassination attempt on President Palmer at the end of Day 2. Day 4 was the last time that Aaron Pierce and President Palmer saw each other on screen.

Day 5
During Day 5, Pierce was the head of the Secret Service detail in charge of protecting President Logan. Early in the day, Pierce became suspicious of Walt Cummings after talking with First Lady Martha Logan. Pierce helped Jack Bauer apprehend Cummings once it was discovered that Cummings had betrayed the United States by helping Russian terrorist Vladimir Bierko obtain several canisters of Sentox nerve gas.

Later in the day, Pierce accompanied the Russian President, Yuri Suvarov, his wife, Anya, and Martha Logan in their motorcade. Pierce helped foil an assassination attempt on Yuri Suvarov orchestrated by the terrorists controlling the nerve gas. Martha confided to Pierce that President Logan knew of the attack and failed to prevent it.

While talking with Martha back at the Presidential compound in Los Angeles, Mike Novick interrupted what appears to be a tender moment between the two.

Later that evening, Pierce got a call from David Palmer's brother, Wayne, who indicated he had important information that David wanted to share with Pierce. Unfortunately, Wayne's car was attacked by masked men before he could reach Pierce and Wayne had to escape on foot. When Wayne failed to show up for the meeting, Pierce went out to search for him. Wayne and Pierce found each other, and they headed back to the retreat together, narrowly escaping an attack.

Between 11:00pm-12:00am, Pierce was informed that the man inside the government responsible for the nerve gas attacks was President Logan himself. When Martha confronted Pierce between 12:00am-1:00am, he told her to meet him behind the southern horse stables. When Martha appeared and did not see Pierce, she called his cell phone, only to find it on the ground beside her. When Martha asked other secret service agents and President Logan about the whereabouts of Pierce, she was informed that he had been transferred back to Washington, DC.

It was later discovered that Pierce was alive and being held in the presidential retreat. When President Logan asked Pierce to remain silent on the issue of Logan's hand in the assassination of David Palmer, Pierce refused to stay quiet and claimed that it was his duty to seek justice. Subsequently, Logan ordererd Pierce to be killed, but the execution was stopped by the First Lady, Martha Logan, when she discovered Justin Adams about to drive Pierce away in the trunk of a car. After a brief period of wiping away blood smeared on Aaron's face, Pierce asked Mrs. Logan to find Chief of Staff Mike Novick and tell him everything about the situation, and sat in waiting to meet Novick.

Memorable Quotes

 * Aaron Pierce: (His first line) Hello Mrs. Palmer. I'm Aaron Pierce, Secret Service.


 * Aaron Pierce: All right, Palmer has left the suite. He is exposed. If he left in a vehicle, it will show up on our GPS.
 * Sherry Palmer: What's going on?
 * Aaron Pierce: We have been told to add an extra layer of security around your husband.
 * Sherry Palmer: Why?
 * Aaron Pierce: We believe that there will be an attempt on his life sometime today.


 * Aaron Pierce: I'm not sure you appreciate the seriousness of this threat.
 * David Palmer: I get serious threats every morning with my orange juice.
 * Aaron Pierce: With all due respect, this one's different. It's a shooter from over seas.
 * David Palmer: Who's behind it?
 * Aaron Pierce: We don't know.
 * David Palmer: What do we know, Aaron?
 * Aaron Pierce: That these are serious people, and they want you dead, today.


 * Aaron Pierce: (To David Palmer) You have nothing to be sorry for, sir.


 * David Palmer: Aaron, is Prescott coming after me?
 * Aaron Pierce: I'm not sure. But you have good instincts, sir. I'd listen to them if I were you.


 * Jack Bauer: David Palmer was assassinated because he was on the verge of discovering that the terrorists who attacked us today were being helped by someone within Logan’s administration.
 * Aaron Pierce: Who?
 * Jack Bauer: Walt Cummings.
 * Aaron Pierce: Why would Mr Cummings be involved with terrorists?
 * Jack Bauer: I couldn’t tell you, but I can tell you that the terrorists are now in possession of a weaponised nerve gas, and Walt Cummings may be the last chance to stop them in time. Walt Cummings ordered the assassination of David Palmer. I know that’s hard to believe, but I can prove it. It’s true.
 * Aaron Pierce: Actually it’s not that hard to believe. The First Lady also thinks someone in the administration was involved.


 * Charles Logan: As the President of the United States, get your hands off this man! Agent Pierce, do something!
 * Aaron Pierce: I am, Mr. President, I’m upholding my oath to protect you.


 * Aaron Pierce: (to President Logan) There is nothing that you have said or done that is acceptable to me in the least. You're a traitor to your country and a disgrace to your office, and it's my duty to see that you're brought to justice for what you've done. Is there anything else, Charles?

Background Information and Notes

 * Despite having a small role in the series, Pierce is one of the only four characters (the others being Jack Bauer, Tony Almeida, and David Palmer) to appear in all of the first five seasons.


 * According to information revealed during Day 2, Pierce started doing Secret Service work during Reagan's second term.


 * He has at least one son, who is an active duty military officer in the Navy. President Palmer asked Pierce about his son during Day 2 and Day 4.


 * Pierce makes a cameo appearance in 24: The Game.


 * Pierce has taken on a much more active role in the fifth season.