Day 6: 9:00am-10:00am

CTU and Jack Bauer race to get to Abu Fayed before he can detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles. Tensions rise as one member of CTU doesn't want to work with Hamri al-Assad. Meanwhile, President Wayne Palmer's sister Sandra is promising to bring up trouble while Wayne deals with the toughest hour of his presidency, and Jack is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision. The nuclear device detonates, and evidence comes in that four more such weapons are in the U.S.

Previously on 24

 * Jack Bauer and the TAC team sift through the hard drive of the partially destroyed the laptop after Masheer, an operative of Fayed, detonates the explosives stored around him. Hamri Al-Assad translates some information found, informing Jack that it is a list of components for a nuclear device.
 * Fayed phones Ahmed Amar, asking him whether he has the package. Ahmed replies with "Not yet but I'll have it soon." And Fayed asks him to call him when he does. Ahmed forces Ray Wallace to retrieve a package, threatening to kill his wife and son if he does not. Ray gets the package from Marcus.
 * Sandra Palmer tells Walid Al-Rezani that it wasn't right for the FBI to arrest him for his actions. In the military prison, Walid steps out of the line and tells some military men to let go of a man in the line. When asked to step back into line, he refuses to do so and he is hit by the military.
 * Abu Fayed calls President Wayne Palmer and informs him of 110 so-called enemy combatants at the Palmdale Military Facility. He requests that all these "freedom fighters" on a nonmilitary aircraft within the hour. He then threatens that if he doesn't comply, the consequences would be devastating.
 * Using intel from the Counter Terrorist Unit, Assad identifies a man that he saw him with Fayed a year ago: Hasan Numair. Jack says that they need to find this man now, then Chloe informs him that he is being held at the Palmdale facility,and he is being released due to Fayed's demands. On the plane, a military guard informs his sergeant that Numair is not on the plane. Another guard opens a toilet door in one of the transport buses for Numair and says, "Hurry up, Fayed is waiting for you." Hasan escapes.

The following takes place between 9:00am and 10:00am.

09:00:00
Bill Buchanan at the Counter Terrorist Unit is on the phone with the guard who was searching the bus and tells him that Fayed's demands to release the prisoners was a trick to have just Numair released. Buchanan asks for more info, but the guard just says a sergeant is missing; he also promises to call Bill back later.

Buchanan yells at the staff to do better, and do it faster. He then asks Milo about Numair; he answers that Numair is trained in nuclear devices, and could detonate such a device. Bill tells them that Numair is now their number one priority.

Milo gives Nadia an order, then goes over to give Morris an order; but he refuses it, claiming to take orders from Chloe. Milo then sees Chloe and approaches her about this, but she denies it; so Milo confronts Morris again, getting angry and telling him to get to work. He says he will.

President Wayne Palmer discusses the situation with Karen Hayes and Tom Lennox. She tells them that hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake unless they find that nuke. Palmer demands to talk with Jack.



Jack, Curtis, and Assad are conducting a search of the remains of the warehouse—Curtis still refusing to acknowledge Assad as an ally—and Jack gets a call from Palmer, who admits he has no right to order Jack around, but begs him to lead the search for Numair and Fayed, officially this time. Jack promises his best, and Palmer verifies the chain of command, and hangs up.

Jack starts trying to persuade Curtis to worth with him and Assad, but Curtis flatly refuses. Jack asks if Curtis and Assad have some sort of history, but Assad interrupts their conversation. He shows Jack a PDA with a message on it: "Visitor arrived on Thursday." Jack doesn't think it means Numair, but Assad says "visitor" is a codeword for "weapon", and that Fayed needed Numair to make it work. Jack tells everyone to pack up, and tells Curtis again how important it is that everyone work together. Before Jack leaves with them, he calls Chloe at CTU and tells her to check her records to see if she can find any reason that Curtis would be unwilling to work with Assad.

Hasan Numair arrived at the warehouse where Fayed is waiting for him; they kiss each other. (09:09:16) Fayed directs Numair to the weapon; Numair says a component is missing. Fayed says Ahmed will bring it.



At the Wallace house, Ahmed takes some pills for the pain, and Jillian asks him how he could do something like this. She tries to reason with him, but their conversation is interrupted by a call from Ray, who says he has what he was sent for. He then threatens to destroy it unless Ahmed can guarantee the safety of Ray's family, telling him what this component had cost him. He tells Ahmed to release one of his family, and he lets Jillian go. Ahmed tells Jillian what to do, and warns her not to involve the police. She and Scott embrace. As Jillian leaves, she calls the pay phone where Ray was, and he tells her to obey Ahmed and not involve the police, and that he will deliver the device. Ray hangs up and calls Ahmed, who tells him where to take the package.

A short distance away from the house, Jillian starts to worry. In spite of her orders, she dials 9-1-1 and asks for the police.

09:13:38...09:13:39...09:13:40...



09:19:35
At CTU, Milo and Morris start arguing, continuing their mutual antagonism from earlier. Chloe intervenes, saying this is to do with her, and would they please forget about it and get back to work. Morris agrees to drop it, and disclaims to Milo the jealousy he was accused of. Milo starts to say something, but changes his mind and returns to his job.

09:21:05



Bill Buchanan calls Jack saying he got a call from a Jillian Wallace, and it involves Fayed. Jack talks to Jillian, and then tells Bill her lead is worth the investigation. Jack tells Curtis about the lead, and Curtis again objects to working with Assad, but Jack counters the objection.

President Wayne Palmer meets with the […] ambassador to discuss Assad—specifically, his plans to renounce terrorism. The ambassador claims this is for real. The President asks his advisors what they think; Karen approves of allying with Assad, but Tom Lennox is against it. After a brief pause, the President phones Jack, who is still traveling with Curtis and Assad. President Palmer confirms the story to Jack and asks to speak to Assad. He then promises Assad protection and a full pardon for past misdeeds, in exchange for Assad's continued co-operation. Assad insists on having this in writing; President Palmer promises to have it in the hour. Jack takes the phone back and thanks President Palmer for saving him this decision. Assad asks Jack if the President is honorable; Jack affirms this.

Tom Lennox gets a call from Sandra Palmer, President Wayne's sister, concerning Walid. Lennox insists that the President has more important things to concern himself with than the arrest of one innocent man. Sandra promises to hold Tom responsible if anything happens to Walid. She hangs up.



Walid al-Rezani, at the detention facility, asks where he can find water, and the man he stood up for earlier hands him a water bottle and thanks him. The man tells Walid that "they will pay" before the day's over. Walid asks what he means; he receives no answer. Just then, another prisoner pulls the man away, leaving Walid all alone.

09:28:52

Ray shows up at the compound where Fayed and his men are. He explains that Ahmed sent him with the package, and gives it to Fayed. Ray tells Fayed to call Ahmed and tell him to let his son go, now that he's lived up to his end of the bargain, but Fayed's men tell him not to say anything. Numair confirms that this is what he needs, and it will only take him 20 minutes to reprogram. Fayed mentions how this will teach the Americans a lesson, and Ray calls him insane. They threaten him, but Fayed tells them to spare him for now, as he might be a valuable bargaining chip. Ray begs him to tell Amned to let his son go, and Fayed says it depends on Ray's co-operation. Fayed says he has much to do and orders Numair to meet him at the safe house once he is finished.

Fayed phones Ahmed, confirms that the component arrived, and scolds Ahmed at involving anyone else. He then tells him to join the others, but first to kill Scott, who has already witnessed too much. He asks if this is necessary, and Fayed affirms this. Ahmed hangs up.

09:31:23...09:31:24...09:31:25...

09:37:23
Wayne finishes approving the pardon for Assad, and his secretary announces the arrival of Tom and Karen. The three discuss the aforementioned pardon, and the other two manage to convince Tom that this is the right thing they're doing. Wayne sends Karen out to prepare the presentation. After she's gone, Tom voices his disapproval yet again, and Wayne tells him this demonstrates his loyalty.

Jack, Curtis, and their TAC team arrive at the Wallace house, ready to take Ahmed. He sends Curtis' team around back.

09:39:35



Inside the house, Scott, still alive, asks Ahmed what's going on. Ahmed confirms that Ray delivered the package, so Scott asks to be released. Ahmed realizes he's waited long enough, and prepares to execute Scott. Just as he's about to pull the trigger, Curtis' team barges in through the back door. In the brief gunfight that follows, Ahmed gets wounded but not killed. Jack tries to revive him, but Scott says he knows where his father went, and gives him the address he heard. Jack calls Bill at CTU and gives this information to him, who passes it on to Nadia. Scott tells Jack he wants his dad saved, and Jack promises to do his best.

09:42:25...09:42:26...09:42:27...



09:48:25
President Palmer gets a phone call from Bill Buchanan, informing him of the good news about the suitcase nukes. Palmer thanks Bill for the info.

Walid Al-Rezani informs Sandra Palmer that he overheard the Arabic phrase “Hamsa zawa zirada”, although he isn’t sure what it means. He urges her to pass the information on to the FBI. She protests that the FBI won't hear her, but he insists, so she promises.

09:50:37

Jack is finishing a call with Bill Buchanan, telling him to keep in touch about the TAC teams. He hangs up and takes the document to Assad for him to read—a pardon from President Wayne Palmer under the condition that he will be cleared of all past crimes should he help negotiate a greater peace. Jack then talks to Curtis about this, saying it's out of either of their hands. "All right, if that's the way it has to be," says Curtis.

Jillian Wallace gets back to her house and asks about her husband. Jack says he knows where Ray is, but not whether he'll be all right.

Chloe from CTU calls Jack with some horrific news: Curtis and Assad do indeed have a past connection, namely that Assad had captured and killed seven of Curtis's men during Desert Storm. Jack is speechless with panic for a moment, then ends the conversation with Chloe.

09:53:25

Jack follows Curtis outside, who catches up to Assad and takes him hostage, preparing to shoot him. Jack orders Curtis multiple times to holster his weapon, "by order of the President of the United States." but he remains firm. Jack is forced to shoot Curtis in the neck upon seeing how serious Curtis is, killing him. Jack stumbles off, vomits, and collapses. Bill Buchanan, who has just been told by Sprague about the shooting, calls Jack. Through tears, Jack asks him to tell the President he’s sorry, but “I can’t do this anymore”. Buchanan contradicts him and tells him to get back to CTU, but Jack insists, and hangs up.

Nadia calls Bill and informs him that Ahmed died on his way to the hospital. Bill sighs, and thanks Nadia for the information.

09:56:55

The Counter Terrorist Unit moves in on the location of the suitcase nuke. A gunfight ensues as Hasan Numair moves detonate the device. Ray Wallace screams in horror before the bomb explodes, killing everyone in the immediate area and snapping Jack back to reality. President Wayne Palmer, barely able to contain his panic, instructs Karen on helping the Los Angeles area to minimize the damage. Milo Pressman rushes in to inform Buchanan of the Arabic phrase “Hamsa zawa zirada”. Nadia Yassir translates, explaining the phrase means "five visitors". Buchanan remembers that Assad said "visitor" was a codename for "weapon". He concludes Fayed must be in possession of four more suitcase nukes. Jack Bauer watches in horror as he sees the mushroom cloud rise in the distance.

09:59:57...09:59:58...09:59:59...10:00:00

Memorable quotes

 * Milo Pressman: Is this a joke?
 * Morris O'Brian: You're upset.


 * Curtis Manning: [When holding Assad at gunpoint, and his last line] I can't let this animal live.


 * Jack Bauer: Tell the President I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore.
 * Bill Buchanan: The hell you can't! We're gonna find that suitcase nuke because of you, Jack. You've done great work today.
 * Jack Bauer: Good. Then you don't need me anymore.
 * Bill Buchanan: I'll send a car for you, Jack. Come back here, we'll talk.
 * Jack Bauer: I'm done.


 * Bill Buchanan: We have to do better than we're doing, and we have to do it faster!

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
 * DB Woodside as President Wayne Palmer
 * James Morrison as Bill Buchanan
 * Peter MacNicol as Tom Lennox
 * Jayne Atkinson as Karen Hayes
 * Carlo Rota as Morris O'Brian
 * Eric Balfour as Milo Pressman
 * Marisol Nichols as Nadia Yassir
 * and Regina King as Sandra Palmer

Guest starring

 * Roger Cross as Curtis Manning
 * Harry Lennix as Walid Al-Rezani
 * Kal Penn as Ahmed Amar
 * Michael Angarano as Scott Wallace
 * Megan Gallagher as Jillian Wallace
 * Adoni Maropis as Abu Fayed
 * Raphael Sbarge as Ray Wallace
 * Alexander Siddig as Hamri Al-Assad
 * Al Faris as Salim
 * Ajay Mehta as Ambassador
 * Shaun Majumder as Hasan Numair
 * Steven Schub as Samir Hussain
 * David Michael as Guardsman
 * Brian D. Johnson as CTU Field Agent

Co-starring

 * Bruce Gerard Brown as Escort Guard
 * Ludwig Manukian as Henchman #2
 * Jolene Kim as Melinda
 * Ryan Quintana as Team Leader

Uncredited

 * Haaz Sleiman as Heydar

Background information and notes

 * International airdates:
 * UK: January 28, 2007.
 * This was the fourth episode in a 4 hour, 2 night premiere.
 * This was the final episode featuring former series regular Roger Cross.
 * This episode, going into the next one, has a higher body count than the rest of the series put together.
 * "Safe Now", composed by Mark Isham, (the music that is played following Curtis' death) can also be found on the soundtrack to the 2004 film "Crash."
 * With the detonation of the nuclear device, Abu Fayed is now easily the most successful terrorist on the show, with upwards of 12,000 deaths in the nuclear strike alone, exceeding not only by the number of deaths by all of the terrorists put together, but the number of the entire deaths on 24.
 * In a deleted scene, Sandra Palmer approaches a judge named Frank and strong-arms him to write a writ of habeas corpus for Walid.
 * Just before Curtis is shot by Jack, Roger Cross breaks character by flinching before the sound of the gunshot.
 * There was no split screen at the end of this episode