Michelle Dessler on Day 3

This is a description of Michelle Dessler's actions on Day 3.

Day 3


Michelle served as the Chief of Staff at CTU during the events of Day 3. Her husband Tony Almeida was the Special Agent in Charge and he was offered a position at Langley, the Virginia headquarters of the CIA. Michelle wanted her husband to accept the position, but he refused to transfer there without her. Michelle encouraged him to accept it, as she would go with him, regardless if she worked at Langley.

CTU was then informed that a corpse was dropped at the NHS. Sunny Macer identified that the body was infected with the Cordilla virus and Michelle helped identify the body. She also oversaw the research of intelligence agents Kim Bauer and Adam Kaufman. CTU received a call from an assailant, who threatened to release the virus if Ramon Salazar wasn't released from prison. CTU assumed the assailant was Ramon's brother Hector and President Palmer refused to negotiate, as Ramon had terrorist cell connections around the world.

Sunny informed Michelle that the virus was deliver through a powdered substance, that resembled heroin or cocaine. When the corpse was identified as David Goss, Michelle gave his last known address to Jack Bauer, the Director of Field Operations. Tony then told Michelle to inform Jack and Chase Edmunds to be wired for transmitters when they arrive at the home, so CTU can identify the connection between Goss and the Salazars. Shortly after, Michelle was confronted by Kim, who was in a committed relationship with Chase. Kim asked how Michelle was able to deal with her work and marriage life with Tony, and Michelle told her to keep her relationship with Chase between them.

When Michelle discovered that the call that demanded for Salazars release came from somewhere in the US, she had Gael Ortega narrow down the search. It is learned that Kyle Singer was hired to make a delivery and CTU assumed that the cocaine Kyle had was the Cordilla virus. When they had Kyle's father place a call to him, CTU was able to track Kyle to a mall. Jack and Tony arrived to bring him in, but a hostile shot Tony in the neck and Kyle escaped. Jack stayed with Tony and waited for paramedics to arrive.



Tony was rushed to the hospital and Michelle took command of CTU. Gael encouraged Michelle to step down and go to the hospital, so he would be the ranking agent. Michelle felt CTU couldn't afford losing both her and Tony. CTU also became aware that Jack started a prison riot, in order to break Ramon out and deliver him to Hector. Kim became emotional over her fathers actions, as he used her to get Intel. Michelle asked Adam to confront Kim and ease her feelings. She then asked Chloe O'Brian to search through Jack's office, and she discovered heroin paraphernalia in the wastebasket.

Michelle managed to get feed of Tony's surgery and she was shakened up when she witnessed it. When the truck that carried Kyle Singer is discovered at an industrial complex, Michelle ordered for a TAC team to raid it. The hostiles were killed and Kyle and his girlfriend Linda were rescued. Michelle informed Chase about the new information and he attempted to stop Jack from bringing Salazar to Hector. However, Jack couldn't hear what Chase said over the noise from the helicopter, and he flew off with Salazar.

Ryan Chappelle arrived from Division and took over command of CTU. With Kyle in custody, he ordered for Jack and Salazar to be shut down, as they had Singer in custody. President Palmer gave his consent, but the military would have to shoot the helicopter down before it was in civilian area. The military was unsuccessful, as Jack managed to land the helicopter in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Michelle confronted Kim and told her that they could apprehend Salazar without Jack getting harmed, as they were now on the ground. Michelle is then informed Tony is out of surgery and is expected to make a full recovery from his gun shot wound.



After Jack and Salazar managed to escape without being detected, Chappelle ordered for Chase to come back to CTU, but he revealed to Kim that he planned on going after Jack. Michelle wanted to leave for the hospital and she assigned Kim to Tech 1, the room where Gael worked at throughout the day. She assigned Gael to a new task, but he eventually went back to the tech room. Michelle planned on going to the hospital, but she was held back in a briefing.

After Adam discovered Kim tied up in Tech 1, Michelle realized that Gael was a mole and she ordered a lockdown. Gael was near the exit, but he was cornered. Michelle ordered for Gael to stand down and he was placed into custody. Gael is taken to a holding cell and Chappelle decided to handle his interrogation. Michelle checked out of the building and went to the hospital. Tony insisted he had enough strength to go back to work, but Michelle advised against it.

When Tony learned that Gael was arrested, he demanded for Michelle to sign him out of the hospital. With a medical floor at CTU, Tony argued that he would have medical attention if anything went wrong. Michelle signed his release form and the two of them returned to CTU. Tony interrupted the interrogation of Gael and demanded for Chappelle to stop the interrogation. Tony revealed that he, Gael, and Jack entered a sting operation, that required Gael and Jack to work with the Salazars, in order to contain the Cordilla virus. After Palmer learned about the operation, he gave Tony and Jack authorization to continue it. However, Chappelle was furious for being kept out of the loop, and Michelle felt that she was kept in the dark.



When Michelle noticed Tony was weak, she encouraged him to check himself back into the hospital. Tony advised against it, as he was the only one who could run the Salazar operation. Tony then apologized to Michelle for not telling her about the mission. Michelle was upset because she didn't notice that Tony kept a secret from her for over a month.

Shortly after 9pm, Michelle is confronted by Kim. Kim noted that Tony made a few noticeable mistakes. Michelle began to question her husband's leadership skills and state of mind. She went to Chappelle with these issues, and he called Tony into one of the conference rooms. When Tony proved that he didn't make any mistakes and Kim didn't following procedures, he went back to work and Michelle felt ashamed for doubting her husband's abilities. Chappelle expressed anger towards Michelle, as he felt she wasted his time.

Michelle went to Tony and apologized for not trusting his abilities. Tony felt she only filled her resolve to CTU, and he went back to work before Michelle could explain herself. Michelle then received a call from Jack and she handed the phone to Tony. Jack discussed the location of the virus transactions with the Salazars. Chappelle then suspended Chloe for bringing a baby into the building, without the parentage being known. Michelle advised Chappelle that she needed an analyst to take care of the digitally enhanced surveillance in Mexico, and Chloe was the best person for the job.



Tension still existed between Tony and Michelle, as Tony still felt betrayed over Michelle doubting his ability as the leader of CTU. After Michael Amador sold the virus to Ramon and Nina Myers, Amador left and Salazar escaped with the virus. When Salazar attempted to release the vial, he was killed when the virus exploded. Amador was still in possession of the virus and he was stopped by a Delta Force team, but the team was ambushed and Amador escaped.

After Nina caused a worm to feed into CTU's computers, Chappelle is forced to reinstate Chloe, as she was the only one who could stop cells around the world from accessing CTU's server. When it was learned that Amador met with a man named Marcus Alvers in Los Angeles, Michelle worked on distinguishing Alvers' location. She made it possible for Division to assist in the search for Alvers and Amador.

When a lapse in research is discovered, Tony placed Michelle as the scapegoat, due to the fact it happened during the time she was the interim director of CTU. Michelle had a valid for excuse for the mistake her office made during Tony's surgery, but she was disappointed in her husband for the humiliation he presented to her. When Tony started to feel that their marriage suffered from their dispute, Michelle advised them that the two of them are fine.

When Nina arrived at CTU with Jack and Chase, Michelle prepared for the interrogation. Tony planned on leading the interrogation and Michelle had mixed feelings, as Tony slept with Nina before she was revealed to be a mole and murderer during the end of Day 1. When Nina commented on Tony's wedding ring, Michelle began to worry that Nina would try to manipulate him. When Tony wasn't able to get anywhere, he had Agent Eric Richards administrate a pharmaceutical interrogation on Nina. During the interrogation, Nina faked suicide and managed to escape. She killed several guards, but was ultimately stopped by Kim, and killed by Jack.



When it was learned that Alvers may release a vial of the virus in the Chandler Plaza Hotel, Chappelle assigned Michelle to the operation, as he had experience in the field. Tony and Michelle still had some tension and friction in their relationship, and Gael felt it was because Tony felt guilty for his deception of Michelle for the past month. Tony was against Michelle going into the field, but she felt she was the best agent for the operation. She and Gael left for the Chandler Plaza Hotel, and informed Head of Security Craig Phillips about the situation.

Michelle waited outside of the hotel room with Gael, Ed Miller, and the TAC team, as they needed HAZMAT biohazard suits in order to be protected against the virus. When Michelle felt the chemical response team wouldn't arrive in time, she went into the hotel herself and told any agents who wanted to help could go in with her. Tony ordered for Michelle to stand down and wait for her biohazard suit, but she told him it was too late and she was already infected with the virus if it was released. Michelle and Gael searched the building for Alvers and the vial.

Michelle discovered Alvers and he attempted to escape. She shot him and chained him to a gas pipe. Michelle told Alvers that he would die if the vial was released, so he agreed to give up the location. He told Michelle that the Cordilla virus was in the ventilation duct. Michelle radioed the information to Gael, who discovered it. Gael prepared to take the vial and unarm it, but he hesitated due to the speed of the fan being too fast. Gael wasn't able to unarm the vial and he was exposed to it.



When Gael started to show symptoms, Alvers revealed that he added a component to the virus that caused the signs and symptoms to start earlier than they should. Michelle barricaded Gael in the basement and he suggested for her to not visit him, but Michelle insisted that she had already been infected. After Michelle jammed up the cell phone signals in the hotel and secured the exits, Bruce Margolis overheard her and Phillips. Bruce felt he needed to get out of the hotel and he set off the fire alarm. Michelle confronted him and managed to get him to put down his weapon. Michelle then told him he would danger others if he left the hotel, and he stayed.

Hotel guests gathered around the lobby and Michelle lied to them, and said that a biological substance was released around the hotel, and they needed to stay inside the hotel. When people began to suffer from nose bleeds and other symptoms of the virus, a civilian named Danny was convinced the substance was inside the hotel. He grabbed a chair and crashed the hotel window, as he prepared to leave. Michelle drew her weapon and shot him twice in the back. She warned the hotel guests that they needed to stay in the hotel.

Alvers revealed that there were 11 more vials of the virus and he wasn't in possession of them. Michelle then used Alvers to identify the man who was in control of the vials. When Alvers didn't recognize any of the photos sent to him, Jack suggested to narrow the search to presumed dead. Alvers recognized one of the photos and he identified the man was Stephen Saunders, who worked on Operation Nightfall with Jack years ago.



Michelle went to see Gael in isolation and she offered him a gun, so he could end his misery. Gael turned down her offer and he asked her to tell his family that he didn't die in pain. Michelle agreed to deliver the message and she then called Tony. She asked him to send suicide capsules to the hotel, so elderly people and anybody who suffered, could end their life without the misery. Tony told her it would take some time to get the capsules and he promised to get it to the hotel.

Nicole Duncan, Sunny, and a team from NHS began to test to see who was infected by the virus. Michelle was first and Phillips confronted Michelle after he was tested. He told her he cooperated with CTU and wanted to make a phone call to his wife, so he could say good-bye. Michelle told him that his request wouldn't be granted and she apologized for the inconvenience. Michelle then offered the suicide capsules to any guests who wanted them, and an elderly couple took them right away. After the senior citizens took it, more of the guests began to take it, though the majority of the guests died the natural way.

A woman named Kathy McCartney approached Michelle and told her that she had a one-night stand with a married man at the hotel. The man was gone before the fire alarm went off and Michelle passed the information over to CTU. Michelle had a forensics team go through Kathy's hotel room and the man is identified as William Cole. CTU has all hospitals contacted in case Cole checked himself into one when the symptoms start to take an effect.

Michelle broke down on the phone with Tony, and became emotional over the fact that she may never see him again. Tony told her he didn't want to talk about it until it was proven that she had contracted the virus. Michelle asked Tony to give her a workload, as she didn't want to worry while she waited for the test results. When Michelle learned that she was immune to the virus, she called Tony and the two of them expressed their love for each other. Michelle told Tony that she was going to NHS, as they wanted to keep her under watch as a precaution.



When Michelle was loaded into the NHS van, she was taken hostage by men that worked for Stephen Saunders. Saunders planned to use her as leverage against Tony, in case he needed it. When Jack was able to find Saunders' location through his daughter, CTU and LAPD surrounded the building Saunders was in. After Saunders killed his associate Osterlind, he called Tony and asked for him to clear a path. When Saunders provided evidence that he had Michelle with his men, Tony managed to get Tom Baker to move all of his men to the front. Jack realized Saunders would escape, but Saunders was gone by the time Baker's team got back.

Michelle was tied up and locked in a dark room. Saunders wanted to know how CTU would be able to trace his call, but Michelle refused to answer. Michelle briefly spoke with Tony and she told him not to give into Saunders' demands, but Tony had no other choice. When Jack noticed Tony made mistakes, he forced him out of his position as Special Agent in Charge. After Tony locked Chloe in a tech room, he signed Jane Saunders out of CTU and escaped with her.

While Michelle was being guarded, she tried to convince her guard to let her go. She managed to make it look like she had the Cordilla virus and the guard became frantic. Michelle knocked him out unconscious with a rock, and gained possession of his firearm and cellular phone. Michelle ran down a corridor and made a call to CTU, but the signal was bad. Michelle eventually got in touch with them, and she was patched over to Jack and Tony. Jack asked Michelle to surrender to Saunders, as the only way to capture him was to go forward with the exchange. Michelle agreed and tossed away her gun and phone.



Michelle was brought to the exchange site and she was released to Tony. Jane began to walk towards Saunders' men, but she became frightened and she ran over to Tony. Saunders exposed himself and Jack called for all agents to make their move. The hostiles began to fire, and Tony had Michelle cover behind him. Tony took out a few of the hostiles, while Jack went after Saunders. A helicopter arrived and pinned down Jack, but Chase called in air support. Military aircrafts took out the helicopter and Saunders was placed into custody.

Though Michelle is shakened up over being kidnapped, she decided to return to work. Brad Hammond arrived at CTU and took command of it and Michelle was furious that she wasn't permitted to visit her husband. Hammond informed Michelle that Tony committed treason in order to save her life, and he could face the death penalty, with a 20 year sentence also being apparent. Despite Jack's argument that Tony didn't endanger the operation, Hammond expressed his feeling that Saunders would of been in custody earlier if it wasn't for Tony. Hammond told Jack that he could testify at Tony's hearing, but at the time he would have to hand him over to Division.

Nearly all 11 vials were secured by CTU domestic units across the country, but the last vial was in the possession of courier named Arthur Rabens. Rabens was in Los Angeles and Saunders believed that it was an alias. Michelle had Chloe set up photos, so Saunders could identify Rabens. Jack and Chase managed to lock down a subway, but the courier might of been able to escape from CTU's perimeter.



Shortly after 12pm, Gael's wife Theresa arrived to gather her husband's belongings. Michelle didn't want Theresa to be alone and she comforted her for a few moments. Michelle then assigned Kim to keep an eye on Theresa. While Theresa was going through her husband's desk, she discovered a small handgun. While Theresa was being accompanied out of CTU, she took the gun and killed Saunders. CTU wasn't able to identify the courier and Theresa was taken into custody.

Michelle confronted Hammond and she suggested that Tony needed to be reinstated on a provisional basis, as they needed him to run tactical. Hammond agreed to reinstate Tony, but only until the vial was secured. Jack and Chase were lead to a middle school and Chase got into a brawl with Rabens. He was forced to cuff the vial to his hand, as Rabens planned to escape in a helicopter and produce more vials of the virus. Jack was forced to cut off Chase's hand and he had the virus released in a contained area. Chase was rushed to the hospital and his arm was reattached.



After the crisis was over, Hammond had Tony placed back into custody. He prepared to have Tony handed over to Division and Michelle became emotional, as her husband would face prison time or death. The two of them said their good-byes and Tony was escorted out of the building by guards.