Day 3: 4:00am-5:00am

Marcus Alvers succeeds in releasing the Cordilla Virus in the Chandler Plaza Hotel. Michelle Dessler and the other CTU agents onsite work to keep the situation under control and maintain a perimeter. Agent Gael Ortega becomes symptomatic about an hour after exposure, and they find out from Alvers that the virus has been altered to accelerate the process. President David Palmer finds out the truth about Sherry's involvement in Alan Milliken's death and is forced to become involved. Jack Bauer and Chase Edmunds follow Michael Amador in hopes of finding out who is behind the day's attacks.

Previously on 24

 * Sherry Palmer went to the Milliken residence, and after an argument with Julia and Alan, Sherry was partially responsible for Alan Milliken's death. She told President David Palmer's brother Wayne about the incident.
 * Jack Bauer found Michael Amador and discovered that the Chandler Plaza Hotel was the likely target for the first release of the virus.
 * In Counter Terrorist Unit, Tony Almeida contacted the head of security at the hotel and told him that a threat had been made against his hotel. No one was to be let in or out of the hotel.
 * Michelle Dessler captured Marcus Alvers and found out where the virus was, but Gael Ortega was unable to get to the device before it released virus into the ventilation system. Gael was the first to be infected.

The following takes place between 4:00 am and 5:00am.

04:00:00
Gael Ortega calls the hotel's head of security, Craig Phillips to inform him that the toxic substance has been released. Gael was unable to disarm the device in time. Gael asks where the control panel for the air conditioning system is and then shuts it down accordingly. Phillips, the head of security, asks how bad the toxic substance is, but Gael merely says that he is just taking precautions.

Michelle Dessler asks Marcus Alvers how much of the virus was released. Alvers tells her that it is enough to kill everyone in the hotel. Michelle asks if there are any other vials, and Alvers says that his assignment was the hotel, but there are eleven other vials. He doesn't know their locations. Michelle gets a call from Tony Almeida asking what the status is at the hotel. She tells him that Alvers has succeeded in releasing the virus in the hotel, and there are eleven other vials, locations unknown. Michelle says that they must quarantine the building, no one can be allowed in or out. They decide to set up a perimeter and not let the hotel guests know what is going on, so as to prevent a widespread panic. Tony finds out that Michelle is inside the hotel and becomes noticeably concerned. Tony wants to get her out of the hotel and isolated as soon as possible, but Michelle insists on staying. Tony orders her to leave, but Michelle will not obey, knowing that her presence as a federal agent (and the ranking officer) is necessary to help keep the situation under control.

04:05:19

A medic wraps Michael Amador's hand. Jack Bauer asks for a moment alone with Amador and proceeds to question him, wanting to know who Amador is working for. Amador is uncooperative. Jack threatens to put Amador in the room with the incubator and expose him to the virus. Amador simply says that he'll die without talking. Jack gets a call from Ryan Chappelle, telling him that the virus was released at the Chandler Plaza Hotel. Chappelle informs Jack of the eleven other vials. Chappelle says that Amador is their only other link to whoever is behind the attack. Jack tells Chappelle that Amador is too afraid to give him a name. Chappelle wants Amador brought to CTU, but Jack says that there isn't time for that. After getting off the phone and apprising Chase Edmunds of the situation, Jack handcuffs Amador to a pipe. Jack and Chase leave the room.

Chase tells Jack what information they have discovered from the incubator. The virus had been ground into small particles, small enough to be suspended in the air like an aerosol.

Nicole Duncan calls Tony, asking what their status is at the hotel. Tony says that they're setting up a covert perimeter. Duncan is heading over to the hotel with some of her people and a mobile unit to test the hotel guests.

Tony updates Chappelle on the situation at the hotel. No one is allowed in or out of the hotel, and they are setting up a perimeter. Chappelle asks if the personnel on site have been given degree of force parameters. Tony responds that it is Chappelle's call. Chappelle realizes the ramifications of one infected person getting outside the hotel and tells Tony that the orders are shoot to kill if someone attempts to leave the hotel.

04:09:10

At the hotel, Gael, Michelle, and Phillips work on shutting down elevators, exits, and phone systems. Phillips asks if it's that serious, to shut down phone systems. Michelle tells him yes, it is potentially very serious, and no one can be allowed to leave the building. Their first priority is to prevent a panic. Phillips argues that shutting down hotel systems will create a panic, and the guests will still have their cell phones. Michelle says that a jamming signal is being directed at the hotel so that guests will be unable to use their cell phones. They will still be able to stay in contact with CTU since their cell phones operate on pinhole frequency. Phillips asks if anyone is going to survive, and Michelle assures him, saying that that's what they are there for, to ensure that people survive. Gael tells him that the hotel's security team is their first line of defense. Michelle says that the fire alarms need to be shut down. However, Phillips informs her that it has to be shut down node by node.

Gael remarks that hotel guests will probably start waking up in about an hour. Michelle tells him that Alvers told her that there are eleven more vials somewhere. They sit down in the lobby, and Michelle says that she knows that he wouldn't have been exposed if it wasn't for her. Gael says that she didn't ask them to do anything they wouldn't have done on their own.

Bruce Margolis, one of the staff members at the hotel, is about to leave, but Phillips stops him, saying that there may have been an irritant released into the air. He needs Margolis there to help out in case the guests have a reaction. Margolis says that he is not a doctor. Phillips insists that his help is needed and the he will let him leave as soon as it is possible. Margolis is obviously reluctant, but stays.



Amador manages to unscrew part of the pipe from the wall to escape. Kim Bauer tracks him from CTU. She calls her father, Jack Bauer to tell him that Amador is on the move. Kim tells him Amador's exact location and movements. Jack and Chase immediately head out to follow him.

04:11:57...04:11:58...04:11:59...

04:16:22
Wayne Palmer apprises President Palmer of the situation at the Chandler Plaza Hotel. President Palmer tells his brother to notify the governor so that he can have the state troopers and National Guard ready to mobilize. President Palmer wants the governor to hold off on any orders until he hears from the him.

Sherry Palmer enters the room and tells President Palmer that she is bringing him a problem and also a solution. She tells him that the police interviewed Julia Milliken, and Julia told them that Sherry was involved in Alan's death. President Palmer asks if she was involved, and Sherry responds, asking if it mattered. President Palmer wants the truth, and Sherry says that he has always had people like Wayne and herself to protect him from the uglier side of the truth. This time, however, Sherry tells him the truth. President Palmer seems incredulous. Sherry asks him to support her alibi that she was working with him at the time of the murder. She is able to coerce him, practically blackmailing him, to support her alibi.

04:19:20

Michael Amador is driving, looking around several times to see if he is being followed. Jack and Chase are on the phone with Tony while tracking Amador and driving on a street parallel to him. Tony asks where they put the transponder, and Jack tells him that it was placed in the bandage on Amador's hand. Tony is worried that the plan will backfire. Jack insists that this was necessary, they had to allow Amador to believe he'd escaped. Tony says that he may just be heading out of town. Jack insists that Amador will lead them to whoever is behind the attacks to get help with leaving the country. Jack asks if Michelle had compiled a list of the people Jack has worked with in the past five years. Tony picks up the phone to talk privately and tells him that he had to put Chloe on it because Michelle is inside the Chandler Plaza Hotel. Jack apologizes and tells Tony that they think the virus has been altered. It has been combined with another chemical. They sent it over to NHS to be tested.

Amador places a call to a British man, telling him that he had been detained by CTU. The man asks if he told them any information, and Amador says he didn't, but needs help getting out of the country. The British man asks if Jack Bauer was one of the agents. Amador tells him that Bauer was one of them. The British man tells Amador to make sure he isn't being followed, and Amador makes a quick u-turn.

The British man closes one of several briefcases and hands it to another man, who asks when he should release the virus. The British man shows him a cell phone and says it will ring twice when he wants to trigger an outbreak. Once the man sets the timer, he has to make sure the phone is destroyed. The virus courier leaves, and the British man goes to hand another briefcase to a third man.

Tony is on the phone with Nicole Duncan. Duncan is a half hour away from moving into the hotel. Tony tells her that the virus has been combined with another chemical. He asks what the mortality rate is. Duncan tells him that for the unaltered virus, the mortality rate is 90%. Tony asks if someone was only exposed for a short time, would it make a difference if they left the hotel. Duncan explains that once someone is exposed, there is nothing to be done. Tony asks a couple more questions, obviously trying to regain some hope for Michelle's survival. Nicole realizes why he is asking and tells him they will do everything they can for Michelle.



At the hotel, Michelle and Gael get the results for the contamination readings for various parts of the hotel. Michelle calls CTU while Gael calls NHS. Cofell at CTU picks up the phone, but Michelle looks at Gael and says that she will call them back. Gael's nose has started bleeding. He yells at her to stay back.

04:24:26...04:24:27...04:24:28...

04:28:51
Gael is isolated somewhere in the basement, and his nose is still bleeding. Michelle confronts Alvers again, telling him that one of her agents has become symptomatic. She demands to know what is going on, as the original estimates said that symptoms show up 14 hours after exposure. Michelle asks him what he has done to the virus. Alvers agrees to tell her under one condition, that she will kill him as soon as he starts to show symptoms. Michelle agrees.

Wayne Palmer enters his brother's office. Wayne updates him on the hotel situation, telling him that it is unclear how many people were exposed. Wayne suggests making a preemptive statement about the situation, but President Palmer declines, not wanting to make an announcement until they have more facts. Wayne tells him that LAPD has contacted him, telling him that Sherry is considered a flight risk. They have a warrant for her arrest unless President Palmer supports her alibi. President Palmer is obviously reluctant to lie to the police, but Wayne says that he has no choice. Also, as president, he has "the most powerful legal apparatus" in the world available to him. Wayne insists that he can contact the Attorney General and make the problem disappear, but his brother is worried it will widen the conspiracy. Wayne doesn't want his brother's presidency brought down because of Sherry's actions. President Palmer tells his brother to get the chief of police in to meet with him.

04:31:48

Tony asks where they are on securing the hotel. Adam Kaufman tells him that Caltrans has redirected traffic within a two block radius of the hotel. Tony then asks Chloe how far they are from having enough agents to keep everyone in the hotel. They are a half hour away. Kim tells him that Michelle is on line three. When he picks up the phone, Michelle tells him that situation is worse than they thought. She tells him that Gael started hemorrhaging from the nose and mouth, less than an hour after being exposed. She relays the information that Alvers told her; the compounded that he added acts as an accelerant. Tony asks if Gael is the only one who is symptomatic and where he is. Michelle tells him that Gael has been isolated in a room in the basement. Tony asks if she was exposed to any of his blood, and Michelle says no, but the air throughout the hotel is contaminated and she has been breathing it. Tony tells her that help is on the way. Tony says her name, obviously about to talk about the fact that she may be infected, but Michelle says that they can't do this now. There is too much to do. Tony agrees.

04:33:22

Margolis demands that Phillips tell him what is going on at the hotel. Phillips tries to deny knowing anything, but Margolis is sure he knows something. He has seen armed people outside the hotel and noticed that every door is locked. Phillips tells him that they are federal agents dealing with a problem. Margolis wants to know more, but Phillips says that he can only tell him what he knows, which isn't any more than he has already revealed and the federal agents have the authority to keep them there. Margolis is visibly shaken and asks what they are supposed to do. Phillips tells him to stay calm and hope for the best. Margolis leaves the room and runs around the basement trying different exits.

04:34:40

Gael is in the basement coughing and bleeding and gets a call from Michelle. She asks how he is. Gael tells her that he is alright, bleeding off and on, and he feels very weak. Michelle tells him that they will send a doctor to him as soon as NHS arrives. The doctor will need to track the progress of the virus, and Michelle also says that they will make him more comfortable. Gael says that they need to get there soon, since people will start waking up and it will be hard to keep them in the hotel. Margolis overhears the conversation and looks panicked. He pulls a fire alarm.

Margolis looks through a desk in the basement to find a set of keys and also finds a gun, which he takes. Michelle talks to Phillips, saying she thought the fire alarm had been disconnected. Phillips says that he thought it had been. He is on his way to shut off the alarm, but he has to find the override. Michelle tells the man at the front desk to get on the intercom and tell people it's a false alarm and to stay in their rooms. She instructs two others to go to the stairwell and turn people back to their rooms. Everyone else is to man the doors and stop people from leaving.

04:36:35...04:36:36...04:36:37...

04:41:00
Amador is on the phone with the British man from earlier, telling him that he has double-backed a few times and no one is following him. The man asks how far he is from the location, and Amador says not far. Amador is instructed to park a few blocks away and look for a silver Ford. A man named Dorman will be waiting with his travel documents and some cash. Kim is still tracking him from CTU and giving this information to Jack and Chase. Jack tells her to send in the follow teams but they are to stay at a safe distance. Amador will not lead them to whoever he is working for unless he feels safe. Kim coordinates the other teams.

04:41:59

Margolis fiddles with the keys, trying to find the right one. The door he is heading for is blocked by a security guard. Hotel guests are flooding the lobby, and Michelle announces that it was a false alarm. She instructs them to go back to their rooms. Phillips reappears and tells her that he deactivated the system, but it has to cycle down. He doesn't know how long it will take. The guests are demanding to know what is going on. The agents tell them it was a false alarm and everything is fine. One man in particular is loudly asking for more information, asking why an agent won't let him go outside. Michelle tells him that he needs to go back upstairs. He refuses to until he has more information, and other guests agree with him. One woman has noticed the people outside the hotel wearing gas masks. Michelle asks for everyone's attention in order to explain the situation. She tells them a half hour prior, a toxic substance was released outside the hotel. They didn't tell the guests this earlier in order to prevent them from panicking and going outside. Michelle also says that they will be safe as long as they stay inside the hotel. The guests are still worried and full of questions, and Michelle tells them that everything will be worked out. Phillips pushes through the crowd of guests to speak to Michelle. He tells her that someone got a fire door open on the west side of the hotel. Michelle asks Phillips to stay in the lobby and help her people while she heads down to the fire exit.

Margolis is at a door leading outside, frantically trying to find the right key. Just as he is about to put the key in the lock, Michelle finds him and tells him to stop. He draws his gun and tells her that he is getting out of there. Michelle tells him that she is a federal agent and to drop the gun. He wants to leave, and Michelle tells him that it is not safe. Michelle asks him to drop the gun again, and he asks why it isn't safe to leave. Michelle feeds him the same story as she told the guests in the lobby. Margolis accuses her of lying, and Michelle denies it. Margolis, however, tells her that he knows about "the man in the storeroom," and that there is something wrong inside the hotel. Michelle takes a deep breath and says he's right. She tells him that everyone in the hotel is going to get very sick and most of them will die. Margolis just wants to get home to his wife, and he turns to the door again. Michelle warns him that if he goes, he'll just get her sick, too. Michelle manages to talk him down and approach him, taking his gun. Since he now knows the truth, he must be isolated.

Michelle gets a call from Phillips. He says they need her back upstairs because there is a problem. Michelle asks what's going on, and Phillips tells her that a guest has started to bleed from the nose and mouth, and they can't stop it.

04:46:17...04:46:18...04:46:19...

04:50:42
Wayne Palmer escorts Chief of Police Hendrix in to see President Palmer. Chief Hendrix sits at the table with President Palmer and briefly goes over the case. Julia Milliken had stated to the police that Sherry Palmer was partially responsible for the death of Alan Milliken, withholding his medication. Sherry denied being at their residence; she was with President Palmer. Chief Hendrix asks if this is true. President Palmer says that it is true, Sherry was with him. Chief Hendrix thanks him. They shake hands, and just as Chief Hendrix is about to leave, he asks Wayne if he knows of any reason that Julia Milliken would accuse Sherry of being a part of Alan's death. Wayne simply says that people act inexplicably in moments of crisis. Chief Hendrix leaves.

An angry President Palmer goes to another room to tell Sherry that the chief of police was just there and that he told the chief that she had been with him earlier that evening. Sherry says that no one will ever know anything different. President Palmer says that he will and her actions are unforgivable. Sherry says that he had called her because he needed someone to do his dirty work, and thus, he cannot wash his hands of the situation. President Palmer tells her that she should not insinuate that he knew what she would do. Sherry defends her actions, saying that President Palmer asked for her help and neither of them knew how the situation would turn out. Sherry continues, saying that it worked out in his favor. He should be thanking her. President Palmer says he despises her and his role in helping her get away with it. He tells her to get out of his sight and walks out of the room, slamming the door.

04:54:21



Michael Amador approaches the silver Ford, looking around as he does so. Jack and Chase are sitting in a car, watching from a street corner. Jack talks over the radio, making sure that the other teams are in place. They are in position with pursuit vehicles. Amador gets in the car, and Dorman hands him a silver briefcase containing money and travel documents. Amador opens the case and discovers a bomb inside. The bomb goes off, creating a huge explosion. Jack and Chase jump out from cover and run over to the burning car. As they approach, guns drawn, they realize that no one else is around, and they've lost their lead, prompting Jack to curse aloud. He tells Chase to tell the follow teams to block off the area. No one is to come near the scene unless they are from forensics or the bomb squad.

Jack gets a call on his cell phone. It is the man with the British accent. Jack asks who he is. The man tells him that there are eleven other vials, each containing the same amount of the virus as the vial at the hotel. The man says that he will release them the moment his instructions aren't followed. Jack asks what he wants. The man says that he wants Jack to put him in touch with a friend of Jack's.

At the hotel, Michelle and the other agents are still trying to keep people calm. There are more people bleeding. The irate guest that was asking questions earlier begins to panic, saying that the agents are lying. He yells that the danger is inside the building, not outside. People begin to panic. The man picks up a trash can and throws it through a window, shattering it completely, as Michelle tries to rush over and stop him. Michelle pulls out her gun and fires two shots into the air in order to regain control. She tells the man to stop and step away from the window, and points her gun at him. He takes a step towards the window, but Michelle warns him again. She tells him that if he tries to leave, she will shoot him. The man stares her down for a moment and then tells her that she won't. He heads for the window and tries to leave, and Michelle fires two shots into his back. He falls to the ground, and Michelle walks slowly over to his body, staring.

Split screen: Michelle continues to stare at the body. Tony sits in his office worried about Michelle. Gael, now with skin abscesses, continues to suffer. Palmer thinks after granting Sherry's alibi.

President Palmer gets a call from Jack Bauer. Jack tells him that the man behind the Cordilla Virus threat is demanding to speak with President Palmer. Jack tells him that they do not know his name, but he fully believes that if the president does not speak with him, more of the virus will be released. President Palmer agrees to speak to him, and Jack connects them. The British man tells the president that he has enough of the virus to kill a good portion of the American population. As he has shown through the hotel, he is perfectly willing to do so, unless President Palmer follows his instructions over the course of the next few hours. He continues, saying that President Palmer is no longer in control of the country and if he does not "use the full power of his office" to execute his demands, the virus will be released and impossible to stop.

04:59:57...04:59:58...04:59:59...05:00:00

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer
 * Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida
 * Reiko Aylesworth as Michelle Dessler
 * James Badge Dale as Chase Edmunds
 * and Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer

Special guest star

 * Penny Johnson Jerald as Sherry Palmer

Guest starring

 * Paul Blackthorne as Stephen Saunders
 * Lothaire Bluteau as Marcus Alvers
 * Jesse Borrego as Gael Ortega
 * Greg Ellis as Michael Amador
 * Paul Schulze as Ryan Chappelle
 * Andrea Thompson as Nicole Duncan
 * DB Woodside as Wayne Palmer
 * Doug Savant as Craig Phillips
 * Zachary Quinto as Adam Kaufman
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
 * Paul Vincent O'Connor as Hendrix
 * JD Cullum as Bruce Margolis
 * Scott Klace as Irate Hotel Guest
 * Bruce Nozick as Division Agent

Co-starring

 * Sue Jin Song as Guest
 * Eamon Hunt as Dorman (as "Saunders' Man")
 * Gavin Glennon as Saunders' Operative