Day 7: 6:00am-7:00am

Jack Bauer is forced to help Tony escape from custody, only to find Tony plans to use Jack to reconstitute the virus. Aaron Pierce and Ethan Kanin work together and discover Olivia's role in Hodges' murder. Kim Bauer takes down her captors, and works with Renee Walker to find her father.

Previously on 24

 * After Jonas Hodges is murdered, Aaron Pierce calls Olivia Taylor to inform her that the Justice Department will be interviewing everyone who knew about Hodges. She meets with Martin Collier and tells him she didn't transfer the funds. Martin tells her that he authorized the hit because that was what she wanted.
 * With the help of Chloe O'Brian, Jack Bauer tracks Tony Almeida and captures him. While handcuffed, Jack punches him repeatedly asking him about the last prion variant canister. Even though Tony refuses to talk, Jack manages to track the canister and detonate it in an enclosed space. Afterwards, he collapses due to the symptoms of the pathogen. When Renee Walker advises him to give himself a shot of pandopamine, he tells her that it isn't working anymore.
 * Kim Bauer is at the Washington airport conversing with a couple, not knowing that they are operatives sent by Cara Bowden to hold her hostage. Cara communicates with Jack and sends him a video feed of Kim, and asks him to help Tony escape if he wants to see Kim alive.

"The following takes place between 6:00 a.m and 7:00 a.m"

06:00:00
Olivia Taylor enters a conference room where, on three video monitors, the Deputy Attorney General and Peter Hock appear to investigate the leaking of information about Jonas Hodges location before his death. Olivia is assured that this is just a formality, and they promise not to take up too much of her time.

President Allison Taylor prepares to enter the situation room, but notices Olivia's absence. Tim Woods informs the President that Olivia was unavailable. She enters the room and apologizes for once again waking the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She informs them of the larger conspiracy among major weapons providers to attack the government.

Admiral John Smith asks for the names. She is unable to provide them, but says they have Tony Almeida in custody, and he may be able to lead them to the heads of the conspiracy.

Tony is being held in an FBI transport vehicle with Jack Bauer, Renee Walker and an unnamed agent. Cara Bowden, still talking to Bauer through his earpiece, gives him instructions for how he is going help Tony escape from FBI custody.

06:05:12

As Kim Bauer waits in the airport with Bob and Sarah, a man asks if Bob can move his belongings, including the laptop he has trained on Kim, so his elderly grandmother can sit. Bob reluctantly obliges. As he moves it, Kim notices a cut from when he struggled to kill Franks. Sarah invents a story involving the cab, and Bob excuses himself.

06:06:19

Bowden brings her SUV to a complete stop in a tunnel. As she does, Bob calls and informs her that he thinks that Franks' body will be found shortly, and that Kim may be on to him. She tells him that he can not get caught under any circumstances, and to take measures to do so.

In the FBI transport van, Bauer notices the street sign where he's supposed to take Tony and asks Renee for her COMM unit, claiming it is interfering with his signal. After pretending to fix it, he draws his gun and points it at Renee and the other agent. He tells them to draw and drop their weapons, and orders the driver to continue to drive. Renee protests, but Jack shoots the unnamed agent in the foot.

The other agent quickly hands over his side arm and Renee follows suit. Jack orders the driver to handcuff himself to the steering wheel and to take an upcoming exit. They veer off, evading the FBI escort, and heading to the tunnel. Jack explains that they have his daughter held captive, and he's doing what he has to do.

At FBI headquarters, Janis Gold and Chloe O'Brian notice the vehicle has gone off route, but a helicopter is still overhead. However, the pilot quickly notices the vehicle is heading for a tunnel. Jack and Tony handcuff the FBI agents to the van as Janis and Chloe use transponders to track the vehicle.

As Jack puts Renee in handcuffs, he informs her that he doesn't expect Tony to let Kim go, and to do everything she can to save her. Tony orders Jack out of the vehicle, where Bowden is waiting. Bowden questions why Tony is bringing Jack, and Tony explains that the prion variant is still alive inside of Jack. They can still launch the bio-weapon attack on schedule. They leave as Renee watches on.

06:16:16
Aaron Pierce greets Ethan Kanin as he enters the White House. Ethan is still in the dark about why he was brought in, so Aaron quickly brings him up to speed: he believes that Olivia did more than leak Hodges' location, she had him killed. Kanin believes it to be absurd, but Aaron attests that she made a comment about wanting Hodges dead, then called Martin Collier. Kanin is unconvinced, but agrees to see what is on the recording in the Chief of Staff's office.

Aaron leads Ethan to the office, and closes the door behind him. Meanwhile, Olivia is finishing up her deposition to the Justice Department, again swearing that the only phone calls she made were on the screen in front of her. She leaves as Ethan opens the device, which is hidden behind a painting. Aaron meets with her and says he "tried to warn her" but was told she wasn't to be disturbed.

06:19:43

Olivia opens the door to find Ethan. She asks him why he is here, but he claims to just be picking up some files. He allows her to look at them as he looks at Aaron. She hands them back to him as they debate about the days events. Ethan agrees to leave after the short chat.

Olivia asks Aaron if he watched Ethan while he was in the office, knowing now that something is up. Aaron doesn't answer as Olivia discovers the recording device behind the painting. Aaron offers to get assistance with the device from the White House staff, while Olivia becomes enraged. She says Kanin has stolen her property and orders security to stop him as he exits the building.

06:22:06

A Secret Service agent meets Kanin outside of the doors, and orders him back inside by the order of the Acting White House Chief of Staff. He reluctantly agrees.

Inside of the tunnel, FBI agents have freed Renee, who immediately calls Chloe and Janis, asking to speak with Kim Bauer at the gate. At the airport, they are calling standby passengers, and Kim is called up to the podium. Sarah and Bob watch as she is ushered to the front of the line where she takes a phone call from Renee, who informs her someone is watching her.

Kim describes Franks on the phone to Renee, who tells Kim that was an FBI agent who is now dead. Kim quickly determines that Bob and Sarah are the people watching her. However, as Kim is talking, Bob comes up behind her, and is forced to get off the phone with Renee. Walker quickly realizes what is going on, and orders the team to the airport.

Kim and Bob sit back down, and Kim explains that she left her electric toothbrush in her back and TSA broke her locks. Bob says she looks nervous, but Kim claims to just want to see her daughter. She then shows pictures to Sarah as Bob looks on, smiling. As Bob notices airport security closing on his location, he tells Sarah to "take her".

Sarah quickly pulls a knife and holds it to Kim's neck as Bob draws a gun and engages the nearby security guards. He manages to take down one officer almost immediately as people run away as quickly as possible. Bob continues to fire at the security as Kim manages to stab Sarah in the leg with a pen, allowing her to get the distance away to allow security to shoot her.

Bob uses the chance to shoot the last remaining security officer and escape. Kim reaches into someones luggage and pulls out a cellphone, calling the FBI. Kim tells her that Sarah is dead, and Bob is escaping. Renee says they are locking down the area but still a ways out, and that Bob is now their only lead to finding Jack. As the cellphone battery goes dead, Kim shouts "damn it!" However, she quickly notices and ajar door and, after a couple seconds of pondering, she decides to chase after Bob.

06:32:50
Olivia enters the room where Ethan is being held. Ethan stands up out of instinct, and Olivia comments on that. Ethan asks her why he is being held, and Olivia claims he already knows: for taking White House property. Ethan plays dumb, but Olivia says the next step is to have a Secret Service agent strip search him. Ethan maintains his position.

Olivia has Agent Hobson come in, and Ethan wants to speak with the President about his being held. Olivia claims that the President doesn't want to see Ethan, because of their close relationship. Ethan says Olivia is stepping way over her bounds, as the agent approaches him. After a brief pat-down, the agent discovers the data chip, which he hands to Olivia. Olivia then orders him escorted from the building.

06:35:47

As Ethan is escorted from the building, Olivia destroys the data chip. Aaron offers to walk Ethan the rest of the way out. As they exit the building, Ethan tells Aaron that Olivia is covering something up. Aaron watches as Kanin produces the actual data chip from his pocket, saying that "when dealing with Olivia Taylor, one must always be careful." Aaron offers to sneak him back into the Communications Office, but Kanin has the companion player in his car.

06:37:16

Jack Bauer is hauled by two of Tony's operatives onto a makeshift medical center. Jack is thrown on the table as Tony asks how long it will be until the know that the variant is viable inside Jack's body. The doctor isn't positive, but estimates with in 15 minutes.

Tony goes up to Cara and tells her he wants to play a larger role. Cara protests, saying that you must be invited in, you can not demand it. Tony knows that Cara has the head of the group's ear, and asks her to make a case for him. She says that this time it will be different, and Tony says that's because she is doing it for him. The doctor orders Jack to be sedated.

06:44:47
Olivia is on the phone with Martin, claiming that Ethan knows her role in the events. Collier assures her that there is no way Ethan could possibly know, and that even if he did, Kanin wouldn't present it without evidence. The phone call ends abruptly when Tim Woods says that Olivia is wanted in a briefing.

Renee and the FBI team arrive at the airport, to find the chaos left by Bob. Renee discovers Sarah's corpse, then asks a nearby security officer where Bob went. The security officer is unable to tell, however, due to the people running everywhere.

Bob is making his way through luggage storage, not noticing Kim in pursuit. He stops briefly as two baggage carriers pull a piece of luggage from a flight. Bob continues out into a parking garage. As he goes up to the top level of the garage, Kim runs to the front of the parking garage and talks to two police officers. She tells them she needs to speak to Renee Walker.

06:47:29

Kim is put in contact with Renee, who starts to head to Kim's location. Bob comes down the exit ramp and begins to fire his gun on the officers. He hits both officers, but one is able to return fire, hitting Bob as he exits the garage. He is unable to control his car, causing it to flip over the median. One of the shots hit the gas tank, and the car begins to catch on fire.

Kim, at first tending to the wounded officer, gets up and heads to the car. She reaches in the passenger window, trying to reach the laptop. As she frees the laptop from it's case, Bob grabs her by the arm. Kim struggles to get free as the car becomes more engrossed with flames. Kim is able to escape when Bob himself becomes covered in flames. Her arm catches on fire as she escapes from the car, forcing her to take off her jacket and throw it to the ground.

Kim moves away from the flaming car as Renee arrives. Renee offers to provide Kim with medical assistance, but Kim says that they need to use D11 inverse router to backtrace the signals to find the people who have Jack. Renee looks confused, and Kim says that she used to work as an analyst for CTU.

06:54:06
Ethan enters his car and plugs the audio chip into the companion device. As the recording begins to play, Ethan quickly realizes that Aaron was right and Olivia was involved.

The doctor informs Tony that the variant is in even better condition than what he thought. Tony says Jack looks close to death, and questions if they will lose the variant if he dies. The doctor informs him that it will live in his body for two hours after his death, and the only way to truly destroy it is extreme heat from a flame. Tony is pleased and walks off.

06:55:57

Tony informs Cara, who calls Alan Wilson. After informing him that Tony has come up with a way to save the variant, she begins to pitch for his membership into the group. Cara cites Tony's tactical abilities, able to give the group a new perspective. Wilson is sold, and offers to meet Tony face to face. However, he warns Cara that if he looks into his eyes and doesn't like what he sees, there will be consequences.

As they prepare a stretcher to move Jack, his eyes flicker open. As the medical personal move close to him, Jack grabs a scalpel and quickly dispenses of the two med techs before slitting the doctor's throat. He quickly makes his way outside, and discovers that the sun has risen. The alarm is going off.

Split screen: Jack makes a run for it. Aaron Pierce is standing at the door of the briefing room looking at Olivia while she knows Aaron is up to something and is nervous about her mother finding out the truth. Kim and Renee are at the airport tracking Jack's location. Alan Wilson is on his way to make Tony a member of their group. Cara and Tony hear the alarm and go to investigate the room where Jack was being held and find he has killed the doctors and has escaped through the back entrance.

Tony and Cara head outside and split up to go look for Jack.

06:59:57...06:59:58...06:59:59...07:00:00

Starring

 * Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer
 * Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian
 * Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor
 * Annie Wersching as Renee Walker
 * Bob Gunton as Ethan Kanin
 * with Janeane Garofalo as Janis Gold
 * and Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida

Special guest star

 * Elisha Cuthbert as Kim Bauer

Guest starring

 * Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce
 * Sprague Grayden as Olivia Taylor
 * Frank John Hughes as Tim Woods
 * Leland Orser as Martin Collier
 * Amy Price-Francis as Cara Bowden
 * Don McManus as Bob
 * Mary Page Keller as Sarah
 * Robin Thomas as Deputy Attorney General
 * Jonathan Adams as Peter Hock
 * Paul McGillion as Dr. Levinson
 * Ryan Cutrona as Admiral John Smith
 * and Will Patton as Alan Wilson

Co-starring

 * Chris Ufland as Secret Service Agent Hobson
 * Angelo Vacco as Young Man
 * Glenda Darnell as Airline Rep
 * Derwin Jordan as Security Guard #4
 * Boo Arnold as Chopper Pilot
 * Brett DeLuca as Tech Operator

Background information and notes

 * International airdates:
 * UK: May 25, 2009.
 * Crew members and camera operators are briefly visible in the shot where Bob's vehicle flips over.
 * The fan phone number appeared in preview footage for this episode as Martin Collier's phone number in Olivia's call log. In the actual episode however it was changed to a generic 555 number (222-555-3781). The last four digits of the number remain the same.
 * The shot of Jack escaping the makeshift medical center to find daylight mirrors a similar shot in Day 2 as he was chasing Alex Hewitt. This occurs in the 23rd episode of each season, and from the hours of 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM.
 * Continuity error: When Jack is holding Renee and the other agent hostage the gun in his left hand changes constantly from a Sig to a Glock.
 * When Tony tells Cara to cover the north exit, based on sunrise and shadows, she actually runs in a south-east direction.
 * This episode, along with the second half of the finale, was leaked onto the internet almost a whole day prior to its initial airing.