TEXT: British Embassy, Vienna 18 months earlier Jacki stands on a balcony as he watches various people enter. He watches Irina enter. Later, Jack is in the pool room sitting at a table drinking. Irina comes in. Irina: I was pleased to get your note. This party looks insufferable. Jack: I would prefer not to spend the little time we have together with idle banter. Irina: (laughs) Well, then...What do you suggest? Jack: A dance. (they star dancing) You broke my heart, Irina. Irina: That was another lifetime. I won't do it again. Jack: Good to know. (they kiss, alot) Irina: This has been lovely but I should go back. Jack: (he stops her) Tell me, Irina. How did it feel giving the order? Was it difficult, or... Were you able to remain cold, indifferent? Were you amused? Irina: Jack, this is cryptic, even for you. Jack: Then let me be clear. How did it feel to pay a man to kill your own daughter? Irina: You weren't supposed to find out. Jack: You didn't feel a thing, did you? How is that possible? Were Sydney and I nothing to you, merely strategic alliances to be disposed of once we outlived our usefulness. After all we've been through, Irina. I deserve an explanation. Why? I need a reason. Irina: Because it had to be done. (Jack puts a gun to her forehead) Jack. Jack: Damn you. (he fires) Irina falls into the pool, smiling. Jack is standing in the hallway outside APO. Sydney walks by. Jack: How's Dixon? Sydney: Stable. Jack: Has his story changed? Sydney: No, he still swears he saw her, but the amount of blood he lost, he must be delusional. Jack: I would have thought you placed more trust in your partner. Sydney: It's impossible. Jack: We've seen the
SUMMARY:
The episode begins with a flashback in which Jack executes Irina 18 months prior. It was, however, not Irina who was killed and instead a double from the Project Helix. It is learned that Irina's death was an elaborate setup by Elena Derevko in which Jack was meant to execute the double to make everyone believe she was dead. The information on the double is confirmed through an encrypted file called the Blackwell File (retrieved in an earlier episode). With the knowledge that Irina was still alive, Jack, Sydney, and Nadia stage a search and rescue in Guatemala where Irina was being held. While all this is going on, a device known as the Mueller Device (Marshall calls it the Big Red Ball) is put into place over Sovogda, Russia, the entire population of which is rioting much like the frenzied bees from In Dreams.... The Rambaldi prophecy appears to be coming true and only Irina has the knowledge to foil Elena and Sloane's plot. The team makes a HALO jump into Sovogda in an attempt to shut down the Mueller Device. The Russian authorities have ordered an airstrike, but since rupturing the sphere would release a vast amount of toxins, time is running out.