Sydney and Jack sneak from the elevator, and make their way
to an empty room in the basement. By splicing into the surveillance
system, Jack and Sydney discover that the intruders have taken
everyone hostage -- including Sloane.
Meanwhile,
Will Tippin decides that the SD-6 story is too dangerous to
pursue. Daniel Hecht and Eloise Kurtz have already been
killed, and he fears the same fate for David McNeil's daughter
if he continues.
At the newspaper office, Will receives another call from the
mysterious voice. Will insists that he is no longer pursuing
the SD-6 angle, but someone doesn?t want him to give up. An unmarked
envelope, containing another clue, is waiting on Will's chair.
He refuses to open it, as he wants nothing to do with SD-6.
The leader of the intruders is McKenas Cole, a former SD-6 agent
who is now working for an unknown group. Cole tortures Sloane
for the access code to the SD-6 vault. However, because of
the security measures that have been activated, opening the
vault will trigger an explosion.
Jack tells Sydney that the entire SD-6 building will be destroyed.
In Marshall’s workshop is a scrambling device that can
be used on the vault door, so that even if Cole gets the code,
the vault will not open. Sydney must retrieve the device without
being discovered.
Meanwhile, Will goes to a restaurant to meet a contact for a
story. To his surprise, it is Kelly McNeil who shows up. Someone
has clearly arranged this meeting, and Will refuses to talk. Kelly follows Will to his office and pleads with him to continue
investigating SD-6. He is persuaded and finally opens the envelope
that was left on his chair. A mysterious key falls out. What
will it unlock?
After learning that Sydney's mother killed his agent father,
Vaughn receives orders to visit a CIA psychiatrist -- Barnett.
He insists that he is fine, but Barnett asks about the Christmas
gift for Sydney. Barnett wonders if his relationship with Sydney
is "appropriate." Vaughn confronts Haladki, the agent who informed Barnett about
the gift. There is clearly bad blood between these two men.
Meanwhile at SD-6, Sydney retrieves the scrambling device and
applies it to the vault door, moments before Cole arrives.
Before Sydney can escape, Cole and his men hear her in the
airshaft... They begin blasting away at the ceiling, the bullets
narrowly missing Sydney.
