24 season 5

File:24 Season 5.jpg

The fifth season of the television series 24 premiered on January 15, 2006 and will air its season finale on May 22, 2006.

The fifth season's storyline started and will end at 7:00 AM. It is the same time frame as the previous season.

A 10-minute prequel to the season was available exclusively to the American audience with the fourth season DVD. It was broadcast on Sky One in the United Kingdom before the showing of the fifth season. Presumably, this will be available in the United Kingdom release of the fifth season DVD as this was the case with the prequel for the fourth season on the fourth season DVD.

General summary

The fifth season (2006) is set 18 months after the fourth season, and seven and a half years after the events of Season 1. Jack Bauer is now working as a day-to-day laborer at an oil refinery under the alias Frank Flynn. Jack rents a room north of Los Angeles from Diane Huxley, a single mother, and her 15-year-old son Derek.

Day 5 is supposed to be the monumental day of President Charles Logan's presidency. He is scheduled to sign an anti-terrorism alliance treaty with Russian President Yuri Suvarov. This is the motive behind most of the day's events, as the Russian terrorists that carry out the attacks of the day believe that the treaty will increase the suffering of their people.

Season plot

Much like previous seasons, the season can be divided into sections:

• Episodes 1-2: Jack Bauer is framed for the murders of former US President David Palmer and ex-CTU agent Michelle Dessler, along with the attempted murder of her husband and fellow ex-CTU agent Tony Almeida.
• Episodes 3-4: Terrorists use the above plot as a diversion to take 40 people hostage inside Ontario International Airport in California.
• Episodes 5-15: Terrorists use the above plot as a diversion to steal 20 canisters of Sentox VX1 Nerve Gas. The gas is deployed at the:
  • Sunrise Hills Shopping Mall (partially successful - leading to 11 deaths)
  • Tyler Memorial Hospital (foiled largely by Jack Bauer and Curtis Manning)
  • CTU (mostly successful - leading to 56 deaths, including Edgar Stiles)
  • Wilshire Gas Co. (foiled - the remaining 17 canisters were used here)
• Episodes 16-??: Jack must find evidence to remove a very powerful enemy (the President of the United States) from power as he uses Christopher Henderson to attempt to kill Jack.

Subplots

• Jack comes into contact with people who thought he was dead.
• An arrest warrant is issued for Jack, either for a crime he did not commit or for doing the right thing.
• CTU gets a new, very arrogant director that causes problems.
• CTU is directly attacked by terrorists
• Surviving CTU staff, particularly Chloe, remember the deaths of their co-workers.
• President Logan signs a treaty of alliance with Russia, which is the motive behind the day's events.
• The First Lady attempts to correct the President's mistakes.
• Traitors inside the White House are exposed.
• The seemingly feckless President Logan is revealed as an orchestrator in the day's events.
• Chloe goes against her superiors to help Jack.
• Officals from the Department of Homeland Security try to use Audrey to their advantage.

Episode summaries

7:00AM-8:00AM

• Air date: January 15, 2006
• Writer: Howard Gordon
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF01

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Jack Bauer, living as "Frank Flynn"

Former President David Palmer, composing his memoirs, is assassinated in his brother's penthouse suite; almost simultaneously, shortly after 7:00 AM, Michelle Dessler and Tony Almeida are attacked with a car bomb, leaving Michelle dead and Tony in critical condition with head trauma.

Chloe O'Brian awakes in the arms of a new co-worker from CTU, Spenser Wolff, a situation she immediately regrets and walks away from. Chloe then escapes an attempt on her life after learning of the other attacks, and contacts Jack about the situation; he meets her outside of Los Angeles with Derek, who Jack had caught following him out of suspicion. The three are intercepted by a team of assassins who have been trailing Chloe.

Jack is able to eliminate the assassins and interrogates the critically wounded team leader, promising medical attention if the assassin cooperates. He reveals that they are framing Jack for Palmer's assassination and the murders of the three other people who knew Jack was alive were simply to help the frame, but he does not know who they are. After Jack learns the wounded man was Palmer's assassin and unable to name who he is working for, Jack kills him.

8:00AM-9:00AM

• Air date: January 15, 2006
• Writer: Evan Katz
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF02

CTU head Bill Buchanan and the rest of his team quickly track down evidence that reveals Tony, Michelle, Chloe and Palmer faked Jack's death. Meanwhile, Jack, Chloe, and Derek sneak into the site of Palmer's assassination where Jack searches Wayne Palmer's penthouse for clues with Wayne's assistance. They find one in David Palmer's memoir which he recently altered to plant a name and address, "Chevensky—16 Transport Way", and Chloe discovers Chevensky is a baggage handler at the Ontario International Airport. CTU finally realizes Chloe is missing and accessing their network from the assassination site to monitor the building; the Secret Service agents at the building are alerted to apprehend Chloe, who may be working with or being coerced by Jack. Chloe is apprehended in a diversion in which Jack and Derek escape.

The Russian president, Yuri Suvarov, arrives in Los Angeles where he and President Logan are about to sign an Anti-Terrorism treaty. President Logan is determined to protect the summit and treaty at all costs, as he regards it as a way of securing his place in history and the key to his political longevity. A man named James Nathanson watches Suvarov's arrival on television and orders a team of armed men to prepare to "launch" within the hour. CTU seems to think that terrorists are planning to disrupt the summit, but Nathanson seems to have something else planned.

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Walt Cummings, who is revealed to be a mole

The First Lady Martha Logan, who is emotionally disturbed, reveals that Palmer tried to arrange a meeting with President Logan just before his assassination, using Martha as a go-between. She thinks it has something to do with the summit. However, the phone recording that would confirm this call instead describes a simple charity dinner, so is dismissed as a delusion of Martha's--however, the recording has been doctored by presidential aide Walt Cummings, who is revealed to be a mole for Nathanson.

Jack enters the Ontario Airport and finds Chevensky, who commits suicide with poison in an attempt to withhold information from him. At the same time, Derek sees Nathanson's team entering the airport. He wants to warn Jack, and follows into the airport against his mother's instructions shortly before terrorists secure the location and take the civilians hostage.

9:00AM-10:00AM

• Air date: January 16, 2006
• Writer: Manny Coto
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF03

The terrorists demand that the American and Russian presidents publicly abandon the new anti-terrorism treaty they are about to sign. To prove their seriousness, the terrorists begin killing hostages and broadcasting the executions. Jack manages to hide himself in the airport and contacts CTU by cell phone. An assault team led by Curtis Manning soon arrives. Jack relays information to Curtis from the inside, until the terrorists learn of his location through Nathanson and his White House mole, Walt Cummings. The terrorists force Jack to reveal himself by threatening to execute Derek.

10:00AM-11:00AM

• Air date: January 16, 2006
• Writer: Joel Surnow and Michael Loceff
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF04

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Logan and Suvarov sign the treaty

The terrorists use the threat of executing Derek to force Jack to convey false information to Curtis so that terrorists will be able to ambush the assault team upon entry. Jack tries to covertly warn CTU during his call, but the warning is only caught thanks to an abrasive new CTU chief, Lynn McGill (who had arrived and put himself in charge).

The assault is successfully re-coordinated, subduing the terrorists just as the treaty is signed, salvaging the political situation, but not before the terrorists hand off a keycard to Ivan Erwich, a sleeper agent amongst the hostages. This keycard was apparently held by Chevensky. Erwich escapes during the chaos and meets with more terrorists. The keycard is used to break into a mysterious bunker containing biohazard canisters in one of the airport's storage areas.

Martha Logan manages to track down an accurate written transcript of her fateful phone conversation with former President Palmer, but Walt Cummings assaults her from behind, knocks her unconscious with chloroform, and takes the transcript before she can show it to her husband.

11:00AM-12:00PM

• Air date: January 23, 2006
• Writer: Joel Surnow and Michael Loceff
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF05

The second group of terrorists, revealed to be Central Asian nationalists who are planning to use the nerve gas canisters in an attack on Moscow, proceed to move the canisters into a fake S.W.A.T van and exit the secure perimeter; Nathanson tells Walt Cummings that Jack is a problem and must be eliminated. Cummings assures him that he has a man on the inside that will handle it.

Meanwhile, using surveillance video, CTU is able to track Ivan Erwich (the sleeper agent with the yellow tie) to the abandoned warehouse and a forensics team determines that the area shows minute concentrations and evidence of military-grade nerve gas—how the nerve gas got there is a mystery.

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A professional assassin tries to kill Jack with a pair of scissors

Diane Huxley is brought into CTU for debriefing, along with her son Derek; Audrey, Jack's former lover, questions her and Diane reveals there was no romantic involvement between herself and Jack, not that she would have minded. Martha Logan, meanwhile, escapes through her bathroom window upon realizing that without the evidence to back up her 'delusional' phone call from Palmer the President has been convinced to recommit her for psychiatric care.

Chloe at CTU notices Spenser Wolff accessing unauthorized files beyond his security clearance and reports him to Buchanan; Spenser is immediately detained, but not before he secretly manages to let a technician into CTU. During the questioning, Edgar Stiles manages to determine that Spenser was last looking at surveillance video of Jack in CTU; meanwhile, the technician kills a CTU physician and attacks Jack at Tony Almeida's bed at CTU, but is killed by Jack. When Spenser realizes the technician he let in was in fact a professional assassin, he reveals that he believed he was part of an internal affairs investigation into CTU under the authority of the White House -- placed there by Walt Cummings. Wolff's admission is compelling, but leaves CTU without clear evidence of Cummings' culpability. Jack, however, decides to go after him.

12:00PM-1:00PM

• Air date: January 30, 2006
• Writer: David Fury
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF06

Ivan Erwich and his terrorist crew arrive on a pier with the nerve gas canisters. Erwich's U.S. contact, Schaeffer, secretly adjusts the arming codes on the canisters.

CTU is convinced of Walt Cummings' involvement but without hard evidence cannot move forward. Lynn McGill is convinced to let Jack, who is no longer officially affiliated with CTU, make an approach to Mike Novick, in Logan's administration, with the information they do have.

Jack calls Novick on his BlackBerry and asks to meet with him alone. Nathanson intercepts Novick's call to Jack and forwards a recording to Walt Cummings. Nathanson chastises Cummings for his failure, but tells him that one course of action is still available to him.

Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce finds Martha Logan hiding in the stables. She tells him briefly of her contact with David Palmer, but Aaron reluctantly allows her to be taken into custody for her transfer to an asylum.

Cummings boldly confesses to President Logan about his involvement with the nerve gas plot. He insists that the arming codes for the nerve gas canisters have been changed, and the canisters will be detonated remotely at the terrorists' camp. This will 'confirm' to the world the existence of terrorist WMDs in Central Asia, justifying a U.S. military presence in the region and preserving U.S. future access to Central Asian oil fields. The assassination of David Palmer was a deliberate attempt to cover up the plot. Logan is outraged, but swayed by Cummings' domineering personality as he insists that Logan's administration will not survive full disclosure.

Jack meets with Novick in a nearby location, but Secret Service agents sent by Cummings arrive and place them both under arrest. CTU is taken off point on the nerve gas investigation, but Buchanan convinces McGill to ignore the order temporarily.

Jack convinces Agent Pierce of the threat to President Logan's office, and the two privately confront the President and Cummings. After Jack beats and effectively threatens Walt, he gives up the container ship location of the gas canisters.

The President apologizes to Martha Logan for not believing her, but she remains angry that he did not even choose to see her before having her unjustly hauled off to the asylum.

CTU finds the cargo container where the canisters are supposed to be, but instead they find only empty holding racks and Schaeffer's tortured body. Cummings, in custody before Jack and President Logan, gets a call from Erwich on his cell phone. Erwich has found out about the plot to doublecross his people, and promises revenge.

1:00PM-2:00PM

• Air date: February 6, 2006
• Writer: Manny Coto
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF07

Walt Cummings explains how Nathanson, a former CIA agent, approached him. He gives Nathanson's phone number to CTU, but it has been disconnected. Jack plans to leave the investigation at this point, but President Logan temporarily re-instates him after making a personal plea that Jack take the lead in the investigation.

Martha Logan approaches the President and insists they need to return to their former close relationship, prior to his presidency, when she was his principal advisor. However, her somewhat erratic behaviour makes it impossible to know if such a partnership would redeem Logan's presidency or doom them both. Mike Novick is also re-instated.

Lynn McGill takes a phone call from his sister, a former drug addict, asking for money, insisting she has stopped using drugs.

CTU tasks the NSA to monitor satellite phone communications for activity by Erwich. Jack contacts Audrey and asks her to get in contact with his daughter Kim, and to bring her to CTU so that she can learn in the proper manner that her father's actually alive.

Unable to release the gas from the electronically locked canisters, Erwich is contacted by a rogue American computer specialist named Jacob Rossler, who was informed of Erwich's situation by a mutual Russian contact. Rossler agrees to help Erwich reconfigure the electronic locks.

The satellite call is intercepted and voice-matched, and though they cannot trace locate Erwich's satellite phone, they are able to identify and trace Rossler's location in a private high-security penthouse. Jack re-routes to intercept Rossler, aided by Curtis' CTU team.

Acting on Rossler's instructions, Erwich commandeers a local machine shop and forces the owner to open the outer casings on the canisters to allow access to the electronic locks, so that he can read the info within to Rossler.

Spenser Wolff is temporarily re-instated on Chloe's insistence, so that he can use his expertise to remotely hack the security system on Rossler's building. Spenser is then removed from CTU, also on Chloe's insistence.

Jack and Curtis infiltrate Rossler's penthouse, and subdue him with a gun shot to the leg. Jack also discovers Inessa, Rossler's traumatized 15-year-old Russian sex slave, kidnapped from her home 19 months before.

President and Martha Logan attempt to write a press statement to explain the situation, but this is interrupted when Novick reports that Walt Cummings has committed suicide by hanging himself.

Jack commences torturing Rossler for info but Rossler proves resistant and insists on immunity, and transport out of the U.S., with Inessa, to a neutral country of his choosing. McGill overrides Jack's continuation of the torture and agrees to the deal, to Jack's dismay. Rossler begins cooperating and takes a call from Erwich, allowing them to begin setting up a meeting that CTU can then intercept.

McGill meets with his sister outside CTU but is roughly mugged by her boyfriend when he refuses to give her any money, offering therapeutic help instead. McGill's wallet and CTU keycard are stolen.

Inessa does not believe Jack's quiet assertions that she will be freed from Rossler after his usefulness is over. She manages to get hold of a gun, and kills Rossler. This presents a problem, as Erwich is to call back within 10 minutes to finalize the meeting arrangements.

2:00PM-3:00PM

• Air date: February 13, 2006
• Writer: Robert Cochran and Evan Kurtz
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF08

Mike Novick convinces President Logan to cover up Cummings' involvement, arguing that revealing Cummings' complicity will cause nothing but confusion and fear for the country. Martha Logan finds out after the press release goes out and confronts Logan, arguing that the country deserves the truth. Logan reveals that Cummings' wife is coming to claim the body and challenges Martha to reveal the truth to the grieving widow. However, Martha is unable to do so, feeling the weight of the decision and instead choosing to comfort her, although Martha has revealed the partial truth to her own personal assistant.

Lynn McGill straightens himself out and does not reveal his mugging to anyone in CTU.

Jack decides to pose as Rossler and meets with two of Erwich's henchmen at a parking garage to deliver a replacement microchip for the nerve gas canisters, modified with a tracking device. After Jack installs the chip within the remote detonator, while being monitored and coached over his earpiece com-set by CTU, the terrorists knock Jack out and throw him into the back of their van. Jack awakes and learns that they plan to release a single canister in the Sunrise Hill Mall, in order to test 'Rossler's' cooperation.

Buchanan and Audrey argue for immediate apprehension of the van by Curtis' following team, but McGill over-rules them and insists that the loss of life at the mall is acceptable in order to locate the other canisters. CTU contacts President Logan and asks for direction: arrest and interrogate the terrorists, or allow the attack to proceed in hopes of following them afterwards? Audrey argues for arrest, while Buchanan changes to supporting McGill and argues for allowing the attack on the mall.

Logan tries to weasel out of the decision but is reminded only he has the proper authority and reluctantly goes with the second option. Jack refuses orders and won't give the correct activation code for the modified detonator to the terrorists, thus ensuring that the canister won't go off. The two terrorists knock 'Rossler' out and handcuff him to a table. They call Erwich, who tells them that his other men have found a way to bypass the activation code, as long as the procedure is done in person, rather than using the remote.

Jack wakes up to find the terrorists releasing gas into the mall ventilation system. Jack kills one of the terrorists and takes his gas mask, but the other escapes, still carrying the modified remote. Jack rushes to turn off the ventilation system, but not before eleven people die in the mall's food court. In a desperate attempt to save a young girl's life, Jack takes off his mask to give to her, and brings her outside to safety. After receiving a shot of atropine, she survives.

The escaping terrorist hotwires a car and drives off. Jack and Curtis' team follow him to the machine shop where Erwich and the canisters were located, but they and the rest of Erwich's party are gone. The terrorist commits suicide before being taken into custody as Erwich and the remaining terrorists drive off, having watched the machine shop from afar to test whether their fellow terrorist was being followed.

3:00PM-4:00PM

• Air date: February 20, 2006
• Writer: Howard Gordon and David Fury
• Director: Tim Iacofano
• Production Code: 5AFF09

Erwich reports to his superior, Vladimir Bierko, who is angry that Erwich wasted time and resources attacking the Americans, which threatened his plans against Moscow. Bierko kills Erwich with a switchblade, then orders his men to kill Nathanson, who is considered a 'loose end' because of his attempt to manipulate them.

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James Nathanson driving away from Vladimir Bierko's hit squad.

At CTU, Lynn McGill calls his sister and tries to negotiate the return of his CTU key card. The sister's druggy boyfriend, however, has no interest and says that he will take care of the keycard. McGill is then upbraided by President Logan for CTU's lack of results, despite events so far being largely out of Lynn's control. A stressed McGill orders Jack Bauer taken into custody and brought back to CTU for failing to follow orders. Curtis reluctantly agrees to take Jack into custody.

Terrorists kill everyone at Nathanson's headquarters but Nathanson is out of the building. Nathanson calls directly to Audrey at CTU and insists on speaking only to Jack Bauer. Having no other leads, Audrey secretly transfers his call to Jack, as Jack is being taken into custody. Nathanson tells Jack to meet him alone in ten minutes.

Jack is forced to knock Curtis out and steal the car to meet Nathanson's deadline. Meanwhile, Bierko uses Walt Cummings' cell phone to contact President Logan directly and demand all security details for the Russian President's motorcade back to the airport, or he will be forced to use the nerve gas on Americans.

When McGill is notified by Curtis of Jack's escape he begins to suspect Audrey's involvement, which increases his paranoia over the entire CTU office. Lynn attempts to trace Audrey's recent phone calls but Audrey convinces Chloe to erase the relevant phone logs, but not before McGill has seen enough to be convinced there are people undermining his authority.

Jack arrives at the meeting place and gets a cell phone call from Nathanson, who is observing from a safe distance. Nathanson reveals his bargaining chip - there were other high government officials besides Cummings involved in the plot to manipulate the Russian terrorists. However, Jack then observes terrorists arriving by helicopter to silence Nathanson, and the two men are each forced to fight their way through a building in order to meet up.

Nathanson is eventually killed before Jack eliminates all the terrorists, but in his last moments shows Jack a data chip which Jack uploads to Chloe via cell phone. Also before his death, he hinted that Walt Cummings was not the only member of Logan's administration in on the plan. All of this goes on without McGill's knowledge.

President Logan considers whether or not to give info about the Russian President's motorcade to the terrorists, obviously leaning towards compliance. Martha angrily voices her disapproval for betraying the Suvarovs, while Mike Novick reminds Logan that complicity in Suvarov's death would be considered an act of war.

Back at CTU, McGill hovers over Audrey, hoping to catch her in a compromising position. Chloe discovers the data chip was encoded using a DoD cypher, and only Audrey has the clearance to decode it. Chloe recruits Buchanan to distract McGill long enough for Audrey to enter the appropriate password, but McGill catches just enough of the exchange to decide that Buchanan is part of the plot to undermine him. McGill orders Buchanan into custody and all computer's workstations mirrored through his office.

With this cramping Chloe's data mining skills, when Jack calls back she is only able to tell him that the nerve gas was originally purchased by a subsidiary of the Omicron Corporation, and after Jack queries she confirms that a Christopher Henderson is a senior executive.

With time running out, Logan decides to give Bierko the motorcade route, greatly upsetting Martha. The Logans and Suvarovs say their goodbyes during a press photo shoot and at the last minute Martha decides to force the issue by getting in the Russian President's car, with Aaron Pierce as a security precaution. President Logan, however, has already left the area and Martha is left relying on a message informing him that she has joined the motorcade.

4:00PM-5:00PM

• Air date: February 27, 2006
• Writer: Joel Surnow and Michael Loceff
• Director: Tim Iacofano
• Production Code: 5AFF10

President Logan finds out about Martha being in the motorcade and calls her to convince her to leave the motorcade; she refuses and hangs up. Logan discusses what to do with Mike Novick, but ultimately decides to sacrifice his wife to save potentially thousands of American lives.

Audrey calls Jack to tell him that Omicron made the nerve gas for the military, but they can't produce a direct link to Henderson. Jack arrives at the Omicron building and Chloe at CTU helps him gets him past security. Jack walks into Henderson's office-- but Henderson knew someone was coming and tasers him. Jack wakes up with Henderson pointing his gun in his face, and tells Jack that he never believed he was dead. Jack tells him he is with CTU and tells him about the nerve gas-- Henderson returns Jack's gun and offers to help investigate.

Edgar intercepts SATCOM chatter indicating a threat against the motorcade, but an angry McGill refuses to consider the threat until the nerve gas is found. McGill makes a scene threatening to fire Audrey when Audrey tries to convince him the threat is real. Audrey goes to Curtis and asks to invoke Article 112, removal of a CTU chief due to mental incompetence. Curtis agrees only to consider it.

McGill finds out about Edgar, Audrey, and Chloe's plan to warn Secret Service behind his back of the motorcade threat. He brings security to arrest them, but Curtis stands up to him and invokes Article 112. The guards side with Curtis, and they lock McGill up. Curtis releases Buchanan and puts him in command of CTU again. Buchanan undoes all of McGill's mistakes, and calls the President. Logan is shocked when he hears that CTU knows of the threat on the motorcade, but successfully covers for his complicity.

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Henderson escapes, leaving a bomb behind to kill Jack

The terrorists attack the motorcade despite advance warning. Aaron Pierce kills a few of the terrorists before LAPD reinforcements arrive. Martha, the Suvarovs, and Pierce survive the attack.

Jack and Henderson go to the sealed Omicron department involved in the project and Henderson goes through records showing that most of the scientists died in mysterious ways. Henderson maintains his innocence and that he was framed years ago-- until he locks Jack in the secure department and leaves. Jack finds a bomb in Henderson's package and scolds himself for falling for Henderson's story so easily-- Henderson, meanwhile, calls and assures someone that CTU does not yet have enough information, and remotely detonates the bomb. Jack survives.

Bierko calls the President and tells him that because the attack failed, America must pay. Logan objects, stating that he did not issue the command to CTU. However, Bierko ignores the statements, and commences with his plan to detonate the gas.

5:00PM-6:00PM

• Air date: March 6, 2006
• Writer: Nicole Ranadive
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF11

Tony awakens from his coma with a CTU Doctor and Buchanan telling him that Michelle is fine and well. Later he learns from a CTU computer that she was killed by the explosion earlier in the day.

Buchanan calls Jack to find out what the lead is. Curtis finds a schematic of a ventilation system that's stamped with a time code denoting action in the next hour. The schematic is sent to CTU, and Chloe matches it with schematics on file from the hospital. They call the hospital and order an evacuation, only to learn that it will take almost two hours.

The data from Henderson's computer is being sent to his home, and Jack is going in. President Suvarov, his wife, Martha, and Aaron arrive back at the White House by a helicopter. President Logan greets them, and tells Suvarov that he will do what he can to stop the terrorists. Suvarov tells Logan that he noticed Martha acting strangely before the attack, but Logan dismisses it as his wife's poor mental state.

McGill calls his sister again and demands his key card back. He says that he will get the police involved if she doesn't. However, his sister's boyfriend wants to sell the card off to someone for a lot of money.

Jack arrives at Henderson's house, and talks with his wife at gunpoint. Jack calls Chloe and tells her to help him get access to Henderson's computer.

Viktor, one of the terrorists, calls Bierko and tells him that the hospital is being evacuated. Bierko tells him that he doesn't care, and that he wants the attack to go through. Curtis' team eventually kills Viktor and safely detonates the canister in a special containment unit.

The Department of Defense is talking with Russian Intelligence, and they told them of Bierko and his past. Jack gets into Henderson's hard drive, but he still needs a password to get into some files. Henderson's wife refuses to help him.

Henderson arrives at his home, and Jack interrogates him. His wife still doesn't believe that Henderson did anything wrong, so Jack opens up Henderson's briefcase, full of money. His wife is shocked, and Henderson says that he was trying to protect her. Jack then shoots the wife in the leg above the kneecap, and he says that if he doesn't get the information as to where the nerve gas is, the next bullet will leave her in a wheelchair for life. Henderson refuses to tell Jack anything and Jack replies saying how Henderson doesn't care about anyone. Jack then calls CTU to get an ambulance and get an interrogation room for Henderson.

A terrorist, Ostroff, kills McGill's sister and her boyfriend, and calls Bierko to let him know he has the key card.

6:00PM-7:00PM

• Air date: March 6, 2006
• Writer: Duppy Demetrius and Matt Michnovetz
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF12

Ostroff reprograms the key card, then tells Bierko he is prepared to infiltrate CTU. Audrey calls Jack and tells him that Kim has arrived at CTU. Audrey tells Kim that Jack is still alive, and she is shocked.

Vice-President Hal Gardner arrives and recommends to Logan that he declare martial law. Novick considers this to be a bad idea, and appeals to Martha to talk Logan out of it.

Jack arrives at CTU and talks with Audrey. She tells him that Kim is here with her boyfriend, Barry, who is confused. Jack meets with her, and tells her how hard it was that he left her. Kim says that she's happy that he's alive, but she can't give him the love he wants right now because she is too shocked. Meanwhile, Henderson is brought into a torture room. Jack is sure that he knows what is going on, so they start to torture him by giving him a pain inducing drug called hyoscine-pentothal.

Ostroff smuggles a nerve gas canister in CTU, arming it to go off in the vent system. CTU analyst Carrie Bendis notices that someone is in the service room at an unscheduled time. She tells Edgar, but he tells her that he's too busy at the moment. She checks it out, and Ostroff kills her by stabbing her in the neck.

McGill tells Buchanan about his key card, and tells Chloe to check it out. Chloe says that the card was used in the last hour, so they lock down CTU. Buchanan sends Jack to find the intruder. Edgar realizes that Carrie is missing and goes to look for her.

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Edgar returns to the Operations Room to see the rest of the CTU staff in the sealed room as he takes his last breaths.

In his attempt to escape, Ostroff makes it to the North Wing; however, Jack manages to outmaneuver him. Ostroff goes for a hidden weapon, but is killed by Jack.

Upon further inspection, Jack finds a PDA with the map of CTU's ventilation system, which Ostroff used to navigate CTU, and an electronic timer which is the same one Curtis found during the hospital attack one hour ago. Jack warns Buchanan that the nerve gas is in the ventilation system, and Bill orders an immediate evacuation; however, the gas is released. Audrey immediately sees that the gas is entering from the outer core first. Chloe locates three rooms that can be sealed to protect those inside them from the spreading gas. The remaining CTU staff rushes towards the situation room, while Henderson and Tony are moved to a medical isolation unit. Just as the room is sealed, several staff members are trapped outside, with no way to help them. The survivors look on in horror and disbelief as agents start dying around them. A few moments later Edgar stumbles back into the Operations room, only to find that the remaining CTU staff are inside the sealed room. Chloe whispers Edgar's name and starts to cry. Edgar dies right in front of their eyes. The ticking clock is silent as the episode fades out.

7:00PM-8:00PM

• Air date: March 13, 2006
• Writer: Joel Surnow and Michael Loceff
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF13

An announcement goes off in CTU warning people to stay in the safe rooms until the environment is safe. Curtis calls CTU and says he will arrive as soon as possible. Jack tells Chloe that he needs her, but she is too shaken by Edgar's death. Barry (Kim's boyfriend and a psychologist) tries to help Chloe get over her shock and resume work. Tony seizes control of the medical department and threatens to kill Henderson for the murder of his wife, but Jack talks him out of it.

Vice-President Gardner again tries to convince President Logan to declare martial law after they learn that CTU has been incapacitated. Meanwhile, Bierko instructs his henchmen to start another part of their plan, which involves releasing all seventeen remaining canisters on one single target.

Jack attacks Barry and claims that he is a sexual predator, but Kim explains that he helped her through her depression while Jack was away. However, the argument convinces Chloe to resume her duties. Immediately thereafter, an alarm goes off in CTU. Chloe tells them that an acid must have been combined with the gas, for it is slowly eating away at the containment seals. A breach is inevitable if the gas is not pumped out quickly. Their plan is to flush out the gas before it destroys the seals, but Chloe discovers that something is blocking remote access to the A.C. computer program.

Jack decides to run through the contaminated portion of CTU while holding his breath to shut down the computer program on the A.C. computer. Jack tries it, but he finds a set of steel bars between him and the computer. After checking the schematics, the group realizes that McGill is the only one close enough to the computer to turn the program off. However, if McGill does it, both he and the security guard will die. After discussing the situation with the security guard, McGill decides to proceed with the backup plan. He is successful in closing the program, but he and the guard both die from the gas. Chloe reports that the acid should stop destroying the seals immediately and CTU should be clear of the gas in fifteen minutes.

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Jack holds a dying Tony in his arms.

Karen Hayes from Homeland Security calls Buchanan. She says that she is heading over to CTU to assist in the crisis, Buchanan then tells her how many people are needed to run CTU again and to help locate Bierko and the canisters. However, Hayes tells her assistant in her car, Miles Papazian, that CTU is severely weakened, thus forcing her to take charge of a merged Homeland Security and CTU department.

Tony claims that Jack's chance to break Henderson has failed. After arguing with Jack, Tony decides to kill Henderson by injecting him with an overdose of Hyoscine-Pentothal. Meanwhile, Jack races toward the medical room to stop Tony. While Tony hesitates, Henderson wakes up, knocks him over, and injects the chemical into Tony. Henderson then escapes, taking the gun with him. Jack arrives seconds later, but Tony dies in Jack's arms after uttering "She's gone" referring to, his wife, Michelle Dessler.

8:00PM-9:00PM

• Air date: March 20, 2006
• Writer: Howard Gordon and Evan Katz
• Story: Sam Montgomery
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF14

CTU agents find Henderson's car and Chloe was able to find information on Henderson's computer about an intelligence broker named Collette Stenger. President Logan holds a news conference at which he announces that he is declaring a curfew that will be enforced by the military. Bierko plans to kill 200,000 people by releasing the nerve gas at a distribution center. Hayes tells Buchanan that CTU is being absorbed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Wayne Palmer calls Aaron and tells him he wants to meet him within the hour, and to keep it quiet. Aaron agrees.

Meanwhile, Theo Stoller, a German Federal Intelligence agent, attacks Curtis and points a gun at him asking who he is. After he shows him his ID as a federal agent, he tells them of his undercover operation to arrest Collette. Stoller's government refuses cooperation. Jack offers the NSA's highly classified "wet list" of known terror suspects in exchange for the German agent's help. Chloe hacks into the NSA computer, and uploads the information to Jack's cell phone. Meanwhile, Stenger arranges to have $10,000,000 transferred to her Cayman Islands bank account. She gives Bierko the USB drive containing the schematics to an as-yet-unknown building and helps decrypt the data. Back at CTU, Chloe's hacking is discovered, and she tells Hayes and Buchanan what Jack wanted her to do. They are angry and shocked, and demand that Jack get the wet list back. Jack refuses, saying that the list will help prevent the attacks. Hayes warns of a fallout.

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Mercenaries attempt to kill Wayne Palmer.

Wayne Palmer is stopped at a roadblock to the compound, but is let through after getting authority from the Vice President.

Jack and Stoller's operation is a success. They arrest Collette and handcuff her to a steel cage in an airplane hanger, telling her Stoller was a German agent who gave her up. However, the PDA containing the wet list self destructs. In effect, Jack and CTU get Stenger, but a list-less Stoller feels betrayed for giving up Collette for nothing, although Jack tells him he will try to get something of value for Stenger someday. Collette wants full immunity for her information. Jack calls CTU and tells Hayes what Collette wants. Jack then tells Hayes that he rigged the memory card to self destruct.

Unknown mask-wearing individuals run Wayne Palmer off the road. Palmer survives and immedately runs away from the scene being pursued by gunmen, as Aaron waits for his arrival at the compound. Meanwhile, Collette demands full immunity in exchange for the source of the schematics that she sold to Bierko. The government agrees, and Collette tells Jack that someone in the DOD gave her the information—Audrey Raines. Jack is left to wonder if Audrey is a mole.

9:00PM-10:00PM

• Air date: March 27, 2006
• Writer: David Ehrman
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF15

Buchanan tells Chloe to perform a background check on Audrey's recent activity. Pressured by Hayes, Buchanan is forced to detain Audrey for interrogation. When Jack arrives at CTU, Hayes tells him that he won't be doing the interrogation because Jack is too emotionally involved to see the truth, reminding him of his inability to recognize Nina Myers as a foreign agent. Jack argues with her, saying that he ought to interrogate her before resorting to medical torture, since there would be political repercussions if they were wrong as Audrey is the daughter of the Defense Secretary. Buchanan backs him up, and Hayes gives in. Chloe tells Jack that Audrey had an affair with Walt Cummings.

The hit squad who ambushed Wayne Palmer calls Henderson to give him an update. Henderson tells them that Wayne must not leave the area alive.

Jack begins the interrogation and asks Audrey about Collette, Walt, and Henderson. After lying once, Audrey confesses that she slept with Walt, but she did not have any deals with him, Collette, or Henderson. Jack and Buchanan are convinced that Audrey is not the mole, but Hayes decides to authorize torture to be sure. Jack argues with Hayes against torturing Audrey and wants to find proof that Collette is lying to them so they can negate Collette's immunity deal and interrogate her. Jack and Chloe try to find a direct connection between Henderson and Collette. His idea is that Henderson gave Collette Audrey's name to frame her.

Bierko and his terrorists storm a natural gas distribution center, kill two workers, and force another to help them. They need to reduce the pressure in the pipes by 50 percent before they can release the gas into the system.

Chloe finds a connection between Henderson and Collette; Henderson called Collette's cell phone eight times. Jack tells Buchanan that the immunity agreement is void because of the deceit, and goes to interrogate Collette again. Collette confesses that the terrorists are going after a natural gas distribution center. Jack then stops the torture of Audrey, apologizes to her, and Audrey forgives him. Chloe uses satellite imagery to identify what distribution center the terrorists might hit, thanks to the help of her new assistant and Edgar's replacement. Buchanan tells Jack that once the gas is released, they will be unable to stop it from reaching the 90,000+ customers and ultimately killing up to twice that amount.

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Jack Bauer grapples with Vladmir Bierko as the gas distribution center is exploding

Meanwhile, Wayne Palmer encounters Aaron Pierce in the wilderness surrounding the Western White House. They escape Henderson's hit squad and commandeer a vehicle, but Wayne is apparently injured in the process. Aaron drives Wayne back to the Western White House.

Jack, Curtis, and two other CTU agents enter the distribution center. They have a fire fight with Bierko's subordinates, but the nerve gas has already been released. Jack attempts to destroy the distribution center with C4 before the gas enters the pipes. He sets a bomb for thirty seconds while Curtis and his men escape the facility. The C4 detonates, creating a chain reaction, and engulfing the facility in fire and explosions. Seconds later, Jack runs out of the center, and sees Bierko trying to escape. Jack and Bierko grapple until they dive into a nearby Ford Crown Victoria police car. A nearby tank explodes, shattering the windows of the car, and shooting flames and debris upon it.

10:00PM-11:00PM

• Air date: April 3, 2006
• Writer: Manny Coto & Sam Montgomery
• Director: Jon Cassar
• Production Code: 5AFF16

CTU begins a search for Jack, and finds him with Bierko, who is alive but hurt. They transport Bierko to CTU for treatment. Aaron Pierce and Wayne Palmer stop at the Presidental retreat, and Wayne tells Aaron that Mrs. Logan's secretary Evelyn is former President Palmer's source of infomation. Wayne goes to talk to her, but she doesn't want to talk because Henderson has kidnapped her daughter. She says that if Wayne gets her daughter back safe, she will help them.

Hayes announces to CTU that they are being absorbed by Homeland Security, and Chloe gets replaced by a Homeland Security agent. Agent Jim Hill (Carl Edwards, one hour only) tries to get Audrey to sign a form that would point the blame of failure to Buchanan, but she refuses. Jack then tells Audrey that he needs Chloe to help direct his attempt to rescue Evelyn's daughter. Audrey then agrees to sign the form on the condition that Chloe be allowed to remain on her team. Homeland Security agrees, and Audrey signs the form.

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Henderson receiving orders over the phone from the man responsible for the day's events right before the big reveal.

Gardner tells Wayne how much he admired his brother. Chloe finds out that she is staying on, and Buchanan is shocked to learn that Audrey signed the statement.

Wayne and Evelyn drive to find her daughter that was kidnapped by the terrorist. They get the call, and Wayne patches Jack into the call. He tells them of an address, 4615 Tarpin Street. Jack meets them at the address, and he gets Chloe to get a satellite feed to him. Chloe tells Jack that the hideout is swarming with people. Against Jack's strong objections that he shouldn't follow him because he isn't an experienced killer, Wayne joins them.

In the ensuing hostage-exchange and firefight, Wayne and Jack eliminate all of Henderson's men, while Henderson himself narrowly escapes. Evelyn, injured during the skirmish, reveals that Gardner is not involved with the plot.

In a surprising twist, President Logan is revealed to be the man orchestrating Henderson's actions. He orders Henderson to retrieve any and all proof of his involvement in the Sentox Nerve Gas Conspiracy and eliminate anyone who knows the truth, including Jack and Wayne.

11:00PM-12:00AM

• Air date: April 10, 2006
• Writer: David Fury
• Director: Brad Turner
• Production Code: 5AFF17

Jack and Wayne Palmer drive to a local motel to get a room for the injured Evelyn and her daughter after Evelyn tells Jack that the evidence that President Logan is behind the day's events is in her safe deposit box at the City Trust and Savings Bank. Jack calls Audrey and tells her that President Logan is the traitor, and she is shocked. Henderson tells Logan that he lost Jack's trail, but shouldn't worry because Jack won't do anything without the evidence in his hand. Logan tells Henderson that the plan has gone out of control and that he did this to make the country safer. Logan then issues a warrant for Jack's arrest under the charge that Jack killed David Palmer. An alert is put out to all police and military agencies to watch out for Jack, and they start to watch all people that Jack might contact, including Audrey. The warrant causes many people within the government, including Vice President Gardner, to question the President's "evidence" that Jack is involved in Palmer's death.

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Secretary of Defense James Heller speaking on the phone with Audrey Raines.

Jack and Wayne then drive to the home of bank manager Carl Mossman, and they invade it with their guns drawn. They tell the manager to get dressed and to let them into the bank. Audrey calls her father, Defense Secretary Heller, and he agrees to divert his flight to Van Nuys airport and to meet Audrey there. Evelyn faints, and her daughter calls 911, alerting the government to where she is. Gardner tries to talk to Logan, but he tells him that he doesn't want his orders questioned. Jack and Wayne arrive at the bank, and Carl recognizes Wayne from television coverage of the murder of David Palmer. Wayne tells Carl what's been going on, and he decides to help them. Jack and Wayne open Evelyn's safe deposit box, and discover a tape of a phone conversation between Logan and Henderson that proves Logan's involvement. When the paramedics come to the hotel, they wake Evelyn up, but Henderson kills them and asks her where Jack is. Henderson calls Logan and tells him that he knows where Jack is since Evelyn gave him up.

Henderson's men arrive at the bank, and Jack comes up with a plan. He decides to trip the silent alarm so that the LAPD will arrive, which will cause a diversion so they can escape from the bank. Jack's plan works, and a firefight erupts between the LAPD and Henderson's men. Jack, Wayne, and Carl leave the bank in the LAPD cruiser. Carl dies from the shot he took to the chest seconds earlier. The U.S. military forces show up and kill the rest of Henderson's men. Jack calls Audrey and she tells him that her father will meet with them. Jack tells her that the voice on the tape is definitely Logan's, and they now have the difficult task of taking down the President of the United States.

External links

• TV.com: 24 Season 5 Episode Guide
• Fox.com: Seasons 1-5 Episode Guides
• 24 on WikiCities

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