Original subtitles

Previously on "alias"... What do you want?

For me to succeed in my new work

as a double agent for the covenant,

I'll need your help.

Your needs don't concern me.

It's good to see you, Julia.

Good to see you, too.

You're being set up.

His daughter -- Sydney Bristow, also CIA,

goes by an alias -- Julia Thorne.

It's been three weeks since I found out

Sydney murdered lazarey.

I've been lying to my wife for three weeks.

You were ordered not to say anything.

Yeah, and she wasn't ordered to find out

is that I'm actively engaged in preventing her

from doing her job.

And that you're protecting Sydney.

Yeah.

I'm no longer sloane's handler.

Dixon gave that job to Sydney Bristow.

Good. That frees you up to focus on the lazarey murder.

I spoke to the leasing agent.

According to their records,

this office was leased a year ago, November 24th --

a 4-year lease paid in advance.

Was there a name on the lease?

Yes, there was.

I believe she's the person who killed lazarey.

Her name is Julia Thorne.

Hello?

Oh, Sydney.

Thank you. Thank you, doctor.

Good to see you.

I know I haven't been to group in a while.

Well, that's okay.

We have another session tonight.

I actually came here to talk to you about something else.

Is it your dreams?

I've heard about an experimental procedure

used to recover lost memories --

neurostimulation therapy.

Now Sydney, before we discuss this,

some of those people have been in that group

for 10 years, and none of them seem to be

any closer to finding out what happened to them.

Well, the point is to accept what's happened,

that you may never remember,

and in so doing, free yourself to move on.

With all due respect, the one thing

that you don't know is what it feels like.

You have clearance, so I can tell you

that unlike anyone else in that group,

there's a terrorist organization

trying to find out the one thing

that I can't remember.

My point being, I don't have the luxury

of waiting for acceptance.

Come with me.

This is Kenneth Blake.

He joined central intelligence in 1981.

He was missing for five years.

Finally turned up in a South Korean hospital

with severe injuries and no memory whatsoever.

Blake volunteered for the same procedure

you're asking for.

The procedure was carried out.

Blake soon learned that he'd been

in custody of the north Koreans all that time,

exposed to torture so intense, so prolonged

that his conscious mind blacked it out.

The invasive nature of the surgery

left him with permanent brain damage.

You should know, Sydney,

that the national security council

considers Blake a successful test case

for neurostimulation therapy.

I'd consider death as an option

before this procedure.

You have been a busy man, javier parez.

Epidemiology lab in cannes,

disease control ministry in Spain,

genetic engineering facility in Cuba.

Do I turn you over to Cuba, to Spain, to France?

To me, there is no difference.

For you, there is at least one significant difference.

France and Spain do not believe in the death penalty.

So here's where we help each other.

You provide me with a bigger fish --

the people who commission you, for instance --

and I allow you to choose to whom I place my call.

What if I told you

I have information that would be

very interesting to the Americans

regarding a central intelligence agent

and a murder?

A CIA agent committing murder.

Ha ha ha.

Hardly newsworthy.

It is when it's done on behalf

of an international terrorist group,

and the target is a Russian diplomat.

People, listen up.

We've got non-cleared personnel en route.

Deactivate the wireless network,

and put all secure servers on lockdown.

I don't want to see anything on these screens

more revealing than a weather map.

Level 3 security procedures in effect.

All computer monitors and lcds on safe mode.

Re-routing the pbx to administration.

I always knew you were destined for great things.

Follow me.

Marshall.

Mr. sloane.

Hi.

It's been a while.

A lot has happened since, you know...

I mean, first you were evil, now you're good --

so you claim.

Not that I don't trust you. It's just --

how are you?

Very happy to see you, Marshall.

Due to the sensitive nature of the information

arvin sloane is about to present to us,

I thought it would be best if he did so here.

So, is everyone here?

Agents Vaughn and Reed are prepping a separate assignment

under the direction of the nsc.

10 hours ago, I had a meeting with Mr. sark.

I assume we're here because the covenant

requires something of me.

Your new assignment.

It seems the covenant is no longer satisfied

with using my organization merely as a front

for their illegal activities.

They've now tasked me an operation.

I presume you know what a maser is.

You mean a microwave laser?

Well, yeah.

I mean, I -- you want me to explain?

Marshall, sloane has no authority in this room.

Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, sir.

I mean, I know you're definitely the main --

do you want me to -- yes.

It's a microwave that gets focused into a pinpoint beam,

very similar to how light gets focused into a laser.

Tomorrow night I'm scheduled to attend

a charity function hosted by the Chinese government

and one of their ministries.

The covenant has acquired intelligence

that China has designed a working maser unit,

the prototype of which is held there.

China intends to mount a maser ray

on one of their defense satellites.

It is an assassination program.

Wait, are you saying that this weapon

is capable of killing from space?

Pulsed microwaves are capable of causing tissue damage,

heart failure, even brain hemorrhaging.

This weapon could make it appear as if the victim died

from natural causes.

You can imagine the potential threat

if the covenant were to acquire this technology.

I've been tasked to steal the maser's operating system,

which is in the Chinese defense minister's office.

I want strategic services to review your plan,

and I'll assign an agent to go along.

I presumed that would be the case.

Therefore, I propose that Sydney accompany me

to the function posing as my assistant.

Then together we can obtain the operating system,

corrupt the maser, and pass along

the faulty data to the covenant.

That is,

assuming the CIA still intends to use me

as a double agent.

Why me?

Because this mission cannot be done alone.

I will not risk my life

unless I'm going in with the best.

Do you really imagine, given your history with Sydney,

that we would ever order --

I'll go.

You know I don't trust you,

and that I believe you have an endgame

beyond this operation.

But I also know that if we're caught,

we'll be standing side by side

in front of a Chinese firing squad,

which means this time our interests are in line.

And if you betray me,

I will just kill you myself.

I understand you've been loaned out to the nsc.

Yeah, I leave for Mexico in an hour.

Lauren requested me. She's briefing me en route.

A contact of mine in Nogales just informed me

that javier parez was apprehended

by Mexican authorities.

I'm sure you remember him as part of the freelance team

Sydney infiltrated several weeks ago.

Yeah, sort of. He almost killed me.

He's offered to trade information

to the nsc in exchange for leniency.

Our problem is this --

he knows about Sydney --

that she murdered andrian lazarey

under the alias Julia Thorne.

You can imagine the consequences

were he to share this information with your wife.

I think, agent Vaughn, that you should tell her

that you know the identity

of the man you've been sent to interview,

and that conflict of interest requires you both

to remove yourself from this case.

Are you asking me to interfere with my wife's investigation?

Yes.

No.

I've kept the truth about Sydney from Lauren

because Dixon ordered me to -- a situation you orchestrated.

You understand the consequences to Sydney

if this information leaks out. Yes, of course I do.

The nsc will subject her to invasive brain surgery.

Okay, stop.

I don't need a lecture from you on the risks she faces.

Then I don't understand your resistance.

Because the nsc will send other operatives.

Either way, they're going to find out.

It will provide us the time to plan our next move.

Look, I think it's safe to say I know my wife

a lot better than you do.

I would hope.

Lauren may be our best chance

of keeping this information from the nsc.

And, Mr. Vaughn, what if you're wrong?

Okay, it's the latest in cloaking technology.

It's called optical camouflage.

Now, basically, if you take a look right here,

its surface is covered in microfilaments,

which interpret the U.V. waves

generated by its surroundings,

which means that once you drop it off

in the Chinese ministry,

I will be able to guide it undetected

past the internal security cameras

to the central alarm controls,

which I'll then deactivate using the internal modem.

So, once you disable the alarms,

I'll be able to access the minister's office,

where the maser is being kept?

Right. Once you get to the maser,

you will access the motherboard,

and then you will attach this to the eprom chip.

Now, press one, and you'll be connected to me,

and I will access the maser's operating system

and corrupt it, and then a copy of the corrupted version

which I will give to sloane to pass on to the covenant.

Right.

Actually, where did the car go?

Uh...

By the way, you look beautiful.

Spare me.

I would encourage you to take my arm

if we're going to bluff our way through this.

Mr. sloane, we're honored you could attend.

The honor is mine, minister woo.

And this is my executive assistant, Christina meyers.

A pleasure.

Pleasure.

Your organization's compassionate work

is the model of humanitarian achievement.

Thank you. Thank you.

Miss meyers, would you give us a moment, please?

I have a private matter to discuss with the minister.

Certainly.

Your assistant is lovely.

I presume she does more for you than type.

Oh, our relationship is strictly professional.

Of course.

Yello?

You're on.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.

Okay...

Promise me again that they won't hear it.

The noise output is .04 dbs,

which is inaudible to the human ear, sir.

A cockroach thinks louder than this car.

Looks like a nice party.

All right. I'm gonna follow this guy.

Looks like he knows where he's going.

Security.

Are you all right?

As long as Marshall

can shut down the security system.

You know, Sydney, we should dance.

Like hell.

The minister assumes we're sleeping together.

Despite my protests, he remains unconvinced.

I could care less.

Well, neither would I

if he wasn't constantly looking in my direction.

Normally I would suggest that we remain discreet.

I think it best that we feign an argument on the dance floor.

That would buy you sufficient time

to slip away.

And, Sydney, given the way you feel about me,

I doubt it would take much acting on your part.

So, my dear,

shall we?

We have to get to the security room.

All right, following him.

Okay. Ooh.

Sorry.

Hurry up.

I got to focus.

Marshall, follow that guard.

Turn to the right.

I got it, I got it.

Good. He's approaching the security control room.

Hurry.

Pedal to the medal, sir.

Easy.

Piece of cake.

Hurry.

Marshall, under the desk. Yeah, yeah, I got it.

Well done.

Okay, now I will activate the rf modem

and hack into the security system.

Okay, alarms are down. Surveillance is...Off.

Should take them weeks to get back online,

maybe even months.

Hello?

Thank you.

Marshall says the security system is shut down.

Well, then I propose you make this fight look real.

Oh, God, it's a boy.

Get back in the car.

We have them.

The payment will be left

in the confessional of the church as instructed.

Hold them for at least two hours,

then let them go.

Vamános, muchachos!

Marshall, I'm going in.

Copy, mountaineer.

Security systems are offline.

You're cleared for entry.

Keep your face covered.

You can't afford to be recognized.

Checking for sensors.

We're good.

Okay, Marshall, uplink established.

Copy that, mountaineer.

Give me two seconds to corrupt the code.

Uh-oh.

What's the matter?

Security system is back online.

I don't know how they did it, but it's up.

Can you get it back offline?

Give me two seconds.

Sydney, you may have been compromised.

Get out of there. Marshall, how much longer?

No! Get out of there now!

How long?!

Just give me one minute.

Marshall, are you done?

Yeah. Go, go, go.

You are very lucky they let you go.

Crime on the highways has become an embarrassment.

If you'd like to file a report,

I will see that it receives the highest priority.

No, thank you.

We'd like to extradite Mr. parez as soon as possible.

Very well.

This way.

Ay, dios mío.

Who else has been to see Mr. parez

since he arrived here?

No one.

I am truly sorry you came this way for nothing.

You'll give this to the covenant.

It contains the corrupted copy of the operating system.

The covenant will track it back to the Chinese prototype,

which has also been corrupted.

They won't suspect that you betrayed them.

I see.

I wonder how many times your handler

said something like that to you

just before you were about to give me something like this --

a small object of tremendous value

that I asked you to steal for SD-6,

which you then rendered worthless

in order to prevent its exploitation

by the alliance.

It happened on occasion.

There was a time you trusted me.

It was before I knew who you were.

It was before I knew who I was.

Oh, no, it was more recent than that.

The day you were found in Hong Kong,

the day of your resurrection, as it were,

this letter arrived in my office.

My analyst confirmed what I recognized instantly,

what I'm sure you'll verify on your own.

The handwriting is yours.

I've never seen that code before.

I didn't want to offer it to anyone else.

Unfortunately, I couldn't decipher it myself.

And since those items were once in your possession,

I thought you might want them back.

Let's talk.

Of course.

You killed javier parez, you son of a bitch.

You've just returned from a traumatic experience,

Mr. Vaughn.

You're understandably emotional,

which would explain your baseless accusation.

You're right. I am emotional.

I get that way when I see a gun

pressed to my wife's temple.

Ours is a risky business.

Armed rebels take us hostage,

then let us go out of the kindness of their hearts?

You didn't think I'd see through that?

Thankfully, you were graced by a stroke of luck.

You really expect me to believe

a man on the verge of bartering for his freedom

just decided to hang himself?

Mr. parez had a price on his head.

He most likely knew his days were numbered.

What part of this doesn't have a rational explanation?

You ever put my wife's life in danger again,

I will kill you!

Then perhaps you finally understand

the moral compromises you make

when someone you love is in danger.

Get in the car.

Please.

I've jammed the feed of the c.C. TV cameras,

so let us speak freely.

You know who I am?

Yes.

I understand your investigation

into the lazarey murder has hit a dead end.

What a pity.

How do you know about that?

I know because I framed javier parez,

assuming he'd be extradited to the United States,

and that once he was in custody, he'd be forced

to confess what he knows --

namely the identity of andrian lazarey's murderer.

This is the second time

I've had a gun put to my head.

I don't particularly like it.

Now I'm going to assume that if you wanted me dead,

I would be, so if you have something to tell me, do it.

A wedding present.

A touch informal, I know,

but everything else on your registry was taken.

Open it.

Where did you get these?

Where is not important.

What is important is who.

Her name is Julia Thorne --

merely an alias.

She goes by another name --

a name you're quite familiar with.

Oh, my God.

Now you should understand why I've risked

coming to you like this.

I recently learned that Sydney Bristow

murdered a father I never had a chance to know.

I suspect you have your own reasons for disliking her.

Therefore, I'm confident

that you'll relay this information

to the appropriate parties.

By the way,

I've rigged a weight-sensitive charge

to the underside of this vehicle.

Once I leave you, I'll activate it.

If you attempt to get out of the car

before 30 minutes has elapsed,

the charge will detonate.

It has been a pleasure, miss Reed.

Hello?

It's me. Dad.

Are you all right? You sound upset.

Yeah. No, I'm fine.

Did you receive my transmission?

Yes. Sloane gave you a key

which he claims was sent to him

sometime before you woke up in Hong Kong.

Yeah, his claim was pretty convincing.

It was written in my handwriting.

The ciphertext as well? Yes.

That during the time you were missing,

I contacted your mother?

That ciphertext was encoded

using a method she devised.

What does this mean, that I was in contact with mom

during the two years I was gone?

If that's true, she failed to mention it

during our last communication.

Can you break the code?

Yes, I learned the code from your mother last year.

It's an address in Rome --

1124 piazza barbarini,

the penthouse apartment.

Does that mean anything to you?

I had a local contact pull up the property record.

The apartment was purchased a year ago.

The buyer chose to remain anonymous.

Get some rest.

When you get back,

you and I will go to Rome together.

Okay.

Are you all right?

Yes.

Did he hurt you?

No.

I'm so sorry.

We'll find him.

He told me Julia Thorne is really Sydney Bristow.

I wasn't sure if you knew.

Now I know.

I was under orders not to say anything,

just as you were.

Whose orders? Dixon's.

Dixon knows? Yes.

And Jack, weiss, everyone?

That's not the point. It's exactly the point.

Everyone at that office kept secret from the nsc

the one thing I have desperately been trying to learn.

How long have you known?

Three weeks.

For three weeks

you've been trying to derail my investigation!

Lauren, Sydney doesn't remember any of it.

Do not defend her to me.

I am explaining why Dixon --

I am your wife!

You kept Sydney's secret from me.

You protected Sydney over me,

something I refuse to do with you.

It's not that simple.

Do you still love her?

Oh, damn it, that's not what this is about!

She is not my wife!

You can't punish her

for the fact that she and I had a past.

If you report this to Lindsey,

Lauren, he's going to want to know everything she did

over those two years. As well he should.

No, the only way to access her memory

is through a dangerous invasive procedure --

I'm aware of the procedures,

none of which they would force on a U.S. agent.

Lazarey was a Russian diplomat.

All Lindsey has to do is form an extradition agreement

with the Russians, and she will be shipped to moscow,

where she has no rights as an American.

He'll run the procedure there.

He can't do that. She's a CIA operative --

think about it. You know better than anyone.

Lindsey will not hesitate to break the rules.

If he learns about this, Sydney --

oh, my God, Lauren.

You already reported her.

You followed your orders, I followed mine.

Michael --

Hello?

Sydney, it's me. Don't go home.

The nsc knows everything. Meet me at terminal one.

I'll explain everything once I pick you up.

How the hell did they find out?

Sark told Lauren.

Sark? I have a plane waiting for you

at the Dover airfield.

It'll take you anywhere, but you have to tell me

where you want to go -- someplace you know well

so you can disappear.

If the nsc wants to find me, they will.

Sydney -- look, I was someone else for two years, Vaughn --

someone I don't even remember.

What am I supposed to do now,

just spend the rest of my life in hiding?

Between that and a lobotomy, there isn't a choice.

I can't keep running forever.

I'll do everything I can to make sure you won't have to.

Rome.

I'm going to Rome.

Grazie.

There's a cafe at the corner of villa del corso

and villa con dote -- cafe Ruby.

There's a pay phone with a false bottom.

You'll find money and a new passport.

Good thing I'm already packed.

You should go.

Vaughn,

why are you doing this?

My life is already a disaster.

Now yours is, too.

What happened between us...

Everything --

the way it is

isn't anyone's fault, Sydney.

And even though everything's changed,

some things don't.

I'm not going to lose you twice.

Thank you.

Grazie.

Sydney didn't check in this morning,

and she's not answering her cell phone.

Do you know where she is?

I don't know.

Director Dixon,

I need to speak with you in your office, please.

Of course.

The nsc knows that Sydney was responsible

for lazarey's murder, don't they?

I presume you're the one

who helped her disappear last night.

Tell me, what else

are you willing to do to see Sydney through this?

What did you have in mind?

Please sit.

No, thank you.

Director Dixon,

you've always been direct and fair with me,

which is why I take no pleasure

in what I'm about to say.

Under authority

of the national security council,

Robert Lindsey has instructed me to relieve you of duty

as director of this task force

until he arrives to assume control.

On what grounds?

Obstruction of justice.

Willingly conspiring

to impede an international investigation

into the murder of andrian lazarey.

I have photographic evidence Sydney Bristow was his killer.

We've learned you've known about this for some time.

It is within my purview

to compartmentalize information, Lauren.

If Bob Lindsey has issue with that,

he can take it up

with the director of central intelligence.

He has.

Feel free to call d.C.I. Yourself for confirmation.

Though I suspect your phone will be ringing any moment.

These premises are to be locked down

until Lindsey arrives with federal agents.

That means until such time, nobody leaves.

I take it you have Sydney in custody.

Not yet,

but we know where she is.

Aah!

Sydney Bristow...