Mirage
Sloane and Syd watch over the injured
Nadia, Posing as a waitress at a Vienna club, Sydney serves drinks to Kradic's
crew, which includes an undercover Dixon. Syd reports to APO that she overheard
Kradic tell Dixon that the Hydrosek will arrive soon. Sloane realizes that Jack
did not arrive that morning.
The lurker - call him Coke-Bottle Glasses - has followed Kradic from Amsterdam
and begins planting explosives in the club. Vaughn, observing by the bar, sees
two suited men carrying a briefcase containing the Hydrosek.
Coke-Bottle Glasses (CBG) puts a glass down on Sydney's tray. Realizing that it's
a bomb, she throws it to an empty corner, where it explodes. CBG detonates
another bomb and, as the crowd panics, he grabs the briefcase and heads toward
the exit. Syd tackles CBG and they exchange blows as the Hydrosek case skids
across the floor. He escapes. Dixon shoots a thug about to kill Vaughn as he
goes after the briefcase. Kradic gets to the briefcase first and runs.
Dixon and Vaughn follow Kradic into the basement. Cornered, Kradic threatens to
drop the Hydrosek in the filtration grate of the city's drinking water. Dixon
pretends to lower his gun, then shoots Kradic.
After learning of CBG's failure to steal the Hydrosek, Sophia invites Nadia and
Weiss over for dinner. Upon their arrival, Sophia takes Nadia's belongings -
which include a laptop - to a back room. CBG emerges from the shadows and hacks
into the laptop, gaining access to APO files.
At APO, Syd tells Vaughn that she hasn't seen her father in two days. They go to
his apartment and find a notebook with recent records of Jack's vitals. Inside
the bathroom, they find containers of medication and blood-soaked bandages in
the trash can.
Jack visits Dr. Liddell, who says that years ago during an experiment he
discovered that a lethal dose of an alkylating agent cured a few genetically
mutated rats --but 84 percent died. Despite Dr. Liddell's warnings, Jack
acquires the lethal chemical.
Based on the meds she saw at Jack's place, Syd asks Marshall to research cures
for radiation sickness. Marshall reveals that Jack got sick when he removed the
fuel rods in a radioactive lab in order to save Sydney. Marshall adds that there
is no cure.
Sloane tells the team that Jack needs help and Syd adds no area hospitals have
any record of his admittance. She says Jack's mental capabilities might be
impaired at the moment and someone might be preying on him, promising a cure.
Jack returns to Liddell's office. Meanwhile, the APO team locates Jack's car in
a seedy neighborhood. Syd and Vaughn drive to the location and arrive at an
abandoned building, where they find Jack on a bed in the middle of a big empty
room. He injects himself and begins convulsing.
At the APO office, Vaughn explains to Sloane that Jack thought he had a cure,
and unfortunately, Jack's condition is irreversible after 72 hours. Vaughn also
mentions that Jack has been suffering from hallucinations and woke up briefly to
look for a "Dr. Liddell." Sloane tells the team that 25 years ago,
Liddell developed a thesis on the treatment of genetic mutations. He went to the
Soviet Union in 1981 to spy for the US. When his cover was blown, Jack's
extracted him and gave him a new identity. Only Jack knows where Liddell is.
Jack wakes up and talks to Sydney, referring to her as "Laura," Irina's
cover name. Sloane suggests using these hallucinations to convince Jack that he's
living in '81 -- specifically, the day he extracted Liddell from Russia. He
proposes recreating Jack's surroundings to guide his delusions and make him
reveal where the actual Liddell is located.
Looking like Irina, Sydney enters a room built to resemble her old house. As the
team observes, Jack responds to the scenario. Vaughn calls, pretending to be
Jack's handler, and asks what arrangements he needs to make for Liddell. Jack
reveals where Liddell should go -- in code.
Believing that Syd is his wife, Jack tells her that he needs to leave town and
help Liddell get a new identity in Finland. Jack continues on about his deep
regret of missing Sydney's birthday and his lack of involvement in her life. Syd
listens, deeply touched.
Marshall asks Nadia why she requested that the Hydrosek be moved. Realizing that
someone has hacked into the system, Nadia and Weiss go to the facility where the
Hydrosek is stored and find that it's been stolen. CBG lies dead in front of the
vault.
Syd finds Dr. Liddell in Helsinki. He accompanies her back to APO and sees Jack,
who asks if he's cured yet. Liddell answers, "Not yet… but I'm going to
make you better."