Due to some graphic violence, viewer discretion is advised. Come to think of it, this warning has been used just about every week this season. Also, the font they're using for the warning looks suspiciously like the font they use for the titles in the show itself. I suspect that they have caught on to the fact that all the good episodes of 24 have the violence warning, so they're just attaching it to every episode to generate a buzz. 24. Beep beep beep beep beep beep. Previouslys. The V-I-R-U-S has been released into the ventilation system of the Chandler Hotel, and everyone is going to die. Bitchelle finds out from Alvers that Inn Fection isn't the only place where vials are being planted. Widespread panic ensues despite everyone's best efforts, and Bitchelle is forced to shoot a guest. But he's kind of a sexist, so it's not all that much of a loss. Stephen Sahhhhhn-ders is our season's latest supervillain. He has some sort of konnection to Kiefer that we have yet to learn. He uses the other vials as leverage to get in touch with Palmer to make some demands.
Inn Fection. The lobby. Bitchelle has just shot James Woods, and now the guests have settled into a quivering, resentful stillness. "Look! Outside" says one faceless guest. The crowd gasps as CTU agents wearing Hazmat suits and brandishing semi-automatic weapons can been seen approaching the front door. You just know that whoever designed this hotel has, by now, started totally rethinking the whole glass-front thing. I'm sure at the time they were thinking that a glass-walled lobby would be light-filled and inviting, but right now Ian Schrager's cavernous and windowless designs for The Metropolitan Hotel and The Mondrian are looking like the way to go in this post-9/11 era we're all living in. Come to think of it, mass panic would never happen in an Ian Schrager-designed hotel. First off, the other guests at these places are so cosmopolitan, young, and cool that you would never think of spazzing out and leaving your room without picking out an appropriate outfit and going over it with a lint brush. And even if you were secure with yourself enough to run down the stairs in your bathrobe, a single raised eyebrow from one of those pretty-but-snooty desk clerks would send you right back up to your room to put some gel in your hair. Lastly? All the Ian Schrager lobbies also function as cocktail bars, so if all else fails, just start serving drinks. You'd be amazed at how cooperative an angry mob can be if you have a two-for-one Cosmo happy hour and let them smoke. "There's a deadly virus in the ventilation system and we can't leave unless we're in body bags? Fascinating! Waiter? Another Grey Goose dirty martini, please."
So anyway, at the sight of these armed Hazmaticians entering the building, any crowd control that Bitchelle gained from her killing of James Woods has evaporated and the guests are panicking again. Bitchelle fires two shots into the air and tells everyone to settle down and not to even think of leaving the building. "I need absolute quiet and absolute cooperation," she says forcefully. Meanwhile, the guests -- who need Absolut, or at the very least some dollar Rolling Rocks -- back down and huddle behind tissues pressed to their bloody noses. She gets on a P.A. system and announces to the assembled guests -- and the people still in their rooms -- that an infectious substance has been released into the building and they are under quarantine. "Anyone attempting to leave will be stopped by any means necessary," she says, ordering everyone back to their rooms. Whoa! Go Bitchelle! How often do you get to see Reiko Aylesworth in black leather with a gun in one hand and a mike in the other? Maybe the writers can find excuses to put Reiko in her Gun 'n' Mike leather outfit more often season -- sorta how they always had Spawn running during Season Two.
With Gay Matt's encouragement, the guests head for the elevators, except one haglike woman who seems to have arrived in the lobby fairly recently. "Danny?" she calls out past the armed Hazmaticians. She sees James Woods's dead body and starts to cry. James Woods's name is Danny? Who knew? "Who killed him?" shrieks WidowHag as she slowly makes eye contact with Bitchelle. "Shriek" is a brilliantly appropriate word for this recap. I'm going to be using it quite often for the rest of the recap, so brace yourselves. There was a whole lotta shrieking going on during this hour. I think I might even create a macro for it. "You are a federal agent, you were supposed to protect him," she shrieks. (See?) Bitchelle is saved from more hysterics by Gay Matt, who arrives just in time to guide WidowHag over to the elevators. But the damage has been done. Bitchelle feels like shit. Shut up, WidowHag. Your husband shouldn't have fucked with Bitchelle.
The time is 05:04:15 AM. Kiefer and Special Agent Charlie Brown are still in that parking lot where Amador went to his fiery death -- after all, he was such a flamer. Kiefer's cell phone rings. It's Palmer. He wants to know why the new supervillain used Kiefer to get to him. Kiefer says that the new supervillain has a konnection to Kiefer, but no one has been able to ascertain what the connection is, or even who the new supervillain is. Palmer tells Kiefer that the new supervillain intends to use the threat of the V-I-R-U-S to control Palmer, and by extension the entire United States. "Obviously, we cannot let that happen," says Palmer. Kiefer assures him that they're doing everything they can, and hangs up. He and Charlie get into the Kiefmobile, and Kiefer outlines their step. They have two leads. The first is that the new supervillain knows Kiefer. The second is that Alvers, who Bitchelle has tied to a pipe in the basement of Inn Fection, knows the new supervillain. He tells Charlie to get Soul Patch on the phone. "Tell him to get Alvers to get us a physical description as detailed as possible and then I want him to cross-check with the personnel in my service file," says Kiefer. Kiefer starts the Kiefmobile engine, and they're off.
Back in Palmerville, Brother Palmer is brought up to speed on the new supervillain and how he knows Kiefer but Kiefer doesn't know him. "Did he give Kiefer any indication of what he wants?" asks Brother Palmer. "No," says Palmer. "But he controls enough of the V-I-R-U-S to wipe out a significant portion of this country's population. So whatever he wants? We don't have much choice but to give it to him."
Back at Inn Fection, as the last remaining lobby rioters are waiting for the elevators back to their rooms, Bitchelle orders Gay Matt to double check that all of the exits are sealed off. "You don't have to keep me busy," says Gay Matt. "I'm not going to panic." Like Bitchelle doesn't have enough on her mind -- her own forthcoming death, a hotel full of panicking contagious guests, et cetera -- that she'd have time and empathy left over to worry about Gay Matt's emotional state, to the point where she'd assign him a series of useless chores. Bitchelle assures him that she knows he's not going to panic, and thanks him for all the fine work he's done for her and her team. "Is everyone in this hotel going to die?" asks Gay Matt, not making eye contact with her. "A few will be immune to the V-I-R-U-S," says Bitchelle, breaking it to him gently. "But most of us..." Her phone rings. It's Soul Patch. Bitchelle gives him an update on the guests' current non-panicky state. But there are potential problems. "Things got crazy," says Bitchelle. "I had to shoot a man." Soul Patch assures her that she did what she had to do and urges her to stay focused. he asks her to ask Alvers to describe the new supervillain. "I'm on it," says Bitchelle, heading for the basement. She exits, and another team of Hazmaticians arrives in front of Inn Fection. It's Dr. Nicole and Health Services. And it's about friggin' time.
Meanwhile, down in the morgue...I mean, "the basement of Inn Fection," Alvers, still chained to that pipe, has to wipe his nose with his forearm. Why? Because he is starting to bleed. Bitchelle enters and clack clack clacks toward him. "I'm bleeding!" he shrieks. "You don't look that bad," says Bitchelle, nonplussed. He reminds her of the deal they made for Bitchelle to kill him as soon as he exhibited symptoms. "You haven't told us everything you know yet," says Bitchelle opening up her laptop. She asks him for the name of the new supervillain. He claims not to know. When she rolls her eyes, he assures her that he is dying and has nothing to gain by lying. Hey, that rhymed. Bitchelle calls Soul Patch on her cell phone and puts the receiver to Alvers's mouth. "I want a description," she says. Alvers describes the new supervillain as "mid-thirties, Caucasian, about 6'1", black hair, brown eyes, no facial hair and speaks with a British accent." To which I would have added, "is really gay-acting." Back at CTU, Potato Face enters these characteristics and cross-references them with Kiefer's kontact file. In seconds they have a file full of profiles of Kiefer's former contacts who match that physical description. They upload them to Bitchelle's laptop, and Bitchelle shows them to Alvers. And it's one of those fancy laptops where she has to tap on the monitor with a pen in order to advance the photos. They go through a couple dozen photos; none of them are of the new Supervillain. Bitchelle suggests they widen the search. "The accent might be a mislead," she says. "He might not even be British." That I could believe. Frankly, Sahhhhn-ders's accent sounds to me like that of someone from Illinois who spent his junior year abroad at RADA.
Kiefer, who is on speakerphone from the Kiefmobile, asks Soul Patch to search for any dead kontacts of Kiefer who, otherwise, match the new supervillain's description. Chloe types it in and soon they have another file full of black-haired thirty-ish male Caucasians. Bitchelle goes through them all with Alvers. "It's him!" he shrieks at a picture of the new supervillain. Kiefer, who can see the picture through his very own car server or some such Whatever Technology, gasps. "I know him!" he shrieks. "His name is Stephen Sahhhhn-ders." He explains that he was a British Intelligence agent on loan to CTU for that Kosovo mission -- the same one that went so badly that Dennis Hopper tried to avenge himself on Palmer, Kiefer, and Kiefer's family during Day One. "I was the only one who got out," says Kiefer. "Five others died including Sahhhhn-ders...or so I thought." Kiefer asks for a few minutes to think this through and hangs up with Soul Patch, Potato Face, and Bitchelle. "Bitch!" he shrieks at the picture of Sahhhhn-ders that remains up on his car computer screen. The time is 05:11:14 AM.
The time is 05:15:41 AM. In Palmerville, Brother Palmer briefs Palmer on the latest news from Inn Fection. The panic has been subdued, testing procedures should begin soon, and the press hasn't caught on yet. "But they're bound to before long," warns Brother Palmer. Palmer maintains that it's important to have a "cover" for the press so that people in L.A. don't panic. "Don't use the term 'Cordilla Virus,'" says Palmer. "People have never heard of it and the unknown creates more fear." Instead, Palmer wants Brother Palmer to tell the press that it's Legionnaire's Disease, because it's a curable disease that people have heard of. The Homeland Security Chief enters -- a forgettable guest star who kind of resembles Harris Yulin from last season. He advises Palmer to raise the terror level to red. Palmer agrees. , Homeland Guy advises the grounding of all domestic flights and the closing of all airports. Brother Palmer doesn't like that plan, as it will create more panic. "It's better than allowing a widespread release of the V-I-R-U-S," says Homeland Guy. "If you close those airports," says Brother Palmer, "you won't be able to explain it away as Legionnaire's Disease!" The two advisers bicker for a few minutes until Palmer breaks it up. Palmer calls for a possible shutdown of air transportation. "But wait for my authorization," he says.
The phone rings. Palmer picks up. Homeland Guy exits Palmer's office. "It's him," says Palmer to Brother Palmer, referring to the new supervillain, Stephen Sahhhhn-ders. Palmer keeps him on hold until Brother Palmer can run down the hall and alert a team of call tracers. He finally picks up, and Sahhhhn-ders tells him it's time for his first assignment. "It's a very simple one but one necessary to our future relationship," says Sahhhhn-ders. Oh, shut up, Sahhhhn-ders. Just tell him what to do and be quick about it. After a bitter exchange about the nature of said "relationship," Sahhhhn-ders orders Palmer to have his secret service men open up a mailbox across from Palmerville, find a package wrapped in black paper -- oh, how Barneys! -- and have them bring it to Palmer. "I'm not doing anything until you tell me exactly..." shrieks Palmer as the phone goes dead. Meanwhile, in the other room, the nerdy call tracers couldn't get a trace. The call was too short. Palmer has Brother Palmer send the Secret Service to pick up the package.
Back in the Kiefmobile, Kiefer is driving and doing online research on Sahhhhn-ders while Special Agent Charlie Brown sits in the passenger seat doing jack shit. "There's no evidence he surfaced after Kosovo," says Kiefer. "So for the past six years he's been letting everything think he was dead?" asks Charlie. Kiefer is konvinced that if Sahhhhn-ders survived, he had to have been kaptured and imprisoned for years. "If your mission failed, maybe he was the reason," says Charlie. "He could have betrayed the team, pretended he'd been killed and gone over to the other side." "You don't know Sahhhhn-ders," says Kiefer in a velvety omnipotent whisper. "He was a patriot. Something else happened to him." Kiefer grabs his cell phone and calls Trevor Tomlinson at MI-6, which I guess is the L.A. branch of MI-5. Either there's something wrong with my TV, or Trevor Tomlinson is the phantom of the opera, or Ron Perlman's character from the eighties series Beauty and the Beast. Seriously, he looks like Nick Nolte, fresh from a post-cocaine-binge chemical peel. Trevor has already been briefed on Stephen Sahhhhn-ders's non-death, and is currently doing more research. Kiefer asks him to run a search for all of Sahhhhn-ders's contacts. Trevor finds only one name: Diana White, a high-priced call girl who got intel from her diplomat clients and passed it on to Sahhhhn-ders. He patches the data through to Kiefer's computer. Why the fuck isn't Kiefer at least making Charlie Brown drive?
Back at Inn Fection, Dr. Nicole and her team of Hazmaticians are preparing to test everybody in the building for the V-I-R-U-S. "It would really help if you would go first," says Dr. Nicole. How does that help? Bitchelle reluctantly agrees. A Hazmatician hands her a numbered badge, and Dr. Nicole sticks a Q-tip up Bitchelle's nose. A nasal swab, explains Dr. Nicole, is every bit as accurate as a blood test but gives a faster analysis. Why'd they have to make a big deal about that? Did a focus group determine that an act of nasal penetration was "sexier" than a syringe? The test results will come back in "two hours," according to Dr. Nicole, who thanks Bitchelle and calls for her nasal swab recipient...who turns out to be none other than Gay Matt from Melrose. Bitchelle gives him a nervous glance and exits the tent that Health Services set up in the middle of the lobby. Outside is a really long line of people waiting to see if they're sick or not. D'oh! Bitchelle walks past them, stricken with guilt.
Back at Palmerville, the Secret Service have tested the package for explosives, and hand Palmer its contents. It's a special cell phone so Sahhhhn-ders and Palmer can have all sorts of untraceable conversations together through some miracle of Whatever Technology. "If we can't trace the call..." says Palmer. "We can't find him," says Brother Palmer, finishing his thought. The phone rings. It's Sahhhhn-ders, who is thrilled that Palmer is using their "private line." "What do you want?" snaps Palmer. Sahhhhn-ders tells Palmer to hold a press conference. "[The topic] is entirely up to you," he says. "But at some point you will use the phrase 'the sky is falling.' Use it however you like, but use it!" Saunders hangs up. Palmer tells Brother Palmer what Sahhhhn-ders's demand was. "It's a signal of some sort," says Brother Palmer. "Maybe for an attack or a wave of attacks." Brother Palmer doesn't want Palmer to give in and negotiate with a terrorist. Palmer reminds Brother Palmer of the thousands already dying and the possibility of millions more deaths. "Call a press conference," says Palmer. Brother Palmer is visibly miffed at being contradicted. The time is 05:23:45 AM.
The time is 05:28:09 AM. Inside the Kiefmobile, Special Agent Charlie Brown, who is finally starting to pull his weight, has just gotten off the phone with someone and learned that Diana White is at home. Then Kiefer and Charlie have an expository conversation that informs us that Diana White was a really really fancy call girl whose clientele consisted mostly of powerful, wealthy -- and therefore blackmailable -- government officials. Kiefer thinks that Sahhhhn-ders has been getting names from Diana and blackmailing her clients to finance his terror operation. Charlie asks Kiefer, yet again, what caused a patriot like Sahhhhn-ders to go and commit an act of bioterrorism. Kiefer imagines that he'd been tortured for many years in some Kosovo prison, and holds the U.S. responsible for what he went through. "We left him behind," says Kiefer in a velvety mournful growl. "I left him behind!" It's all about Kiefer. Millions of Americans are going to die because of Kiefer.
Back at CTU, Soul Patch is having a disappointing talk with NHS and learns that there are no cures or antidotes for the V-I-R-U-S. "I gotta hotel full of guests dying in there and one of them is my wife!" he yells into the phone before he hangs up. Spawn enters and does the "if there's anything I can do" thing. Shut up, Spawn. If you really wanted to cheer Soul Patch up, you could take off your jacket. And can I just ask why have they gone out of their way to make Spawn so plain this season? These ads for The Girl Door just totally reminded me of how hot Elisha Cuthbert is when they put her in a clingy belly shirt and her hair isn't looking like a mushroom cap. Chappelle enters and asks Spawn to excuse them. He rips into Soul Patch for making that call to NHS on behalf of his wife when there's important work to be done. "She's my wife!" shrieks Soul Patch. Chappelle tells him to move on. "You're acting like she's already dead!" shrieks Soul Patch. "Yes, I am," says Chappelle, telling Soul Patch to either go home or focus. "Make it about getting revenge," says Chappelle. Wow, Chappelle is being kind of cool during this episode. I wonder if that means he's going to die soon and therefore become the beneficiary of a jerk-ectomy. Soul Patch agrees to straighten up and fly right. Chappelle announces that he's going to follow a money trail or two that hopefully will lead them to Sahhhhn-ders.
Kiefer and Charlie reach a richly appointed modern bungalow surrounded on all sides by a chain-link fence. Kiefer breaks in to find Diana White herself in a shiny pink bathrobe and brandishing a loaded gun. She shoots at Kiefer but misses. He hides behind a column and shows her some identification. "What do you want?" asks Diana. "I just want to talk to you about Stephen Sahhhhn-ders," says Kiefer. "Bastard!" shrieks Diana; she jumps out of her hiding place and shoots, unsuccessfully, at Kiefer again. He tricks her into disarming herself by putting his gun down and putting his hands up. As she approaches him, Charlie Brown comes out of his hiding place and throws her down on the ground. Kiefer wants to ask her about Sahhhhn-ders. Diana wants to put on some clothes first. This is all an excuse for us to almost see some skin as Kiefer follows Diana into her boudoir, holds a gun on her, and watches her change from her robe into a powder blue track suit that clings magnificently to her small but perky bosoms. Kiefer asks her about her association with Sahhhhn-ders and if she gave him information about her clientele. "I provided a service for wealthy men," says Diana, insisting that she'd never worked for Sahhhhn-ders in that way. "How long do you think that would have lasted if I betrayed their confidence?" "I don't believe you," says Kiefer. "I don't care," says Diana, with a shrug that seems to indicate -- to me at least -- that she's telling the truth. She refuses to answer any questions without a lawyer present. Kiefer explains to her that she's not under arrest, and she's going into MI-6 to be interrogated by a foreign government. "Your constitutional rights no longer apply," says Kiefer. The time is 05:35:15 AM.
The time is 05:39:40 AM. Down in the basement of Inn Fection, Bitchelle runs into Dr. Nicole, who's just been in to see Gael. "He doesn't have much time left," says Dr. Nicole. Bitchelle wants to go see him, but Dr. Nicole doesn't advise it. "If I've been infected, I've been infected," says Bitchelle. "That's not what I meant," says Dr. Nicole. They lock eyes for several moments before Bitchelle goes into see Gael regardless. Gael is in a storage room. His face is covered in boils and he is coughing up blood. He asks Bitchelle for a favor. "Anything," says Bitchelle. Gael launches into a dying speech about how Bitchelle needs to get in touch with his family when this is all over and tell them how much he loves them and that he died without suffering. Bitchelle agrees. Gael coughs up another blood lugey, and Bitchelle hands him her gun, giving him a knowing look. Unfortunately, Gael's religious beliefs forbid him from killing himself. "No one could blame you in this world or the for ending your suffering," says Bitchelle. But Gael doesn't take her advice. Instead he ruminates on how many lives he could have saved if he'd only defused that machine a few seconds earlier and hadn't hesitated. "You did everything you could," insists Bitchelle. "I'm proud to have worked with you. You're one of the bravest men I've ever known." And thus a question is finally answered that I get all the time: is Gael gay? No. Bitchelle mentions a wife and children. Gael coughs up some more blood. Bitchelle takes back her gun. Gael dies. Hey, his death wasn't that slow and painful! An hour and forty minutes? That's nothing.
Back at Palmerville, Brother Palmer escorts Palmer to his hastily put-together press conference and assures him that the FBI is on the lookout for any suspicious activity signaled by the phrase "the sky is falling." Then they argue some more about whether or not to ground any domestic flights. Palmer takes the podium, and the televised press conference begins. While Sahhhhn-ders watches on TV from his hideout, Palmer announces that the terror level has been increased to red and that all flights are being grounded. "I'm not taking this action because the sky is falling," he says. "But I'd rather be overprotected than underprepared." He walks offstage, but the press has questions. Brother Palmer announces that Palmer isn't taking any questions, but Palmer doubles back and offers to answer one or two. Way to undermine your brother in public, Palmer!
Meanwhile, at MI-6, which is housed on one floor within a glass skyscraper, Kiefer, Diana, and Special Agent Charlie Brown arrive to see Trevor, Prince of the Sewers. They lead Diana down a hallway while Trevor PotS announces that he's just learned that Diana is the registered owner of Flu Bar, that Chinese Bar with the Greg Brady curtains where the V-I-R-U-S was sold to Sahhhhn-ders. Diana claims not to have seen him there. Kiefer doesn't believe her, but before they can settle it, a helicopter can be seen approaching the building. "Get down!" says Kiefer as machine gun fire comes into the building from the helicopters. Everyone hits the deck. Kiefer and Charlie Brown portentously draw their handguns and shoot back in vain. Diana is fatally wounded. Trevor, the Prince of the Sewers, is also fatally wounded. But before he dies, Kiefer asks him where his data on Sahhhhn-ders is kept. Trevor, Prince of the Sewers, gives Kiefer a grid number and collapses to the ground. Kiefer and Charlie Brown take to the stairwell in search of the server. Sleek-looking gunmen from a variety of racial heritages wearing black turtlenecks shoot at them. Kiefer and Charlie manage to shoot a few and escape unharmed. They reach the basement computer room and find the desired server. Just as Kiefer is disengaging the server from the wall unit, he notices a bomb-like apparatus lying on the other side of the room and giving off mechanical blips. Kiefer orders Charlie Brown to get out of there. Yet again, Charlie ain't following anyone's orders, not even Kiefer's velvety ones. Finally Kiefer gets the server disengaged just as the blips are getting faster, and there's this ominous buzzing sound too. They manage to get out of the room just microseconds before the room explodes. The time is 05:49:26 AM.
The time is 05:53:56 AM. A fully-covered body is gurneyed past Bitchelle by two Hazmaticians. They pause so Bitchelle can pay her last respects. She pulls the covers back to reveal Gael's super-pustule-y face and bids farewell to her long-suffering, not-gay co-worker. After his body is whisked away, Bitchelle calls Soul Patch to tell him the news of Gael's death and how painful it was. "No one should have to go what he went through!" she says. "There are children upstairs who are going to die in agony in front of their parents' eyes!" Soul Patch reminds her that there's nothing they can do about that. Actually, there is, according to Bitchelle. She asks Soul Patch to get her some suicide capsules, as they are kept around CTU for field agents who are captured behind enemy lines. Soul Patch doesn't want the capsules to be used for any reason other than their original purpose. "They're for committing suicide to prevent torture," says Bitchelle. "And that's what they'd be used for here." "I'm not authorized to do that," says Soul Patch. "I'm not interested in what's authorized!" shrieks Bitchelle. "I'm talking about common decency." Soul Patch promises to see what he can do.
Back at MI-6, Kiefer and Charlie Brown have escaped the building with barely a scratch between them. Kiefer calls Chappelle and tells him about MI-6 being attacked and how the Sahhhhn-ders-led organization is much larger and better organized than anyone thought possible. Chappelle is happy to report that he's gotten some leads off of his money trail search. Kiefer orders him to set up a team of analysts who'll be ready to retrieve all of the data from the server Kiefer took from MI-6. Chappelle says he'll "get on it." He walks across the CTU floor on his way back to his office. He stops when he sees that someone has opened a locked room. It's Soul Patch, getting those suicide capsules. "It's gonna get pretty bad down there," says Soul Patch. "It's against every regulation in the book," says Chappelle. "Do it!" Yep, Chappelle is going is going to die soon. He's being way too cool.
Back at Sahhhhn-ders's mod hideout, an underling informs Sahhhhn-ders that some of their men have been taken out during the attack on MI-6, and that Kiefer and Charlie Brown escaped unharmed. "But the hard drive was destroyed," checks Sahhhhn-ders. Sahhhhn-ders's elfin underling assures him that the hard drive was completely destroyed. This is a big relief to Sahhhhn-ders, although he grows sad when he learns of Diana's death. "I'll miss her," he says absent-mindedly, walking over to his computer terminal. The elfin underling has one more thing to tell him -- inquiries are being made by CTU about their bank accounts. This alarms Sahhhhn-ders. "A man named Ryan Chappelle," adds the investigator. "Apparently he's quite good at following money trails." Chappelle was good at something? Good to know.
The screen splits into three. In one screen, Sahhhhn-ders stares at his computer screen. Below, another guest is tested for the V-I-R-U-S. Chappelle and Potato Face follow the money trail on a computer while Kiefer and Charlie Brown drive back to CTU in the Kiefmobile and Bitchelle stares into space. Meanwhile, Brother Palmer is back in Palmerville, briefing Palmer on the helicopter attack of MI-6. "Any indication that the attack was triggered by what I said at the press conference?" asks Palmer. Brother Palmer can't convince him otherwise. Palmer tells Brother Palmer to tighten up border patrol and the airways. "Right away, Mr. President," says Brother Palmer. Palmer's phone rings. It's Sahhhhn-ders. "There's a man named Ryan Chappelle," says Sahhhhn-ders. "I want him killed by 7:00 AM." Palmer refuses. "Before you decide, you might want to drop by the Chandler Hotel," says Sahhhhn-ders. "Take a good look and then imagine the same thing happening in hundreds of locations across the U.S.!" "You're insane!" shrieks Palmer. The line goes dead. "What did he want?" asks Brother Palmer, who was listening from the doorway. The time is 05:59:57...05:59:58...05:59:59...06:00:00 AM.