Previously on Alias: The Covenant bioengineered a virus to kill everyone residing in an African prison except for one Kazari Bomani (Djimon Hounsou), an arms dealer with Covenant ties. Bomani captured Sloane, who offered to help Bomani with his nefarious plans. Lazarey asked Syd if she knew about the passenger, but Lauren killed him before he could explain. The rest of the scenes are all from the episode: Lauren set up Sloane to take the fall for the leaks; Syd recovered a Rambaldi artifact, which was then traded to Sark to get Dixon's daughter back; and Jack totally figured out that Lauren is eeeeevil.
Los Angeles. Vaughn and Weiss go for a jog in the park. And Weiss needs it. I love Weiss no matter how much he weighs, but he has been looking a bit...husky lately. Vaughn jogspositions that Lauren's parents have been married for thirty-four years and they still spend all their time together, whereas he had one day off this month and spent it playing hockey with a bunch of high school kids. The jog ends, and Weiss immediately crashed on a nearby bench and pulls out some food. I don't know if he was eating a candy bar or an energy bar of some sort, but either way: hee! Vaughn looks pained and asks if he can crash on Weiss's couch if necessary. Weiss agrees, and adds that Vaughn will have to wipe off the Cheese Nips. Are they going to make a plot point out of Weiss's weight gain, or did Greg Grunberg just gain weight in real life and they're trying to explain it away? Weiss heaves a sigh, and then gently taps Vaughn's leg with his fist and says he's sorry. That is such a guy thing. If this situation involved two women, they would have analyzed the entire relationship from first date to what he said on the phone that morning already. Vaughn's phone rings, and he answers it. Look at the guns on Vaughn! Have we ever seen him wearing a short-sleeved shirt? Sadly, I'm sure there are people who could give me an episode number and approximate time of appearance on that one.
Oops Center. Vaughn tells a bang-a-licious Syd (who has bangs in her hair, not that she's not also bangable...you know what I mean) that he has a lead on a map that will lead them to a key, which will open Rambaldi's box. Syd points out that Project Black Hole couldn't get that information in two years of looking, and Lauren says that the Covenant won't be able to open it either. Vaughn says they need to get the map first, and that he has information from "an asset in Mexico City." Dixon tells Vaughn that a plane is waiting, and Syd says she'd like to go too. Lauren asks if that's a good idea, and Syd turns, clearly thinking, "Bitch, step off." Lauren clarifies that Sloane made it clear that the contents of the box pose a risk to Sydney. Syd says that Sloane could be lying, and besides, she wants to find out why the box has her mother's name inscribed on it. And she can't find that out unless she goes to Mexico? Weak. Lauren gives the departing couple an evil glare, which Dixon totally catches. Dixon tells Lauren that her father has ordered an official inquiry into the disappearance of the artifact, and Lauren says she's already been questioned, and said she knows nothing about it. Dixon thanks her, and Lauren lies, "You know where my loyalties lie." Yeah, he totally does, and you're going down!
Mexico City. Again. Some more. Remember when they used to go to Italy and shit? Syd and Vaughn talk to Kishell, and it took me about a million years to figure out when we had seen this character before, so I hope you appreciate that link! Kishell's all scary scar-faced and wheezy. Kishell says that the Rambaldi Box has not been opened since Rambaldi's time, but there's a legend that Josef Stalin made a great effort. Syd is surprised to hear that Stalin was a Rambaldi follower. Kishell says that everyone is interested in the Rambaldi Box because it's rumored to contain a plague-like virus that would kill millions. Kishell tells a little story about how Stalin sent archaeologists around the world to look for the key, as we see two dudes digging a giant hole in the desert. In 1941, that team found a crystal map, but then the archeologists started fighting over who would get credit for the find, and killed each other. So how in the hell did anyone ever find out about this little tale if both guys died? And why was there a camera there? Heh.
Kishell explains that two days ago, he got some photos from a contact in South Africa. Syd and Vaughn look at pictures of Djimon Hounsou standing in front of the fakest backdrop ever. Syd recognizes Bomani. The series of photos reveals Bomani's goons digging up the archeologists' bones, and finding the crystal map, which is a small pink disc. It cracks me up that it's pink for some reason. It looks like Bomani's holding a pack of birth control pills, and he looks really puzzled, which only adds to my amusement. "So you take one of these every day and it prevents conception? So what are the green ones for? Sugar pills? It's a miracle!" That's funnier if you imagine it in Djimon Hounsou's accent. Syd asks about the bio-weapon inside the box, and Kishell says that the Covenant refers to the weapon as "The Passenger." Syd may or may not remember Lazarey mentioning that before he died. Vaughn wants to speak to the guy who took the pictures, but he was made, and now he's dead. My favorite part is that the contact kept filming while he was being shot, so there are a series of photos of Bomani aiming and firing, and then in the final shot, the camera is sideways on the ground like at the end of The Blair Witch Project. And there's even a guard standing with his back to the camera, sort of in a corner. Awesome. Vaughn takes a closer look at the photos, and swears when he realizes that Bomani's transportation was provided by Omnifam, Sloane's organization.
Syd goes to ask Sloane what's up with that. Sloane says he collaborated with Bomani at the CIA's insistence, so that they could monitor the Covenant. Syd says that Sloane is supposed to provide intel, not to provide materials "aiding the Covenant in their search for The Passenger." The frames of Sloane's glasses are green. He looks like an employee of the Beauty Shop at Emerald City. I expect him to bust out singing, "That's how we laugh the day away in the merry old land of Oz." Sloane lies back on his cot and says he had to do certain things to avoid Bomani's suspicions, and he reported it to the CIA. Syd doesn't believe Sloane's stinking reports. Sloane retorts, "I'm not the mole you're looking for." Is that a Jedi mind trick? Because if anyone could pull off a Jedi mind trick, I think Sloane could. And maybe Jack. Maybe they became friends when they were both young Jedis-in-training. What? Like it's any worse than some of the other storylines this season? Anyway. Syd reminds Sloane that if he violated his pardon agreement, he'll be facing the death penalty again. Sloane says it's fine if he dies, since he knows he "honored [his] agreement, to the letter." Syd asks where Bomani is, and Sloane claims he doesn't know. Sloane walks over to the cell door and says that he was reading The Iliad in the original Greek when he was jailed, and intimates that if he could get a copy now, he would give them the codes to track the Omnifam trucks via GPS. Can't they just make him give up that information anyway? Sloane walks closer and compliments Syd's beautiful smile. Syd retorts, "If you're executed, I'll be a witness. I'll smile then." Ooh, burn. Also, this whole quid pro quo scene between an older imprisoned man and a younger woman in law enforcement with an ambiguous relationship has been done before.
Lauren and Vaughn eat dinner in a fancy restaurant. Lauren tries to pry information out of Vaughn, but he's short with her. While Vaughn studies the menu, Lauren slides a gift across the table. Vaughn opens it, and finds his father's watch inside. Lauren says that she knows she forgot the anniversary of his father's death, and she "felt terribly [sic] and wanted to do something special to make up for it." No, Melissa George acts terribly, but Lauren felt terrible. Right, Sars? I'm going to be so embarrassed if I'm wrong. ["Nope, you're right." -- Sars] Vaughn looks at the watch like it's covered in shit. Lauren explains that she had the watch fixed. Vaughn blurts out, "This isn't working." Lauren thinks he means the watch, but he really means their relationship. Vaughn explains that he's not happy. Lauren just gives an icy "I see." Vaughn thinks they should separate. Woo hoo! Lauren can't even muster up one fake tear as she asks if it's about Sydney, and if Syd gave Vaughn an ultimatum. Vaughn insists that it has nothing to do with Syd. Lauren angrily tells Vaughn to be honest about why he's destroying her life, and runs off.
Lauren ducks into another part of the restaurant to call Sark. There's an extended shot of the painting in the background, and I just spent about thirty minutes trying to figure out the name of the painting, hoping it would provide some speculatory fun, but I didn't have any luck. If any Eagle-Eyed Forum Posters know, tell the rest of us! Lauren tells Sark that they have a problem. Cut to Lauren meeting Sark in a parking garage. It seems like putting surveillance cameras in parking garages could solve many of the world's intelligence problems. Sark asks Lauren if she's been made, and Lauren replies, "Of course not." I hope she would have told him that before meeting with him in person. Then again, she is the worst spy ever. When informed of the break-up, Sark snarks, "Well, he's obviously grown tired of you. Perhaps because of another woman?" I love how Sark always looks slightly amused. I need to cultivate that. Lauren is sure her spying can continue without her marriage. Sark isn't so sure, and wants her to keep Vaughn close. Sark tells Lauren that the last time Syd and Vaughn nearly got together, Vaughn went back to his girlfriend Alice when her father died. Therefore, he wants Lauren to kill her father. I wish I were making that up. That's his logical plan? This, the man of a thousand escapes? He's going to kill Lauren's dad just to keep Vaughn close? I hope it comes out later that Sark had ulterior motives. Lauren refuses to kill her father, and Sark reminds her that she killed his father, Lazarey, without a second thought. Lauren says that Sark ordered her to kill Lazarey. That's new information, right? Lauren is still not on the daddy-killing train.
Oops Center. Jack sits at a terminal and accesses Lauren's records, then prints them out. Just then, Lauren walks by, and Jack stares at her, thinking. Go, Jack!
Jack goes to visit Senator Reed in his hotel suite. Mrs. Reed (played by Peggy "Mod Squad" Lipton, looking fabulous) welcomes him in. Mrs. Reed makes small talk about how important the CIA's work is, and how they're lucky to have Lauren. Jack lies and agrees. Senator Reed walks in and politicobabbles about funding. Olivia (formerly Mrs. Reed) says she has to go give a speech, and reminds Senator Reed to take his pill. I turn to my husband and say that either Peggy Lipton is a terrible actress, or Olivia is heavily medicated, or something weird is going on. I swear, I really said that.
Jack announces that he has a paper trail that represents what he and Dixon think points to the existence of a mole. Jack hands the Senator a file, and Reed asks if it's someone besides Sloane. Jack says Sloane could also be involved, but it's currently unclear. Senator Reed smarms, "Is it that hard to identify a traitor? Honestly, sometimes I think you people just get too close." Jack just stares at him like, "Dude, just open the file, because in a minute, you're going to feel like a complete ass. And by the end of the episode, you'll feel like a dead ass." But I'm getting ahead of myself. Reed flips open the file and sees Lauren's picture, and says he doesn't understand. Jack says her actions were unauthorized by the CIA or the NSC. Reed points out that covert ops sometimes go unrecorded. Jack says that sixty percent of the flights listed coincide with verifiable dates and locations where Covenant activity occurred. Wow, is Lauren dumb or what? And again, it makes everyone else look dumb that she didn't get caught earlier. Reed snaps the files shut and insists, "My daughter is a committed public servant who, despite my objections, insisted on service because she felt the responsibility to give back to her country." Which country? England? Wasn't she raised there? Jack says he knows it's difficult, but Reed angrily says that Lauren is "a patriot," and he won't allow Jack to ruin her reputation based on "innuendo and supposition." Jack deadpans that his findings are preliminary. He stands and tells Reed that the contents of the file are duplicates, and to call if he has any questions "after reviewing them more thoroughly." That was totally Jack's way of telling Reed that he needs to look at the evidence instead of being a reactionary jackass.
Ops Center. Dixon gives a presentation telling everyone that they tracked Bomani's trucks to the Russian Consulate in Gaborone (the capital of Botswana, and yes, I looked it up). The Consulate General has strong Covenant ties. The team will arrive during a state event, and should proceed to the second floor where Sark and Bomani are analyzing the map. Man, that Sark is just a world traveler. Imagine his frequent flyer miles! I bet he upgrades to first class all the time. Dixon explains that the second floor is like a vault. Syd will go in undercover (of course) pretending to be a Russian fashion designer, and Vaughn and Weiss will run backup. ["Anyone else wish Weiss had gone in as the Russian fashion designer? Because…hee? Just me, then? Okay." -- Sars]
Gaborone. Vaughn and Weiss hang out in a delivery truck outside the Embassy while Syd enters the party. Oh, dear. Syd is wearing a wig of short, red, crimped hair and an emerald green dress. She looks like bizarro-Annie. Spy Annie! It's a hard-knock life, indeed. Syd spots the Consulate General.
Flashback to Marshall explaining that Syd's necklace is actually a recording device. The elevators in the embassy are operated by spoken password (which is "mockingbird," in Russian), so Syd will record the Consulate General's voice. Vaughn is all, "How's she going to get him to say 'mockingbird'?" I imagined she would just start singing the James Taylor/Carly Simon duet of the same name and hope he joins in. But, no. Marshall explains that she just has to get the CG's voice recorded, and they can piece together the password from fragments of his speech.
Syd sashays up to the CG and compliments his contributions to couture. I promise to never use that much alliteration in one sentence again. The CG apologizes for the hoarseness of his voice, explaining that he cheered too much at his son's soccer game. In the van, Weiss worries that the software won't work. Syd walks off, and Vaughn radios that he's on the way in. As Vaughn picks up a tray with two champagne bottles, Weiss promises to upload the password to Vaughn shortly.
Upstairs, Sark and Bomani are trying to pinpoint the location of the keys. Bomani promises that they'll have the location by the day. Meanwhile, Vaughn has entered the party and catches Syd's eye. She follows him to the elevator and grabs his champagne bottles. Get your minds out of the gutter. Syd tells Vaughn about the security she's seen as they enter the elevator. Syd opens the false bottom on the champagne bottle and pulls out a gun and some ammo. I was wondering what that was about. Vaughn attaches a device to the control panel, and Weiss tries to play back the CG's voice speaking the password. It doesn't work. Weiss scrambles to fix the problem. Syd hands Vaughn a loaded gun. They try the password again, but it's still not working. Weiss announces that a guard is approaching from the south. Syd and Vaughn prepare to be made, but at the last minute, Weiss gets the password to work, and the elevator doors slide shut.
Bomani tells Sark to go somewhere (it sounded like he said Vienna, but that can't be right) and get everything ready. Bomani will meet him there, and they'll retrieve the key. Sark agrees. Bomani pulls out a gun and shoots the technician who was assisting them with the mapping. Sark, halfway out the door, turns back and arches, "Well, that was extravagant." Bomani says that he trusts no one, and Sark should remember that. Sark looks like he just threw up a little bit in his mouth.
Vaughn and Sydney find the vault holding the map. Syd busts open the door with some sort of charge, and Weiss tells them that they set off a silent alarm. Bomani gets a call and informs Sark that someone is there. Vaughn grabs the map just as Bomani and Sark enter the room, guns blazing. Syd and Vaughn narrowly escape through a door, and toss some furniture in front of it to slow Sark and Bomani down. Syd reenters the party via a balcony, surveying the floor below, but then an armed guard starts spraying bullets her way. The partygoers duck and cover. Vaughn gives Syd his gun, and Syd fires double-fisted back at the guard, John-Woo-style. Vaughn uses the bunting (shout-out to Sars?) to fashion a swing, and he and Syd go flying off the balcony. As she's holding onto Vaughn in mid-air, Syd manages to shoot two rounds into a guard's chest. Sark and Bomani run up, moments too late. Sark says that they have the map, and Bomani sniffs, "We'll get them." Awesome. Except for Syd's wig, that sequence was cool.
Syd, Vaughn, and Weiss are flying home, and they have the crystal map thingy. Syd says that the Covenant may have already figured out how to read the map, and even if the CIA figures it out, Bomani might get there first. Weiss says that Dixon forwarded a photo of the crystal to Project Black Hole, and offers to call and see if they can read it. Weiss might as well have said, "Let me think of some excuse to leave you two alone for a moment or two so that, later, we can break viewers' hearts once again." Once Weiss is gone, Vaughn blurts out, "Lauren and I are separating." Well, don't beat around the bush. Syd tries not to look happy. Vaughn adds that he'll be sleeping on Weiss's couch when they get home. Syd looks at Vaughn like, "How am I supposed to respond to this, exactly?" but instead she carefully asks, "Are you sure that's what you want?" Vaughn says firmly, "It is."
Oops Center. Lauren logs in to her terminal and notices the date and time of her last successful login -- which was Jack's doing. She types something in and gets a list of people who logged into her server. Why wouldn't Jack use Lauren's ID to get in? Lauren stalks over to some poor IT guy and gets him to look up the mysterious user ID she found in the list. The IT guy tells her that the records are sealed, but Lauren claims she has clearance. The IT guy reveals that the ID belongs to Jack. Lauren heads to her favorite stairwell, where she calls Sark and tells him that Jack accessed her files. She adds that her "intrusion detection software" caught it. Man, my IT guy at work won't even let me install ICQ! Sark asks what Jack was looking for. Lauren says he checked out her travel itinerary, rental car receipts, and the like. Lauren whispers that she can't risk being exposed. Sark says plain as day, "Well, then I strongly suggest you reconsider eliminating your father." Aren't they worried that someone might hear them? Can't they speak in cool code words like, "I strongly suggest you reconsider icing the Birdman." I don't know. Lauren asks how that will help her situation, and Sark says that they can associate Reed with the security breaches. At first, I thought Sark said that they can associate Reed with the britches, and "britches" is a funny word, so I laughed. Sark asks Lauren if she has a better idea, and Lauren is silent, so Sark says that they're agreed on the matter. Lauren pouts slightly, as you do when you've just agreed to murder your father. I guess.
In Marshall's office, he explains to Syd, Vaughn, and Dixon how the map works. Basically, it's a kaleidoscope, so you have to look at it through a long tube. Dixon says that there are actually three crystals, and all are required to read the map. Before, Sloane had only collected two. So I guess they don't have to worry about Bomani finding the location of the keys. Well, as far as they know. Lauren will obviously tell the Covenant. Marshall flips a switch and projects a topographical map on a screen. Syd asks if they know where the location is, and Marshall says that he ran a bunch of software scans, but couldn't find a match, even after adjusting for erosion, natural disaster, and suchlike.
Dixon and Syd go to visit Sloane. Dixon says that based on Sloane's intel, they were able to locate Bomani and acquire the map. I think Sloane's glasses got greener since the last time we saw him. Syd says that they can't interpret the data they got, and hands over a copy of The Iliad. Sloane knows a quid pro quo when he sees one, so he asks how he can be of service. Syd opens a suitcase and pulls out the kaleidoscope. Sloane is very interested, and immediately knows what he's looking at. Sloane looks in the end as Syd orders him to tell them what he sees. Sloane looks for about 1.5 seconds before lowering the kaleidoscope and saying that Rambaldi encrypted many of his discoveries, or divided them into pieces so that no one could discover the true meaning of his work. I thought the true meaning of his work was peace? Eh, no one bought that line anyway. Sloane says that there are four disks that serve as keys to the Rambaldi box. Syd explains about the map, and Sloane says that "there isn't anywhere on earth" that Rambaldi's followers wouldn't go to hide Rambaldi's creations. So, like, Antarctica? Uncharted portions of the Amazon? The moon? I seriously thought for a minute that Sloane was going to tell them to check the surface of the moon. And Syd and Vaughn would be flying there in a rocket ship. And Bomani and Sark would already be there, wearing astronaut suits. That visual made me realize how ridiculous the idea was. Or was it?
Marshall uses a computer to compare the map to the topography of the ocean floor, and immediately comes up with a match. He chuckles, "Sloane is a genius." Syd looks disturbed, and Marshall amends, "I mean an evil, horrible genius. Bad...man. But, still." Syd recognizes that they're looking at a rock formation off the coast of Okinawa. Dixon orders Syd and Vaughn to head there immediately.
Dixon walks off, and Jack intercepts him to report that Senator Reed called; he wants to meet. Dixon says that they owed Reed the courtesy of a heads-up, but he wants Lauren taken into custody as soon as the discussion with Reed is over. Jack mulls that one over.
Senator Reed pours himself a drink, and then looks up, startled to see Lauren standing there, and probably even more startled that she is dressed all in black leather with lots of black eyeliner. Ah, she had to psych herself up for the assassination by getting a fancy costume. She probably also danced around the room, singing along to "Walkin' On Sunshine." What, I'm the only one who does that? Maybe it would be more appropriate if she were listening to something a bit more punk. Reed says he didn't hear Lauren come in, and Lauren says she's been there a while, talking to her mother. So her mother's dead too? Isn't that what you thought? Reed tells Lauren to shut the door, because they need to discuss something he doesn't want her mom to hear. Reed babbles about how great his wife is, and how she put up with his absences all these years, as did Lauren. The camera cuts to show that Lauren has a giant gun with a silencer clutched behind her back. Reed concludes, "It would break your mother's heart if she ever found out about this. I know because it broke mine." He turns Jack's file around so that Lauren can see. Man, knowing what happens in a moment all seems so obvious now, and yet I totally didn't see it coming. Lauren looks sick and says, "If it's any consolation, I believe that the cause I am working for is just." Reed tries to throw his daughter a bone by saying that he feels like it's his fault, and if he could help her get out, they could start over somehow. Lauren asks what he means, and Reed offers to pretend that he's been conducting his own mole investigation with Lauren's help, and no one would question it due to his position. Lauren can't believe he'd do that for her. Reed stands and says, "Of course I would. I love you." Lauren's resolve seems to melt a bit as she says that it's a clever plan, and she will use it, but it only solves one of her problems.
Lauren pulls the gun out with a shaking hand. Reed asks what she's doing. Duh! What does it look like she's doing? Then again, a family member has never held me at gunpoint, so maybe he's too busy shitting his pants to be erudite. Lauren orders her father to get on his knees as he tries to talk her out of it. She orders him to put his hands behind his head, and Reed looks terrified. Reed begs her not to do it, and Lauren puts the gun down and grabs her forehead. Does she have a migraine? It's like the director yelled out, "Indicate!" and that's how Melissa George is demonstrating that she's torn. Reed starts to relax, and Olivia enters the room and asks, "God, what are you doing?" She orders Lauren to give her the gun, and Lauren complies. Olivia turns and shoots her husband. Lauren flinches. Olivia composes herself and says, "Sark said you might back out." She looks annoyed with her daughter as she grabs a nearby phone and says, "Send them up." Lauren stares at her dead father, who has a gunshot wound to the temple. Totally didn't see that coming. But it was awesome.
Reed is zipped into a body bag as investigators document the crime scene. Jack shows up and flashes his ID at the cop on duty. He finds Olivia, who is sadly drinking a cup of coffee, and offers his condolences. He asks what happened. Olivia shakes her head and says that she went out shopping, and when she got home, she found her husband gazing out the window. She says that he started talking about how our government is ineffectual. She adds, "He said he made certain choices, that when they came out, no one would understand." She assured him they could get through whatever it was, but he said that he'd asked Lauren to access records for him, so she would be implicated too. Olivia says she went to the kitchen, and that's when she heard the shot. Olivia starts crying and says she should have known what was going on, because she's his wife. Jack looks perturbed. Olivia says, "These people he was talking about -- the Covenant -- he made it sound like they were terrorists." Jack just nods. Lauren enters the room and runs to her mom, sobbing. They embrace. Lauren looks over to see if Jack's buying it, and while Jack's expression is often inscrutable, I didn't think he was. But the fact that Olivia, who has never been under any suspicion, practically witnessed the alleged suicide explains why there wasn't further investigation yet. If Lauren alone had witnessed it, Jack would be on it like white on rice, but I'm thinking he still feels like Olivia is above suspicion. But I know Jack, and he'll figure it out eventually.
Sea of Japan. Syd and Vaughn hop out of a helicopter and use those motorized underwater scooters to propel themselves into the depths of the ocean. Back at the Oops Center, Marshall and Dixon give them directions. Through some crappy CGI, Syd and Vaughn swim into an underwater cave. Dude, that looked like an episode of Aquaman. Bad. Marshall tells Dixon that the agents will be out of radio contact until they resurface. Well, isn't that convenient.
Syd and Vaughn surface inside the cave and strip off their dive gear. They walk over to a monument with three shining squares embedded in it. Syd comments that it's probably been fortified by Rambaldi's followers over the year to prevent anyone from finding the artifacts. Vaughn says that the followers will have to do a better job time. Man, that was some bad dialogue.
At the Oops Center, Dixon notices an unidentified blip on the radar screen. Marshall scrambles to figure it out, and says that it's a helicopter with four divers. Dixon tries to warn Syd and Vaughn. Did he not just hear Marshall say that they were out of radio contact? Hello? How did he get to be director anyway?
Vaughn and Syd are busy grabbing the keys. Vaughn tells Syd that the keys don't have to ever see the surface. She doesn't understand, and Vaughn explains that the contents of the Rambaldi box are supposed to be a danger to Syd, so maybe they should just destroy the keys. Syd gazes at Vaughn lovingly and thanks him for saying that. Before she can elaborate, Bomani shows up and orders them to put their weapons down. And he's got goons! And they're armed! Syd and Vaughn drop their guns. Bomani thanks them for leading him to the keys, and then tells Syd that she looks like her mother, and he's sure Irina would be pleased to know he got the keys from her daughter. Syd looks pissed, but holds her tongue. Bomani continues, "After all, the Passenger is Irina's legacy." Syd looks shocked, but remains silent. Bomani orders her to bring him the bag containing the keys, and pulls out a giant machete to show that he's not fooling around.
Syd starts walking over, and Vaughn ducks aside and shoots an oxygen tank, which explodes, taking out a goon. Bomani swings the machete at Syd, but she manages to step aside. Vaughn holds off the other goons with covering gunfire. Syd manages to knock Bomani down with a kick, which gives her time to take cover. Bomani gets up, grabs the bag, and runs out. Vaughn takes out another goon, and apparently the third goon went missing, because Syd and Vaughn struggle back into their dive gear and prepare to follow Bomani, who has the keys. Syd realizes that their air hose has been cut, and asks Vaughn how long he can hold his breath. Vaughn says they'd never make it out of the tunnel. Vaughn suggests that they make like MacGyver and use found objects. Syd finds a full oxygen tank, and Vaughn says they can use it to propel themselves to the surface. Syd grabs Vaughn, and they rocket on out of there in some more bad CGI.
As soon as they are out of the cave, Marshall picks them back up on the radar screen. Syd and Vaughn struggle to swim to the surface while I squirm and cover my eyes because I have recurring nightmares about trying to swim to the surface and not making it in time. Brrr. It freaks me out just to think about it. But Syd and Vaughn do make it, as you knew they would.
Syd and Vaughn are in the plane, heading home. Vaughn reports that there's no sign of Bomani at all. Syd adds, "And he took the key to the Passenger with him." Yes. We get it. We saw him take the key. We heard Syd tell Vaughn that he took the key. Did we really need a third reminder? Syd looks like she wants to say something else, stops herself, and then forges ahead: "I am sad for you. For you and Lauren, that you have to go through this. But I'm also hopeful. That's what scares me." Vaughn and Syd stare at each other, and Vaughn says that he understands. Syd looks like she was hoping he'd say more, but Vaughn just looks down. Finally, he asks, "When we get home, you wanna get a cup of coffee?" I hope by "coffee," he means "sex." Syd and her giant ears nod.
Oops Center. Dixon meets with Lauren and extends his condolences, adding that he's arranged grief counseling and a leave of absence for her, if she wants them. Lauren hands him a piece of paper and explains that it's her letter of resignation, because her actions violated her oath and Dixon's trust. Dixon says that her behavior was unacceptable, but it's understandable, because she followed her father's instructions. Jack knocks, and Dixon motions him in. Lauren gets this look on her face like, "Oh, shit. Here comes Mr. Doubting Thomas." Dixon says that many of them have suffered tragedy, and when it happens, they pull together. He tells Lauren that he won't accept her resignation. Lauren sighs, relieved, and excuses herself to "go find [her] husband." As soon as she's gone, Jack asks Dixon if the forensics checked out. Dixon says that they did, and Reed's official cause of death is suicide. Dixon asks if Jack accepts that. Jack says he has no reason not to, and adds that they probably have to let Sloane go. Dixon hands Jack a file and says, "Not necessarily." Jack reads it and immediately looks at Dixon, shocked.
Syd and Vaughn walk into the Oops Center. They spot everyone crowded around Lauren, who has her back to them. Weiss is comforting Lauren, and he tries to give Vaughn a look to let him know something is up. Lauren turns, holding a tissue to her mouth and trying to look upset. Syd watches as Weiss delivers the news to Vaughn. Vaughn immediately walks over to his wife, and Syd just has to watch as they embrace. Lauren totally looks at Syd over Vaughn's shoulder like, "HA-ha!" I hope when Jack takes Lauren down, he gives Syd the opportunity to get a few licks in as well.
Dixon visits Sloane in his cell. Dixon lets Sloane know that they were wrong about Sloane accessing files illegally, so the charges have been dropped. Now Sloane's frames and lenses are green. What in the hell is going on here? Sloane asks if they apprehended the mole. Dixon says that it was Senator Reed, and Sloane can't believe that Reed admitted to working for the Covenant. Dixon drops the bomb about the suicide. Sloane starts making demands to be released immediately, with apologies and his pardon agreement intact. Dixon's like, "Not so fast, Jolly Green Not-So-Giant." He explains that in going through Reed's effects, they found evidence that Sloane consulted with Reed about Rambaldi, and that Sloane gave Reed certain Rambaldi artifacts, which is a violation of his pardon agreement. Sloane starts to shake his head. Dixon takes great pleasure in informing Sloane that his pardon agreement is being revoked, and Sloane is set to be executed by lethal injection in two weeks. Sloane does not look happy.
Vaughn lies in bed, staring at the ceiling. He looks at the person to him, then gets up. Why doesn't Vaughn sleep without a shirt? Throw a sister a bone, people! Vaughn calls Sydney and apologizes for being pulled away. Syd asks after Lauren, and Vaughn says it's hard for her to deal with her father's death and betrayal. Syd just nods as her face starts to fall. She asks Vaughn if he's at Weiss's house. Vaughn admits that he's not, and the words are like a knife in Syd's stomach as her face just crumbles with pain and sorrow. Syd covers and says that they probably won't be getting that cup of coffee. Vaughn sighs and admits, "No, we're not." Syd says that she has to go, and hangs up before she totally loses it, sitting alone in her empty apartment. Vaughn gets back into bed and Lauren, facing away from him, creepily opens her dead black eyes and mentally dances a jig.