My name is Sydney Bristow.
Seven years ago, I was recruited
by a secret branch of the CIA called SD-6.
I was sworn to secrecy,
but I couldn't keep it from my fiancé,
and when the head of SD-6 found out,
he had him killed.
That's when I learned the truth.
SD-6 is not part of the CIA.
I'd been working for the very people
I thought I was fighting against.
So I went to the only place
that could help me take them down.
Now I'm a double agent for the CIA,
where my handler is a man named Michael Vaughn.
Only one other person knows the truth about what I do.
Another double agent inside SD-6.
Someone I hardly know.
My father.
SLOANE: We still don't know who was behind
last week's invasion of SD-6.
Learning that information and getting
a visual I.D. Of "The Man" is our top priority.
The meeting with K-Directorate
is scheduled to take place in Moscow.
You'll be surveilling this meeting from outside.
DIXON: We're on.
They're heading toward the building now.
Gentlemen, welcome.
I'm Mr. Sark, Director of Operations.
My employer's offer is simple.
You will give us the Rambaldi manuscript
you recently acquired in Argentina...
Sydney, that is llyich lvankov,
the head of K-Directorate.
You tell your employer...
he ever wastes my time like this again,
and our next meeting will not be so cordial.
[Gun cocks]
Congratulations, Comrade Kessar.
You have just inherited control
of the indestructible K-Directorate.
[Gunfire]
Sydney?
[Gun cocks]
Wait.
[Gun cocks]
[Gunshot]
- Thanks. - Anytime.
[Door closes]
Do you want some?
No, thanks.
I gotta go interview David McNeil today.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I better go.
- Mmm. - Ooh, I better go.
I'm gonna be late.
Okay.
So, what are you gonna wear?
I'm just gonna wear this. I think.
I'm just going to a prison. Who cares?
No, next week.
- What am I gonna wear next week? - To the dinner.
- What dinner? - You didn't get my letter?
- What letter? - The one I left on your desk.
What are you talking about?
Okay, you know what?
You really have to start
reading the things I give to you, Will.
What's this?
You're getting the Kaplan Award for the Luis Maroma article.
What?
Yes. The readers voted it
one of the 10 most inspirational stories of the year.
I can't believe anyone read that article.
It says "black tie," which means tux.
Do you have one?
Well, I have an old one.
I can't believe I won the Kaplan Award.
Do you want to go celebrate? Maybe Friday?
Oh, I can't. I can't.
I gotta do something on Friday.
I'm sorry.
Oh.
Okay.
[Water running]
Yeah, I know. Well, thanks.
Yeah, I just wanted to tell you.
SYDNEY: Will, that is so amazing.
Oh, "North by Northwest"
is playing at the Fairfax on Friday night.
I thought maybe we could
get some dinner and celebrate it.
Definitely. I'm so proud of you.
Oh, it's not that big a deal.
Okay, so Friday night. It's a date.
It's a date.
SLOANE: Lompoc Prison. About two hours ago.
The man talking to Tippin
is David McNeil, software designer.
About eight years ago, he created an encryption system
that we wanted to acquire, but he wouldn't sell.
We don't have audio,
but we got hold of the prison log.
This is Tippin's third visit to McNeil
in the last two weeks.
You and I talked about Tippin some time ago.
You convinced me that he was just
a harmless metro reporter, far from a credible threat.
But now he's found McNeil.
What are you suggesting?
You know what I'm suggesting.
The decision to eliminate Tippin is premature.
He's a friend of Sydney's
who, as far as we know, knows nothing.
I told you this first as a courtesy.
Jack, I understand your reluctance.
What this would mean to Sydney.
But McNeil is not a benign element.
And he knows about SD-6.
The division's name was mentioned in Koenig's testimony.
Just the name. Nothing else.
A name is all Tippin needs.
What concerns me is this doesn't seem to concern you.
There's a difference between concern and assassination.
What are you suggesting?
That we get audio.
That we find out what those conversations are.
Jack...
we should take care of this immediately.
I'm sure you agree.
There are some truths that Sydney must never learn.
[Door opens]
[Door closes]
How's it going?
Fine.
I went to the stationery store today.
Same place I got the wedding invitations.
I had to buy some thank-you cards
for these engagement gifts, to send back to people.
The woman in the store
asked if I wanted the card stock
to match the invitations.
I burst into tears in the middle of the store.
Francie?
I don't know how to do this.
I haven't even been able to take this off.
Oh. I'm sorry.
Nah, don't be.
The truth is, I should have taken it off a long time ago.
Here's an idea.
[Sighs] What?
So, Wilshire Court, 7:30.
I got my ball in my car.
Oh, call Mitch.
- You got it. - Cool.
Well, well, look who it is.
Abby, what is this?
Oh, false modesty. Hideous. Doesn't suit you.
This isn't for the most inspirational article, is it?
Pretty dense for the man who wrote
the most inspirational article.
You don't deserve to win.
- I know. - Congratulations.
Thank you.
You make me sick, FYI.
10 years I've been at this, and what do I win?
- Tickets to "The Lion King." - You never invited me to that.
Oh, imagine that.
Thank you for the cake. I'm gonna get us some plates.
I expect a piece, yes. It's chocolate.
Maybe you can write an article about this cake
and win something else.
Excuse me. June Litvack's office?
Yeah, that's the next floor up. Huge office.
Thanks.
[Static]
WILL: If I didn't have to go, I'd eat the whole cake.
ABBY: Where are you going?
WILL: Lompoc. I got an interview.
Your surveillance footage of Moscow is remarkable.
Of course, we won't know for quite some time
the full implication of lvankov's murder,
but here's what we do know.
Ivankov's body was delivered last night
to K-Directorate Headquarters in St. Petersburg.
Delivered how?
Commercial freight carrier.
Packed inside a crate of frozen Atlantic codfish.
Lavro Kessar, K-Directorate Second-in-Command.
He hasn't been seen since that night.
We believe he's being held by Mr. Sark as a captive.
Unless K-Directorate delivers Rambaldi's manuscript
to Sark's employer, "The Man,"
they should be expecting more fish in St. Petersburg.
Have we learned anything more about "The Man"?
We have to get a name for this guy already.
Well, we don't know anything concrete yet.
We have learned something about Sark.
- Marshall? - Yes, okay.
Um, actually, I'm sure we've all seen
the classic movie "My Fair Lady."
[Cockney accent] Professor Henry Higgins
educatin' Eliza Doolittle, "you talk proper."
[Normal voice] My favorite Rex Harrison film
was "Doctor Dolittle," which always threw me.
You had Eliza Doolittle, Dr. Dolittle.
Doolittle, Dolittle. Was that on purpose? Conspiracy?
- Is it a... - Marshall.
Right.
We've analyzed Sark's speech pattern.
Lilt, stress, rhythm.
He is very clever.
His, uh, grammar and syntax
give away nothing, but his lengthened vowels
indicate that he spends considerable time in Ireland.
Most likely Galway.
Our assets in Tunis spotted a K-Directorate boat
passing through the Golfe de Hammamet port.
It's now moored off Es-Sekhira.
Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. local time,
a plane is scheduled to leave from nearby Gafsa Airport
to fly to Galway, Ireland.
They're handing over Rambaldi's manuscript in Tunisia.
The mission is to intercept the book and bring it back home.
Review the mission details. Go over op tech with Marshall.
You'll leave tonight.
This look familiar?
The same kind of camera I left behind in Argentina.
It is that camera.
The CIA sent a team and retrieved it last week.
You only took a few shots of the Rambaldi book.
I know.
But we did learn a lot from those pictures.
Like what?
[Sighs] I...
I've got this aunt. Aunt Trish.
She's the insane one in the family.
She speaks to the dead. She goes to readings.
She's a crop-circle worshiper.
- Aunt Trish. - Yeah.
This whole Rambaldi story
reminds me of something she would tell me about.
Anyway, we know that Rambaldi was a 16th-century inventor
who seemed to have had an almost psychic vision of technology.
This book, based on the images you took,
seems to be some sort of instruction manual.
To what, we don't know.
This was written in Italian.
On the second page.
And at the bottom,
Rambaldi refers to the "100 segments."
Meaning what?
Well, it continues on a page we don't have yet.
So your countermission is the same as in Argentina.
When you get the Rambaldi book, photograph the pages
and deliver the originals to SD-6 and the photos to us.
Just don't screw it up this time. Got it.
Your father's been reporting
that Sloane spent a lot of time at home.
Yeah, his wife, Emily. She's sick.
You two used to be close, right?
We still are.
Less so since she was diagnosed.
She's been a little reclusive.
Actually, I haven't seen her
since before I learned the truth about her husband.
I think this is a real opportunity.
We'd like you to call Emily, tell her you'd like to see her again,
and get invited to their house.
You want me to plant a bug.
Vaughn, she's dying of cancer.
Yes, I know.
You're asking me to use this woman.
- She will never know. - I will.
We've been trying to plant a listening device in SD-6.
That office uses every possible countersurveillance technique.
But this isn't a logistical question.
- This is a moral one. - Sydney, you're a spy.
What you're not hearing is Emily is my friend.
Despite her husband, she is my friend who is dying.
Does this not seem at all wrong to you?
Why does this seem wrong to you?
She's innocent. She is a good person.
Then, what she will never know,
is that this is one of the last opportunities
she has to do something good.
Emily, hi.
It's Sydney Bristow.
Hi. I know.
I know, it has.
Are you busy or sleeping?
Good, okay.
Yeah, yeah. I'm doing fine.
How are you?
That's why I called. I just...
I miss you.
WILL: Have you heard from your daughter?
No. No, my lawyer says she's safe.
That's all I really want to know.
So, what do you got?
Okay.
Based on the file at O.T. Technologies,
42 companies currently use your encryption software.
- 42? - Yeah.
I've had time to look into about 18 of these companies.
Listen to this.
Six of them have a common board member.
A guy by the name of Alain Christophe.
This is the best part.
12 years ago, Alain decides to retire...
from the CIA.
And before that, from '82 to '89,
he ran counterintelligence at Langley.
Why are you smiling?
Because for the first time in eight years,
SD-6 should be afraid of me.
Do a Lexis/Nexis for everything on Alain Christophe.
And call the IRS.
See if the Freedom of Information Act
covers access to his private holdings.
Oh, get "North by Northwest" tickets. Friday night.
Call Mercantile. See if you can get a reservation.
Son of a bitch.
[Tires screech]
[Guns cocking]
MAN: [Disguised voice] Resist and you die.
Get out.
[Tires screech]
[Speaking Russian]
[Static]
Okay, tell me the truth.
Who do you like better? Mary Ann or Ginger?
Listen, while you're grabbing Rambaldi's manuscript,
if you happen to see a sandwich...
You got it.
Okay. I'll radio if Sark arrives.
Good luck.
[Speaking Russian]
Gasoline?
Gasoline.
Ja.
[Speaks Russian]
[Gasps]
Okay, Dixon, the boat's secure.
I'm opening the case. The guy's handcuffed to it.
I'm picking the lock.
Looks like it's electromagnetic.
Okay.
Still no sign of Sark.
[Beeping]
- [High-pitched tone] - [Whirring]
[Camera shutter clicks]
Yuri?
Okay, I've got the book.
Sydney, Sark's here.
[Sighs]
I'm taking the boat.
Okay.
I'll meet you at the airport dock.
We'll be in the air in 30 minutes.
[Coughs]
Okay, look, guys...
[Coughing]
[Groaning]
Six of them have a common board member.
A guy by the name of Alain Christophe.
This is the best part.
About 12 years ago, Alain decides to retire...
from the CIA.
[Disguised voice] Do you value your life, Mr. Tippin?
Of course I value my life.
Do you?
Your actions would indicate otherwise.
I'm gonna tell you what you are apparently dying to know.
Your friend, Daniel Hecht,
David McNeil's wife, Susan, Eloise Kurtz.
They were all innocent victims.
Their deaths were unfortunate. A matter of circumstance.
Now, the only remaining question
is whether the story ends there
or whether it includes other innocent victims.
[Paper rustling]
Amy Tippin, 3723 East Conestoga Way.
Robert and Patsy Tippin, 63064 Shulman Way.
Sydney Bristow, 4250 Cochran Street.
Stop, stop. I understand.
This will be your only warning.
[Exhales deeply]
Mr. Sloane.
Yes?
I've questioned everyone from the boat.
The captain is a civilian. He doesn't know anything.
Kill him.
Yes, sir.
[Telephone rings]
Hello?
Sydney, it's Emily.
Hi.
Listen, I wanted to thank you for calling.
You have no idea how much that meant.
You don't have to thank me.
I do.
I woke up this morning feeling strong.
I was curious if you were free for dinner.
Tonight?
Bring a friend. Please?
And you accepted?
Not at first.
But Emily's sick. I couldn't say no.
I knew you wanted me to anyway.
Here.
- This is a bug? - It's good, huh?
You should see the guys who make it.
It's like they've never seen sunlight.
You should meet Marshall.
Where do you want this?
Sloane's got an office in his home.
That's where we want it.
Especially now that SD-6 has the Rambaldi book.
The CIA's been studying those photos you took.
They turned out all right?
There's one blank page.
Well, CIA Sci-Tech says
that of the few Rambaldi documents they've recovered,
the 47 th page is always particularly significant.
This blank page was number 47.
Your father's strategizing
on how to get it out of SD-6 analysis,
replace it with a counterfeit, but in the meantime,
we're just hoping to learn something with that bug.
Okay.
You said Emily invited you and a friend?
Mm-hmm.
You taking anyone?
[Cellular phone rings]
[Grunting]
[Exhales deeply] Hello?
SYDNEY: What are you doing?
Syd?
Are you sleeping?
Uh, no.
I'm, uh... I'm working.
Are you all right? You sound like hell.
Yeah, I'm fine.
[Grunts] How you doing?
You're gonna kill me.
Why?
I know we talked about going to "North by Northwest,"
but there's this dinner at my boss's house.
I can't get out of it.
You're mad.
Uh, no, no.
I got to go to a meeting, though.
Will you come with me?
They said I could bring a guest.
Will you be my guest?
[Car horn honking]
Will you please tell me what happened?
I told you I don't want to talk about it.
Your bruise looks pretty bad.
Well, you know what?
You're gonna have to come to my place.
I'll make you a big bowl of ashishta.
It's a noodle soup that my grandmother used to make.
You know what? You have to meet her.
You're gonna love her.
Jenny, I think you're great.
You're smart and you're beautiful.
I think we've had a lot of fun.
But you and I...
I just don't think that we...
[Tires screech]
[Scoffs] Are you breaking up with me?
I drive all the way out here with a broken radio,
and you're gonna break up with me?
- That's not fair. - Why don't you call Sydney?
Sydney's not my assistant. You work for me.
Not anymore. Get out.
[Chuckles] "Get out"?
I am not kidding.
Where the hell are we? We're nowhere.
No, no. You're nowhere. Get out.
Fine.
"Dear Aunt Stephanie...
unfortunately, as my mom has informed you,
the wedding is off.
So I am returning your kind gift
of a coffee maker because, as it turns out,
the man to whom I was engaged
is a deceitful, two-faced, sex-crazed jackass.
All my love, Francie."
It's not too harsh.
- I want to read you one more. - [Telephone rings]
Hello?
MAN: Joey's Pizza?
This is Joey's Pizza. You want to hear our specials?
- [Dial tone] - Hello?
Seriously, we need to think about changing our number.
I know.
Thank you.
I'm going to get a bottle of wine for tonight.
Do you need anything?
No, thanks.
Hey.
Sloane brought the Rambaldi book home.
I met with him earlier. He showed me the book.
He was so taken by what he'd seen,
he wanted to show it to you himself.
He brought it to his house?
Yes. It'll be there tonight.
Why didn't he just wait until I was at SD-6 on Monday?
An Alliance courier is en route to Los Angeles.
They're taking the book to Germany.
They have a cluster of labs in Munich.
Advanced analysis they can't perform here.
Wait a minute. The blank page.
You want me to make a switch.
If we don't do it tonight,
the courier will arrive in the morning,
we'll lose our shot at getting that page.
Doesn't this seem a little risky to you?
Making a move like this at Sloane's house,
while he's there, without backup.
You will have backup. Your father's going, too.
I can help you tonight.
Emily believes that her husband is C.O.O. Of the bank.
If he wants to show you the book,
he'll do that in private, in his office.
Where you want me to plant the bug.
If that's where the book is, it could be ideal.
During dinner, Vaughn will call your cellphone
posing as a friend in need.
You'll excuse yourself, go to Sloane's office,
get into his safe, and make the switch.
Sloane's vault is an advanced cushion model.
The guys who made the paper-clip bug came up with this.
It overrides the circuitry.
Tricks the safe into believing
you entered the correct combination.
They say it's bitchin', so I'm assuming it's bitchin'.
I don't know about this plan.
Not only does it put me in danger, and you...
but I'm taking Will tonight.
You're doing what?
Yeah.
Emily told me to bring someone. Why?
Nothing.
I should leave. I'll see you there.
[Gate clangs]
If you feel you can make the switch, do it.
Just use your discretion.
So, you're taking Will?
Yeah.
You look really pretty.
Thank you.
[Doorbell rings, door opens]
Oh, Sydney.
- Hi. - I'm so glad you're here.
Hey, these are for you.
- Oh, good. - You look beautiful.
Oh, thank you. You look fantastic.
I want you to meet my friend Will Tippin.
And this is Emily.
How do you do? I'm pleased to meet you.
- Pleasure to meet you. - Please come in.
Wow.
- I believe you know each other. - Sure, we met.
- Good to see you. - You too.
Sydney's telling me you're doing analysis for the bank.
Strategy. Investment strategy.
Arvin made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
That sounds like my husband.
Sydney.
I'm so glad you came.
Me too. This is my friend Will Tippin.
Arvin Sloane.
Hey.
Hey. Nice to meet you.
Yeah, nice to meet you, too.
Sydney, I want to show you something.
And, Emily, this is the only business
we'll do this evening.
Can I get you anything to drink?
Yes, yes. Anything would be great.
Okay, great. Come in.
SLOANE: I didn't get a chance to tell you how proud I am
of the work you did in Tunisia.
I was just doing my job.
Well, you will find, as you get older,
how difficult it is to find people who just do their job.
A courier is picking this up tomorrow morning for analysis.
Taking it where?
England.
I just wanted you to see it.
I didn't know if you had a chance to look at it...
to really examine it.
No, I didn't open it.
Some of the text is Italian.
But most of it is in code.
Code we haven't been able to break.
Who was this man, Sydney?
What did he see?
What did Rambaldi see?
Those who know about him...
various agencies, a few in the private sector...
they're spending millions to answer these questions.
Millions.
Men would die for this book.
Men have died.
You know, Sydney, the work we're doing here...
trying to figure out who Rambaldi was,
what he was working on...
is becoming an obsession for me.
I'm still not sure I'm a believer.
Neither was I.
EMILY: Wait a minute.
You wrote the article about the fruit picker from La Venta?
Yeah, I did. I can't believe you read that.
This is so funny. I told you about this.
There was a poll in the newspaper.
I voted for you.
You're kidding me. I just won that.
You did? Well, you deserved it.
That story made me cry.
It just stayed with me.
Yeah, well, that guy was amazing.
The story was about this man Luis Maroma.
He was a fruit picker from Mexico.
Illegal immigrant living in Los Angeles.
He worked for a man who was...
basically a slave driver.
No, he was a slave driver.
The conditions these poor people lived in...
18 sleeping in every room. One bathroom.
They were all undernourished.
If anyone got sick, there was no health care.
Anyway, Maroma was one of these workers
smuggled in from Mexico.
Their boss was a monster.
He was the devil.
He was literally the devil.
How's that?
Well, if you spoke out against him,
if you tried to leave, he'd have you killed.
Now, the other workers didn't know what they could do,
but Luis Maroma could read.
He started to teach the others to read.
He would find articles in the newspapers
that they were wrapping the fruit in.
Articles that taught them about their rights,
about what was right and wrong.
Eventually, he led a revolt against this guy.
I'm gonna cry again just talking about it.
What was amazing was, this man had no future.
He was caught in a horrible position.
Working for the worst person in the world.
But he was resourceful, and he was smart.
And today he's going to college.
And the monster he worked for is in prison,
rotting where he belongs.
Wow, that's an incredible story.
Emily?
Emily, are you all right?
Mmm.
I'm fine. I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
I'm still adjusting to this new medication.
It's nothing.
- [Cellular phone rings] - Excuse me.
Sorry.
Hello?
Hi, it's Francie.
- Francie. - Oh.
Excuse me. I have to take this call.
I'm sorry.
Hey, sweetie.
Okay, I'm in. I'll see you at the dead drop.
[High-pitched tone, rapid beeping]
So, Will...
what story are you working on?
I have a few irons in the fire.
Really?
What kind of irons?
Jack, can I get you some more wine?
- Please, let me get it. - You stay there.
I'll get it. I know where the wine cellar is.
Mmm. This lamb's fantastic.
[Door opens]
Oh, this? I got hit playing basketball.
How's this?
Jack, that's a very nice wine, but I have something special.
A '78 Litsvage.
I'll get it.
No, please, I know where it is.
You sit down this time. Please.
You look pale.
My friend. She's really having a rough time.
I see.
Is there anything I can do?
No. But thanks.
I should have told you last night about Tippin.
He and McNeil traced the use of McNeil's program
to some of The Alliance's shell companies.
But I've dealt with Tippin.
He won't be a problem for us anymore.
Security Section told me what you did.
You had me followed by Security Section?
They intercepted a phone call
that Tippin made to McNeil this morning.
The two have scheduled a meeting for this afternoon.
I'm sure he's just going there
to tell McNeil in person that he's off the story.
I'm not convinced of that, so I sent someone.
If by their conversation, it becomes clear
that Tippin has given up this investigation,
then, yes, I think we should let him live.
If, on the other hand,
you haven't done the job this time...
Sorry.
then no one can.
And I'm sure you'll agree
that Tippin will need to be taken care of.
[Clicking, static]
- Hey. - Hi.
I talked to Stoller.
He's gonna check on those companies.
What happened to your face?
We have to talk.
When I first came here and I asked you about SD-6,
you told me not to pursue it.
You said it was too dangerous.
David, I think you were right.
So why are you saying this to me now?
Did you talk to Christophe? What did he say?
- I didn't talk to Christophe. - What's going on?
I was kidnapped yesterday.
I don't know who they were, but...
I'm assuming they work for SD-6.
David, they threatened me.
They told me to drop the story.
What makes you think if you do,
they're not gonna kill you anyway?
What choice do I have?
You see it through.
Understand this.
The only way you can truly be safe is to publish this story.
Expose them in print.
That's your life insurance policy.
Come on, Will. We're close.
You just give it a week...
and we'll have something for you to write about.
One more week, and they can't touch you.
[Gun clicks]
I can't. I'm sorry.
Kelly went away because of you.
You convinced her that you were gonna help me get out.
You don't have the choice to back out on me.
David...
I hate myself for letting you down, okay?
But right now I'm you.
I'm exactly where you were before your wife was killed.
Now, if I do what you suggest...
David, they're gonna kill my family...
my friends.
If you could go back, if you could change it,
you wouldn't hesitate, would you?
I'm sorry.
[Exhales deeply]
Call Driscoll.
Tell him I got his e-mail, that he's a sick man,
and that we have the rink for tomorrow night.
Mr. Vaughn?
Yeah? I'm late for a meeting.
You're gonna want to cancel that meeting.
I'm Officer Cohen with Sci-Tech.
We figured out how to read the Rambaldi document.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
Cancel my meeting.
I came as fast as I could.
Vaughn, what's up?
Remember that vial of liquid
Cole was after in the SD-6 vault?
Yeah, of course.
We used it on the blank page to get the ink to show up.
So, it worked?
Yeah.
So, what is it?
[Sighs] Look, we're not sure.
We don't know what it means.
That's sort of the problem.
Okay, so you're acting really freaky.
[Sighs]
I have the page with me, and I'd like you to see it.
Okay.