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 fiance.
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've 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.
Security section has made us aware of the concern that you may have a mole in your department.
It would appear so.
There are some in the alliance who believe you may have more than one.
- It is our intention to make an example of them. - I know.
I'm taking care of it.
What can you tell me about this woman? Ana Espinosa?
She's work with K-Directorate. I don't like her, that's what you mean.
I'm leaving for England tonight.
SD-6 has traced the Rambaldi artifact to the engineering science department at Oxford.
K-Directorate's on this.
I need to act fast, so that Ana doesn't get there first.
So, FTL found the Rambaldi artifact in Tunisia. Why'd they send it here?
Analysis. The engineering department is among the best in the world.
Remember, the lens has to be within two feet of the key card to get a reading.
Got it. How do I look?
For the record, that's a question you never have to ask anyone.
FTL agents are here posing as campus security.
- Watch your back. - You, too.
For a journalist, you have quite a remarkable grasp of engineering principles.
What is your background?
- My family was in demolition. - Really?
So, is it true that your department's just received ancient technology from Tunisia?
Who told you that?
Well, you just did.
I'd love to see your lab.
See anybody, Syd?
I've spotted Professor Hoyt. Do you see anything?
Get closer. I can't tell if he's got the card on him.
Anything?
Yeah, the key card's in his breast pocket.
But you're too far away,
get him to turn towards you.
Excuse me, Professor Hoyt?
Yes?
Hold that... for thirty seconds.
I'm Molly Zertan, with the Marissa Foundation.
We're very interested in your current study.
Really? Which one?
Hoyt is currently studying the crashworthiness of transportation vehicles.
Your study on crashworthiness of transportation vehicles.
Oh, wonderful. Yes, yes. Well, of course,
getting funding is very difficult, particularly in today's economic climate.
The duplicate key card's printing!
- That is so true... - Got it, Syd. I'm on my way.
Excuse me.
Contact university security, tell them someone's trying to break into the engineering lab.
Then the FTL guards will know.
Ana's here.
Copy that. Calling the guards right now.
Freeze, right there!
Oh, thank God! Someone's done something terrible to Professor Blume!
I'm in the lab.
I don't see anything.
Okay, I got it!
Got a minute?
Of course.
Eloise Kurtz. She was found dead two days ago in Echo Park.
She was a new promotion at SD-6.
Yes, I know.
You retired her, didn't you?
I think the more pressing question is, why did you send her to talk to a reporter without running it by me first?
I wasn't keeping it from you, but this reporter-- Will Tippin.
Yes. He's a friend of Sydney's.
He was looking into the name Kate Jones, one of her aliases.
I tasked Eloise Kurtz to lead him down a dead end so he'd drop it.
You underestimated Tippin
and Agent Kurtz's lack of field experience. Put us all at risk.
What are you doing using a junior agent, Jack?
Talk to McCullough. I used Eloise Kurtz based on his assessment of her field ability.
He gave her his highest rating.
In any case, I had contingencies,
all of which are now irrelevant.
Tell me something.
How did Tippin get a lead on the Kate Jones alias in the first place?
I don't know yet, but I'm looking into it.
Well, your efforts notwithstanding, that reporter may be a casualty of his own curiosity.
I'd consider that a last resort.
I know you want what's best for Sydney, and if at all possible, we should spare her the pain of losing someone else.
Well, how do you suggest we proceed?
Leave it to me. I'll get Tippin off the story.
And if you can't?
Then I'll kill him myself.
Jennifer Garner (as Sydney Bristow)
Ron Rifkin (as Arvin Sloane)
Michael Vartan (as Michael Vaughn)
Bradley Cooper (as Will Tippin)
Merrin Dungey (as Francie Calfo)
Carl Lumbly (as Marcus Dixon)
Kevin Weisman (as Marshall J. Flinkman)
Victor Garber (as Jack Bristow)
ALIAS 1x08 Time Will Tell
Original Air Date : December 2, 2001
This is unacceptable. You've missed classes--
- I know, but when I-- - ...Turned in papers late...
- Yeah, listen, my job-- - Sydney, enough about your job.
This has only been getting worse since we spoke about this last. Now, if you want to be a banker, be a banker.
I understand, and look, this probably isn't the best written analysis of Fitzergald you've ever read, but come on.
This is not a D paper.
There's no spirit in this paper, no soul.
Now, you fix it by Friday, or I'll have to re-evaluate your placement in this program.
Dr. Wilkinson.
Yes, I'll hold.
Hello, Dr. Wilkinson here.
How are you?
Of course,
yes. I'd like to discuss about the meeting last night.
A late lunch...
Yes...
Yes, yes. Let's talk about that meeting,
yes.
That's what we talked about. Yeah,
yeah, that's right.
Hold on a second...
Who are you?
WHO ARE YOU?!
Security section said you assaulted one of its officers.
This wasn't security section.
It wasn't standard procedure. This was a tracker and he has been constant.
I have seen him three times in the past two days and I found this under my car.
If there is something you want to know about me, then you ask me!
The sanctity of this agency requires the sacrifice of some personal freedoms.
SD-6 is stepping up security. McCullough assigned the tracker, that's his province.
Now, we have a briefing. Do you think you can focus?
- Yeah. I think I can. - Good.
The clock you retreived was designed by Giovanni Donato.
He died in 1503, his initials are engraved on the bottom.
Now, Donato was a master clock-maker,
but more importantly, he was the only man Milo Rambaldi ever collaborated with.
There is a single reference to Donato in our Rambaldi archive.
Apparently, Rambaldi commissioned the clock himself.
And because of Rambaldi's involvment, you think it's more than just a clock.
That was Rambaldi's style.
Hiding codes in designs within his artwork. Go, Marshall.
Um, now, I know we're all a bit hungry for lunch, so I'll try to use the maximum amount of brevity possible.
And, okay, now, as a clock, this piece was far ahead of its time.
Margin of error less than one second per decade,
and the weirdest part about it is this gear assembly.
I mean, part of it is that it doesn't seem to have any real purpose.
This number on the back... what is it, a date?
Well, we're analyzing that. You know what we found so far?
Nothing happened that day.
Literally. It's the one day in history that basically zero things occurred.
We have a very good reason to believe that this clock will reveal another piece of the Rambaldi puzzle.
The problem is, the clock doesn't work.
Without specific instructions, we can't risk damaging it.
We've located a direct descendant of Donato in Positano.
Luckily, he went into the family business.
Your mission, Agent Bristow, is quite simple.
Take the clock to Donato, get him to fix it, and bring it back.
That's it?
That's it.
Dad. Do you have a few minutes?
- Yes, of course. Could you just-- - Somewhere quiet.
Somewhere else.
In here.
Signal jammer. We're okay for sixty seconds, they'll think it's radio interference. Talk quickly.
Sloane's having me followed.
I confronted the guy last night, I thought it might be K-Directorate looking for revenge after Oxford.
I talked to Sloane, he insists it's all routine.
Should I be worried?
I'm one of only five agents in this office who knows the truth about SD-6.
I've had Sloane's trust, but lately, I haven't been informed of much at all.
- So, what does that mean? - Two things concern me.
While you were in Romania, Marshall noticed some computer abnormalities.
I assumed it was just a system error, but it's possible he's realized that the SD-6's network's been compromised.
- Could Sloane trace it to C.I.A.? - I don't know.
The second thing, Carl Dreyer is coming in from op comm to upgrade the biometric scanners.
But if Sloane suspects a double agent, Dreyer is the one he'd turn to.
If that's the case, the first thing Dreyer would do is give each of us a functional imaging test.
- What's that? - Lie detector test.
I studied the C.I.A. instruction book on how to take a successful LDT.
This isn't like that. This test monitors variations in blood flow in the brain. It's very difficult to deceive.
Tell your handler Vaughn he needs to prepare you for this. If he can't, he'll get someone who can.
Dad, you seem nervous.
Well, I think that should be fine.
- Thanks for coming to me. - Of course...
No, I think that's nice. Yeah, of course.
No, I think he's going to love it, yeah.
Yeah. I'm sure.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay, Mom, I got to go.
Mmm. I got to go. My boss is standing right here, I got to go. I love you, too!
I'm sorry.
There's still no quote in here from Daniel Hecht's fiancee.
- Yeah, I know, I didn't get the quote yet. - Will, we can't keep having this conversation.
- June, listen to me, this is very difficult for me. - We have quotes from deceased relatives.
Can you just stop for a second?
No, no, I'm not going to do this story.
Excuse me?
I'm not going to run this story. I'm not going to do the piece.
You pushed me to let you pursue this. I know.
And then you convinced me that there was a connection between these two deaths!
I know, I know! I still think something terrible happened.
June, I told you this before,
if running this story's going to hurt my friend, I don't want to do it.
You still haven't told her you're working on this, have you?
Like I said, you either finish this, or I will put another writer on it.
You tell her and get the quote. This goes to bed tomorrow, ten o'clock.
- It's me. - It's open.
Hey, Will.
Hey.
What's the paper on?
It's a redo. Professor said it didn't have any soul,
so I'm writing a paper with soul. It's got lots of soul!
"Laura, all my love forever and a day, Jack."
- That's not, like, your dad Jack, is it? - Yeah.
Wow. That's uncharateristically sweet of him.
I know. He actually has a heart, which I'm learning little by little.
He bought all these for my mom.
Oh. Oh, I got your message.
You're going on another trip?
That's, like, what's that? Seven this month?
The bank ever going to let up?
What's up?
There's this situation at work. Just...
some money is missing from petty cash, and it looks like there might be a formal inquiry.
They don't suspect you, do they?
No, but it looks like they're going to give us all lie detector tests, which is just...
Can I make a suggestion, just for, like, the eight millionth time? Why don't you just quit your job?
I mean, you can get a job anywhere.
I don't know, I just... I just think it's weird.
I know...
I still wear this...
I know.
- Hello? - Joey's Pizza?
Wrong number.
What are you doing here?
I just, uh, came by to say hi.
Hi.
Have you ever had unauthorized contact with members of any intelligence agency besides SD-6?
No.
Okay, um, again, you have to stay under thirty.
This test measures the blood flow to the emotional part of your brain.
Now, if you want to divert the blood, you have to engage the reasoning center--
- I'm trying! - You're reacting emotionally!
- It's not like there's a switch you can flick! - You just have to split your focus.
Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I've split my focus already.
- C.I.A., SD-6, and school, my friends... - Sydney, you can do this.
You have to.
Have you ever had unauthorized contact with members of any intelligence agency besides SD-6?
No.
Better.
Are you romantically interested in anyone?
Could be a question.
No, I'm not.
- Interesting. - Wait, ask me that again.
No, I don't have to. We have our answer right here. That's very good. Moving on.
Hey.
If this were for real, I'd be dead by now,
wouldn't I?
Hey, we're just getting started here, okay?
Signor Donato?
Signor Donato, per favore.
You are American?
Yes.
Only an American would come to my door without telephoning.
Seth, can you get in touch with my contact at the airlines?
I need to put a back trace on a passenger manifest. I'll be in my office.
You ever seen the passenger manifest for Flight 816?
No, my guy at the airport told me over the phone.
He was going to fax it to me.
Seat 11A -- Daniel Hecht.
- Look up seat 11B. - Yeah, it was Kate Jones, I know.
Look at it.
Zachary Cohen?
- There was no Kate Jones booked on that flight. - Wait, I don't understand.
I don't understand either, but it seems there's no longer a single fact to support your theory
that someone's covering up Daniel Hecht's murder.
What about Eloise Kurtz?
A woman who someone hires to tell you that she's Kate Jones so you will stop looking for the real Kate Jones.
Yeah, that's right.
Well, I hate to be insensitive, but she's dead.
Well, I had my notes from my interview with her.
You have no recording.
Oh, hey, what about the video blackout the night of Danny's murder?
You really want to try to build a case on lack of photographic evidence?
And you put Jenny down as your fact-checker, and when we asked her, she said she didn't make a single call!
No, that's right. That's because she didn't. I was doing her a favor.
She does a lot of work for me, and I was just giving her a research credit! It was like a gift.
- It was like a lie! - Yes, it was a lie! It was a kind lie!
And on the eve of your first front-page story, you suddenly get cold feet.
What are you saying? What are you saying? I made this whole thing up?
Look, I swear to God,
the only reason I didn't want this story to run is 'cause I don't want to hurt Sydney Bristow. That's it.
You're a talented writer, Will.
But I promise you, if anything like this happens again, the only thing you'll be inventing are facts on your resume.
The first Giovanni Donato. His timepieces were miracles of precision.
Kings and queens offered him vast riches if only he would design clocks for them.
He refused. But,
he did make one exception.
- For Rambaldi. - Mmm.
Why?
Rambaldi made him a promise.
What did he promise?
Rambaldi promised him he would live an impossibly long life.
He even revealed to him when he would die.
Was he right?
Of course.
This symbol on the front. What does it mean?
The magnific order of Rambaldi.
Rambaldi's most loyal followers entrusted with safeguarding his creations.
Sadly, like most things that once were pure,
criminals now use this symbol to infiltrate the order.
What about this date?
It must have meant something to Rambaldi.
The clock was built from one of his designs.
He never did tell me what it meant.
What did you say?
Oh, uh, my mother. My mother never told me.
I don't think she knew.
There's still one piece missing I don't have.
So, it won't work?
It will tell time,
if that's what you mean.
The clock is finished. I've got Bristow in my sight.
The the shot whenever you have it.
Mr. Donato,
what was Rambaldi working on?
The clock is fixed now.
It's over.
Hey, welcome back.
Thanks.
Okay, so, the good news is, I went by your professor's office to drop off the paper but he wasn't in,
so the secretary wanted me to leave it with her, only remember sophomore year? So,
I waited around and handed it to him personally.
Thank you, Francie. Was there bad news?
Yeah. I was making lemonade and I spilled it all over your mom's book.
- And I am so sorry, and I think it's going to be fine, it's all dry... - It's okay, don't worry.
It doesn't matter.
- Thank you for handing in the paper. - You're welcome.
Have you ever leaked information about SD-6 to other intelligence agencies?
No.
Are you a double agent?
No.
But my father is.
I'm sure he'd be thrilled if you gave Dreyer that answer.
Not now for the C.I.A.; twenty years ago for the KGB.
- My mother was a teacher, my father used to buy her books-- - Sydney--
First editions, one a month, shipped from a book store they discovered on a trip to Prague.
- Sydney, but we really need to-- - Listen to me!
Look, I thought it was the sweetest thing -- romantic, a side of him that died when she did.
But last night, I discovered codes hidden inside those books!
It's obviously how the KGB was sending him messages.
No, what kind of codes?
One-time pads. Blocks of cipher-text written in sets of five cyrillic letters.
- Staple of the KGB. - Yeah.
All right, we'll deal with that, and I want to see those books.
But right now, you still have Dreyer's test coming up and your life still depends on how well you do.
- Hello, this is Will. - Hey, Will. It's Mike.
- Hey, Mike, how you doing? - Okay.
- Your friend Eloise brought her car in. - Eloise Kurtz?
Yeah, that's her. She never picked it up, but she told me she needed it right away.
- She did? - Yeah.
So, do you know where she is?
Hey, you mind if I come down there and take a look at her car?
No, no, come down to the shop. You know where we are.
Will Tippin.
How kiss-ass of you.
What?
The stargazer lilies and the card. "I didn't make up a single fact."
Well, I didn't. I thought you knew me well enough to know I didn't by now.
I am calling to clarify that you are on the soil erosion story,
and I don't want you to waste another minute on Kate Jones. Are we clear?
Yeah. We're clear.
As you know for some time now, we have been operating under the assumption
that the sume of Rambaldi's inventions are greater than the parts.
This clock is evidence of that.
Thank you. Hi. All right, now, who here remembers this?
The golden sun I got from the church in Malaga.
That's right, the polymer.
If you look at it closely, hundreds of tiny imperfections. Air bubbles. Nothing unusual, right?
But what is unusual is this.
Now, I realized if you set this to exactly 12:22, and 1/22...
then this happens.
Ms. Bristow, ladies first.
What is that?
It's a star chart. A snapshot of the sky taken from one specific place on earth at one specific moment in time.
Sorry I'm late.
Sort of like an ancient GPS system.
Well, yeah, if you have the date and the time that the snapshot was taken. See, that's the genius.
See, these two things separately? Nothing, nothing at all.
But you put them together and...
that sound that you're--you know that boom? That's my mind blowing.
Now, if we assume that star chart refers to the date on the back of the clock:
August 16, 1523 at 12:22AM GMT,
then the only spot on earth with that exact view of the stars
is the southern slope of Mt. Aconcagua on the Chile/Argentina border.
"X" marks the spot.
So, we think Rambaldi stored something there.
Possibly. Your mission is to find out.
Marshall will fill you in on the op tech.
Oh, and Sydney?
Before you head off, I want you to go down to Psych and see Carl Dreyer.
What is your name?
Sydney Bristow.
What color are your eyes?
Brown.
Are you sitting down?
Yes.
Are you an agent of SD-6?
Yes.
Are you a double agent?
No.
This is a still camera with a digital signal uplinked to a geosynchronous keyhole satellite.
So, whatever's in Argentina, we won't have to wait for the pictures.
Is there a transmission window?
Uh, no, it's geosynchronous orbit. Just point and click.
Yeah...
You seem a little distracted. What, is it the test?
I'm not sure I passed. And they're still watching me.
It took me twenty minutes to shake the guy they had tailing me.
Well, they wouldn't be sending you on a mission if you failed.
I don't think they know the results yet.
Look, I know how much you want to do this -- take down SD-6 --
but your life is more important.
So, if you really think you failed the test, we have a plan in place to take you out.
- A protection program. - No.
I can't do it. Live in hiding. Not a chance.
Good luck in Argentina.
Six-mile trek and we should be there.
There are easier jobs than this.
God, no kidding!
You know, I've been meaning to tell you something.
I'm proud of you.
- What? Of me? - Yeah.
- Why? - Well,
I've worked with a lot of people.
You make it look easy.
The thing I admire most
is your courage.
My courage?
After what happened with Danny,
the way you came back.
Your commitment to the job.
And I know what we do isn't for ourselves,
it's for the good of the country.
Still, uh...
thanks.
- So, you're saying it's a bug? - No, no, no, I'm saying it's a tarantula.
This thing hops channels so fast, you could never intercept a transmission.
My guess is it's encrypted to boot.
- Where can you buy this? - Buy this? You can't.
- This is government issue. - Government?
My sister's husband is Secret Service. His transmitter couldn't touch this.
If you ask me, I'd say it's intelligence.
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Ha ha ha!
What do you think this Rambaldi guy is all about?
I wish we knew already.
I can think of about a thousand places I'd rather be right now.
Hey, I think we're almost at our waypoint.
32.42 by 70.01.
What the hell are we doing here?
I don't know. It feels like a wild goose chase.
Aw, damn it.
I can't get a line of sight to the satellite.
It's a low-earth orbit. We're blocked by the mountains.
Hey, give me a hand here.
I'm going in.
All right. I'll hike out until I can acquire the satellite. I'll call for support.
Syd,
be careful.
Dixon, I found it! It's Rambaldi's journal, I found it!
Sydney, I don't know how they found us...
- K-Directorate... - Dixon?
They're here! Ana's here!
- Sydney, get out of there! Now! - Dixon, do you copy?
Dixon, do you copy? Do you copy me?
Have you finished with Sydney's results?
I think we've found our mole.
What did you do to Dixon?
Put the book down.