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.
We know that Rambaldi was a 16th-century inventor
who seemed to have had an almost psychic vision of technology.
This book seems to be some sort of instruction manual.
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.
Mr. Vaughn?
Yeah. I'm late for a meeting.
You're gonna want to cancel that meeting.
We figured out how to read the Rambaldi document.
All right.
I have the page with me, and I'd like you to see it.
Okay.
Exactly who is this Sydney Bristow,
and why should this committee's time be spent on her?
She's a double agent, Senator.
A CIA asset working undercover as an operative of SD-6.
Last week, we came into possession of that drawing
from a manuscript belonging to Milo Rambaldi.
Rambaldi.
Ms. Evans, we've been all over this.
Look at the partially decoded text.
Senator, it's written by Rambaldi
in reference to that woman in the drawing.
Sir, I understand your reluctance
to invest our resources in this matter...
Dr. Evans...
What do you need?
LOS ANGELES
Vaughn, I'm back from Brazil.
I did what SD-6 wanted.
Got surveillance photos of someone they think
might be "The Man."
I'll forward them to you as usual
and wait for further instructions.
Who the hell are you?
Carson Evans. DSR.
We have authorization.
The National Security Agency's investigating Bristow?
The Department of Special Research, yes.
Off the books, paranormal guys,
because her picture was in a manuscript?
That's special access only.
I'm Sydney's case officer.
The loop is closed on this on orders from the DCI himself.
I don't care who issued the orders. If the NSA knows something, I should, too.
We should, sir.
Unless you already do.
Close the door.
I got your message.
If this is about the surveillance photos, I encoded them on to JPEGs.
Forget the surveillance photos.
The ones that might identify "The Man"?
The ones I nearly got eaten by a pack of dogs trying to get?
You're being investigated by the DSR.
DSR?
Department of Special Research.
It was created during World War II to investigate Nazi interest in the occult.
After the war, an executive order was signed,
empowering them to investigate fringe science.
Parapsychology, remote viewing.
What do they want with me?
They want to know why your picture's in the Rambaldi book.
No, I know, it seems ridiculous.
It is ridiculous.
But your picture...
- A picture. Not mine. - They don't think so.
- They're wrong. - They took my files.
Everything I have concerning you.
At our next debriefing, they're gonna bring you in for questioning.
This drawing is 500 years old.
Millions of women have looked like that.
My mom looked like that.
Maybe it's a picture of my mother.
Well, they don't think so.
Your mother's dead, and they have reason to believe the woman in this picture is still alive.
I don't understand.
DSR partially decoded text from that page.
And?
What did it say?
Well, they didn't tell me, but apparently,
Rambaldi refers to future dates indicating this woman is still alive.
The DSR is referring to this text by name.
They're calling it "The Prophecy."
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 1x16 The Prophecy
Original Air Date : March 10, 2002
I want to stress, at the outset, this is not an interrogation.
You are not the subject of a criminal inquiry.
Our purpose is simply to gather background information.
I'd like to note for the record
how much we appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Do you have any questions?
Yes. Just one.
Are you really not going to tell me what this prophecy says?
I think we've been over that.
Yes, we have, just not to my satisfaction.
Dr. Waterson.
Yes.
Agent Bristow.
Sydney's fine.
Question one.
What would be the next picture in this series?
"D."
Study this figure.
If it was rotated 180 degrees,
it would look like which of the following?
"C."
What is the next image in this series?
Mmm. Love the tech stuff.
Haladki.
It's like a thermometer.
Heat from their eyes tracks brain patterns.
What are you doing here?
My department got tapped to facilitate interagency cooperation.
"Q" and 7.
You're in a forest.
You come to a river. Do you cross it?
Agent Bristow, would you cross it?
I don't know. It depends.
Gentlemen, if you need anything, I'll be in my office.
What is going on in this picture?
The mother is teaching the girl how to bake.
And what feelings does this picture evoke?
The girl doesn't like it.
She wants to go out and play.
- We need to cut this short. - What is it?
Sorry. "Need to know" only.
Would you be willing to come with us, please?
Why?
We have some physical examination we need to do.
Excuse me?
General tests. An MRI, lumbar puncture, blood work.
What the hell's going on?
No, I don't think so.
It would be better for you to submit now.
I have answered every question you have asked,
no matter how ridiculous, but that's as far as this goes.
You want to touch me, you have to tell me everything.
Starting with what this prophecy says.
I'm sorry. You don't have clearance for that information.
You are wasting your time taking this Rambaldi thing so seriously.
There are real threats in this world.
I have work to do.
You move out of my way,
or I will make you move out of my way.
Thank you.
They're just letting her leave?
- Third-row seats? - Yep.
Behind the Lakers bench.
Wait, wait.
- Near Kobe? - Yeah.
A friend of mine has a contact, so he scored them free of charge.
- I'm gonna be sitting near Kobe? - Yes.
Are you sure you're asking the right roommate?
As is sometimes painfully obvious,
I know something about wanting somebody you can't have.
For a couple hours, you come with me and you forget about hating Charlie.
Sounds good.
- Can I ask you something? - Yeah.
I had a dream last night about a fortune teller.
He said he had a prophecy about me.
What was it?
I don't know, but that's the word he used. Prophecy.
Does that sound good or bad?
Prophecy?
Yeah.
- Definitely bad. - Yeah. Bad.
Syd, who cares?
- It's just a dream. - I know.
Thanks for the breakfast. See you, guys.
Using all available resources,
we finally tracked down the enemy who we no longer have to refer to as "The Man."
Thanks to these surveillance photos you obtained in Brazil, we have confirmed his identity.
He is Alexander Khasinau.
Khasinau was the recipient of the Sark communique reporting on the loss of the Rambaldi manuscript.
Highly decorated former lieutenant colonel of the KGB.
Khasinau went underground.
He's long rumored to be a power broker for the Russian Mafia
in its affairs with rogue states in the international arms bazaar.
We're up against the Russian Mafia.
As a source of financing, maybe, but in terms of tactics, reach, and sophistication,
Khasinau's organization operates on an entirely different order of magnitude.
So what's next?
Nothing.
After being identified, he moved his base of operation to an undisclosed location.
He knows he's a target.
The next move we make must be made with extreme caution.
So no mission?
Actually, I do have to ask you something.
It's a personal favor.
These last few days haven't been very good for Emily.
When you came to the house,
I hadn't seen her spirits that high in a long time.
So if you wouldn't mind calling her
or perhaps paying a visit, saying hello.
Of course.
Thank you.
And when we know the right move to make with Mr. Khasinau,
we'll make it.
I want Khasinau dead.
The Alliance doesn't know what the hell it wants.
They're having a meeting in London on Tuesday
to resolve whether or not The Alliance should invest
all the necessary resources to find and kill Khasinau.
It makes sense.
Members from the old Soviet bloc still control 5 of the 12 votes.
They're cold warriors
who prefer the paradigm of detente.
They'll likely reject going to war with Khasinau.
Those five men are cowards.
All of them.
Of the seven remaining members,
there are only four that I know for certain who will vote in favor of aggressive action.
Essentially, three men control the outcome of this vote.
Khasinau sent men into this facility.
They stole from us. They killed some of us.
There should be no vote in the first place.
What's your strategy?
Edward Poole. Oversees SD-9.
He's one of the three swing votes.
I'll start with him.
- Hello? - Edward?
Arvin. Good to hear your voice.
Yes, Edward, you too.
How have you been?
I think we've all been better.
I'm seeing you on Tuesday?
As a matter of fact, Edward, that's why I'm calling you.
Your position on Khasinau.
Am I right to assume that you'll be supporting a declaration of war against him?
I'm flattered you would think me so forgiving.
But Khasinau must pay for what he's done,
even if I have to take care of it myself.
Good.
I'm glad to hear that.
Unfortunately, The Alliance is nearly split on this issue.
Now, as far as I'm aware, there are two swing votes left.
Oscar Dunst, Jean Briault.
So, Edward, it's up to you and me to take the appropriate action.
What are you suggesting?
I have personally seen what Khasinau is capable of.
I will not let his aggression go unanswered.
So what I'm suggesting, Edward,
is that we do whatever must be done
to ensure that this declaration of war be ratified.
Yes, I was going to wait and present this at the meeting.
What's that?
Under the circumstances, I think I should come to Los Angeles.
I have some intel you should see.
Good.
I'll be there in the morning.
Okay.
Arvin's such a sweetheart, asking you to look in like this.
I would've come anyway, but I didn't want to bother you.
Not at all.
I really liked meeting your friend, by the way.
Yeah, he's a great guy.
I think he thinks you're pretty great, too.
He and I are just friends.
He's cute.
He is cute.
I know it's been awhile, but I still feel guilty
even talking about dating again.
It must be especially hard doing what you do.
It is.
It's difficult sometimes.
I mean working for my husband.
Oh. Well...
I know this has been difficult for Arvin.
My illness.
I look just like everyone else, and I usually feel that way.
The fact is...
I won't be alive next Christmas.
Don't say that. You don't know that.
I do.
For a long time I ignored the pain.
Then one morning over there, I collapsed.
Woke up in the hospital.
The doctor told me.
Cancer.
He said if I had seen him in the beginning,
I probably could've survived.
But there's a fear like nothing I've ever felt before
that comes over you when you know that there's something really wrong.
For four months, I did nothing.
I was so terrified of what I didn't know.
So terrified that I was paralyzed.
And the longer that went on, the more terrified I got.
Wanting to know the truth,
but being too afraid to find the answers.
Go ahead.
Run all the tests you want.
What I'm about to tell you, you may find difficult to believe.
Arvin, I know that Jean Briault is a friend.
Yes, he is a friend.
A friend of yours, but not of The Alliance.
The other man in the photo is your friend Jean Briault.
This only means that Khasinau and Briault know each other.
There's nothing more.
On the left is a brokerage account in the name of Briault's wife.
On the right,
a holding company that Khasinau uses to launder money.
As you will see, five deposits in excess of $45 million were made
into the brokerage account in the past three months.
Arvin, I would not have made this trip if I did not truly believe
that Khasinau had infiltrated The Alliance
and that Briault was in his pocket.
No.
I was in Chile with this man under Aliende.
He recruited me.
Well, on the other hand,
Briault's always seemed a good man,
and he has served The Alliance well.
So maybe we should just gamble, do nothing.
Just play it out and see what happens.
If this vote goes the wrong way
because one of our members has been bought,
it would mean the end of The Alliance.
But Briault, as you know, is a famously cautious man.
A hit would have to be carried out by someone who had access.
Someone that Briault would agree to meet alone.
A friend.
If a hit occurs, yes.
No.
This can't be right.
There's another explanation for this intel.
So I appreciate your coming here this long way with this information, but...
...I can't believe that Jean Briault is a traitor.
No one hopes you are right more than I.
I'd like to officially welcome to Los Angeles our friends from Washington.
I have always had a fascination with the work of the DSR.
And although interagency cooperation is not notoriously problematic,
I don't foresee any difficulty while you're working here
in our offices.
I speak for everyone on our side when I say how much we appreciate your help in this matter.
That said, let me pay you the courtesy of being blunt.
To date, our requests for files considerably more comprehensive than these
have not been processed.
Those requests, Miss Evans, are being assessed.
The directive doesn't provide for assessments.
I don't mind you coming here and working with us, but...
Let's just be clear.
You don't work with us. You work for us.
To presume you're in charge, we have protocols...
- The directive specifies... - This is my office!
Yes, the directive gives you the authority to take her into custody.
But Sydney Bristow is well-placed.
And she has provided the Agency with valuable intelligence.
I understand this so-called prophecy is interesting
and that these times require us to be vigilant
against any perceived threats to our national security,
but let's take a step back for a second.
This is a 500-year-old text, and based on that text,
we are treating Agent Bristow like a lab rat.
Now, I am allfor being prudent.
But what we're doing...
the way that we are doing it is absurd!
We should investigate, yes, but not persecute.
Excuse me.
I understand that dissenting right now might not be the best move for my career,
but I need to say something.
Steven Haladki, ma'am. Domestic Resources Division.
For months, I've been worried about Bristow.
At first, my concern was simply that her handler
was too emotionally involved, which I still contest,
but then I started getting concerned about Bristow herself.
Look through her file.
There are discrepancies. There are some significant questions.
As an example, Bristow met with a Rambaldi disciple on the Amalfi coast
at exactly the time his death was prophesied.
After reading what Rambaldi's written about Bristow,
- excuse me, but I am terrified. - Haladki,
you are assuming that Rambaldi's prophecy is accurate
and that he was referring to Bristow in the first place.
Let's say Rambaldi was wrong or that he was right
and it wasn't Bristow he was talking about.
Fantastic.
But that's why we're testing her,
to see if she's got the physical anomalies that Rambaldi mentions in the prophecy.
It's like "666," guys.
You see the writing on the kid's scalp,
you know there's some problems at home.
Thanks for coming.
Are you all right? I heard about the tests.
This prophecy.
Do you know anything about it? What it says?
No.
But the DSR was close to a panic when they had only half of it decoded.
They cracked the rest this morning.
That's what I wanted to ask. They need a code key.
Do they have the right one?
The DSR spent years trying to decipher Rambaldi's work.
The key they're using is one they reverse-engineered.
If the DSR is misreading that text,
they're gonna take me into custody, which would blow my cover with SD-6.
And probably yours.
You want Rambaldi's original code key.
If it exists.
It does.
But the Agency won't go after it, for political reasons.
Dad, what does that mean?
The code key is in the Vatican.
- Think about what this means for Sydney. - I understand that.
Doing nothing shouldn't be an option.
You're asking me to authorize an operation that goes deliberately against the DSR's work!
- Then classify it as recon. - Langley won't approve that.
The DSR is being irresponsible and overreactive.
One thing you don't have to do is attack the DSR.
Those bastards have just about taken over this office.
This is the chance to prove them wrong.
Langley is watching us closely!
It's a discretionary op. You're arguing semantics.
If she weren't my daughter, I probably wouldn't be fighting for this.
I understand this prophecy is special access,
but those who have it might be misreading that text.
I'd go myself, but Sloane's headed to London.
I'm overseeing operations at SD-6 while he's away.
I don't have to tell you what an opportunity that is.
So, Ben,
I need your help on this.
Hello?
Edward, it's Arvin.
Any news?
We can't risk Briault.
Please don't talk about this with anyone.
Don't share your intel.
All right.
I've decided to take care of our problem myself.
I understand.
You're gonna break into the Vatican?
The last thing I'm gonna do while DSR is waiting for test results to prove
I'm guilty of something I don't understand is sit on my ass.
- But the Vatican? - The secret archives.
All I have is an inventory number.
They don't know the form the code key's in.
It's Rambaldi, so it could be anything.
I called you because I need a partner for this op.
Someone I can trust.
We'd have to fly out separately.
Different airports in Italy.
We'd have to leave tonight.
You in?
Yeah.
I'll break into the Vatican with you.
Did you know his parents named him after steak?
Kobe. They saw it on a Japanese menu.
No, I didn't know that.
He's the perfect guy for someone like me.
Plays ball and named after food.
What would be excellent about leaving tonight
is that we might actually get to see some of the game.
- I'm not going half-done. - She's obsessed.
You think?
So, did that thing come true?
The dream?
The prophecy.
Not yet.
I got to go. I got to make my plane.
Have a great time at the game, and I'll see you guys when I get back.
Where's the world of international corporate banking taking you to this time?
Boston.
ROME
So, I was thinking, we're in Rome,
which is the same city as Trattoria de Nardi.
What's that?
It's my favorite restaurant in the world.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
So, why is Trattoria de Nardi so good?
It's only good if you like food.
Did you know Kobe Bryant was named for a steak?
Yeah, actually, I did.
You said the explosion will trigger the alarm.
Which is on a 15-second delay.
You said you could disarm it in under 20 seconds.
How far under 20?
I work better under pressure.
I was thinking later tonight
when we get the code key, maybe we can check it out.
What, the restaurant?
It's almost too good not to.
Unless SD-6 spots us there and has us killed.
The food's so good, it's almost worth the risk.
Okay, it's set. Let's go.
Ready?
"Hate to Say I Told You So" by The Hives
♬ Do what I want 'cause I can and if I don't ♬
♬ Because I wanna ♬
♬ Be ignored by the stiff and the bored ♬
♬ Because I'm gonna ♬
This is Pope Alexander VI.
Rambaldi was his chief architect.
Rambaldi made a habit of hiding his work in ordinary things.
The code is hidden in this painting.
We don't have time. We'll take it with us.
Wait a minute.
Give me the flashlight.
Begin with the 11th letter.
Three rows of 16 along the "X" axis, and then another 42.
This is it. This is the code key.
All right. I got it.
♬ Now it's all out and you knew ♬
♬ 'Cause I wanted to ♬
He was sending for backup. We got to move!
LOS ANGELES
I understand Poole was here. Is he with us?
Where the hell is Sydney?
I believe she's at the university.
We just got word from Kleinhoff in Munich.
There's a counterfeit page in Rambaldi's manuscript.
Counterfeit?
That's right. Page 47. There's nothing on it.
We had it tested.
Doesn't match any of the other pages in the manuscript.
Now, the number 47 had special significance for Rambaldi.
In all his writings, page 47 had critical information.
I want to know why we don't have that page.
I'll tell Sydney when she comes in.
Her schoolwork is a liability, Jack.
She's familiar with your opinion.
Her education is important to her.
Your daughter needs to re-examine her priorities.
You're leaving for London a day earlier than expected.
I believe we have the necessary votes.
When I get back, The Alliance will officially be at war with Khasinau.
I want you to follow up with Kleinhoff while I'm gone.
I want to know what happened to that page.
Done.
Tell Sydney that she and I need to talk.
MONTREAL
Look at us, Jean. Two old men.
I feel younger now than I ever felt when I was 18.
With age I've become more comfortable.
Listen, Jean, I want to apologize to you
for asking you to keep this so secret, but
this business that we have to discuss is extremely sensitive.
Look, while I am intrigued, right now I am more interested in my new grandson.
8 pounds, 9 ounces.
He's big.
He has my chin.
But he's better-looking than me.
What is it?
LONDON
As you know, we have suffered another tragedy in what is already a difficult time.
I would like to begin by observing a moment of silence for our friend and colleague Jean Briault.
We come together today to make a decision.
Alexander Khasinau is our enemy.
He and his operatives are a powerful force.
Aggressive and brutal.
But we have managed to coexist with our opposition for years.
So the choice is clear.
Either we choose to respond with force,
equally sharing the burden of cost, manpower, and equipment,
or we choose to seek a diplomatic detente.
So, let us now vote.
6 votes to 5.
We have resolved to reject aggressive action.
We will now seek through all diplomatic channels contacts with Mr. Khasinau.
Once those contacts have been established...
It wasn't Briault getting paid off by Khasinau, was it? It was you.
You doctored the photos, you manipulated those accounts.
Arvin.
You're upset. You lost a friend.
Conversations were never recorded. We talked on secure lines.
You made sure I met Briault in secret.
You used me.
I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about.
I will repay the favor.
Give my regards to Emily.
LOS ANGELES
- How was your flight? - It was okay.
Have you sent in the pictures?
Yeah, and in a couple of hours, we'll know exactly what Rambaldi wrote. The truth,
which is the only defense you need.
I know.
They agreed to wait on decryption before taking any action.
Why don't you go home and relax?
This insanity's almost over.
Next time we're in Rome, Trattoria de Nardi.
I'd like that.
Syd- Will and I are at Zebu Lounge! You must come!!! No Excueses!!! ~F.
Hey!
- Hey! - All right!
Hey.
- How was your trip? - It was great.
How did your thing with Kobe go?
Kobe was so purposely ignoring me, don't you think?
I'm not gonna be part of your delusion.
Kobe so loves me! He loves me!
I love this song.
I just remembered I have a phone call to make to Hong Kong.
It's gonna take me awhile.
We were going to The Pantry. We'll wait for you.
No, no. You guys go on ahead.
I'll catch up with you.
But you got to come, because she's driving me nuts.
- Shut up. - I'm serious.
Okay.
Vaughn.
Sydney, listen.
Pursuant to national security directive 81A,
you are now in the custody of the federal government.
What the hell is going on?
I promise we'll figure this out.
What about the code key we found? What happened?
The CIA had the same key.
They broke the Rambaldi code correctly.
What?
Those medical tests you took, they were looking to match
three specific physical anomalies Rambaldi mentioned.
DNA sequencing, platelet levels, and the size of your heart.
You match all three.
What does the prophecy say?
"This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks,
signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works.
Bind them with fury.
A burning anger, unless prevented.
At vulgar cost, this woman will render the greatest power
unto utter desolation."