Episode 11: A Higher Echelon
1/5/2003
Sydney
reveals her mission regarding the Echelon system to Will,
and believes that Marshall is safe with the CIA. Marshall
is actually being tortured by Suit and Glasses, who demands
to know where the Echelon operating system is located. Under
threat of death, Marshall later agrees to use his photographic
memory to rewrite the Echelon code.
At the
CIA, Vaughn tells Syd that Marshall was abducted by an associate
of Cuvee. Although an extraction team is searching for him,
Sydney feels that Marshall is her responsibility. The larger
issue is that before he was abducted, Marshall e-mailed Cuvee's
copy of the Echelon access program to SD-6.
At SD-6,
Sloane reveals that Marshall's email was broken into packets
of data that were routed to SD-6 via ISP's around the world.
An error in Vietnam prevented several data packets from being
transmitted, however, so Sydney and Dixon are to travel to
a government facility in Ho Chi Minh City to retrieve the
data. Sloane feigns concern for Marhsall and contacts SD-4
for a replacement. Sydney's CIA countermission is to switch
the actual data with corrupted files.
Sydney
tells the CIA that Cuvee would just have to reverse-engineer
the software to get back online. However, an access point
is also needed to gain entry to Echelon. If they could find
it, they can prevent Cuvee for using it — unfortunately,
they can't find it. Vaughn says that Irina believes she can
find the back door. Her terms are that she gains unrestricted
access to Echelon. She says that the CIA technicians will
find that the security system is like quicksand. Kendall rejects
this notion.
Back at
Credit Dauphine, Jack finds Ariana Kane going through his
office. She downgrades his network privileges and revokes
his security clearance pending the outcome of her investigation
into Emily's situation. Jack has the CIA forge hard evidence
that he was in Taipei and Istanbul on SD-6 missions during
crucial periods in Emily's disappearance and death.
Disguised
as a businesswoman, Sydney makes a presentation in Vietnam
during which she flashes a strobe light that renders the audience
unconscious for 3 minutes, allowing her time to access to
the server room and obtain the data. Finding the hard drive
bay empty, Sydney runs to the repair room but Dixon beats
her there and discovers the correct hard drive before Sydney
can switch it.
Sydney
returns home; Sloane now has everything he needs to access
Echelon. Meanwhile, the CIA has halted the search for Marshall
because an extraction team was killed during a sweep in London.
Francie casually mentions Sydney's crush on Vaughn to Will.
Later, Will meets with Vaughn, who hires him as a CIA analyst
— his cover is that he's a journalist for Trade Roads
magazine. Will tells Vaughn that Syd cares for him and wants
him to respect that.
With SD-6
gaining access to Echelon in 12 hours, the CIA can't crack
Echelon — as Irina had cryptically noted, they encounter
a virus called Quicksand. Kendall finally agrees to let Irina
have a try. Kane shows Sloane a forensic report indicating
that Jack checked out a weapon on the day that Emily was murdered.
Furthermore, brain matter was found in the gun barrel. Sloane
gives her permission to run a DNA test.
As Marshall
is writing the code he pings SD-6 to inform them of his Mexico
City location. Sloane wants to notify an extraction team,
but Sydney and Dixon request the mission.
Jack meets
with Ariana in a meeting monitored by the CIA. She demands
his cell phone's SIM card and asks who Steven Haladki is.
Vaughn quickly scribbles an ID number on his SIM card and
switches with Jack. Jack explains that Haladki had been in
league with Irina, and therefore had to be murdered. Jack
hands her the card and leaves quickly. Ariana notices ink
on her fingers.
Disguised
as clubbers, Sydney and Dixon set up a surveillance feed and
locate Marshall. Marshall shows his finished program to Suit
and Glasses — it's an old-school Pong game. Sydney arrives
just in time to prevent Marshall's execution but they're soon
trapped in the upper stories of a skyscraper. Marshall breaks
a window and "rescues" Sydney with the parachute
lined in his jacket — the one he keeps because he fears
commercial air travel.
Irina
finds the access point and prevents SD-6 from entering Echelon.
Vaughn explains to Sydney that it didn't make sense to bring
Marshall to the CIA after what happened with Sloane. Jack
confronts Sloane at his home, stating that Kane needs someone
to blame and is setting him up. He gives Sloane leads, trusting
that he will not be framed. When Jack leaves, however, Sloane
calls Kane, informing her that Jack just left his house.
- description
from ABC.com
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