Jack Bauer endures the elements and fights on to prevent an attack that could change the country forever; as the catastrophic blow to the nation nears, Tony Almeida operates from the field, and Jack's daughter Kim returns; the stakes are raised when the administration is faced with a blackmail scenario.

Jack calls Tony, and tells him the President called off the air strikes. Tony spots something that tells him why: a fuel truck pumping RP-7, a fuel only used for surface-to-surface missiles. Hodges much be threatening to launch. Tony's got three charges of C-4 and a remote detonator. Jack tells him to get into the depot, and blow those tanks. Jack calls the President to ask permission. The President, who has been fending off the Joint Chiefs and trying to keep the situation a secret, refuses to authorize the plan... but also tells Jack she expects he'll do what he thinks is right. Jack takes that as a request to undertake a covert action that she can deny authorizing if those missiles are launched. As Hodges (with Seaton in tow) arrives at the White House for his meeting with the President, Moss gives his stamp of approval to Jack's plan. He'll move in as soon as Tony takes out the missiles. Stokes is in charge of the fueling truck. Tony forces him at gunpoint to take him to the fuel tanks, where Tony begins setting up the C-4.

Hodges sits down with the President in the Oval Office, a place he used to be welcome under the old administration. He tells the President he wants Starkwood to be involved in shaping military policy and operations - making them a fifth branch of the military - and has Seaton hand her a non-negotiable outline of the protocols under which their "partnership" would function. Tony returns to the fuel truck, Stokes in tow, when he's ambushed from behind. The detonator drops into a drainage gate. A vicious hand-to-hand fight ensues. Tony manages to subdue both attackers, but not before Stokes manages to sound an alarm. The detonator seems to be just out of Tony's reach. Below, Chapman sees the alarm and prepares to launch, but the lead technician wants to be sure it's not a false alarm before he enters the code. Chapman tells him that's not protocol. The technician refuses to proceed, so Chapman throws him out of the way and does it himself. Above, Tony sees the launch portal opening. He gropes for the detonator again, and finally manages to get a hold of it. He presses the button, and there is a tremendous explosion. The entire chamber and the men below are vaporized in the backblast. Tony flees the scene as Moss sees the explosion from a distance, and gives the order to move in. Back in the Oval Office, Tim Woods interrupts, and gives the President the news that the bioweapons have been destroyed. She immediately has Hodges and Seaton arrested. Hodges tells her she's making a mistake: this doesn't end with him; he's just a cog in a much bigger machine. She asks him what he's talking about. "You'll find out," is all he'll say as he's led away.

The President calls Jack, who tries to ask her for clemency for Tony when he's put on trial. Midway through his plea he suddenly falls silent. He couldn't remember what he was just saying. The President excuses him, and promises she'll take Tony's actions today into account. Meanwhile, as Moss locks down Starkwood, Agent Walker has a meeting... with Kim Bauer. Moss recovers Tony, and reluctantly takes him into custody. Back at the FBI Dr. Macer tells Jack that memory loss is a symptom of the disease. She can't do anything to arrest it, and it may cause personality changes and hallucinations. Jack finds Agent Walker, and tells her he needs to go on record about today's events ASAP. Walker tells him that Kim is here. He's enraged. He specifically told her not to bring Kim into this. He was okay with dying until Walker put in front of him the one person he has that's worth living for. Walker tells him that nobody dragged her into this: she's been trying to see him all day. She was at his Senate hearing, but Jack was pulled out before she could see him. She's been leaving messages with the FBI all day; Walker only just got them. If Jack wants, she can tell Kim that Jack's not here. Jack, chastened, asks Walker to take him to her.

Jack is taken to the lounge where Kim is waiting. Walker leaves them alone together. Jack apologizes; he thought he was doing the right thing by staying away. In his line of work he has many enemies, and that puts the ones he loves in danger. He also says that the experimental treatment that she can help with involves a risk to her. The slight chance of recovery isn't worth the pain of having her watch him die. She says that she doesn't want to lose him, and the two embrace, sobbing. Suddenly Jack spasms. He tells her gently that it's time for her to go. "I love you so much," she says as he leaves.

At Starkwood an FBI agent is killed by Galvez, a Starkwood commando. He is caught by the agent's partner, who makes Galvez drop the duffel bag he's carrying. Keeping his gun trained on Galvez, he opens the bag... and finds a canister of the bioweapon. He calls Moss to report what he's found, but while he's on the phone Galvez overpowers and shoots him, and steals his vehicle. Moss sends out the word that a Starkwood commando has the bioweapon and may be escaping in an FBI vehicle. There's enough bioweapon in that canister to take out a small city. Roadblocks are set up as Moss takes off in a chopper, accompanied by Tony and the pilot. Janis tracks the GPS of the stolen vehicle. Moss catches up, and sees Galvez take off on foot. There’s no time to wait for backup. He lands... and as soon as he does, the pilot is shot dead. A fusillade of automatic gunfire strafes their position. Moss and Tony take cover. Tony is unarmed. Galvez manages to shoot Moss in the abdomen. Moss collapses. Tony scrambles over to him, and checks his condition. Moss sees Galvez sneaking up behind Tony, his rifle at the ready. Gasping and barely able to speak, he just barely manages to alert Tony to look behind him. Tony sees Galvez... and silently gestures to him. Galvez unexpectedly lowers his weapon, deferring to Tony. "I'm sorry, Larry," says Tony. Then he puts his hands over Moss' mouth and nose, and suffocates him to death. Once Moss has breathed his last, he turns to Galvez and asks to see the canister. Galvez shows it to him. Tony gives it back, and tells Galvez to find a place to hide and wait for his call. Tony will wait for the FBI, and find a way to get him out. Galvez takes off as Tony waits, bracing himself for the arrival of the FBI.