- Jack battles the effects of toxic exposure, a reporter squeezes the President's Chief of Staff, and it is a race against time to locate weapons on the Starkwood compound.
- Open with the standoff in Starkwood's compound. With three platoons already surrounding the FBI, several more Humvees show up, one of which contains Hodges. A fired-up Hodges tells Moss he has five minutes to leave and demands the return of Seaton.
At the field office Jack suggests contacting Douglas Knowles, a member of the Starkwood board who had secretly been assisting Senator Mayer's investigation. Jack calls Knowles and tells him Quinn was the one who killed Mayer. Knowles thinks he may know where the weapon is located.
Hodges sends Stokes to position their men for an attack. Jack tells Moss to obey Hodges but to somehow use a diversion to leave Tony behind to work with Knowles. Moss ends up punching Seaton while walking him over to Stokes and Tony is able to sneak in behind the Starkwood perimeter. Tony meets up with Knowles who wants to take them to the compound's East perimeter.
Back in the field office Jack seems to be showing symptoms of the pathogen.
Jack updates President Taylor with Hodges' recent actions. He tells her he is confident they will find the weapon and that a surgical air strike will be able destroy it. Taylor mentions Jack's exposure to the weapon and thank him for his service.
Olivia leaves the room and fields a phone call from Dellao, the TV reporter to which she had previously leaked a story. When she refuses to immediately confirm what he has heard about the weapon he threatens to reveal her role in forcing out Kanin. She agrees to meet in his hotel.
Using infrared satellite images at the field office Jack points Tony and Knowles to the likely building where the weapon is being stored. While Janis works on the code for the door, a Starkwood vehicle approaches. Knowles decides to run interference and walks up to the Humvee. Knowles feigns indignation at being stopped to distract the guard while Tony gets into the building. Walker tells Tony he must get a visual on the weapon canisters before the president will authorize an attack. Jack falls to the ground and starts having a sezure.
The guard who stopped Knowles calls Hodges that tells him Knowles gave only the excuse he "was walking." Hodges orders him to take Knowles to his office and watch him closely. Hodges is told the work they being done on the weapon will be done in a half hour.
Olivia convinces Pierce to wait in the hallway as she goes to meet with Dellao. She reveals what is happening with Starkwood and its weapon and that her mother has ordered an air strike. She impresses upon him that he cannot run the story because the president must have the element of surprise for the strike. Dellao tells her he needs to be "convinced" not to run the story and begins kissing her. Resistant at first, Olivia goes along.
Dr. Macer gives Jack drugs to control his shaking. She mentions that a local university has been doing experimental work with stem cells from immediate family members that could provide a course of treatment for the disease. Macer brings up Jack's daughter but he immediately dismisses the idea. Walker follows him out of the room and questions why he won't give his daughter the opportunity to help him. "I'm the one who's dying, Jack says. "It's my choice."
Sent to make sure Knowles wasn't with anyone, a Starkwood security detail heads towards Tony's location. Tony quickly incapacitates two of them and puts on one of their uniforms. He goes into an elevator and ends up next to Chapman, Hodges' weapons expert. Tony says he's part of newer security detail and Chapman leaves without incident. Tony gets a picture of the canisters and Jack confirms it is the bio-weapon. They pass along the information to the military. Tony sees that the canisters are on the move to a "delivery system."
Hodges goes to meet with Knowles. After Knowles questions him about having a WMD, Hodges gives a speech about Starkwood being investigated by the government after doing the country's dirty work for many years. Hodges says "I kept this country strong. I kept this country safe. And I will not be persecuted for that." Hodges then hits Knowles over the head repeatedly with a glass bottles and flips him over the railing down the floor below. While Hodges wipes blood from his shirt Seaton calls to say several F-18s are on their way. Hodges has him call the president.
Post-coitus Dellao tells Olivia that he will, in fact, run the story. Despite her pleading that it will cost lives, he is going to go with the story because it will be good for his career. Olivia then shows him she taped their sex and threatens to show the video to everyone, including his wife, if he runs the story or tries to blackmail her again. Olivia's phone rings with President Taylor who tells he the air strike is about to begin.
In the Situation Room Taylor is told the heat of the missiles should destroy the pathogens and prevent any spread of the weapon after its destruction.
Upon hearing the weapon is ready Hodges tells Champman and Seaton that "this is a historic day for Starkwood."
Minutes before the fighters will reach the target, Taylor is told Starkwood will be aware of their presence via radar. She gets word Hodges is on the line and he wants to speak with her privately on a proprietary line in an adjacent rom.
Hodges tells Taylor that if she does not call off the fighters he will fire three Python-5 misses loaded with the bio-weapon at cities on the Eastern seabord. He shows her a video of the missiles, adding that he would like a sit-down in the Oval Office within the hour. He gives her 30 seconds to decide.
After several anxious seconds Taylor runs to the Sit Room and orders the attack aborted.
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