Airdate: Sunday.5.January.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.