Airdate: Sunday.16.March.2003

Despite Sydney's remonstrance, Vaughn's badge is taken and he's now
officially under investigation. Jack tells Sydney of Irina's escape and
betrayal. Heartbroken, she retreats to Irina's old cell, where Dixon
consoles her. Sydney shows him the earrings Irina left for her and wishes
Irina was dead.

Aboard Sloane's jet, Sloane and Irina discuss their plans — Irina will
acquire files from a genetic database in Germany while Sloane reunites
with Emily in Tuscany. He speaks of his regard for Sydney, angering
Irina. "Don't ever talk about your love for my daughter," she says. Later
in Tuscany, Sloane surprises Emily with the purchase of a villa.

At the CIA, Jack takes over the briefing from Kendall. Due to his intimate
knowledge of Irina, he's been assigned operational control of the task
force aimed at her, and Sloane's, apprehension. Jack reveals he secretly
injected Irina with a passive transmitter, and that it will reveal her
location in 12 hours.

During target practice, Vaughn tells Sydney that his security clearance has
been temporarily downgraded but he's still field-ready. He advises her not
to join the task force; she shouldn't have to hunt her own mother. Syd
assures him that she won't hesitate to pull the trigger. Meanwhile, an
incensed Kendall, feeling misled into trusting Irina, confronts Jack. Jack
assures Kendall that he's not after his job and he'll step down after Irina's capture.

Irina's signal goes live; she's in Stuttgart along with Sark. Posing as a
Scandinavian pharmaceutical rep, Irina gains access to the genetic
database at Brucker Biotech, the German equivalent of the Human Genome Project.

Sark spots the CIA outside and assumes Irina's tagged. He de-bugs her with
an electric shock and sets an explosive while she downloads the database.
The CIA moves in. Sark meets Vaughn in a stairwell and shoots him. Sydney
knocks the gun from Sark, who then flees. Vaughn, Syd learns, was wearing
a bulletproof vest. Irina then baits them into chasing her, so they're
free of the building as the bomb explodes.

In Tuscany, Emily answers a call from Irina. She summons Sloane, who is
told to go to his jet for the handoff. Sloane begs a confused Emily to
trust him. Back at the CIA, Will explains that the data contains the DNA
of millions of private citizens. Marshall theorizes that Sloane could
develop genetically-targeted weapons. In Sloane's jet, Emily is shocked to
see Irina, whom she thought dead, and angered at Sloane's continuing
deception. Sloane explains that what he's after will let her live cancer
free forever.

At dinner in L.A., Sydney thinks Francie's behavior is odd after she
presents Vaughn with a gift.

Emily, meanwhile, turns herself in to the American consulate in Florence
and asks to speak to Syd, who flies in to meet her. Tired of the lies and
rationalizing, Emily offers up Sloane in return for the CIA promise that
he won't get the death-penalty. Sydney sympathizes with Emily, admitting
she sees her as a maternal figure. Jack agrees to the condition.

Sloane, however, is ready to quit crime for Emily's sake. He tells Irina
that he wants to sell her all his assets, including his collection of
Rimbaldi artifacts. He tells Irina to meet him at the villa.

With Emily wired and the CIA surrounding the villa, Sloane arrives with
Irina. Irina retrieves the data while Sloane tells his wife that he loves
her. Guilt-ridden, she exposes the wire. With the CIA moving in, Sloane,
understanding his wife's torment, asks her to escape with him. She chooses
to run with him and they escape through an underground passage. Irina
follows, as does a pursuing Sydney.

Syd catches up to Irina, who's vulnerable as she climbs a ladder to the
surface. Syd hesitates before shooting her mother in the arm. Irina drops
the disk, but makes it out. Armed with a sniper scope, Dixon spots Sloane
and Emily running toward a helicopter, Irina following. He targets Sloane,
fires, and hits … Emily. Irina grabs Sloane, who's grieving over Emily's
body, and they escape to the chopper. Sydney is devastated.

Back in Syd's apartment, Sydney and Vaughn are in bed when they hear Morse
code coming from the earrings that had once belonged to Irina. Sydney
decrypts the message, which reads: TRUTH TAKES TIME.