Contains spoilers for this episode.
Jack removes the circuit board's tracker beneath power lines and chooses the abandoned Calderone Hotel for his meeting with Cheng. Doyle commandeers a car and follows the remaining clues. At the hotel, Jack plants explosives and leaves Buchanan a message explaining his plan to destroy the component. He also asks Buchanan to look after Audrey if he does not survive, preparing to sacrifice himself once she has been released.
Karen faces pressure from the Justice Department over Buchanan's earlier release of Fayed, which lacked sufficient evidence to justify continued detention. Officials want someone blamed for the current attacks. Karen fires her husband to protect the administration, and Buchanan reluctantly hands command of CTU to Nadia. Meanwhile, a furious exchange with Chloe ends with her invoking Morris's role in arming the terrorists' bomb, hurting him badly despite her immediate apology.
Cheng brings Audrey to the hotel, and Jack sends her outside before handing over the board. Doyle opens fire before Jack can trigger his explosives. CTU arrives, but Cheng escapes with the component, and a missile brings down the helicopter pursuing his vehicles. Jack is arrested again, angrily insisting that his own plan would have worked. Audrey is recovered, but she repeats a plea for help and does not recognize him. Her release has brought her back within reach without restoring their relationship.