Jack bursts into a gun store. Jack utters one his classic lines, "Drop the weapon, now!" Ahhh, that never gets old.

We now get a scene that obviously was written in response to some guff Fox has received over the show's portrayal of Muslims as terrorists. (Funny, I didn't know 9/11 and subsequent trouble was actually caused by Norwegian Lutheran grannies.) The two guys in the gun store, (they were trying to protect their store from looters) are Arab Americans, and they launch into this spiel about how they are good Americans, they are angry that all this looting is related to the acts of terrorism, this country is their home, blah blah blah. Goodness, it was like being hit over the head with a hammer. We get it already. Noble, good, Arab Americans. Not all Arabs are terrorists. Ok, message received! As if we hadn't already figured that out years ago. At one point, we even see an American flag draped over something behind these two guys. Aaauuuggghhhh!

These two noble Arab Americans decide to stay and help Jack fight it out against the mercs, to protect their store.

Jack immediately tells these two guys most of what has been going on, about the terrorists, the EMP, etc... Gracious Jack, you're giving sensitive information to complete strangers? Civilians, who are Arab, in fact? Not good operational security, my boy.

Jack's master plan is to start a firefight with the mercs, so CTU will pick up the gunfight with their Magic, and will know where to find them, so CTU can come to the rescue. Just dwell on the wisdom of that for a moment.

At CTU, the SecDef, as patronizing daddy, has a heart to heart with a sniffly Audrey. Audrey is having second thoughts about Jack, given what she saw Jack do to Paul in the hotel room. At one point, Audrey says it was "a shock to see" that. Uhhh, was she trying to be funny? Were the writers trying to be funny?

In a delicious catty little scene, Sarah gets all huffy with Michelle, demanding that Michelle make good on what Driscoll promised her. In a shocking display of sensibility, Michelle immediately calls security and has them escort Sarah out. Michelle says she can't trust anyone who would make such demands. Wow. Usually people on 24 just immediately cave in to such blustering threats. Sarah sputters and says she is juggling active protocols, she's needed. Well, protocols or no, she's out. Maybe she's just getting canned for her poor math skills.

Now that they are really really shorthanded, someone is needed to help with Sarah's protocols or whatever. Curtis suggests Tony. Michelle agrees.

Tony somehow magically divines that Jack will try to start a firefight so CTU can pinpoint his location, and that CTU should move in. Michelle says no, they'll stay on the perimeter, as they might not be able to get to Jack if they go to one spot. It's not clear why it's better to sit on the perimeter of this 201 or 8 square mile area, take your pick, and how they could easily rescue Jack from there, but not from some point within the area, if they moved in.