Fayed and Gredenko are busy in the Mojave, arming drones. Gredenko tells Fayed that the Americans know their location. Fayed is not pleased. One drone gets launched ahead of schedule to keep ahead of the authorities. CTU is able to keep tabs on this plane, and are feeling quite confident of a good outcome. While they are on a conference call with a general from Andrews, who is summoning F-16s to intercept the drone, the satellite that Morris was using to monitor the drone’s progress suddenly loses the image.

As it turns out, Gredenko’s remote pilot was able perform that bit of technical magic. Anyway, when this news is received at the White House, Veep Daniels feels justified in calling the Joint Chiefs into session. Tom is instantly uneasy. Daniels gleefully announces that if the launched nuclear device detonates – the U.S. will respond with a nuclear strike of their own aimed at The Unnamed Country. Even though Daniels intends the strike to be just a warning, it’s horrifying. I think Tom just sprouted an ulcer. In the actual meeting, Karen Hayes, fresh from her limbo status at the airport, is the only one in the room who voices any dissent to Daniels’ plan. Afterward, she corners Tom and hounds him:

“You can’t possibly be in favor of this plan. I saw your beady eyes!”

“Don’t presume to tell me how I feel based on my beady eyes. We have to defer to the Veep here, his voice scares me. Although everything Wayne did today was wrong, especially his choice of shoes, at least he whispered.”

The thing is, we know that Tom doesn’t like this idea, but he likes Karen less. Stubborn dude. Pity.

And the shock of the hour, or at least one of them, is when Jack got back to CTU, he had a moment with Marilyn. She said she regretted that things didn’t work out between them.

“I’m going out on a big ol' limb, but judging from how your pupils (not to mention other things) enlarged every time you saw me today, and all that drool on your chin – I’m guessing you felt the same way?”

She tries to kiss Jack.

“Ah, hold it sister. Sure, I thought you were super swell, I still do. But I’m sweet on someone else. So, you can’t smooch me, sugar.”

“Silly Jack, do you mean Audrey Raines? She’s dead. Expired. Gave up the ghost. Pushing up daisies. Big dirt nap. Knock, knock, knocking on Heaven’s Door.

“Succumbed?”

“Si.”

Wow. We did not expect this. Kim Raver’s NBC show The Nine was cancelled, but perhaps the new show The Lipstick Jungle will pan out. I guess that’s why dear Audrey was killed off. Jack is now totally messed up. Looking like bile is constricting his throat, he charges back onto the floor and confronts Chloe. She tries to defend CTU’s position about keeping him in the dark, although being told “we thought you were going to be killed” is not very comforting. Relenting, she adds that “I guess I probably should have told you.”