Daniel Ryan, a freelance bomb maker whose bombs are impossible to defuse, destroys a bank in Belfast as a calling card to The Covenant. If he fails to cut a deal with The Covenant in 48 hours, he'll give notice to other terrorist groups with a bombing in the U.S. When the CIA learns that The Covenant is to meet him at the Black Stag Bar in Belfast, they send Weiss and Syd. 

Using Covenant defector Leonid Lisenker as a source of info, Syd poses as a Covenant agent. To improve her credibility with Ryan, she rescues him from an attempted CIA kidnapping led by Weiss. Ryan wakes in a CIA-built replica of the hotel room in which he does business with The Covenant. The ruse nearly fails, but Lisenker appears and vouches for Syd. Ryan accepts the deal on the condition that the details be handled by Sark, whom he's never met but knows is The Covenant's North American co-commander. 

Vaughn appears, posing as Sark. Ryan tells him the details will be given to him on a flight from Rome to Paris by an associate who will recognize him. He says the second bombing will be called off once the associate meets Sark. The CIA hurriedly issues a communiqué that compels Sark to board that flight, which 

Vaughn is also on. The associate never shows up, however, meaning that Ryan wanted Sark on that plane for an unknown reason. 
Sloane, sleeping with Judy Barnett, receives a call from a desperate Syd. He says Ryan's brother Christopher was killed by The Covenant. After some research, Syd remembers that The Covenant made her kill Christopher to test her Julia Thorne identity. Ryan plans to get revenge on The Covenant by blowing up Sark's flight. 

On the plane, Vaughn arrests and handcuffs Sark. After a call from Syd, he finds the bomb in the cargo hold. Marshall discovers that the detonator is based on barometric pressure — the bomb will explode if the plane descends below 18 thousand feet. If Vaughn detaches the motion sensor, Marshall says, they may be able to fool the bomb into thinking it's in high altitude. 

Syd, Weiss and Lisenker reveal themselves to Ryan, hoping the revelation convinces Ryan to stop the bomb. Syd appeals to Ryan's compassion, saying she was tortured by The Covenant and made to assume the Julia Thorne identity.

Vaughn uncuffs Sark, and together they try to disable the motion sensor. Ryan agrees to help and dials in a deactivation sequence. It's only a ploy — he had heard a rumor that Julia Thorne had killed his brother — he activates the bomb, as well as the one Marshall had been studying in his office! 

With the clock ticking, Jack chokes Ryan until he passes out, then revives him. If he doesn't give them the code, Jack says, he won't be revived next time. Ryan gives it up with one second to spare. The danger over, Sark attacks Vaughn, who knocks him out and turns him over to the French authorities. When Vaughn returns, a tearful Syd embraces him. 

Copyright © March 2003