The following takes place between 6 pm and 7 pm. Events occur in real time.
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3:00 am Kabul time.
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Major Barnes and his team are returning to the American embassy after taking out the Taliban snipers. Barnes receives a call from colonel Mcnamara.
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Barnes: The snipers are dead. One took cyanide rather than let himself be captured.
Mcnamara: Good, we need you back now.
Barnes: What's up?
Mcnamara: We got a tip that some Taliban are preparing to attack the embassy.
Barnes: This a credible tip?
Mcnamara: I'm not sure, but we need to be ready either way.
Barnes: We're on our way.
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6:02 am eastern standard time.
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At CTU George Mason is made aware of the possible upcoming attack and alerts his people.
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At the White House president Allen has been briefed and is calling the Taliban Hekmetyar.
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Allen: We have intel that some of your people are planning to attack the American embassy in Kabul within the next few hours.
Hekmetyar: If anyone is planning such an attack, they are not my people. It is possible that some rogue faction is planning such an attack, but this is the first I have heard of it.
Allen: If you are truley serious about peace, we would greatly appreciate any intel you can give us.
Hekmetyar: I will speak to my people, see if they know anything. I will also make it clear that any aggression against your embassy will not be tolerated by myself or our National Assembly.
Allen: My country appreciates your cooperation.
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President Allen wonders if Hekmetyar is serious about this cooperation, or if he's trying to give himself plausible deniability. For now, she can only hope it's the first one.
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Heather checks out Bianca's social media profile. She has apparently posted her plans to go to the movies this night. Rudy sees an opportunity.
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Rudy: We could put a bomb in the theatre. With everything that's going on today, and tomorrow, everyone will think it's just Alqueda. Can't guarantee it will kill her, but at the very least she'd probably lose the baby.
Mike: Thanks man, I really appreciate all you've done for me.
Rudy: No problem. I just need to contact my friends, get what we need.
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Mike is relieved that he won't have to pay child support. Whether Bianca, or any other innocent person dies is irrelevant to him. He only cares about himself.
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6:06 pm
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At CTU Jack Bauer has heard about the situation and offers to help.
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Mason: Eric Carter is already interrogating Aslan.
Jack: Aslan has to be cut off from his allies in Afghanistan, we might be able to make him think the attack has already happened.
Mason: Okay, I'll let Eric know.
Jack: I can be the wild card element, make him think I have nothing to lose.
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George Mason thought about this for a moment. If Jack went overboard and Aslan died, they both might be in deep trouble. But if the attack happened and they didn't do everything possible to stop it, it could also mean trouble. Mason decided to take a chance and let Jack try it his way. Jack burst into the interrogation room. Eric Carter is surprised at this.
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Eric: What's going on Jack?
Jack: Our embassy in Kabul was just attacked, by his people. It's still going on, at least 15 americans dead already.
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Instead of denying this, Aslan actually laughs.
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Aslan: I only wish I had been there to personally kill those infidels. To see their faces as they knew that the sunrise heralded their deaths.
Jack: American marines killed the leader of your group.
Aslan: Then Razi died a martyr, and I will join him soon, but the fight will go on.
Eric: Why are you here? If you wanted to be part of this attack why come here? Is there something else coming today?
Aslan: There will always be more attacks, until we have turned this country into ashes.
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Mason hears this conversation, and Asan let it slip that Razi was the leader. Mason knows the name, Razi was a Taliban leader, but he broke away from the group because he opposed Hekmetyar's peace initiative. Aslan also said the attack was supposed to happen at sunrise, Jamey Farrell looks this up. Sunrise in Kabul is scheduled for 4:41 am local time, that's less than 90 minutes from now. Fortunately Aslan seems to have gotten mixed up at the differences in time zones, he believed that the attack had already begun. Hopefully this early warning will help the embassy prepare. Hopefully it will be enough.
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6:11 am