Masquerade

Episode Number: 1.18

Original Air Date: April 7, 2002

Written By: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

Directed By: Craig Zisk

Summary:
Last week we learned that Sydney's mother may still be alive. This week, we find Sydney climbing a mountain top, and calling the FBI to come and get her. They can't hold her to the prophecy if she's climbed the mountain that Rambaldi claimed this 'woman' would never have seen. Later we find that the FBI is now investigating the theory on Laura/Irina. Sydney and Jack find out that Sloane, when he was working with intelligence, actually knew Laura was still alive. Sydney insists on finding her mother. She contacts Vaughn for help, but he refuses because he wouldn't be able to find out for her. So Sydney turns to Sloane for help. Sloane tells her that Jack was actually detained for a year by the FBI after Laura's death, because they thought maybe he was a double agent as well. Sydney seemed shocked by this. Sloane refuses to let Sydney go off to investigate herself, but promises to help her find Laura.

Back at SD-6, Sloane is going over the latest mission. Sydney and Dixon are going to a masked ball to meet up with 2 SD agents who have information on Khasinau. They will recognize each other through infra-red beams. Sydney is asked to dance by one agent, but she becomes suspicious when the agent claims things had gone wrong with the mission, and his partner had been killed. They begin to leave when Sydney realizes she knows this agent. It's her former lover, Noah Hicks. They kiss to avoid getting caught, then retrieve the information, stored on a chip, from Noah's partner's dead body. Finally, Dixon drives them off in a horse and buggy.

In the plane on the way home, Dixon shows his distaste for Noah, but Sydney is curious to see him again. Apparently there was a mix up years ago. He had to leave SD-6 and wanted her to go with him. He sent her an encrypted e-mail, but she thought it was junk-mail and deleted it. He'd thought she just ditched him. She thought he'd just left her. They both realized it was just a misunderstanding.

Back at SD-6, Noah is thoroughly debriefed, and we realize he is still in love with Sydney. Sloane thinks he may have become a double agent for "The Man." Later, Sydney meets Vaughn in the storage space. Vaughn is curious about Noah, and gets the impression she and Noah were intimate. Sydney mentions that relationships with co-workers are forbidden by SD-6, and Vaughn says the same about the CIA regulations. An awkward pause. Vaughn mentions they couldn't find Jack, and Sydney is worried. She finds him at a bar. She insists he see the CIA shrink. He's gone through a lot, especially now with Laura still being alive.

Back at SD-6, Sydney and Noah flirt a bit, before they are briefed by Sloane for their new mission. Dixon isn't please to be shunned off, but Noah knows the area and could be of more help. They find that Khasinau has access to a computer that may have information as to what Rambaldi's master project may have been. They are told that the temperature in the computer room is so cold, even a second of exposure to the skin could kill you.

Back in LA, Francie and Will find a flight receipt from Italy in Sydney's jacket. But Sydney had told them she'd gone to Boston. They realize she was lying to them.

On the mission, Noah and Sydney fool the guards into thinking they were stranded tourists, long enough to knock them all out. They get into the computer center and Sydney puts on the outbreak outfit to protect herself from the cold. She accesses the computer, but a guard finds his fellow guards knocked out and goes after Sydney and Noah. Sydney is hit by the metal arm holding the computer 'brain' and she falls to the ground. Her faceplate begins to crack. She begins to go unconscious when Noah saves her. He gives her CPR and they escape to a safe house.

Back at the CIA, Jack is with Dr. Rapunzel, and he's trying very hard to appear fine. But she sees right through him. Jack gets angry and tells her that he was wasting his time. She wants to see him again. Back at the safe house, Noah and Sydney make do with what they can, and talk about old times. They have hours to kill before they are extracted, and begin talking about their feelings. Sydney makes a move on him and they begin to undress. Until next episode.