Sydney accompanies Sloane on a Covenant assignment to steal the operating system for a microwave laser from the Chinese Defense Minister's office. Marshall uses a camouflaged remote-control car to disable security, allowing Sydney to break into a safe. When discovered by security, Sydney overpowers two guards, scrambles the operating system and escapes. Sloane then gives Sydney an envelope written in Sydney's handwriting, containing a key and a coded message ("34-14, 09-55/9, 23-185, 17-15/3") that points to an apartment in Rome. Jack explains that the message was encoded in a scheme used by Sydney's mother, suggesting that they were in contact during Sydney's two-year disappearance. Meanwhile, Vaughn and Lauren go to Mexico to meet Javier Perez, one of Simon Walker's former associates, who was captured by Mexican police and who claims to have information about Lazarey's murder. They are taken hostage en route, giving Jack a chance to kill Perez and make it appear as a suicide. However, Sark later finds Lauren and provides evidence that Julia Thorne is really Sydney and that she killed Lazarey. Sark claims to be interested in avenging his father's death. Vaughn helps Sydney escape before being arrested by the National Security Council and Lauren tells Dixon that he is no longer in charge of the task force due to his hiding of evidence concerning Lazarey's murder. The episode ends with Sydney entering the apartment in Rome. She recognizes a nearby statue as a recurring feature in her nightmares but is suddenly arrested by police.