Sara shouts over the sound of the whirling chopper blades, “He’s lost a lot of blood. He’s going hypovolemic!” Sara is worried that Abruzzi might not make the twenty minute flight to the hospital downtown, but there’s no other option. The EMT on board shouts back that they need to fly him to Chicago immediately. As the helicopter floats off the ground, Abruzzi looks out the window. The green prison yard fades to white.
T-Bag slips between Westmoreland and Sucre at the fence. “And then there were six,” he hisses. C-Note adds, “Far as I know, it ain’t six, it’s five.”
Lincoln falls to the ground after being forced into the SHU. C.O. Geary stands above Lincoln, striking his back with his baton. “Don’t you ever step up to me again,” Geary warns. After Geary exacts his revenge, he drags Lincoln into a dimly lit corridor towards an isolated cell and locks him behind a forbidding metal door.
Pope moves quickly through the yard, escorted by a couple of guards. Michael runs up to him from the other side of the fence and urgently asks to know where his brother is. Pope explains that Lincoln is in serious trouble for assaulting a C.O.. With only thirty-six hours until the execution, Lincoln has become desperate and will be kept in solitary confinement for everyone’s safety. Michael demands to see him, but Pope firmly reiterates that Michael cannot see Lincoln until his execution.
Sucre leans on the yard phones, unsuccessfully trying to get information about Abruzzi from a Chicago hospital. Sucre hangs up and walks over to Michael, C-Note, T-Bag and Westmoreland where tensions are mounting as the complications to the escape pile up. Michael informs them that they need to put the escape on hold because his plan has been changed, but the escape team, having taken on a momentum of its own, votes him down. Michael stands his ground and refuses to continue on until he’s figured out how to get Lincoln out. C-Note respects Michael’s concern for his brother, but he tells Michael, “You go to the tombs, you don’t get out. Not until they strap you up.” Plus, every day they wait is another day that the C.O.s could find the hole in their break room. C-Note, T-Bag and even Westmoreland are a unified front in their resolution to make their move that afternoon in P.I.. But Michael won’t go with them. C-Note quietly insists, “This train is leaving the station.”
Lincoln, in the darkness of his solitary cell, lights a single match and stares at the flame.
Michael sits at the desk in his cell, his head resting in his hands. Sucre levels with his cellmate about their situation. If the other guys make their break today, then the guards will tear Fox River apart until they find out how they did it. That will certainly lead the bulls right into their cell. Michael realizes that Sucre is thinking about joining the others. Sucre can only remind Michael about the baby that Maricruz is carrying. Michael lifts a rosary and fidgets with one of the ends on the cross. Sucre knows Michael doesn’t want to hear it, but Lincoln is getting strapped into that chair. And once he’s dead, Michael has another five years of time to serve in Fox River. But Sucre also understands that if he were Michael he couldn’t leave his brother in that position. “That’s the worst possible way to die.” Michael’s eyes drift down to the inside of his bicep and he runs his thumb over a tattoo of a gravestone.
Still recuperating in the hospital, Nicks hangs up the phone in a hopeful mood. He tells Veronica that he spoke to a friend who is a clerk at the Superior Court. If the informant Veronica is meeting has any evidence that might shed light onto Lincoln’s case, the clerk will be ready to file the necessary paperwork. Veronica then proposes that maybe they need to stop hiding and take what they have to the media. Nick wonders if Veronica is ready to show her face again. Veronica replies, “It’s the bottom of the ninth. What else are we going to do?”
C-Note picks up the yard phone, wraps a cloth around the receiver and dials a number. He takes a deep breath and waits for an answer. A little girl picks up, and C-Note replies, “Hey, it’s Daddy, baby girl!” His daughter, Dede, is excited to hear his voice and asks him about the camels. C-Note shoots a quick glance over his shoulder. He tells her the camels are fine and asks to speak to her mommy. C-Note’s wife, Kacee, picks up. “First Sargent Benjamin Miles Franklin, how are you?” C-Note lies to his wife, telling her that he’s been “driving trucks, eating dates, trying to keep the sand out of my eyes.” She picks up a postcard from Iraq off the counter, glances at it and asks, “What’s this about you coming home soon?” C-Note tells her that he’ll be coming within the week. C-Note then asks to speak to Kacee’s brother, Darius. When the coast is clear, Darius asks if Fox River is as bad as everyone says. C-Note tells his brother-in-law that he needs a favor from him, then cryptically asks how many people his SUV holds.
Michael leans against the bars of his cell, eying the tier below. He quietly mutters, “Okay.” Sucre jumps up and asks what his plan is for Lincoln. Michael simply asks if Sucre has a razor blade.
Moments later, Michael sterilizes the razor blade by holding it over the flame of a cigarette lighter. He rolls up his sleeve to reveal the gravestone tattoo again. He looks at the ceiling, takes a deep breath, and presses the edge of the blade into his skin, cutting along a line drawn under the gravestone. Sucre winces as he witnesses this self-mutilation. When Michael finishes making the cut he rubs his finger over his skin until a small bead-shaped object emerges from the incision. He pinches a small black pill between his bloody fingers.
The protests to save Lincoln’s life have started outside Fox River and the press is there to cover it.
Lincoln, still in solitary, lights another match and prays quietly.
Michael and Reverend Mailor kneel at Michael’s bunk and also pray. The Reverend assures Michael that the Lord hears their prayers on Lincoln’s behalf. If Lincoln accepts the Lord, the Reverend assures Michael, he’ll be “free of this cage” forever. Michael’s grief seems genuine as he quietly asks the Reverend to deliver his rosary to his brother and to say it was from him. The Reverend gladly agrees.
Sara cleans the cut on Michael’s bicep. He tells her that he’s grateful she has been there to take care of him and wonders if maybe things would have been different for them in another life. Sara ignores his musings, curtly reminding him, “I won’t be that woman, Michael.” Michael just asks her to think about it, and thanks her again for all she’s done for him. Sara asks, “Why does it feel like you’re saying good-bye to me?” Michael replies that you never really know what day is going to be your last. Nurse Katie calls from the hallway to say they’re getting backed up. Sara says she’s sorry about his brother and she moves to leave, but Michael reaches out and gently takes her hand. He holds her hand, and her gaze, for a lingering moment before walking out of the infirmary. When the room is empty, a janitor slips in to refill some supplies and clean the counter. He walks to a garbage can located near the grate where Michael had been dumping corrosive chemicals. The janitor eyes the grate briefly, then turns and leaves.
Michael checks his watch; it’s almost 4pm. Sucre whispers behind him, “This is it, bro.” Sucre turns around to offer a hand, but Michael moves to hug him. “Good luck to both of us,” Sucre whispers. Bellick enters the wing and calls out, “P.I.! Let’s do it!”
T-Bag slides up along side Michael on the walk to the guard room. “What, you figure some magic way to get your brother out of that hole and into the guards’ room?” Michael coldly replies to him that Lincoln isn’t going to be there. The rest of the men share a look as they walk behind Michael.
The door to Lincoln’s cell slides open. He shields his eyes as they adjust to the first light he’s seen in hours. The Reverend moves toward Lincoln, turning on the lights as he enters the cell. He tells Lincoln that he saw Michael today, and that Michael prayed for him. Lincoln chuckles meekly, noting that if Michael is praying he “must be desperate.” The Reverend offers Lincoln what comfort he can, and hands Lincoln the rosary. Lincoln examines this object that his brother sent to him. As he turns it over, he discovers that one end is loose. He begins to pick and fidget with it until the back pops off to reveal the black pill and a small piece of paper. It reads “EAT 8:10.”
As death penalty protesters picket outside the gates of Fox River, Veronica parks her car and heads towards the gathering of media trucks. Watching from across the parking lot are two female special agents, including the straight forward, no-nonsense Agent Brinker. Once she has a visual on Veronica, Brinker updates Kellerman on the phone. She also reports that Hale, who had orders to be there as well, is M.I.A.. Annoyed, Kellerman hangs up and immediately dials Hale’s number.
As his cell phone rings in the background, Hale and his wife hurriedly pack what belongings they can. Hale tells her not to answer the phone. He throws on his jacket and says he needs to take care of one last thing before they go. He adds, “Make sure you pack everything, because once we’re out that door, we’re not coming back.”
Veronica stands before a local news van and announces that she represents Lincoln Burrows and she wants to tell her story. Angela West, the producer of the news team, eagerly sets up the interview. Not wanting to arouse any further suspicion, Agent Brinker watches from a distance as Veronica and Angela begin to talk.
Back in the P.I. room, T-Bag turns from working on the drywall to ask Michael what the plan is. Michael tells them that they’re just supposed to keep working like they always do. But T-Bag wants to know the exact time they’ll be leaving. Michael responds nine o’clock. T-Bag points out that P.I. ends at five o’clock. Michael says they’re going to need to make sure that P.I. doesn’t end at five tonight. As the team looks on, Michael removes a piece the drywall, then rips out some insulation to reveal a water pipe. Michael grabs a sledge hammer and swings at the pipe. After a couple good blows, the pipe splits and water sprays out, soaking the room as well as the team.
Two guards stand over the P.I. crew, now drenched and sitting on the floor. Bellick storms in and bellows, “What the hell happened here?” Michael confesses that they messed up and hit a water pipe. He assures Bellick that the crew can fix it in the morning, before the mold sets in. Bellick, already upset that the crew has lingered for so long in repairing his break room, furiously orders them to get the room back on track tonight. They’re not to leave until everything is repaired. Bellick leads the other guards out in a huff, and the soaking wet escape team share a smile and a couple handshakes. Their plan might just be back on track.
Angela emerges from the news van, having checked into some of Veronica’s claims. She assures her co-producer that a lot of it checks out and prepares to put Veronica on the air. Veronica steels herself beside the reporter and within seconds, she is on the air being interviewed by a field reporter. She tells the cameras her story, insisting, “There’s a whole string of proof. Murders. Leticia Barris, a potential exculpatory witness. Lisa Rix, the mother of Lincoln’s child. Bishop McMorrow, the man that could’ve petitioned the governor for clemency...” Veronica finishes with her conviction that someone is covering up the truth behind the murder of Terrence Steadman and that she has a source “on the inside” who can exonerate Lincoln.
Veronica’s face is suddenly framed on a television screen in the Vice President’s office. She sits behind her desk, composed but irritated as she says darkly to Kellerman, who watches with her, “Someone’s been talking.”
As Pope and Bellick look on, an electrician performs the uneasy task of prepping the electric chair. Bellick and Pope are silent as the electrician completes his inspection and informs them it’s time for a test run.
Lincoln examines the pill under a feeble stream of light coming through a vent in the dark cell. As he looks at it, the lights in the prison flutter on and off. When they go back on, Lincoln closes his eyes, realizing the significance of that surge of energy.
Two C.O.s escort Veronica down the echoing hall to Lincoln’s cell. When they open the door, she instantly demands that the lights in the cell be turned on. She slowly walks in, then embraces Lincoln. She tells him that everyone is okay. Scared, but okay. She then tells him about her source and urges him to have faith. “Whatever Michael’s planning, he doesn’t need to do it now. We’re gonna beat this thing the right way,” she tells him. But he’s still concerned. What if her plan doesn’t work? She leans in and kisses Lincoln. “Don’t give up on me,” she whispers.
Allison rolls a couple of suitcases to the front door and grabs her keys. When she opens the door, Kellerman stands there, startling her. They share an uneasy greeting as he looks inside her house and notices she’s packed nearly all of her belongings. Allison tells him that they’re going on vacation, to the Bahamas. Kellerman asks where Hale is.
Through the vent in his cell, Lincoln calls to C.O. Patterson to ask the time. Patterson tells him that it’s a few minutes after eight o’clock. Lincoln takes another look at the pill in his hand, then tosses it in his mouth.
Sucre tells Michael it’s 8:15 p.m. and Michael just silently taps the back of his head against the wall. Sucre asks him if he’s okay. Michael simply says, “No.”
Lincoln’s body begins to convulse and he tries to fight the urge to vomit. He grimaces in pain and lies on the floor. Through his teeth, he groans, “Michael…what have you done?”
Three C.O.s and a doctor rush Lincoln on a gurney down a hall. His face contorts with pain.
Michael stares at the wall, then checks his watch. C-Note moves up behind him, “Nine o’clock, Fish. Showtime.”
Lincoln still on the gurney, shakes violently. He rolls on his side and sees the grate under the sink. A smile creeps onto his face as he realizes that he’s in the infirmary. A male orderly tells a C.O. to call and find out if Sara has left yet.
The guys remove the carpet and plaque, revealing the hole in the floor. Westmoreland jams a crowbar into the door handle. They all stand around the hole, smiles on their faces. “See you on the other side,” Michael says as he drops down into the hole.
Lincoln, stable, lies on the infirmary bed. Sara sits next to him, confident that he was struck by a case of food poisoning. Unfortunately it’s not a serious enough medical ailment to forestall the execution. She offers to stay with him, but Lincoln declines. She exits the exam room and Lincoln turns to look at the grate again.
The crew moves quickly through giant pipes under the prison. T-Bag warns C-Note, “Your boys better be there.” C-Note assures him that they will.
A large SUV pulls up outside the prison walls. Darius steps out of the driver’s side, along with his anxious friend, Spider. Darius pops the hood of his SUV to make it look like his car has broken down.
Veronica waits in a dark alley, still unsure of who she’ll be meeting. Hale slowly walks up to her and tells her they have a lot to talk about, but not much time to do it. He tells her that Lincoln was picked a long time ago to take the fall for Steadman’s murder. Veronica wants to know exactly who it was that did kill Steadman. “Nobody. Terrence Steadman’s still alive.” Hale reaches into his jacket and pulls out an envelope. He tells her that inside it, she’ll find the names of all the people involved in the conspiracy, top to bottom. Before he can hand Veronica the envelope, Hale sees a car pulling up. He tells Veronica she needs to hide behind a nearby car immediately. Hale sticks the envelope back in his jacket pocket and Veronica takes cover just as Kellerman pulls up. Kellerman walks right up to Hale and demands to know where Veronica is. Hale refuses to cooperate. Kellerman wastes no time and reaches into Hale’s pocket to confiscate his firearm. When the envelope falls from Hale’s jacket, Kellerman keeps his gun trained on Hale and smiles as he scans its contents. “Amazing. You got all of it on just three pages. You know what could happen if this got in the wrong hands?” Kellerman’s smile fades as he continues reading. “You named me? Right there along with the rest of them.” Hale begs for his life, but Kellerman is consumed with this ultimate betrayal. “You named me.” He fires a single shot and Hale drops to the ground, just feet from where Veronica shudders in silence.
The escape crew comes up from the floor in the maintenance room, directly under the infirmary. T-Bag keeps lookout at the door and Michael climbs up a shelf to look at the pipe that leads to grate in the infirmary. Panic seizes him when he notices that the piece of pipe that he had worked on corroding has now been replaced with a brand new piece. He reaches up with his hand in complete disbelief. He looks down at the guys. They all look back, waiting for the next step, “They replaced it,” he whispers with a stunned look on his face.
Steam rises from the open hood of Darius’ engine. Jittery, Spider removes a gun from his belt. Darius tells him to put it away just as two C.O.s walk up to them. The C.O.s tell them that they can’t park there. Darius points out that his SUV broke down. One C.O. looks over the engine and the other demands that Spider and Darius raise their hands so he can see them. When Spider’s hands come up, the gun is gone, stashed in the waistband of his pants. The C.O. at the engine reconnects the radiator hose that Darius sabotaged and orders the two to move on, “or we’re going to have a problem.” With no other option, Darius and Spider are forced to get back in the SUV and drive off.
Lincoln takes the IV needle out his arm and calls Michael’s name into the grate, Michael excitedly knocks back against the new metal plate. Michael then frantically begins to try and tear down the piping. Westmoreland grabs a piece of industrial pipe and they try to wedge it between the ceiling and the pipe. T-Bag issues a “SSH!” as a C.O. walks past the room. When they’re clear, they being pulling downward on the industrial pipe. Lincoln, above, is hammering downward with the handle of a mop. Michael continues trying to pull down on the pipe, but it won’t budge. Michael slouches down in defeat and tells them that they can’t get out. T-Bag reaches into his boot and pulls out a shiv. He slowly approaches Michael with the others looking on, “Unfortunately, Pretty, that ain’t an option. You are going to get us out of here.”
Michael rests his head on his hand, covered in sweat
[Edit]
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