Chaos (2011) s01e08 Episode Script

Core Fortitude

I'm Agent Rick Martinez.
Let me be the first to welcome you to the CIA.
And this is the story of America's great house of spies.
FAY: You've heard of office politics? Ours come with poison pills and guns.
Spy trap.
I knew this was going to be a fiasco.
I've been assigned to a special covert unit, conceived to go where others can't, and to do what others won't, whether the mission's authorized or not.
We each have our own special skill, Martinez.
I lead, Billy charms people, Casey hurts people, and you translate.
We are the ODS, last of the old-school spies.
Oh.
I'm gonna have to look inside that box.
Oh.
Okay.
Uh, it's just a bunch of pictures and things.
To decorate my desk.
Who's Rocket Rick? Oh, that's me.
I pitched a no-hitter back when I played in the Modesto Peewee League.
They let me keep the game ball.
You signed it to yourself? I was eight.
Uh, I don't know you.
Oh.
I'm new.
I'm Rick.
Rick Martinez.
Rocket Rick Martinez.
I'm committing it to memory.
I'll have the three-egg-white omelet.
Would you like to order something? No.
I've already ordered breakfast.
So, what's next up? This is the Afgooye Refuge Camp.
The Islamic militant group, Al-Shabaab, has been staging raids, rocket attacks, on the camp, targeting civilians.
Heartbreaking, but what makes it a CIA concern? Three dead Americans.
They were pulled from their tents and executed last week by Al-Shabaab, who accused them of being U.
S.
spies.
They weren't.
We've been working very hard to try and find out who's been selling weapons to Al-Shabaab in violation of the U.
N.
embargo, but haven't had much luck till now.
N.
G.
A.
satellites spotted this tanker beached off the coast of Namibia last week, and as of yet, no one has reported the tanker missing.
Which leads you to suspect that it's hauling weapons.
I take it, you'd like a look inside that ship? This may be our one and only chance to find out who is selling weapons to Al-Shabaab.
I want our best men on the tanker in less than 12 hours.
Who do we have available? The ODS.
Who else do we have available? Ready to fly, with their level of expertise and experience? No one.
(groans softly) Look, everyone.
New guy's screwing up again.
What? You should never display personal items in the office.
It exposes you to potential compromise.
What about the picture on Casey's desk? Came with the frame.
(phone rings) Yes? Uh-huh.
Just Rick? I'll send him up.
Director would like to see you.
Why? He didn't say.
But the man is in charge of worldwide clandestine operations, which is a thankless job.
Maybe he needs a hug.
All right.
Well, that's interesting.
(clears throat) Ah.
Mr.
Martinez.
Good to see you.
Can I trouble you to join me for a walk? I like to do my morning rounds, as it were, and make sure the agency is firing on all cylinders, huh? Oh.
Sure.
You know, I confess.
I'm worried that we have started off on the wrong foot.
That my asking you to function as my mole within the ODS and your refusal to do so has compromised our trust.
Do you feel the same? No.
No, I trust you.
Relax, Mr.
Martinez.
I have only one agenda today, and that's to mend fences.
The CIA seal.
The radiating spokes are meant to depict the convergence of intelligence data from all areas of the world to a central point.
To the CIA.
To me.
To you.
I'm no fan of your new partners.
What they lack, in my opinion, is a fixed moral compass.
That is why I chose to assign you to the ODS.
As their moral compass, am I expected to secretly report back to you? Of course not.
Your allegiance is to your partners.
Now, that said, should you feel your partners twisting your compass towards lawlessness, my door is always open.
I have an assignment that I was reluctant to assign to the ODS, but now that you're on board, I have renewed confidence that the job will be done right.
No sign of crew.
What about the manifest? No.
They must have taken it with them when they abandoned ship.
One of us needs to climb down to look for anything that'll help ID the owner.
I'll go.
You don't need to volunteer.
I don't mind.
Numb-nuts, what he means is we expect you to go down in the hole.
Looks like people have been living down here! What? I said, it looks like (deep metallic rattling and whirring) (mechanical whirring) I don't like his odds.
(metallic clang) I found the crew and the manifest.
MICHAEL: Stinger missiles.
Two per case.
How many cases? 15 cases.
(camera shutter clicks) What's this? Butterfly mine.
Butterfly mine? Yeah, that's what they're called.
When they drop them from helicopters, they fall from the sky like butterflies.
Bright colors make them more attractive to children.
That way, they're more inclined to pick them up and play with them.
The initial blast usually takes their fingers or hands, and that's followed immediately after by a spray of nitric acid intended to blind them.
You see, Martinez, the Soviets figured out a long time ago that the most effective way to break the will of the enemy is by targeting their children.
How many of these mines you figure we're looking at? Thousands.
Mm-hmm.
(camera shutter clicks) Anything helpful? Manifest claims the shipments were meant for Malaysia.
If that were true, they've missed their mark by two full oceans.
BILLY: Well, the crew say they went into hiding, thinking we were local pirates.
No doubt because of Rick's flamboyant attire.
You making fun of my vest? Is that what you're doing? Well, you have to admit, it has a ridiculous number of pockets.
Did the crew tell you where the shipment was really headed? Port of Kismayo, Somalia.
Currently under the cosh of Al-Shabaab.
Casey, you have any luck finding out who owns these weapons? Arms dealer of record is Bernard LaRouche.
Wonder what dark corner of the world we can find LaRouche.
Yemen, Libya.
Can't get a location.
Our fabulous agency computers keep kicking me off-line.
Try Google.
All right.
Huh.
What? The son of a bitch is back in the U.
S.
BILLY: Behold the birth of a legend.
(sighs) I am extremely happy with the resolution on my camera phone.
What's wrong? It's embarrassing.
Rubbish.
You stared down a tank.
There's no need for you to hide your light under a bushel.
So what are we gonna do about LaRouche? Nothing.
His arrest falls under Justice Department jurisdiction.
We gathered all the intel.
Which means our work is done.
Responsibility and credit-- it goes to Justice.
As you well know, the CIA is not permitted to operate within U.
S.
borders.
Well, officially, anyway.
What are you doing? Grabbing a snack from your secret stash.
You moved your snacks? Yes, I did.
When? I'm trying to sever ties, Michael.
Being divorced and working together is hard enough.
Let's not drag my snacks into an already challenging situation.
What do you want? I want to know how things went down with LaRouche.
They didn't.
Justice Department is refusing to arrest him.
Refusing to arrest him?! We have taped eyewitnesses.
LaRouche is no fool.
His shipping manifests check out.
And apparently, the testimony of a couple illiterate sailors is not enough to motivate Justice to take action.
Oh.
What does it take to motivate them? The weapons were targeting civilians.
And I'll argue that he's already responsible for the death of three Americans.
It gets worse.
LaRouche has claimed his tanker.
He's towing it to Port Elizabeth for repairs.
Wait, wait.
Wait a minute.
Wait.
Are you telling me that he's back in business? He's back in business.
The ship has been released? How is that possible? Without a criminal conviction, he's free to continue selling weapons.
Guys like this don't start a life of crime in their golden years.
They make a career out of it.
The guy has got to have some skeletons.
Fay ran a full check.
Domestic and international charges.
Believe it or not, he's clean.
- What name did she check under? - What? Did she search LaRouche or Silva? What are you babbling about? Well, you said that LaRouche grew up in Argentina, right? Yeah.
So? Well, LaRouche's middle name is Silva, which is his mother's maiden name.
In Latin America, the mother's maiden name is flipped with the surname, so he would be known as Bernard LaRouche Silva.
In spite of the source, I say we check it out.
You're not joining the hunt? No, I can't.
I have training.
Ooh.
Enjoy that.
Hey.
Oh.
Hey, Rocket.
Welcome to training.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Uh, you know, I never did get your name.
I know.
I'm weirdly secretive that way.
I guess it comes with our line of work.
I'm just (whispering indistinctly) MAN: My name is Donald Combs, and I'm an expert in the area of core fortitude.
Now I suspect you're all wondering two things.
What is core fortitude? What makes me an expert in core fortitude? (metallic squeaking) I didn't get these braces from a skating accident or skiing accident or boating accident.
I got these braces after surviving three days of horrifying torture at the hands of Kurdish rebels, all the while maintaining my CIA cover.
Over the next few weeks, we will examine those harrowing three days, minute by minute, to help you reach a better understanding of true grit.
There'll be time for questions at the end.
Oh, I-I don't have a question.
I have a suggestion about your curriculum.
And you are? I'm Deputy Director Ferrer.
I just rotated in from Strategic Services.
In my role as your new supervisor, I'd love for you to shift focus.
Spend less time covering grit, and more time covering the glaring operational failures that lead to your capture in the first place.
Maybe you could start by talking about your battle with the bottle.
So, Mr.
LaRouche, slash, Silva-- his mother's maiden name-- is wanted by Interpol.
Apparently, he was caught dealing weapons to the Shining Path back in '80s.
LaRouche was convicted in absentia for selling them his wares.
What made you think of searching for Silva? BILLY: Well, I credit a recent Latin infusion.
This is good, Michael.
LaRouche will be extradited, he's going to prison.
Mm, and we'll have legal justification to seize his tanker, right? Absolutely.
Can you sit on this for a little while? Sit on it? Hold off giving Justice a heads-up until we can be on the scene.
Why? The DOJ is more suited for white collar crime.
And it's best we're there to back them up.
You know, on the off chance actual punching or shooting breaks out.
I suppose.
Thanks.
Wait.
How would you even know where to find LaRouche? We've had a tail on him since yesterday.
And you might want to sit on that, too.
(sighs) There's Blanke.
Nice ride.
Upgraded to a premium rental.
Well, I need a large seat.
Otherwise, if I sit too long, my legs go numb.
You guys ever have that problem? I take it LaRouche is inside? Yeah.
He's playing cards.
No sign of Justice? Just heard from HQ-- they're on the way.
Watch the door.
I want two minutes alone with him before Justice grabs him.
(sighs) (sighs) Is there something I can help you with? You can help me understand why you would choose to profit in selling death.
Bernard? It's okay.
It's not my first ambush.
Lefties love to corner me and rant about my evil business dealings.
The business of slaughtering innocent women and children.
Look, I don't owe you any explanation, but since you've slandered me in front of my friends, I feel compelled to defend myself.
Happy to hear it.
I don't like war, but I don't blanketly denounce it, either.
It's often fought for a good reason.
I mean, war can be just.
In fact, all the great democracies that ever existed were born out of war.
Including ours.
(chuckling) For some reason, these pinheads always leave that detail out of the conversation.
As a man clearly committed to furthering the advancement of democracy in the world explain why you sell this.
Did he bring that on the plane with him? I trust that's been deactivated.
Well, I'm just a simple pinhead.
I wouldn't know how to do that.
MAN: What is that thing? No.
(chair scrapes on floor) (door opening) Security.
Easy, Mac.
We're good here.
(grunting, people gasping) (grunts) MAN: Office of Justice! I'd like your hands where I can see them.
It's okay.
We're on the same team.
CIA? That's not a badge.
That's an ID.
And we both know it carries zero weight inside the U.
S.
Hey, we're just here to help you take LaRouche into custody.
We're not taking Mr.
LaRouche into custody.
He's not being charged with a crime.
The only person here facing possible arrest at the moment is you.
Continue.
Justice confirmed LaRouche is exempt from extradition.
He's protected.
I get that.
What I want to know is, who's working with him? DEA? ATF? Defense Intelligence? His case is filed as Special Access Program.
That information is sealed to us.
MICHAEL: I'll bet it's Customs Department.
Well, even if it turns out to be Customs, there's nothing legally we can do to overturn the agreement.
Well, then, this needs to be kicked upstairs.
Get the Attorney General involved.
Lean on the White House if you have to.
We're all well aware of the Washington pecking order, Mr.
Dorset.
Bring your men home.
This is no longer a CIA concern.
(dial tone) (phone beeps off, sighs) BILLY: How's your ego holding up? I don't know what happened back there.
I can't explain it.
Those guys owned me.
Mm.
Oh, truth be told, you were at a distinct disadvantage from the outset.
I mean, those are no ordinary men.
Those are Gurkha.
Nepalese fighters.
Hired mercenaries.
We share a cultural connection.
The Gurkha have been fighting alongside the British, and winning wars for queen and country, for nearly 200 years.
Their reputation for bravery and ferocity in battle is unmatched.
Simple explanation is, you were fighting way out of your weight class.
Well? Higgins is calling us home.
And are we heeding that call? (phone rings) Mm.
Hello? CASEY: Martinez? What happened to you guys? Where are you? We're at a hotel in Boston.
I need you to go to the office safe.
It's in the gray filing cabinet, second drawer from the bottom.
Okay.
Open it.
I don't know the combination.
Neither do we.
That's why we leave it unlocked.
Find the red envelope.
Got it.
We need you to bring us that envelope, unopened.
What is it? All you need to know is that it is critical to mission success.
Is this about LaRouche? I thought this was out of our hands.
It was, and now, it fell back into our hands.
Is this mission sanctioned? Just get up here.
We'll text you the address.
There's a flight out of Reagan.
It leaves at 5:00.
Be on it.
But I have to be in training until at least 7:00.
It's mandatory.
How do I get out? I don't know.
Shoot your way out? (click) Well? You think he'll run to Higgins? Possibly.
We might have just completely screwed ourselves.
Well, I for one choose to believe that Mr.
Martinez will show up unaccompanied.
My God, your hearts have grown cold.
(sighs) (knocking on door) Yeah? Hi.
Uh can I talk to you? It's an emergency situation.
Sure, sure.
What's wrong? I was hoping to be excused from training for the rest of the day.
I have to fly to Boston.
My father's had a serious accident.
Oh, my God! What happened? He was screwing in a lightbulb, and he fell.
Doctors don't know if he slipped or maybe had a stroke.
My dad's coming off of heart surgery, and he has not been good about taking his anticlotting medicine.
Y-Your father's been dead for 12 years.
He was reunited with the heavenly angels in 1998.
How You framed your prayer card.
I noticed it in your box of office decorations.
So I can guess what this is really about-- you want to go to Boston; um, LaRouche lives there.
Your partners are there as we speak.
You're up to no good, Mr.
Martinez.
And I don't like being lied to.
That said, I do appreciate how well crafted the lie was.
I hope your father recovers quickly.
I know he'll be happy to have you by his side.
It is my belief that LaRouche should suffer for his crimes.
Thank you.
You're very welcome.
- General.
- Don't have much time, Director.
I'm due in Dirksen in ten minutes.
I've sent messages.
I'm not dodging your calls.
I've been in committee.
What is it? I'm having trouble with Justice.
I know.
I can't help you.
But we have a convicted criminal arms dealer and a longstanding extradition agreement with Argentina.
LaRouche struck a deal, and the United States is gonna honor that deal.
What agency's protecting him? Can't tell you.
Why not? Because we don't know who's protecting him.
This-this deal, this problem, was generated four presidencies ago.
It's a political knot that's gonna take time to work out.
And while it's being worked out, LaRouche will transfer the weapons to another tanker, bypass freight agreements by switching out his flag of origin, and sail right back to Somalia.
This was our one chance to stop him.
You looking for my sympathy or my agreement? Scratch that.
You have 'em both.
(knocking on door) You did come alone, right? Of course.
(knocking) Uh, that-that'll be for me.
BLANKE: I ordered pizza for our meeting.
I'll step out and take care of it.
(door opens) (exhales) Where was I? Right.
This memo was written by one of the founding members of the ODS-- as a mission statement.
We like to revisit it from time to time when we require guidance.
(clears throat) "We are the nation's first line of defense.
"We must be prepared to enter the shadows and accomplish that which is needed but not permitted.
" What does it mean? Well, there is some dispute as to its meaning (smacks lips) and to its authenticity.
(clears throat) What do you think it's saying, Martinez? Well I think it's saying that we're required to get our hands dirty from time to time.
MICHAEL: Good.
You see, LaRouche has already been convicted of illegal arms sales.
But here in the States, he's untouchable.
We need to get him out of the States, where he'll face arrest.
So tonight we are gonna kidnap LaRouche.
You think you can do that? Yes.
Yes, I can.
Excellent.
Because we can't.
I don't What? We've all been ID'd by LaRouche and his goons, which means we can't get close enough to stage a kidnapping.
So it's in your hands.
(TV playing indistinctly in background) Where'd you get that? Wal-Mart.
What's it for? Well, I thought you could use a little bit of help in the Gurkha department.
I mean, I'd hate to see you getting beaten to a pulp again.
He caught me by surprise; that's what happened.
Next time I'll be the one left standing.
Good.
Then we're on the same page.
You might need those.
(TV show continues indistinctly) MICHAEL: Martinez, how much you weigh? I figured LaRouche would weigh in at about a buck 80.
You're gonna need some help bringing him down.
I recommend we go with a fast-acting sedative.
Combination of ketamine and benzodiazepine.
Ketamine is a psychotropic.
On its own it would have LaRouche kissing the sky.
Combined with the benzodiazepine, it's more likely he'll end up kissing the floor.
Which is exactly what you want.
Does it matter where I inject him? Nope.
What does matter is that you do it quickly.
For all we now, he's armed.
(beep) (beep) Mr.
Combs would like to speak with you, sir.
About what? He has some important intel to share.
Regarding Operative Martinez.
Send him in.
Operative Martinez was given permission to leave training today.
By whom? Deputy Director Ferrer, that's who.
Have you checked in with the travel department yet? AIDE: Yes, sir.
Mr.
Martinez has boarded a flight bound for Boston this afternoon, sir.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
It's my pleasure.
I'm your eyes and ears, boss.
Your eyes and ears.
Speaking of which, I'd recommend you watch your back with that deputy of yours.
She's a piece of work, you ask me.
Piece of work.
Good to know.
(groans softly) Mr.
Martinez has no doubt joined up with his partners, sir.
Yes, he has clearly placed his trust in the ODS.
He's drunk the Kool-Aid.
I have a security detail standing by, sir.
Shall I deploy them? No, not this time.
Sir? That'll be all.
(footsteps approaching) BILLY: Hey, come here.
I remember my first kidnapping.
Oh, yeah? How did it go? Not good.
Someday I'll show you the scars.
Hey, what if things get hairy? I mean, shouldn't we have some sort of an abort signal? Once this thing kicks off, there's no turning back.
You can do this.
All right? If memory serves, I've seen you go head-to-head with a bloody great armored vehicle.
If I screw this up, people could get seriously hurt, or even killed.
Aye, this is true; I've seen it happen.
Look, only a fool would walk knowingly into a potential firefight unafraid.
Because fear has a very real purpose.
It reminds us that we're vulnerable, fragile even.
But if you feel you don't have a handle on that fear, we need to pull the plug right now.
And there's no point in looking over there-- it's not their call, or mine.
It's yours.
This is the job that I signed up for.
I want to do this.
It's important.
Look, tell me this.
When you were squaring up to that tank, how scared were you, scale of one to ten? Ten.
Fair enough.
And right this moment, what number would you give your fear? Six.
That sounds like a perfectly workable number to me.
As it happens I'm sitting at six myself.
(door opening) Where the hell is Blanke? (panting) It's about time.
I couldn't find any breath mints, but I got tons of hard candy and gum.
Great.
We'll see you in a few.
All right.
(slaps back) Think we need to be worried? Most assuredly.
(toilet flushing) (turns on faucet) You're, um you're with them.
Yeah.
(LaRouche grunts loudly) (head thuds) (grunting) (blows striking) (grunting) (engine starts, tires squeal) (tires screech) (spritzing) (grunting) Good evening.
(gunshot, rifle cocks) Gentlemen, I trust you are familiar with basic gunplay protocol.
'Cause if you are not, I am compelled to inform you that any sudden movement is, as a rule, strongly discouraged.
(engine revving) Where's your head guy? Wah! (grunting) (yells) (grunting continues) (groaning) Well? Whoo-hoo! (groaning continues) Look, I don't know what you people have in mind, but it won't stick.
I don't know if you know this, but my lawyers are the guys who brought down big tobacco.
They're gonna have a field day with you.
(exhales) So where are we going? We are going 11 miles out.
You are going to Argentina.
We've notified Interpol.
They're standing by to meet us in international waters.
And from what I've been told, this will probably be the last boat ride you ever take, so sit back and enjoy.
You're looking a little green, LaRouche.
Not a big fan of ocean cruises, hah? In case you feel the need to hurl.
Adele.
Yeah? Hey.
Hey.
Uh, I thought you deserved an update on LaRouche.
Oh, I've heard.
Wh Everyone has.
State confirmed this morning that he's in Argentinean custody.
We've been given permission to seize his tanker.
Navy's planning to send it to the bottom of the ocean.
They've promised a video link.
Oh, that's great.
It's a great day.
I just want to thank you.
For what? For letting me be a part of that takedown.
Yeah, about that.
I'm beginning to have my regrets.
Why? Well, Higgins knows you guys were behind this.
The only reason he's not bringing down the hammer is because he's been too busy fielding thank-you calls from the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Well, good for him.
I'm no fan of Higgins.
In my opinion, he's a bit long in the tooth for spy work.
But that doesn't make him any less dangerous.
And he's gunning for the ODS.
Hm.
Which means he'll be gunning for you.
(chuckles) I'll be okay.
I seriously doubt that; you're not like your partners.
Yes, I am.
No.
You're different.
Look, come to me next time you're in a bind, okay? I'll do what I can, when I can, to run interference with the director.
You'd do that for me? Yeah.
Why? I don't know.
Do I need a reason? You should get that checked out.
I'd hate for it to get infected.
Right.
The director's looking for you.
Me? Yes.
You.
HIGGINS: Well I can't take all the credit.
No, it was a it was a team effort.
I might've been the quarterback but I had some great support.
Yes.
Sounds great.
First round's on me.
General Margolis.
He sounded pleased.
The general is planning a celebration dinner in honor of LaRouche's arrest.
Will the ODS be attending? (chuckles) You wanted to see me? Yes.
I've been unsuccessful in recovering the cooperation of Mr.
Martinez.
I'm curious.
Have you had any luck? At risk of sounding overconfident he's already sweet on me.
(chuckle quietly) Can I ask a question? Back in the hotel room when you asked me if I came alone, what did you mean by that? Because I think that you thought that I tipped off Director Higgins.
(clears throat) Truth be told, we had our doubts.
Higgins can be very persuasive, and you've proven very susceptible to suggestion.
I am not.
CASEY: You did agree immediately to kidnap a man from a public restroom.
BILLY: Fear not, all doubt has been dismissed as to your commitment to the team.
In fact, your guts, nerve and grit have inspired me to write a poem, which I would like to recite.
A poem? Aye, poem.
Ode.
Metrical legend.
And it's about you.
You and Casey.
Billy has a poet's heart-- unfortunately, it's not connected to his writing hand.
I'm still looking for a title.
"Two humble warriors of mortal weed "The world blind to their valorous deed "Blinded as well "to the untold story of their devotion to good "Their commitment to glory "Two humble warriors "Of glistening eye "One besting a tank, in the role of a spy "Two humble warriors of heavenly flame "Crushing a Gurkha, to which one can claim "Two humble warriors "Whose song is unwritten "Stirring the embers of valiantry long past "Accepting their roles As heroes uncast.
" I don't hate it.
Finally, one for the boards!
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