The Code (2019) s01e07 Episode Script
Above the Knee
1 Sinister sister shall fall to the blade of my knife - Attention! - [MUSIC STOPS.]
As you were.
Ma'am.
Long hop to Landstuhl.
No.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
Not a lot of Marines on Landstuhl.
My Marine lieutenant son is there.
SEALS pulled him out of a cave in Pakistan.
Four hours after the rescue chopper landed, he was on a flight to Germany.
Is he all right, ma'am? CACO officers say that he's dehydrated.
[CHUCKLES.]
So that's great.
Couple of bags of fluid and he's on his way home.
That was 15 hours ago.
I haven't heard from Adam, and I can't get his doctor on the phone.
Uh, 15 hours? That's not normal, is it? Uh, I'm a nurse there.
As soon as a soldier stabilizes, a social worker puts a phone in his hand and says, "Call home.
" [CHUCKLES.]
The hospital's the size of a small city.
Busy as hell.
If they said your son's dehydrated, I bet that's all it is.
GLEN: Colonel Turnbull is unavailable.
I understand she's unavailable.
I don't need her to be available.
I just need to go into her office and get the charger she borrowed before my phone dies.
Lieutenant, if Colonel Turnbull's not available, how is she going to let you into her office? Is there anyone else around here up to that job? TREY: Belay that request, Lieutenant Li.
Eyes on me, Marines.
I've got sitrep! Colonel Turnbull has a family situation.
I am acting jack; you'll report to me until it's resolved.
As you've all noticed, we've lost our warrant officer to a transfer.
Fortunately, the colonel's adjutant has volunteered to assume Rami's duties - until we have a replacement.
- I-I did? Rami Ahmadi is the heart and soul of this office.
He has kept us all in bullets, beans and Band-Aids, but I am confident Glen-One-N will step up.
As you were.
Lieutenant Li, you're with me.
Lieutenant Eick asked everyone to stop calling him "Glen-One-N".
Colonel Turnbull's first name is Glenn, with two Ns.
Her adjutant's Glen, one N.
How else are we supposed to tell them apart? By using their last names? No, can't do it.
Lieutenant Eick is "Glen-One-N.
" It captures the man, right down to his desiccated soul.
- Call you back.
- You heard my report? The gist.
You're acting jack.
You're acting jack.
Glen-One-N continues to malinger.
Better men than you have tried to make that accusation stick.
Lieutenant Eick has chronic pain.
On the days he remembers to wear that collar.
Who is this handsome fella, and why do I get the feeling he's about to become part of my life? That's Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian.
"Tark.
" He saved his unit from a sniper in Syria, and is currently up for the Medal of Honor.
So, good for Tark.
He'll never pay for another beer again.
No, but he might spend the next 20 years in the brig.
Lieutenant Tarkanian's unit rotated out of Syria six months ago.
But he never reported for the flight home.
The theory was he'd been captured.
Two days ago, Marine Raiders got into a mix-up with a Turkish-backed rebel militia outside Idlib.
The Syrian rebels are on our side.
What's left of them.
But Syria's a goat rope.
It's hard to keep track of who's who.
Our guys captured one of the rebels and pulled off his balaclava.
Care to guess who they found under there? - Zephyr "Tark" Tarkanian? - Mm.
As far as we can tell, he took a six-month UA vacation to fight for the armed services of another country while still a commissioned officer.
Tarkanian just landed in Quantico.
He'll be charged with ARTICLE 85: Desertion.
You two will be handling the prosecution.
Who's on defense? Captain Dobbins is senior defense counsel while I fill in for the colonel, but my guess is Maya puts her favorite lawyer on it.
Meaning she's taking it herself? Relax.
We're not going to Syria.
I didn't say we were.
In your mind you did.
You're thinking, "My fiancé is in town, this is no time for a jaunt overseas.
" The word "jaunt" has never appeared in my thoughts, and I don't know what it's doing in yours.
And this is a desertion case.
It's going away.
Read Tarkanian's OQR.
He's a hero.
The commandant himself weighed in on his MOH recommendation.
And even after he abandoned his unit, Tark fought for our allies.
Get up to speed.
Captain Dobbins, you're representing Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian.
How did you guess? I secured him cammies, got him cleaned up a bit.
What do you make of the case? Tark's record is obviously outstanding.
He eats hand grenades for breakfast.
But I won't really know until I hear his story.
He's waiting in the conference room.
Sit in, see what we're working with? [SIGHS.]
I'm acting jack Which means you can't work defense.
Got it.
I'm looking for advice, not a co-counsel.
Okay.
The alleys of hell Where we wonder What's eternal Now it begins The fate of the earth.
They let you keep your tablet? I borrowed it from one of your Marines, ma'am.
He heard about what I did.
He thinks I'm a hero.
I'm Captain Dobbins.
I'm your attorney.
Major Ferry is observing as acting CO.
I drafted an opening statement.
Does it describe what you've been up to for the last six months? Okay, first of all, the Syrian red lines imposed by the U.
S.
and the U.
N.
were kid's swipes of pink chalk on a sidewalk.
When I was a grunt L-T, nobody wanted my opinion of the Sunni Awakening.
I saw it all so clearly.
A century of greed-fueled lies from the West, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia It made sense.
We've all read the sheet music.
Why'd you leave your unit? [SIGHS.]
We were the only thing that stood between the village of Elmaleh and complete annihilation.
My commanders weighed that on some scale they kept hidden in the officers' club, and decided to abandon the city wholesale to rape, murder and, I don't know, who knows, maybe even a chemical attack.
I chose to stand by our company's mission.
A lieutenant decides for himself what the company's mission is.
If that isn't 2019 in a nutshell.
I operated in theater for six months.
I built relationships.
That place was going to be wiped out.
You had Intel.
Did you bring it to your CO? The travel manifests were set.
He told me to get on the freedom bird.
Some of us are built to fight.
We're on your side, Lieutenant.
Can you tell me where my Medal of Honor recommendation is in process? We're tracking it.
Ma'am.
You worried, Lieutenant? No.
I took a moral stand from inside a morass of incivility, death, and destruction, while others did nothing.
I stood tall for the humanity and integrity of all men.
Defense clients are like family.
You rarely get to choose.
I didn't say that I won'tdo it.
I-I just need, like, three months to get back in shape.
Well, everything looks pretty squared away from where I'm standing.
Well, thanks.
[PHONE BUZZING.]
Uh, you mind? It's my acting CO.
I gotta do bedtime anyway.
[PHONE CHIMING.]
I don't think I sat for more than 20 minutes today.
Takes its toll on your back.
It takes its toll everywhere.
You can't fall asleep here again tonight.
- I know.
- It's the kids.
One of them has a bad dream and comes in, I I get it, Al If this turns into When we figure out what we are if it's actually something, then I'll-I'll talk to them.
To Danny, really.
Should we figure this out? Someday.
Soon.
But tonight let's just call it what we need.
Okay? Uh Danny.
Are-are you all right, sweetheart? I forgot my book down here.
Oh, it-it's a little late for reading.
Go upstairs, okay? I'll be right up.
Okay, Mom.
How long was she I don't I don't know.
- You should probably - Yeah, of course.
I-I'll go.
Captain Dobbins wants to talk ASAP.
About what? Deal's on the table.
- We have an issue.
- BAILIFF: All rise for Judge Holbrook.
HOLBROOK: Good morning.
A friendly reminder that I'm one who'll brook no disorder in my court.
"Who'll brook.
" Holbrook.
Rapier wit, sir.
I find a new layer every time I hear that one.
Sit.
We're here for the Article 32 hearing of Lieutenant Tarkanian on an Article 85 charge: Desertion During Wartime.
I hear from trial counsel we might have a deal in Well, it appears our young lieutenant would like to break protocol.
- Judge, sir, permission to speak? - Enlighten us.
Against the advice of counsel, I waive my Article 32 rights.
[CONCERNED MURMURING.]
- HOLBROOK: Settle.
- [BANGS GAVEL.]
I suggest you reconsider.
That will end this hearing and void your deal.
Trial counsel will use unsworn reports and interviews.
I followed Dan Daly's dictum: I chose not to live forever, but to fight.
Save it for your court-martial.
You'll need it.
I assume you'd like to be replaced by JAs the accused might listen to? I prefer to retain my current counsel.
If that's the lieutenant's preference, I'm game.
Strap in, then.
- This'll be fun.
- [BANGS GAVEL.]
Remember when I said we're not going to Syria? Turns out I might have been Completely wrong? I noticed.
- GLENN: Where is Adam? - CAPTAIN MUNDT: I have your information.
I'll call you the second I know more.
Where is my son?! Ma'am, we have people on this.
Colonel.
Nobody's talked to you? Lieutenant, I've been Talked to me about what? I have a friend who assists in the OR.
They had an Adam "Trumbull" booked into one of the operating rooms.
- Just give me a moment - Wait, wait Why was Adam in an operating room? Your son was scheduled for a left leg AK amp.
- A what?! - Above the knee amputation.
I know what an AK amp is! - They told me he was dehydrated.
- I'll find you a surgeon.
Your son sustained a four-inch cut on his left thigh when he was captured.
I could have patched it up in ten minutes.
His captors must have cleaned the wound for a while, but I understand they moved him around quite a bit? - W-We think so.
- At some point, they stopped taking care of it.
Adam was septic when he came in.
He developed gas gangrene around the untreated area.
By the time he got here, the sores were Saving the leg wasn't an option.
Thank you for helping my son.
I want to see him.
He's stable, but he'll be out for a while.
He's gonna come around, ma'am.
It's just a question of when.
BARD: I don't suppose I can get you back here for let's say 30 minutes? HARPER: 30? Not super ambitious.
When you're hot to close a negotiation, come out of the gate with a realistic proposal.
Now you're negotiating against yourself.
Look at you.
Still feeling frisky? Yeah, now more than ever.
If I offer my unconditional surrender, do you promise to treat me humanely? [SIGHS.]
: Oh, it sucks we don't get the whole week.
No complaints here.
I'll take any amount of Harper Li that happens to be available.
I love you.
Stay safe, okay? It'll be fine.
The base is in Turkey.
So stay safe and bring back a rug.
Okay.
Yuruyorum sana dogru DYER: Welcome to the edge of chaos.
The Syrian border's a few klicks that way.
Used to be a beautiful country, from what I hear.
MAYA: Not so much these days? Oh, we just call it "The Bad Place.
" I understand you're here about Tark? Correct.
The way Lieutenant Tarkanian tells it, he spent his unauthorized absence What was the phrase he used, Lieutenant? "Defying oppression and standing up for basic human rights.
" That's the way I heard it, too.
That's a pretty vague way to account for your time.
We'd like to drill down on specifics.
Well, talk to anyone you like.
But if you came here to build a case against Tark, you're gonna go home disappointed.
My guys think he's the second coming of Chesty.
We'll interview them just the same.
But we'd really like to find some of the rebels Tark fought beside after he deserted.
Allegedly deserted.
My client's a hero.
He can be a hero and a deserter.
Any thoughts on where we might start? Well, the rebels around Idlib are hard to pin down.
They get supplies from a Turkish Army unit.
Colonel Kavur's in command.
I can see if he's willing to talk.
ABE: Thank you, Captain.
Captain Dobbins and I will sit down with your men.
Lieutenant Li, stick with Captain Dyer and see if you can land us a sit-down with this Turkish colonel.
Got any lira on you? No, sir.
Why? Bribe money.
Softens the landing.
DYER: All right.
Let me know when you get a 20.
Thank you, Simms.
That's my staff sergeant.
He's working on finding - Colonel Kavur's unit.
- Thank you, sir.
I got paperwork.
Do you mind if I? Of course not.
Can I help? [QUIETLY.]
: Okay Hmm? No.
I can't take this.
[SIGHS.]
Mama sent me a six-pack last week.
Mm.
Tasty.
Mama knows her stone fruit.
200 years of prize-winning peach farmers.
Hmm.
You got a family business? Litigation.
My parents sue people.
Interesting.
So you graduated from Michigan? Cal? You're in the ballpark.
So you graduated from an unnamed law school, and then joined the Corps instead of the family firm, huh? How'd that go over? Everyone says the right things.
But do they get it? Mm, they see it like I'm backpacking through Europe after college.
Where'd you go to school? Well, snobs say New Haven.
I say Yale.
But you didn't ride Metro North to Wall Street hours after graduation? Legacy kid.
Crap grades.
[PHONE BEEPS.]
[QUIETLY.]
: Sorry.
It's my sergeant.
Colonel Kavur says we can see his unit in the morning.
One thing: they haven't rotated back over the border yet.
They're holding down a position in Idlib.
The Bad Place.
ALEX: Seriously? You can do the whole investigation - on base? - Uh, we'll see what develops, but, uh, yeah.
Looks that way.
[EXHALES.]
: That's great.
- I'll tell Danny.
- How is she? Can I talk to her? Danny, come talk to Uncle Abe.
She can't talk right now.
Can't? She's still confused, Abe.
- Be safe, okay? - [COMPUTER CHIMES.]
You don't mind doing that? Doing what? We're driving into a war tomorrow.
There are five countries fighting in Idlib.
I thought it was six.
Lieutenant Li is asking if you're comfortable with the lie you just told.
I don't see the point in making people worry.
What'd you say to Bard? The same thing you did.
I just didn't feel good about it.
It gets easier.
- I'll sleep in the chow hall.
- [SOFT LAUGHTER.]
Who knew our Captain Abraham had - such delicate sensibilities? - Ooh.
Good night.
- [LAUGHTER.]
- Goz gozu gormuyor hep pus Takipteler ses etme sus Bir vakit KAVUR: My men understand, they must answer your questions.
- Thank you, Colonel Kavur.
- Most of my men are from poor families.
They don't speak English.
My nephew Emek will translate.
Did you ever cross paths with Lieutenant Tarkanian, Colonel? Hmm.
Well, there were stories.
Rumors of a soldier the men called "The American Lion," but [CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
stories only.
When you resupplied the rebels, there was no American there? [SPEAKING TURKISH.]
- He says no.
- I got it.
- Can we have the room? - [EMEK SPEAKS TURKISH.]
Five hours of variations on a theme.
It's almost like somebody coached these guys.
Did you see Colonel Kavur's wall? There were a bunch of empty spaces.
Someone took down the photos they didn't want us to see.
Or they're having the frames repaired.
Right, because small businesses are thriving in Idlib.
They're blank spots on a wall.
You don't get to decide what they mean.
This is going nowhere fast.
There's got to be international charities working in Idlib, right? Sure.
Oxfam's got an outpost across town.
Red Crescent actually distributes supplies from here.
They're due by later.
Well, we can't get to both by sunset.
Are you comfortable with divide and conquer, Captain? I can spare a couple Humvees.
But you got to be out of the city by nightfall.
I don't want you wandering into an ambush.
Assuming she's up for a drive, I'll take Captain Dobbins across town.
Lieutenant, wait here with Captain Dyer.
We'll hook up back at the FOB.
SIMMS: Time's getting short, sir.
We need to move ASAP.
90 minutes of sun left.
My staff sergeant's getting itchy.
No word from the Red Crescent? No.
It's about that time, Lieutenant.
Meet me back at the Hummers in five mikes.
SIMMS: Where are you going, sir? Quick recon mission, Simms.
DYER: There.
Just saw a tree.
You happy, Staff Sergeant? I'll be happy once I'm sitting in front of some hot chow, sir.
There's hardly any trees left in the cities.
Simms always figured we're as good as home once he sees one.
Oh.
Li.
Found you a few sweet treats.
Save them for Quantico.
Thanks? Why are we slowing down, Sergeant? MARINE [OVER COMMS.]
: Vehicles in the road, sir.
What's up, Marines? We've got Syrian Army up ahead.
They have blindfolded civilians lined up against a wall, sir.
Damn.
What do you want to do, sir? [COMMS BEEPS.]
Let's halt and have a look-see.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Three-man security at the rear vic.
Grab Talley, Ximinez RPG! [SCREAMING, SHOUTING.]
Move, move, move! [INDISTINCT SHOUTING, GUNFIRE.]
Fire and cover, into the culvert! SIMMS: Looks like they're gonna have to reschedule the mass execution! Ximinez, where's our Angel of Death? Sir, I can't get close air support on comms.
That rifle don't bite, ma'am.
If you fire her, she kisses your shoulder real sweet and gentle.
Ximinez, drop H.
E.
on them! Gonna pop some skulls, sir! Caveman Eight, Caveman Eight, this is Tricky Dick.
Do you read me? Ma'am, you're missing high.
Really high.
Follow your tracers! Caveman Eight, we are under heavy fire.
[GASPS.]
MARINE: Cap's down! Head shot, head shot! [GRUNTS.]
Your show.
You're next up, ma'am.
Chain of command.
Gnarlier beast.
We got bad guys here and here.
We're stuck between that outbuilding and an ass sandwich.
What do you want to do about it, Staff Sergeant? You live here, I flew in yesterday.
Make a proposal.
I suggest we fight and maneuver to the building.
And enter it? Hey diddle-diddle, right up the middle and onto the roof.
Why are we standing here when we have a plan? Move, move, move! TALLEY: I'll pray for us all! [BULLETS RICOCHETING.]
Barricaded from the inside.
So here's our basic dead end scenario.
The baddies are in our laps in two minutes.
I hope you've brushed up on your hand-to-hand combat, Lieutenant.
[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY.]
ADAM: Colonel.
You made it.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
Lieutenant.
Of course I did.
How much did they take? I keep forgetting.
Every time I wake up, I'm outside that cave, running.
Above the knee.
[EXHALES.]
I want back in the battle.
[CHUCKLES.]
: Of course you do.
My gunny still fights.
Metal plate for his skull.
- Five TBIs.
- How's your pain? The Dilaudid takes it away, somewhere.
I asked to start PT ASAP, and see a prosth - prosthe - Prosthetist.
[CHUCKLES.]
As opposed to prosthe tute? [BOTH LAUGH.]
Uh, tomorrow.
Army dogs gave me some lame Army excuse to make me wait.
First, we'll stabilize your pain, and then we're gonna get you back stateside.
My unit's still deployed.
I-I'm not heading home.
I'm going back.
Ma'am.
Lieutenant.
GLENN: I, uh, met Lieutenant Goodacre on the hop.
He's been helping me.
I heard you like a certain crunchy peanut butter.
The night nurses ixnayed my request.
I'm your right-now nurse.
Thanks.
When can you get me out of here? Colonel Turnbull has been totally sandbagging me.
I need to get back to my men.
I-I got a five month old in the peds ICU who did a header out of his mom's arms onto the concrete floor of a Biergarten.
Thank you, Lieutenant, for your assistance.
And your perspective.
Adam, I'm with you.
I'm right here.
Wherever it takes us.
- What do you need, Staff Sergeant? - The roof.
But the universe only takes, it never gives.
Build a human ladder up the wall.
SIMMS: Got you.
I love this view.
XIMINEZ: Bad guys standing around like turkeys in Granny's backyard.
TALLEY: TV dinner.
Join the party, Lieutenant.
[PANTING.]
Breathe.
Relax.
Aim.
Stop.
Squeeze.
[GUN FIRING.]
[PANTING.]
[GUNFIRE STOPS.]
[SHOUTING IN DISTANCE.]
Lieutenant Li, you just improvised and adapted us right out of our coffins.
Thank you, ma'am.
["INDESTRUCTIBLE" BY DISTURBED PLAYING.]
Another mission, the powers have called me away Another time to carry the colors again My motivation An oath I've sworn to defend To win the honor of coming back home again ABE: Lieutenant.
Harper.
You good? - When you're ready to talk - Are you gonna offer a deal? In the Tark case? Everyone knows he deserted.
The question is, can we get a panel to convict? He's a bona fide hero.
We came here to find evidence to counter that narrative.
We came up empty, so This could have gone away days ago.
Instead, three Marines are dead, all because Tark wants to stand on a soapbox and lecture the world.
There's no deal.
Copy that, sir.
I'll get you a rough pass at an opening statement.
I want you to sit this one out.
Is Staff Sergeant Simms getting time off? Ximinez, Talley? They don't need to dress up and sit there in court like the whole world didn't just rearrange itself.
Respectfully, sir: I'm a Marine.
I have a job.
If you're concerned about me, you'll let me do it.
Our opening should be direct.
The facts work for us, so get them out there and let them stand.
Leave the verbal bouquets to the defense.
SIMMS: RPG! Caveman Eight, we are under heavy fire.
[GASPS.]
[GUNFIRE ECHOING.]
ABE: Harper.
Harper, your show.
You were going to handle the cross on Hollingsworth? Right.
Right, sure.
You okay? You haven't said much since opening statements.
I'm fine, I just got distracted.
You know what? I'll take this one.
Take a beat, Lieutenant.
Just pull your notes, okay? I don't have all the names and dates in my head.
Is the government going to question its witness? - One second, Your Honor.
- MAYA: If the government hasn't bothered to prepare for this witness, we should move on.
Would you state your name and rank for the record? Gunnery Sergeant Raymond Hollingsworth, sir.
And you served with the defendant, Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian? HOLLINGSWORTH: Yes, sir.
Is it true that your platoon held a position in the town of Elmaleh, Syria, until the morning of I can't find them.
I heard you got massacred today.
Lick 'em tomorrow, though.
- You sure about that? - Not even remotely.
Harper struggled, huh? She was fine.
- She struggled, Abe.
- This is what Harper wants.
Well, maybe she's not as ready to work as she thinks she is.
She'll be fine, Trey.
This is what we do.
We put the bad stuff in a box, and we just keep on going.
A Marine is always gonna want to get back in the fight.
As to whether or not that fight is worth it in the first place, that's on the people in charge.
You got a bad hand with this case, Abe.
And there's plenty of work for Lieutenant Li to do around here.
I'd just rather it didn't involve standing her up in court just yet.
I'll call Maya in the morning.
You going home? Where else would I go? I don't know.
Seems that you've been going to see Alex Hunt lately.
You know, to help out.
I think that might be petering out.
I don't know if Alex needs my help anymore.
Sorry to hear that.
Abe.
Whatever you had there, whatever it became, the people that matter? We won't judge you.
It was nice to see you happy.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
We feel nothing Rami.
I hope it's not too late.
I'm still on some staff lists.
The crew chief of the hop you took home from Turkey contacted me.
Apparently you left this on the plane.
I've been looking everywhere for that.
Thank you.
Come on in.
I was just about to go for a run.
I-I didn't know you like, um Is that metal? - [CHUCKLES.]
I guess.
- [MUSIC STOPS PLAYING.]
I heard it overseas.
This, uh, staff sergeant was playing it in the Humvee right before we got You heard what happened.
I'm good.
I swear.
Glad to hear it.
I'm not surprised.
I mean, I was a step behind in court today.
And I can't wind down, so going for a run at 2100.
We miss you, Rami.
How's the new gig? It's fine.
Good.
Do you do you-do you feel different? They say everything's different after you're in combat.
I-I always wondered if that's true.
I can't tell.
It was loud.
I was scared at first.
And then it was like I was watching myself be scared.
You just do the next thing you're supposed to do.
You really okay? If there's anything I can do I really think I am.
Bard's coming back this weekend.
We're going away.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
HARPER: Captain! Lieutenant Li, I thought I ordered you to stand down.
Just look.
Captain Dyer gave this to me right before that firefight.
He said they were sweet treats.
Are these all pictures of Tarkanian? Before we left that Turkish outpost in Idlib, Captain Dyer split from the platoon for a few minutes.
He must have gone back to meet that kid, uh, Emek.
He got his hands on the photos they took down.
I'm not sure if this changes anything, Harper.
We already know that Tarkanian was with the Syrian rebels.
There are dozens of rebel militias, sir.
Look at this.
That is Adnan Elbaz.
He's the commander of the Messengers of God Brigade.
Elbaz's militia overran a post office near Idlib that the Syrian Army was using as a comms outpost.
According to several eyewitness reports, they lined up the soldiers they captured along the wall of the building and killed every single one of them.
We withdrew our support for the Messengers of God Brigade after that.
We asked the Turks to do the same.
Well, looks like they ignored us.
That building? That's the post office where it happened.
The militia only held it for a day.
If Lieutenant Tarkanian posed for that picture He fought in a battle that ended in a massacre.
Tark committed war crimes.
Nice work.
MAYA: That's why you wanted a recess? You fought with the Messengers of God Brigade on the day they executed 14 Syrian soldiers.
I Don't say anything.
We're well into Lieutenant Tarkanian's court-martial.
You'll never get these pictures into evidence.
- We know that.
- And even if you did, the photos themselves are not evidence of any crime.
We're dropping the charges.
- Excuse me? - You're what? Well, it's the only play we got left.
You want a public forum to preach the Gospel according to Tark.
We're not giving it to you.
This is what you did when you deserted.
I doubt you murdered anyone yourself, but you helped the militia overrun that post office.
You thought you could pick and choose your own missions, and this is where you wound up.
One day around dusk, Ghouta Lieutenant, you don't need to explain yourself.
Right after a bomb impact, I found a boy wandering in the street.
He must have been two.
His face was blue, and my first thought was toxic inhalation, maybe ammonia or chlorine.
He started spitting sand.
He was choking on sand.
How do you Heimlich 10,000 tiny obstructions? I held him by his feet, I dangled him above my head, and with my fingers, I removed I dug sand out of his mouth and his throat.
And he lived.
Everything's bad there.
You can't avoid it, float above it.
You just do good where you can.
That's exactly what William Dyer was doing.
He died because you wouldn't make a deal.
A slap on the wrist and the Medal of Honor weren't good enough for you, so three Marines died on a road outside of Idlib.
All these people gone just so you could make some point.
Find somewhere else to do it.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Hey.
Sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you.
No, it's-it's okay.
I'm making dinner.
We haven't really talked since I got back.
I don't know if that's how you want it.
This is bigger than just what I want.
I guess I've been trying to figure out - how to say that.
- I get it.
I have kids.
One of them's still trying to get used to the fact that her dad's gone.
I-I can't make that harder for her.
Would it help if I talked to her? She just needs you to be here.
She needs jokes.
She needs help with her homework.
She needs to know that you'll be around.
That's too much to ask.
I know it is.
That's why I've been ducking this conversation.
Why is it too much to ask? Because we should have time to figure this out.
That's-that's not the way it happened.
So I understand if you want space.
I don't.
I want dinner.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
I got something for you.
It's an invitation to Lieutenant Tarkanian's Medal of Honor ceremony.
You and I were each invited, but Glen-One-N left both on my desk.
Did you RSVP? Unable to attend.
Good night, Maya.
GLENN: You'll be at Walter Reed for at least a couple of days, but we are gonna get you home as soon as we can.
Copy that, ma'am.
And they want you to start PT right away.
We're getting you set up with a prosthetist.
- [LAUGHS.]
- They say he's the best in the country.
Great.
I'll return to 2/7 in six months.
Golf Company.
Third Herd.
It's, um it's gonna be a-a minimum of 12 months - before the Marine Corps - I get it.
Coming around to the way things are.
Lots to figure out.
- Huh? - We'll get there, L-T.
Mom? Um I'm gonna be right back.
[DOOR UNLOCKS.]
Hey.
Hi.
I-I should have told you.
I knew we were going somewhere dangerous.
I lied.
It's okay, all right? Don't worry about it.
That's a bit formal for a drive to Loudoun County.
I can't leave this morning.
What's going on? There's a funeral at Arlington.
I need to go.
I haven't told you much about what happened in Syria.
Captain Dyer.
He's being buried today.
He died in my lap.
As you were.
Ma'am.
Long hop to Landstuhl.
No.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
Not a lot of Marines on Landstuhl.
My Marine lieutenant son is there.
SEALS pulled him out of a cave in Pakistan.
Four hours after the rescue chopper landed, he was on a flight to Germany.
Is he all right, ma'am? CACO officers say that he's dehydrated.
[CHUCKLES.]
So that's great.
Couple of bags of fluid and he's on his way home.
That was 15 hours ago.
I haven't heard from Adam, and I can't get his doctor on the phone.
Uh, 15 hours? That's not normal, is it? Uh, I'm a nurse there.
As soon as a soldier stabilizes, a social worker puts a phone in his hand and says, "Call home.
" [CHUCKLES.]
The hospital's the size of a small city.
Busy as hell.
If they said your son's dehydrated, I bet that's all it is.
GLEN: Colonel Turnbull is unavailable.
I understand she's unavailable.
I don't need her to be available.
I just need to go into her office and get the charger she borrowed before my phone dies.
Lieutenant, if Colonel Turnbull's not available, how is she going to let you into her office? Is there anyone else around here up to that job? TREY: Belay that request, Lieutenant Li.
Eyes on me, Marines.
I've got sitrep! Colonel Turnbull has a family situation.
I am acting jack; you'll report to me until it's resolved.
As you've all noticed, we've lost our warrant officer to a transfer.
Fortunately, the colonel's adjutant has volunteered to assume Rami's duties - until we have a replacement.
- I-I did? Rami Ahmadi is the heart and soul of this office.
He has kept us all in bullets, beans and Band-Aids, but I am confident Glen-One-N will step up.
As you were.
Lieutenant Li, you're with me.
Lieutenant Eick asked everyone to stop calling him "Glen-One-N".
Colonel Turnbull's first name is Glenn, with two Ns.
Her adjutant's Glen, one N.
How else are we supposed to tell them apart? By using their last names? No, can't do it.
Lieutenant Eick is "Glen-One-N.
" It captures the man, right down to his desiccated soul.
- Call you back.
- You heard my report? The gist.
You're acting jack.
You're acting jack.
Glen-One-N continues to malinger.
Better men than you have tried to make that accusation stick.
Lieutenant Eick has chronic pain.
On the days he remembers to wear that collar.
Who is this handsome fella, and why do I get the feeling he's about to become part of my life? That's Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian.
"Tark.
" He saved his unit from a sniper in Syria, and is currently up for the Medal of Honor.
So, good for Tark.
He'll never pay for another beer again.
No, but he might spend the next 20 years in the brig.
Lieutenant Tarkanian's unit rotated out of Syria six months ago.
But he never reported for the flight home.
The theory was he'd been captured.
Two days ago, Marine Raiders got into a mix-up with a Turkish-backed rebel militia outside Idlib.
The Syrian rebels are on our side.
What's left of them.
But Syria's a goat rope.
It's hard to keep track of who's who.
Our guys captured one of the rebels and pulled off his balaclava.
Care to guess who they found under there? - Zephyr "Tark" Tarkanian? - Mm.
As far as we can tell, he took a six-month UA vacation to fight for the armed services of another country while still a commissioned officer.
Tarkanian just landed in Quantico.
He'll be charged with ARTICLE 85: Desertion.
You two will be handling the prosecution.
Who's on defense? Captain Dobbins is senior defense counsel while I fill in for the colonel, but my guess is Maya puts her favorite lawyer on it.
Meaning she's taking it herself? Relax.
We're not going to Syria.
I didn't say we were.
In your mind you did.
You're thinking, "My fiancé is in town, this is no time for a jaunt overseas.
" The word "jaunt" has never appeared in my thoughts, and I don't know what it's doing in yours.
And this is a desertion case.
It's going away.
Read Tarkanian's OQR.
He's a hero.
The commandant himself weighed in on his MOH recommendation.
And even after he abandoned his unit, Tark fought for our allies.
Get up to speed.
Captain Dobbins, you're representing Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian.
How did you guess? I secured him cammies, got him cleaned up a bit.
What do you make of the case? Tark's record is obviously outstanding.
He eats hand grenades for breakfast.
But I won't really know until I hear his story.
He's waiting in the conference room.
Sit in, see what we're working with? [SIGHS.]
I'm acting jack Which means you can't work defense.
Got it.
I'm looking for advice, not a co-counsel.
Okay.
The alleys of hell Where we wonder What's eternal Now it begins The fate of the earth.
They let you keep your tablet? I borrowed it from one of your Marines, ma'am.
He heard about what I did.
He thinks I'm a hero.
I'm Captain Dobbins.
I'm your attorney.
Major Ferry is observing as acting CO.
I drafted an opening statement.
Does it describe what you've been up to for the last six months? Okay, first of all, the Syrian red lines imposed by the U.
S.
and the U.
N.
were kid's swipes of pink chalk on a sidewalk.
When I was a grunt L-T, nobody wanted my opinion of the Sunni Awakening.
I saw it all so clearly.
A century of greed-fueled lies from the West, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia It made sense.
We've all read the sheet music.
Why'd you leave your unit? [SIGHS.]
We were the only thing that stood between the village of Elmaleh and complete annihilation.
My commanders weighed that on some scale they kept hidden in the officers' club, and decided to abandon the city wholesale to rape, murder and, I don't know, who knows, maybe even a chemical attack.
I chose to stand by our company's mission.
A lieutenant decides for himself what the company's mission is.
If that isn't 2019 in a nutshell.
I operated in theater for six months.
I built relationships.
That place was going to be wiped out.
You had Intel.
Did you bring it to your CO? The travel manifests were set.
He told me to get on the freedom bird.
Some of us are built to fight.
We're on your side, Lieutenant.
Can you tell me where my Medal of Honor recommendation is in process? We're tracking it.
Ma'am.
You worried, Lieutenant? No.
I took a moral stand from inside a morass of incivility, death, and destruction, while others did nothing.
I stood tall for the humanity and integrity of all men.
Defense clients are like family.
You rarely get to choose.
I didn't say that I won'tdo it.
I-I just need, like, three months to get back in shape.
Well, everything looks pretty squared away from where I'm standing.
Well, thanks.
[PHONE BUZZING.]
Uh, you mind? It's my acting CO.
I gotta do bedtime anyway.
[PHONE CHIMING.]
I don't think I sat for more than 20 minutes today.
Takes its toll on your back.
It takes its toll everywhere.
You can't fall asleep here again tonight.
- I know.
- It's the kids.
One of them has a bad dream and comes in, I I get it, Al If this turns into When we figure out what we are if it's actually something, then I'll-I'll talk to them.
To Danny, really.
Should we figure this out? Someday.
Soon.
But tonight let's just call it what we need.
Okay? Uh Danny.
Are-are you all right, sweetheart? I forgot my book down here.
Oh, it-it's a little late for reading.
Go upstairs, okay? I'll be right up.
Okay, Mom.
How long was she I don't I don't know.
- You should probably - Yeah, of course.
I-I'll go.
Captain Dobbins wants to talk ASAP.
About what? Deal's on the table.
- We have an issue.
- BAILIFF: All rise for Judge Holbrook.
HOLBROOK: Good morning.
A friendly reminder that I'm one who'll brook no disorder in my court.
"Who'll brook.
" Holbrook.
Rapier wit, sir.
I find a new layer every time I hear that one.
Sit.
We're here for the Article 32 hearing of Lieutenant Tarkanian on an Article 85 charge: Desertion During Wartime.
I hear from trial counsel we might have a deal in Well, it appears our young lieutenant would like to break protocol.
- Judge, sir, permission to speak? - Enlighten us.
Against the advice of counsel, I waive my Article 32 rights.
[CONCERNED MURMURING.]
- HOLBROOK: Settle.
- [BANGS GAVEL.]
I suggest you reconsider.
That will end this hearing and void your deal.
Trial counsel will use unsworn reports and interviews.
I followed Dan Daly's dictum: I chose not to live forever, but to fight.
Save it for your court-martial.
You'll need it.
I assume you'd like to be replaced by JAs the accused might listen to? I prefer to retain my current counsel.
If that's the lieutenant's preference, I'm game.
Strap in, then.
- This'll be fun.
- [BANGS GAVEL.]
Remember when I said we're not going to Syria? Turns out I might have been Completely wrong? I noticed.
- GLENN: Where is Adam? - CAPTAIN MUNDT: I have your information.
I'll call you the second I know more.
Where is my son?! Ma'am, we have people on this.
Colonel.
Nobody's talked to you? Lieutenant, I've been Talked to me about what? I have a friend who assists in the OR.
They had an Adam "Trumbull" booked into one of the operating rooms.
- Just give me a moment - Wait, wait Why was Adam in an operating room? Your son was scheduled for a left leg AK amp.
- A what?! - Above the knee amputation.
I know what an AK amp is! - They told me he was dehydrated.
- I'll find you a surgeon.
Your son sustained a four-inch cut on his left thigh when he was captured.
I could have patched it up in ten minutes.
His captors must have cleaned the wound for a while, but I understand they moved him around quite a bit? - W-We think so.
- At some point, they stopped taking care of it.
Adam was septic when he came in.
He developed gas gangrene around the untreated area.
By the time he got here, the sores were Saving the leg wasn't an option.
Thank you for helping my son.
I want to see him.
He's stable, but he'll be out for a while.
He's gonna come around, ma'am.
It's just a question of when.
BARD: I don't suppose I can get you back here for let's say 30 minutes? HARPER: 30? Not super ambitious.
When you're hot to close a negotiation, come out of the gate with a realistic proposal.
Now you're negotiating against yourself.
Look at you.
Still feeling frisky? Yeah, now more than ever.
If I offer my unconditional surrender, do you promise to treat me humanely? [SIGHS.]
: Oh, it sucks we don't get the whole week.
No complaints here.
I'll take any amount of Harper Li that happens to be available.
I love you.
Stay safe, okay? It'll be fine.
The base is in Turkey.
So stay safe and bring back a rug.
Okay.
Yuruyorum sana dogru DYER: Welcome to the edge of chaos.
The Syrian border's a few klicks that way.
Used to be a beautiful country, from what I hear.
MAYA: Not so much these days? Oh, we just call it "The Bad Place.
" I understand you're here about Tark? Correct.
The way Lieutenant Tarkanian tells it, he spent his unauthorized absence What was the phrase he used, Lieutenant? "Defying oppression and standing up for basic human rights.
" That's the way I heard it, too.
That's a pretty vague way to account for your time.
We'd like to drill down on specifics.
Well, talk to anyone you like.
But if you came here to build a case against Tark, you're gonna go home disappointed.
My guys think he's the second coming of Chesty.
We'll interview them just the same.
But we'd really like to find some of the rebels Tark fought beside after he deserted.
Allegedly deserted.
My client's a hero.
He can be a hero and a deserter.
Any thoughts on where we might start? Well, the rebels around Idlib are hard to pin down.
They get supplies from a Turkish Army unit.
Colonel Kavur's in command.
I can see if he's willing to talk.
ABE: Thank you, Captain.
Captain Dobbins and I will sit down with your men.
Lieutenant Li, stick with Captain Dyer and see if you can land us a sit-down with this Turkish colonel.
Got any lira on you? No, sir.
Why? Bribe money.
Softens the landing.
DYER: All right.
Let me know when you get a 20.
Thank you, Simms.
That's my staff sergeant.
He's working on finding - Colonel Kavur's unit.
- Thank you, sir.
I got paperwork.
Do you mind if I? Of course not.
Can I help? [QUIETLY.]
: Okay Hmm? No.
I can't take this.
[SIGHS.]
Mama sent me a six-pack last week.
Mm.
Tasty.
Mama knows her stone fruit.
200 years of prize-winning peach farmers.
Hmm.
You got a family business? Litigation.
My parents sue people.
Interesting.
So you graduated from Michigan? Cal? You're in the ballpark.
So you graduated from an unnamed law school, and then joined the Corps instead of the family firm, huh? How'd that go over? Everyone says the right things.
But do they get it? Mm, they see it like I'm backpacking through Europe after college.
Where'd you go to school? Well, snobs say New Haven.
I say Yale.
But you didn't ride Metro North to Wall Street hours after graduation? Legacy kid.
Crap grades.
[PHONE BEEPS.]
[QUIETLY.]
: Sorry.
It's my sergeant.
Colonel Kavur says we can see his unit in the morning.
One thing: they haven't rotated back over the border yet.
They're holding down a position in Idlib.
The Bad Place.
ALEX: Seriously? You can do the whole investigation - on base? - Uh, we'll see what develops, but, uh, yeah.
Looks that way.
[EXHALES.]
: That's great.
- I'll tell Danny.
- How is she? Can I talk to her? Danny, come talk to Uncle Abe.
She can't talk right now.
Can't? She's still confused, Abe.
- Be safe, okay? - [COMPUTER CHIMES.]
You don't mind doing that? Doing what? We're driving into a war tomorrow.
There are five countries fighting in Idlib.
I thought it was six.
Lieutenant Li is asking if you're comfortable with the lie you just told.
I don't see the point in making people worry.
What'd you say to Bard? The same thing you did.
I just didn't feel good about it.
It gets easier.
- I'll sleep in the chow hall.
- [SOFT LAUGHTER.]
Who knew our Captain Abraham had - such delicate sensibilities? - Ooh.
Good night.
- [LAUGHTER.]
- Goz gozu gormuyor hep pus Takipteler ses etme sus Bir vakit KAVUR: My men understand, they must answer your questions.
- Thank you, Colonel Kavur.
- Most of my men are from poor families.
They don't speak English.
My nephew Emek will translate.
Did you ever cross paths with Lieutenant Tarkanian, Colonel? Hmm.
Well, there were stories.
Rumors of a soldier the men called "The American Lion," but [CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
stories only.
When you resupplied the rebels, there was no American there? [SPEAKING TURKISH.]
- He says no.
- I got it.
- Can we have the room? - [EMEK SPEAKS TURKISH.]
Five hours of variations on a theme.
It's almost like somebody coached these guys.
Did you see Colonel Kavur's wall? There were a bunch of empty spaces.
Someone took down the photos they didn't want us to see.
Or they're having the frames repaired.
Right, because small businesses are thriving in Idlib.
They're blank spots on a wall.
You don't get to decide what they mean.
This is going nowhere fast.
There's got to be international charities working in Idlib, right? Sure.
Oxfam's got an outpost across town.
Red Crescent actually distributes supplies from here.
They're due by later.
Well, we can't get to both by sunset.
Are you comfortable with divide and conquer, Captain? I can spare a couple Humvees.
But you got to be out of the city by nightfall.
I don't want you wandering into an ambush.
Assuming she's up for a drive, I'll take Captain Dobbins across town.
Lieutenant, wait here with Captain Dyer.
We'll hook up back at the FOB.
SIMMS: Time's getting short, sir.
We need to move ASAP.
90 minutes of sun left.
My staff sergeant's getting itchy.
No word from the Red Crescent? No.
It's about that time, Lieutenant.
Meet me back at the Hummers in five mikes.
SIMMS: Where are you going, sir? Quick recon mission, Simms.
DYER: There.
Just saw a tree.
You happy, Staff Sergeant? I'll be happy once I'm sitting in front of some hot chow, sir.
There's hardly any trees left in the cities.
Simms always figured we're as good as home once he sees one.
Oh.
Li.
Found you a few sweet treats.
Save them for Quantico.
Thanks? Why are we slowing down, Sergeant? MARINE [OVER COMMS.]
: Vehicles in the road, sir.
What's up, Marines? We've got Syrian Army up ahead.
They have blindfolded civilians lined up against a wall, sir.
Damn.
What do you want to do, sir? [COMMS BEEPS.]
Let's halt and have a look-see.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
Three-man security at the rear vic.
Grab Talley, Ximinez RPG! [SCREAMING, SHOUTING.]
Move, move, move! [INDISTINCT SHOUTING, GUNFIRE.]
Fire and cover, into the culvert! SIMMS: Looks like they're gonna have to reschedule the mass execution! Ximinez, where's our Angel of Death? Sir, I can't get close air support on comms.
That rifle don't bite, ma'am.
If you fire her, she kisses your shoulder real sweet and gentle.
Ximinez, drop H.
E.
on them! Gonna pop some skulls, sir! Caveman Eight, Caveman Eight, this is Tricky Dick.
Do you read me? Ma'am, you're missing high.
Really high.
Follow your tracers! Caveman Eight, we are under heavy fire.
[GASPS.]
MARINE: Cap's down! Head shot, head shot! [GRUNTS.]
Your show.
You're next up, ma'am.
Chain of command.
Gnarlier beast.
We got bad guys here and here.
We're stuck between that outbuilding and an ass sandwich.
What do you want to do about it, Staff Sergeant? You live here, I flew in yesterday.
Make a proposal.
I suggest we fight and maneuver to the building.
And enter it? Hey diddle-diddle, right up the middle and onto the roof.
Why are we standing here when we have a plan? Move, move, move! TALLEY: I'll pray for us all! [BULLETS RICOCHETING.]
Barricaded from the inside.
So here's our basic dead end scenario.
The baddies are in our laps in two minutes.
I hope you've brushed up on your hand-to-hand combat, Lieutenant.
[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY.]
ADAM: Colonel.
You made it.
[LAUGHS SOFTLY.]
Lieutenant.
Of course I did.
How much did they take? I keep forgetting.
Every time I wake up, I'm outside that cave, running.
Above the knee.
[EXHALES.]
I want back in the battle.
[CHUCKLES.]
: Of course you do.
My gunny still fights.
Metal plate for his skull.
- Five TBIs.
- How's your pain? The Dilaudid takes it away, somewhere.
I asked to start PT ASAP, and see a prosth - prosthe - Prosthetist.
[CHUCKLES.]
As opposed to prosthe tute? [BOTH LAUGH.]
Uh, tomorrow.
Army dogs gave me some lame Army excuse to make me wait.
First, we'll stabilize your pain, and then we're gonna get you back stateside.
My unit's still deployed.
I-I'm not heading home.
I'm going back.
Ma'am.
Lieutenant.
GLENN: I, uh, met Lieutenant Goodacre on the hop.
He's been helping me.
I heard you like a certain crunchy peanut butter.
The night nurses ixnayed my request.
I'm your right-now nurse.
Thanks.
When can you get me out of here? Colonel Turnbull has been totally sandbagging me.
I need to get back to my men.
I-I got a five month old in the peds ICU who did a header out of his mom's arms onto the concrete floor of a Biergarten.
Thank you, Lieutenant, for your assistance.
And your perspective.
Adam, I'm with you.
I'm right here.
Wherever it takes us.
- What do you need, Staff Sergeant? - The roof.
But the universe only takes, it never gives.
Build a human ladder up the wall.
SIMMS: Got you.
I love this view.
XIMINEZ: Bad guys standing around like turkeys in Granny's backyard.
TALLEY: TV dinner.
Join the party, Lieutenant.
[PANTING.]
Breathe.
Relax.
Aim.
Stop.
Squeeze.
[GUN FIRING.]
[PANTING.]
[GUNFIRE STOPS.]
[SHOUTING IN DISTANCE.]
Lieutenant Li, you just improvised and adapted us right out of our coffins.
Thank you, ma'am.
["INDESTRUCTIBLE" BY DISTURBED PLAYING.]
Another mission, the powers have called me away Another time to carry the colors again My motivation An oath I've sworn to defend To win the honor of coming back home again ABE: Lieutenant.
Harper.
You good? - When you're ready to talk - Are you gonna offer a deal? In the Tark case? Everyone knows he deserted.
The question is, can we get a panel to convict? He's a bona fide hero.
We came here to find evidence to counter that narrative.
We came up empty, so This could have gone away days ago.
Instead, three Marines are dead, all because Tark wants to stand on a soapbox and lecture the world.
There's no deal.
Copy that, sir.
I'll get you a rough pass at an opening statement.
I want you to sit this one out.
Is Staff Sergeant Simms getting time off? Ximinez, Talley? They don't need to dress up and sit there in court like the whole world didn't just rearrange itself.
Respectfully, sir: I'm a Marine.
I have a job.
If you're concerned about me, you'll let me do it.
Our opening should be direct.
The facts work for us, so get them out there and let them stand.
Leave the verbal bouquets to the defense.
SIMMS: RPG! Caveman Eight, we are under heavy fire.
[GASPS.]
[GUNFIRE ECHOING.]
ABE: Harper.
Harper, your show.
You were going to handle the cross on Hollingsworth? Right.
Right, sure.
You okay? You haven't said much since opening statements.
I'm fine, I just got distracted.
You know what? I'll take this one.
Take a beat, Lieutenant.
Just pull your notes, okay? I don't have all the names and dates in my head.
Is the government going to question its witness? - One second, Your Honor.
- MAYA: If the government hasn't bothered to prepare for this witness, we should move on.
Would you state your name and rank for the record? Gunnery Sergeant Raymond Hollingsworth, sir.
And you served with the defendant, Lieutenant Zephyr Tarkanian? HOLLINGSWORTH: Yes, sir.
Is it true that your platoon held a position in the town of Elmaleh, Syria, until the morning of I can't find them.
I heard you got massacred today.
Lick 'em tomorrow, though.
- You sure about that? - Not even remotely.
Harper struggled, huh? She was fine.
- She struggled, Abe.
- This is what Harper wants.
Well, maybe she's not as ready to work as she thinks she is.
She'll be fine, Trey.
This is what we do.
We put the bad stuff in a box, and we just keep on going.
A Marine is always gonna want to get back in the fight.
As to whether or not that fight is worth it in the first place, that's on the people in charge.
You got a bad hand with this case, Abe.
And there's plenty of work for Lieutenant Li to do around here.
I'd just rather it didn't involve standing her up in court just yet.
I'll call Maya in the morning.
You going home? Where else would I go? I don't know.
Seems that you've been going to see Alex Hunt lately.
You know, to help out.
I think that might be petering out.
I don't know if Alex needs my help anymore.
Sorry to hear that.
Abe.
Whatever you had there, whatever it became, the people that matter? We won't judge you.
It was nice to see you happy.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
We feel nothing Rami.
I hope it's not too late.
I'm still on some staff lists.
The crew chief of the hop you took home from Turkey contacted me.
Apparently you left this on the plane.
I've been looking everywhere for that.
Thank you.
Come on in.
I was just about to go for a run.
I-I didn't know you like, um Is that metal? - [CHUCKLES.]
I guess.
- [MUSIC STOPS PLAYING.]
I heard it overseas.
This, uh, staff sergeant was playing it in the Humvee right before we got You heard what happened.
I'm good.
I swear.
Glad to hear it.
I'm not surprised.
I mean, I was a step behind in court today.
And I can't wind down, so going for a run at 2100.
We miss you, Rami.
How's the new gig? It's fine.
Good.
Do you do you-do you feel different? They say everything's different after you're in combat.
I-I always wondered if that's true.
I can't tell.
It was loud.
I was scared at first.
And then it was like I was watching myself be scared.
You just do the next thing you're supposed to do.
You really okay? If there's anything I can do I really think I am.
Bard's coming back this weekend.
We're going away.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS.]
HARPER: Captain! Lieutenant Li, I thought I ordered you to stand down.
Just look.
Captain Dyer gave this to me right before that firefight.
He said they were sweet treats.
Are these all pictures of Tarkanian? Before we left that Turkish outpost in Idlib, Captain Dyer split from the platoon for a few minutes.
He must have gone back to meet that kid, uh, Emek.
He got his hands on the photos they took down.
I'm not sure if this changes anything, Harper.
We already know that Tarkanian was with the Syrian rebels.
There are dozens of rebel militias, sir.
Look at this.
That is Adnan Elbaz.
He's the commander of the Messengers of God Brigade.
Elbaz's militia overran a post office near Idlib that the Syrian Army was using as a comms outpost.
According to several eyewitness reports, they lined up the soldiers they captured along the wall of the building and killed every single one of them.
We withdrew our support for the Messengers of God Brigade after that.
We asked the Turks to do the same.
Well, looks like they ignored us.
That building? That's the post office where it happened.
The militia only held it for a day.
If Lieutenant Tarkanian posed for that picture He fought in a battle that ended in a massacre.
Tark committed war crimes.
Nice work.
MAYA: That's why you wanted a recess? You fought with the Messengers of God Brigade on the day they executed 14 Syrian soldiers.
I Don't say anything.
We're well into Lieutenant Tarkanian's court-martial.
You'll never get these pictures into evidence.
- We know that.
- And even if you did, the photos themselves are not evidence of any crime.
We're dropping the charges.
- Excuse me? - You're what? Well, it's the only play we got left.
You want a public forum to preach the Gospel according to Tark.
We're not giving it to you.
This is what you did when you deserted.
I doubt you murdered anyone yourself, but you helped the militia overrun that post office.
You thought you could pick and choose your own missions, and this is where you wound up.
One day around dusk, Ghouta Lieutenant, you don't need to explain yourself.
Right after a bomb impact, I found a boy wandering in the street.
He must have been two.
His face was blue, and my first thought was toxic inhalation, maybe ammonia or chlorine.
He started spitting sand.
He was choking on sand.
How do you Heimlich 10,000 tiny obstructions? I held him by his feet, I dangled him above my head, and with my fingers, I removed I dug sand out of his mouth and his throat.
And he lived.
Everything's bad there.
You can't avoid it, float above it.
You just do good where you can.
That's exactly what William Dyer was doing.
He died because you wouldn't make a deal.
A slap on the wrist and the Medal of Honor weren't good enough for you, so three Marines died on a road outside of Idlib.
All these people gone just so you could make some point.
Find somewhere else to do it.
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Hey.
Sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you.
No, it's-it's okay.
I'm making dinner.
We haven't really talked since I got back.
I don't know if that's how you want it.
This is bigger than just what I want.
I guess I've been trying to figure out - how to say that.
- I get it.
I have kids.
One of them's still trying to get used to the fact that her dad's gone.
I-I can't make that harder for her.
Would it help if I talked to her? She just needs you to be here.
She needs jokes.
She needs help with her homework.
She needs to know that you'll be around.
That's too much to ask.
I know it is.
That's why I've been ducking this conversation.
Why is it too much to ask? Because we should have time to figure this out.
That's-that's not the way it happened.
So I understand if you want space.
I don't.
I want dinner.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY.]
I got something for you.
It's an invitation to Lieutenant Tarkanian's Medal of Honor ceremony.
You and I were each invited, but Glen-One-N left both on my desk.
Did you RSVP? Unable to attend.
Good night, Maya.
GLENN: You'll be at Walter Reed for at least a couple of days, but we are gonna get you home as soon as we can.
Copy that, ma'am.
And they want you to start PT right away.
We're getting you set up with a prosthetist.
- [LAUGHS.]
- They say he's the best in the country.
Great.
I'll return to 2/7 in six months.
Golf Company.
Third Herd.
It's, um it's gonna be a-a minimum of 12 months - before the Marine Corps - I get it.
Coming around to the way things are.
Lots to figure out.
- Huh? - We'll get there, L-T.
Mom? Um I'm gonna be right back.
[DOOR UNLOCKS.]
Hey.
Hi.
I-I should have told you.
I knew we were going somewhere dangerous.
I lied.
It's okay, all right? Don't worry about it.
That's a bit formal for a drive to Loudoun County.
I can't leave this morning.
What's going on? There's a funeral at Arlington.
I need to go.
I haven't told you much about what happened in Syria.
Captain Dyer.
He's being buried today.
He died in my lap.