Pine Gap (2018) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
MALCOLM TURNBULL: It's in our mutual interest to stand together.
HILLARY CLINTON: I think Australians need to be for Australians, Americans need to be for Americans.
PAUL KEATING: The sacrament of the alliance.
RONALD REAGAN: Trust, but verify.
NEWSREADER: We cross live now to Myanmar in South-East Asia where regional leaders meeting for the Asia-Pacific Conference have been shocked by a growing rift between Australian Prime Minister Philip Burke And American President Larry Kerr.
American and Australia have never been closer.
In every major conflict for the last 100 years America's been involved in, Australia has been there, our ally and our friend.
And the reason the alliance between America and Australia has endured for seven decades is because we trust one another.
We trust that Australia stands beside us, and Prime Minister Burke should trust we will be there for them.
We look forward to maintaining our leadership position in Asia based on the values and the tremendous resources we share with our friends down under.
Or should I say mates? Thank you.
(LAUGHS) Mate, I don't reckon you could find us on a map.
- COMINT, are you across the task? - (UNDER BREATH) Shit! Um, yeah, yeah, of course.
Sorry, I I didn't realise I was switched to you.
I'm still getting used to this set-up.
Focus on the communications and the VIP protection zone, please, Jasmina.
Eloise, where's your nearest bird? Coming up for the next pass.
Denver, this is Alice.
We are continuing full monitoring of the protection zone in Sittwe, Myanmar.
MAN: Roger, Alice.
Confirming POTUS and Australia's Prime Minister are within the protection zone.
So, Gus, what happened to applying for that manager's job here with us? Turns out I'm indispensable.
They wouldn't advance your application, huh? Something like that.
- Be there forever at this rate.
- Thanks, Denver.
Is he always this grumpy? - Gus? - Yeah.
- Not usually.
- Great.
- MAN: Denver's an open position? - Yep.
So what does your dad think you are at the moment? Gardener? Admin clerk? Last time I could tell my dad the truth about what I do I was 17 and flipping burgers.
What about you? What do you tell your folks? A, don't ask.
B, don't tell.
- C - (ALARM SOUNDS) I got something.
- Channel 23.
- Thanks, Moses.
Channel 23 on satellite 17.
Coming up as target acquisition radar.
715B logged on channel 23.
Channel 23 receivers on an antenna pointed at Myanmar.
Who's targeting a missile there? The frequency's 2203.
7, unannounced.
The signal's consistent with a vampire short-range missile.
I'm getting a geo.
Myanmar? Oh, shit.
715B geo's to Sittwe, Myanmar.
20.
05 north, 93.
02 east.
Thanks, Deb.
Sending location to DEFSMAC.
Jasmina, do we have any Burmese comms on a weapons test? - Nothing scheduled.
- No.
Eloise, what's at that geo? An army base? Just jungle.
Op 4, DEFSMAC has placed us on an event of interest for a vampire surface-to-air missile out of Sittwe.
Moses, what are they testing? - What's the telemetry? - I'm still looking.
I've got something.
Satellite's picked up a video signal from the missile.
527A logged on channel 54.
Switching to the big screen.
What's it pointed at? Denver, this is Alice.
We have an unannounced 715B vampire SAM signal in the executive protection alert zone.
Roger that, Alice.
Please confirm the source.
The Bangladeshis? The Thais? Nothing about a weapons test on either country's military or leadership comms.
There's no telemetry.
This is not a test.
It's armed.
The missile is acquiring a target.
Vampire launch is highly likely.
- Trev, draft a presidential CRITIC.
- OK, I'm on it.
Pentagon, this is Alice.
We have an armed vampire SAM in the vicinity of the protection zone for POTUS.
Advise initiating security protocols and entering immediate lockdown.
Roger that, Alice.
Please confirm target.
Target is currently unconfirmed.
Issue the CRITIC report.
Get it to the President immediately.
Denver, this is Alice.
We have no telemetry active with the missile.
This appears to be an armed warhead, repeat, armed warhead.
- CRITIC has been issued.
- Alice, please confirm target.
(ALARM SOUNDS) Vampire launch at 02:57.
15 Zulu from Sittwe.
Denver, we have a rogue missile, repeat, rogue missile, near the President.
Any comms on a possible target? Nothing from police or air-traffic control.
OK, go to all frequencies associated with insurgents and FTOs.
- Now! Go! - COMINT, I need a target.
- ID on the aircraft? - Is it Chinese air force? Vietnamese? It appears to be civilian.
Denver, suspected target is a civilian aircraft - 20.
12 north.
- .
.
approximately 20.
12 north - 93.
08 east.
- .
.
93.
08 east.
Pentagon, a civilian aircraft is targeted.
Yes, civilian.
Someone's shooting missiles over there.
Get POTUS into lockdown now.
527A video down.
Flight BM-24, twin engine turboprop, just taken off from Sittwe.
These are from the imagery bird's initial pass.
We'll get more soon.
Anyone bragging about it on phone or email? COMINT hasn't picked up anything yet.
Is this the first shot in a wider attack? Accidental launch by the Bangladesh or Burmese military? Our threat assessments focused on Jemaah Islamiyah, ISIS, al-Qaeda.
- We're running - Jesus, Gus.
Right now all you need to do is tell us, can we leave the President and the Prime Minister in Myanmar or not? Who were the attackers? Who was their target? Do they have the capacity and plan to launch any more missiles? The VIPs are in lockdown till we deliver our preliminary briefing.
Soon as you can, please.
WOMAN: The ancestors created the rivers, mountains, the sacred places.
So, for us Arrernte people, land isn't something you make yours by sticking a fence around it.
It's a spiritual place and we belong to it, where we started and where we'll all end up.
And just over that range, that's one of our most sacred valleys.
Only thing is, we can't go there anymore.
Pine Gap's a spy base.
All of America's intel on Russia, China, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and North Korea comes from all just down that road.
Most people outside of Alice Springs don't even know Pine Gap exists, which is just the way the government likes it, because anything America uses Pine Gap for, Australia's automatically involved in too.
Drone strikes, war crimes.
Although, without it, the Alice Springs economy would collapse, also, I'm told.
(CAR HORN HONKS) So, what's so sacred about down there? Well, for thousands of years, the Pine Gap valley was where our people gathered to talk to the stars.
That's why the Americans built it there.
Not that they'd know that.
The missile was a vampire MANPAD.
Shoulder launched, infra-red seeker guidance, fire and forget.
Except they used a target acquisition radar.
The missile operator had no line of sight.
Who in that region has vampires? Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia.
China's got thousands.
And you had no comms about the attack? Um (CLEARS THROAT) Well, there's been the usual complaints about President Kirk, criticism of the Asia-Pacific Conference, lots of anti-American sentiment, but, uh, no actionable threats.
What about the plane? Who was the target? The manifest lists 14 persons on board, 3 crew, 11 passengers.
Six Burmese nationals, two Thais, two from Hong Kong, and .
.
four Americans.
Four American civilians are blown out of the sky while Pine Gap was sleeping? No-one had any idea an attack was coming.
It's on me.
If there's been a failure in A-crew's communications intelligence, as COMINT team leader, I take full responsibility.
Is there evidence of any failure from A-crew? No-one on the ground in Myanmar had any idea this attack was coming.
Not one human agent reported any actionable intelligence of any kind.
And we've been listening from DC to daylight.
Exactly.
You had antennas on all the satellites tuned to the protection zone, and yet (PHONE RINGS) .
.
somehow someone still managed to blow a plane out of the sky a stone's throw from the President and the PM.
Yes.
POTUS is waiting.
Split your teams.
Half listen live, half search offline archives.
Look for telemetry, any indications of previous vampire launches.
Prioritise JI, ISIS then the mujahideen, Taliban and on through other FTOs.
- How far back? - At least a couple of years.
Gus.
The 10 square k area the missile was launched from, there's no military base.
The only road's dirt, most likely impassable due to recent rain.
Could a terrorist group be using those buildings as a compound? Unlikely.
They're shacks, deserted.
A shoulder-launched missile could have come from anywhere in that jungle.
So there's no imagery intel, is that what you're saying? I'll keep looking.
Listen to this.
A missile launch.
Telemetry pegged it as an unannounced vampire from 17 months ago.
Most likely, they were testing the video link.
Where was it launched from? Burmese-Bangladesh border.
Same missile, same general area.
How did we miss it? The signal was found on the day but it was low priority.
The NSA did an archived event report.
Conclusion, unreported launch by Bangladeshi or Burmese army.
No specific follow-up tasking deemed necessary.
Merry Christmas.
Jasmina, 17 months back, who was saying what? On it.
Ethan.
Kickboxers from Arkansas.
On that plane.
Three competitors and their manager-coach, on a friendship tour.
If I could drag your thoughts away from Myanmar for a moment The game tonight, you going? Belle's dragging me along.
Why? Hide a master of the senior game? ETHAN: An exciting announcement from Mr Lin Zhou of Shonguran Enterprises? KATH: They're donating a new scoreboard.
Last month, Alice Springs Hospital got a new humidicrib.
The month before that, it was a floor for the library.
Mr Lin does like spreading his money around.
Well, under the terms of the Shonguran exploration licence, they have to invest $2 million a year in the local area.
Haven't they stopped exploring? I thought they applied for the actual permit to mine months ago.
Well, the Arrernte haven't consented to mining their traditional lands yet.
They're they're still negotiating.
But assuming they do consent, your government still intends to approve a state-owned Chinese company owning a mine just 20 miles from Pine Gap? Assuming China doesn't get a better offer from some other gas-exporting nation first.
I'm just looking forward to the man-made island in the Todd River.
This deal is huge, Ethan.
There's thousands of jobs, billions of dollars, HUNDREDS of billions of dollars.
I suppose America just has to suck it up.
Well, why not? We Aussies know all about sucking it up.
Excuse me.
The whole of Pine gap history, the boss has always been American.
It's just a title, Kath.
You and I are on the same executive level.
Oh, yeah.
Equal partners.
Washington happy about this morning's little mishap? Reserving judgement.
Canberra? Fucking furious.
So, you've avoided meeting Zhou till now.
I think it's time you man up.
I'll introduce you tonight.
See you at tip off partner.
The Little Rock Dragons kickboxing team were on a friendship tour of Myanmar and Thailand.
Along with the four Americans, six Burmese nationals, two Thai nationals and two Hong Kong nationals were killed I can't imagine that.
I can't imagine being at the airport waiting for your mum, sister, just just to be told that their plane had been shot down.
Yeah, it would be terrible.
If you're done, we should go.
President Larry Kerr .
.
period, review archives of the last fortnight.
Shift through all Sorry.
Gus, hey.
Do you have a sec? Leave it with us, buddy.
We'll get back to it tomorrow.
OK.
Thanks.
What is it? OK, the week before Moses's stray SAM launch, there are a couple of Bangladeshi army comms discussing a raid on one of their eastern border posts.
"What's missing?" says one, and the reply is, "Four rockets, Captain.
" - Vampires? - Yeah.
Around the same time there was heightened anti-American chatter on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Who'd it trace to? A tiny foreign terrorist organisation called Shadhinota.
Shadhinota? Never heard of them.
It's Bengali for 'freedom'.
Now, they claim to be affiliated with ISIS but, then, every bloke with an axe to grind waves the black flag these days.
The few known comms we have for Shadhinota do geo to the area where the vampires were stolen and where the SAM launched 17 months ago.
Maybe this morning they shot for the big-time.
Look, I'm I'm sorry for barging in.
I just thought I know you're not a guy who likes to waste time.
"A lot of people are gonna say, "'Be patient, you've got time on your side.
' "Truth is, we don't have a second to lose.
" - Wait, where did you hear that? - YouTube.
What? You googled me? Yeah.
But not in a stalky way.
I was just new to the crew and bored one night and, boom, there was your valedictory speech.
Shouldn't be anything online.
Well, you should have done a better job of hiding your tracks.
Good line, though.
Impressive.
Got it from my brother.
Not a "grass grow under his feet" kind of guy either, huh? No.
He in the community too? No.
(UNDER BREATH) OK.
Kolatoli Beach, East Bangladesh, last November.
An IED in a market.
No injuries.
Shadhinota claimed responsibility.
June 30 last year.
A car exploded on the outskirts of Chittagong.
Six wounded.
Shadhinota again.
This is the leader, Adib.
- (SPEAKS BENGALI) - JASMINA: Shadhinota is purity.
Shadhinota rejects the corruption of the West.
Shadhinota will expunge the poisonous influence of America KATH: OK, OK.
so this mob do a nice line in anti-Western rhetoric with car bombs and damp-squib IEDs, but nothing in their history would indicate they could bring down a plane.
No-one expected al-Qaeda to fly jets into the Twin Towers.
Actually, there was heaps of intel before 9/11, just no-one put it all together.
You finished? And they're certainly motivated against America.
BM-24 was a connecting flight to Yangon International.
Any westerner leaving Sittwe would be on it.
Bringing it down could be this group's big statement.
Then why hasn't Mr Purity here claimed responsibility? Communications intel suggests Shadhinota stole four Bangladeshi army vampires, which means they've still got two left.
Pass it on to the CIA for vetting and confirmation.
In the meantime, focus on Adib.
President Larry Kerr attending the APEC conference in Sittwe only a few kilometres from where the plane was shot down, spoke to media earlier.
Taking the lives of ordinary, decent Americans will not go unpunished.
Our intelligence community is working to identify those responsible for this atrocity and bring them to justice.
Hey, why is it so cold in here? Thermostat's stuck on 17 degrees.
- That's - 62.
6.
I know.
I know you do, love.
Dishy.
Her school trip to Japan cost nearly eight grand! No, I was secretly hoping she'd hate it so that her sisters wouldn't want to go anywhere but, oh, no, no, she comes back, "Kanazawa was great! "School excursions are awesome! "You've got to go too.
" TV: Australia offers all of our support to the Myanmar authority.
REPORTER: Prime Minister, have you asked President Kerr to renew talks about updating the ANZUS Treaty? Well, Australia continues to believe in the value of forging stronger alliances with all of our friends.
President Kerr knows my proposal for strengthening ANZUS, and he can raise that with me at any time.
Authorities are still working to identify Made a thing about the treaty, hasn't he? Well, he was in the shit politically and taking a stand on it has upped his approval rating.
Yeah, but after everything we've done together, he really thinks we wouldn't have your back? So, in a conflict, the US would choose Australia over Japan? South Korea? The ANZUS Treaty only says you'll consider supporting us.
The PM asked Kerr to guarantee it and he just said no.
A lot of Australians aren't so sure anymore, if push came to shove, you guys would actually turn up.
You know, most of these numbers associated with this Shadhinota mob haven't been active for months.
Got a hit.
Gus, can you get the CIA to give us their file on the cell phone number logged as known associate 5F? CIA hates sharing intel.
- Offer them sexual favours.
- (LAUGHS) Oh, come on, OK.
If you'd grown up in Australia, you'd know that was a joke.
Langley, this is Alice.
Can I have your South-East Asia desk? Hi, Bob.
Gus Thompson, Alice.
Yeah, sure.
I'll hold.
Jasmina.
(CLEARS THROAT) Yes? Growing up in West Virginia didn't expose me to all that much humour.
I think sexual favours may be a useful interagency methodology.
As long as you end up in the compromising position.
(LAUGHS) (PHONE RINGS) Kath Sinclair.
Oh, no, I haven't been briefed yet.
Well, if it's classified, just tell her to come to my office as soon as she lands.
What do you mean, off base? GUS: According to the CIA, Shadhinota known associate 5F is Cho Sanda, 29.
Married to a taxidriver, Arjan Thura.
She is Rakhine Buddhist, no criminal record, no ISIS association.
Well, if she's Buddhist, then she'd hardly be associating with the radical Islamists.
Especially in that region.
It's crazy with religious tension.
Well, she comes from a village right on the border with Bangladesh near where Adib grew up.
Her phone currently geo's to 20.
15 north, 92.
88 east.
ELOISE: Pulling up low-orbit imagery now.
OK, northern outskirts of Sittwe.
Some pockets of residential.
Pretty impoverished.
Lots of market gardens, rice fields.
Anyone who could be our target? Uh, assets in the vicinity are approximately 120cm tall, so probably children.
And it's definitely geo'ing to these coordinates, Simon? Yep.
If she's still associated with Shadhinota then she may have dumped it.
- She used it yesterday.
- Well, someone did.
Remember, it'll be out of range in a minute.
Not to mention it's almost the end of our shift, mate.
Maybe we should get the imagery drone up.
Uh, need more evidence.
Without eyes in the sky, we could miss her.
Look, I want this as much as you but I'm not requesting 400-G-an-hour drone support on the strength of one piece of intel.
I got movement.
- Is that Cho? - A match with Cho is highly likely.
Who's that? Is it him? Is it Adib? Is he hitting her? Arsehole! Uh, a match is .
.
highly unlikely.
Gonna make it tonight? Yeah, just got to Skype home first and subtly dissuade my younger offspring from going on expensive overseas trips.
- Japan, Deb! - (LAUGHS) My school excursions were to the local box factory, and that's if I was lucky! Hey, good work today.
Fingers crossed D-crew hears something overnight.
Coming to the game? No, I've got a, um a date thing.
Have fun.
- Hi.
- Ah.
- Hey.
- Jas, how are you? So, how was your day? Um, my day was .
.
boring.
What about you? Did you take out an appendix, or diagnose a cancer? Nah.
ER work in Alice is mostly just split heads and diabetes.
I bet it is much more fun working at Pine Gap.
Yeah, I'm just in admin, so Mm.
So, given this is date number three Mm.
.
.
what are you looking for in a girl? Ah.
Well I'll have to think on this.
Uh Two arms, two legs - (LAUGHS) - .
.
a sense of humour.
And I'm flexible about the two arms thing.
Oh, well, thank God for that.
I think I can meet that criteria.
Adam, can I be straight with you? Sure.
Uh, my work just has this rule that if we start seeing someone, like, more than just casually, they have to go through this this process.
What kind of process? A security check by ASIO.
ASIO? The Australian Security Intelligence - Yeah, I know I know what it is.
- Oh, OK.
It's just, um, you know, your background, your police record, your political affiliations, your family.
It's just that sort of thing.
To date an admin assistant? Yes, but it's not invasive or anything.
Right.
OK.
Um Defence! Defence! (SPECTATORS CALL OUT) SIMON: OK, slow down.
- Nice! Go for it.
- Come on.
- Yes! - ETHAN: Alright.
Here we go.
- There you are.
- Hey, buddy.
Mister gas mine here.
Yeah.
Cute.
Please, sit down.
Wasn't Kath gonna give you a formal intro? Yes! Great defence! Ethan told me you were a basketball fan, Belle.
Yeah.
I played all through college.
- You? - No, I just come here to use the gym.
- Whoo! - Well done.
Who'd have thought they'd switch to man on man? Aren't you spies supposed to find out what our enemy's strategies are so we can defeat them? - We're all just gardeners, Immy.
- Ha! Yeah, yeah.
Pine Gap must have the best bloody gardens in the Territory, then.
I do have an office, you know.
- Your phone.
- It's secure.
Alright, enough of the cloak and dagger.
What the fuck is going on? Thank you, everyone.
I'd just like to say that I am delighted that Shonguran can contribute to such a dynamic basketball community.
(APPLAUSE) - Thanks very much, Zhou.
- No worries.
Oh, and if any team needs a not-so-good point guard, I'm your man.
We should get them home for dinner, yeah? OK.
Come on.
Let's go.
- Good to see you.
- You too.
So, do you have an answer for me yet? Can't rush into these things, mate.
Look, if the elders need some more information on sacred site protection or our compensation offer We'll ask.
Don't worry.
I'm just waiting on some of the mob to come down off country and get to town so we can talk things through.
OK.
- Oh, well played, Immy.
- Oh, thanks.
When are you gonna join a team and show us these alleged skills? Well, I'm going to Beijing for a couple of days - Right.
- .
.
so, when I get back? - Oh, cool.
- Joe, come meet the club treasurer.
- Oh, sure.
Thank you.
- See you, Joe.
You still holding out on Shonguran? Like I said to Joe, can't rush into these things.
He's not gonna rip us off.
He's been here for ages.
He's consulted.
He's been open.
Yeah, true.
But once we sign over our land, Immy, we can never renegotiate.
Dad, Shonguran are offering our mob a fortune.
We'd be mad to miss out.
Across all that? It has to be locked in pronto.
But I'll let you know as soon as we find a suitable replacement.
But they can't smell a rat.
We can't risk anyone knowing about this.
Teach it to your grandma, Gemma.
I was keeping my mouth shut before you were born.
(STARTS ENGINE) (SKYPE DIAL TONE, RINGING) MAN: Uh, hello? Yes? Hey.
Uh, Dad, it's me.
I can't see you.
You need to turn on the camera.
Darn thing's broken.
No, it's not broken, Dad.
You need to click the camera icon.
You remember the little picture of the camera I showed you last time? You need to click that.
It'll bring up the vision.
It's in the corner.
Yeah.
Don't know why you don't use the phone.
How are things? Your your voice ain't coming out your mouth right.
No, that's just the video lag, Dad.
Hey, so, um You remember how I said I might be changing jobs, move back stateside? Doesn't look like that's gonna happen after all.
You'll miss your brother's birthday again.
You know, I have annual leave due.
I'll, uh, come visit in the summer.
Definitely something wrong with this POS.
OK, well, then hang up and then I'll call you on the landline.
Well, I was about to head out and do some shopping.
Alright.
Tomorrow, then.
Take care, Dad (SIGHS) Hey, Brian.
How's it going? Yeah, good-o, Gus.
No worries, bro.
Hey.
Not much about you online either.
Ooh! (GIGGLES) What do you want to know? For starters, where you developed your complete lack of respect for rank and discipline.
That's Australian.
I got that here.
If our Prime Minister goes to a footy game, everyone boos him.
It's just who we are.
And your background's Serbian? - The multilingual thing? - Mm-hm.
Why'd your parents emigrate? (SIGHS) They were killed in the war with Kosovo.
I'm so sorry.
- It's OK.
- You must miss them.
I don't really remember them.
My brother and I grew up here with some cousins who'd immigrated after World War II.
And why intelligence? The world's a dangerous place.
I want to do my bit.
And you can wear what you like at Pine Gap, so it's my kind of place for, like, so many reasons.
Ethan! Can I have a word? I'm sorry for bailing last night.
I got trapped on a call with my ex.
I thought that was settled.
Not likely.
He wants the house.
Worse, he wants the cat.
- Ooh, nasty.
- Yeah.
Our lawyers will be able to retire on the fees they make from this divorce.
Just give him what he wants.
That's what I did with my first wife.
Oh, God.
Fuck that for a joke.
Uh Canberra are after a discreet inquiry into whether yesterday was a failure of intelligence from here.
Yeah.
So's Washington.
Which means monitoring the crews, A-crew in particular, strengths, weaknesses.
And I've ordered Gus and the other three MDs to report on just those things.
Well, we already know what Gus'll tell us.
As mission director, Gus is in the best place to assess how his crew's operating.
Really? He'll be investigating himself, Ethan.
And he's already decided there wasn't any failure.
Well, shouldn't we get in a tiger team, people who weren't a part of the team that missed hearing about a plan to shoot down an aircraft a mile from your president's head? There's no evidence of failure.
Only because we haven't looked for it yet, and Gus won't.
Canberra think it would be best if he specifically were removed and a new MD appointed from outside the base.
It's about perception, Ethan.
This is Pine Gap.
It is the jewel in the crown of the whole Five Eyes network.
A posting here is a fast track to promotion and Canberra expects this place to operate to the highest of standards.
And I know Washington does too.
Washington trusts our MDs.
They're the most senior people on the base when we're not here.
I, uh I don't think you're listening, Ethan.
Oh, I am listening, Kath.
It's not gonna happen.
Updated comment on the Shadhinota target.
Jasmina, anything new overnight? D-crew logged one received call.
Female, highly likely Cho's sister.
Any mention of surface-to-air missiles? They're mainly talking about whether Cho should leave her husband.
She should if he beats her.
Alright, we gotta get this moving.
She's our only viable link to Adib and Shadhinota.
The USS Bartlett's in the Bay of Bengal.
Let's spend some cash, get them to launch a drone.
Go, you, moneybags.
WOMAN: Alice, UAV drone has attained your coordinates.
Holding position at 12,000 feet.
Thank you, Bartlett.
EMINT, maintain surveillance of the target via drone video link.
Intercepting a signal.
She's getting a text.
- Who's the sender? - Unknown.
(UNDER BREATH) Come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
- Ta.
hcai.
- Ta.
hcai It's Burmese for 10.
A code? Cho's moving, going inside.
Uh, she turned her phone off.
Tracking the SIM.
More movement.
She's heading somewhere.
Looks like she's got her bag.
Starting geo's 20.
15 north, 92.
88 east.
Hang on, if she's going to a meeting with a covert cell, wouldn't she know not to carry a trackable device? She turned it off.
Might think that makes it untrackable.
Just doesn't seem very professional.
Look, Adib's a hard target.
Cho's got historical connections to him and she just received a suspicious text.
That's actionable comment.
Bartlett Control, Alice request a further 60 minutes fly time for the imagery UAV.
Fuck.
WOMAN: Alice, we're losing the drone over the horizon.
Switching control to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
Roger that, Bartlett.
Creech, this is Alice.
Updated coordinates are 20.
32 north, 92.
98 east.
MAN: Roger that, Alice.
OK, target is off the bus.
Maintain current coordinates.
Where's she heading? Is that a garage? Wasn't the HUMINT report that the husband drives a taxi? There's taxis in the drive.
She's meeting her husband, picking up his vehicle.
Creech, this is Alice.
Sorry, hold, Creech.
EMINT, punch in on them.
Is that her husband? Checking identity.
I thought her husband was a brute.
That's not the husband.
That's Adib.
85% match.
Best we'll get at this resolution.
It's him.
Ta hcai.
10.
They certainly arranged a time to meet.
OK, well, that's a result.
I'll request a CIA I've got something.
What is it? In the truck.
What, the the plumbing stuff? They're missiles, almost certainly.
Shit.
Creech, we have visuals of three possible SAMs.
Are these the guys we're after for the missile strike on the plane? EMINT, can we confirm? Those are almost certainly vampires, same design as the Soviet Igla-S.
Could take out a jumbo.
- Draft a CRITIC for the President.
- OK.
Drafting.
Two in a week.
Creech, confirm targets are in possession of missiles with similar specs as the one used in the BM-24 strike.
Roger that, Alice.
Decrypted a comms signal that geo's to that house.
They're talking about APEC.
How much security there is, where it's been placed.
The roads in and out of the President's hotel.
- Do you want me to amend the CRITIC? - Get it issued now.
Patching Creech to the floor.
Creech, targets appear to have breached APEC security comms.
Assume knowledge of the President's current location.
Thank you, Alice.
Please stand by.
Alice, we are activating the UAV's offensive capabilities and have executive permission to go to full deployment subject to your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Roger that, Creech.
- Wait, advise Creech to hold.
- Hold? Why? They've got three SAMs.
That's too many.
What do you mean, too many? If they stole four and shot one 17 months ago and one yesterday, they should only have two, not three.
So they got one more from somewhere.
We do not have a full picture of their movements.
- OK, so we should vet and confirm.
- Confirm what? That Adib's a terrorist with a history of anti-American violence? Alice, we await your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Stand by, Creech.
Hey, we don't have this intelligence.
You can't just go ahead.
Looks like they've got the vehicle going.
They're getting ready to leave.
Alice, we await your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Creech, confirm targets are a known FTO who have breached APEC security comms and have three vampires in their possession.
Thank you, Alice.
Moving the full deployment.
That missile strike might have been a false flag.
OK, there was nothing false about those three vampires.
We cannot confirm these guys shot down that plane.
We've confirmed they've got missiles.
They've cracked APEC's comms and the President is in range.
I'm acting on that.
Thank you, Alice.
Target achieved.
- MAN: Kath.
- Hey.
Incident report just in from ops.
Yeah.
Get me the Minister.
Honey, have you heard Ouch! Ow! .
.
any more about Canberra? ETHAN: Nothing certain.
I'm just one of several possibles.
Well, I'm looking forward to my husband being the next ambassador to Australia.
You know, I could I could take the boys early if I knew you weren't gonna be too far behind.
(DOOR OPENS) Hey.
Nothing is certain, OK? I'm still here.
(DOORBELL CHIMES) Coming! Kath.
Hi.
- Sorry for barging in.
- No, not at all.
Come in.
Ethan! Give me a minute! Hey, boys.
Can you say hi to Ms Sinclair? - Hello.
- Hi.
Hi.
So, do you, uh do you have family here in Alice? Yeah, I have Bruce.
- Bruce? - He's a cat.
Cat? That's that's nice.
Kath.
Would you, uh, excuse us, honey? Gus Thompson should have forwarded on all relevant intelligence before that strike.
He hadn't confirmed that Shadhinota were the ones that shot down BM-24.
He had three confirmed missiles in the hands of a known terrorist with POTUS in range.
Now, we call that imminent threat.
So, an ambitious young MD chose not to vet and confirm so he could be a hero? Gus had to act.
Time was running out.
He risked the reputation of this base, and you know it.
Look, as your President said, our alliance has worked for seven decades because we trust one another.
Australia doesn't ask for much, Ethan.
But we like to be listened to.
TV NEWSREADER: Key members of the ISIS-affiliated terrorist group responsible for shooting down flight BM-24 over Sittwe have been killed in a US drone strike.
China has described the strike as an outrageous escalation of American militarism in the region.
A short time ago, President Kerr issued a statement pledging US protection for all American allies in the disputed South China Sea.
(LINE RINGS) Will Thompson.
Leave a message.
Just me, Dad.
Calling, like we arranged.
(DOORBELL CHIMES) Guess you're already up and at it.
I'll talk to you later.
Bye.
A marine save POTUS from being blown to smithereens, he gets a Congressional Medal of Honour.
Our line of work, best you're gonna get is one of these shit Aussie beers.
It wasn't a slam dunk.
- I missed you on the bus.
- Yeah.
I was just Do you think I'm paranoid? Paranoid? Over-suspicious.
Mistrustful.
Wary.
Oh, paranoid! Ha.
Hey, this job makes us ALL paranoid.
I guess it's not paranoia if it's true.
(MOBILE PHONE RINGS) If what's true? Nothing.
Hey, Ethan.
Hey.
Tough couple of days for A-crew.
And for the record I wouldn't have passed on that contradictory comment either.
99 MDs out of 100 wouldn't have.
However .
.
Australia wants both BM-24 and the Shadhinota strike investigated for possible failures of process.
The other MDs and I have already discussed that.
We're checking our crews Investigations into A-crew have gotta be particularly objective.
Be SEEN to be objective.
The Australians want your position reappointed.
I've agreed.
You'll stay at Pine Gap.
Put in a little bit more time back on the floor.
You'll keep your pay grade, of course.
Uh A couple of weeks ago, you persuaded me not to apply for that job in Denver because I was so invaluable here as an MD.
We have to keep the Aussies on side, Gus.
The President's refusal to strengthen the ANZUS Treaty already has them doubting us.
You believe I did the right thing? I know this isn't what you had planned for your career.
Sometimes we gotta make sacrifices.
And I'm making one for Australia.
No.
For America.
(THUNDER RUMBLES) Back on the floor.
I spent two years in the floor at Pine Gap to make MD.
Five years at the NSA before I came here.
If they'd just let me go to Denver, I wouldn't even have been on the floor today.
And now everyone from here to Harrogate will hear I've been fucking demoted.
I might as well become a fucking gardener.
I'm sorry.
Uh .
.
you came round before to talk about something? It's nothing.
- You know what really stinks? - What? The chief wants me to blame Australia.
But the truth is .
.
this was America's call.
(AFFECTIONATELY) Yes.
(PHONE RINGS) Yeah.
It's all clear.
Oh, it took it at face value, from what I saw.
You find anyone else we can slot in? Him? No, it's great.
He, uh I understand he filled in here a few years ago as MD, so .
.
he's plenty qualified.
Yep.
Great.
Bruce? ETHAN: This has not been an easy decision.
But this is a joint facility of the highest importance, not only to the safety of the United States and Australia, but also to the alliance between us.
Now, both Deputy Chief Sinclair and myself feel it's appropriate that someone from outside takes over as MD for the interim.
And we're very fortunate that .
.
Mr Kitto could join us at such short notice.
Thanks for that, Chief.
I want to stress that this does not reflect in any way criticism of any member of A-crew.
(SNORTS) Rather, it is evidence of the seriousness with which we approach what we do here at Pine Gap.
Righto.
Let's get down to it, shall we? Who should we be looking at? Sorry, what? If Shadhinota didn't shoot that plane down, who did? They're still out there.
We can find them.
Yeah, we can.
(KNOCK AT DOOR) - Um - What is it? (CLOSES DOOR) I don't know if you ever use the cafeteria, but a couple of days ago the thermostat got stuck at 62.
6 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly four hours.
Then it corrected itself to the standard 68.
Weirdly limited glitch in the system.
Yeah? Our server controls everything electronic on the base, from the computers on the ops floor, the doors, the boom gates, even the thermostats.
I went through the coding.
It wasn't a glitch.
- Moses, I am sure our mainten - It was malware.
- What? - Malicious software.
Microvirus.
There was a virus on OUR server? One targeted to do a very specific job, in this case, lower the cafeteria's thermostat for four hours.
Why? Why bother? Well, the only reason that I could think of is to test if the server's architecture could be hacked without being detected.
- What else could this malware do? - Anything.
Everything.
Steal it all.
But Pine Gap isn't connected to the internet.
- Our system's air gapped.
- Yep.
So whoever put the code into the server They work here.
The malware got on to our system from this terminal and it'll just keep migrating.
This could spread like wildfire.
If you're looking for bolts you won't find any here.
You climb too.
You'll have to show me around some time.
See, I thought my job was to carry out a completely objective investigation and conclude that there was no failure of intelligence.
All that is required is some carefully planned deceptions.
Second nature for an agent with your experience, I would have thought.
MAN: (OVER SPEAKERS)The Chinese have launched an armed ballistic missile.
- What sort? Conventional? - Not in the slightest.
- It can't be nuclear.
- No.
It's not that either.
A list of everyone who was in the collections room last Wednesday.
- How many were in there on their own? - Six.
They're underlined.
HILLARY CLINTON: I think Australians need to be for Australians, Americans need to be for Americans.
PAUL KEATING: The sacrament of the alliance.
RONALD REAGAN: Trust, but verify.
NEWSREADER: We cross live now to Myanmar in South-East Asia where regional leaders meeting for the Asia-Pacific Conference have been shocked by a growing rift between Australian Prime Minister Philip Burke And American President Larry Kerr.
American and Australia have never been closer.
In every major conflict for the last 100 years America's been involved in, Australia has been there, our ally and our friend.
And the reason the alliance between America and Australia has endured for seven decades is because we trust one another.
We trust that Australia stands beside us, and Prime Minister Burke should trust we will be there for them.
We look forward to maintaining our leadership position in Asia based on the values and the tremendous resources we share with our friends down under.
Or should I say mates? Thank you.
(LAUGHS) Mate, I don't reckon you could find us on a map.
- COMINT, are you across the task? - (UNDER BREATH) Shit! Um, yeah, yeah, of course.
Sorry, I I didn't realise I was switched to you.
I'm still getting used to this set-up.
Focus on the communications and the VIP protection zone, please, Jasmina.
Eloise, where's your nearest bird? Coming up for the next pass.
Denver, this is Alice.
We are continuing full monitoring of the protection zone in Sittwe, Myanmar.
MAN: Roger, Alice.
Confirming POTUS and Australia's Prime Minister are within the protection zone.
So, Gus, what happened to applying for that manager's job here with us? Turns out I'm indispensable.
They wouldn't advance your application, huh? Something like that.
- Be there forever at this rate.
- Thanks, Denver.
Is he always this grumpy? - Gus? - Yeah.
- Not usually.
- Great.
- MAN: Denver's an open position? - Yep.
So what does your dad think you are at the moment? Gardener? Admin clerk? Last time I could tell my dad the truth about what I do I was 17 and flipping burgers.
What about you? What do you tell your folks? A, don't ask.
B, don't tell.
- C - (ALARM SOUNDS) I got something.
- Channel 23.
- Thanks, Moses.
Channel 23 on satellite 17.
Coming up as target acquisition radar.
715B logged on channel 23.
Channel 23 receivers on an antenna pointed at Myanmar.
Who's targeting a missile there? The frequency's 2203.
7, unannounced.
The signal's consistent with a vampire short-range missile.
I'm getting a geo.
Myanmar? Oh, shit.
715B geo's to Sittwe, Myanmar.
20.
05 north, 93.
02 east.
Thanks, Deb.
Sending location to DEFSMAC.
Jasmina, do we have any Burmese comms on a weapons test? - Nothing scheduled.
- No.
Eloise, what's at that geo? An army base? Just jungle.
Op 4, DEFSMAC has placed us on an event of interest for a vampire surface-to-air missile out of Sittwe.
Moses, what are they testing? - What's the telemetry? - I'm still looking.
I've got something.
Satellite's picked up a video signal from the missile.
527A logged on channel 54.
Switching to the big screen.
What's it pointed at? Denver, this is Alice.
We have an unannounced 715B vampire SAM signal in the executive protection alert zone.
Roger that, Alice.
Please confirm the source.
The Bangladeshis? The Thais? Nothing about a weapons test on either country's military or leadership comms.
There's no telemetry.
This is not a test.
It's armed.
The missile is acquiring a target.
Vampire launch is highly likely.
- Trev, draft a presidential CRITIC.
- OK, I'm on it.
Pentagon, this is Alice.
We have an armed vampire SAM in the vicinity of the protection zone for POTUS.
Advise initiating security protocols and entering immediate lockdown.
Roger that, Alice.
Please confirm target.
Target is currently unconfirmed.
Issue the CRITIC report.
Get it to the President immediately.
Denver, this is Alice.
We have no telemetry active with the missile.
This appears to be an armed warhead, repeat, armed warhead.
- CRITIC has been issued.
- Alice, please confirm target.
(ALARM SOUNDS) Vampire launch at 02:57.
15 Zulu from Sittwe.
Denver, we have a rogue missile, repeat, rogue missile, near the President.
Any comms on a possible target? Nothing from police or air-traffic control.
OK, go to all frequencies associated with insurgents and FTOs.
- Now! Go! - COMINT, I need a target.
- ID on the aircraft? - Is it Chinese air force? Vietnamese? It appears to be civilian.
Denver, suspected target is a civilian aircraft - 20.
12 north.
- .
.
approximately 20.
12 north - 93.
08 east.
- .
.
93.
08 east.
Pentagon, a civilian aircraft is targeted.
Yes, civilian.
Someone's shooting missiles over there.
Get POTUS into lockdown now.
527A video down.
Flight BM-24, twin engine turboprop, just taken off from Sittwe.
These are from the imagery bird's initial pass.
We'll get more soon.
Anyone bragging about it on phone or email? COMINT hasn't picked up anything yet.
Is this the first shot in a wider attack? Accidental launch by the Bangladesh or Burmese military? Our threat assessments focused on Jemaah Islamiyah, ISIS, al-Qaeda.
- We're running - Jesus, Gus.
Right now all you need to do is tell us, can we leave the President and the Prime Minister in Myanmar or not? Who were the attackers? Who was their target? Do they have the capacity and plan to launch any more missiles? The VIPs are in lockdown till we deliver our preliminary briefing.
Soon as you can, please.
WOMAN: The ancestors created the rivers, mountains, the sacred places.
So, for us Arrernte people, land isn't something you make yours by sticking a fence around it.
It's a spiritual place and we belong to it, where we started and where we'll all end up.
And just over that range, that's one of our most sacred valleys.
Only thing is, we can't go there anymore.
Pine Gap's a spy base.
All of America's intel on Russia, China, the Middle East, India, Pakistan and North Korea comes from all just down that road.
Most people outside of Alice Springs don't even know Pine Gap exists, which is just the way the government likes it, because anything America uses Pine Gap for, Australia's automatically involved in too.
Drone strikes, war crimes.
Although, without it, the Alice Springs economy would collapse, also, I'm told.
(CAR HORN HONKS) So, what's so sacred about down there? Well, for thousands of years, the Pine Gap valley was where our people gathered to talk to the stars.
That's why the Americans built it there.
Not that they'd know that.
The missile was a vampire MANPAD.
Shoulder launched, infra-red seeker guidance, fire and forget.
Except they used a target acquisition radar.
The missile operator had no line of sight.
Who in that region has vampires? Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia.
China's got thousands.
And you had no comms about the attack? Um (CLEARS THROAT) Well, there's been the usual complaints about President Kirk, criticism of the Asia-Pacific Conference, lots of anti-American sentiment, but, uh, no actionable threats.
What about the plane? Who was the target? The manifest lists 14 persons on board, 3 crew, 11 passengers.
Six Burmese nationals, two Thais, two from Hong Kong, and .
.
four Americans.
Four American civilians are blown out of the sky while Pine Gap was sleeping? No-one had any idea an attack was coming.
It's on me.
If there's been a failure in A-crew's communications intelligence, as COMINT team leader, I take full responsibility.
Is there evidence of any failure from A-crew? No-one on the ground in Myanmar had any idea this attack was coming.
Not one human agent reported any actionable intelligence of any kind.
And we've been listening from DC to daylight.
Exactly.
You had antennas on all the satellites tuned to the protection zone, and yet (PHONE RINGS) .
.
somehow someone still managed to blow a plane out of the sky a stone's throw from the President and the PM.
Yes.
POTUS is waiting.
Split your teams.
Half listen live, half search offline archives.
Look for telemetry, any indications of previous vampire launches.
Prioritise JI, ISIS then the mujahideen, Taliban and on through other FTOs.
- How far back? - At least a couple of years.
Gus.
The 10 square k area the missile was launched from, there's no military base.
The only road's dirt, most likely impassable due to recent rain.
Could a terrorist group be using those buildings as a compound? Unlikely.
They're shacks, deserted.
A shoulder-launched missile could have come from anywhere in that jungle.
So there's no imagery intel, is that what you're saying? I'll keep looking.
Listen to this.
A missile launch.
Telemetry pegged it as an unannounced vampire from 17 months ago.
Most likely, they were testing the video link.
Where was it launched from? Burmese-Bangladesh border.
Same missile, same general area.
How did we miss it? The signal was found on the day but it was low priority.
The NSA did an archived event report.
Conclusion, unreported launch by Bangladeshi or Burmese army.
No specific follow-up tasking deemed necessary.
Merry Christmas.
Jasmina, 17 months back, who was saying what? On it.
Ethan.
Kickboxers from Arkansas.
On that plane.
Three competitors and their manager-coach, on a friendship tour.
If I could drag your thoughts away from Myanmar for a moment The game tonight, you going? Belle's dragging me along.
Why? Hide a master of the senior game? ETHAN: An exciting announcement from Mr Lin Zhou of Shonguran Enterprises? KATH: They're donating a new scoreboard.
Last month, Alice Springs Hospital got a new humidicrib.
The month before that, it was a floor for the library.
Mr Lin does like spreading his money around.
Well, under the terms of the Shonguran exploration licence, they have to invest $2 million a year in the local area.
Haven't they stopped exploring? I thought they applied for the actual permit to mine months ago.
Well, the Arrernte haven't consented to mining their traditional lands yet.
They're they're still negotiating.
But assuming they do consent, your government still intends to approve a state-owned Chinese company owning a mine just 20 miles from Pine Gap? Assuming China doesn't get a better offer from some other gas-exporting nation first.
I'm just looking forward to the man-made island in the Todd River.
This deal is huge, Ethan.
There's thousands of jobs, billions of dollars, HUNDREDS of billions of dollars.
I suppose America just has to suck it up.
Well, why not? We Aussies know all about sucking it up.
Excuse me.
The whole of Pine gap history, the boss has always been American.
It's just a title, Kath.
You and I are on the same executive level.
Oh, yeah.
Equal partners.
Washington happy about this morning's little mishap? Reserving judgement.
Canberra? Fucking furious.
So, you've avoided meeting Zhou till now.
I think it's time you man up.
I'll introduce you tonight.
See you at tip off partner.
The Little Rock Dragons kickboxing team were on a friendship tour of Myanmar and Thailand.
Along with the four Americans, six Burmese nationals, two Thai nationals and two Hong Kong nationals were killed I can't imagine that.
I can't imagine being at the airport waiting for your mum, sister, just just to be told that their plane had been shot down.
Yeah, it would be terrible.
If you're done, we should go.
President Larry Kerr .
.
period, review archives of the last fortnight.
Shift through all Sorry.
Gus, hey.
Do you have a sec? Leave it with us, buddy.
We'll get back to it tomorrow.
OK.
Thanks.
What is it? OK, the week before Moses's stray SAM launch, there are a couple of Bangladeshi army comms discussing a raid on one of their eastern border posts.
"What's missing?" says one, and the reply is, "Four rockets, Captain.
" - Vampires? - Yeah.
Around the same time there was heightened anti-American chatter on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Who'd it trace to? A tiny foreign terrorist organisation called Shadhinota.
Shadhinota? Never heard of them.
It's Bengali for 'freedom'.
Now, they claim to be affiliated with ISIS but, then, every bloke with an axe to grind waves the black flag these days.
The few known comms we have for Shadhinota do geo to the area where the vampires were stolen and where the SAM launched 17 months ago.
Maybe this morning they shot for the big-time.
Look, I'm I'm sorry for barging in.
I just thought I know you're not a guy who likes to waste time.
"A lot of people are gonna say, "'Be patient, you've got time on your side.
' "Truth is, we don't have a second to lose.
" - Wait, where did you hear that? - YouTube.
What? You googled me? Yeah.
But not in a stalky way.
I was just new to the crew and bored one night and, boom, there was your valedictory speech.
Shouldn't be anything online.
Well, you should have done a better job of hiding your tracks.
Good line, though.
Impressive.
Got it from my brother.
Not a "grass grow under his feet" kind of guy either, huh? No.
He in the community too? No.
(UNDER BREATH) OK.
Kolatoli Beach, East Bangladesh, last November.
An IED in a market.
No injuries.
Shadhinota claimed responsibility.
June 30 last year.
A car exploded on the outskirts of Chittagong.
Six wounded.
Shadhinota again.
This is the leader, Adib.
- (SPEAKS BENGALI) - JASMINA: Shadhinota is purity.
Shadhinota rejects the corruption of the West.
Shadhinota will expunge the poisonous influence of America KATH: OK, OK.
so this mob do a nice line in anti-Western rhetoric with car bombs and damp-squib IEDs, but nothing in their history would indicate they could bring down a plane.
No-one expected al-Qaeda to fly jets into the Twin Towers.
Actually, there was heaps of intel before 9/11, just no-one put it all together.
You finished? And they're certainly motivated against America.
BM-24 was a connecting flight to Yangon International.
Any westerner leaving Sittwe would be on it.
Bringing it down could be this group's big statement.
Then why hasn't Mr Purity here claimed responsibility? Communications intel suggests Shadhinota stole four Bangladeshi army vampires, which means they've still got two left.
Pass it on to the CIA for vetting and confirmation.
In the meantime, focus on Adib.
President Larry Kerr attending the APEC conference in Sittwe only a few kilometres from where the plane was shot down, spoke to media earlier.
Taking the lives of ordinary, decent Americans will not go unpunished.
Our intelligence community is working to identify those responsible for this atrocity and bring them to justice.
Hey, why is it so cold in here? Thermostat's stuck on 17 degrees.
- That's - 62.
6.
I know.
I know you do, love.
Dishy.
Her school trip to Japan cost nearly eight grand! No, I was secretly hoping she'd hate it so that her sisters wouldn't want to go anywhere but, oh, no, no, she comes back, "Kanazawa was great! "School excursions are awesome! "You've got to go too.
" TV: Australia offers all of our support to the Myanmar authority.
REPORTER: Prime Minister, have you asked President Kerr to renew talks about updating the ANZUS Treaty? Well, Australia continues to believe in the value of forging stronger alliances with all of our friends.
President Kerr knows my proposal for strengthening ANZUS, and he can raise that with me at any time.
Authorities are still working to identify Made a thing about the treaty, hasn't he? Well, he was in the shit politically and taking a stand on it has upped his approval rating.
Yeah, but after everything we've done together, he really thinks we wouldn't have your back? So, in a conflict, the US would choose Australia over Japan? South Korea? The ANZUS Treaty only says you'll consider supporting us.
The PM asked Kerr to guarantee it and he just said no.
A lot of Australians aren't so sure anymore, if push came to shove, you guys would actually turn up.
You know, most of these numbers associated with this Shadhinota mob haven't been active for months.
Got a hit.
Gus, can you get the CIA to give us their file on the cell phone number logged as known associate 5F? CIA hates sharing intel.
- Offer them sexual favours.
- (LAUGHS) Oh, come on, OK.
If you'd grown up in Australia, you'd know that was a joke.
Langley, this is Alice.
Can I have your South-East Asia desk? Hi, Bob.
Gus Thompson, Alice.
Yeah, sure.
I'll hold.
Jasmina.
(CLEARS THROAT) Yes? Growing up in West Virginia didn't expose me to all that much humour.
I think sexual favours may be a useful interagency methodology.
As long as you end up in the compromising position.
(LAUGHS) (PHONE RINGS) Kath Sinclair.
Oh, no, I haven't been briefed yet.
Well, if it's classified, just tell her to come to my office as soon as she lands.
What do you mean, off base? GUS: According to the CIA, Shadhinota known associate 5F is Cho Sanda, 29.
Married to a taxidriver, Arjan Thura.
She is Rakhine Buddhist, no criminal record, no ISIS association.
Well, if she's Buddhist, then she'd hardly be associating with the radical Islamists.
Especially in that region.
It's crazy with religious tension.
Well, she comes from a village right on the border with Bangladesh near where Adib grew up.
Her phone currently geo's to 20.
15 north, 92.
88 east.
ELOISE: Pulling up low-orbit imagery now.
OK, northern outskirts of Sittwe.
Some pockets of residential.
Pretty impoverished.
Lots of market gardens, rice fields.
Anyone who could be our target? Uh, assets in the vicinity are approximately 120cm tall, so probably children.
And it's definitely geo'ing to these coordinates, Simon? Yep.
If she's still associated with Shadhinota then she may have dumped it.
- She used it yesterday.
- Well, someone did.
Remember, it'll be out of range in a minute.
Not to mention it's almost the end of our shift, mate.
Maybe we should get the imagery drone up.
Uh, need more evidence.
Without eyes in the sky, we could miss her.
Look, I want this as much as you but I'm not requesting 400-G-an-hour drone support on the strength of one piece of intel.
I got movement.
- Is that Cho? - A match with Cho is highly likely.
Who's that? Is it him? Is it Adib? Is he hitting her? Arsehole! Uh, a match is .
.
highly unlikely.
Gonna make it tonight? Yeah, just got to Skype home first and subtly dissuade my younger offspring from going on expensive overseas trips.
- Japan, Deb! - (LAUGHS) My school excursions were to the local box factory, and that's if I was lucky! Hey, good work today.
Fingers crossed D-crew hears something overnight.
Coming to the game? No, I've got a, um a date thing.
Have fun.
- Hi.
- Ah.
- Hey.
- Jas, how are you? So, how was your day? Um, my day was .
.
boring.
What about you? Did you take out an appendix, or diagnose a cancer? Nah.
ER work in Alice is mostly just split heads and diabetes.
I bet it is much more fun working at Pine Gap.
Yeah, I'm just in admin, so Mm.
So, given this is date number three Mm.
.
.
what are you looking for in a girl? Ah.
Well I'll have to think on this.
Uh Two arms, two legs - (LAUGHS) - .
.
a sense of humour.
And I'm flexible about the two arms thing.
Oh, well, thank God for that.
I think I can meet that criteria.
Adam, can I be straight with you? Sure.
Uh, my work just has this rule that if we start seeing someone, like, more than just casually, they have to go through this this process.
What kind of process? A security check by ASIO.
ASIO? The Australian Security Intelligence - Yeah, I know I know what it is.
- Oh, OK.
It's just, um, you know, your background, your police record, your political affiliations, your family.
It's just that sort of thing.
To date an admin assistant? Yes, but it's not invasive or anything.
Right.
OK.
Um Defence! Defence! (SPECTATORS CALL OUT) SIMON: OK, slow down.
- Nice! Go for it.
- Come on.
- Yes! - ETHAN: Alright.
Here we go.
- There you are.
- Hey, buddy.
Mister gas mine here.
Yeah.
Cute.
Please, sit down.
Wasn't Kath gonna give you a formal intro? Yes! Great defence! Ethan told me you were a basketball fan, Belle.
Yeah.
I played all through college.
- You? - No, I just come here to use the gym.
- Whoo! - Well done.
Who'd have thought they'd switch to man on man? Aren't you spies supposed to find out what our enemy's strategies are so we can defeat them? - We're all just gardeners, Immy.
- Ha! Yeah, yeah.
Pine Gap must have the best bloody gardens in the Territory, then.
I do have an office, you know.
- Your phone.
- It's secure.
Alright, enough of the cloak and dagger.
What the fuck is going on? Thank you, everyone.
I'd just like to say that I am delighted that Shonguran can contribute to such a dynamic basketball community.
(APPLAUSE) - Thanks very much, Zhou.
- No worries.
Oh, and if any team needs a not-so-good point guard, I'm your man.
We should get them home for dinner, yeah? OK.
Come on.
Let's go.
- Good to see you.
- You too.
So, do you have an answer for me yet? Can't rush into these things, mate.
Look, if the elders need some more information on sacred site protection or our compensation offer We'll ask.
Don't worry.
I'm just waiting on some of the mob to come down off country and get to town so we can talk things through.
OK.
- Oh, well played, Immy.
- Oh, thanks.
When are you gonna join a team and show us these alleged skills? Well, I'm going to Beijing for a couple of days - Right.
- .
.
so, when I get back? - Oh, cool.
- Joe, come meet the club treasurer.
- Oh, sure.
Thank you.
- See you, Joe.
You still holding out on Shonguran? Like I said to Joe, can't rush into these things.
He's not gonna rip us off.
He's been here for ages.
He's consulted.
He's been open.
Yeah, true.
But once we sign over our land, Immy, we can never renegotiate.
Dad, Shonguran are offering our mob a fortune.
We'd be mad to miss out.
Across all that? It has to be locked in pronto.
But I'll let you know as soon as we find a suitable replacement.
But they can't smell a rat.
We can't risk anyone knowing about this.
Teach it to your grandma, Gemma.
I was keeping my mouth shut before you were born.
(STARTS ENGINE) (SKYPE DIAL TONE, RINGING) MAN: Uh, hello? Yes? Hey.
Uh, Dad, it's me.
I can't see you.
You need to turn on the camera.
Darn thing's broken.
No, it's not broken, Dad.
You need to click the camera icon.
You remember the little picture of the camera I showed you last time? You need to click that.
It'll bring up the vision.
It's in the corner.
Yeah.
Don't know why you don't use the phone.
How are things? Your your voice ain't coming out your mouth right.
No, that's just the video lag, Dad.
Hey, so, um You remember how I said I might be changing jobs, move back stateside? Doesn't look like that's gonna happen after all.
You'll miss your brother's birthday again.
You know, I have annual leave due.
I'll, uh, come visit in the summer.
Definitely something wrong with this POS.
OK, well, then hang up and then I'll call you on the landline.
Well, I was about to head out and do some shopping.
Alright.
Tomorrow, then.
Take care, Dad (SIGHS) Hey, Brian.
How's it going? Yeah, good-o, Gus.
No worries, bro.
Hey.
Not much about you online either.
Ooh! (GIGGLES) What do you want to know? For starters, where you developed your complete lack of respect for rank and discipline.
That's Australian.
I got that here.
If our Prime Minister goes to a footy game, everyone boos him.
It's just who we are.
And your background's Serbian? - The multilingual thing? - Mm-hm.
Why'd your parents emigrate? (SIGHS) They were killed in the war with Kosovo.
I'm so sorry.
- It's OK.
- You must miss them.
I don't really remember them.
My brother and I grew up here with some cousins who'd immigrated after World War II.
And why intelligence? The world's a dangerous place.
I want to do my bit.
And you can wear what you like at Pine Gap, so it's my kind of place for, like, so many reasons.
Ethan! Can I have a word? I'm sorry for bailing last night.
I got trapped on a call with my ex.
I thought that was settled.
Not likely.
He wants the house.
Worse, he wants the cat.
- Ooh, nasty.
- Yeah.
Our lawyers will be able to retire on the fees they make from this divorce.
Just give him what he wants.
That's what I did with my first wife.
Oh, God.
Fuck that for a joke.
Uh Canberra are after a discreet inquiry into whether yesterday was a failure of intelligence from here.
Yeah.
So's Washington.
Which means monitoring the crews, A-crew in particular, strengths, weaknesses.
And I've ordered Gus and the other three MDs to report on just those things.
Well, we already know what Gus'll tell us.
As mission director, Gus is in the best place to assess how his crew's operating.
Really? He'll be investigating himself, Ethan.
And he's already decided there wasn't any failure.
Well, shouldn't we get in a tiger team, people who weren't a part of the team that missed hearing about a plan to shoot down an aircraft a mile from your president's head? There's no evidence of failure.
Only because we haven't looked for it yet, and Gus won't.
Canberra think it would be best if he specifically were removed and a new MD appointed from outside the base.
It's about perception, Ethan.
This is Pine Gap.
It is the jewel in the crown of the whole Five Eyes network.
A posting here is a fast track to promotion and Canberra expects this place to operate to the highest of standards.
And I know Washington does too.
Washington trusts our MDs.
They're the most senior people on the base when we're not here.
I, uh I don't think you're listening, Ethan.
Oh, I am listening, Kath.
It's not gonna happen.
Updated comment on the Shadhinota target.
Jasmina, anything new overnight? D-crew logged one received call.
Female, highly likely Cho's sister.
Any mention of surface-to-air missiles? They're mainly talking about whether Cho should leave her husband.
She should if he beats her.
Alright, we gotta get this moving.
She's our only viable link to Adib and Shadhinota.
The USS Bartlett's in the Bay of Bengal.
Let's spend some cash, get them to launch a drone.
Go, you, moneybags.
WOMAN: Alice, UAV drone has attained your coordinates.
Holding position at 12,000 feet.
Thank you, Bartlett.
EMINT, maintain surveillance of the target via drone video link.
Intercepting a signal.
She's getting a text.
- Who's the sender? - Unknown.
(UNDER BREATH) Come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
- Ta.
hcai.
- Ta.
hcai It's Burmese for 10.
A code? Cho's moving, going inside.
Uh, she turned her phone off.
Tracking the SIM.
More movement.
She's heading somewhere.
Looks like she's got her bag.
Starting geo's 20.
15 north, 92.
88 east.
Hang on, if she's going to a meeting with a covert cell, wouldn't she know not to carry a trackable device? She turned it off.
Might think that makes it untrackable.
Just doesn't seem very professional.
Look, Adib's a hard target.
Cho's got historical connections to him and she just received a suspicious text.
That's actionable comment.
Bartlett Control, Alice request a further 60 minutes fly time for the imagery UAV.
Fuck.
WOMAN: Alice, we're losing the drone over the horizon.
Switching control to Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
Roger that, Bartlett.
Creech, this is Alice.
Updated coordinates are 20.
32 north, 92.
98 east.
MAN: Roger that, Alice.
OK, target is off the bus.
Maintain current coordinates.
Where's she heading? Is that a garage? Wasn't the HUMINT report that the husband drives a taxi? There's taxis in the drive.
She's meeting her husband, picking up his vehicle.
Creech, this is Alice.
Sorry, hold, Creech.
EMINT, punch in on them.
Is that her husband? Checking identity.
I thought her husband was a brute.
That's not the husband.
That's Adib.
85% match.
Best we'll get at this resolution.
It's him.
Ta hcai.
10.
They certainly arranged a time to meet.
OK, well, that's a result.
I'll request a CIA I've got something.
What is it? In the truck.
What, the the plumbing stuff? They're missiles, almost certainly.
Shit.
Creech, we have visuals of three possible SAMs.
Are these the guys we're after for the missile strike on the plane? EMINT, can we confirm? Those are almost certainly vampires, same design as the Soviet Igla-S.
Could take out a jumbo.
- Draft a CRITIC for the President.
- OK.
Drafting.
Two in a week.
Creech, confirm targets are in possession of missiles with similar specs as the one used in the BM-24 strike.
Roger that, Alice.
Decrypted a comms signal that geo's to that house.
They're talking about APEC.
How much security there is, where it's been placed.
The roads in and out of the President's hotel.
- Do you want me to amend the CRITIC? - Get it issued now.
Patching Creech to the floor.
Creech, targets appear to have breached APEC security comms.
Assume knowledge of the President's current location.
Thank you, Alice.
Please stand by.
Alice, we are activating the UAV's offensive capabilities and have executive permission to go to full deployment subject to your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Roger that, Creech.
- Wait, advise Creech to hold.
- Hold? Why? They've got three SAMs.
That's too many.
What do you mean, too many? If they stole four and shot one 17 months ago and one yesterday, they should only have two, not three.
So they got one more from somewhere.
We do not have a full picture of their movements.
- OK, so we should vet and confirm.
- Confirm what? That Adib's a terrorist with a history of anti-American violence? Alice, we await your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Stand by, Creech.
Hey, we don't have this intelligence.
You can't just go ahead.
Looks like they've got the vehicle going.
They're getting ready to leave.
Alice, we await your checked and confirmed intelligence.
Creech, confirm targets are a known FTO who have breached APEC security comms and have three vampires in their possession.
Thank you, Alice.
Moving the full deployment.
That missile strike might have been a false flag.
OK, there was nothing false about those three vampires.
We cannot confirm these guys shot down that plane.
We've confirmed they've got missiles.
They've cracked APEC's comms and the President is in range.
I'm acting on that.
Thank you, Alice.
Target achieved.
- MAN: Kath.
- Hey.
Incident report just in from ops.
Yeah.
Get me the Minister.
Honey, have you heard Ouch! Ow! .
.
any more about Canberra? ETHAN: Nothing certain.
I'm just one of several possibles.
Well, I'm looking forward to my husband being the next ambassador to Australia.
You know, I could I could take the boys early if I knew you weren't gonna be too far behind.
(DOOR OPENS) Hey.
Nothing is certain, OK? I'm still here.
(DOORBELL CHIMES) Coming! Kath.
Hi.
- Sorry for barging in.
- No, not at all.
Come in.
Ethan! Give me a minute! Hey, boys.
Can you say hi to Ms Sinclair? - Hello.
- Hi.
Hi.
So, do you, uh do you have family here in Alice? Yeah, I have Bruce.
- Bruce? - He's a cat.
Cat? That's that's nice.
Kath.
Would you, uh, excuse us, honey? Gus Thompson should have forwarded on all relevant intelligence before that strike.
He hadn't confirmed that Shadhinota were the ones that shot down BM-24.
He had three confirmed missiles in the hands of a known terrorist with POTUS in range.
Now, we call that imminent threat.
So, an ambitious young MD chose not to vet and confirm so he could be a hero? Gus had to act.
Time was running out.
He risked the reputation of this base, and you know it.
Look, as your President said, our alliance has worked for seven decades because we trust one another.
Australia doesn't ask for much, Ethan.
But we like to be listened to.
TV NEWSREADER: Key members of the ISIS-affiliated terrorist group responsible for shooting down flight BM-24 over Sittwe have been killed in a US drone strike.
China has described the strike as an outrageous escalation of American militarism in the region.
A short time ago, President Kerr issued a statement pledging US protection for all American allies in the disputed South China Sea.
(LINE RINGS) Will Thompson.
Leave a message.
Just me, Dad.
Calling, like we arranged.
(DOORBELL CHIMES) Guess you're already up and at it.
I'll talk to you later.
Bye.
A marine save POTUS from being blown to smithereens, he gets a Congressional Medal of Honour.
Our line of work, best you're gonna get is one of these shit Aussie beers.
It wasn't a slam dunk.
- I missed you on the bus.
- Yeah.
I was just Do you think I'm paranoid? Paranoid? Over-suspicious.
Mistrustful.
Wary.
Oh, paranoid! Ha.
Hey, this job makes us ALL paranoid.
I guess it's not paranoia if it's true.
(MOBILE PHONE RINGS) If what's true? Nothing.
Hey, Ethan.
Hey.
Tough couple of days for A-crew.
And for the record I wouldn't have passed on that contradictory comment either.
99 MDs out of 100 wouldn't have.
However .
.
Australia wants both BM-24 and the Shadhinota strike investigated for possible failures of process.
The other MDs and I have already discussed that.
We're checking our crews Investigations into A-crew have gotta be particularly objective.
Be SEEN to be objective.
The Australians want your position reappointed.
I've agreed.
You'll stay at Pine Gap.
Put in a little bit more time back on the floor.
You'll keep your pay grade, of course.
Uh A couple of weeks ago, you persuaded me not to apply for that job in Denver because I was so invaluable here as an MD.
We have to keep the Aussies on side, Gus.
The President's refusal to strengthen the ANZUS Treaty already has them doubting us.
You believe I did the right thing? I know this isn't what you had planned for your career.
Sometimes we gotta make sacrifices.
And I'm making one for Australia.
No.
For America.
(THUNDER RUMBLES) Back on the floor.
I spent two years in the floor at Pine Gap to make MD.
Five years at the NSA before I came here.
If they'd just let me go to Denver, I wouldn't even have been on the floor today.
And now everyone from here to Harrogate will hear I've been fucking demoted.
I might as well become a fucking gardener.
I'm sorry.
Uh .
.
you came round before to talk about something? It's nothing.
- You know what really stinks? - What? The chief wants me to blame Australia.
But the truth is .
.
this was America's call.
(AFFECTIONATELY) Yes.
(PHONE RINGS) Yeah.
It's all clear.
Oh, it took it at face value, from what I saw.
You find anyone else we can slot in? Him? No, it's great.
He, uh I understand he filled in here a few years ago as MD, so .
.
he's plenty qualified.
Yep.
Great.
Bruce? ETHAN: This has not been an easy decision.
But this is a joint facility of the highest importance, not only to the safety of the United States and Australia, but also to the alliance between us.
Now, both Deputy Chief Sinclair and myself feel it's appropriate that someone from outside takes over as MD for the interim.
And we're very fortunate that .
.
Mr Kitto could join us at such short notice.
Thanks for that, Chief.
I want to stress that this does not reflect in any way criticism of any member of A-crew.
(SNORTS) Rather, it is evidence of the seriousness with which we approach what we do here at Pine Gap.
Righto.
Let's get down to it, shall we? Who should we be looking at? Sorry, what? If Shadhinota didn't shoot that plane down, who did? They're still out there.
We can find them.
Yeah, we can.
(KNOCK AT DOOR) - Um - What is it? (CLOSES DOOR) I don't know if you ever use the cafeteria, but a couple of days ago the thermostat got stuck at 62.
6 degrees Fahrenheit for exactly four hours.
Then it corrected itself to the standard 68.
Weirdly limited glitch in the system.
Yeah? Our server controls everything electronic on the base, from the computers on the ops floor, the doors, the boom gates, even the thermostats.
I went through the coding.
It wasn't a glitch.
- Moses, I am sure our mainten - It was malware.
- What? - Malicious software.
Microvirus.
There was a virus on OUR server? One targeted to do a very specific job, in this case, lower the cafeteria's thermostat for four hours.
Why? Why bother? Well, the only reason that I could think of is to test if the server's architecture could be hacked without being detected.
- What else could this malware do? - Anything.
Everything.
Steal it all.
But Pine Gap isn't connected to the internet.
- Our system's air gapped.
- Yep.
So whoever put the code into the server They work here.
The malware got on to our system from this terminal and it'll just keep migrating.
This could spread like wildfire.
If you're looking for bolts you won't find any here.
You climb too.
You'll have to show me around some time.
See, I thought my job was to carry out a completely objective investigation and conclude that there was no failure of intelligence.
All that is required is some carefully planned deceptions.
Second nature for an agent with your experience, I would have thought.
MAN: (OVER SPEAKERS)The Chinese have launched an armed ballistic missile.
- What sort? Conventional? - Not in the slightest.
- It can't be nuclear.
- No.
It's not that either.
A list of everyone who was in the collections room last Wednesday.
- How many were in there on their own? - Six.
They're underlined.