The Equalizer (2021) s02e14 Episode Script
Pulse
I serve as an equalizer.
I'm the one you call when you can't call 911.
Previously on The Equalizer Does the name Mason Quinn mean anything to you? I was promised that he would spend the rest of his miserable life locked up.
Who promised you that? How could you lie to me, when you knew I should have known? Well, when it comes to Quinn, you're just a little bit obsessed, aren't you? Good to know you're still in play.
I'm gonna get you again.
And this time, I'm gonna kill you.
Everything I could dig up on Mason Quinn since the CIA let him go.
Uh, word of advice: don't open it.
It's not your problem anymore.
I'm looking for Viola Marsette? I have a sketch I want to ask you about.
The woman in that portrait, she was more than a friend.
It wasn't something that could survive the real world, as the world was then.
I don't know you, but if Marcus trusted you, then I trust you, too.
Please find him.
Yes! I need a airlift.
Officer down.
You are a good cop.
I can't be a good cop if I don't know why I'm doing it.
Because if I don't, I'm afraid of who I might become.
Ooh.
Aren't you looking all dapper, Aunt Vi? Spending the day with Tricia in Connecticut.
Ah.
And how's that going? We're not asking any questions right now.
Just simply enjoying each other's company.
Well, you think you could drop Dee off on your way to your rendezvous? - Of course.
- Mom? Do you know about this? Yeah.
He's gonna be fine.
You're not the one who shot him, are you? No.
Just glad he's gonna be okay.
He was so kind to Dee when Jason was shot.
Well, he's at home recovering.
Wait.
Are you guys friends now? Aren't you gonna be late for school? Aunt Vi's gonna drop you off.
That is not an answer.
Maybe it was.
Come on, girl.
Let's go.
Vanessa.
I thought you'd be back at work by now.
I am.
I'm just pitching in with the kids while Marcus recovers.
He's in the middle of a physical therapy session.
He's gonna be a while.
Oh.
How y'all doing? Kyler and Stefon don't want to let him out of their sight.
We're all appreciating he's still with us and that you brought him home.
Well, we got lucky.
I have a feeling luck has nothing to do with it where you're concerned.
How's he doing? Shoulder and knee are healing.
But he won't talk about the rest Turning in his badge.
Seems more worried about how all this is affecting the kids than himself.
I get it.
But in times of stress, it's like being on a plane.
When the oxygen masks drop, parents have to be the one to put it on first.
I told him pretty much the same thing.
Great minds.
- I gotta take this call.
- Yeah.
I'll-I'll let him know you stopped by.
Thank you.
Hello? This is red flag.
6343.
Open source.
Requesting ghost render.
Location: songbird, Alpha-Theta, six.
So, I just got an interesting voice mail.
- Yeah? From who? - From your old buddy Paulie Schinzel.
Mm.
What'd he want? To tell me that he's completely freaked out, because he was walking around the East Side and he thought he saw a ghost.
You.
He said he tried to catch up, but you vanished behind a bus.
And now he thinks he's losing his mind.
- Good.
- Honey What? I mean that guy's entire thing was how important a friend I was to him.
Meanwhile, he doesn't even go to my own funeral.
- You're still holding that against him? - Yeah.
There are plenty of reasons why people don't go to funerals.
Yeah, but it was a perfect metaphor for our entire relationship.
You know, the only time I ever heard from that guy was when he wanted something from me.
You know, a favor, advice, a shoulder to cry on.
I was always there for him.
The one time I die? Dude couldn't be bothered.
You need to let this go.
Oh.
Hey, Rob.
- What's up? - I just got a strange call.
Schinzel? Who? Ignore that.
What was the call? An SOS call from a CIA agent asking to meet at specific coordinates.
Why is a CIA agent calling you? I have no clue.
I haven't seen or spoken to her in ten years.
Do me a favor, dig into her.
Her name is Marcela Mendez.
See what you can find out about what she's been up to lately.
Mendez.
All right.
Any idea what she was calling about? No.
But a red flag code You don't send one of those up unless it's life or death.
You move, you die.
Hands up, nice and easy.
Wait! You're Robyn McCall.
I suppose that makes losing my gun a bit less embarrassing.
Who are you? Carter Griffin.
CIA.
I worked support roles on a few of your missions.
- Do you mind? - Not until you tell me what I just walked into.
I wish I could.
I got here a minute before you.
I'm Marcela's handler.
She missed her check-in, so I came to find her.
In case you're thinking this was me, the shot came through there from a distance.
Your turn.
Why are you here? Thought you were out.
I am.
Marcela called me.
With a red flag code.
She called you? If she was in trouble, why didn't she call me? Good question.
Was she on-mission? No, just came off.
What was it? Defection.
Three weeks ago, a Chinese translator at the U.
N.
named Chen Ying reached out.
Wanted to trade sensitive information in exchange for U.
S.
protection.
But last week, before Marcela could bring her in, the translator was pulled back to China.
Days later, she was found in Beijing with her throat slit.
Beijing is sending a message.
Thanks.
I'm confused.
How did you know Marcela? She was my student.
Come on, what do you have? What do you have? Breathe it.
Breathe it.
Parry, parry, parry.
Drop.
Let's go.
Release! That's three submissions in a row.
He's bigger, stronger.
"There are no limits.
" Bruce Lee.
He was your height, not much heavier than you, but he could deliver a punching power of 350 pounds.
Why? Because he spent hundreds of hours with singular purpose until he perfected his technique.
The reason you keep losing on the mat is you.
You're sloppy.
You're unfocused.
You're not working hard enough.
Come on, girl.
Again! Single shot to the T-box.
Bullet severed her spinal column.
At least she didn't suffer.
Which means whoever did it was a pro.
Better.
Better? That's it? What, you want a trophy for staying alive? Don't.
Oh, they're going to hell anyways.
I should just - chop them off.
- They can be useful.
I once hid a nano-chip under my nail at a war zone border crossing in Rwanda.
It's the one place men never think to check.
Given her temperature, I put time of death less than an hour.
Her clothes, hair smell odd.
Like rotten eggs.
Any idea why? No.
What can you tell me about the translator, Chen? All due respect, this is Agency business.
You're not Agency.
She called me for a reason.
One you won't Or can't explain.
Playing it like that? You know how it is.
If you're not in, then you're Out.
That is, until they need something from you.
Well, I guess I'll leave you to it.
Wow.
Microdot.
So cool.
This was the tech du jour in World War One and Two.
And then it just kind of vanished.
- Can you read it? - Yeah, I should be able to.
It's really nothing more than a severely reduced image.
I guess in today's world of "anything electronic can be hacked," old-school is making a comeback.
Look at that.
That's a bank transfer.
Can you run it down? - Yeah.
- You didn't tell Griffin you took it, did you? If Marcela didn't trust the CIA on this one, why should I? Looks like the transaction was a very large deposit into an account for a shell corporation from an untraceable outside source.
How large? $100 million.
Can you trace the shell corp that received it? Yeah, it gets a little fuzzy, but it looks like the most direct line is a guy named Daniel Blake.
You know him? Yeah, Blake was a new player on the scene as I was getting out.
Says here he was an English businessman who made his fortune in oil and other global interests.
He's also rumored to be the Silk Road of black-market traffickers.
He can get you anything you need for top dollar.
Well, somebody's paying him a lot for something.
And whatever it was just got Marcela killed.
That still doesn't explain why she called me.
Huh.
Huh, what? Ten minutes after that payment came in, funds from the same account were used to charter a private jet from Australia to New York.
It's due to arrive in just over an hour.
- Blake coming to town? - No.
According to the web, he's already in town.
Page Six has him at a charity event last night.
Well, if it's not Blake, it's someone he's in business with.
Maybe someone connected to that transfer.
Yeah, and if Marcela was tracing that account, it'll be someone significant.
We need to be there when that plane lands.
You two up for some surveillance? Always.
In the meantime, you find anything on that translator Marcela was trying to bring in? Chen Ying? Yeah, to say her social media presence is "minimal" would be generous.
I found three photos.
That's everything.
You know, you gotta figure the Chinese government controlled her posts.
Who's the woman in the picture with her? Another translator.
She seems like a friend.
What you thinking? I'm thinking if Chen had information to trade and she thought the government was onto it, then maybe she was smart enough to hide it.
So while you two get eyes on that plane, I'm gonna hit up the friend.
See if she can provide some insight into Chen's movements.
Especially on the day she was grabbed.
I got a feeling she knew she was gonna die.
Nope.
Not our plane.
Hey, babe, while we're waiting Hey, Mel.
It's Paulie again.
- I just wanted to apologize - Ugh.
For calling you in the first place.
It was insensitive of me to bring up Harry.
Truth is, I I don't know what I saw.
Guess I still feel a lot of guilt - for not going to the funeral.
- Yeah.
Listen, I want you to know I actually did go to that church, but I just I-I couldn't go in.
Anyway, I - Sorry.
Again.
- Come on.
Hope you're doing well.
Okay, bye.
What am I supposed to do with that? - People change, Harry.
- Mm.
- Relationships change.
- Mm-hmm.
Maybe it's worth giving him another shot.
Hold that thought.
We're on.
Bom dia.
Good morning.
How are you? Fine, thanks.
Credentials, please.
Yes, of course.
I'm with the Brazilian delegation.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
Who is that? I don't know.
Excuse me.
I was wondering if you could help me.
I was supposed to meet Chen Ying for lunch.
Did she move offices? Oh, I'm afraid she left back for China.
She left last week.
That explains it.
Her phone is not in service, she's not answering any emails.
Does she have any family here? I have some books I would love to return to her.
Oh, I don't think so.
Well, do you know where she was staying? Maybe they left a forwarding address.
Sorry, we never really saw each other outside of work.
- What a lovely bracelet.
- Thanks.
Chen had one just like it.
This is hers.
She gave it to me as a gift the day she left, so That is so Chen, right? Well, thank you for your time.
Marcia Silva.
Fen Zhang.
Nice to meet you.
Chen must have known they were coming for her.
Smart move.
Desperate, but smart.
What is it? Huh.
It's a transcript of a phone conversation.
Anything in there worth killing for? First guy's name is Jin Meng.
He's one of China's Vice Premiers.
He was at the U.
N.
last month as part of their diplomatic mission.
Chen must've transcribed the call.
Well, who's he talking to? The other speaker is unidentified.
They keep talking about someone named Liu.
- Who is Liu? Is there a last name? - No.
They're both very worried that she's disappeared.
It's a matter of national security.
Harry, there's a time stamp on this transcription.
Is there any way to find out who the Vice Premier is talking to? I mean, the call most likely came from within China.
But hacking their phone system will be difficult.
But can you do it? I mean, I can try.
It'll take some time.
How'd the surveillance go? Well, we made it before the plane landed.
Only one passenger got off.
He got into Blake's limo, but we lost them in traffic.
We got pictures, though.
No.
It can't be.
What? You know him? Yeah, I know him.
He's the one I told you about.
The one who tried to kill me.
The murdering bastard the CIA let go.
That's Mason Quinn.
Mason Quinn? The guy who sent those mercs - after Henson's daughter last year? - Yes.
This man's a sociopath.
He has no country, no allegiance, or conscience.
Assassinations, kidnappings, overthrowing governments.
He'll do anything for a price.
And after years of chasing him down and grabbing him, the CIA just trades him away in some shady backroom deal? No wonder Marcela went to you and not them.
But Okay.
What is Quinn doing in New York? Well, he just paid Daniel Blake a fortune for something.
We need to find out what.
But the guy's a ghost.
He's deep underground by now.
Then how do we find him? What? Bishop gave me a file full of intel on Quinn.
But he warned me never to look at it.
He knew if I opened it, I wouldn't be able to help myself, I would be right back in.
Well, you said yourself your obsession with Quinn almost got you killed.
And it saved countless lives.
If Quinn is involved, something big is going down.
Rob, something big is always gonna be going down.
Maybe maybe Bishop is right and the safe play is just to sit this one out.
If Quinn is operating in this city no one is safe.
I've been through it backwards and forwards.
It's like a big jigsaw puzzle.
I mean, there's intel from nearly every intelligence agency in the world.
Mossad, MI6, Russian FSB.
Quinn clearly has no qualms about going after people's families.
Yeah, and the name "Willow" comes up multiple times in intercepted chatter from Quinn.
"CIA hasn't cracked Black Window.
"Possible to abduct Willow? For this to work, I need her.
" In Chinese, "willow" is "Liu.
" That's who they were talking about in the transcript.
So a kidnap victim? A spouse? A kid? I don't know.
"CIA hasn't cracked Black Window.
" What the hell is Black Window? Can you ask Bishop? Bishop is radio silent on a job in Europe.
Can't get to him.
And even if I could, he won't help me.
Not if it involves Mason Quinn.
I need to go to Griffin.
Wait.
The guy works for the same agency that let Quinn go in the first place.
I didn't say I trusted him.
Doesn't mean he can't help.
How do we know he won't set you up? - If he does, I'll handle it.
- Oh, Rob It's a risk I'm gonna have to take.
I mean, is it? Let's just wait a beat.
We don't have a beat.
She's going to the CIA.
She's not thinking straight.
She's making it personal.
Yeah.
I don't have a good feeling about this one.
Thanks for coming.
Tell anybody you were meeting me? I like my job too much.
What'd you find? Pieces to a puzzle, but I need something from you to put them together.
What are the pieces? You're not gonna tell me? There's a reason Marcela came to me.
'Cause she didn't know who to trust.
Frankly, neither do I.
And yet I'm supposed to trust you? I'm not asking for your trust.
Asking for your help.
The reason I left the CIA is because I lost faith in the institution, but not the mission.
The way I see it, if you want to know the truth about what happened, then you'll help me.
But if you're involved, you won't.
What would you want me to do? Get into the Agency system.
Find out everything you can about an operation called "Black Window" without ringing any bells.
Why does it have to be back-channel? Because the players involved may have connections at the front office.
You know what you're asking? The personal, professional, and legal ramifications if I'm caught? For someone I don't trust who doesn't trust me? You just described intelligence work.
How'd it go? Therapist said I won't be able to drive for at least a couple more weeks.
I'm sorry, Nessa.
The least I can do is get the kids and run a few errands while you recover.
Anything you need while I'm out? Not unless you can find me a new shoulder.
It's this I'm more worried about.
You want to talk about it? Nope.
By the way, your friend came by.
Thought I heard her voice.
She cares about you, and based on that flicker of a smile I just saw, the feeling is mutual.
I've known you for a really long time, Marcus.
If you don't want to talk to me, maybe you should talk to her.
Okay.
Griffin's in.
Any luck on that transcript? I traced the incoming call to the Vice Premier, and the man on the other end of the phone was Timofey Popov.
- Never heard of him.
- He's a Russian scientist.
The Chinese often throw big money at foreign specialists to siphon expertise.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I was able to get in and pull files on Black Window.
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I, um, I think I covered my tracks.
What'd you find out? All right.
Black Window refers to an Agency investigation into Air Penang Flight 127 that went down under mysterious circumstances seven months ago.
Flight just suddenly lost power.
Dropped from the sky like a stone.
And when they recovered the black box, it was completely wiped.
Any idea how? No.
The investigation started to stall, so they recently recruited your old mentor, William Bishop, to help.
Bishop? So that's what he's been up to the past two months.
Sorry, that's, uh, that's all I got.
Well, that's plenty.
I'll read you in when I can.
The Russian.
What kind of scientist is he? Uh He specializes in directed magnetic fields.
Directed magnetic fields.
Planes going down.
Willow is not a person.
It's a weapon.
Targeted EMP that can knock any aircraft out of the sky.
And no one would know who did it or even how.
It would be completely untraceable.
And one of the most dangerous men on the planet is about to get his hands on it.
Tried Bishop, still no answer.
What do you know about EMPs? Pretty much every country in the world is trying to develop one that works long-range.
Well, it looks like China succeeded.
Yeah, and Blake stole it.
This must've been the info Chen was going to trade for her defection.
I mean, no person or government should have this much power.
Flight 127 must have been proof of concept.
Yeah.
Quinn saw the obvious benefits, wanted in and hired Blake to get it.
But if Quinn is here to take possession, then Blake must've shipped it here.
I'm way ahead of you.
I'm into Blake's oil company.
Based on the transcript, right, we know the approximate time that Willow was stolen.
Check this out.
There was a shipment of drilling equipment that went from China to Blake, all of which was sent to Texas, except for this one group here, which was sent to a warehouse in the Bronx.
I'm gonna check that out.
H-Hold on a second.
Shouldn't we be screaming about all this from the rooftops? He's right.
Maybe it's time to turn it over to the CIA.
I mean, they have the resources, let them do their jobs.
Like last time? When they let Quinn go? I mean, God knows what they're into with Quinn now or how deep.
- Fine.
I'm going with you.
- I am, too.
No.
The last time you got involved with the Agency, you wound up in an interrogation room and you were in a jail cell.
People that tangle with Quinn end up dead.
I'm not doing that to you.
You can still help me from here.
Rob, somebody needs to watch your back.
Fine, what about Griffin? Can you trust him? I appreciate you pulling me in.
Well, one leap of faith deserves another.
You deserve to help take down that bastard that killed Marcela.
All right.
We're looking for Bin 6E-326.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
McCall.
Empty.
Too late.
Both of you turn around slowly.
Turn the hell around.
Where's the EMP? I don't know.
Wrong answer.
Where's the weapon that was in that crate? Okay.
All right.
He's demonstrating it to a buyer at 5:00 p.
m.
- On what? - I don't know.
Where? - Where? - I don't know! I swear.
You got bracelets for our friends? You all hearing me? You're not gonna tell me who you're talking to, are you? We're not there yet.
Yep.
Yeah, we're here.
The EMP is gone.
Blake's planning on demonstrating the weapon for Quinn to seal the deal in 30 minutes.
Another plane? Stands to reason.
There are 3,000 flights coming into New York every day.
Harry, we need that big brain of yours to improve those odds.
Any ideas? Okay, wait a minute.
Um Yeah.
An EMP would require at least a half a million watts of power to fire.
What does Blake own near an airport with that kind of juice? I've got two facilities that fit the bill.
One is by JFK, the other is by Long Island McArthur Airport.
We don't have time to hit both.
- What kind of facilities? - Bulk storage structure - and a refinery.
- The refinery.
How do you know? Marcela was onto Blake when she was killed.
When I found her body, her hair and her clothes smelled like rotten eggs.
Meaning It's what hydrogen sulfide smells like.
Which is used in oil refineries.
I'll scramble a team, but we have to go through the FBI.
It's gonna take time to get them on location.
What about air traffic control? Can they divert the plane? There's 50, 60 planes landing in the next hour.
There's no way to divert them all.
We need to know which one he's targeting.
Knowing Quinn, his MO the target won't be random.
He will have chosen it for a reason.
Rob, I've got the blue prints for the refinery.
Where am I going? The main electrical substation is at the far northeast end.
That's where he'd plug in.
Well, can you shut it down? Not without knocking out half the city.
Not to mention, it would take a couple of hours.
That's too long.
We could go over Bishop's file again, cross-reference every known person of interest to Quinn with flights landing in the next 20 minutes.
That's thousands of people.
We don't have the time.
Try anyway.
I know what you're thinking.
She can't do this alone.
She doesn't want us involved.
She's gonna get herself killed.
It's Mason Quinn.
I'll hit the file.
You go.
Target's ten minutes out.
Copy.
FBI just authorized a response team.
ETA 30 minutes.
That's too late.
Any luck? I searched all known persons of interest to Quinn and cross-referenced it with the passenger list of every flight coming in the next half hour.
- And? - There's a private jet coming in from Europe.
Rob, it's registered to Bishop Security.
I checked the manifest.
Bishop's on that flight.
When does it land? 15 minutes.
It's over the airspace in eight.
Bishop must have connected some dots.
Quinn's gonna use that weapons test to take him out.
You have to warn the pilot.
Divert the plane.
Rob, if I hack into air traffic control, I'll be exposed.
The CIA could track it.
Harry! I'll try.
Flight T7 23P, T7 23P.
Please respond.
This is Tango-seven-two-three-Papa.
Who is this? Ground control? No, this is an anonymous but very concerned citizen.
You need to divert immediately.
- Your plane is being targeted.
- Who is that? Whoever's broadcasting, please clear this frequency.
- It is a federal offense - No, no.
Just listen, please.
There's no time to explain, but your aircraft is about to be shot down.
You need to reverse course immediately.
ATC, do you know what this joker is talking about? Negative, Tango-seven-two-three-Papa.
That is not us.
You are clear.
No, you are not clear! Look, I don't know what you're up to, fella, but you just committed a federal offense, so I'd find yourself a good lawyer.
Just No.
Damn it! Harry, any luck diverting that plane? I've been trying.
They're not listening to me.
We're gonna have to do this ourselves.
A direct assault would be suicide.
I'm gonna have to cut the power.
Wait here.
Okay, I got a plan I keep hearing you retired, but you keep on showing up.
Someone's got to stop you.
But not you.
Or your mentor up there.
This thing you have, this moral center.
You think it's a source of strength, but it's not.
It's an anchor.
Which is why I will always win.
Two minutes.
It is, as they say, showtime.
Let's see if this thing works.
Damn it, listen to me.
I know you're Bishop Security.
I know William Bishop is on board.
Now tell him the request to divert is coming from McCall.
Tell him Quinn is targeting the plane.
I told you to get No! Tell him right now or you and everyone on that plane is dead! Stand by.
30 seconds out.
Engaging targeting system.
Ready to fire.
I spoke to Bishop.
Tango-seven-two-three-Papa declaring emergency - and diverting.
- Yes! Repeat, Tango-seven-two-three-Papa declaring emergency and diverting.
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
There.
ATC, flight controls unrespons Tango-seven-two-three-Papa out of flight level.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Two-three-Papa, we show you heading 330 at zero Recover, recover! He's heading towards the ocean.
Bishop I'd call that a success.
Transfer payment.
What about them? Kill them.
- Quinn? - That way, toward the back.
No.
Rob, no! Rob, if you take that chopper down, the trajectory puts it right in the heart of Queens.
Rob, I know you want Quinn dead, but think of the collateral damage.
Think of the casualties! Don't.
Quinn's helicopter disappeared from radar.
And the authorities haven't been able to locate it.
He got away.
He got away and Bishop is gone.
I'm so sorry, Rob.
It's all my fault.
No, what are you talking about? Bishop only agreed to help the CIA because he wanted to bring in Quinn.
For me.
Well, at least you stopped Quinn from getting his prize.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever he's planning, he'll find another way to do it.
But thanks for your help.
And thanks for not listening to me.
I just wish I could have gotten there sooner.
Me, too.
To Bishop.
It wasn't your fault.
No.
It was Quinn's.
Uh, babe, Paulie Schinzel just walked in.
Yeah.
No, I-I invited him.
- What? - After what happened to Bishop, I figured life's too short to carry grudges.
Best to cherish what we got.
No matter how imperfect.
- Harry.
- Hey, buddy.
I'm so glad you're alive! Whoa, man! - Oh, my God.
- That's a lot.
Oh! Bishop? Bish? This is the second time you've gotten in my way.
Don't come for me again, because then I'll have to come after you.
Everything okay? No.
I lost a really good friend today.
And, uh, I could use someone to talk to about it.
You're not alone in that.
I'll make some coffee.
I'm the one you call when you can't call 911.
Previously on The Equalizer Does the name Mason Quinn mean anything to you? I was promised that he would spend the rest of his miserable life locked up.
Who promised you that? How could you lie to me, when you knew I should have known? Well, when it comes to Quinn, you're just a little bit obsessed, aren't you? Good to know you're still in play.
I'm gonna get you again.
And this time, I'm gonna kill you.
Everything I could dig up on Mason Quinn since the CIA let him go.
Uh, word of advice: don't open it.
It's not your problem anymore.
I'm looking for Viola Marsette? I have a sketch I want to ask you about.
The woman in that portrait, she was more than a friend.
It wasn't something that could survive the real world, as the world was then.
I don't know you, but if Marcus trusted you, then I trust you, too.
Please find him.
Yes! I need a airlift.
Officer down.
You are a good cop.
I can't be a good cop if I don't know why I'm doing it.
Because if I don't, I'm afraid of who I might become.
Ooh.
Aren't you looking all dapper, Aunt Vi? Spending the day with Tricia in Connecticut.
Ah.
And how's that going? We're not asking any questions right now.
Just simply enjoying each other's company.
Well, you think you could drop Dee off on your way to your rendezvous? - Of course.
- Mom? Do you know about this? Yeah.
He's gonna be fine.
You're not the one who shot him, are you? No.
Just glad he's gonna be okay.
He was so kind to Dee when Jason was shot.
Well, he's at home recovering.
Wait.
Are you guys friends now? Aren't you gonna be late for school? Aunt Vi's gonna drop you off.
That is not an answer.
Maybe it was.
Come on, girl.
Let's go.
Vanessa.
I thought you'd be back at work by now.
I am.
I'm just pitching in with the kids while Marcus recovers.
He's in the middle of a physical therapy session.
He's gonna be a while.
Oh.
How y'all doing? Kyler and Stefon don't want to let him out of their sight.
We're all appreciating he's still with us and that you brought him home.
Well, we got lucky.
I have a feeling luck has nothing to do with it where you're concerned.
How's he doing? Shoulder and knee are healing.
But he won't talk about the rest Turning in his badge.
Seems more worried about how all this is affecting the kids than himself.
I get it.
But in times of stress, it's like being on a plane.
When the oxygen masks drop, parents have to be the one to put it on first.
I told him pretty much the same thing.
Great minds.
- I gotta take this call.
- Yeah.
I'll-I'll let him know you stopped by.
Thank you.
Hello? This is red flag.
6343.
Open source.
Requesting ghost render.
Location: songbird, Alpha-Theta, six.
So, I just got an interesting voice mail.
- Yeah? From who? - From your old buddy Paulie Schinzel.
Mm.
What'd he want? To tell me that he's completely freaked out, because he was walking around the East Side and he thought he saw a ghost.
You.
He said he tried to catch up, but you vanished behind a bus.
And now he thinks he's losing his mind.
- Good.
- Honey What? I mean that guy's entire thing was how important a friend I was to him.
Meanwhile, he doesn't even go to my own funeral.
- You're still holding that against him? - Yeah.
There are plenty of reasons why people don't go to funerals.
Yeah, but it was a perfect metaphor for our entire relationship.
You know, the only time I ever heard from that guy was when he wanted something from me.
You know, a favor, advice, a shoulder to cry on.
I was always there for him.
The one time I die? Dude couldn't be bothered.
You need to let this go.
Oh.
Hey, Rob.
- What's up? - I just got a strange call.
Schinzel? Who? Ignore that.
What was the call? An SOS call from a CIA agent asking to meet at specific coordinates.
Why is a CIA agent calling you? I have no clue.
I haven't seen or spoken to her in ten years.
Do me a favor, dig into her.
Her name is Marcela Mendez.
See what you can find out about what she's been up to lately.
Mendez.
All right.
Any idea what she was calling about? No.
But a red flag code You don't send one of those up unless it's life or death.
You move, you die.
Hands up, nice and easy.
Wait! You're Robyn McCall.
I suppose that makes losing my gun a bit less embarrassing.
Who are you? Carter Griffin.
CIA.
I worked support roles on a few of your missions.
- Do you mind? - Not until you tell me what I just walked into.
I wish I could.
I got here a minute before you.
I'm Marcela's handler.
She missed her check-in, so I came to find her.
In case you're thinking this was me, the shot came through there from a distance.
Your turn.
Why are you here? Thought you were out.
I am.
Marcela called me.
With a red flag code.
She called you? If she was in trouble, why didn't she call me? Good question.
Was she on-mission? No, just came off.
What was it? Defection.
Three weeks ago, a Chinese translator at the U.
N.
named Chen Ying reached out.
Wanted to trade sensitive information in exchange for U.
S.
protection.
But last week, before Marcela could bring her in, the translator was pulled back to China.
Days later, she was found in Beijing with her throat slit.
Beijing is sending a message.
Thanks.
I'm confused.
How did you know Marcela? She was my student.
Come on, what do you have? What do you have? Breathe it.
Breathe it.
Parry, parry, parry.
Drop.
Let's go.
Release! That's three submissions in a row.
He's bigger, stronger.
"There are no limits.
" Bruce Lee.
He was your height, not much heavier than you, but he could deliver a punching power of 350 pounds.
Why? Because he spent hundreds of hours with singular purpose until he perfected his technique.
The reason you keep losing on the mat is you.
You're sloppy.
You're unfocused.
You're not working hard enough.
Come on, girl.
Again! Single shot to the T-box.
Bullet severed her spinal column.
At least she didn't suffer.
Which means whoever did it was a pro.
Better.
Better? That's it? What, you want a trophy for staying alive? Don't.
Oh, they're going to hell anyways.
I should just - chop them off.
- They can be useful.
I once hid a nano-chip under my nail at a war zone border crossing in Rwanda.
It's the one place men never think to check.
Given her temperature, I put time of death less than an hour.
Her clothes, hair smell odd.
Like rotten eggs.
Any idea why? No.
What can you tell me about the translator, Chen? All due respect, this is Agency business.
You're not Agency.
She called me for a reason.
One you won't Or can't explain.
Playing it like that? You know how it is.
If you're not in, then you're Out.
That is, until they need something from you.
Well, I guess I'll leave you to it.
Wow.
Microdot.
So cool.
This was the tech du jour in World War One and Two.
And then it just kind of vanished.
- Can you read it? - Yeah, I should be able to.
It's really nothing more than a severely reduced image.
I guess in today's world of "anything electronic can be hacked," old-school is making a comeback.
Look at that.
That's a bank transfer.
Can you run it down? - Yeah.
- You didn't tell Griffin you took it, did you? If Marcela didn't trust the CIA on this one, why should I? Looks like the transaction was a very large deposit into an account for a shell corporation from an untraceable outside source.
How large? $100 million.
Can you trace the shell corp that received it? Yeah, it gets a little fuzzy, but it looks like the most direct line is a guy named Daniel Blake.
You know him? Yeah, Blake was a new player on the scene as I was getting out.
Says here he was an English businessman who made his fortune in oil and other global interests.
He's also rumored to be the Silk Road of black-market traffickers.
He can get you anything you need for top dollar.
Well, somebody's paying him a lot for something.
And whatever it was just got Marcela killed.
That still doesn't explain why she called me.
Huh.
Huh, what? Ten minutes after that payment came in, funds from the same account were used to charter a private jet from Australia to New York.
It's due to arrive in just over an hour.
- Blake coming to town? - No.
According to the web, he's already in town.
Page Six has him at a charity event last night.
Well, if it's not Blake, it's someone he's in business with.
Maybe someone connected to that transfer.
Yeah, and if Marcela was tracing that account, it'll be someone significant.
We need to be there when that plane lands.
You two up for some surveillance? Always.
In the meantime, you find anything on that translator Marcela was trying to bring in? Chen Ying? Yeah, to say her social media presence is "minimal" would be generous.
I found three photos.
That's everything.
You know, you gotta figure the Chinese government controlled her posts.
Who's the woman in the picture with her? Another translator.
She seems like a friend.
What you thinking? I'm thinking if Chen had information to trade and she thought the government was onto it, then maybe she was smart enough to hide it.
So while you two get eyes on that plane, I'm gonna hit up the friend.
See if she can provide some insight into Chen's movements.
Especially on the day she was grabbed.
I got a feeling she knew she was gonna die.
Nope.
Not our plane.
Hey, babe, while we're waiting Hey, Mel.
It's Paulie again.
- I just wanted to apologize - Ugh.
For calling you in the first place.
It was insensitive of me to bring up Harry.
Truth is, I I don't know what I saw.
Guess I still feel a lot of guilt - for not going to the funeral.
- Yeah.
Listen, I want you to know I actually did go to that church, but I just I-I couldn't go in.
Anyway, I - Sorry.
Again.
- Come on.
Hope you're doing well.
Okay, bye.
What am I supposed to do with that? - People change, Harry.
- Mm.
- Relationships change.
- Mm-hmm.
Maybe it's worth giving him another shot.
Hold that thought.
We're on.
Bom dia.
Good morning.
How are you? Fine, thanks.
Credentials, please.
Yes, of course.
I'm with the Brazilian delegation.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
Who is that? I don't know.
Excuse me.
I was wondering if you could help me.
I was supposed to meet Chen Ying for lunch.
Did she move offices? Oh, I'm afraid she left back for China.
She left last week.
That explains it.
Her phone is not in service, she's not answering any emails.
Does she have any family here? I have some books I would love to return to her.
Oh, I don't think so.
Well, do you know where she was staying? Maybe they left a forwarding address.
Sorry, we never really saw each other outside of work.
- What a lovely bracelet.
- Thanks.
Chen had one just like it.
This is hers.
She gave it to me as a gift the day she left, so That is so Chen, right? Well, thank you for your time.
Marcia Silva.
Fen Zhang.
Nice to meet you.
Chen must have known they were coming for her.
Smart move.
Desperate, but smart.
What is it? Huh.
It's a transcript of a phone conversation.
Anything in there worth killing for? First guy's name is Jin Meng.
He's one of China's Vice Premiers.
He was at the U.
N.
last month as part of their diplomatic mission.
Chen must've transcribed the call.
Well, who's he talking to? The other speaker is unidentified.
They keep talking about someone named Liu.
- Who is Liu? Is there a last name? - No.
They're both very worried that she's disappeared.
It's a matter of national security.
Harry, there's a time stamp on this transcription.
Is there any way to find out who the Vice Premier is talking to? I mean, the call most likely came from within China.
But hacking their phone system will be difficult.
But can you do it? I mean, I can try.
It'll take some time.
How'd the surveillance go? Well, we made it before the plane landed.
Only one passenger got off.
He got into Blake's limo, but we lost them in traffic.
We got pictures, though.
No.
It can't be.
What? You know him? Yeah, I know him.
He's the one I told you about.
The one who tried to kill me.
The murdering bastard the CIA let go.
That's Mason Quinn.
Mason Quinn? The guy who sent those mercs - after Henson's daughter last year? - Yes.
This man's a sociopath.
He has no country, no allegiance, or conscience.
Assassinations, kidnappings, overthrowing governments.
He'll do anything for a price.
And after years of chasing him down and grabbing him, the CIA just trades him away in some shady backroom deal? No wonder Marcela went to you and not them.
But Okay.
What is Quinn doing in New York? Well, he just paid Daniel Blake a fortune for something.
We need to find out what.
But the guy's a ghost.
He's deep underground by now.
Then how do we find him? What? Bishop gave me a file full of intel on Quinn.
But he warned me never to look at it.
He knew if I opened it, I wouldn't be able to help myself, I would be right back in.
Well, you said yourself your obsession with Quinn almost got you killed.
And it saved countless lives.
If Quinn is involved, something big is going down.
Rob, something big is always gonna be going down.
Maybe maybe Bishop is right and the safe play is just to sit this one out.
If Quinn is operating in this city no one is safe.
I've been through it backwards and forwards.
It's like a big jigsaw puzzle.
I mean, there's intel from nearly every intelligence agency in the world.
Mossad, MI6, Russian FSB.
Quinn clearly has no qualms about going after people's families.
Yeah, and the name "Willow" comes up multiple times in intercepted chatter from Quinn.
"CIA hasn't cracked Black Window.
"Possible to abduct Willow? For this to work, I need her.
" In Chinese, "willow" is "Liu.
" That's who they were talking about in the transcript.
So a kidnap victim? A spouse? A kid? I don't know.
"CIA hasn't cracked Black Window.
" What the hell is Black Window? Can you ask Bishop? Bishop is radio silent on a job in Europe.
Can't get to him.
And even if I could, he won't help me.
Not if it involves Mason Quinn.
I need to go to Griffin.
Wait.
The guy works for the same agency that let Quinn go in the first place.
I didn't say I trusted him.
Doesn't mean he can't help.
How do we know he won't set you up? - If he does, I'll handle it.
- Oh, Rob It's a risk I'm gonna have to take.
I mean, is it? Let's just wait a beat.
We don't have a beat.
She's going to the CIA.
She's not thinking straight.
She's making it personal.
Yeah.
I don't have a good feeling about this one.
Thanks for coming.
Tell anybody you were meeting me? I like my job too much.
What'd you find? Pieces to a puzzle, but I need something from you to put them together.
What are the pieces? You're not gonna tell me? There's a reason Marcela came to me.
'Cause she didn't know who to trust.
Frankly, neither do I.
And yet I'm supposed to trust you? I'm not asking for your trust.
Asking for your help.
The reason I left the CIA is because I lost faith in the institution, but not the mission.
The way I see it, if you want to know the truth about what happened, then you'll help me.
But if you're involved, you won't.
What would you want me to do? Get into the Agency system.
Find out everything you can about an operation called "Black Window" without ringing any bells.
Why does it have to be back-channel? Because the players involved may have connections at the front office.
You know what you're asking? The personal, professional, and legal ramifications if I'm caught? For someone I don't trust who doesn't trust me? You just described intelligence work.
How'd it go? Therapist said I won't be able to drive for at least a couple more weeks.
I'm sorry, Nessa.
The least I can do is get the kids and run a few errands while you recover.
Anything you need while I'm out? Not unless you can find me a new shoulder.
It's this I'm more worried about.
You want to talk about it? Nope.
By the way, your friend came by.
Thought I heard her voice.
She cares about you, and based on that flicker of a smile I just saw, the feeling is mutual.
I've known you for a really long time, Marcus.
If you don't want to talk to me, maybe you should talk to her.
Okay.
Griffin's in.
Any luck on that transcript? I traced the incoming call to the Vice Premier, and the man on the other end of the phone was Timofey Popov.
- Never heard of him.
- He's a Russian scientist.
The Chinese often throw big money at foreign specialists to siphon expertise.
- Hey.
- Hey.
I was able to get in and pull files on Black Window.
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I, um, I think I covered my tracks.
What'd you find out? All right.
Black Window refers to an Agency investigation into Air Penang Flight 127 that went down under mysterious circumstances seven months ago.
Flight just suddenly lost power.
Dropped from the sky like a stone.
And when they recovered the black box, it was completely wiped.
Any idea how? No.
The investigation started to stall, so they recently recruited your old mentor, William Bishop, to help.
Bishop? So that's what he's been up to the past two months.
Sorry, that's, uh, that's all I got.
Well, that's plenty.
I'll read you in when I can.
The Russian.
What kind of scientist is he? Uh He specializes in directed magnetic fields.
Directed magnetic fields.
Planes going down.
Willow is not a person.
It's a weapon.
Targeted EMP that can knock any aircraft out of the sky.
And no one would know who did it or even how.
It would be completely untraceable.
And one of the most dangerous men on the planet is about to get his hands on it.
Tried Bishop, still no answer.
What do you know about EMPs? Pretty much every country in the world is trying to develop one that works long-range.
Well, it looks like China succeeded.
Yeah, and Blake stole it.
This must've been the info Chen was going to trade for her defection.
I mean, no person or government should have this much power.
Flight 127 must have been proof of concept.
Yeah.
Quinn saw the obvious benefits, wanted in and hired Blake to get it.
But if Quinn is here to take possession, then Blake must've shipped it here.
I'm way ahead of you.
I'm into Blake's oil company.
Based on the transcript, right, we know the approximate time that Willow was stolen.
Check this out.
There was a shipment of drilling equipment that went from China to Blake, all of which was sent to Texas, except for this one group here, which was sent to a warehouse in the Bronx.
I'm gonna check that out.
H-Hold on a second.
Shouldn't we be screaming about all this from the rooftops? He's right.
Maybe it's time to turn it over to the CIA.
I mean, they have the resources, let them do their jobs.
Like last time? When they let Quinn go? I mean, God knows what they're into with Quinn now or how deep.
- Fine.
I'm going with you.
- I am, too.
No.
The last time you got involved with the Agency, you wound up in an interrogation room and you were in a jail cell.
People that tangle with Quinn end up dead.
I'm not doing that to you.
You can still help me from here.
Rob, somebody needs to watch your back.
Fine, what about Griffin? Can you trust him? I appreciate you pulling me in.
Well, one leap of faith deserves another.
You deserve to help take down that bastard that killed Marcela.
All right.
We're looking for Bin 6E-326.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
McCall.
Empty.
Too late.
Both of you turn around slowly.
Turn the hell around.
Where's the EMP? I don't know.
Wrong answer.
Where's the weapon that was in that crate? Okay.
All right.
He's demonstrating it to a buyer at 5:00 p.
m.
- On what? - I don't know.
Where? - Where? - I don't know! I swear.
You got bracelets for our friends? You all hearing me? You're not gonna tell me who you're talking to, are you? We're not there yet.
Yep.
Yeah, we're here.
The EMP is gone.
Blake's planning on demonstrating the weapon for Quinn to seal the deal in 30 minutes.
Another plane? Stands to reason.
There are 3,000 flights coming into New York every day.
Harry, we need that big brain of yours to improve those odds.
Any ideas? Okay, wait a minute.
Um Yeah.
An EMP would require at least a half a million watts of power to fire.
What does Blake own near an airport with that kind of juice? I've got two facilities that fit the bill.
One is by JFK, the other is by Long Island McArthur Airport.
We don't have time to hit both.
- What kind of facilities? - Bulk storage structure - and a refinery.
- The refinery.
How do you know? Marcela was onto Blake when she was killed.
When I found her body, her hair and her clothes smelled like rotten eggs.
Meaning It's what hydrogen sulfide smells like.
Which is used in oil refineries.
I'll scramble a team, but we have to go through the FBI.
It's gonna take time to get them on location.
What about air traffic control? Can they divert the plane? There's 50, 60 planes landing in the next hour.
There's no way to divert them all.
We need to know which one he's targeting.
Knowing Quinn, his MO the target won't be random.
He will have chosen it for a reason.
Rob, I've got the blue prints for the refinery.
Where am I going? The main electrical substation is at the far northeast end.
That's where he'd plug in.
Well, can you shut it down? Not without knocking out half the city.
Not to mention, it would take a couple of hours.
That's too long.
We could go over Bishop's file again, cross-reference every known person of interest to Quinn with flights landing in the next 20 minutes.
That's thousands of people.
We don't have the time.
Try anyway.
I know what you're thinking.
She can't do this alone.
She doesn't want us involved.
She's gonna get herself killed.
It's Mason Quinn.
I'll hit the file.
You go.
Target's ten minutes out.
Copy.
FBI just authorized a response team.
ETA 30 minutes.
That's too late.
Any luck? I searched all known persons of interest to Quinn and cross-referenced it with the passenger list of every flight coming in the next half hour.
- And? - There's a private jet coming in from Europe.
Rob, it's registered to Bishop Security.
I checked the manifest.
Bishop's on that flight.
When does it land? 15 minutes.
It's over the airspace in eight.
Bishop must have connected some dots.
Quinn's gonna use that weapons test to take him out.
You have to warn the pilot.
Divert the plane.
Rob, if I hack into air traffic control, I'll be exposed.
The CIA could track it.
Harry! I'll try.
Flight T7 23P, T7 23P.
Please respond.
This is Tango-seven-two-three-Papa.
Who is this? Ground control? No, this is an anonymous but very concerned citizen.
You need to divert immediately.
- Your plane is being targeted.
- Who is that? Whoever's broadcasting, please clear this frequency.
- It is a federal offense - No, no.
Just listen, please.
There's no time to explain, but your aircraft is about to be shot down.
You need to reverse course immediately.
ATC, do you know what this joker is talking about? Negative, Tango-seven-two-three-Papa.
That is not us.
You are clear.
No, you are not clear! Look, I don't know what you're up to, fella, but you just committed a federal offense, so I'd find yourself a good lawyer.
Just No.
Damn it! Harry, any luck diverting that plane? I've been trying.
They're not listening to me.
We're gonna have to do this ourselves.
A direct assault would be suicide.
I'm gonna have to cut the power.
Wait here.
Okay, I got a plan I keep hearing you retired, but you keep on showing up.
Someone's got to stop you.
But not you.
Or your mentor up there.
This thing you have, this moral center.
You think it's a source of strength, but it's not.
It's an anchor.
Which is why I will always win.
Two minutes.
It is, as they say, showtime.
Let's see if this thing works.
Damn it, listen to me.
I know you're Bishop Security.
I know William Bishop is on board.
Now tell him the request to divert is coming from McCall.
Tell him Quinn is targeting the plane.
I told you to get No! Tell him right now or you and everyone on that plane is dead! Stand by.
30 seconds out.
Engaging targeting system.
Ready to fire.
I spoke to Bishop.
Tango-seven-two-three-Papa declaring emergency - and diverting.
- Yes! Repeat, Tango-seven-two-three-Papa declaring emergency and diverting.
Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
There.
ATC, flight controls unrespons Tango-seven-two-three-Papa out of flight level.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Two-three-Papa, we show you heading 330 at zero Recover, recover! He's heading towards the ocean.
Bishop I'd call that a success.
Transfer payment.
What about them? Kill them.
- Quinn? - That way, toward the back.
No.
Rob, no! Rob, if you take that chopper down, the trajectory puts it right in the heart of Queens.
Rob, I know you want Quinn dead, but think of the collateral damage.
Think of the casualties! Don't.
Quinn's helicopter disappeared from radar.
And the authorities haven't been able to locate it.
He got away.
He got away and Bishop is gone.
I'm so sorry, Rob.
It's all my fault.
No, what are you talking about? Bishop only agreed to help the CIA because he wanted to bring in Quinn.
For me.
Well, at least you stopped Quinn from getting his prize.
It doesn't matter.
Whatever he's planning, he'll find another way to do it.
But thanks for your help.
And thanks for not listening to me.
I just wish I could have gotten there sooner.
Me, too.
To Bishop.
It wasn't your fault.
No.
It was Quinn's.
Uh, babe, Paulie Schinzel just walked in.
Yeah.
No, I-I invited him.
- What? - After what happened to Bishop, I figured life's too short to carry grudges.
Best to cherish what we got.
No matter how imperfect.
- Harry.
- Hey, buddy.
I'm so glad you're alive! Whoa, man! - Oh, my God.
- That's a lot.
Oh! Bishop? Bish? This is the second time you've gotten in my way.
Don't come for me again, because then I'll have to come after you.
Everything okay? No.
I lost a really good friend today.
And, uh, I could use someone to talk to about it.
You're not alone in that.
I'll make some coffee.