BLANKET PARTY

Timeline of chapter: Season 4, Episode 6

Note: Episode 6 is titled "Nocturne." This is the episode where Sydney starts having hallucinations after getting bitten by Jason Cahill. It's revealed that Jason and Nancy Cahill came in contact with a drug that causes a melatonin imbalance, causing extreme violence and irrationality. At the point I start Tom's role in this episode, Jack has found out that Jason was going to meet with "The Count". However, details on this person are a little...vague and the team would meet with him without knowing anything about him. We pick up immediately after Sloane decides to send Sydney to meet with The Count, but before she, Michael, and Jack leave.

Tom's desk

Tom sits at his desk, pondering something. He wanted to speak up during the meeting and offer his assistance in Sydney's mission to meet "The Count". But, he couldn't.

He thought of a possible way to give Sydney some help. He could talk to a certain informant of his who follows strange science like this. But, Tom had a flashback when he came up with this idea...and it troubled him.

Flashback: It's nighttime and we catch up with a thin, kind of gangly man walking out of a small, urban bar. He appears a little nervous as he looks to the left and to the right. He brushes his neck-length brown hair back and takes a deep breath. He walks right.

He walks down to the end of the block and stops. He looks right, down a lonely city street that has nothing but cars lined up and down it, presumably patrons of the bar.

The man sucks up his courage and starts walking down the sidewalk. There's an abandoned building to his right that he's walking by, followed by an alleyway, and followed by yet another old building.

The man knows that alleyway could be trouble. But, his car is parked directly on the opposite side of that alley, so he has to keep going.

Just as he starts to turn towards an older, green car, he's jumped by four men from that alleyway wearing masks and nothing but black.

The men wrap a blanket around him as he's tackled to the ground. The man squirms to try to break free, but he just can't. The blanket covers his face, and no one can hear his screams.

Two of the men stay down to hold down the man in the blanket while the other two walk back to the alleyway.

Those men return from the alleyway with golf clubs in their hands.

One of the men with the clubs, noticeably shorter than the other, gives the other a head-nod. The big guy then grips his golf club tightly, takes a big windup, and comes down hard on the blanket-wrapped body.

Soon, the shorter man is joining in. Now, they're beating the blanket hard and fast. After about 10 seconds, the shorter man stops and commands the bigger man to stop.

The shorter masked man orders one of the men holding the blanket down on the beaten man to pull back the cover to reveal his face, which was not touched during the beating.

The shorter masked man squats down and takes off his mask as the blanket is pulled back to reveal the beaten man's pained face.

The shorter masked man is Tom Falk. And he doesn't look happy. "Mikey, your faulty security code nearly led my friend Jerome..." Tom points at the bigger masked man that first took whacks at Mikey. "...to his death! Let this beating serve as a lesson...if you feed me information...it better be right! Now, I'm willing to chalk this up to simple incompetence, because if this were anything else, I wouldn't let you walk away with your pathetic, miserable life tonight! Understood?"

Mikey, in great pain, nods his head. Tom stands back upright and orders the other three men to leave. The blanket is removed, and Mikey reaches down and grabs his ribs, which he's convinced are smashed to bits.

Back in present time, Tom closes his eyes and just shakes his head. Under his breath, he mutters "And to think, this was mild compared to what I did before I joined Dark Cover."

Tom looks down the hallway towards Jack's office. He wonders if this informant would be useable again after what he did. Tom then stands up and starts walking towards Jack's office, thinking "What the hell, what do I have to lose? If he's a bust, Sydney can still do her job."

Jack's office

Tom walks into Jack's office and sees Jack sitting at his desk. Jack looks up casually at Tom. "What is it?" Jack asks.

Tom, standing near the door, says "I understand we don't have a lot of information on this man Sydney's about to meet. I might know a guy that can give us a little insight into 'The Count'. He's someone that follows this kinda weird science closely. He's been useful in the past, but I haven't used him for a while."

Jack is curious about that last sentence. "Why? Is he unreliable?" Tom racks his brain, trying to think how he's going to answer that. Then, he speaks. "He was very reliable up until the last time I dealt with him, when he got an important detail wrong and nearly got a member of my team killed. I've been apprehensive about using him since then, especially since I roughed him up a bit for that little mishap."

Jack raises an eyebrow. "Define 'roughed up a bit'." Tom nods and doesn't hide his disappointment, as he just knew he'd ask that. "Me and my team threw him a blanket party. We beat him pretty bad."

Jack shifts in his chair a bit. "Tom, I know you got your start in a CIA division that asked their agents to do things a little...different. But, I'm going to need to know that you're going to tone down the violence as long as you're here. I don't want a madman on my team."

Tom looks down at his shoes. In a past life, he would have gotten in Jack's face about that statement. He would have made his point loudly and clearly. But, for some reason, the desire to lash out just isn't there. He's just not that guy anymore. Not since that day...

Tom looks up at Jack with a sincere look. "Jack, that man is dead. I'm what stands in his place. I'm here to do the right thing. I'll make contact with this man and let you know if he gives me anything of value."

Jack leans back in his chair, now confused. "Sounds fine to me, but why are you telling me this? Sloane would want to know what's going on."

Tom slowly shakes his head. "If you want to fill him in on the details, that's fine by me. But I don't respect Sloane. You're my leader, not him."

Jack gets an irritated look on his face. "I know you have personal and ethical reasons for not liking Sloane, but he is the leader of APO. I will not act as a messenger between you and him."

Tom lets out a disappointed sigh. Those words Jack said disappointed him. He thought Jack was the true puppetmaster of APO, but as it turns out, Sloane really does pull the strings here. "Very well, Jack. I'll go see what I can dig out of this guy."

Jack then returns to his work, giving Tom his cue to leave.

Downtown LA, outside of the Blue Tiger Tavern

It's nighttime and we catch up with Tom standing in the very same alleyway he jumped Mikey from years back. His back is leaning on the left wall of the Blue Tiger Tavern. He's just standing there, looking down at the ground.

He's nervous. He knows he's nervous. Why? This guy he's about to meet should fear HIM. But, Tom also knows that he'd like to make a good impression to Jack and the rest of the team. Well, everyone except for Sloane. He could care less what he thinks. Plus, how is this guy going to react after their last encounter?

His thoughts are interrupted by footsteps to his right. Tom looks over and sees a man walking towards him. Time to break out the old game face.

Tom forces a cocky smirk on his face as he stands off from the wall and turns towards the man, who is wearing a sleeveless hooded sweater.

The man lowers the hood to reveal his face. Tom eyes him down for a second. Yup, still lanky. Still has a bit of a hunch in his walk. Still has that neck-length brown hair. And still looks just plain dirty. Yup, it's Mikey.

Mikey nervously speaks up. "Tom, how are things?" Tom keeps his smirk as he keeps scanning Mikey. Tom's eyes then hits Mikey's hands, which are in his pockets. Tom sternly looks at Mikey's face. "Take your hands out of your pockets."

Mikey does slowly, revealing he wasn't holding anything, much to the relief of Tom. Tom gets his smirk back. "How are you holding up since we went all Tiger Woods on you a few years ago?"

Mikey looks down and closes his eyes. "You broke eight of my ribs. They're healed, but they still bother me somewhat." Tom doesn't break his glare at Mikey, but inside, he does feel a bit of remorse. Oh well, he can't show that.

Tom walks up and gets in Mikey's face. The smirk turns into a sneer. "You nearly got one of my good friends killed because 'you were a few digits off'." A now very-nervous Mikey cuts Tom off. "I KNOW! I KNOW! It will never happen again!"

Tom nods his head, apparently satisfied. He backs off a step. "Good. Now, all I need is information on someone." Mikey nods his head quickly, calming down from his previous fear-filled response. "Sure, anything you need. Who?" Tom snap-replies "The Count."

Mikey thinks for a bit, then tilts his head. "There's a few people that use that nickname. Where is your guy from?" Tom replies "Apparently, he operates out of Bucharest."

Mikey nods his head and looks like a lightbulb went off in his head. "Ah, that one. I know a little bit about him. What do you need to know?" Tom relaxes a bit, but keeps a stern look on his face. "Just basics. We know what he looks like, we just need to know how he operates and if he has any weaknesses."

Mikey nods his head again. "He's kind of a recluse, a guy who really does live the vampire lifestyle. He only deals with people he has a high level of trust with. If he doesn't know you, he gets a little jumpy. Are you the man that's meeting him?" Tom shakes his head. "No, another agent is en route to Bucharest as we speak. She has no prior dealings with him."

Mikey winces a bit. "This could be a problem." Tom chuckles and shakes his head. "Nah, she's good at what she does, plus she'll have backup if anything gets out of hand. Does this person have a name, or is 'The Count' the name his mommy and daddy gave him?"

Mikey laughs nervously. "No, he has a real name! Andres Djerescu...with a 'D'. Former Romanian national..." Mikey looks like he's drawing a blank now. "I'm afraid that's about all I know about him."

Tom nods. That's enough for him. A name and some personality traits. Oh, there was something else...

"One other thing, Mikey. A woman committed suicide after being infected by a drug that causes a melatonin imbalance. Her last words were 'tell them it's funny'. Does that mean anything to you?"

Mikey shrugs. "Not to me, personally. But...I've heard this expression used among the science community. I can do some digging and give you a call if I find anything."

Tom nods his head satisfied. Internally, he's pleasantly surprised. This actually has turned out to be a productive meeting.

Tom reaches into his right pocket and pulls out a business card and a wad of cash. He hands both to Mikey. "There's my card, call me on my office number if you find anything. And there's the money I promised you." Tom turns and starts walking away.

From behind Tom's back, we can hear Mikey say "Thank you for letting me be of serv..." Mikey has stopped because, as he's counting his money, he notices something out of place. "Tom! This is more than our agreed upon price!" Tom, still walking away, now has a smile on his face. "Next time I talk to you, I hope you remember my generosity!"

Mikey cracks a wide smile on his face. This meeting went better than expected for him, too.

Tom's car

Tom punches a number on his cell phone.

Meanwhile, on the plane that's bound for Bucharest, Jack Bristow's cell phone rings. He looks down and recognizes the number and answers. "Tom? You have something?"

Tom cracks a smirk. "Yeah, my guy came through. 'The Count' is really a former Romanian national named Andres Djerescu, that's D-J-E-R..." Jack nods his head impatiently. "I know the spelling. Anything else?"

Tom nods. "Yeah, Sydney needs to be EXTRA careful when meeting with him. Apparently he's not the most social guy in Bucharest. He gets jumpy if someone he doesn't know tries to start up a conversation with him. I'd make sure you or Vaughn are nearby in case he gets hostile." Jack nods his head. "I suspected as such. Anyway, we'll look up Djerescu's information from here. Thanks for the help."

Jack hangs up before Tom can return the thanks. Tom just shrugs a bit, then smiles widely. For the first time in months, he feels useful again. "Mission accomplished" he utters as he starts his car and drives off.

Tom's desk at APO

Tom sits back down at his desk, having just returned from his meeting with Mikey. Nadia is sitting at her desk and notices that Tom has a happy expression on his face. "You seem really happy about something."

Tom looks over at Nadia with a wide smirk. "Just a small victory. Had a meeting with an informant that I thought I might have burned a couple years ago. Turns out, with some people, time heals all wounds, physical and emotional. Anyway, I was able to relay some valuable information for Sydney's meet in Bucharest."

Nadia nods her head, but doesn't say anything before returning to her work. Tom takes notice of this. "What are you working on?"

Nadia sighs, still focused on her work. "I'm trying to figure out what Nancy meant by 'tell them it's funny'. Tell WHO it's funny? Anyway, my father wants me to find an answer soon."

Just as she says that, Tom's phone rings. Tom doesn't recognize the number offhand, but he answers it anyway. "Hello? Tom Falk's desk."

Through the phone, Tom hears "Tom, It's Mikey. I just found out the meaning behind 'tell them it's funny'."

Tom scrambles to find a pen and paper. "Ok, what did you find out?" Mikey, from the phone, says "'Tell them it's funny' translates into 'Grappig'. There is a loose group of biochemists called the 'Grappig Group'. They're based out of Prague and their leader is a doctor named Milan Lutuza."

Tom is quickly jotting down this information. He starts to laugh a bit, which causes Nadia to look at him a little funny. Tom finishes writing down the information and casually drops his pen. "Mikey, you've been a big help. Thanks!"

Tom quickly slams down the phone. Nadia is now really curious about Tom's antics. "What was that about?" Tom rips off the sheet of paper he wrote on and hands it to Nadia. "I just solved your problem. Go tell your dad."

Nadia looks over Tom's notes, then reaches over to hand them back. "I can't, you found the information." Tom pushes Nadia's hand with the notes away. "No, it's ok. You can have the glory on this one."

Nadia wants to be flattered, but she senses something else is afoot here. "I can't take the credit for your work..." Tom, who was typing something on his computer, now turns back to Nadia. "If I took this to your father, I'd make you look bad. Plus, don't take this personally, but I honestly don't care if Sloane is happy with my work or not. His opinion means next to nothing to me."

Nadia now looks really confused. "Tom, what do you have against..." Tom, a little irritated at Nadia's unfinished question, cuts her off. "Another time." Tom now forces a smile on his face. "Now, go get him that information."

Nadia finally gets up and heads towards Sloane's office, but doesn't seem too happy about it. Tom notices that and sighs. To himself, he mumbles "Guess I can't make everyone happy today."

Episode Note: Tom's information helps lead Jack and Vaughn to get a cure for Sydney's condition. The following scene takes place after Dixon's meeting with Sloane, after Dixon promises to "be waiting" after Sloane reveals his true endgame.

Sloane's office

As Dixon walks out of the office, Tom is walking in. Tom and Dixon exchange a quick, yet cordial headnod as Sloane returns to his seat behind the desk.

As Dixon walks away, Tom walks towards Sloane. He's not exactly looking forward to this meeting. Tom tries to keep a neutral expression on his face as he stops in front of Sloane's desk. "You wanted to see me?"

Sloane leans back in his chair and has a smile on his face. "You did good work today. The information you provided over the phone to Jack was very helpful." Thinking that Sloane believes Nadia found the Grappig information and not him, Tom shrugs a bit and plays it nonchalantly. "No problem. Always good to learn that some bridges you thought you burned in the past are actually still intact."

Sloane looks away for a bit. "Nadia came in to my office with the information on the Grappig Group. Information that she says...YOU actually found."

Tom now gets an irritated look on his face. Why would she rat him out like that? He wanted her to have the glory, partly just as a nice gesture, but also because of his feelings about Sloane. Tom, still irritated, says "You tasked that information to her. I merely got lucky when my informant researched that information. I didn't want to steal her thunder."

Sloane doesn't seem convinced. "She didn't feel comfortable taking the credit." Tom nods his head. "Well, I'll go apologize to her then. I just didn't feel right taking the credit for something you assigned her."

Tom starts to turn away, but is stopped by Sloane's voice. "Stop, I'm not finished." Tom turns back around to face Sloane, who keeps his gaze at Tom and says "I understand you don't feel the need to let me in on things that you do here." Tom takes a deep breath. Did Nadia rat him out on that, too? "Who said that?" Tom asks, a little frustrated.

Sloane, rather dryly, says "Jack told me before he left. He also says that you have some animosity towards me. That you don't feel I'm worthy of your respect." Now, Tom is pissed. He's now wondering if he read Jack completely wrong. "I'm not in the business of impressing criminals...or absentee fathers."

Sloane cracks open a small smile at that last part. "Ah, so that's why. You feel I've mistreated Nadia in the past..." Tom can now feel the anger in him bubbling up to the surface as he cuts Sloane off. "...NO! You've mistreated Nadia her whole freaking life!"

Sloane isn't the least bit phased by Tom's anger. "Why do you feel that is your cross to bear? My issues with Nadia are none of your concern." Tom leans across the table and gets as close to Sloane's face as he can. If he were a volcano, he'd be spewing lava now. "Nadia holds a very special place in my heart. She saved my life three and a half years ago and I owe her my entire freaking existence on this earth for that. Besides, it's clear that you don't know a damn thing about me. If you read my file, you'd know that I often chose to be a lightning rod for my tactical team. I've also done things in my life that I know have earned me a one-way ticket to hell. But, as long as a heart beats in my chest, I'll always look out for my friends. Because they're worth a whole lot more than I am."

Tom keeps his angry gaze at Sloane. Internally, Tom is a bit disappointed in himself. Normally, he wouldn't show his hand like that. But, he just couldn't contain himself. At least he didn't do something else with his anger. Something he really would have regretted.

After a few seconds, Sloane speaks up. "That's very interesting. I appreciate you looking out for Nadia. And, for what it's worth to you, I do appreciate the work you did today. But you're wrong if you think that my opinion doesn't count for anything. I need to know that you'll be forthcoming in the future if you come across anything."

Tom leans back from the table. He sighs, trying to calm down a little. It's not really working, though. Grudgingly, Tom says "Fine. Anything else?" Sloane shakes his head quickly. "No, have yourself a good night."

Tom turns and leaves the office, a little frustrated at Sloane and a little frustrated at himself. It had been a pretty good day up to this point.

Tom's desk

A visibly-disappointed Tom walks to his desk and starts gathering his things to go home. Nadia notices Tom's sour look and knows instantly what happened. "You talked to my father."

Tom stops what he's doing and looks at her. "All I wanted to do was help you. That was the main reason why I had you deliver the information. If this made you look that much better in your father's eyes..."

Nadia cuts him off. "Tom, I'm my own woman. I've survived this long without many favors..." This time, Tom cuts her off. "We both know why you had to fend for yourself. And that reason is sitting in the office I just walked out of."

Nadia sighs. She was worried that Tom's rift with Sloane was related to her. "Tom, I've forgiven my father for not being in my life. I want to believe he's changed. And I don't want my father to come between our friendship."

Tom looks down at the ground. He feels bad for Nadia. He knows all about absentee fathers, and holds no love for them whatsoever. But Nadia's case is different from his. His dad was just a drunk. Her dad is a true monster. But, Nadia wants him to be something else, and this troubles Tom. But he doesn't want Sloane to get between them either.

Tom looks back up at Nadia. "I want to believe he's a good person, too. For your sake. But, I'm finding that's a tough sell." Tom then sighs a bit. "However, I've learned in the past few years of being a leader that respect is earned through your actions. I might be willing to bury my feelings about your father eventually, but it's not going to come overnight."

Tom then reaches out and gently grabs Nadia's hand. "But for you, I am willing to try." This comforts Nadia a lot. Nadia looks into Tom's eyes and smiles. "I appreciate it."

Seeing as levity has returned, Tom lets go of Nadia and grabs his suit jacket and throws it on. Now, he's thinking about doing something that he knows might completely backfire on him. Tom looks back over at Nadia, who's also getting ready to leave for the day. He then decides to just suck it up and ask.

"Do you have a ride home?"

Nadia stops in her tracks. She actually hadn't thought about that. Normally, she rides home with Sydney, but she's in the hospital and Nadia's not sure where she keeps the car keys.

Nadia looks over at Tom casually. "Actually, no." Tom nods his head. "Well, I can give you a lift if you want. Are you hungry?"

Nadia now sees where this is going. She cracks a smirk of her own on her face. "Why? Are you asking me out on a date?" Tom pops open a grin quickly and wastes no time in replying "Yes. I WILL treat you to something today, and if you won't take my information, maybe you'll take my gift of food."

Nadia laughs at that. She doesn't immediately answer, which makes Tom a little nervous. Finally, Nadia stops laughing and composes herself. "Ok! Ok! But, only if you take me to a place we can sit down and catch up. We really haven't had a chance to do that since you got here."

Tom smiles widely. "Might be hard at this time of night, but it's a deal! Let's go!" Tom and Nadia walk out together big smiles on their faces.

As they walk out, Tom thinks back about the day's events. He exercised a demon of his when he was able to use an informant he thought he had burned a long time ago. Then, he thought the day was lost when he clashed heads with Sloane.

But, as he walks out with Nadia to go out on a date, Tom realizes something:

This was the best day he's had in a year and a half. And technically, it wasn't even over yet.