COUNTRY BOY
Day period of episode: late March 2001 (Before Season 1 of Alias)
Parts unknown
The light comes on in an interrogation room. A man of either Latin or South American descent sits handcuffed to the table. He looks like he's been there for at least a few hours. "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't know anything!" We see the back of a shorter, stocky man with a very short haircut, blonde hair, and broad shoulders. "Oh, you've told us you don't know anything quite enough now. But, you must know that it's not wise to hold out on me. Ask your friends, I've acquired a bit of a reputation for being a little rough on gang members. Would you like to see that reputation put on display?" The man shifts in his chair anxiously. "You have rules! You can't do anything to me! This is a CIA interrogation room!" The interrogator gives a deep laugh. "Who told you we were in a CIA building? We snatched you, threw you into a van, blindfolded you, and took you to this place. This could be anywhere." The man tries to look around, but there's not much light except for the low hanging light in front of him. The man starts to look really uneasy as the interrogator walks around the table and gets in his face. We see it's the face of Tom Falk. "Ok, one more chance. Santiago Medina...WHERE IS HE?" The man just smiles and says nothing. Tom then smashes the man's face into the metal table in front of him as freeze the frame.
Narration by Tom: "Hi there, nice to meet you. Nice shirt, by the way. I'm Tom Falk, the guy giving that Bolivian bastard a new nose job on the table. Now, normally this kind of interrogation would earn a CIA agent a pretty stiff reprimand. But, in a month, I'm set to join a new venture the CIA has going, and my transfer is irrevocable. Wait, how could a meathead like me get this far in the CIA, much less be able to say words like 'irrevocable' without sounding like a dumbass? Well, let's just say I was cut from a different cloth..."
Play theme: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA
We start out in a house in the woods. "Welcome to Bunker, Missouri. Population: 427." We see a picture of a man and woman. "That's my mom and dad. They look so happy, don't they?" We then see a news article of an accident on a rural road. "Yeah, that's my mom in the article. Died instantly when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit her head on as she was coming home with baby food for me. I was 6 months old and at home with my dad when I lost mom." We then see a picture of an older couple holding a baby. "That's my grandpa and grandma. And that's me they're holding. My dad somehow survived Vietnam, but he couldn't survive the death of his sweetheart. When he started loving Jack Daniels more than me, my grandparents, my mother's parents, stepped in and took care of me..." We then see a picture of a young, black haired boy. "...my older brother Eddie..." and a picture of a girl approaching her teens. "...and Karen, the oldest of us three." We are shown the original picture in the woods. "Oh, by the way, that's the house I was raised in. I know, not very big and not very nice. My grandparents bought it from my dad before he went completely bankrupt." We are shown a picture of Chris and Tom playing baseball outside the house. "Eddie was a great athlete growing up, and just a good guy overall. I, on the other hand, was awful at sports and quit playing after I accused an umpire of getting a 'favor' before the game from the opposing team's coach after a questionable strike 3 call. Ok, I didn't so much quit as get barred from the league, but you get the idea." We see a picture of Tom and Chris in high school. "Ah yes, Bunker High School. Eddie was a junior when this picture was taken and I was a freshman. Notice how he's always smiling and I have a sour puss on my face? Well, for as much of a golden boy Eddie was, I was the black sheep of the family. But no matter what, Eddie was there to bail me out of bad situations. It was in those days that I learned what family and friendship was all about."
Back in the dark warehouse, we see the Bolivian man holding his nose. "You broke my nose, you piece of..." Tom says "Hey, hey, you were resisting us earlier and we needed to use force to restrain you, right Chris?" We see a man step into the picture, a tall, muscular African-American man with a shaved head and an angry face. "Damn right. That's the story I'm going with." We see another man step into the light, this time a white man with average height, short brown hair, a light brown beard, and a smirk on his face. "I'm with you on that, Chris." Tom smiles at the second man. "See, Carlos, my boys Chris and Mike know what happened...we broke your nose when you resisted. Accidents happen. But, that story might be subject to change. See, they say if you hit the nose with an upward thrust, it could kill a man. Wanna see what I'm talking about?" Tom puts a struggling Carlos in a full nelson and drags him over to Chris. "Chris, do that voodoo that you do so well." We see Chris start to rear back before Tom's narration stops the scene in its tracks.
"Ok, before we see the imminent face-breakage that's about to come, you might be wondering why I use so much force on the job. My bosses wonder the same thing. Well, I always knew to use the tools that you use best to get the results you desire..." We flash back to the home in the woods. We see the younger version of Eddie walking home with a busted face. The younger version of Tom is in the living room with his grandparents when he walks in the door. Tom screams "Eddie! Who did this to you?" Eddie, trying to hide his face, says "I don't want to talk about it." The grandfather gets to his feet and slams down his newspaper. "That's my grandpa Ed. He doesn't take kindly to things he knows isn't on the up and up." Ed says "Eddie! You tell me what happened to your face!" Eddie looks at Ed with a scared look. "It turns out Eddie had run afoul with the school bullies. Thankfully, since this is a small town, there were just three of them, and they liked to run together. In this case, Eddie refused to let the lead bully copy off of his science paper one day. They didn't take very kindly to that and Eddie paid for it on the way home from school when the bullies played punching bag on Eddie's face. I was enraged when I saw my brother." Tom stands up to Eddie. "I'm going to make those bullies wish they hadn't messed with you, Eddie." The grandma tells Tom "Violence isn't going to heal Eddie's face." "Ah, my grandma Violet. So often in my childhood, she would be the voice of reason when I would act like a fool. Well, for one of the only times I can document in my childhood, I didn't listen." At school the next day, we see three guys laughing it up at a locker. One guy is a hulking 6'4 and weighing at least 250 pounds. It's clear this guy is the alpha male of the group. The guy to his right is noticeably shorter and the guy to his left is a runt compared to the leader. Flash to Tom walking down the hallway with a look of vengeance on his face. The leader takes notice. "You got something to say, Falkie?" Tom just shakes his head slowly and keeps advancing. The bully then asks "What do you wa..." He's cut off by Tom's right foot kicking him square in the nuts. The taller underling starts to get in Tom's face. Tom just responds by grabbing the guy's head, ramming it into a locker door, and then slamming a locker door on his head repeatedly while the little bully is trying to restrain Tom. As the taller underling collapses in a heap, Tom turns his attention to the smaller bully, who is shorter than Tom by a couple inches. Tom throws the small bully back first into a wall, gives him a forearm shot to the face, then picks him up and carries him on his shoulder to the nearest rubber trashcan. Tom rips off the lid, stuffs the small bully in it face-first, and then starts to walk off with the trashcan. By now, a small crowd has gathered and is following Tom. Outside, we see Tom open up one of the front doors and chuck the smaller bully down the front steps. After the smaller bully finally makes it to the bottom, Tom turns around to see the crowd surrounded around him. Tom just gives them a stone cold look until a man in a suit walks up and orders Tom to go to the principals office. Tom looks at the principal in a remorseful look and says "Sorry, I was just taking out the trash." The crowd of kids laughs as the principal drags Tom away. "They gave me just a week's suspension for my actions. I, for one, was actually surprised it wasn't longer considering all the bedlam I raised. My grandparents put me on cat litter detail for a month too. But, all the cat crap in the world couldn't deter me from the biggest thing I learned throughout all of that: you protect those that protect you. I also learned that aggression against evil is often necessary. From then on out, NO ONE messed with my brother or me."
Back in the warehouse, Chris is winding up his punch when Carlos starts to speak. "OK! Ok...he's going to be overseeing a weapons transfer in the Yucatan tomorrow night!" Tom gets in the man's face again. "WHERE in the Yucatan?" Carlos says "In Progreso, on the bay, just outside of the Restaurant Eladios! Please don't let him kill me for this!" Tom looks at Chris, then Mike. "Oh, I'm sure once we get you to our headquarters, you'll find our director to be a warm and welcoming guy...well, compared to us anyway!" Chris and Mike laugh as Tom drags Carlos out of the room, ending the scene.
"How did I end up in the CIA in the first place? Well, funny you should ask...this day, March 4th, 2001, marks the 10th anniversary of me joining the LA branch of the CIA's Latin America Anti-Cartel. Yeah, I thought the name sucked too." We see a younger Tom boarding a plane at St. Louis's Lambert Airport. His grandparents are there to see him off. Ed says "I don't agree with this idea of yours, Tom. You're a strong, smart guy. Why don't you follow your brother Eddie into the Navy SEALS? You have the ability for it..." Tom says "My brother had the dream of working with the SEALS, not me. Besides, I'm not exactly Adonis, here. But, I am 19 years old, and I've spent my entire life in a po-dunk town in the heart of hillbilly country in Missouri. Working for the Bunker PD is about as fun as watching paint dry. I'm ready for some fun." Violet hugs Tom. "Remember what I told you when Nancy Schnieder broke up with you when you were 11: We all have a role in life to play to everyone. Just what that role is to each person up to you. Be careful in Los Angeles." Tom, releasing the hug, says "Thanks grandma. You take care of this man now." Violet laughs as Ed gets an angry look on his face. "I can take care of MYSELF, thank you!" Tom laughs and eventually Ed does too. We see Tom walk down the airport terminal, then the scene suddenly freezes.
"Ok, hang on, I went too far ahead. I wasn't going out to LA to have fun..."
Bunker, Missouri
It's 1991 and we see a younger Tom at a diner in Bunker. He's holding a business card in his hands. It shows a name of "Eduardo Munoz, Director of CIA Latin America Anti-Cartel". Tom looks a little nervous as he plays about with his card, waiting on someone. Finally, a latino man (Note: Ideal actor for this role: Benito Martinez, who played a police captain in The Shield) in a business suit walks in the front door of the diner. He obviously stands out in the crowd at the country diner. The man looks over and sees Tom. Tom stands up and reaches out his hand. "Thanks for meeting with me..." The man doesn't extend his hand out. "Not here. Hop in the car with me, we'll talk there." A young looking blond-haired waitress walks up to Tom. "Are you not going to be getting anything?" Tom smiles and gives the waitress a kiss on the cheek. "No, Kate. I'll be back later." Kate nods her head as Tom and the latino man walk out. They get into the man's SUV and drive off. Tom looks over from the passenger's seat. "What's going on, Mister Munoz?" Eduardo looks ahead. "Too crowded in there. Besides, what did I tell you about your girlfriend? If you want to work with us..." An agitated Tom cuts him off. "Hang on a second, you guys recruited ME. I've been dating Kate for years, and I can't leave her behind." Eduardo says "Well, you're going to have to..." Tom says "No. If I go, she goes. I'll tell her I'm going out to LA to work for the police." Eduardo smiles. "Bunker Police to LAPD. That's quite a leap." Tom says "Well, turns out you're quite the influential man, Eduardo. I'll tell her you pulled some strings after I spearheaded the largest drug bust in Missouri since..." Eduardo says "Spearheaded? Yeah, you had a big role to play, but you didn't lead anything." Tom says "If it weren't for my intel that I worked so hard to get, I'd be eating pancakes back at the diner with Kate and you'd still be searching desperately for new talent." Eduardo just smirks. "Are we going to argue or are we going to discuss you joining my team?" Tom sits back in his seat as the car pulls into a park. There's no one around. Tom looks at Eduardo. "Ok. You tell me why I should leave the only world I've known to join the CIA." Eduardo parks the car and shifts toward Tom. "I need men like you for my team. Men that don't back down from anything or anyone. Men who would fight tooth and nail for the big bust. Men who know the value of information and how to get it. You fit the bill. Under my direction, I can take your career places you wouldn't even imagine. And, you'll be very well compensated for a guy your age." Tom just shakes his head. "This sounds too good to be true." Eduardo gives Tom a cocky grin. "Normally, you'd be right. But, the CIA is always looking for young men like you to grow and cultivate. Eventually, you had to know all those letters you sent to CIA headquarters were going to get you noticed eventually, right?" Tom chuckles as Eduardo continues. "I also know you like to get your hands dirty. I've talked with your police chief." Tom rears back his head and laughs. "Oh really? What all has he told you about me? That I had three complaints of brutality on me in the past month?" Eduardo chuckles a bit. "That...and the fact that you're a headhunter for crime. We'll need you to tone down the violence a bit, but that's something we'll handle during your training." Tom looks outside the window. It's still winter in Missouri. All the leaves are still down from the trees and there's some remnants of a recent snow. Tom scans over the park area, but as he does, the dreariness of the park seems to sink in with him. Tom then looks over at Eduardo. "Ok, I'm in. What now?"
And that was how it all began. I eventually did convince Eduardo to let me bring Kate with me. Kate was all for the idea of going to Los Angeles. She was just as desperate for a move to the big city as I was. Her parents weren't so keen on it, but then again, I never liked her parents anyway, so who cares? Anyway, I've been working for ten years under the Anti-Cartel. Eduardo was actually a decent boss, but he got let go after some CIA bureaucratic power play. Every clown that's sat in his office since has done their damnedest to run this division to the ground.
Los Angeles- Anti-Cartel Headquarters
We see Tom, Chris, and Mike walk in to a CIA building with Carlos, who has blood dried on his face from his nose being broken earlier. Standing in the lobby to meet them is a short, balding man with a not-so-happy look on his face. "Tom, I told you to bring this man in unharmed. How many times..." Tom says "Carlos here apparently wasn't very responsive to coming in here on his own, so I had to give his nose a makeover. But, you'll be happy to know that Santiago Medina is making a weapons drop in the Yucatan tomorrow night. And we're going to bust it wide open, Paulie." The man, still angry, says "How many times have I told you, it's MISTER Giovanni!" Tom says "Yeah, and how many times have I told you to call Chris 'Mister Cooper' and Mike 'Mister Walcott'? Oh wait, never! Because they're human beings, just like you." Paul just stands there and shakes his head. "I can't wait until you three are out of my sight in a few weeks. I can't believe they're giving you a supervisory role." Chris, in his natural deep voice, says "Tom's a better boss than you, and he's not even a boss by title!" Paul looks at Chris angrily, then looks back at Tom and says "Ok, enough of this. Tom, bring Carlos back with you. After we're done with him, we'll go over your mission." Tom gives Paul a mocking salute, which is followed up by mocking salutes from Chris and Mike. Paul just turns around and walks off in a huff.
I had to get out of there. As much as it looks like I'm having fun grilling this pencil-pusher, he's been a giant wart on my ass for going on a year now. In fact, a couple of years ago before he became the director, he helped got my mentor Mitch canned over some bullcrap just to prove some point. Too bad he was already a piece of crap before he did that, so he proved nothing. But no matter what he could do, he could not stop what me, Chris, and Mike had going. Our work still received high grades from the even-higher ups, and luckily, a son of a senator that just got the keys to a brand new CIA division had taken notice.
Two months earlier, we see Tom, Chris, and Mike in a conference room. Across the table sat a tall, young, bright eyed man with blindingly blonde hair and a million dollar smile. The man smiles. "Gentlemen, thanks for agreeing to meet with me. My name is Harold Vandenburg." Vandenburg speaks with a noticeable whiff of aristocracy in his voice, a sign of his wealthy upbringing. Chris, ever the smartass, cuts him off. "Harold...is that the formal name for Harry?" Vandenburg smirks and says "Ah yes, the mouthpiece of the trio..." Tom is now the one that cuts him off. "Now wait a sec, I'm still the mouthpiece of the group. He's just the John Madden to my Pat Summerall." Vandenburg laughs a bit. "I see. Anyway, the reason I've called you three here is to discuss a potential new opportunity with you. I hear you are not seeing eye to eye with Mister Giovanni..." Tom cuts him off. "Oh, you mean Ratface." Vandenburg, taken aback a bit at Tom's crudeness, says "Is that your nickname for him?" Mike says "Yeah, because he's about as small as a rat and is just as unliked and unwanted as one." Vandenburg says "I see. Well, then it is fair to say you don't get along with Mister Giova..." Tom blankly says "Ratface." Vandenburg composes himself. "Yes, that...anyway, I personally don't believe in messing with success. And you three have helped make the Anti-Cartel a winning venture for the CIA up to this point. Problem is, as I'm sure you have noticed, this division is on its last legs." Chris says "Oh really? Is that why there's all those empty desks out there? I hadn't noticed..." Vandenburg looks unamused. "Yes. As the DEA has taken a bigger foothold in Latin American activities, the CIA is cutting funding for this place. And I know that's upset you guys. So, I've been keeping tabs on you, hoping that I would get the appointment to this new division that I've been longing to set up for a while now." Tom leans forward in his chair. "I hear your have family members in high places. Must be nice to have a dad working in the U.S. Senate's Intelligence Committee that can create a highly-funded CIA division." Vandenburg says "Oh, I know you're being sarcastic there, but in all honesty, you're actually pretty spot on. CIA Dark Cover is going to be taking on the missions that no one else in the CIA wants. We tackle the tough missions. And in order to do that, we need a team of ten people, led by you, Mister Falk." Tom's eyes open wide as Vandenburg continues. "I thought you'd like that...yes, you'd be leader in title now. Anyway, you'd lead a group of ten men, including the two seated next to you, and you'd be responsible for leading them on some of the most...interesting missions you've seen in your life. Now, I've read up on you Mister Falk..." Tom cuts him off. "Please, just call me Tom." Vandenburg says "If you insist...Tom, you like to get your hands dirty. You thrive when the going gets tough, and I know your companions share that same confidence. But, CIA Dark Cover is also a division that will not be constantly under a watchful eye. My dad has helped make this division a black ops division. I know you'll like that, Tom. You'll have a lot of freedom to do accomplish your goals...in your own unique way." Tom leans back and looks at Mike. "Why do I have a feeling that there's going to be a giant catch to all of this?" Mike says nothing as Vandenburg starts to speak. "Actually, this group will require a higher security clearance because of the subject matter we'll be dealing with. Don't worry, I'll make sure the right strings are pulled to get you all cleared. But some of the things you'll be seeing and dealing with might seem a little...perverse...strange...macabre even. Therefore, you are not to release to anyone, not even to the people closest to you, that you work for CIA Dark Cover." Tom says "That's no problem. My wife thinks I've been an undercover LAPD cop all these years. Thankfully, my subject matter made it easy to hide." Vandenburg says "I know taking this job comes with severe personal risk. But the rewards are high and I assure you, I'll be a better boss than the one you currently have." Tom thinks for a moment, then says "Can I talk with my friends in private?" Vandenburg stands up. "Absolutely, take your time. Just knock on the door when you're ready for me." Vandenburg walks out the door to the right of Tom. Tom wheels back in his chair so he can look at Chris and Mike easier. "Well guys, high risk black ops dealing with some of the most screwed up crap we can even imagine. I'm interested." Chris claps his hands. "Interested? Hell, I'm excited! I'm done with chasing down weapon cartels, that stuff is about as old as BB King, and it's got me singing the blues too!" Mike says "I'm with Chris. This could be really interesting, and we'll get carte blanche to do our jobs without a meddling weasel for a boss. I'm in." Tom looks over at Mike. "If we're accepting this, I need you to be on board with some of the demands I want to make. I want US, and no one else, to select the other 7 in our crew. I want us to operate as a team, an inseparable unit. I want to make sure we're well compensated, well funded, and that we have our own quarters. Guys, you know how hard I've busted my ass with the clowns that have run this place in recent years to keep just the three of us intact. I don't want that problem with a ten-man group." Chris says "I'm in." Mike says "Me too." Tom gets up and slaps on the door. Vandenburg walks back in and sits down in his original chair across from the three. "So, have you made a decision?" Tom says "We're in, under certain conditions." Vandenburg says "I'm listening." Tom says "We need assurances that this operation is well funded..." Vandenburg cuts him off. "I have an open checkbook. Funding will never be an issue." Tom nods his head. "We need to be well compensated..." Vandenburg says "You'll receive pay five notches above your current paygrade. The rest of the team will get three notches." Chris looks across at Mike with a look of shock. Tom chuckles as he looks at Chris and Mike. "I take it that's cool with you guys?" Mike and Chris both say "Hell yeah!" Tom turns back to Vandenburg. "Very well. And finally, we will pick the other seven in our crew. I make the final decision. And I'm going to warn you, I'll be looking for guys that have certain qualities that might not be the most desirable to you, but would be for my purposes." Vandenburg leans back in his seat and thinks for a moment. "What kind of qualities?" Tom says "I want my team to share the same sense of mission that I do. I need guys that I know have high loyalty to the cause. And, I want my team to not be afraid to get a little dirt under their fingernails in order to succeed." Vandenburg leans back forward. "I've read reports on your brutality in some of your missions. I don't want a bunch of hotheads in my division." Chris slaps his hand on the table. "Who you calling a hothead?" Tom puts a hand on Chris's shoulder and looks at him sternly. Chris relaxes as Tom looks back at Vandenburg. "You said it yourself, our division wouldn't be under the constant guise of pencil-pushers who are more worried about the means rather than the ends. If we're going to be working these missions, we need to show our opposition that we're not going to be held back by bureaucracy. I figured that's why you approached me in the first place about this job. You want results and you think I'm the guy to deliver them. So, as I said, I'm picking the team and my personnel decisions are final." Vandenburg thinks for a bit, then lets out a slow grin. "Done. Anything else?" Mike asks "Is this group going to be here in LA?" Vandenburg says "No. We're going to be based out of Maryland. The Baltimore area to be precise. I cannot give the exact location at this time." Chris turns to Tom, grinning. "I do like me some crab cakes..." Tom turns to Vandenburg with a smile. "They better have a buffet nearby for this guy." Vandenburg laughs. "Actually, there will be catering served on most days. I'll make sure crab cakes are on the menu." Chris, all excited, says "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I'M IN BABY!" Tom just puts his head in his hand and laughs. "Nothing unites people like food..." Tom then looks at Mike, who grins and says "I'm in." Tom looks over at Vandenburg. "Let's shake on it. You got us." Vandenburg slaps his hands on the table in joy and walks over to the crew and shakes everyone's hand. "I look forward to a happy partnership." Tom has a cocky grin on his face as he shakes Vandenburg's hand. We freeze on Tom's grin.
A four-paygrade bump? Carte blanche over how I do my business? Black ops? AND I get to pick my own team? Not bad for a country boy from the sticks, huh?
NEXT EPISODE: "Dark Cover"