JUDGING JUDAS

Day period of episode: September 2002 (Beginning of Season 2 of Alias)

Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover Headquarters

We start off in the Storm Crew office, where James Lennox has called a meeting. Everyone except Mitch is present. James says "First of all, I wanted to commend you all on a job well done. We've gained a lot of insight into the Covenant this past year and I think we've made them feel our presence. Vandenburg tells me that the powers-that-be are still very impressed with how things are done here, so really, congratulations for everything we've done so far." The rest of the team claps. James continues. "Second, I think we've reached a point in this mission where we have to go after the head of Project Helix. That's right, it's time to target Doctor Enzo Markovic himself." Tom claps and rubs his hands together. "Alright, main event time! What's the plan?" James says "Well, not so fast, Tom. Me and Emma are going to be going deep cover and will try to gain Markovic's trust." Tom asks "Why are we now going the cloak and dagger route? I mean, we've been dismantling that whole thing for the past few months." James says "Because Markovic is a hard man to...A. find and B. deal with. He keeps himself well insulated from outsiders, and going at him with a tactical team, even one the size and strength as this one, would be futile." Mike asks "Well, why are you and Emma going? Is there no one else?" James shakes his head. "No one has tracked Markovic like me and her have. We're the only ones that can get this done. Besides, I trust that you all will continue to do the legwork on intelligence gathering when it comes to the Covenant." Tom leans back. "What about my team? Are we going back out to general Covenant duty like Mitch's crew?" Chris cuts James off before he can speak. "Speaking of Mitch, where the hell is he?" Tom looks over at Chris. "He called in sick. He thinks he's got food poisoning." Chris shakes his head, but says nothing. James then says "To answer your question, Tom, yes, you'll now be dispersed to general Covenant duties now." Mike asks James "When are you leaving?" James says "Our flight to Berlin leaves this afternoon." Chris slams his hands on the desk. "Dammit, James! The big barbecue is this weekend at the Coop house! You're gonna miss it!" James laughs. "I know! You keep talking about those ribs of yours, I feel ba!" Chris says "Yeah, these are ribs that you'll regret missing for the rest of your life!" James laughs and says "Well, I'll take a raincheck, alright?" Chris nods his head. "That's cool, I'm just messin' with ya. I'm sure there's a rib place somewhere in Berlin." Tom looks over at Chris and shakes his head. "I've been to Berlin a few times, there ain't squat there for barbecue." James cuts off the banter. "Ok, guys, best of luck in the next few months. Hopefully I'll have some good news to report when this is all done!" James walks around to Tom and leans in. "I need to talk to you." Tom, noticing the seriousness in his voice, gets up and follows James out of the office.

Tom follows James into his office and sits down as James closes the door behind him. As James walks around to sit behind his desk, he says "Tom, I know this is a touchy subject, but it might be time to pull the plug on Mitch." Tom doesn't appear all that surprised as James sits down. Tom says "I take it Chris has told you he's been more erratic lately, right?" James laughs at that comment. "Erratic? The guy is like a ghost lately. Calling in sick and doing his disappearing act more and more during missions. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's a double agent." Tom shakes his head. "No way. Not Mitch. I don't see it." James shakes his head. "I know how this must be making you feel. His missions are still successful..." Tom cuts James off. "...which will make replacing him now seem rather peculiar." James nods. "I agree. That's why I want you to send him on the next mission. I've been hearing rumors about this big project the Covenant has been working on in addition to Helix. His job will be tracking down an informant that might have more intel. He needs to take extreme care, because the word is this informant was green lighted by the Covenant. Orders are to shoot on sight." Tom leans forward. "Are you suggesting I put him out on a mission that he might be doomed to fail in, in an attempt to justify his relieving of duty?" James shakes his head. "Mitch and his team have the skills to protect the man. And ultimately, I'm leaving the fate of Mitch in your hands. But, if he fails in this mission, then I think it will be time to see what someone else can do in his role. You mentioned Mike as a possible candidate when we broached this a few months ago. Are you still confident he can do the job?" Tom nods his head. "Yeah, I think he can. He's not a verbal leader like I am, but with Chris on his team, he won't need to be." James smiles. "Speak quietly and carry a big stick. That was Teddy Roosevelt's motto." Tom nods his head and smiles. "And it worked for him. Although somehow, I don't see Mike wearing a monocle like Teddy used to wear." James laughs a bit and so does Tom. Tom then stands up and extends his hand. "Good luck in Berlin." James shakes Tom's hand to end the scene.

Play theme: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA

As Tom walks out of James office, he gets a call on his cell phone. He looks down and smiles at the number he sees. Tom answers the phone. "Como esta, amiga?" (How are you, friend?) We flash to Argentina where we see Nadia Santos pacing outside. "Muy bien, amigo!" (Very good, friend!) Back at Dark Cover, Tom asks "So, what's going on?" Nadia's smile disappears. "Well, I need a favor from you." Tom says "Anything you need, Nadia. What's up?" Nadia says "I need you to look up any information the CIA has on Vlad Popescu. He's Romanian." Tom says "Hang on". Tom walks to his desk and grabs a laptop, then walks back out and goes up the elevator to the parking garage. Tom opens the laptop and punches in Vlad Popescu into a search database. We see a profile and other information about the man. Tom gets back on the phone. "You still there, Nadia?" Nadia says "Yeah, did you find something?" Tom says "Yeah, I just had to find a quiet place. Vlad is a Romanian gangster...looks like he's quite the angry old man, there's numerous notes about his violence." Nadia asks "Does it say anything about him running a prison camp in Chechnya?" Tom looks further. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, it does. It's a labor camp, some relic from the Soviet days that he still keeps in operation. Mostly political prisoners get sent there." Nadia says "That's what I thought. Could you send me the details?" Tom says "My bosses might not like that too much, but I don't think that will be a problem. But, isn't Chechnya a bit out of Argentina's reach?" Nadia laughs. "That's the other reason I called. I got another promotion. I'm not longer on gang duty anymore." Tom's face brightens up. "That's great news, congrats! What will you be doing now?" Nadia says "A lot of deep cover missions. Some really interesting stuff. I'm not 100% sure what exactly yet, but I know they wanted me to get intelligence on this guy. I appreciate you helping out." Tom says "No problem at all, Nadia. I guess this means we won't be talking as much anymore." Nadia sighs a bit. "Yeah, but if I ever need any help, I'll always come to you. You've been a wonderful friend." Tom looks down and smiles. "Thanks Nadia, and you've been a great friend to me too. I'm sure we'll run into each other again." Nadia smiles. "I know we will." Tom's smile fades a bit. "Alright, well, congratulations and good luck! I know you'll do great." Nadia says "Thanks! See ya later!" In a split screen, we see them both hang up their phones at the same time and both get a bit of a long face at the prospect of working together less in the future.

We see Tom walk into David's op-tech office. David is working on something on his computer screen. Tom asks "David, you got a minute?" David jumps a bit. "Man, you always sneak up on me!" Tom asks "Are you always this jumpy at home around Lisa?" David smiles. "Yeah, she's a sneaky one too!" Tom laughs a bit. "Well, I need a favor from you. I need to relay a CIA profile on Vlad Popescu to Nadia Santos in Argentine Intelligence, and I want this kept off the CIA's radar." David raises an eyebrow. "You think James would have a problem with you giving this information up?" Tom shakes his head. "Maybe, maybe not. But there are some on the team that might start the rumor mills again with me and her if they hear I'm sending her information." David nods his head. "Right, Mitch, Mike, and Eddie were really suspicious of you two." Tom leans forward. "Nothing happened between us then, and nothing has happened between us since. She's scratched my back, and now I'm scratching hers. So, can you forward that profile to this email address? Remember, keep it on the down low!" Tom hands David a slip of paper. David looks and nods. "Shouldn't be a problem." Tom pats David on the back. "Thanks, I owe you one now." David smiles as Tom walks out of the room...and sees Mitch walk in the Storm Crew door. "Well, if it isn't Lazarus himself, rising from the dead to join his team." Mitch gives a sheepish smile. "Gee, thanks for your concern! I feel much better now. What's going on?" Tom says "James is going on a deep cover mission in Berlin in pursuit of Doctor Markovic. My team is back to doing general Covenant stuff and...there's a barbecue at Chris's tomorrow." Mitch nods his head and looks at Chris. "I can't wait to have some of these ribs you've been talking about." Chris gives him a bit of a look. "Well, I hope you and the misses will be able to make it. I wouldn't want you too under the weather to enjoy the best ribs this side of the Mason-Dixon Line." Mitch returns a bit of a look. "I'll be fine! And yes, the wife will be there!" Mitch sits down at his desk and starts working on something. Tom walks over to Chris and whispers in his ear. "In five minutes, meet me in the interrogation room. We need to talk." Chris nods his head and goes back to work as Tom walks out to the general floor.

Tom is sitting in the interrogation when Chris walks in the main entrance to the room. "What's up, Tom?" Tom says "Take a seat." Chris looks at Tom a little funny, but takes his seat across from Tom. Tom starts off. "The video cameras have been disabled temporarily. What we say here cannot leave this room. Understand?" Chris nods his head. Tom continues. "I need to know what you've been telling James about Mitch, and I need to know now." Chris frowns a bit. "That was supposed to be just between me and him..." Tom cuts him off. "Chris, James is leaving for a while and he's alerted me that it might be time to do something about Mitch. I HAVE to know what it is you've been seeing in the field." Chris leans forward. "Mitch has been flaky for a few months now." Tom nods his head. "I know. James first alerted me to a possible problem back in February, and apparently he's been getting worse." Chris nods his head. "He doesn't make a single decision quickly anymore." Tom cocks his head. "What do you mean?" Chris shakes his head. "It's like he's always weighing his options out there, even on the most simple decisions you can make. And there's been little communication between Mitch and the rest of us for a couple months now...it's like something is weighing on him big time." Tom closes his eyes and thinks for a bit. "He always had a gambling problem. I hope he's not racking up a ton of debt that he's..." Tom then leans forward and puts his face in his palm. "Oh Christ…." Chris asks "What?" Tom opens his eyes and lowers his hand. "James suspects he might be a double agent." Chris asks "For the Covenant?" Tom shakes his head. "James didn't know for sure. In fact, he was unsure about his hunch about him being a double in the first place. It just...it doesn't SEEM like him. But, he always had a gambling problem, and if he's racked up debt, that could be a motive for him to be a double. I mean, Chris, you've worked with him for a while at the Anti-Cartel." Chris says "I know. It's puzzling me too." Tom asks "What else is he doing?" Chris says "Like I said, he takes a long time to make rational decisions. And he takes forever during bathroom breaks and other simple tasks that only he does." Tom leans back, looking troubled over the information he's received. "Chris, knowing what you know about his actions lately...do you think it's possible that he could be a double?" Chris looks down as well, just as troubled about this possibility as Tom. "I gotta say...I don't think we can rule that out." Tom nods his head, but still looks like he's troubled. "I'm not ready to make a move yet, but I want to ask if you'd be ok if Mike took command of your team. I know you and him have run with me for a long time, but Mike's started about the time I did and..." Chris holds up his hand. "Say no more, man. Of course, I'd be cool with Mike running the team. Guy's got ice water in his veins, and that's a good trait to have in a leader." Tom nods his head and smiles. "Ok, I appreciate the info, Chris. You've given me a lot to think about." Chris stands up and says "If it were me, I don't think there'd be that much to think about. I have no confidence in Mitch anymore." Tom nods his head. "Well, I'm sending you on a mission with Mitch, Charlie, and Jacob next week. You have to track down an informant in Tokyo that the Covenant wants in a pine box six feet deep. James says he has heard about some other project that the Covenant is working very hard to keep a secret. Chris, keep watching Mitch. Give me a detailed report on what he does, I want to make DAMN sure about this before I replace him." Chris nods his head approvingly. "I understand." Tom says "I'll give you guys the details on it at the last second, just in case Mitch feels like spilling the beans to someone, he won't have the time. Let's see how he reacts. Just, be ready." Chris nods his head and walks out the main entrance while Tom goes out the side entrance.

Baltimore, MD- Chris's house

Tom rings the doorbell while Kate stands outside of a nice looking two-story house that backs into the woods. The door opens and we see Chris with a wide grin. "Welcome to Casa de Coop!" Chris looks over at Kate and starts checking her out. "Damn, you look finer every time I see you!" Kate lets out a flattered laugh. Tom asks "Speaking of attractive wives, where's Tanya?" Chris points to the back of the house. "Out back with everyone else, of course! Get on in here!" Tom and Kate walk in to the family room. To the right is a dining room, to the left is the living room, and out back is a large kitchen as well as a bedroom off to the left. The other bedrooms are upstairs up some steps that are to the right side of the kitchen. Tom enters the kitchen and sets his 12-pack of beer on the table. "Where do you want this?" Chris laughs. "Man, that was about pointless, we've got enough beer to put Ireland out of business!" Charlie walks over. "I heard someone talking smack about my homeland!" Tom slaps Charlie's hand. "Charlie O'Doyle, meet my better half, Kate." Kate reaches over and shakes Charlie's hand. Kate says "It's nice to meet you. Is your wife around?" Charlie laughs. "Don't have one...yet." Tom looks over at Kate. "I don't think you've met Charlie yet. If you ever need something blown up, Charlie's the man for the job." Kate laughs. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind in case I need that!" We see David walk in from the back. "Hey Tom!" Tom looks over Charlie's shoulder and sees David. "Hey, David, come over here! Where's Lisa?" We see Lisa jog over from another part of the house. "Someone call for me?" As Lisa walks over to David, Tom looks at Kate. "Kate, this is David Marston, our technology guru." Kate reaches over and shakes David's hand. "Were you the guy that Tom set up on a blind date a while back?" Lisa laughs. "So, it WAS you!" Tom holds up his hands. "I know nothing!" Lisa and Kate laugh as they shake hands. "Lisa, this is my wife Kate." Lisa says "It's so nice to meet you! Tom talks about you a lot!" Kate looks over at Tom a little incredulously. "Really?" Tom shrugs. "I like your cooking. Maybe you can give Lisa some tips." Kate nods as David looks over at Tom. "Well, Lisa had some surprising news for me the other day." Tom looks over at Lisa a little suspiciously. "Uh oh..." Lisa smiles. "Oh no, nothing bad. As you know, I've been pregnant for a couple months. Well, I just learned yesterday that I'm having a girl!" Tom's eyes light up. "Oh wow! Congrats!" Tom and Lisa exchange a hug, then Tom hugs David. "Congrats, man." David says "Thanks guys. We're naming her after my mother, Susan." Tom gives David a pat on the shoulder. "Well, I'm happy for you. I'm sure Davie is excited." Kate asks "Who's Davie?" David says "Oh, my three year old son from my ex-wife. And yeah, he's excited to have a baby sister!" Chris walks back over to them with Charlie next to him. "I heard the commotion, everything cool?" Tom says "Tell him, David." David turns to look at Chris. "In five months, Lisa's having a girl." Chris gives David a hard pat on the shoulder. "Oh damn! Alright, David!" Chris then leans over and gives the much shorter Lisa a hug.

The good cheer is interrupted for a bit when Tom and Chris hear someone come in through the front door. It's Mitch and his wife Cheryl. Cheryl stands a couple inches taller than Mitch and has long black hair and looks like she hasn't missed a day of tanning in her life. Tom gives Mitch a wave as Chris leans in. "I didn't think he'd show." Tom, through the side of his mouth, tells Chris "Just play it cool. He's innocent until proven guilty." Kate overhears their conversation, but doesn't say anything as she walks over to hug Cheryl. Mitch walks up to Tom with his hand outstretched. Tom shakes it casually. Mitch then looks up at Chris, who's trying to look neutral, but is having a hard time. "How's it going, big fella?" Chris says "Good, got the barbecue going...in fact, I should go check on it." Chris then walks away quickly. Tom kind of looks at him a bit as Chris walks away, but doesn't say anything. Tom looks back at Mitch. "How you feeling?" Mitch smiles. "Excellent, thanks. I think all of that is behind me now." Tom, now looking serious, asks "How often have you been under the weather the past few months? Is this a recurring thing?" Mitch doesn't break his smile. "Seems like I have been getting this every so often. Doctors think I'm ok, though. I guess I should just eat better, right?" Mitch slaps Tom on the shoulder hard. Tom thinks for a bit, then smiles. "Well, you're at the right place for that. Let's head out back, I just got here myself."

Tom and Mitch walk out to the back porch together. There's a couple of tables set up on the stone porch. We look left and see Chris at the grill with Jacob, Luke, and Charlie. The three of them wave at Tom, who waves back. Mitch gives them a wave too. Tom looks out in front of him to the built-in pool, where there's about 5 kids having fun, as well as Eddie and Jerome. Tom turns right to see Mike alone at a table with a woman. Tom walks over to Mike, who doesn't notice him because he's talking with his guest. He leans into Mike's ear and says "Mike, how's the rash?" Mike looks up and is surprised to see Tom there. "Whoa, I didn't see you there." Tom looks at the blonde he's with. "Who's your friend?" Mike stands up and so does the woman. "Oh, this is Michelle. She's a senior at the University of Maryland and she's studying...what is it again?" Michelle giggles a bit. "I'm studying to be a veterinarian. I love animals." Tom nods his head. "That's a very noble profession. Hope it goes well for you." Tom then leans in Mike's ear. "She does know you're 31, right?" Mike says "She likes older men." Tom leans back away from Mike and nods. Tom reaches out his hand towards Michelle. "It's nice to meet you. Any friend of Mike is a friend of mine. Mike's been my most loyal friend for over a decade." Behind Tom's shoulder, we see Mitch look over after hearing that last comment. He looks a little distraught as he wanders off towards the pool. Tom glares at Mitch a bit before Michelle breaks up his stare. "Yeah, I like him." Michelle smiles at Mike, who smiles back. Tom looks back at Mike. "When you get a minute, we need to talk about something." Mike says "I've got time now." Tom nods his head. "Excuse us, Michelle." Tom walks inside as Mike follows.

We follow Tom and Mike into one of the bedrooms. Tom closes the door and locks it. Mike turns towards Tom and asks "What's going on?" Tom looks at Mike seriously. "Mike, I need to be sure that this conversation doesn't leave this room. Got it?" Mike nods his head. "Of course. What's up?" Tom walks over to a window and looks out. He spots Mitch, who is sitting with his feet in the pool talking to Eddie and Jerome. "It's Mitch. He's gotta go." Mike looks a bit surprised to hear that. "Wow...what brought on this?" Tom, still looking at Mitch, says "James and Chris both tell me that Mitch has become erratic in the field in the past few months. Something isn't right with him and we don't exactly know what. We have a suspicion on what it could be, but..." Mike says "He's a double, isn't he?" Tom snaps Mike a look. "How do you know that?" Mike shrugs. "Just a hunch. I've noticed that he likes to run off to the parking garage a lot on his cell phone, and he seems just really nervous about something of late." Tom asks "When did you start noticing this behavior?" Mike says "Only recently. I thought it might be something physical, but now you tell me Chris has noticed this for a few months...he's no fool. He knows when something is up." Tom shakes his head. "I still have no proof, though. And I'm still not sure on the motive!" Mike laughs. "Tom, come on! He's jealous that you're leading this team and not him!" Tom looks down. "He never spoke of any jealousy to me before." Mike shakes his head. "That's not his style. When you got assigned to Project Helix and not his team, he looked like a boy who lost his puppy. He's always been one to stew over something instead of letting his emotions be known." Tom walks away from the window and up to Mike. "You're the best tracker I have in Storm Crew. I'm sending Mitch's team on a mission to Tokyo next week. Monday, as a matter of fact. I'm having Chris keep an eye on Mitch, but I want to send you too in a stealth capacity. I want you to view their actions from afar. Tap their room, track them, whatever you feel is necessary. I'm giving you operational prudence on this." Mike nods his head. "When will I be leaving?" Tom says "They'll be getting to Tokyo at 9 PM our time Monday, so I want you to get on the first flight to Tokyo Monday morning and start tracking them from the airport. Call in sick and say you think Chris's leftovers made you sick." Mike raises an eyebrow. Tom says "I'll tell Chris so he doesn't get all pissy." Mike nods and says "Alright, do you want me to wear an earpiece?" Tom shakes his head. "No, I can't let the rest of my team know what's going on. Just call me at 10 PM after the mission is over. I told him the meet is at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima, but the meet will really be in the Restaurant Ginto in Toshima." Mike nods his head. "I see, in case he's talking to someone, that person will be set up at the wrong place." Tom nods his head and puts his hand on Mike's shoulder. "If Mitch fouls up, I want you to take control of his team. Is that ok with you?" Mike looks away and thinks for a moment. "Why not have Chris lead it?" Tom shakes his head. "You joined the Anti-Cartel about a year after I did. You're experienced. We both think you're a leader. Plus, we already talked about it, he'd be happy with you as the leader." Mike thinks for a bit, then nods his head. "I'd be willing to jump over. For the good of the team." Tom smiles. "I appreciate it." Mike asks "Anything else going on?" Just as he says that, we see Kate outside of the room with her ear on the door. Tom says "I had to break things off with Nadia yesterday." Mike asks "What happened?" Tom says "She's told me she's on to bigger and better things. It's a shame, I really liked her." Kate now looks suspicious. Mike says "Yeah, she was nice." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, she was. But it's ok. I've always had this guilty feeling around her after our little fling a couple years ago in Argentina." Kate now looks pissed and storms off in a huff. Mike says "Yeah, but you've already got a good woman at your side, you couldn't compromise that." Tom nods his head. "Yeah, I know. Anyway, I won't be hearing much from Nadia anymore, she's been reassigned and will be doing more deep cover stuff now. Besides that, everything's peachy." Tom and Mike walk out of the bedroom and down the stairs and rejoins the party.

A few hours later, we see Tom and Kate driving back from the party. Tom, at a stop sign, grabs his stomach and burps a bit. "Man, those ribs were good, weren't they?" Tom looks over and we see Kate looking angrily out the window. She doesn't respond. Tom asks "Are you alright?" Kate, still looking out the window, shakes her head. She speaks a little tersely. "I'm just tired. I ate too much. Just get me home." Tom looks at her a little concerned, but doesn't say anything as he gets a honk from behind that the light ahead has turned green. Tom drives off.

Edgewood, MD- Storm Crew office, 6 AM.

Tom is standing near the projector as everyone has gathered in the Storm Crew office, save for Mike. Tom starts off. "Ok, I'm sorry to get everyone in this early, but I just received intel that an informant is ready to come clean to us about another project the Covenant has going. I don't have any details about what this project is, but I do know it's important to the Covenant, because he's been green lit by that organization. Orders are shoot to kill on sight. We have to get to him first." Tom clicks on the projector and we see an image of a Russian-looking man with a shaved head and beard. "Valeri Varlamov, believed to be a middle-ranking officer in the Covenant, is the man we must find. He's in Tokyo. We're to meet him after we land in Tokyo at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima. He'll be waiting for us." Mitch asks "Which team is going to go?" Tom says "Your team. Mike is out sick." Mitch gets up. "I'll go gather some of my things from the car..." Tom says "That won't be necessary. Vandenburg has provided a limo to take all of you to the airport and I've prepared your things over there..." Tom points to the back of the room, where there's various bags piled up. Mitch, looking at the bags and away from Tom, rolls his eyes a bit. Tom, not noticing, says "You guys have to leave now, let's go!" Luke asks "Am I going?" Tom says "No, just Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob on this one." Chris gets up and smirks a bit at Tom. Tom gives him a blank look as Mitch's team gathers their things.

Baltimore Washington Airport

We see the team heading towards a private plane. All of the sudden, Mitch stops. "Guys, I have to go back inside and use the bathroom!" Chris says "Wait a second, there's one on the plane!" Mitch shakes his head. "I can't wait!" Mitch dumps his bags on Jacob's shoulders and walks back inside. Chris shakes his head as he walks with Charlie and Jacob towards a small, private plane. He sets his bags in the luggage compartment that a pilot has open for them. After Jacob and Charlie put theirs in, they start walking in the plane. Jacob notices Chris is still outside. "Hey Chris, you coming?" Chris says "I have to make a phone call, I'll be right in." Jacob and Chris walk in, followed by the pilot. Chris pulls out his cell phone and dials a number. He puts the phone to his ear. "Hey Tom!" Back at Dark Cover, Tom answers the phone and walks into the interrogation room. "What is it, Chris?" Chris says "This is going to shock the hell out of you, but we're waiting for Mitch to get out of an airport bathroom." Tom kicks a chair over. "Dammit, Chris, you all were supposed to get on the plane without any delay!" Chris says "I know, but he said it couldn't wait! What was I supposed to do, drag his ass in the plane?" Tom shakes his head. "No. Thanks for passing this along." Tom hangs up and shakes his head angrily.

Back at the airport terminal bathroom, we see Mitch pacing and talking on a cell phone. "Put me on with the supervisor." After a brief wait, we see Elena pick up a phone from her undisclosed office. "Mitch, what is it?" Mitch says "We've been sent on a sudden mission to Tokyo to intercept a man named Valeri Varlamov, does he mean anything to you?" Elena stands up really quickly. "What do you people want with Valeri?" Mitch says "He wants to let the CIA in on some other project you have going on." Elena, now looking worried, asks "Does Tom know what that project is yet?" Mitch says "No, why?" Elena says "Where are you going to meet him?" Mitch says "The Saigon Restaurant in Toshima after we get off the plane." Elena puts her hand on her forehead. "Ok, ok, get on the plane, get there, and I'll contact you with instructions. Valeri MUST NOT be brought back to America." Elena hangs up as Mitch leans up on a wall and exhales. Elena then dials a number. "Yes, I need you in Tokyo NOW! We found Varlamov, and he's about to reveal Project Alloy to the CIA! Tom cannot know!" On the other line, Avian, Elena's underling from Season 4, says "I'll be there" and hangs up.

Baltimore, MD- Tom's apartment

At home, we see Kate sitting on the couch watching TV. As she's flipping channels, she runs across a travel show promoting Argentina. This causes Kate to become enraged. Kate throws the remote against a wall, smashing it to pieces. We see Kate grab a pillow and curl up with it. She flashes back to Episode 4 when Tom mistakenly called Kate 'Nadia'. Then, we flash back to Episode 6 when Tom receives a birthday card from Nadia. And then, we go back to the conversation Kate eavesdropped on at the barbecue where Tom talks to Mike about Nadia. Kate starts to tear up and shake in anger. "You want to keep secrets from me, Tom? You want to play me? Well, it's time I play back!" Kate rushes up and grabs a phone book and starts looking through the yellow pages. She comes across a full page ad for 'Paul Polson, Private Investigator'. Kate gets an evil smile and dials the number on the page. A woman answers on the other line. "Paul Polson office, Christina speaking." Kate says "I need to have someone follow my husband."

Tokyo, Japan- Haneda Airport

Inside the airport terminal, we see a drastically different looking Mike. He's in a janitor's suit mopping a floor. He's shaved his trademark light brown beard and now has black hair and a black mustache. As he's mopping, he sees Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob walk in. He quickly turns back to his work so he isn't discovered, which he isn't. After they pass, Mike puts his mop in a mob bucket that's on a rolling cart with a garbage can and other cleaning supplies. He starts pushing the cart about 15 feet behind Mitch and the rest of the crew. However, Mike is forced to stop abruptly and scurry off to the right when the team suddenly stops because Mitch finds a bathroom. We see Chris throw his hands up in disgust when Mitch walks away.

In the bathroom, we see Mitch pull out his cell phone, but he's interrupted as he sees Elena Derevko standing behind him in the mirror. "Hello Mitch." Mitch turns around surprised. "Elena...I wasn't expecting you..." Elena grins. "I'm a woman of many secrets and surprises. After our plan is complete, you'll understand." Mitch nods his head. "Right." Elena says "Is Varlamov still going to be at the Saigon Restaurant in Toshima?" Mitch nods again. "As far as I know. What should I do?" Elena leans in and fastens what looks like a snap-on button underneath a breast pocket in Mitch's shirt. "This is a bug. If anything changes, we'll know about it. Otherwise, just go on as you were told. We'll take care of the rest." Mitch turns and throws some water on his face. Elena asks "Nervous?" Mitch says "I just want all of this to be over so I don't have to live with this dark cloud of betrayal over my head." Elena smiles as Mitch turns back around. "It will be. In just a few months, it'll be all over. Now, go." Mitch nods and walks out of the bathroom. Elena then gets on her cell phone. "It's still on, Avian. Mitch has just arrived." Elena then hangs up and smirks a bit as the scene ends.

Baltimore, MD- Paul Polson's office

We see Kate walk into a small office. She looks around and sees a small waiting room and a secretary directly in front of her. The secretary asks "May I help you?" Kate walks up. "Yeah, I had a 4 o'clock appointment with Paul Polson." The woman looks at her computer. "Katie Hibbits?" Kate says "Yeah, that's me." The secretary stands up. "I'll be right back." The secretary walks away as Kate turns and looks at some of the paintings that are up on the wall. After a few seconds, her focus is interrupted by a somewhat tall man with a muscular build. "Katie?" Kate, startled a bit, turns to face the man. "Yes!" The man extends his hand. "I'm Paul Polson. Come with me." Kate shakes the hand and follows Paul to his office, which is little more than a cluttered desk. Paul sits down behind the desk as Kate sits in a chair in front of the desk. Paul asks "So Kate, you're having husband issues?" Kate, a little nervous, says "Well, I've been married for four years, but I've known Tom for 12 since we started dating in high school in Missouri. I followed him to Los Angeles when he started with the LAPD, and then a couple of years ago when we moved here to Baltimore when he joined the Baltimore PD." Paul folds his hands and leans back. "I would think that'd be a bit of a stepdown, would it not?" Kate says "It was some deal he says he made to keep his job. Apparently he got a little to rough on the job one day." Paul leans forward. "He's an aggressive man. Has he ever hit you?" Kate shakes her head quickly. "Oh, good heavens no! I mean, we have our shouting matches every once in a while, but he's never raised his hand at me." Paul nods. "So, what is the problem you're having with your husband?" Kate looks down, a bit nervous. "I feel I don't know the man, even though I've been with him for over a decade. Does that make sense?" Paul nods his head. "He keeps secrets, I take it." Kate nods. "Secrets about his job...and I think of his love life. I'm pretty sure he's cheated on me." Paul asks "Why do you think that?" Kate says "He called me the name of a woman from Argentina he says he worked with in the past...and I overheard him telling a co-worker friend of his that he had to 'break it off' with her a couple days ago." Paul shakes his head. "Could mean he just severed his working relationship with her." Kate shakes her head right back. "He said he felt guilty around her over a 'fling' they had in Argentina two years ago." Paul smiles and leans back. "Yup, he just unzipped his fly right then and there." Kate says "So, I need you to follow him, make sure he's not cheating on me. I also want to know...I know this sounds crazy...but I want to know just what it is he does for a living." Paul nods his head. "Well, I have a couple other clients that I'm working with at the moment. It might be a couple months before I can get to this, but once I do, I'm sure it will have a high priority. I'll just need some information about Tom, his photo, his license plate number, and his general work schedule. In the meantime, try to go on as normal, don't let on that you're suspicious of him." Kate smiles. "That won't be a problem, and I can give you all that stuff today!" Paul stands up and extends his hand. "You can give that to my secretary. I look forward to helping you." Kate shakes his hand and has a smirk. "I look forward to it too." Kate then walks out of the office with that same smirk.

Toshida, Japan- Outside of the Saigon Restaurant

We see Mike park behind the van taxi that Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob entered. He slinks down in his seat a bit so he's not easily discovered by Mitch, who's standing outside of the taxi. He sees Mitch pick up a ringing cell phone as the rest of the team starts to exit. Back at CIA Dark Cover, Tom says "Mitch, last minute change of plans! Varlamov will meet you in 5 minutes at the Restaurant Ginto down the road! Get there now!" Mitch rolls his eyes and closes up the phone and orders the team back on the taxi as Mike watches, somewhat amused. He looks around and doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary, like anyone perched with a sniper. The taxi takes off and Mike follows. Down the block, the taxi stops at the Restaurant Ginto and the four men pour out of it again. This time, Mike parks and gets out of the car and walks across the street. He enters the building directly across from the restaurant and takes the elevator to the roof. Mike gets to the roof and pulls out his binoculars and looks into the restaurant, where he can see Mitch and the gang talking to Varlamov.

In the restaurant, Mitch asks Varlamov "So, what exactly do you know?" Varlamov shakes his head. "Not here. I don't speak until I'm on American soil. Until then, I say nothing." Mitch says "Well, we have a transport back to America ready to go if you would come with us." Varlamov nods and stands up. He follows the rest of the team out of the restaurant and towards the van taxi. However, before he can get to the taxi, we see a man run up to Varlamov and shoot him in the chest a couple of times. The rest of the team is stunned as Mitch looks at the man for a split second, then lunges after him. The assassin shoots himself in the head before Mitch can stop him. Mike, watching the whole thing, seems stunned at what just went down, then gets an angry look on his face as he steps away from the roof's edge. Over to the building to his left, and down a floor looking out a window, we see Avian smiling as he's looking through binoculars. He gets on the phone. "Elena, it's done. Varlamov is dead, and my assassin terminated himself." Elena, on a plane, smiles and says "Good work." She hangs up the phone and breathes a small sigh of relief. Back in Japan, Mitch enters the taxi van and leaves the secene.

In the van, the four team members are discussing what just went down. Jacob says "What the hell just happened!" Charlie says "Man, they must have REALLY wanted this guy dead. I mean...in broad daylight, they cap this guy!" Chris, sitting directly to the left of Mitch, looks at him a little incredulously. "Yeah...just like that." Mitch has his head in both of his hands. "I'm so sorry guys, I should have taken greater care..." Chris shoves Mitch. "NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! It's almost as if you served him up on a platter!" Mitch shoves him back, which surprises Chris a bit. "The Covenant wanted this guy dead at any cost! Daylight, nighttime...it didn't matter, they were going to get to him!" Jacob shakes his head in the back seat. "And now, we'll never know just who tasked him for the job. Unreal." Charlie says "This must have been some secret that they didn't want out." Mitch pulls out his cell phone. "I have to call Tom and give him the bad news." Mitch dials a number and Tom picks up on the other end. Tom asks "Mitch, do you have Varlamov?" Mitch says "No...the Covenant got him." Tom closes his eyes and leans his head back in disgust. Deadpanning, he asks "Mitch...what the hell happened?" Mitch says "We met the guy at the Restaurant Ginto, as you said to do. When we got out to our taxi, some guy came up and put two bullets in Varlamov's chest close-range, and then he killed himself before we could restrain him. It all happened in a matter of two seconds, max." Tom asks "Where's the bodies?" Mitch says "We just left them there." Tom leans over on a desk. "And did you bother checking the assassin for any identification? Or check Varlamov's body to see if he had any information on paper?" It's now Mitch's turn to close his eyes and lean his head back in disgust. "Tom, it happened so fast..." Tom screams "DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT CHECK THEIR BODIES, JUST ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!" Mitch screams back "NO! I DIDN'T!" Tom lets out a real deep breath. "And by now, the Japanese authorities are probably there now. Jesus, Mitch, this was not a hard mission." Mitch, now looking petrified, says "Tom, I'm sorry..." Tom cuts him off. "We'll talk when you get back." Tom slams the phone down on its receiver before Mitch can respond. Eddie stands up and asks "What's going on? What happened?" Tom glares at Eddie for a second, then just walks out of the room, leaving Eddie, Luke and Jerome to wonder about Tom's state of mind.

Towson, MD- Outside of Tom's apartment

Tom is pacing outside as he gets a phone call on his cell. It's Mike. "Mike, where are you?" Mike says "I'm at the airport." Tom says "Mitch called me right after the shooting. What did you see?" Mike says "He hung that man out to dry. They just casually strolled out of the restaurant and left Varlamov's backside open. I saw the assassin coming from a mile away." Tom nods his head. "Mitch says the whole thing went down quick." Mike thinks for a bit. "Yes and no." Tom asks "What do you mean?" Mike says "No one on the team saw the man come up because they all got into the car themselves, with the exception of Mitch and Varlamov. After Varlamov was shot, I think he could have stopped the assassin from blowing his own head off...but didn't." Tom shakes his head and chuckles as he looks down at the ground. "And he made no attempt at searching their bodies for information." Mike says "Nope. He kinda stood there for a while and then got in the taxi and left." Tom asks "Let's go back to when they arrived. Anything happen?" Mike laughs. "Just another one of Mitch's airport bathroom trips that Chris talked about." Tom asks "How long was he in the bathroom?" Mike says "About two minutes. He did come out looking a bit nervous." Tom nods his head. "Ok, good work. Get back home, we'll talk about where we go from here when you get back." Mike says "Alright, see you then." Mike hangs up his phone and Tom does the same. Tom stares off into space for a bit, then nods his head. "Yup. I think we just caught ourselves a mole."

Edgewood, MD- Outside of CIA Dark Cover

Mitch, Chris, Charlie, and Jacob are in a limo heading down the drive that leads to the entrance of CIA Dark Cover. However, before they can make the right turn into the dead end that leads to the entrance, they're stopped by Tom standing out in the middle of the road. Tom motions to the limo driver to roll down the back window. The driver does and Tom walks to the driver's side limo and leans in. "Mitch, come with me. Everyone else, head in, we'll be there in a bit." Everyone looks at each other suspiciously as Mitch gets out of the car. The limo takes off for the Dark Cover entrance as Mitch follows Tom over to an empty field off to the left. After about a hundred feet, Tom stops and turns to Mitch, who stops in his tracks. Mitch asks "Tom, what's going on? Is it about the mission?" Tom lets out a sinister chuckle as he pulls out a gun.

(Note: At this point, start playing Metallica's 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium))

Mitch steps back a bit. "Tom, what are you doing?" Tom takes the safety off and pulls back the hammer. He then looks up and shoves the gun into Mitch's chest, forcing Mitch to grab it. Mitch looks terrified as Tom turns from him and walks ten paces away from him. Tom eventually stops, but still has his back turned. Tom then turns his head to the left and looks at Mitch out of the corner of his eye. "Mitch, are you my friend?" Mitch, now trembling a bit, says "Of course I am!" Tom then says "Then why are you a double agent for the Covenant? Why go through this charade when you can just take me out right now?" Mitch starts to stutter a bit. "Tom...I...I would never..." Tom sneers and turns around and faces Mitch. "DON'T LIE TO ME, DAMMIT! BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY VARLAMOV COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED WAS IF YOU WERE BUGGED AND THE COVENANT WAS ABLE TO TRACK HIM DOWN TO THE RESTAURANT GINTO!" Mitch says "Let's say I were a double, which I'm NOT! How would they have been able to plant a bug on me?" Tom, still angry, says "Oh, I don't know, maybe one of your frequent airport bathroom trips?" Mitch shakes his head. "Tom, I've been dealing with a stomach virus. It's not completely out of my system, check my medical records. I was in and out of the bathroom on the plane with the runs. I didn't want to say anything, but dammit, Tom, how could you think I'm a traitor, after all we've been through?" Tom starts walking back towards Mitch and says "Stress can cause a person to get sick easily. Stress over missions where you've been sloppy and unaccounted for at times. Stress over such things as trying to explain why you didn't check Varlamov's or his assassin's bodies after they died. Stress over such things as being a double agent." Tom now gets in Mitch's face. "Stress over being handed a loaded gun and having an opportunity to kill the man that passed you by on the CIA pecking order after you got yourself fired from the Anti-Cartel." Mitch's lip starts to quiver, but he doesn't say anything. Tom steps back a bit and turns around again. This time, he doesn't look back. "If you want my job, take it now. Save yourself the stress. Put one in the back of my head, and let's just see how much of a Judas you are!" Tom stands and waits as we see Mitch look down at the gun, then back at the back of Tom's head. Mitch lifts the gun up maybe a couple of inches before dropping it. "Tom, this is insane. I swear to you, I am not a traitor." Tom hangs his head, then turns around. "Then you have two options." Tom reaches into his windbreaker and pulls out a rolled up form. "Sign this transfer form right now and get the hell out of here. I'll keep this quiet, and you can ride off into the sunset. I personally recommend this option, because I don't think you want to know the second." Mitch looks at the form, then shakes his head. "What's the second option?" Tom says "You will be relieved of commanding duties of Team 2 and will be reassigned to work under me in Team 1. Mike will take over command of Team 2. But, if you screw up one more time under my watch, well, I can't fire you because you have a CIA contract for another 18 months...but, I can make sure your time here at Dark Cover is a living hell. And that will be enough to cause more trips to the bathroom because of stress, I can assure you." Mitch thinks for a bit, then starts to cry. "Please...give me a chance to prove myself to you again...I have been struggling lately, I'll admit that...but please don't make me leave!" Tom, unfazed by Mitch's crying, puts the transfer form back in his windbreaker. "Fine. When you've composed yourself, get in my car." Tom picks up the gun Mitch dropped on the ground and walks off, leaving Mitch to his tears in the middle of the field as the episode ends.

NEXT EPISODE: EXIT STRATEGY