TORINO
Dayperiod of episode: Very early June, 2003 (Just after Season 2 of Alias)
Towson, MD- Tom's apartment
June 4, 2003
Tom is sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. He's dressed for work already. Kate is sitting across from him. Tom sees something in the paper. "Freaking Cardinals..." Kate looks up. "Yeah, they lost again. It was on the news last night." Tom looks at Kate. "What did the locals have to say about it?" Kate shrugs. "I dunno, I just caught the score." Tom asks "Well, I know the Orioles aren't a great team. Just interested to see what the local sports jocks are saying about the win, if anything." Kate looks up at Tom. "Oh, I dunno, maybe if you were home at a decent hour, you'd have found that info out." Tom rolls his eyes. "Kate, I had work to do." Kate raises her eyebrows sarcastically. "Yeah, ok." Tom slams his newspaper down. "What the hell is wrong with you lately?" Kate looks up, unfazed by Tom's fit of anger. "Just this life." Tom looks confused as he gets a call on his cell phone. Kate sarcastically says "Uh oh, sounds like another mystery job at work." Tom gives Kate a look and turns away to walk in the kitchen. Tom looks at who's calling and looks back at Kate. "It's my sister. Sorry to disappoint." Kate just scowls at him a bit as Tom answers the phone. "Hey Karen. How's it going?" We flash over to Karen, who's been crying. "Tom, I don't know how you're going to take this..." Tom now looks concerned. "What is it?" Karen, fighting back the tears, says "Your father is dead." Tom freezes for a moment, then raises his eyebrows for a bit. He turns to look at Kate, and then turns to the floor. "When did he pass?" Karen says "Last night, he had a massive stroke...he died almost instantly." Tom sighs. "Probably a result of his heavy drinking." Karen says "Oh stop, he hasn't drank in years." Tom chuckles. "Yeah right...anyway, the damage might have been done years ago." Karen says "Well, as you know, I don't have a lot of money..." Tom rolls his eyes. "Karen, he's your problem, not mine." Karen stands up and shouts "I can't afford to bury him! I need your help!" Tom acts like he's going to throw the cell phone against the wall, then gets back on the phone. "Well, just put him in a pine box and bury him somewhere in the woods. It's what he deserves." Karen starts crying again. "How can you be so cold?" Tom says "Takes a cold man to make a cold man." Karen says "Well, if you won't do it for him, at least do it for me. Please, I need your help." Tom looks down at the floor and sighs. "I have to think about this." Karen says "Ok, let me know." Tom hangs up the phone. He thinks for a bit, then looks at Kate and deadpans "Well, daddy's dead." Kate nods her head. "I kind of gathered that. I'm sorry." Tom shrugs. "Nothing to be sorry for. He's been dead to me for a couple decades now, so I'm not exactly hurt here." Kate stands up. "Are you going to his funeral?" Tom laughs. "That's DEFINITELY out of the question. Hell no, I'm abandoning him just as he abandoned me. Karen wants me to help with the burial costs...I have to think about that." Kate says "It's the least you could do." Tom chuckles sarcastically. "No, the least I could do is nothing, which is looking like an attractive option." Kate shakes her head. "How could you be so callous to your own sister?" Tom shakes his head. "It's not about her. It's about funding my father's sendoff and whether I want to or not." Kate stands up quickly. "You really are an asshole." She then walks off to the bedroom and slams the door. Tom puts his phone in his pocket and makes for the front door, shaking his head. "What a way to start the day..."
Baltimore, MD- Mitch's house
We see Mitch walk out of his front door, looking despondent. As he gets into his car, he gets a call on his cell phone. He sees it's Elena and picks up. "Elena?" We flash to Elena's still undisclosed office. "Mitch, how are you holding up?" Mitch chuckles and deadpans "I love making copies and replacing ink toner. It's really great." Elena says "Well, those days are just about done for you." Mitch, now a little surprised, asks "What do you mean?" Elena looks down. "Mitch, they're moving quickly to get you thrown out of the CIA. Therefore, our plans for you are changing." Mitch shifts in his seat uncomfortably. "What do you mean?" Elena says "Today, when you get to work, James Lennox will be giving details on a mission that will take place a couple days from now. Just like the Spain mission a couple of months ago, although this time, we won't fail." Mitch says "What's going to happen?" Elena says "You'll be on the mission, but we're going to extract you halfway. We'll courier you the details. After the mission, you'll be working for us." Mitch shakes his head. "No way, that wasn't the deal!" Elena stands up. "The DEAL ended when my associate wasn't able to knock out Tom in Spain and when Tom finally caught on to you! I've come to realize that Tom's cagier than I thought, so we need to take drastic measures to secure his capture. This is the only way you'll get your freedom. " Mitch puts his head in his hands. "What about my family?" Elena says "I'll drop off a care package for them. In it, it will detail all your transgressions with me and the Covenant during your time in the CIA. They'll be forced to go into witness protection. Don't worry, Mitch, we're not interested in them. We just want you, and we'll make sure you're extracted." Mitch watches as his son runs out the front door and onto the school bus that has just pulled up. "I'll be labeled a traitor..." Elena smiles. "We'll protect you. No one will know you're even alive anymore." Mitch watches the school bus drive away in his rearview mirror. "So, it's come to this. When and where is the mission?" Elena smirks. "June 6th. Torino, Italy."
Play theme: youtube dot com /watch?v=22Vz-ngNomA
Edgewood, MD- Near CIA Dark Cover
We see Tom driving in his car on the way to work. He's driving through a somewhat abandoned warehouse district and the local hard rock station is blaring through his speakers and he appears to be enjoying the music until he spots a car in his rear view mirror. "Jesus, that same freaking car..." Tom speeds up and makes a quick right turn. The car behind him follows as Tom makes another quick right turn. At the next turn, the car tailing him doesn't spot Tom because he's already made yet another quick right. Tom turns back on the road he was on. As he makes a left turn onto the road that leads to Dark Cover, we see the tail emerge. We zoom in on the driver of the car and see Paul Polson, Kate's private investigator. He's apparently amused. "Haha! Whoo! This boy can drive!"
Edgewood, MD- Inside Storm Crew headquarters
Tom walks into the door and walks up to Mike and Chris. "I need a word real quick." Tom walks into the interrogation room with Mike and Chris following. Chris asks "What's up?" Tom says "Have you guys had any tails following you the past few days?" Chris and Mike looks at each other and shake their heads. Tom says "Well, I've had a tail on me for at least the last week. He got awfully close to finding out our location this morning. Tomorrow, we need to set him right." Mike says "What do you have in mind?" Tom says "After I pull into work, we need to intercept him before he gets to the entrance. Mike, you pull out and block him after I drive by. Chris, you pull in from behind and trap him. Then, we'll find out who this bastard is." Chris and Mike nod. "Got it."
Tom, Chris and Mike walk out of the interrogation room to see James Lennox walking into their office. Tom gives James a smile. "James! How you doing?" James grins. "Good, thanks. Got some big news I need to share with everyone." James walks up to the projection screen as Tom, Chris, and Mike have a seat. Mitch, seated at his usual spot, glares at Tom for a bit, then looks at James. James shows Doctor Sergei Kozlov's picture on the screen. Chris rolls his eyes and says "Here we go..." James says "We've located Doctor Kozlov. He's operating out of this facility in Torino, Italy." Tom asks "Are we SURE this time? I mean, the last time we tried to chase him down, we walked into a trap and a guy almost went all Barry Bonds on my head." James says "I trust this informant. He's never betrayed me, it's rock solid." Tom nods his head. "Well, you're much more trustworthy than the last schmuck that told us Kozlov was found..." Tom glares at Mitch, who just looks at him blankly. James says "Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Anyway, I confirmed that he'll be at the warehouse Tuesday morning. We shouldn't face nearly as much resistance as the last time, but we'll need all hands on deck on this." Tom looks at Mitch again. "Yeah, that means you'll be on coffee duty. We need to be sharp before we go out on this mission." Mitch shakes his head, but says nothing. James says "Tom, that'll be enough." Tom looks back at James and holds up his hands. "That's fine. I just had to beat on the pinata a bit. I find if I don't, I get a little crabby." James doesn't look amused. "Anyway, I'll make sure you get copies of the mission details..." Tom points at Mitch. "Excuse me, we have a man that handles that for us..." Mitch stands up. "Oh, kiss my ass, you..." Tom stands up and looks face-to-face with Mitch. "What are you going to do, coward?" James yells "THAT'S ENOUGH! I'll get the copies. Tom, come talk to me now!" Tom stares Mitch down a bit before walking away with James.
Tom walks in James' office and goes to sit down, but turns around quickly when he hears James slam the door behind him. James, incensed, asks "What the HELL was that back there?" Tom shrugs. "Sorry, I get a little ornery when I'm surrounded by the smell of rat." James walks behind his desk. "Haven't you heard of innocent until proven guilty?" Tom throws his hands up. "Like luring us into a deathtrap in Spain and almost getting my head bashed in ISN'T EVIDENCE ENOUGH?" James finally sits down in his chair. "That's not the point. There's an investigation...what, do you think if you prod him enough, he'll do something that'll get him fired? He CAN'T BE FIRED unless the committee finds evidence of wrongdoing, remember?" Tom leans back. "I know. It's just...I can't let him go through the rest of his career here without being reminded of how much of a jackass he is, whether it's 'proven' or not. Besides, it was you that first raised doubts about him in the first place. Why are you backing off him now?" James shakes his head. "I'm not backing off, I'm saying there's a process, and irritating the man at any chance you get isn't going to speed things up. The man is already dying a slow death inside because of the menial tasks he has to do." Tom looks down at his shoes. "I'll admit that my behavior in there was unprofessional, especially since I had to interrupt you at times to insult him. But what did you think was going to happen if he was found to be a double? This?" James nods his head. "Look, I know it's a bad situation, but just show a little more professionalism in the future. Just because you used to like to get in the gutter in the gangs you dealt with in the Anti-Cartel doesn't mean you have to go down the gutter with your own team." Tom looks at James with a bit of a blank stare. "Got it. Anyway, where is the CIA on their investigation of Mitch?" James shrugs. "Vandenburg doesn't tell me anything about that. I have no idea." Tom nods his head. "I see. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, how have you been holding up?" James smirks a bit. "I'm ok." Tom says "You loved Emma. Were I in your shoes...I don't know how I'd react." James stands up. "I honestly hope you don't to experience that." Tom stands up as well, but thinks for a bit. "Something I've been thinking about...when you were doubled, why weren't we called to handle things?" James, walking to his office door, says "Unfortunately, Emma's death was made public, and the CIA is doing their best to make sure this division stays completely off the radar. Plus, one of the teams that raided SD-6 was lying dormant, so they figured this would be a good mission for them." Tom nods his head and gives James a light slap on the shoulder. "Well, you've been a fair boss, so I'm glad you're doing ok." James smiles. "Thanks. Keep kicking ass out there. And ease up on Mitch." Tom gives James a little salute as he walks out the door.
June 5, 2003
Towson, MD- Outside Tom's apartment
We see Tom just sitting in his car, thinking. He looks up the stairs that leads to his apartment and starts thinking about what kind of anger and malice Kate will throw at him when he walks in later that night. Tom then pulls out his wallet and looks at a wallet picture of Tom and Kate at their high school prom. He smiles when he sees how happy they were, then he shakes his head. "Things were much simpler back then." Tom then flips the picture over to see a family picture of Tom's parents with Karen and Eddie in the portrait. We see Tom's dad with his hands on the shoulders of the pre-teen Karen while Mary held up Eddie, who was just a toddler at the time. Tom nods his head. "Yeah. The happy times. Too bad I wasn't born yet to experience them." Tom then pulls out his phone and dials a number. On the other end, Karen picks up. "Tom?" Tom says "Hey Karen. I've thought about your proposal earlier." Karen says "The funeral's going to be 5..." Tom cuts her off. "You know, you always loved your dad. You had a bond with him, a relationship. I never did, and neither did Eddie. So, I got to thinking...since you were the apple of his freaking eye, why are you running to me for help? Why should it be my responsibility?" Karen says "He's YOUR father too, Tom!" Tom shakes his head in the car. "No. I never had a father. Grandpa Ed was more of a father to me than my biological father ever was." Karen starts to cry again. "Tom, please don't do this..." Tom says "I'm not contributing a single cent to his burial, and there's nothing you can do or say that will make me change my mind." Karen slams her hand on the table. "WHAT?" Tom says "He's been dead to me for all my life. Why should I give a crap on how he's sent out of this world? He made his choices in life, and I wasn't among them. So, screw him." Karen clenches her fist. "IF YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR FATHER, YOU'RE TURNING YOUR BACK ON ME!" Tom raises his eyebrows. "Oh, now, there's that daddy abandonment logic coming into focus. Well, you know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Your father had no problem abandoning me, and I see you have no problem with it either. How cute." Karen, now sobbing, mutters among the tears "Damn you, Tom. Damn you." Karen then hangs up the phone. Tom hears the phone click. He just shakes his head a bit as he closes his phone up and drives off for work.
Edgewood, MD- Outside CIA Dark Cover
We see Tom driving down the abandoned warehouse district like he did the day before. As he approaches the second-to-last turn into CIA Dark Cover, he spots Chris parked where he should be. Tom, through a two-way radio, says "Ok, the green car four lengths behind me. Chris, pull in behind him. Mike, as soon as I drive by, cut the bastard off." We hear Mike and Chris both acknowledge Tom's message as Tom makes the turn. Tom slows down a bit just making sure the guy is following, which he is. Tom then speeds up and makes a quick right. Just then, we see Chris pull behind the guy as he speeds up a bit...until he's stopped by Mike's car cutting him off. From around the corner, Tom runs up to Paul Polson's car with a gun and has it pointed at him. Paul throws his hands up. Tom screams "GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW! HANDS OUT!" Paul opens the door and exits slowly. Tom looks over at Mike. "Check this stalker for weapons." Mike gives him a hard pat down and finds no weapons on Paul. Tom then reaches over and flips Paul around so he can look him in the eyes. "Who the hell are you working for?" Paul, nervously, says "I...I'm just a private investigator." Tom, with his gun still pointed at him, says "FOR WHO?" Paul thinks for a bit, then says "Your wife." Tom lowers his gun, then drops it in shock. "Kate has been tracking me? For what?" Paul says "No, first of all, you have to tell me who it is you work for." Tom grabs Paul by the throat. "You're in no position to be making demands! I'll ask again, why is Kate tracking me?" Paul says "Please let me go, and I'll tell you." Tom eases off his grip, then steps back and folds his arms, awaiting what Paul has to say. Paul says "She heard you a few months ago talk about this Nadia person..." Tom squints his eyes, confused. "How? I don't mention that name around her ever." Paul says "She overheard a conversation you and Mike had at Chris's barbecue." Tom looks over at Mike, who just shrugs. Tom looks back at Paul. "Nadia was a colleague of mine who was transferred to a different department. She had just informed me that we wouldn't be working together very much anymore. Yeah, I was attracted to her, but I never, EVER, laid a finger on Nadia sexually. Mike can vouch for that, he was there with me." Paul looks over at Mike, who gives him a head nod. Paul looks over. "Well, she was still suspicious. I had a woman at the Terrapin Tavern a couple months ago try to seduce you and I determined by your interactions with Nancy that you still faithful." Tom smiles. "Well, has it taken you four months to come to that conclusion just now?" Paul says "I know you are not Baltimore cops. So does Kate." Tom raises his eyes. "WHAT? When did you tell her this?" Paul says "Right after Nancy tried to seduce you." Tom turns and starts to pace. "So, this is why she's been so rigid towards me all this time." Paul asks "I've been following you trying to figure out what it is you do. So far, I've deduced from the places you've been and your actions that you're either gang related or are feds." Tom looks at Chris, then at Mike. Tom then looks back at Paul. "Here's what we're going to do now. After you leave here, you're going to tell my wife that your informant didn't have all the facts about me. As part of my undercover duties, we're not listed on any searchable police roster database. And that will be the end of your investigation. Otherwise, well, I'm sure you have some skeletons in your closet that you don't want dug up, and we're not the kind of people to mess with if you have skeletons in your closet." Paul thinks for a bit, then nods. "So, you're feds. Let me see your badges." Chris asks "Why should we do that, so you can rat us out?" Paul shakes his head quickly. "No! I just want to be sure for my own purposes. I'll tell Kate everything you told me to tell her, just don't go digging into my work, ok?" Tom looks over at Chris and nods his head, then over at Mike with a headnod. Tom reaches into the pocket of his dress shirt and pulls out his CIA credentials. Mike and Chris do the same. Paul looks at them and nods. "Alright, I'm sorry I bothered you." Paul starts getting into the car, but Tom reaches and holds the door open. Paul looks at Tom as he leans in. "If you deviate even just a LITTLE from what I told you to tell Kate, I'll make sure that, not only do you go to prison for what you've done, but you're put in a cell with Bubba the Plumber. And you'll know really quickly why they call him...'The Plumber.'" Paul nods his head quickly. Tom lets go of the car door. Chris gets in his car and backs out so Paul can back out and leave. Tom looks over at Mike, who's clutching his stomach and looking a little in pain. "You alright?" Mike looks up and nods. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just ate something bad, I think. It'll pass." Tom nods. Mike watches Paul drive off in the distance. "Well, there goes one rat." Tom nods his head. "That still leaves us with our other rat problem. Part of me almost wishes we could take Mitch with us to Torino...maybe he'll try to jump ship or...maybe step in front of a bullet." Mike shakes his head. "Tom, the situation is being handled..." Tom cuts him off. "I'm tired of seeing his face. I want him to either jump or be gone. The wheels of justice are turning too slowly." Mike shrugs. "Why would you want him to jump?" Tom smiles. "Because he's worthless if he's outside of earshot from me. I just want to see him try to bail on us!" Before Mike can respond, Tom walks off to get in his car.
Baltimore, MD- Tom's apartment
We see Kate on the phone with someone in the kitchen. She appears to be really into her conversation until she jumps when Tom flings the front door open. Kate tells whoever is on the phone "Let me call you back." Tom slams the door behind him as Kate asks "What is it?" Tom storms up to Kate and gets in her face. "HOW COULD YOU?" Kate screams back "What?" Tom, his face now getting red, says "You hired a private investigator to track me since February?" Kate walks away from Tom, but stops at the dining table. "I thought you were cheating on me." Tom starts pacing towards the living room. "How the hell could you even think that? We've been with each other for so long, I've never betrayed our marriage...ever." Kate turns around and says "It was all this stuff with you and this Nadia person. Plus, everything about you is a giant secret and I'm getting tired of it! I just wanted to know who the hell my husband is!" Tom relaxes a bit, but still looks a little tense. "I'm Tom, your husband, that boy you fell in love with in high school in Bunker, Missouri. That hasn't changed." Kate looks down disappointed and shakes her head. "Paul called me today. He told me that you were a cop after all, but because of the undercover nature of your job, you're not on any roster sheets." Tom closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. He then casually walks up to Kate and puts his hands on her shoulders. "Kate, what else could I be?" Kate laughs a bit. "Honestly, I thought you were in illegal crime for a while." Tom looks down and nods. "I know our frugal lifestyle doesn't help matters, but I'm 5...maybe 7 years away from retiring. I promise to you, after I retire, there will be no more secrets." Kate starts to cry, causing Tom to be concerned. "What is it?" Kate looks up at Tom. "I..." Kate walks away to the living room and sits on the couch. Tom walks over to Kate. "What is it, babe?" Kate, with her face in her hands, says "I'm pregnant." Tom raises his eyes a bit. "Oh...wow..." Kate says "I'm two weeks in." Tom thinks for a bit, then closes his eyes. "That night we got drunk while we watched Spider-Man." Kate says "Yeah. Anyway, I'll get an abort..." Tom puts his hand over her mouth. "Kate, do you want the child?" Kate looks up through her tears. "Yeah, but I know you don't want children until you're retired." Tom sits back and thinks for a bit. After a while, he looks over to Kate. "Let's have it." Kate's eyes light up. "Really?" Tom nods and looks down at the ground. "You've been ready for a while and it's been too selfish on my part to keep you from having our first child. At this point, I'll at least be there for him or her through grade school. I think that's fair." Kate smiles and kisses Tom on the cheek. "Oh thank you!" Tom looks back over at Kate and gives her a peck on the lips. Tom then stands up. "I have to get ready for my work function." Kate now looks confused. "Where are you going?" Tom says "I thought I told you...oh well, I have a conference in New York. I should be back in a day, maybe two." Kate smiles and says "Ok. Be safe." Tom nods his head and says "Always" before walking into the bedroom. We see Kate bury her head in her hands. "Oh God, what do I do now?"
Edgewood, MD- CIA Dark Cover
James is sitting his office going over a file when he gets a call on his desk phone. He picks up. "Hello?" On the other line, we see Mike sitting on the floor of his bathroom looking very much worse for the wear. "James, it's Mike." James gets a look of concern hearing Mike's strained voice. "Mike, are you alright?" Mike shakes his head. "No, I'm sicker than a dog." James nods his head. "Yeah, you mentioned something about that how your stomach was feeling queasy." Mike says "Yeah, and I'm no better today. In fact, I feel a lot worse. I wanted to talk to you about the mission today….." James cuts him off. "The only place you're going today is the hospital. I'll get someone to drive you there." Mike shakes his head. "I've never missed a mission that I was set to go on, and I don't want Tom to know I'm sick." James shrugs. "Why? I'm sure he'd understand." Mike says "Just, please don't tell him I'm sick." James nods his head. "I'll think of something. Get well, ok?" Mike nods. "Yeah, I will. Sorry, James." James shakes his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. I'll see you later." James hangs up as Mike starts to gag a bit. He springs up to the toilet bowl and proceeds to throw up again.
Meanwhile, down in Storm Crew headquaters, we see the team gearing up to go. Well, everyone except Mike. Tom looks down at his watch. "Damn, where the hell is Mike? He's never late." James suddenly walks in. "Tom, I need a word with you." Tom walks out as the rest of the team gets ready. Tom follows James halfway up the stairwell. James stops and turns to Tom. "I had to task Mike to track someone at the last minute, so he's not going to be available for this mission." Tom looks dumbfounded. "What? We're ready to roll!" James says "The CIA is still worried about me going out into the field after what happened to me a few months ago and Mike was the only one available to go on this mission." Tom looks down and nods his head. "So, that's going to leave us shorthanded." James says "We can abort if you feel you don't feel confident enough." Tom looks down at his feet, then gets an evil smile on his face. "There's a field we have to cross to get to the facility." James shrugs. "Yeah, and?" Tom looks up. "There could be landmines. We need a scout to lead us across that field. I say we take Mitch." James raises his eyebrows. "What? Tom, that's madness!" Tom shakes his head. "Wouldn't it be a shame if he stepped on a landmine or got caught by a stray bullet?" James shakes his head, but smirks a bit. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Tom laughs. "Yeah, right. Anyway, we've kept him cooped up for a while. Let's see if he tries to run." James shakes his head. "It's your call. Good luck out there." Tom nods walks back into Storm Crew headquarters. As he walks in, he yells out to the team "Mike has been reassigned, so we're changing some things around. Jacob, you're no longer going to scout. That will be Mitch's job." Chris lets out a loud "WHAT?" Tom looks over at Chris, then at Mitch, who has a shit-eating grin. "Oh, I'm sure Mitch wouldn't run out on us...would you?" Mitch just glares at Tom with that shit-eating grin and says nothing. Tom gets in Mitch's face and whispers. "If you want to run, go for it. You're worthless to them without me around. Let's just...hope...you don't catch any friendly fire out there before you do bail out." Mitch's smile disappears as Tom walks away. Tom finishes loading his bag and looks out at the rest of the team, who appears ready to go. "Alright, it's showtime. Let's roll." Tom walks out and the rest of the team follows.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
Everyone is gathered around a couple of seats, where Tom and Chris are sitting. Tom's looking at the building schematics. "I hate to say it, but this mission might play out similar to the Cordoba mission a few months ago." Chris says "Well, this time we're going to succeed!" Eddie nods. "Yeah we are! There's less of them this time." Tom looks at Eddie. "There's also less of us. Mike is out and Mitch isn't getting a gun." Mitch looks surprised. "What? Then why the hell did I come on this mission?" Tom glares at Mitch. "You'd rather be back at Dark Cover making coffee?" Mitch shakes his head. "Well, no, but…." Chris stands up. "But what, rat? Spit it out!" Mitch just walks away angrily. Chris shakes his head. "Tom, this was not a good idea to bring him with us." Tom looks at Chris. "He's insurance." Chris shrugs. "Insurance for what?" Tom smirks. "He'll be nothing more than a shield out there. He'll lead the way across the field, in case they planted landmines. He'll kick open the doors in case there's an army standing behind. After that, well, to be honest, I don't care what he does." Charlie asks "Why? He's got the investigation going." Tom shakes his head. "Guys, I'm tired of seeing him. I want him gone. If he were to die in this mission or if he ran away, I wouldn't care." Eddie says "You'd actually WANT him to run to the Covenant?" Tom nods. "Yeah, because what value is he to them if he's not within earshot of me? Think about it." Chris shakes his head. "We really should have killed him in Cordoba when we had the chance." Tom smirks. "Well, I was overruled on that. But, after tomorrow, hopefully he's dealt with." Jacob asks "So, what's the plan once we get inside?" Tom looks at other mission notes. "Well, according to this, we should still see a force of between 50 and 60. I say we do the same thing as the Cordoba mission. Put up interference while another team goes up to get the doctor." David says "We don't know where everyone's going to be until we get there, though." Tom nods. "You're right. We'll play it by ear, then. But Plan A is to execute the same thing we did in Cordoba. My team will go up for the doctor this time." The rest of the team nods. Tom closes up the file. "Alright guys, get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a hell of a day."
June 6, 2003
Torino, Italy- Just outside of town
The sun rises in the east as we see a humvee and a van pull up to the side of a road. We see the Storm Crew team pour out. Everyone suits up with a vest and earpiece as well as their guns of choice, except for Mitch, who doesn't get a gun. After everyone suits up, Tom yells out "Alright, let's gather around!" The team, much like in Spain a few months earlier, circles around Tom. "Gentlemen, you all were in Spain a few months ago, when we literally walked into the mouth of hell, only to come away empty handed. Well this time, your efforts will not be in vain." Tom points behind him to a lone building that backs up to a mountain. "Well, today, we put the pedal to the metal and put an end to Project Alloy ONCE AND FOR ALL!" The team roars its approval. Tom holds his hand up and the rest of the team follows. "As always, it's my pleasure to lead you into battle once again. May there be many more." The rest of the team nods, with the exception of Mitch. Tom nods as well, rears back, and yells "STRENGTH AND HONOR!" The rest of the team takes their cue and yells out "STRENGTH AND HONOR!" After everyone calms down, David says "You should be able to just kick in the door this time. I'll be in your ears to let you know what's coming where." Tom reaches over and pats David on the shoulder, then turns away to join the rest of his team. "Alright guys, follow Mitch across the field." Mitch looks at him suspiciously. "Why me?" Tom smirks. "There might be landmines and we want to make sure we don't get blown up on the way in." Mitch rolls his eyes as Tom turns to the rest of the team. "Everyone, follow behind in single-file formation. Mitch, start walking." Mitch turns and starts walking across the field and the team follows.
Parts unknown
Elena gets a phone call. "Avian?" Avian, from inside a building, says "They're coming. Right through the front." Elena smiles. "Good. Is everything in place?" Avian looks down at a cloned body of Mitch. "Yes. I'll let you know if they take the bait. Mitch is also with them." Elena hangs up the phone and walks over to a window and looks out. "This is going to be a good day."
Torino, Italy- Covenant facility
The team reaches the front doors, which look like they've been there since the place was built about a century ago. Tom looks back at Mitch. "Mitch, kick down this door." Mitch cocks his head. "What? Why me?" Tom smiles. "Just do it." Mitch nods his head. "So, if there's a couple guys waiting for me on the other side, they'll be ready to send me to hell." Tom points a gun at Mitch. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it right now without the games. I'm not like you. Now, kick down the door." Mitch holds up his hands. "Ok! Ok!" Tom lowers his gun as Mitch gives the doors a front kick. They fly open. Much to Mitch's relief, there's no one on the other side. Through their earpieces, David says "Uh, guys? Either the infrared satellite is broken or..." Tom puts his finger to his earpiece. "Or what?" David says "Or there's not very many people here. Maybe 25 max. I read one lone signature on the third floor...and the rest are concentrated on floor two, off to the back. No one on floor one, four, or five that I can see." Tom smiles. "Well, looks like this might just be an easy mission after all." Tom looks out as his team. "Alright, just like Spain, you guys fight off the forces in the second floor. I'll go upstairs myself to get the doctor." The rest of the team nods. Tom says "Ok, go on up." The rest of the team rushes in and makes for the left stairwell, which leads to the second floor. Tom follows behind them up the stairs. As they trot up the stairs, David says "They're all concentrated down the hallway to the left when you get up there. Focus on the far rooms." When the team reaches the second floor, Tom keeps going up the stairs to the third.
Chris, taking lead on the second floor, says "Tread carefully, guys. Be prepared for anything." The team creeps down the hallway, ignoring the first two rooms. Mitch, hanging back, notices the door cracked open on the first room to the right. As the team creeps forward, Mitch quickly scurries to that room. Mitch enters and closes the door gently and sees Avian. Mitch looks down and gets a look of shock as he sees a copy of his body lying next to Avian. The body is fully dressed in the clothes that looks like what Mitch is wearing and has a bullet in the neck. Avian says "Hello, Mitch. Ready to go?" Mitch, a little freaked out at the body, says "Uh...yeah..." From outside the door, we hear Eddie say "Yo, where's Mitch?" Avian fires a gun at the ceiling and points over to the door to his right. "Quick, follow me!" Mitch follows Avian through the door. As that door closes, we see Eddie and Charlie walk in to see cloned Mitch lying on the floor, apparently dead. Eddie turns away for a bit, then gets on his coms. "Guys, Mitch is dead. He took a bullet to the neck." Before anyone can respond, we start to hear gunfire. Chris, through the earpiece, says "Get out here! It's an ambush!" Eddie and Charlie run out to join the gunfight.
In the adjacent room, Avian calls Elena on his phone. "Ok, Mitch is with me, they took the bait. Mitch says Tom went upstairs by himself." Elena, now very happy, says "Alright, get out of there." Elena then gets on the phone again. We see a man in a very large room answer. In a thick Russian accent, he says "Is this a go?" Elena says "Yes. Is it set?" The man says "Yes. It's been my pleasure to serve you." Elena smiles. "You've been a good clone." Elena hangs up as we see the man wrap a white cloth around his mouth.
On the third floor, we see Tom perched behind a door. He gets on his coms. "David, is there still a heat signature on the other side of this door?" David says "Yes, he's stationary in the middle of the room." Tom nods as he flings the door open to find a VERY large room with nothing except stone pillars about three stories tall and a man sitting in a chair with his hands behind the chair and his mouth covered with a white cloth. Tom gets back on his coms. "Uh, David? This place was supposed to have five floors, right?" David grabs a blueprint. "Yeah, why?" Toms says "Something about this stinks. The room I just walked into has to be at least three stories tall...and I don't think there's any floors above this." David scrambles for a bit, looking at his computer systems. "Uh, I don't know what to say...is there anyone else in there?" Tom looks at the doctor. "No, just Doctor Kozlov. He's sitting right out here in the middle...I don't like this." Tom starts to walk away, then shakes his head. "Wait, I'm overthinking this." Tom looks out across the room for traps. He doesn't see any. Tom smiles. "Well, I guess some missions were just meant to be easy, I guess." Tom sets his gun down and starts running across the room.
We see Avian and Mitch running out towards of the back of the building. Mitch slips on the marble floor. Avian keeps running ahead of him, then stops when he realizes Mitch isn't with him. He looks back and sees Mitch getting to his feet.
Back on the third floor, Tom notices the doctor looking panicked as Tom gets closer. Tom grins and says "You're coming with...WHOA!" Tom is cut off when he trips over a clear line of wire that he did not see earlier. As he hits the ground, he hears a loud "BEEP!" and thenfeels the ground underneath him rumble violently. And then...
BOOM!
Tom hears the explosion off to his right. As he looks over that way, he hears another BOOM! Another explosion goes off ahead of him, taking the cloned doctor with him. Tom hears the screams of his teammates in his earpiece...followed by static. Still on the ground, Tom starts to crawl forward a bit, but looks up and starts to see the roof start to fall. Tom, seeing there's little he can do now, puts his left hand behind his head. Tom closes his eyes...then opens them really quickly and screams in piercing pain as a large section of a stone pillar from the right side comes crashing down on his back and right arm. The rest of the roof debris appears to fall around him.
From the outside, David jumps out of the van to see the explosion, which has completely sliced the building in half from the back diagonally from the left corner to the front right corner. We hear him trying his earpiece. "TOM! CHRIS! ANYONE?" When he hears nothing, we start to see tears well up a bit before he wipes them away and gets into the van and drives off.
Meanwhile, from the back of the building, we see Avian patting down Mitch, trying to put out a fire. When the fire is out, we see Mitch's singed face for a bit before he gets up and runs off with Avian.
After the dust settles a bit, we see Tom pinned under the pillar. Despite being in great pain, he tries to move with his left hand from underneath, but to no avail. Tom coughs up a bit of blood and looks up to the sky. He mutters "What...have I...done?" Tom then passes out from the pain to end the episode.
NEXT EPISODE: MADE OF METTLE
