Covert Affairs (2010–2014): Season 1, Episode 7 - Communication Breakdown - full transcript

Good morning.

Stupid lnternet.

What's with the Four Seasons
breakfast spread?

Taking pictures
for my catering site.
Don't touch.

Mmm.

Sorry. I didn't know.

It doesn't matter.
It takes, like, 200 pictures
to get anything worth using.

And now I can't upload.

How am I supposed
to start a business?

You don't have to get
everything to work instantly.

I know. It's just
every other mom
in the play group



works at least part-time.
Now, with Michael
out of work...

He knows you're trying.

And "super mom" is
not an easy job.

Mmm, but if you're going
to do this breakfast thing,

do you think you can
get fresh squeezed?

Because this OJ
from concentrate
tastes like sand.

Wait. Don't move.

That's the perfect light.
Oh!

Okay, ready?

Mommy, Elmo went away.

Cable's out.

You know, I don't know
if you've heard,

but most of the civilized
world went hi-def
a few years back.

I never claimed
to be civilized.



Plus, I haven't had much use
for a new TV lately.

Well, you may not,
but I want to watch
myself in 1080p

when that call
from Charlie Rose comes in.

What makes me think that
that's only going to happen

when I'm on trial
for espionage?

Oh, silly Auggie.

You're not the only person
I know at the ClA.

Just the only one
you're sleeping with.

Or maybe not.

You know
it's just you.

Mmm-hmm.

And the others are...

Just sources.

Sources?
Mmm-hmm.

I'm not a source.

You're a source
of happiness.

Do we have time?

Don't they call in
the cavalry when you
miss work? Mmm.

Not if I call in.

Cable's out. Phone's out.

It's not the 13th
already, is it?

Yeah. Why?
I've got to go.

Joan, hear me out.

There was a metro-wide
communications
shutdown today.

No cable, no lnternet,
no cellular network,

and I bet the satellite array
was down for 10 minutes.

That's classified.
It was more like 15.

This was not an accident.
I guarantee you.

There is a hacker out there
somewhere who is trying
to make a name for themself.

The Datatech Conference
starts today.

You've got to send me in.

There's a briefing in 10.
Signals lntelligence
is running point.

I'm going in?
You're going in.

Has anyone ever told you
you look amazing
in that color?

Why do I have the feeling
you're about to?

What do you call
that color, anyway?

Um... Blue.

Well, blue
really suits you.

Briefing time, kids.
You do not want
to miss this one.

Why are you so happy?
I'm going to Datatech.

Data what?

Datatech. It's a computer
security conference.

It's like Comic-Con
for nerds.

Isn't that
just Comic-Con?

Oh, har.

A couple of years ago,
some National
Security genius

decided it would be
a good idea to sit down
with the black-hat types.

Now, twice a year,
a thousand hackers
converge on Washington,

and a thousand
law-enforcement types
pick their brains,

and in many cases,
hire them.

What...
And this has him
wound up because...

He's a dork.

And it was his cover.

Oh, and it will be again.

This morning,
a well-coordinated
cyber attack

took down several
communication systems
in the D.C. area.

It also briefly disrupted
our secure satellite link.

The hack is reminiscent
of a 2007 event

that temporarily
disabled phone service
to the Pentagon.

But this one takes advantage
of a security flaw
we've never seen before.

The Pentagon
believes that select
government servers

may be susceptible
to this hack.

Isn't cyber-crime
FBl territory?

Cyber-crime is.
Cyber-terrorism is not.

Everyone's going to
want a piece of this one.

Spy agencies, terror groups,
organized crime...

So, who do we think
did the hack?

We've been analyzing
the code, and a familiar
name has popped up.

Wow. You're going
to find this interesting.

What?

No.

No.

Natasha Petrovna...
Yes.

...appears to be
behind the attack.

What is it?

Natasha Petrovna
is my ex-girlfriend.

Natasha Petrovna,
born and raised
in Saint Petersburg.

Graduate degree
in computer security
from Lomonosov University.

Now, a member
of the Swedish-founded
Pirate Bureau.

A card-carrying anarchist.

Barber from Tech lntel
will fill you in.

Natasha was busted
two years ago

for illegally accessing
Department of Agriculture
servers.

She was demonstrating
a firewall hack.

There was
no further intent.

Uh, Justice Department
didn't think so.

She just spent two years
at Danbury Women's
Correctional Center.

I'm well aware.

That's where Martha Stewart
did her time.
That's pretty good company.

It seems that Miss Petrovna
is back to her old ways.

The infection vectors
from this morning's hack
were classic Petrovna.

Elegant,
efficient and pointed.

That's Natasha,
all right.

Auggie, we're sending you
to Datatech

to reunite with Natasha
and negotiate
a consulting deal.

We're going
to pay her off?

We're the only
government agency
who can.

We'll go as high
as two million.

Natasha's father was
a political prisoner
under Brezhnev.

She hates the government.

If we try to pay her off,
she's only going
to stonewall us more.

Well, we've had
very good luck at
this agency using money

to get people to
re-examine their ideals.

Annie, you're going
to be his eyes.

Datatech is already underway.
There's not a moment to lose.

Joan? You know that
putting me on this mission
is a bad idea.

It's not going
to make Natasha
any more cooperative.

You're the one
who wanted back
into the field.

If we buy this tech,
she's going to learn
I'm ClA.

Yeah.

You're kidding.

Two years ago,
I can't say anything,

and now I'm just supposed
to announce that I'm a spy?

Look.

I know this isn't easy.

But you of all people
know how hard it is

to get a hold of
technology like this.

We really need this hack.

Hey. Before I forget,
I found some pictures of you
up on the lnternet.

What, so you've got an
Annie Walker Google alert now?

Are you cyber-stalking me?

Actually, Personnel
sent me the link.

They'd like you
to take them down
for security purposes.

Oh.

But I do like this one.

Auggie,
are you ready to go?

I guess. I've got to
stop at home and change.
Can you drive?

How serious was it
with this Natasha girl?

We had fun.

Because you're
the good-time guy.

What's that?

Nothing.

Solo board game?

Don't touch that.
I'm playing an lnternet game
with a girl from Brazil.

Well, at least I think
she's a girl.

At least I think
it's Brazil. You ready?

Where did you
get that? 1986?

Datatech has something
of an unofficial dress code.

You can always tell
the type of person
you're dealing with

based on their look.

Hackers are the ones
in T-shirts with no sense
of personal hygiene.

The more employable variant
is the security consultant,

whose workplace-required
collared shirts usually
feature short sleeves,

so they can show off
their body art

in defiance of the
corporate overlords.

Blue jackets and khakis
are always law enforcement.

The Bureau has never been
known for their subtlety.

What about $1,000 suits
and silk ties?

Europeans. They never
really got nerd fashion.

The FBI does not
like to comment on
ongoing investigations.

But in general,
I can tell you
that we are in...

Who are these guys
on stage?

Used to be
FBl's most wanted.

Now, they're
Datatech celebrities.

...you asked about.
The copyright holder
is a US corporation...

Doesn't it strike you as odd
how many criminals are able
to just exist here?

Not exist, thrive.

This is the Wild West
of the information age.

You think Billy the Kid
and Pat Garrett

didn't sit down
for a sarsaparilla
once in a while?

Does that
answer your question?

My question is
for Mr. Phillips.

How can the FBI defend the
warrantless wiretap program

while at the same time
claiming a need for secrecy

to avoid the Freedom
of Information Act?

Shouldn't access
go both ways?

Well, first,
you have to remember that...

Natasha, right?
Yeah.

...at the time,
the warrantless
wiretap program

had been authorized
by a federal judge.

The purpose for the...
She's pretty.

...is not,
as people think...
Yeah.

...Iistening in on
everyone's phone calls.

We were trying to catch
some very real bad guys...
Are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine.
...by tapping into
their phones.

That was just one
of the few methods
that we used to...

She's talking
to the Europeans.

It doesn't seem friendly.

They're probably offering
her money, as well.

Then, we should change
our strategy.

Yeah.

Take me over there.
Wait.

What?

She's right in front of you.

Hold up, Tash.

Didn't see that coming.
You should have.

Do you know what I've been
through the last two years?

No, I meant
because I'm blind.

Huh?

Oh, I'm...

I'm so sorry, Auggie.

No, it's not your fault.
I buried the lead.

How are you?

This isn't fair.

You can't come here
after what you did to me

and expect me to
feel sorry for you.

I don't want anyone
to feel sorry for me.
I just want to talk to you.

I sat there, Auggie.

I sat there at Kinkead's
waiting for you,
and you never showed.

Two days later,
I was arrested by the FBl.
It was a hell of a week.

I can explain.
Don't bother.
I'm walking away now.

Tash, please.
I know you were behind
that hack today.

I want in.

Not here.

Who is she,
your seeing-eye dog?

Natasha, this is
my business partner,
Annie Walker.

Don't be fooled by his act.
He's a good hacker,
lousy boyfriend.

I can assure you
our relationship is
purely professional.

Define professional.

The kind of
professionalism that
can offer you $2 million.

I can't believe you don't
know me well enough

to know I'm not interested
in money.

I have to ask
for my company.

Tell your company
they can have
my code tomorrow

when I release it wide
at noon.

No group, no person
should get to
control information

any more than they should
control all the world's
oil or food.

You know
that's simplistic, Tash.

There are groups in there
that want to de-stabilize
personal security,

government security...
It would be chaos.

I'll turn over my code
when your company releases
its copyrights.

That's not the kind
of company I work for.

What do you mean?

I'm ClA.

Always have been.

I'm sorry.
I couldn't tell you
until now.

Well, that could have
gone better.

So, Natasha was just
someone you had fun with
back in the day.

No.
Maybe I undersold
the relationship a little.

You think?

Four years ago,
I was breaking in my cover,
talking tech to random people.

So, I was in a Laundromat
in Adams-Morgan,

and Natasha was reading
Snow Crash while she waited
for her whites.

We dated a little
over a year.

And I wish I hadn't liked
that book so much.

So, you broke her heart.

I didn't want to.

I loved her.

I'm not buying it.

You don't break up
with someone you're
in love with.

You know what?
When you work at the ClA,
you do.

I put in for a close
and continuing
with a foreign national,

and the Agency told me
to cut off all contact.

Well, I can't imagine
they'd be too happy about you
dating a Russian anarchist.

Well, I knew
she was rebellious.

I just didn't know
how rebellious.

The FBl had her in a sting.

Which is why she thinks
you abandoned her.

I did.

All I wanted to do
was protect her,
and I couldn't.

We made contact.

Natasha was unresponsive
to our initial offer.

"Epic fail" would be
a better term.

Told you she hated me.

Auggie, she doesn't
hate you. If anything,
she still loves you.

You don't get that
passionate about someone
if you don't love them.

Ah.

Dude, a blind guy
works here.

Don't rearrange
the furniture.

Sorry about that.
I've got it.

Natasha's
going to release
the hack tomorrow.

Everyone at the
conference knows.

Yeah. And everyone
at that conference
will know

how to do major
damage immediately.

All right.
So, this needs
to happen fast.

Auggie, you're going back
in there tomorrow.

Am I the only one
paying attention here?

Natasha won't negotiate
with me.

Guys, can we have the room?

Auggie. You know this.
People can be turned
for three reasons.

Money, patriotism or love.

I'm not sure
she loves me anymore.

This isn't about her feelings.
It's about yours.

If you do still care
for Natasha,

then you know that
what I'm asking you to do
is the right thing for her.

Auggie?

Yeah.

Okay. I'm your man.

Oh, come on.

Rough day?

Like you read about.

How can working at a museum
be so stressful?

It's not the work.
It's the people.

One of my co-workers there,

I met his
ex-girlfriend today.

She is nothing at all
like I expected.

She's like

chaos in a bottle.

You sound jealous.

Hardly.
I feel sorry for her.

I think this guy's
more of a player
than I originally thought.

So now you take
an interest?

No, it's just...

He's definitely sleeping
with someone he hasn't
told me about.

You know when you think
you know someone,

and then you find out they
have this whole other life?

This is really good.

Speaking of which,
check this out.

Oh.

I know you're going
to hate me,

but I need you to take
those photos down.

What? You know how hard
it was for me to get these.

I know. It's just...

I want the people at work
to think of me
as professional.

Do you have to knock over
everybody's sand castle?

The site isn't about you,
Annie. It's about food.

Um...
And not professional?

Uh...
Wow.

Fine.

Stupid computer.

Sorry. I'm almost ready.
There's fresh coffee
if you want some.

Well, I had a crappy night,
so I hope you're
in a better mood today.

Let's just get this
over with.

AUTOMATED VOlCE
Liza Hearn.

Liza Hearn.

Liza Hearn.

Liza Hearn.

Auggie, please tell me
that you're not so pissed
about this assignment

that you called Liza Hearn.

I didn't. I swear.

We're dating.

You're the leak.

Come on, Annie.
You know me better than that.

Do l?

Up until yesterday,
I had no idea you were...

I'm running an op on her.

I'm working her to
get to her source.

Does...
Does Joan know?

No. If she knew,
she'd farm it out.

According to the NCS,
I'm not fit for fieldwork.

You've got to report it,
Auggie.

This is the woman
who is trying to
destroy the Agency.

Why? So she can give it
to Jai?

James Bond was a lonely,
sad, old man.

What does that mean?

It means I can't believe
you're the kind of guy

who would exploit
a woman for intel.

What do you think
I'm supposed to do
with Natasha?

I'm here.

You happy?

Thank you for meeting me.

So, where is your
all-seeing ClA?

They're right here.

Tash, I know you don't have
any reason to trust me.

But you have to know,
I never wanted to
break up with you.

The ClA made me do it.

So, they control
your love life, too?

I'm not going to defend it.

Leaving you was
the hardest thing
I've ever had to do.

Wow. So, you're the victim.

Tash, I almost quit
the Agency.

When they told me
I couldn't see you again,

the only thing I could do
was get as far away
from here as possible.

I went to lraq,

and six months later,
I was blind.

We shouldn't be listening.

I know Auggie is a friend,
but today, he's an op.

He knows we're here.

He could be lying to her.

Blue blazers and khakis.
FBl's making a move.

Heads up, Auggie.
FBl, your three o'clock.

Tash, I don't want you
to freak out,

but we have FBl agents
across the street
coming this way.

What did you do?
I had nothing
to do with this.

But as long as you're with me,
they won't do anything.

If you walk away,
I can't protect you.

So, this isn't a negotiation.
You're here to dictate terms.

I want you to do
the right thing.

Sorry, Auggie.

Tash...

Tash!

Give me your hand.

Now! Now!

- Auggie?
- Tash?

Auggie?
Are you hurt?

Tash?

Tash!
Are you okay?

Are you okay?
Uh, yeah,
I'm fine.

Tash! Where did she go?

I don't see her.

What do you mean
she disappeared?

I pulled her away
from the car,
she let go of my hand,

and she was gone.

Okay.
So, what have we got?

Okay. Police found the SUV
abandoned at a bus stop
about a mile from the hotel.

Traffic cams photographed
these two.

Those are the guys
from the conference.

They were the ones
arguing with Natasha.

That's Alexander Markov
and Yuri Tretiak.

These guys are career
criminals with ties to
the RBN crime syndicate.

Makes sense.
Cyber-crime's evolving.
It's Mafia 2.0.

Damn it. Organized crime
is FBl territory.

Okay. Package up
what we have
and send it to them.

God, I hate playing
second chair.

What about Natasha?

The FBl are going to
have to deal with that
when they find her.

FBl? She's in danger.

She's not our problem anymore.

I told her
we'd protect her.

The Bureau is telling
everyone that ClA interfered
with an investigation.

We've played our cards.
It's over.

So, this is how it goes?
Natasha gets the screw again

because of an inter-agency
pissing match?

Boy, I love my job.

As a security professional,
I would advise you
to change the locks

after you dump a girl
who has your house key.

Jesus, Natasha.

Who was in the car?
What?

Was it ClA?

No, of course not.
It was the Russian mob.

Oh, God.

What did you do?

Before I lived here,
before I was Pirate Bureau,
in university in Moscow,

there were these guys.

They had flashy clothes,
lots of money.

At first,
it was nothing.

Translating bits of code
for them.

But then, they drew you in.
First, with money.
Then, with threats.

Ever since then,
everything I do,

they think they have
a piece of.

And they want you
to turn over the hack
only to them.

They feel they own me.

Own my code.

They said they would kill me
if I didn't turn it over.

When they saw me
talking with you...

Jesus, Tash.
You're in danger.
Let me take you in.

No. ClA got me into this.

Those mob guys will not stop
until they get the hack.

The ClA can protect you.

You act so self-righteous,
but what makes you different
from the mobsters?

You both want
to control the code
that I wrote.

You have to trust someone.

I trust the world.
That's why I want
to release the hack.

Trusting everyone is
the same as trusting no one.

Trust? Hmm.
It's not easy, Auggie.

And yet, you're here.

Maybe he's just hungover.
Sleeping it off.

This is a guy who is
never late for anything.

He knows the protocol.
Auggie would have called in.

So, what are you thinking?

Auggie?

Well, that's not Auggie's.

A train? Really?

Are you trying to make this
as annoying as possible?

Oh. Step.

You don't like being
stuck on the rails?

I remember us having
an amazing time on
the Metro to Crystal City.

We weren't running
for our lives.

We are now.

What do you mean
he's out of pocket?

Auggie's not
at his apartment,

and it looks like
Natasha Petrovna was.

Okay. I'm attempting to trace
the last known location
of his cell phone.

Don't bother.
It's right here.

Along with his keys
and his lD.

Anything we could use
to trace them is right here
in front of us.

Look, Auggie knows
what he's doing.

We're not going
to find them unless he...

DHS flags all cash
transactions for
transit tickets, right?

Yeah.

I need you guys
to check all the stores
around Auggie's apartment.

See if any of them activated
a high-value disposable
credit card last night.

Barber, are you there?

Yeah. I'm typing.

Oh, okay.
Okay, here we go.

The, uh, Gas-N-Sip
at 18th and Calvert

activated two $500 cards
last night at 1:16 a.m.,

and one of them was
used to buy tickets
on Amtrak 331 2

to Montreal this morning.

Find a table
near the middle.
I need to hear.

I still don't know
what you're looking for.

I'm looking for a passenger
with a NEXUS immigration
fast-pass card.

Digital documents are
easier to fake than paper.
Here?

I'll just hack
into the passenger manifest.
It will be so much easier.

What? No. Tash. Tash.
I don't need the data.
I need an actual card.

We'd be better
going bag to bag
to find the card.

What, and a blind guy
and a smoking hot
Russian girl

Iooking through other
people's bags wouldn't
attract any attention?

It's better than you trying
to divine a card using ESP.

So, are you going
to give me this hack?

Is that what this is?

You're playing me
to get my code for the ClA?

No, I'm trying to help you.

But I do still think
you'd be better off
entrusting it to the ClA

rather than everyone
in the world.

And for you?
Chef's special
with a side of back bacon.

All right.
And can I get
another serviette?

You bet.
Oh, and separate
receipts, please.

Yes.
That guy.
What is he wearing?

Green tie. Ugly shirt.

And what does that tell you?

He's a businessman
with no style?

No. He's a
Canadian businessman.

An American would have
ordered ham or Canadian bacon.

He ordered back bacon
and she asked for a serviette.

Take me over there
and follow my lead.

Excuse us, folks. We're
with the transit company's
hospitality department,

and we're conducting
a survey to try and improve
our level of service.

Would you mind answering
a couple of questions?

We'd be happy to.
Oh, great. Thank you.

Okay, first question.
On a scale from one to eight,

how would you rate your
travel experience thus far?

Next stop, Albany.

Eight.
Yeah. It's been great.

Wonderful.
I'm very happy
to hear that.

The FBl is stopping
the train at Albany.

I think Auggie wants us,
not the FBl, to find him.

How else do you explain
the Scrabble board
and the credit card scraps?

Those are breadcrumbs.

Or he could have
just been sloppy.

I think he's
running Natasha.

Or he's helping her
get to Canada.

Do you really think that?

Annie, you've only been here
for a few months.

How well do you
really know Auggie?

Okay. Regardless
of which one
of you is right,

we need to get to him
before the FBl does.

They're still furious at us
for losing Natasha.

I want you two
to follow this down.

Got it. We'll liaise
with the Albany office.

No. We're going
to keep this in-house.

Go to the airfield.

No sign of the girl?

I had my NEXUS card
when we got on the train.

Somebody must
have stolen it.

This has got ClA
written all over it.

Nice work.

What do you know?
You didn't see anything.

It sounded awesome.

The current generation
NEXUS immigration cards

have a flaw in the way
they were encrypted.

For some reason,
the designers left sequential
register scanning enabled.

If that's the case,
I can parse the
addressable memory

for the encryption key,
and we'll have full
read-write capabilities.

I love it
when you talk dirty.

How did you know
to switch trains?

I've been doing this
a long time.

Protocol makes
people predictable.

You used to be predictable.

Uh, no.

Yes. Yes.

Yes. You were so
buttoned down.

Such a white hat.

What happened?

Something unpredictable.

Smile.

You didn't break up
with me because
the Agency told you to.

Yes, I did.
I can show you the memo.

Oh, please, Auggie.
It's a notorious bureaucracy.

That memo probably came
after you dumped me.

Wow. I thought
I was kidding.

You were the one
who didn't want to
move to D.C.

You didn't want a family.
You didn't want kids...

Here we go.

Yes. Yes, Tash,
here we go.

You come in and talk to me
like I ruined your life.

But dating you wasn't easy.

So, why bother?
Because l...

Because I loved you.

Don't ask me
to explain it.

I didn't know
we had access to a jet.

Why don't we fly this
more often?

Because our title
isn't "Director."

We don't come back
with Auggie, don't count
on flying it again.

He wasn't on the train.
Neither was Natasha.

Look, I know what
you're thinking,

that I'm an asshole
for not trusting Auggie.

So, you're a bit
of a mind reader?

Look, as hard as it may be
for you to believe,
I do like Auggie.

But if I put
my personal feelings
ahead of analysis,

then I'm not doing my job.

I trust Auggie.

And I respect that.

But in our business,
we can't rely on trust alone.

If we're
wrong about Auggie...

I know I'm right.

Let's assume
you are right.

He's running Natasha.
It's still a huge breach
of protocol.

Wait. ClA protocol.

Always travel unpredictably.

Amtrak splits at Albany
to both Montreal and Toronto.

You think they
switched trains?

Yeah.

Do you trust me?

I'll go talk to the pilot.

Please remain
in your compartments

and have immigration documents
ready for Passport Control.

We will be coming
through the cabin.

Here you go.
Thank you.

We're in.

We already showed
our cards.

I'll get rid of them.

Tash. Wait. Wait!

Tash, talk to me.
How many?

How many?

Two!

Tash, hit the lights!
Hit the lights!

Auggie.

Auggie!

Tash?

Get dressed. Fast.
We're going to have to jump.

We're going to jump off
a moving train?

We're slowing down at Niagara-
on-the-Lake for coupling
to the Canadian system.

The FBl will jump on then.
We'll jump off.

Okay. The FBl will
start at the ends
and work their way in.

Do you see anybody
out there?

They're out there.
They're coming.
Good.

They can't set up
on the eastern side
because of the lake.

When you see the ops team
coming in the back door,
that's when we go.

I'm a big girl, Auggie.
I can take it from here.

Tash, I couldn't help
you before.

I am not abandoning
you now.

What if I told you
I couldn't give you the code,
if I didn't have it?

Would you still help me?

Yes.

Yes. I want to help you.

That's the answer
I wanted to hear.

This is the source code.

Everything you need
is right here.

I love you, Auggie.

Natasha!

Auggie?

Annie?

Where's Natasha?

Jai, don't worry.
I got the hack.

Told you.

Hey, did you guys get
to ride on the jet?

Where's the girl?

I didn't see anything.

I know what
you want to hear.

That I knew Natasha
had the hack the whole time
and I was just playing her,

working her like an asset
to get it back.

But the truth...

I don't know.

In order to be a good
operative, you need
to play on emotions.

And sometimes, that
means you have to
become emotional yourself.

Is that a compliment?
It is.

And just for variety,
here's a threat
to go along with it.

Don't ever do
what you did again.

Have you heard from her?

No.

No, I don't imagine
I'll ever talk to her again.

So...

Was it worth it?

I guess I am qualified
for fieldwork after all.

Speaking of which...

I assume you are
elliptically trying to

get me to talk
about Liza Hearn.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to get as much
information as I can, then
turn it all over to Joan.

And then,
I'm going to end it.

Okay?

It's okay with me
if it's okay with you.

I trust you.

Thank you.

You're not such
a bad sister, after all.

I'm sorry.

Let me see.
Let me see.

Okay, here. See,
look what you can do.