Madam Secretary (2014–…): Season 3, Episode 2 - The Linchpin - full transcript

Previously on Madam Secretary...

...he has lost the race. President Conrad
Dalton will be a one term president.

- Run as an independent.
- What?

Okay, my computer is officially
possessed. It keeps crashing.

I'll take it to the White House,
see if Oliver Shaw can fix it.

Someone was hacked into the webcam.

You should take this to the
FBI for further examination.

I said we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Like it was

a concerted, organized
effort to get the computer?

Where'd these come from?



I have no idea.

Someone is stalking our kids.

_

Have you seen the latest

Hizb Al-Shahid video?

Musée Du Tuareg?

Algeria?

Only a matter of time before they reach

the Monastery of St. Gabriel in Djanet.

It was built in the sixth century.

It survived for 1,500 years.

There are these statues

of the apostles carved right
out of the walls of the nave.

They are breathtaking.



And these...

There's got to be something we can do.

State has a... a program to
try and protect UNESCO sites,

but there's barely any funding.

But, uh, Jay has the program
portfolio in his office.

You can talk to him.

Wait, Jay has the portfolio?

That's great. Maybe you can
paper-cut them into submission.

For the record, I really
do care about this.

Even if I'm...

redirecting some of my anger
because of why we're here.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

I just wanted to personally
make sure that the Bureau

is linked in directly
with Diplomatic Security,

so there won't be any
communications glitches.

Thank you.

Any new threat information
will be immediately relayed

to your security detail
and that of your children.

They'll each have two agents, 24/7.

Kids are gonna love that.

Make me the bad cop if you want.

It's not a choice.

Until we figure out
who's threatening them,

it's a national security matter.

How long do you think it'll take?

Anonymous stalking cases

are always the hardest ones to game out.

But, uh, listen, I'm a dad, too.

Three girls.

So I promise you, we'll keep at it

till we find the sons of bitches.

- Thanks, Keith. - Thank you.
- Yeah.

- You bet.
- Thanks.

Oh, and, uh, we'll also
need all of your devices.

Phones, tablets, laptops.

We need to make sure
they're not compromised.

Wow.

Yeah.

Well, are we sure we need
to tell the kids about this?

I don't know.

Maybe we should soft-pedal it.

I'm all for the soft pedal.

- You sure you're good with that?
- You mean ethically?

Well, you're the religion professor.

Well, if it means we
don't terrify our kids,

then I'm happy to be off the clock.

Good. What exactly do we tell them?

"Routine security escalation"?

That's what Diplomatic Security told us.

With the upcoming election and all that.

Yeah, but you're not VP anymore.

But she's still got a pretty big job.

So is that why you
guys were out all night?

Partly.

- What was the other part?
- Look, it's no big deal.

Yeah, we'll each have a pair
of goons following us around?

They're not goons;
they're the same folks

that follow Mom everyplace.

They just are expanding their domain.

Just temporarily.

Very convincing, Mom.

Hashtag CIA training fail.

Okay, hashtag over hashtag jokes.

Well, if you need me,

I guess you can just,
uh, call my bodyguard.

- Ooh, maybe I'll have a cute one.
- Okay.

- Bye, girls.
- Love you, guys. Bye.

Jace, still need your phone.

You realize your obfuscation
is an insult to my intelligence?

Noted.

And, look, I get it if you don't want

to worry the girls,
but I... I got it, okay?

Good luck cracking the security code.

- Hey!
- Jason! Jace!

You're the one that
wanted to go for three.

Good morning, everybody.

- Good morning.
- Good morning, Madam Secretary.

Your Algeria remarks are
waiting for you on your desk.

Oh, thanks, Matt.

I'm sure they're
appropriately momentous.

Quite a healthy dollop

of momentousness, ma'am,

with a soupçon of
historic and extraordinary.

It's a big win, ma'am.

I'll say. The peaceful transfer of power

from a brutal dictator
to a popular moderate

promising free elections.

All while keeping a
roiling insurgency at bay

as Hizb Al-Shahid terrorists
set up shop in the south.

Hoping the headlines are
a tad snappier than that.

I'm just saying,

you don't see that every day.

Ambassador Curtis
deserves all the credit.

I just let him do his
thing, given his relationship

with President Haddad.

And where-where is Nadine?

She is on the phone
in her office, ma'am.

She waved me off like a thirsty fan boy

when I tried to wrangle her.

Does feel 20% less austere in here.

Hey.

Okay, is everything

on schedule for President
Haddad to go to Malta?

Ambassador Curtis will depart
for Algiers this morning.

He'll meet with Haddad to sign
the transfer of power accord,

then they'll fly to Valletta,

at which time Professor Kamel Arkoun

will be sworn in as the new president.

Seeds of democracy sown.

Well, let's hope they get plenty of...

- Sun.
- Yes, and...

Moisture.

- And love.
- Okay.

Uh, actually, Jay, um, Henry
might be calling you about

an ancient monastery in Djanet
that he's concerned about.

Does he know he should also be concerned

about our lack of budget
to actually do anything...

Madam Secretary, Ambassador
Curtis is on his way

to the White House to resign.

I thought he was on
his way to the airport

to save Algeria.

Yes, well, apparently, he's
more of a party loyalist

than anyone realized,

and he's furious with Dalton

- for declaring as an independent.
- Where did you get this?

His chief of staff is an old friend.

Ma'am, President Haddad
made it clear that

Ambassador Curtis is the only
reason he trusts this deal.

I am aware. Blake, motorcade, please.

Yeah.

Russell. What the hell?

It's called party loyalty.

If you ever belonged to
one, maybe you'd understand.

Here I thought loyalty
to country was enough.

Yeah. I stalled his
car at security gate,

but Roy Curtis is no shrinking violet.

I'm well aware.

Listen, I'm sorry about this
business with your family.

Thank you. I...

- Get the hell out of my way, Russell.
- Roy.

What a delightful surprise.

President knows I'm coming.

Ah, sadly, he had to
step in to a briefing.

Oh, he stepped in it, all right.

If he wants to blow me
off, then you can just

give him this.

Why don't we wait for the
president in my office.

I'll bust out the civet coffee.

Fine.

But caffeine just makes me angrier.

Henry.

Welcome to the Pentagon.

Hey, pal. They kick you
out of the White House

for drinking the president's coffee?

- Hey, that just happened once...
- Oh, right.

...and, uh, I needed the elbow room

to take down terrorist networks.

Black Dog Station. Ruff.

I can clear you for an access badge.

Takes five minutes.

Set you up with a desk.

How about I buy you lunch instead?

Memory serves, a touch of cream.

Isn't that right, Roy?

Charm just looks creepy on you, Russell.

What can we do

for you, Roy?

We share the same goals.

We want to make this right.

First rule of diplomacy:

gain trust.

I know your playbook, ma'am.

I wrote it.

And here we go.

Ah.

Thank you.

Mmm.

Madam Secretary, do you know
why civet coffee isn't bitter?

No, I don't.

Th-The beans are gnawed on

and digested by little
animals called civets,

but the bean's core is
too hard to digest fully,

so eventually they poop it out.

Farmers gather them.

Because the bitter outside
is already eaten away,

they don't need to be roasted too long,

preserving the natural sugar...

and complexity.

I always thought it was a
good metaphor for what I do...

getting foreign leaders to eat
a plate of crap and like it.

But I don't like eating it myself,

especially from my own president.

And I've been a party loyalist

for over 40 years, and
I intend to die one.

Dalton running as an independent
is the biggest case of

traitorism I've ever seen,

and I simply won't be a part of it.

Your job as a foreign
service officer is apolitical.

It's unethical for you
to let politics unravel

a vital deal that you
brokered on behalf of the...

You're damn right I
did, no thanks to you!

And Dalton.

And your new namby-pamby
softball vision

of foreign policy!

You think I sat in a circle with Haddad

and made friendship bracelets?

I got in his face; I told
him he'd lose a civil war,

get captured by an angry mob

that'd yank out his
fingernails, cut off his nuts,

and hang him in the Place de l'Emir!

It was your finest moment.

You are the only person
in the diplomatic corps

with the skill,
connections and intelligence

to have made it happen.

Now you're appealing to
my well-documented ego.

Well, then let's just
stick with the facts:

you are the linchpin
of the deal with Haddad.

Without you, hundreds of
thousands of lives will be lost.

You have a beef with
Dalton, you want to give him

a piece of your mind, Russell
can put that on the books.

But do it after you deliver
Haddad out of Algeria.

I think you're right.

It's end times for the monastery.

Unless we do something about it.

There's no "we" in antiquities.

I hunt terrorists, not tchotchkes.

I don't see why they should
be mutually exclusive.

How many times have these groups used

the destruction of heretical artifacts

as propaganda to recruit fighters?

It happened in Afghanistan

when the Taliban destroyed
the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

And in Syria, ISIS blew up
the ancient ruins of Palmyra.

And now Hizb Al-Shahid is using
the same tactic in Algeria.

So you think preserving the monastery

could help slow the momentum?

I think it's a piece
of the puzzle, yeah.

What do you want from me?

Money.

State has a working group,
but it's underfunded.

If you could convince your higher-ups

to reprogram part of the budget,

we could do a joint operation.

Save the monastery, save Algeria.

You sure this isn't

just a religion professor
doing everything he can

to rescue an old church?

Look, if you're asking me if I
have an emotional stake in this,

the answer is: you're damn right I do.

But I also firmly
believe that by saving it,

we could disrupt HS in southern Algeria.

Which is what Black Dog
Station is all about, isn't it?

Off to Algiers I go!

Like a dutiful servant.

Sounds like Tuesday.

Well, yeah, but last Tuesday

I wasn't working for
President Turncoat Dalton

and his little Iago-esque
puppet master Elizabeth McCord.

I thought you liked her.

Oh, she had me fooled, too.

Yeah, with her realpolitik.

But she's just a blonde Yoko Ono,

making an administration
over in her Kumbaya,

peace-on-Earth

baloney.

You know when we'll have
peace on Earth, Mary?

After we nuke ourselves
to kingdom come, dear.

That's right. And until then,

the only meaningful diplomacy is...

is achieved when our adversaries

begin to feel their own mortality.

Feet to the fire.

I said feet to the fire, darling.

Good afternoon, Madam Secretary.

Oh, I don't like the sound of that.

Well, I received an interesting message

from Agent Santangelo at the FBI.

Um... what did he say?

Uh, Th-they need to know
the code for Jason's phone.

I'm sorry, ma'am.

Why does the FBI have
Jason's phone, ma'am?

He didn't do anything, Blake.

No. No, no, no. Of-of course not.

Why can't the FBI just crack the code?

I mean, isn't that what they do? Wha...

- Oh, that doesn't look good.
- No.

Ma'am, the president urgently
needs you at the White House.

The excitement never ends.

His wife Mary said he
was ranting about us

right before he collapsed.

Well, at least he died
doing what he loved.

He was a good man, and his
death should be mourned properly,

but, uh...

But right now we need
to save our Algeria deal.

Well, Haddad's already intimating

that we had Curtis
killed to spike the deal.

That makes no sense.

Haddad has a tenuous
relationship with sense.

All he knows is power.

And it sure sounds like he's looking for

an excuse to maintain it.

If he does, it'll be civil war.

And beyond the suffering
of the Algerian people,

the world can't afford another Syria

right on Europe's doorstep.

We have no choice but to
try and salvage this deal.

I'll go to Algiers.

And how exactly do you plan to
make President Haddad trust you?

The man's impulsive, paranoid,

unstable.

Sounds like a teenager.

I deal with those every day.

You can't send a brutal
dictator to his room.

I don't have to.

Just to exile.

What if he won't go?

Henry.

- Good to see you.
- Jay.

I know what you're thinking.

State doesn't have the
resources to save the monastery.

Religious scholar,
Marine pilot and psychic.

Well... I've got two words for you:

counterterrorism funding.

And this is a done deal?

Money's already been reprogrammed

to an Ongoing Operations account.

It's ingenious bureaucratic jujitsu,

but I don't think any amount
of money can save the monastery.

Look, I'm aware that the
instability in the middle

of the country has left the
south under the control of HS.

Exactly. So even if we muster up

sufficient force protection,
it's too dangerous

to leave boots on the ground
for an extended period.

I figured as much, but
here's what we can do.

We can send in a UNESCO recovery team

to remove the statues of the apostles.

They're the most famous
feature of the site,

carved right into the nave walls.

But they could be detached
with a masonry saw.

It's not ideal, but... it's
better than losing them forever.

Okay. Okay.

We'll need permission from
the Algerian government.

And the UNESCO team will
need a security force.

Which we can now afford.

I'll get into it.

Thanks, Jay.

Hey.

Hi.

Jay give you our sad budget sitch?

Yeah, but we're trying something.

Well, that's good.

So, are you cool with
the Justice Department

subpoenaing our son?

So, the FBI can't crack his phone code?

Bingo.

I'd talk to him, but I have
to go stop a bloody civil war.

I'll put the screws to him.
He'll be begging for his mommy.

Perfect. I'll be in Algeria.

Ah, see how that works?

You know, I don't know
who's got the tougher job,

but I'll take a brutal dictator any day.

Oh, look at us...
functioning moderately well.

Just keep lowering that bar.

All clear, girls.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Thank God. I felt like I
was missing a limb all day.

You might want reflect
on that just a little.

No, I'm good.

Since when do we have so many devices?

Since when did we give up
our Fourth Amendment rights?

Here we go.

The Fourth Amendment protects against

"unreasonable" searches and seizures.

Exactly. It's unreasonable
if there isn't probable cause.

How do you know there isn't?

That's the point, dummy.

We don't know because the
Stasi here won't tell us.

All right, that's enough, Jason.

I need the security code to your phone.

And I'm not gonna ask you twice.

You can ask as many times as
you want; I'm not giving it.

Okay, you're grounded for a month.

- What?! Dad... Dad, are you serious?!
- Unless you want to go for two.

You want to go for two?

- Dad...
- Give me the code.

Dad, you of all people should respect

that I'm taking a principled stand.

I mean, isn't that what all your
heroes did, like Thomas Becket

- or St. Sebastian or Gandhi? Hey, hey.
- Really, dude?

At least someone in this
family still has integrity.

You know the only reason you're
taking such a "principled stand"

is because you want to keep hiding

your secret Instagram
account from Mom and Dad.

I'm gonna kill you! You know that?

- You are so dead!
- Is that true? Is that true?!

- Yes. But that's not the point.
- Okay, we'll deal with that later.

- The point... I...
- But for now,

give me the code.

Fine. Take it.

Take the Constitution
while you're at it.

Give me up to the thought
police and torture me

till I'm saluting a
portrait of Big Brother.

Oh.

I don't understand.

We gave him the drinking talk.

Apparently, it didn't take.

Nadine's making a face.

Maybe...

we needed more than one talk.

Now Blake is pointedly
avoiding eye contact.

Well...

he's already grounded for a month.

We can wait till you get home
to give him the big talking to.

Okay.

I'm afraid to say anything else,

lest the mime troupe weighs in again.

Excuse me, Madam Secretary?

There's been a change of plans.

Henry, I got to go.

Thank you for dealing
with our delinquent.

Be safe.

Love you.

Yeah.

- What's up, Matt?
- Algerian DGSP

just informed us that instead
of the Presidential Palace,

President Haddad would like to meet you

at the Ministry of Defense.

It's unusual, ma'am.

But... so is President Haddad.

It sounds like a power play.

Yeah.

How are we feeling about it
from a security standpoint?

It's acceptable, ma'am.

Our new route is being cleared.

Okay, then.

President Haddad.

Good morning.

Thank you so much for meeting with me.

Madam, uh...

I was expecting my friend, Roy Curtis.

President Dalton sends his condolences.

We mourn his loss along with you.

Do you?

Or are you just here to push me out?

I'm here to express our
most profound respect

for your bold, selfless

and historic leadership of Algeria.

Madam, allow me

to introduce, uh, General Mourad Cherat.

My chief of staff of the military.

We have known each
other since we were boys.

We were, uh, lab partners

in biology class.

Dissected mice together.

General Cherat, good to meet you.

Secretary McCord.

And, um...

The rest of them do not matter.

Coffee?

Y-Yes, thank you. That's...

Please.

Uh, is Professor Arkoun on his way?

Is Roy Curtis on his way?

Mr. President,

we... deeply regret
Ambassador Curtis's passing.

He was murdered by your government.

I know about your
CIA's targeted killings.

Roy... was more than a friend.

He was a brother.

Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

Can you check on

Arkoun's status?

Professor Arkoun

will not be joining us.

Mr. President, uh, with
respect, Arkoun has to be here

to sign the accord for
the transfer of power.

The man is a traitor.

He confessed to his crimes
against the state this morning.

_

Now you can see

why the distinguished
professor cannot be joining us.

Mr. President, if you let this happen,

it will lead to your ouster and death.

That is exactly what you
were trying to avoid by making

the agreement to abdicate
in the first place.

Madam, do you think I am a fool?

If I get on your plane, you
will take me to The Hague.

That is not...

You never had any intention
of honoring our deal!

We fully intend to honor it
and take you to Malta as agreed.

Now, for your own safety

and the good of your people,
do not let this happen.

You must leave Algeria.

I am Algeria.

_

Don't do this. Don't do...

And tell Dalton no deal.

And Haddad will never

leave Algeria!

It was a setup,

intended to weaken our resolve.

And now the one man

who can unify the country is dead.

Mr. President, our satellites
are showing Algeria's military

mobilizing to move on

the insurgents' stronghold of Tindouf.

Where there are 10,000 rebels

and 40,000 civilians who'll be no match

for Haddad's tank brigade.

That's right. It'll be a massacre, sir.

How long until they
reach Tindouf, Ellen?

About 48 hours.

Well, then that's how long
we have to draw up plans

to stop him.

You want to strike a nation
that poses no immediate threat

to the United States?

Russell, just two days ago,

you were saying that we can't
afford another failed state

this close to Europe.

I'll take a failed state
over an even worse debacle

of our making.

What the hell happened

to your new era of
principled foreign policy?

There is nothing unprincipled

about trying to save 50,000 lives.

And I never said anything
about outright pacifism.

And what about the hundreds of thousands

who are gonna die when
the rebels move on Algiers?

Which will inevitably
embolden Hizb Al-Shahid

to move up from the south,
leaving a failed state anyway.

Remember Libya?

Haven't we all seen this
movie too many times already?

This is exactly the kind of thinking

that Haddad is counting on.

And the next thing you know,

we're in a ground war
in an election year.

Are you telling me we can't keep

the world safe in an election year?

No, I'm telling you the
last thing our country needs

is a North African sequel to Iraq.

Look, you heard what
Curtis said about Haddad.

And based on what I've just seen,

a show of strength is our
only hope of changing his mind

and avoiding a war.

That's a hell of a gamble,
counting on a madman

- to change his mind.
- All right.

Obviously, there are no easy solutions.

But I'm more sympathetic to Bess's view.

The world really can't afford

another Mediterranean
nation falling apart.

Now, we can't move unilaterally, so...

let's reach out to NATO and
our other allies in the region,

see if we can build a coalition.

Yes, sir.

Military sources tell
us that President Haddad

has followed up this execution
with a new ground offensive

- in rebel-held territory.
- Hey.

Elizabeth's in the air.

- Already cleared Algerian airspace.
- I talked to her. Thanks.

Hell of a thing.

Yeah. Look, I know the political

and logistical part
of this is a nightmare,

but it doesn't mean we have
to give up on the monastery.

The Algerians already did that for us.

What? What do you mean?

Their military officially
pulled the plug.

Diverted all resources to the
impending fight in Tindouf.

Without their security guarantees,

UNESCO won't send the
archeological team.

I'm sorry, Henry.

You know...

people often say that Napoleon's army

shot off the Sphinx's
nose as target practice.

But it's apocryphal.

Yeah, Napoleon stole a lot of artifacts

on his way through Giza,

but he also purposely kept the Sphinx

and the pyramids intact.

He even hired artists to sketch them

so the people of France could
marvel at their grandeur.

Protecting the world's
treasures matters.

Even during war.

What...

What can we do?

Okay, what if there were elements

in the Algerian military

who were amenable to
back-channel negotiations?

My colleague, Jose Campos at DIA,

- is invested in this.
- We're literally...

He could... he could
facilitate the process.

...literally gearing up for
war with Algeria as we speak.

But yeah.

I guess we can take a shot.

Not at the Sphinx's nose.

We'll take a shot.

Look at him.

The guy negotiated peace in
every corner of the planet,

was revered by his peers.

For what?

Country. Humanity.

Yeah, I guess.

I hate death.

So, how you guys doing?

You mean after seeing a man hanged?

As well as can be expected, I guess.

Oh, man.

Who invited Jessica Rabbit?

Algeria did.

That's Salima Tengour.

She's their official
representative to the funeral.

I-I'm surprised that
they're even allowed one.

Well, we tend to give a bit of leeway

when it comes to paying respects.

Isn't she President Haddad's mistress?

And also his Minister
of Internal Affairs.

Oh, God.

Haddad has 11 wives. Why
does he need a mistress?

Have you met men?

Welcome back, Bess.

How is our coalition coming together?

I'm expecting commitments
from all of NATO and...

Tunisia, Morocco and
Saudi Arabia by morning.

Giving us plenty of
time to start hitting

Haddad's tank columns by the afternoon,

before they reach Tindouf.

Good. I want to bring in as
many countries as possible.

Mary. Sorry to be talking shop.

No need to apologize.

Roy wouldn't have it

any other way.

Hello, Jonathan.

Mr. President.

Madam Secretary.

And dear Mrs. Curtis.

Allow me to convey

the People's Democratic
Republic of Algeria's

and His Excellency
President Aman Haddad's

deepest and most profound sympathies

on the loss of his
beloved friend, Roy Curtis.

Thank you.

Thank you, Minister.

And please tell the president
there is still time to talk.

I think we can all agree that

that would be the best way to honor

Ambassador Curtis's memory.

Indeed, Mr. President.

In fact, His Excellency
asked me to pass along word

that he would welcome
such communication.

After careful consideration, uh,
I'm willing to enact the reforms

that the insurgents have demanded.

Well, I am glad to hear that.

Now, you need to call off your troops

and get on a plane to Malta.

No. No.

Who will lead if I'm gone?

Well, you murdered

the one man everyone agreed on.

But we will cobble together
a provisional government...

Nonsense.

Algeria needs a leader.

I will call for elections.

My people should have
the chance to choose me.

Do I really need to remind you

that at the beginning of negotiations,

the insurgency demanded

your head?

There is no chance

that they will accept
you staying in power.

Now, you need to get
on that plane to Malta.

That is the only deal
that is available to you.

Fine.

But I hate talking like this.

Come back to Algiers,

and, uh, we can discuss
all these options.

I'm always willing to talk.

But given when just happened
when I came to Algiers, no.

I'm-I'm not coming back.

But I am willing to
meet with you in Geneva.

Impossible.

I cannot leave my people
during such a difficult time.

We have nothing left to discuss.

Hey.

Are we really doing this?

He gets home in an hour.

He'll never know what hit him.

Welcome home.

Oh, you've always been

such a fantastic welcoming committee.

Keep welcoming me on
the couch, will you?

Sure you can be away from the office?

I know. You'd think I'd have more to do

in the lead-up to war,

but it's mostly DoD at this point.

Speaking of war, we're in agreement.

Jason's grounded for two months, yeah?

Toast. Make him cry.

But am I...?

Am I crazy for thinking
that it could be worse?

With a mysterious stalker out there

and the country on the brink of war?

There's a chance you're not crazy.

I'm sorry about that monastery.

Mm.

Jay said that you fought the
good fight right up to the end.

Yeah, we came so close to
saving at least some of it.

We even got the head
of the Algerian military

to agree to let our UNESCO team in,

but then UNESCO decided it wasn't safe,

- so they pulled the plug.
- Wait.

What head of the
Algerian military? What?

The general. Um...

Cherat.

You spoke to General Cherat?

Not me personally, but he
was cooperating with DoD.

You're sure?

He-he's working with the U.S.?

Oh... yeah.

No, wait.

- Blake.
- Yes, ma'am?

Come on. Listen, Blake.

Will you, um...

You tell President
Haddad I'll meet with him

in Algiers first thing in the morning.

And get me DIA's military
leadership profile

- on General Cherat.
- Yes, ma'am.

I am really sorry.

I'm playing the Algerian card again,

so you're gonna have to kick
Jason's ass all on your own.

Just wait a minute.

I don't like you going to a country

that's preparing for war.

I know.

Okay.

So for this next proof,
we have a non-isosceles...

What the hell is this?

MPD. Stand aside.

Whoa, whoa. Diplomatic security...

- Report of a kid with a gun!
- Where are you getting this?!

- Jason McCord!
- Oh, my God!

Hands!

Hands! Show me your hands!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey!

Okay, okay! Fine! Wait!

Did you talk to him?

No, but I spoke with Metro police.

He's fine. Nobody got hurt.

Oh, thank God.

I thought you were on
your way to Algiers.

Well, I-I was on the
tarmac when I got the call.

But I turned it around.
Where is he, Todd?

Madam Secretary, Alex
is with him inside.

How the hell did this happen?

FBI is into it, Dr. McCord,
but it looks like a prank.

Metro police received an urgent call

from the school's main
office that Jason had a gun

and was threatening to
shoot up his classroom.

It looks like the school's
phone system was hacked.

- Oh, Jason.
- Mom.

I'm so sorry. Okay, okay.

- At least they didn't shoot me, huh?
- Hey, pal.

- Oh, God.
- It was just a...

- sick, disgusting prank.
- That must have been terrifying.

- You okay?
- So, what?

Does this have anything to do

with why I have security guys now?

Possibly. We don't know.

We're gonna get to the bottom of it.

Yeah, soon.

You sound really confident.

Okay, come on. Get your stuff.

I'll take him home.
You don't worry about

a thing when you're on your trip.

Well, that won't be a
problem, 'cause I'm not going.

Babe, we're fine.

Where are you supposed to be going?

Algeria, but somebody
else can go in my place.

Okay, this is so much
worse than I thought.

You're scaring him.

Well, maybe he should be scared.

Seriously, I will lock the whole gang

- in the house till you get back.
- I don't understand. An hour ago,

you were trying to
convince me not to go.

I still don't want you to go,

but I trust that you need to.

Don't aphorize me.

I got this. Go stop a war.

Hey, Matt.

Uh, change of plans.

Instead of going to
the Presidential Palace,

I want to visit the Ministry of Defense.

I'll clear it through Algerian DGSP.

Actually, no.

I want to keep the circle tight.

Just you and me and anyone else
you need to alert on our team.

- Okay?
- Ma'am,

I can't guarantee that local security

and surveillance won't stop us.

Understood.

But it's important.

Yes, ma'am.

Secretary McCord, you are
keeping the president waiting.

I-I didn't come to
see President Haddad.

I came for you.

We have nothing to discuss.

W-Why did you engage
with the U.S. military

in saving St. Gabriel's Monastery?

Whatever I did to try
to save the monastery,

it was a failure.

Hizb Al-Shahid militants
destroyed it this morning.

I'm sorry to hear that.

But the fact that you tried to save it

tells me that you cherish your country.

And I just recently learned

that when you took
leadership of the military,

you enacted reforms to prevent
abuses against the public,

which tells me that you care
about the Algerian people.

Certainly more than your president does.

What do you want?

In less than an hour, U.S.
and French fighter jets

will decimate your tank columns.

Then the insurgency
will march on Algiers,

and it's anybody's bet whether
you or Haddad will survive.

But there is one guarantee.

It'll be a long, drawn-out conflict

that will rip your country to shreds.

Our forces are stronger than you think.

No. Listen to me.

I convinced the insurgency
to accept a truce

with you as the interim
leader, as long as you enact

the reforms already agreed upon.

What about Haddad?

You'll transport him to The Hague,

where he will be tried by the
International Criminal Court.

This is treason.

This is how you save your country.

Madam McCord!

How dare you sneak

around my country!

What is this all about?

I demand to know what is going on.

_

_

_

_

_

Guns down! Put 'em down!

_

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Hizb Al-Shahid put this
up about an hour ago.

Guys, I get it.

You don't have to convince
me these bastards are evil.

Just watch.

_

That's a lot of explosives.

Yeah, but look at this.

Through the nave.

There's a statue of
Matthew on the back wall,

but that's not the same
statue they showed before;

- that's a fake.
- Come on.

You can really tell
that this pixilated image

of a 1,500-year-old statue is a fake?

I don't have to. Check this out.

This is the same shot
after the dust has cleared.

See that?

- That's rebar.
- Which wasn't invented

until 1,000 years after
the monastery was built.

HS wants us to think they
destroyed the statues,

but they didn't.

Terrorist groups have a
history of looting museums

and selling their treasures
on the black market.

Makes for a substantial,

albeit nefarious, revenue stream.

And you think Hizb Al-Shahid
is getting into that business?

I know they are.

This is a back door.

We can take them down from the inside.

I think you just signed up
for Black Dog Station, Henry.

I'm home!

Hi, babe.

War averted.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Nicely done.

Thank you.

So...

how's Jason holding up?

He's playing a lot of Xbox.

Great.

Family coping tradition is born.

Yeah.

We need to talk.

Yeah, I'm getting that.

Director Doherty came by

to catch us up on the investigation.

As we suspected,

the spoofed 911 call
from the school office

was completely untraceable.

Okay, get to the "need to talk" part.

Agents found a note in Jason's locker.

Here's a copy of it.

- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.

What about the-the
school security cameras?

They were hacked.

Turned off an hour before the SWAT call.

What... what the hell is going on?

Is, uh, is this about my job?

Why are they focusing on the kids? Wh...

What do they want from us, Henry?

I'm racking my brain.

What are we gonna do? I...

I don't know.

Jason is right.

We've got to tell the kids.

All of it.

Oh, my God.