Strike Back (2010–2018): Season 2, Episode 9 - Project Dawn #9 - full transcript

The boys are called away after MI5 team traced Latif to Chechen rebels country hideout, which turns out to be an abandoned vast Soviet area tunnel complex. They go in with support from Georgian commandos, which are eliminated by explosives. Latif escapes with some cahoots, who were screened for surgery. Some turn up in Budapest, where a world security summit is held, carrying the neuro-toxin and sophisticated bomb found in the tunnels. Damien also found indications of foul play since his Iraq set-up army booting.

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(GASPS)

(MACHINE BEEPING)

(GROANING)

(SCREAMING)

(EXPLOSION)

(MACHINE BEEPING RAPIDLY)

We are ready.

NEWSCASTER: Any doubts over
the intention of General Akmal Ramiz

to run for President of Pakistan
were apparently laid to rest today.

He announced in Islamabad
that he'll resign from the army,

suggesting he intends
to stand as a civilian



in the forthcoming election.

The Pakistani army has no interest
in political control.

We are the servants of the people,
not its masters.

That is why I have made this decision.

NEWSCASTER: General Ramiz's announcement

is expected to be welcomed
by many of the western leaders

attending the world Security Summit
in Budapest.

The stability of Pakistan,
which has nuclear weapons,

is high on the summit's agenda.

General Ramiz
is not going to the summit,

but he had this message
for the delegates there...

RAMIZ:
Pakistan must be a powerful nation.

Pakistan must be a prosperous nation.

But Pakistan must also be
a peaceful nation.



We shall be watching events in Budapest
with great interest.

I would like to reassure
all the leaders attending

that the west has nothing to fear

from a secure, peaceful
and prosperous Pakistan.

Hey, thought you looked a little lonely.

You have no idea.

NEWSCASTER: Well, there were two
protestors killed here during riots...

(BOTH MOANING)

Get on top of me.

That's it.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Did you get room service?

No?

(BEEPING)

Check that.

Call the Colonel.

Need a location on Colonel Grant.

- (KNOCKING CONTINUES)
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Huh. Yeah?

I've been trying to reach you.

I just... I just...

Never mind.

What, did you come here
to show me a file?

No. No. I, um...

Just make sure you're contactable.

All right? You're still on duty.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Grant.

We've decrypted John Allen's file.

(MOANING)

So...

(LAUGHS) That's cheeky.

Attacking your enemy
when his defences are down.

We could have this every day.

I know.

I know.
Section 20's no place for a father.

This isn't a joke, Michael.

Oh, for fuck's sake!

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Don't pick that up.

(RINGING)

I have to.

Stonebridge.

Mmm-hmm. Yeah, I'll be there.

You have to choose, Michael.

It's them or us.

Talk about this when I get back.

We've recovered the communications log
on John Allen's PDA.

What did we get?

Not as much as we hoped.

Certainly not whatever
he was passing on to Latif.

GRANT: But we do know
they were communicating.

So we checked the IP signatures
on every email sent and received.

Most of them are clean.

All except this one...

which, as you can see, has been bounced
more than a Greek government cheque.

But it originated here, Southern Russia,

in a remote part
of the province of Chechnya.

GRANT: Near the home town of this woman.

Dr Irina Mullova.

She's a surgeon by profession
and an Islamic Chechen separatist.

- Wasn't she after your organ, mate?
- Right.

According to Stonebridge, Mullova
and Latif left Kosovo together.

We have to assume
Latif is at that location with her.

This is our geo-stationary
satellite image

of the exact location
of your IP address.

Great. It's another road
in another forest.

That's what we thought.

But this is an image
we recorded before dawn.

So, where are they going? What is that?

Go to thermal imaging.

RICHMOND:
There's a bunker under the trees.

GRANT: Your target is the bunker
25 clicks north of the Georgian border

where we believe Latif is located.

You're going in
with Georgian Special Forces.

Be aware,
you're entering hostile territory

controlled by
the Chechen guerrilla army.

Since our surveillance started
eight people have entered this building.

None of those eight have left.

Whatever or whoever you find inside
I want recovered or killed.

Copy that.

Go! Go!

SINCLAIR: Colonel,
this mission is an incursion

into Russian sovereign territory...

I'm aware of that.

It is my duty to remind you,

if this goes wrong,

we could be committing
what amounts to an act of war!

An act of war by Latif
is precisely what I'm trying to stop!

Zero this is Alpha One. In position.
Visual on target.

STONEBRIDGE: Copy that.

Standby.

Grenade!

- Entering building.
- Copy that.

- Clear!
- Clear!

- Left.
- (MAN SPEAKS IN GEORGIAN)

- Zero, we have stairs going down.
- Copy that, understood.

Go left.

- Clear left.
- Clear.

Zero, this is Alpha One.
We have what appears to be a...

(STATIC CRACKLING)

Alpha One, please repeat.

Comm is difficult.

We have what appears to be
a communications bunker.

- (DOOR SLAMS)
- Incoming.

Alpha! Alpha!

SOLDIER: The building is clear.
(SPEAKS GEORGIAN)

Shit! They're gone!

Did you hear that? They're gone!

You're looking down
on this place, right?

So tell me how the all-seeing eye
doesn't catch them running away?

- Sinclair!
- What the hell is that?

Oi, Scott! Come here.

- Did you get that Sinclair?
- Shit!

- Hey!
- What?

Give me a hand moving this.
Towards you, yeah?

Go.

(SPEAKING GEORGIAN)

Shit. Zero, this is Alpha One.

- We have another exit...
- (STATIC CRACKLING)

- What did he say?
- Not sure.

RICHMOND: Alpha One, please repeat.

Going down.

You all right there?

- (BEEPING)
- (SOLDIER CALLING OUT)

Booby trap!

Go, go, go!

(EXCLAIMS)

Alpha One, Alpha Two?
This is Zero, do you copy?

Over.

(ALARM RINGING)

(GRUNTING)

Zero, this is Alpha Two, do you copy?

- Door's jammed.
- Shit!

- Sinclair, can you read me?
- There's nothing.

I'm not picking anything up on my comm.

Guess we've got no choice, pal.
Go that way.

Colonel.

This is the signal
for the Georgian commandos.

It's flatlined,
the comms are completely dead.

This is Stonebridge and Scott.

Now the signal is weak
but it's still there.

Keep trying.

Go left. Left.

Clear left.

You ever wonder if there's anyone
not trying to kill us?

I prefer not to think about it.

That's funny.
I think about it all the time.

I know John certainly did.

What are you talking about?

Come on. You know.

- Going right.
- Going right.

- Look.
- Right.

- We both know Porter had his suspicions.
- "He had his suspicions"?

He fucking knew.

- Go through the door now.
- Yeah, open the bloody door.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Oh. Going down.

I've worked with these people for years.

Yeah?

I've had to trust them.

Why? Porter didn't.

He worked it out, he got killed for it.

John was given up by Allen, remember?

- No, he wasn't.
- What are you on about?

Allen told me at Kosovo
just before he died.

He had nothing to do with Porter.

You believed him?

In my experience people
don't usually lie before they die.

You think this is one big wine cellar?

I'm willing to bet
it doesn't end in a gift shop.

- Going left.
- Right.

Holy shit. What is this place?

Major?

What have you got?

I went back to the thermal image
and found these dark spots in the forest

that just seem odd.

Can you enlarge?

What the fuck is that?

All right,
so Allen didn't give up Porter.

It doesn't mean Section 20 did.

You and I promised
to watch each others' back

and we're still alive.

That's got to count
for something, right?

Yeah.

But that's not gonna count
for much longer, is it?

Going left.

What are you getting at?

Come on.

You must have had that talk with Kerry.

What talk?

"Soldier vs. Daddy" talk?

How the hell do you know about that?

Oh, come on!

You think you're the first soldier
to be in this predicament?

All right. What should I do?

You're seriously asking me?

I'm seriously asking you.

I'm seriously touched.

In my opinion though,

you're seriously fucked.

You son of a bitch.

- Go.
- You're such an arsehole.

Yeah. But you love me.

Leutnant Schekter.
Thank you for coming out here.

Sorry I had to re-arrange.

- Circumstances.
- Of course.

And a certain penchant
for the dramatic, I think.

I'd like to know why you slept
with Damien Scott again.

I enjoyed it the first time,
so I went back for more.

You were sent in to make
a psychological appraisal of my man.

"My man".

Interesting expression.

To consort with him outside
of those parameters is entirely...

I fuck who I like.

You know, maybe it's you
who needs an appraisal.

Excuse me?

I mean why, when you could so easily
have ordered someone else to do it,

did you knock on his door yourself?

But then,

I don't think I need a psychology degree
to work that one out.

Tell Damien I'll call him...

(DEEP RUMBLING)

Do you hear that?

Sounds like a genny.

Going right.

Colonel, we found something.

This dark patch in the forest

signifies cold air coming
from deep under the ground.

The spots are at regular intervals,
approximately 30 metres apart.

I think we're looking
at some kind of structure.

Can we get a computer projection?

- I'll see what I can do.
- Thank you.

- Going left.
- Going left.

Clear left.

(WHISTLES) Want a pay raise?

Suitcase full of cash.

Talk to me.

Got a shitload of blank passports.

All right. Move it.

Let's go. Go right.

Go.

Scott, look at this.

Jackpot. It's VX.

Cheers.

Look at this little guy.

Looks like a bomb to me.

That looks like a bomb to me.

Figure that's C4 in the middle?

Could be.

Major, Colonel,
I finished the projection.

Oh, my God.

Must be at least
50 kilometres of tunnel.

SINCLAIR: That's got to be
some kind of abandoned facility

left over from the Soviet era.

My guess is it was used to house
nuclear or chemical materials.

Look, I found a way out.

Awesome. Time to play dress up.

Amen.

- Black and green.
- Cheers.

Alpha One, Alpha Two,
this is Zero, are you receiving?

Hey, sports fans, we're back.

Get a fix on comms.

Alpha One, this is Zero,
are you receiving?

STONEBRIDGE: Receiving loud and clear.

Can you give me a sitrep?

Standby. Clearing rooms.

(BOTH PANTING)

Shit.

Zero, this is Alpha One.

We found some sort of lab underground.

Evidence of VX
and possible means of dissemination.

I'm uploading photos right now.

I think I liked it better down there.

Oh, shit.

MAN: Confirm. Receiving uploads now.

I need an LZ for a chopper evac.

Tell the Georgians to standby.

Location is 2.7 clicks northeast
of target building.

Satellite image coming online.

- (VEHICLE ENGINE STARTING)
- Let's go!

Clear, go, go, go!

Going left.

Shit.

Zero, we have two vehicles
leaving the site!

Seven people on board.
Possibly one woman.

Is it Mullova?

Cannot confirm.

RICHMOND:
Tracking vehicles heading northeast.

SINCLAIR: Understood.

Colonel, the Georgians will not wait,
we must evacuate now.

No.

Gentlemen,
I need you to find some transport.

I want you in pursuit.

(SIGHS) Come on, mate.

In pursuit.

(EXHALES)

Alpha One, this is Zero.

Tracked cars to Pentnogorsk,
seven clicks northeast of position.

Roger that.

Come on.

You want me to push?

RICHMOND:
Targets are entering the building now.

Have you secured a vehicle yet?

- (WHOOPS)
- (ENGINE STARTS)

Look at that!

(MAN SHOUTING IN CHECHEN)

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

What is Latif doing in that building?

You don't know
that he is in that building.

What we do know is that the Chechens
are poor, radicalised Muslims

fighting a vicious separatist war.

If there's one thing
this place has plenty of,

it's potential suicide bombers.

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

He says he is proud to offer himself
as a true son of Chechnya

in the fight against the infidel.

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

Scott, pull up here.
Those are the vehicles.

Zero, this is Alpha Two.
We're at the target location now.

Sitrep?

There's two armed guards on the door,
unknown number of men on the inside.

Place is crawling with civilians.
You copy?

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

Alpha One & Alpha Two,
are you in position to engage?

- Roger that.
- SINCLAIR: Standby.

GRANT: Hold position.

What do you think you're doing?

If this goes wrong,
if civilians are killed,

this could trigger a full-blown
international shit-storm!

You are not in the field!

And you're not listening, Colonel.

SINCLAIR: We all know Latif
made a fool of this section in Delhi.

You cannot let that
cloud your judgement.

The risks of launching an assault...

We're in the business of risks, Major.

Risks are what
real soldiers have to take.

What the hell are we waiting for?

RICHMOND: Stand by. Awaiting orders.

- Oh.
- There you go.

STONEBRIDGE: Oh, she likes you.

SCOTT: But you know what?
I'd just end up breaking her heart.

Don't think I'm cut out for marriage.

How would you know if you haven't tried?

How do you know I haven't?

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

No thanks, sweetie.

- No thank you.
- Not interested, honey.

Fuck off! Go on, fuck offski!

Hey, hey, hey!

Jesus Christ!

STONEBRIDGE: That was smooth.

I speak Prostitute, dude.

Come on, we're sitting here
like a T-ball,

waiting for someone to take a swing.

Even the chance
that Latif is in that building

and in possession of VX
is reason enough to engage.

I will not retreat now

to find out what Project Dawn is
on the 10:00 news!

Gentlemen, you may engage.

Good.

STONEBRIDGE: Contact! Contact!

Scott!

- Just get in! Move!
- Jesus Christ!

Find an LZ for immediate evac.

The Georgians are refusing
to come back in.

I'll deal with them.
You help Scott and Stonebridge.

(MEN SHOUTING IN CHECHEN)

Grenade! Move, move, move!

Shit!

We count multiple
armed hostiles in pursuit,

I repeat multiple
armed hostiles in pursuit.

Keep moving, Scott! Keep moving!

Stonebridge! Move, move!

You get them out of there now

or I will call
every Russian news station

and tell them exactly who took us in
in the first place.

Shit!

(EXCLAIMING) I got hit!

RICHMOND: Alpha One, Alpha Two,
confirm your position.

Position is we are fucked!

Taking fire from two sides!

Ammo changing!

Michael, there's a door on our rear!

STONEBRIDGE: Cover me!

Cover me! Moving, moving, moving!

Move, Scott!

- Michael!
- Move!

Coming to you!

(ALL SHOUTING)

No good, buddy! No good!

On me! On me!

Michael, move!

Fuck!

Hostiles approaching east flank.

Grenade!

What...

Motherfucker!

I have three hostiles
flanking west side of building.

- On it.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Shit.

Look out!

Fuck!

- Scott!
- Yeah?

- On me.
- Coming to you.

- RICHMOND: Clear, westside.
- Fuck me!

GRANT: Major?

The Georgians are en route.
ETA, five minutes.

Which way?

47-10 north, 19-3 east.

Shut up, Sinclair! Which fucking way?

Straight ahead, turn right, then left!

Thank you!

Michael, move!

Changing!

Move, move, move!

(SHOUTING IN CHECHEN)

Move, Scott!

Move, move, move.

Jesus Christ!

Ammo changing!

Go, go, go.

Where the fuck is our evac?

RICHMOND: Standby on ETA.

I'm out. Sidearm.

How many of these guys do you think
we can take before we're fucked?

- More than you.
- (LAUGHS) Fuck you!

- Hey, Scott!
- Yeah?

Were you really married?

Are you fucking serious?

(SHOUTING IN CHECHEN)

On board! Go go!

(WHOOPS) Fucking hell!

(BOTH WHOOPING)

Okay, thank you.

(SPEAKING CHECHEN)

May I?

SINCLAIR: It's safe to handle.
The detonator's been disconnected.

Okay, thank you.

It's basically a container
for highly-pressurised, liquid VX.

It's made almost entirely of pyrex,
ceramic and carbon fibre.

The central explosive core
is a form of PETN.

Similar to what the shoe-bomber
was carrying.

It's powerful, hard to detect
and extremely volatile.

GRANT: Michael thought
he was carrying C4.

I know.
This is far less stable than that.

Don't drop it then, Sinclair.

If this had taken a stray bullet...

(LAUGHS) It's all right.
Stonebridge was carrying it.

- Even the best get lucky.
- Yeah, yeah.

- Scott?
- Yeah?

I looked into Trojan Horse.

Yeah?

I couldn't find anything

except Porter mentioned it
in his last report from Lahore.

Who else would have seen that report?

Aside from the Colonel?

By siphoning off the liquid gas
and putting it in smaller canisters.

That's what I'd do.

Got it.

Thanks. Gotta go.

How much damage could it do?

I've created a projection.
Worst case scenario.

If this device were to go off
as an uncontained blast,

in perfect conditions:
No wind, no obstacles,

in somewhere like Trafalgar Square...

GRANT: Pleasant thought.

SINCLAIR: There would be an instant
radial spread of vaporised gas

from the centre of the blast.

Within the first 65 metres,

anyone enveloped in the vapour cloud
will be killed instantly.

As the cloud disseminates to 80 metres

there will be irreparable damage
to lungs and liver,

third degree burning, blindness...

Death's inevitable.

Up to 100 meters,
providing there's a perfect spread,

it's long term organ damage.

Death is highly probable.

If this device goes off in a crowd
or an enclosed area,

such as a subway system,
the casualties would be...

- Significant.
- To say the least.

KERRY: Michael.

There is nothing left to discuss
about our future,

as a couple and as a family.

I can no longer wait around
for you to make up your mind.

Your choice is simple.

Either continue to risk your life

or come home
and be a father and a husband.

(SIGHS)

I love you.

Kerry.

(BOTH MOANING)

(LAUGHING)

I'm sorry.

What's so funny?

I just feel happy.

I feel, uh... (SIGHS)

I feel...

You know what?

Never mind.

I understand you.

Sex is an important release
if you are under pressure.

Yeah.

Suffering stress at work?

Yes, I am.

For example?

Like, your boss doesn't understand you?

(LAUGHS)

She definitely doesn't.

Let's face it.
Colonel Eleanor Grant is a total bitch.

(LAUGHING) She is.

But how the fuck would you know that?

This was one of a stolen, numbered batch
of blank passports.

We've got ever airport
and transport hub covered.

If any of the associated
passport numbers come up,

it should flag up on our system
within the hour.

I risk my life for you day in and day
out and this is the thanks I get?

What?

You sent someone...
You ordered someone to fuck me

to see if I'm the one
spilling your goddamn secrets!

I'm perfectly entitled to assess
whether I can trust you.

You got fucking nerve, lady.

- Scott...
- Michael, stay the fuck out of this.

I'll give you a tip.

Stop looking for the dirt on me

and start looking for a breach
in your own section.

- Make your point, soldier.
- I'm making my fucking point.

Then what's your evidence?

I'm your fucking evidence, lady!

The only reason I'm standing here

is because somebody
compromised you on Porter

and sold him down the river.

- So where is this breach?
- I don't know. You tell me, Sinclair.

Where's the breach coming from?

That's enough, Mr Scott.

Face the facts, Colonel.

I don't mind the odds being stacked
against me but this is bullshit!

MAN: Sergeant, we have a hit.

Passport scanned entering Poland.

Main screen.

We have our first target.

Past immigration at Krakow Airport
57 minutes ago.

Oi!

What, so you're just walking out now?

Just sick of the shit, Michael.

I mean, why are you even here
when you could be at home.

- No, I'm not talking about that.
- I am.

I've got no one at home to answer to.
You do.

No, I don't. She left.

That fucking sucks.

So why don't you go fight for her
instead of fighting for them?

Because we have to finish this first,
that's why.

Michael, you got a chance
to build a life together

instead of leaving behind
a trail of dead bodies.

Only a fucking idiot
wouldn't take that chance.

I can't leave the section now.

Well, than, you're a fucking idiot.

Jesus! Would you stop being so selfish!

Stop talking about Scott
for five seconds!

I'm not. I'm talking about you.

Project Dawn, VX gas, is any of that
ringing a bell in your head, mate?

Huh?

I can't pretend that that doesn't exist

and just go out there
and play happy fucking family

hoping that it's someone else's kids
that get blown up.

Listen.

We have to stop Latif.

We have to find out who set Porter up.

Now whether or not we do it
or we get killed in the process,

we have to finish this together.

I need you back in there with me.

What was that last bit?

You what?

I need you back in there with me.

(LAUGHS)

I complete you, don't I?

You complete me, that's right.

We have a hit
on another missing passport.

It was used to enter Bratislava Airport
less than an hour ago.

GRANT: That's our second target.

And the same specific credit card
that paid for the flights

was also used to hire a van in Krakow.

We need the license plates
of that vehicle. Can you get it?

Mmm-hmm.

Krakow, Bratislava.
Why those two cities?

NEWSCASTER: International protestors
descending on the city.

Jessica Reid,
our security correspondent,

is live for us in Budapest.

Security Summit. Get the news report
on the big screen please.

Well, as you can see,
things are quiet now

- but with the Summit delegates...
- Oh, God.

I want you to hack
into every security camera

within 100 mile radius of Budapest.

Get me the head of Hungarian security.

Roger that.

LASZLO: Thank you very much
for your report, Colonel.

We will act on any sighting
of these men.

But I can assure you
the summit is absolutely watertight.

Mr Laszlo, can I stress that we believe
Latif is planning an imminent attack...

Colonel, do you have any evidence
that Latif is actually in the city?

Not yet.

We are on the highest security level
this city has ever seen.

We are prepared for every eventuality,
so once again, I thank you,

but you will kindly leave
Hungarian authorities to do theirjob.

I want a crib set up in Budapest
by dawn.

No disclosure outside this section.

- Colonel.
- Okay, you heard the Colonel.

I want everything de-rigged
and ready for transport within the hour.

- Comm relays are in position.
- Okay.

I want to make this clear.

I will tolerate
no further insubordination.

- Understood?
- Yeah.

Thank you.

Julia.

Yesterday evening,
we had positive hits on two cameras.

At 20:00 the target man was spotted

at the intersection of
the M31 and the M3.

At 20:09 the M31 and Route3
heading South-West.

No further hits anywhere
along this ring road,

which means they must still be
somewhere in the Kerepes district.

Sergeant.

We're waiting for our
geostationary satellite to come up.

What have you got?

In the meantime, we're piggy-backing
an ESA satelite feed

to triangulate the area.

I think we found the van.

MAN: Here's the location info.

It's at an abandoned clinic
on the outskirts of Kerepes.

We're gonna lose
the satellite feed in 30 minutes.

- I want you both out there now.
- On it.

Drive.

Good work.

Using satellite telemetry
in ten seconds.

Three, two, one.

Shit.

GRANT: Blind on visuals.

Just you and me, mate.

Eh, just the way I like it.

(ENGINE REVVING)

Vehicle leaving site.

- GRANT: Registration?
- Negative.

(GROANING)

Everything's finished.

(GUNSHOT)

- (GUNSHOT)
- (EXLAIMS)

Shit!

Michael!

What the fuck are you doing?

(GUNSHOTS)

Fuck!

RICHMOND: I'm sorry, Colonel,
still no response.

Try them again.

RICHMOND: Scott, Stonebridge,
this is 20, please respond. Over.

We've been trying to get
a hold of you for the past 20 minutes.

Why the fuck did you go off comms?

Where's Stonebridge?

Why isn't he...