"My name is Michael Westen." "I used to be a spy until" " We got a burn notice on you." "You're blacklisted." "When you're burned, you've got nothing- no cash, no credit, no job history." " You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in." " Where am I?" "Miami." "You do whatever work comes your way." "You rely on anyone who's still talking to you" " A trigger-happy ex-girlfriend" " Should we shoot them?" "An old friend who used to inform on you to the F.B.I. " "You know spies." "Bunch of bitchy little girls." " Family too" " Hey, is that your mom again?" " If you're desperate." " Someone needs your help, Michael." "As long as you're burned, you're not going anywhere." "There are advantages to training with someone you're close to." "Knowing each other's moves makes training more effective." "But being involved in each other's personal lives..." " can also make training a lot more painful." " Ow." " Oops." " Is there something you wanna talk about, Fi?" "Not really." "I know you're not thrilled about me reaching out to the intelligence community" "I don't have a problem with it." "You want your old job back?" "I said I'd be supportive." "Not a problem." "Fi." "Ooh, Fiona!" "Are you expecting company?" "Wow." "That's like two days' worth of yogurt." "That is either a brilliantly disguised bomb... or somebody knows the way to your heart." "And they're shy." "They didn't stick around." "A thank-you gift from a client?" "Well, that's the most you've ever been paid for a job." "Pretty soon you'll be able to stop bumming money from me." "It's a gift from your agency friends, isn't it?" " Could be." " Good for you." "Looks like you're getting back in." "Meeting a new operative is a lot like going on a blind date." "You're bound to be nervous the first couple of times you do it... but live through a few and you get to be an expert." "You should arrive early, prepare an exit strategy... and know you could be in for an ugly surprise." "You know, I figured you'd run surveillance from the bistro 'cause of the sight lines... but, uh, you're the spy, right?" "This place is better." "Better escape routes." "Better iced tea." "So, Michael, you like the yogurt?" "I haven't tried it yet." "I was always taught never take yogurt from strangers." "Ah." "Then let's not be strangers then." "Name's Tom Strickler." "And what is it that you do, Tom?" "Match people with opportunities." "It's a bit like an agent." "Man with your skills is extremely valuable, as I'm sure you're aware." "And, uh, just make sure all that doesn't go to waste." "You're operating in Miami." "No resources." "No operational support." "That's no way to live." "It's not safe... for you or the people you care about." " And you're the solution to that?" " Yeah." "I'm not asking you to change a thing." "You get to keep doing what comes naturally." " And what is that?" " Surviving." "You're great at surviving." "Now, you're a man with enemies." "We know that." "But your enemies have enemies of their own." "People that will pay to have you take care of their problems." "Called synergy." "The enemy of your enemy is your financial opportunity." " And what's in it for you?" " Ten percent." "I'm putting together a deal for you now actually." "I heard a rumor about an old associate of yours who's making a move to Miami." "Figure the smart money's on Michael Westen in that little fight." "And you're the smart money." " Any more details on this old associate?" " Still working on that." "Apparently, there's some Ukrainian who's very upset about an op you ran in the '90s." "I'll let you know more as I get the details." "Yeah, sorry." "I'm not a killer for hire." "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." "This might be a killing thing, it might not." "Let me do my homework, and, uh, we'll discuss." "There's nothing to discuss." "Well, the thing is, this guy's coming one way or another and" " Tom." " Okay." "Okay." "You have my number." "We'll talk soon." "Unless the Ukrainian cuts your tongue out first, right?" "So, who's the secret admirer?" "Whoever they are, they have good taste in yogurt." "His name's Strickler." "He says someone I crossed paths with... in the Ukraine is in town looking to settle an old score." "And he's here to profit from any bloodshed." "Charming." "Who's the Ukrainian?" "Strickler claims not to know, which is inconvenient... because there's quite a few people from that region... who would like to see me stop breathing." "Hmm." "I know a guy." "Goes by Beck." "He might be able to help." "He's made a lot of money for some very powerful people over there." " If there's a Ukrainian in town, he'll be able to fill you in." " Based in Miami?" "Mm-hmm." "Started as a local gangster and went big-time." "He hijacks cargo and ships it." "Like FedEx, the Kalashnikov set." "He's about as connected as a Miami hustler who doesn't speak Russian can get." "Think you can get me a meeting?" "Mmm, you might not want me as your go-between." "I may have... intercepted a couple of his shipments once." "Sparkling new P90s, Michael." "They deserved a good home." "So I get to walk up to him cold." "Great." "Well, at least you'll get a good cup of coffee." " I know his favorite spot." " Yeah, Sam?" "Yeah, Mike, I'm at your mom's." "She got some curtains from a guy named Tom Strickler." "Is this a business associate of yours?" "Put it this way." "You know that broker that contacted you in East Germany in '89?" "Yeah, Mueller." "Tried to pay me to "accidentally" blow up a factory during an operation." " Bloodsucker." " I have my own parasite." "Some Ukrainian's in town looking for me." "If I can get to him before he gets to me" "Strickler cuts you a check and you're one step closer to being a mercenary." " What are you gonna do?" " Try and run down the Ukrainian through a contact of Fi's." " Sam, can you, uh" " Check out Strickler?" "I'm on it." "No one else gave me a house rewarming present... not even the guy who blew up my house." "Maddy, I thought we were over that." "Forgiveness is a process." "Pick me up some curtain rods and maybe." "Fine." "Curtain rods." "You got it." "Hi there." "The cold approach is something you try to avoid in intelligence work." "You wanna ease into a relationship over time." "When that's impossible, you just have to turn on the charm and hope for the best." "John Beck, right?" "Name is Michael." "I heard that you might be able to help me with a little situation." "Word is you're a guy with connections." "That's what they say." " I just need a little information." " And why should I give it to you?" "I'm a good friend to have." "Let me explain something to you, man." "I don't have friends." "I'm a businessman." "I got rivals." "I got associates." "I even got a few enemies." "But friends... sorry, that's not how I roll." "I just need help tracking down a Ukrainian... who might be in town looking for me." "Hmm." "Sounds like you're in a bind." "Could be." "That's what I'm trying to find out." "Good luck." "Not my problem." "A while ago, one of your shipments of P90s was diverted." "I can make sure that kind of thing stops." "See, I don't like people in my business." "This here friendship has gotten off to a bad start." "Friendships are about give and take." "You give me the information, I will take care of your shipment issues." "How 'bout I give you one more chance to get out of here before I shoot you in the face?" "That Ukrainian I mentioned, he brought a few extra guys into town with him." "I'd get down." "A flash-bang grenade temporarily impairs hearing and vision." "I'd get down." "It makes fighting back... or attempting escape futile and dangerous to civilians." "So if you have to shoot blind... it's better to use a camera than a gun." "That was a short meeting." "Michael?" "Michael!" "In a hostage situation... the same things that get you killed will extend your life." "Hey, hey, look." "I don't know who you guys are, okay... but I got no problem with you." "I guarantee that you don't want no problems with me or the people I work with, huh?" "So let's just cut this thing off right here." "No harm, no foul." "Everybody goes home and we just forget all about it." "If you have money, you'll live till you pay." "If you have information, you'll live till you talk." "Hey, come on." "Look, you got the wrong guy." "I'm not part of this." "I just met him for the first time five minutes ago." "What do you think they're gonna do?" "Drop you off at Starbucks... give you a couple of bucks for a cup of coffee?" " Shut up and we'll figure it out." " Hey." "Hey!" "I'm serious, man." "You got the wrong guy." "And if you have nothing, you're pretty much disposable." "Excuse me." "We need to keep this area clear." "Oh, well, you know, I was" " I was in here." "And I-I ran out when those men showed up." "And my husband, he's still in here." "Go ahead." "Go ahead." "Yeah, Fi?" "Sam, I'm at the café where Michael was meeting Beck." " What's wrong?" " He's gone." "So is Beck." "An extraction team, professionals from what I'm overhearing." "Jesus." "You think Mikey's Ukrainian made his move already?" "Well, he moved quicker than anyone expected." "Wait a second." "Michael's cell." "He took a picture of the team." "You know what?" "We gotta find Strickler." "Maybe he can put some names to these faces." " I don't trust that guy." " Yeah, well, he's all we got." "Plus, it'll give us a chance to kick his teeth in." "Well, I'm wearing my teeth-kicking heels." "See you in five." "Is there something wrong?" "Ah, no, not at all." "Why would you think that?" "So why are you packing your gun and your bulletproof vest?" "Look, it's nothing to worry about." "I just gotta run an errand." "Really." "So tell me about this errand." "Hey." "After the adrenaline rush of an operation comes a crash." "Heightened reflexes and awareness don't last." "Two boring hours of driving later... even the sharpest killing machine lets down his guard." "You don't want to meet this guy Chechik." "When it's time, get to the back door and open it." "What are you doing?" "Just remember to set your jaw." "You traitor!" "You son of a" " Hey!" " Are you thinking of selling me out to Chechik?" "I will kill you!" "We have to head into the trees." "I got nothing to do with this!" "I don't even know him!" "What do you want, an apology?" "Let's go!" "Look, Maddy, how many times do we have to go over this?" "I mean, we're just doing a little practicing." "Mike is fine." "I swear." "You're gonna hear some swearing if you don't tell me the truth." "Sam, what is taking you so long?" "Oh, look, there's Fiona." "She never shows up when there's trouble." "I'm telling you, there's no trouble." "Fi's just here to pick me up for... a movie." "Really?" "Well, I'm in the mood for a matinee." "Should I bring a gun too?" " Madeline" " Don't you patronize me." "I have a right to know what's happening with my son." "Did I fall apart the last time you told me what was going on?" "Someone took Michael." "They took him?" "Where?" " That's what we need to find out." " Second you find out anything, I expect you to call me." " Okay, Maddy." " Sam, let me remind you, you are staying in my guest room." "You call me, or God as my witness, I will smother you in your sleep." "All right, all right, we'll call." " Look, wait." "Stop!" "Stop right now." " We don't have time for this." "You want to shoot me, you'll have the same problem, just with one less bullet." "Well, maybe I'll drag your ass back to that road as a peace offering." " I deal with Russians all the time." " You speak the language?" " No, I got guys for that." " Well, you better learn fast." "Chechik didn't hire goodwill ambassadors." "They're not gonna wait for a translator to show up before they start shooting." "So maybe I'll put a bullet in your head in front of'em." "That don't require a lot of translation." "Listen, Beck." "I got you into this." "I will get you out." " If we head east" " What, you wanna go deeper into the woods?" "Man, we got enough problems without adding alligators to the list." "You go whatever way you want." "I'm going" " I'm-I'm going this way." " Beck, save your ammo." "Few days wandering around here starving, you're gonna want to eat that last bullet." "You wanna survive, Beck?" "Follow me." "You missed a spot." "Hello." "You're Michael's friends, right?" " Where is he?" " Want a mojito?" "Don't look so concerned, sweetheart." "Let me guess." "Our favorite spy's in a bit of a jam and you're hoping I can get him out." "Oh, I wish it was that simple." "I was telling him to keep his head down until I could find out more about who was after him." " And?" " I have some calls out." "You've got some calls out?" "I suggest you try harder." "No need for theatrics." "I want Michael alive as much as the next guy." " Unless, of course, the next guy's Ukrainian." " You know that fella?" " Michael took this picture before he was snatched." " Oh, yeah." "I know that pretty boy." "His name is Vlad..." "Byrueben" " Ballubyn- "B" something." "Anyway, last time I checked, he's part of a criminal syndicate run by Pyotr Chechik." "Chechik?" "That rings a bell." "Mikey met him back in '97 when he blew up" "Well, let's just say that he really hates Mikey." " Where could we find Chechik?" " Oh, well... guys with records like him don't cross borders too easily." "If he is in Miami, he didn't fly commercial." "I know some of the pilots that do the Miami-Eastern Europe route." "Could put out some feelers." "Give me a couple hours." "I'm not giving you a couple minutes." "I want names now." "When on the run, subtle things, like broken branches... flattened grass and disturbed ground can give you away to an expert tracker." "An inexperienced tracker may require a more obvious trail." "Whoa, whoa." "What is this?" "You trying to get us killed?" "No, followed." "We need to lead them deeper in." "Turn their strengths to weaknesses." "Their bulletproof vests will get hotter." "Their guns will get heavy." "We gotta get them farther from their supplies." " Whatever you got planned, they're far enough already." " Beck, listen to me." "No, you listen to me." "I grew up in the Florida backwoods." "I spent my whole life trying to get out." "I fought my way down to Miami so I'd never have to swat bugs in another damn mangrove swamp." "And now you just drag me back." "Man, I say we make our stand right here." " You wanna make a stand?" " Yes." " Can we make the stand over there?" " Okay." " Still think you can take 'em?" "There's five of'em." " I got five rounds." "Oh, that's your plan." "You have a 100% kill rate with a handgun." "It's better than running around in the damn swamp!" "I ain't too bad with a gun." "I might teach you something." "You fire, they'll get our position." "They'll flank us and hunt us down." "We have to separate 'em." "We gotta lead them just a little farther in." " And then we strike." " And then we strike." "Looks like the guy Strickler said flew Chechik into the country." "Why anyone would allow him to pilot a plane is beyond me." "Oh, great." "A drunk with a gun." " This calls for subtlety." " I can do subtle." "Well, I don't like to, but I can." "What is a sweet little girl like you doing in a big, bad bar like this?" "I'm looking for a big, bad man." "Like you." "Come with me, or say good-bye to your two closest friends." "Got a few hundred yards on 'em." " Give me your shoelaces." " Look, I may not be Rambo, but if you making a trap" "It doesn't have to work." "They'll see it." "They'll figure we're close." "They'll fan out and we'll injure one of'em." " Oh, we're injuring' 'em?" " It'll slow 'em down." "If I have to drag a complaining pain in the ass through the woods, they can too." "Now give me your shoelaces." "Know what?" "Maybe it's time we listened to the guy with the gun for a while." "Fine." "Now, give me your shoelaces." "Mr. Smart-ass." "All right, let's try this again." "Give me your shoelaces." "Please." " Hello?" " Yeah, Maddy, you wanted me to call, so I'm calling." "Did you find Michael?" "No, but we found some guy who might be able to tell us where he is." "Look, we're leaving Hallandale right now." "We're heading over to the loft to ask him some questions." " You bring him here instead." " Madeline" "It's closer than Michael's loft and you don't have time to waste." "Fanning out in a search pattern is a great way... to cover a lot of area, but it also divides your forces." " Stand back." "Stand back!" " Don't." "We need him alive." "Remember?" "You wanna hit him again?" "Any time now." "Come on." "Military units are a lot like marching bands." "Take out the guy conducting the operation... and you'll throw everyone out of sync." "Pretty soon, all you have left is sound and fury." "We got two guns, explosives, a serious knife." "We could even the odds real quick." " Not until they call Chechik." "We need to lure him out here." " What are you talking about?" " We get Chechik, we can end this." "It's the only way." " You want more men out here?" "When you started out, who was the biggest hijacker in Miami?" " Cuban guy, Montez." " How did you take him down?" "Well, I paid one of his guys to let me into his place." "And then I stuck a gun in his mouth until he decided to move back to Havana." "You dealt with the problem at the top." "That's what we're doing here." " But what if they don't call Chechik?" " They will." "They're in over their heads and they know it." "See?" "Don't get cocky." "You've been running up frequent flyer miles with a lot of shady characters." "I wonder what the feds would think." "I told you, man." "All I do is fly the plane." "I doubt the boys in suits would see it that way." "See, Chechik is a bad guy." "War crimes, murder for hire." "Why do you think I'm keeping my mouth shut?" "That guy is more afraid of Chechik than he is of us." "We're gonna have to squeeze harder." "If by "squeeze," you mean choke." " He can't talk if he can't breathe, Fi." " He can whisper." " I have good hearing." " You push him too hard, he's gonna snap." " And then he's just gonna start making crap up." " Oh, Sam Axe wisdom." "Hey, how you doing?" "You comfortable?" "Need anything?" "Mind if I sit?" "You want a cigarette?" "Mind if I do?" "Sorry." "I don't mean to bother you." "It's just I need a little peace and quiet." "They get loud when they're angry." "Luckily this place is well-insulated." "You can't hear a peep from outside." "Probably why they like it so much." "I'm sorry." "I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression." "I have never once ever, ever seen them make anyone suffer." "If they don't think you'll break, they end it quick." "You sure you don't want a cigarette?" "It's good for the nerves." "It's not like you have to worry about getting cancer anymore." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Did I hurt you?" "There you go." "It's good, huh?" " I don't micromanage you." " I'm not micromanaging you either." "Dropped 'em off by seaplane a few hours ago." "A small cabin in the middle of the swamp." "There's no address, but I got the latitude and longitude." "How?" "Oh, honey, I've met guys like this before." "They're only brave when people are yelling at 'em." "So, are you gonna go get my son, or do I have to do that too?" "When fighting in the wilderness... the biggest threats are often the ones you don't see- dehydration... exhaustion and nerves." "But boatloads ofhostiles don't help either." " There's Chechik." " Damn." "Is there a Russian word for hardass?" "If we can get him into the woods, we'll have enough cover to separate him from his men." "You sound pretty confident for a guy hiding in the jungle in a pair of designer slacks." "We wanted Chechik." "There he is." "Yeah, along with more men, more guns and damn airboats, man!" "We take out Chechik and all those guys will come after us." "The men who work for you, if you were taken out, what would they do?" " Shoot the bastards who did it." " Really?" "You really think so?" "You said you had no friends." "All right, think like a businessman." "How long would they stomp around in this swamp... once the guy who cuts their checks is out of commission?" " Hey, how you doing?" " Yeah, how you doing?" "Hey, what'll it take to rent one of these babies for a couple hours?" "Ninety bucks, plus insurance." "Twenty-five for basic coverage, 15 for supplemental liability." "Does that cover small-arms fire?" "What my friend here is saying is we're not big on paperwork." "Fifty extra bucks, you guys weren't even here." "Look, we just disappeared." "Thank you, sir." "That's Chechik." "Some things never change." "So we get him when he goes into the woods, huh?" " He ain't going into the woods!" " We have to get him to move." "The point is" "The point is you wanted 'em to call for backup and they did... and now we're outnumbered five to one." "In battle, not even the best laid plans... survive contact with the enemy." "If you want to survive, you have to be willing to improvise." " If you distract his men" " Wait, wait, wait." "Distract a dozen guys with guns?" "Forget it." "You and me are done." "I'd rather take my chances with Mr. Hardass over there." " Beck, stop." "Beck." " Get off!" "You're gonna get yourself killed." "What you gonna do, shoot me?" "Huh?" "Give away your position?" "Of course, there's such a thing as too much improvisation." "Hey, it's like you said." "I'm a businessman." "I got something they want." "Now it's time to negotiate." "Hey, I wanna make a deal!" "You want Westen?" "I can give you Westen!" "Come on." "Get up." " You think you can reach that bank underwater?" " Guess I have to." "You know, I should have shot you when you first interrupted my coffee." "Let's not dwell on missed opportunities." "You know, I got 25 people on my payroll." "I got" " I got people who report to people who report to people." "And here I am alone, in the middle of nowhere, about to die from a damn leg wound." "Well, you're not alone." "The hell I'm not." "What, you gonna stick around and watch me die?" " No, we're gonna get through this together." " What, are you crazy?" "You seen what happened to people with leg wounds out here." "Look, it doesn't have to be that way." "We have to decide right now." "Are you ready to trust me and figure out a plan, or do you wanna die out here alone?" "Is it really that tough of a call?" "Delaying tactics aren't the most glamorous part... of a battle plan, but they're often the most important." "Slowing the enemy down buys you time to prepare the ground ahead ofhim." "And that, more than almost anything else, wins battles." "Where is your friend?" "I got nothing to say to you." "Where is Michael?" "Why should I tell you?" "You're just gonna kill me anyway." "Maybe." "Maybe not." "You're nobody." "I'm here for Westen." "You tell me where he is, and I give you some water and bandages for the wounds." "You see this?" "I swear on the cross... and the eyes of my children." "All right." "Fine." "He went that way into the swamp... where the airboats can't go." "The pilot dropped Chechik just a few miles up." "If Mike's not there, I hope you brought bug spray." "Right there." "That must be Chechik's airboat." "They gotta be close." "That must be Chechik's airboat." "They gotta be close." "For a spy, there's no shame in retreat." "When faced with a more powerful enemy... you're trained to get out of the way and keep moving." "It's not about running away or giving up." "The goal of any retreat is to find the right place to marshal your resources... and make a stand." "Military history is filled with stories of small forces taking on larger ones." "Whether it's David fighting Goliath or the French Resistance fighting the Nazis... the strategy is basically the same." "You have to choose the right ground, deploy your resources carefully... and remember that the greatest weapon in any battle is surprise." "Give me the radio." "Well, well, Michael, here we are again." "After so many years, you, me, plenty of guns." "I almost forgot how much I enjoyed the hunt." "I thought after serving 10 years for war crimes, you would have found a new hobby." "The 10 years just made me want to find you more." "You never get over the one that got away." "Well, I'm flattered." "You brought a whole army just to find little old me?" "Times change, Michael." "An army that big I get to fold my laundry." "I work for Fyodor Markov now." "Markov?" "You know, I liked you K.G.B. Officers better before you sold out." "You know, at least you believed in something." "You should be happy, Michael." "We all live American dream- dream spies like you helped make." "Open borders, free markets, everyone's friends." "Look at me." "Ukrainian with Russian team, German weapons... funding from the West." "So many backgrounds, so many people working together... just to drag every secret out of Michael Westen's head... before we cut it off and feed it to the dogs." "But enough talk." "As much as I'd like to catch up... you should have turned your radio off." "You should stick to hunting things that don't fight back." " Get your men to drop their guns." "Do it now." " All right, all right." "Nothing you have to worry about anymore." "Get up." " Thanks, man." " Easy peasy, huh?" " I expect some serious memory loss, you understand?" " Yeah, yeah." "You think this is over?" "Markov will find you." " Don't you know it's rude to drop names?" " It's stupid too." "Especially when a nobody like me can drop bigger ones." "All those K.G.B. Colonels in the Russian mafia... well, they work for an old K.G.B. General... who happens to be a business associate of mine." "Now, I don't wanna name names... but he controls about 800 miles of the Siberian oil pipeline." "Yeah." "Yeah, I do all their import-export work." "You nearly cost him a lot of money today." "I'm gonna have to give him a call, see how they feel about that." "I give you 50,000 and I swear you'll never see me again." " I know I won't." " Get this fool outta here." " Stop." "One hundred." " Come on." " Don't be stupid." "Come on." " There's not enough money in the world." "Mikey, next time you get kidnapped, can you stay out of the Everglades?" "There ain't gonna be no next time." "At least not for these boys." "And you still owe me a shipment of P90s." " Don't think I forgot." " I'll make sure they get to you." "One day I think we're gonna look back on this as a nice day out in nature." "Don't push it." "I'll just say this." "You said you were a good friend to have." "Could do worse." "So, what brings you two out to this neck of the woods?" "Oh, well, you know, it's such a sunny day, I thought you might need these." "I'm beginning to think I should get you one of those harness things." "You know, like they have for toddlers." "You've been wandering off a little too much these days." "It's nothing I can't handle, Mom." "No." "See, you don't get to act that casual... when I'm interrogating strange men in my garage to save your life." "I'm sorry about that, Mom." "Whatever." "Getting answers out of him was a hell of a lot easier than getting 'em out of you." "Be careful." "Okay?" "So, do you like my new curtains?" "You hung your curtains by yourself?" "Actually, no." "Some very nice people came over and did it." "They were sent over by your friend Strickler." "Wonderful." "Try not to wrinkle them when you're sweeping them for bugs." "No gift basket?" "Michael." "So nice to have you back in town." "But no, no gift basket." "I got you something better." "Your share of the Ukrainian deal." "Turns out a group of Baltic separatists... wanted Chechik out of the picture just as much as you did." "Some quick negotiating on my part, and voila." "Your day trip to the swamp paid for itself." " I didn't fight off Chechik for the cash." " I know." "You did it for you." "This is just a wonderful by-product." "And this is just the beginning." "I can get whatever you want." "Let me save you some time, Strickler." "I'm never gonna work with you." "Not for the money, not for the yogurt, for the curtains." " I'm not a mercenary." " Okay." "But, Michael, you gotta ask yourself this." "What is it that you want?" "What is it you deserve?" "Man with your skills, with your background... burned, out in the cold with nothing." "Don't answer right now." "Just... think about it." "I'll be around."