"Come on." "Come on, let's move." "Okay, guys, let's get what we can and get out fast." "My name is Becca Mason." "My colleagues and I, with the environmental group Ocean Relief Foundation, have managed to sneak ashore here on Shipwreck Reef." "Until recently, it was an uninhabited atoll, home to an incredibly biodiverse coral reef." "Like many such atolls, this reef is being developed by the Chinese military." "And by "developed," I mean demolished." "You can see the construction going on over there." "To build airstrips and radar stations, they pulverize the coral and pave over it with concrete, destroying it forever." "Maybe you're thinking, "So what?" ""Who cares about a little speck in the middle of a faraway sea?"" "These reefs provide one tenth of all the seafood on Earth, providing food for millions of people." "What will happen when that food is gone?" "We're here because someone needs to act before it's too late." "We're hoping you'll see this and that someone will be you." "They're here." "Let's go." "_" "Do we have it?" "Wait, guys, do we have it?" "!" " We're good." " Let's get the hell out of here." "_" "Becca." "I just can't believe you didn't mention" "Ray Merchant to the FBI, that's all." "I didn't think it was relevant." "Elizabeth, someone is stalking our family." "How could a former student who is obsessed with you not be relevant?" "He just wanted me to be his thesis advisor." "He wanted you to be a lot more than that." "Okay." "Admittedly, Ray got a little weird." " A lit..." " And don't say," ""He got a lot more than that."" " Well, he did." " Yeah, okay." "He did." "He's bipolar, and the school dealt with it, and we haven't heard anything from him since." "You do remember I used to do this kind of stuff for the CIA." "Can you get your corner, please?" "No, I will not, and I don't appreciate how glib you're being about this right now." "That's your excuse for not helping." "Okay." "That... was a little glib." "What did he say to you when you turned him down?" "He said he wanted to hurt himself and me." "Okay, but you of all people, you know how wound up these gifted kids can get." "Exactly." "Do you really think that a brilliant young guy with a screw loose couldn't have pulled off some of the stuff" " that's been happening?" " I don't know where Ray Merchant is now, but I doubt an interview with the FBI would be very good for his mental health." "That's not my problem." "The safety of our family is my problem." " A problem I caused." " I..." "That's not what I meant." "Yeah, but that's the truth of it, right?" "Someone's threatening our kids, and it's my fault." "Elizabeth, no one believes in your work, in you, more than I do." "Do you know who else is obsessed with me?" "Hezbollah, ISIS, the Sinaloa Cartel." "Any one of them would happily murder our family if it would further their agenda." "So, you know, that's fun to live with." "Listen to me." "It's just that, a lot of times, stalkers have a personal relationship with their victims." "I had a bad feeling about this kid then, and I still have it now." "Fine." "Y-You want to talk to the FBI, you can talk to the FBI." "On one condition." "Name it." "You have to put the shams on the big pillows." "I'm sorry, but glib is the only way I can deal right now." "Man, that's the worst job in the whole house." "Yes, I know." "...and Nadine is wondering how China's taking" " of the activists from Ocean Relief Foundation" " Thanks." "will impact your trip to Vietnam." "You mean the Great Catfish Summit?" "It's a $360 million industry in the U.S." "Vietnam is undercutting our producers on the world market." "Which is one of the last impediments to full normalization between our countries." "I know why I'm going, Blake." "How's your Uncle Fred the catfish farmer, by the way?" "E-mailing voluminously, ma'am." "Ooh." "In answer to, Nadine's question," "I see no reason why the Ocean Relief situation would impact my trip at this point." "Daisy is getting input from the group and putting together a statement." "Ooh, speaking of statements, have the Chinese made one yet?" "Not as yet, no." "Well, that's something." "The South China Sea is one of the most dangerous flash points on this planet." "What the hell were those kids doing out there?" "Protesting its destruction, apparently." "Which they're not wrong about." "Okay, so, for the briefing, China's building these bases to assert its claim that it owns the whole sea because why?" " Oil and gas." " Shipping lanes." "Fishing's pretty good, too." "You guys, 11 billion proven barrels of oil underneath the SCS." "That's what China wants." "What are we even talking about?" "Maybe they want control of the $5 trillion worth of cargo that passes through it each year." "$1.2 trillion of which touches U.S. ports, because, you know, we buy everything from China now." "Okay, you want to play Fun with Numbers?" "Here." "A population of 1.3 billion with one of the world's largest fisheries in its backyard." " All I'm saying." " And don't forget to note that tensions have been rising dangerously not just with the U.S. but with all of China's neighbors on the sea." "It's a real powder keg." "God, what the hell were those kids doing out there?" " Exactly." " Good luck with the briefing." "Well, with any luck, we might not have to do a briefing at all." "The Chinese haven't even released a statement." "I'm sure they're not looking to set off a confrontation over an incident this small." "Besides, Chen and I have a pretty good relationship." "I'm sure we can sort this out." "I have the foreign minister ready for you." " Great." "Thank you." " Yeah." "Madam Secretary." "I wanted to reach out to you about this situation with the activists because" "I think it's in both our interests to resolve this..." "misunderstanding quickly." " I agree." " Good." "So where do we start?" "Simply acknowledge that they were trespassing on Chinese territory," " and we can go from there." " Well, obviously," "I'm not gonna do that." "Not one country in the world, mine included, recognizes the territorial claims China is making in the South China Sea." "Then the Western spies we apprehended will be tried for trespassing on our island." "Not only is it not your island, it's not even an island." "It's a coral atoll you illegally annexed and paved over." "And, furthermore, "spies"?" "Really?" "Come on, Ming." "We've worked closely together on a range of incredibly complex issues." "I think we can handle some hippies on a raft." "I believe I've made China's position clear." "You would be wise not to meddle further in our internal affairs." "Then let me be equally clear:" "Those activists were taken on disputed territory and, therefore, illegally." "We want them released immediately." "It seems we have nothing further to discuss." "Good day, Madam Secretary." "Wow." "Ming out." "Right?" "What the hell was that?" "Your motorcade is waiting to take you to the White House." "Good. 'Cause I have some recommendations for the president." "And after the incident at UVA, has Mr. Merchant attempted to... make contact with your wife in any way?" "Not that we're aware of." "But on social media, he's been highly critical of U.S. foreign policy in general and of my wife specifically." ""Secretary McCord's legacy:" "a string of epic disasters"" ""Secretary McCord should be ashamed." "So many innocent lives ruined. #criminal."" "Tell me, did any of his posts contain direct threats against the secretary or your family?" "Direct threats, no." "Then as much as I might disagree with them, the man's entitled to his opinions." "Of course." "But look at this." "On his profile page, under "Works At,"" "he wrote "I.T. Specialist."" "Now, given the technical nature of the attacks against my family and his history with my wife, I would say that Ray Merchant has both means and motive." "He might." "As I said, we're looking carefully at a range of potential suspects." "But I assure you, we'll look at Mr. Merchant as well." "When?" "Look, the main thing is for you and your family to stay calm..." "My family is under attack, Agent Santangelo." "I asked you a question." "When are you going to look into Ray Merchant?" "As soon as possible." "Thank you for your time." "Of course." "My regards to the secretary." "Bess, I'm thinking you should hold off on your trip to Vietnam until things are settled with China." "With respect, sir, I disagree." "I think the catfish can wait." "But our response to China's aggression can't." "They're up to something." "I don't..." "I don't know what." "Best guess?" "They're using this... random event with these activists showing up on Shipwreck Reef as... pretext to go big in the South China Sea." "To, what, leverage us into accepting their territorial claims?" "Well, why else would they be so intransigent when there's so much at stake?" "I mean, maybe they've decided this is their moment." "So what do you suggest we do?" "Well, go to Vietnam." "Together." "A presidential visit would certainly send the Chinese a message that we're not blinking." "Furthermore, the catfish deal got hung up in part because Vietnam was holding out for a small amount of lethal military aid." "I propose that if China hasn't released the activists by the time we touch down, we give Vietnam the kitchen sink." "Wow." "Chen must have really pissed you off this morning." "You'd think he'd know better by now." "How does this comport with our values?" "Vietnam's human rights record isn't exactly inspirational." "Which is why we'll include certain benchmarks that they'll have to meet to get the hardware they want." "You know, the last time I saw Vietnam was at the end of my second tour of duty." "Well, no time like the present." "You'd not only be sending a message to China but to the Evans campaign as well." "Show that just because you're running as an independent, you haven't gone soft on defense." "Which is something that Evans is always going on about." "Yeah." "Pretty rich coming from a guy who hasn't seen the inside of a recruitment center, much less a combat zone." "Well, we all serve in our own way." "Yes." "And you served with honor." "I mean, if you were to revisit some of your old..." "I'm not trading on my military service for the damn election." "Of course not." "Still," "Bess makes a good point." "China's pushing us." "We need to push back." "The trip's on." "That'll be all." " Thank you, sir." " Yes, sir." "Mr. President, I'd heard wonderful things about the progress your country has made, but those reports pale in comparison to seeing it firsthand." "Thank you, Mr. President." "We felt you would be more interested to see Ho Chi Minh City, which you would remember from your youth, than the capital." "If you had told me when I was a 20-year-old lieutenant that all these years later, this is where I'd be," "I'd have told you you're crazy." "If you had told me that I would even survive the war," "I would have told you you were crazy." "Look at them, strolling and chatting." "You'd never guess they fought a war against each other." "Well, our countries have come a long way." "Yes, but not so far that the president of the United States just drops by to say hello." "Again, I do apologize for the short notice." "No, it's an honor." "But with all due respect, Madam Secretary," "I'm waiting for the catch." "We came here to discuss the military aid portion of the trade deal." "Which we will have to insist upon if any deal is to go through." "The United States is prepared to lift the arms embargo entirely." "What's the matter, catfish got your tongue?" "We were prepared for a much bigger fight over much less." "Well, here's the catch you were waiting for." "There are certain human rights and civil society benchmarks that Vietnam will have to meet in order to get the bigger ticket military items." "Dissidents for destroyers...." "Of course, the timing of all this makes me wonder if this sudden windfall has something to do with the activists" "China recently detained." "Let's just say that we value your sovereignty in the South China Sea as much as you do." "Sir, you wanted to see me?" "Just wanted to say nice work putting this together." "Thank you." "Yeah." "It was good that I came here." "Well, I think so." "The city's so different now, but the air... smells, feels the same." "Humidity, smoke from the cooking fires." "Just the faintest hint of jasmine." "I understand." "I think." "Every time I go back to the Middle East... the heat, the sand in my clothes." "Well... it brings a lot of it back." "Not all of it welcome." "Russell's always after me to tout my service more." "Well, you certainly could." "Got a lot to be proud of." "Don't get me wrong," "I'm proud to have served, but as for what I actually did..." "One time..." "I came this close to shooting a woman and the baby in her arms." "Yep." "I was all jacked up on adrenaline from a firefight." "Heard footsteps behind me, so I whirled around, weapon up, safety off." "I honestly can't tell you why I didn't pull the trigger." "It sure wasn't wisdom or heroism or..." "leadership." "It was luck." "Flash of a feeling, at best." "And that's the difference between me living in the White House instead of on the street, like so many guys." "Listen to the old marine go on and on." " No, no, it's okay." "I'm..." " Jet lag." "Mr. President, Madam Secretary, pardon my interruption." "Blake, what's up?" "Minister Chen is here and wants to see you immediately." "Well, that didn't take long." "Guess they got our message." "Minister Chen, what a pleasant surprise." "Is it?" "Did you honestly think we would let these outrageous provocations go unanswered?" "Did you honestly think we would?" "The primary purpose of my visit is to remind Vietnam we have many levers to pull if they choose to take our friendship for granted." "That's what you call your history with Vietnam?" "A friendship based on mutual respect?" "That you would presume to lecture me on friendship with Vietnam, when your country killed millions of Vietnamese, would be laughable if it weren't so sickening." "Those activists are innocent, and their families are terrified." "Give 'em back, Ming, before this goes any further." "To the contrary, the Ministry of Justice has moved up their trial." "Espionage being such a serious crime." "I warned you not to meddle in our affairs." "Now there will be consequences." "Tired of those extra pounds but even more tired of trying to take them off?" "Old-school sit-ups aren't just hard... they don't even work." "So smash those pounds away with Pound Smasher." "Pound Smasher's patented ergonomic design will melt your waistline fast." "Just minutes a day will take those belt sizes away." " So don't just take those extra pounds lying down." " What the hell?" "Smash 'em with Pound Smasher." "Dump that pony keg for a six-pack and get the..." "Dad!" "I'm here!" "I'm down here!" "What's going on?" "Why are all the lights on?" "It's like a Stephen King novel up there." "I don't know." "It's..." "probably just a power surge." "Dr. McCord, is everything all right?" "All right, all right, it's okay." "Hey, easy, easy, easy, easy." "It's okay." "We've taken the house's appliances offline so they can't be hacked again." "They shouldn't have been able to be hacked in the first place." "Did the hackers leave any signatures" " that you can work with?" " So far, it's untraceable." "I understand your frustration." "No, I-I don't think you do." "We live surrounded by security, and yet somehow these people managed to essentially get into our home." "Dr. McCord, with all due respect, whoever did this, this is what they want:" "for you to lose confidence in the people charged with protecting your family." "Well, with all due respect, it's working." "Did you look into Ray Merchant?" "He's part of our investigation, yes." "And what did you find?" "He's a private citizen." "I can't share those kinds of details with you." "No leads, no information sharing, and yet you expect the secretary of state and her family to stay in a house that can't be secured." "Do I have that right, Agent Santangelo?" "What the hell has to happen for you people to actually do your jobs?" "Dad..." " Is everything okay?" " Yeah." "Go upstairs." "I'll-I'll be up in a minute." "Again, the house is offline." "Diplomatic Security's on high alert." "This house is probably the safest place the secretary could be." "And what does that tell you?" "How was your trip?" "So relaxing." "What can I help you with?" "I'm hearing things." "Inside or outside of your head?" "A reporter told me he heard there was a security breach at your home last night?" "Well, then that reporter just earned himself an exclusive" " with me at an unspecified future date." " Why?" "Because he's not going to run that story." "I..." "I..." "My... family and I are being stalked by a very capable individual or group." "My God." "Well, it is what it is." "But stalkers feed on engagement." "So if this becomes news, then they will have achieved their goal, which, in turn, will encourage them to continue." "You see where I'm going." "I should be able to move him off without giving anything away." "Yeah." "Thank you." "Well, it's a small price to pay for 20 minutes alone with our charming and delightful secretary of state." "She sounds great." "I'd like to meet her someday." "More good news, I bet." " Welcome back, ma'am." " Thank you." "China appears to be acting on its threats." " What's going on?" " Well, as you know, the USS" "Wayne Morris Carrier Strike Group has moved into the South China Sea." "Now Chinese fighters are flying dangerously close to our ships." "Boy, I wish I knew what they were playing at." "Yeah." "And, one other thing." "It seems China plans to recall their pandas from the Smithsonian's National Zoo." "Their pandas?" "From the National Zoo." "Yes, ma'am." "I thought they were a gift." "They were on loan, and, apparently, China can take them back whenever they wish." "So, not a gift then." "Okay, thank you." "Holding our citizens, buzzing our ships, taking our pandas." "Can't say they're not covering their bases." "You tell me there's fresh coffee in here." "There is." "Also Jay and Tom Murphy, the head of the Ocean Relief Foundation." "Thanks." "Mr. Murphy, pleasure to meet you." "I'm sorry it's under such challenging circumstances." "Thank you, Madam Secretary." "I was just assuring Mr. Murphy that the State Department is deeply concerned about the fate of the Ocean Relief members in Chinese custody." "And I was just about to say you sure have a funny way of showing it." "I sense your disrespectful tone is meant to goad me into asking," ""What do you mean by that?"" "Our server." "Well, it was hacked." "Pretty much fried." "Years of files, terabytes of heavily encrypted data just... pfft... gone, overnight." "Curious timing, no?" "Indeed." "Have you spoken with the FBI?" "The FBI." "As if they haven't been harassing us for years." "Look, Madam Secretary, we tell the people what they need to hear." "Okay?" "Big corporations and their lackeys in government don't appreciate that." "I-I'm sorry, but are you kidding me with this?" "We're trying to free your colleagues and-and you come here and spin out some paranoid fantasy?" "Mr. Murphy, we're on your side." "Why would we hack your server?" "The U.S. and China are business partners in the South China Sea just as often as they're rivals." "You're not gonna let little things like the health of the planet and food security for millions of people get in the way of all that money." "Got it." "You're pretty self-righteous for a guy who sent a bunch of 20-somethings into one of the most dangerous places on Earth." "They knew what they were getting into." "Based on my understanding of the Chinese judicial system..." "I can assure you they did not." "Tell me, when did your server go down?" "shortly after we, lost contact with Becca and the others." "Mr. Murphy, thanks for coming in." "We didn't hack your server, and we're gonna try and get your colleagues back, and I will keep you up to date with our progress." "Thanks for coming in." "Blake." "Well... he was right about one thing... the timing is pretty strange." "I think it's safe to assume the U.S. didn't hack Ocean Relief, so that leaves the most obvious suspect." "Exactly." "You were right, ma'am." "The root kit involved had all the signatures of the other Chinese cyber attacks." "Do you think this is just revenge for the activists making the Chinese look bad, or something more concrete?" "Um, Madam Secretary, if I may..." "Moments prior to their capture, the activists on Shipwreck Reef uploaded a couple of video files to the Ocean Relief's network, and the Chinese used a brute-force attack to gain access to the server, then initiated a script to wipe all the files." "They weren't taking any chances." "Well, can you recover 'em?" "I'll do my absolute best, ma'am." " Great work so far." " Thank you, ma'am." "You know you don't have to say "ma'am"" "after every time, Captain." "Yes, ma'am." "Sorry." "It's just, habit." "And also... nerves." "You're kind of my hero." "Happens to the best of us." "You're on secondment to Oliver Shaw" " from CyberCom?" " Yes." "So how come you're not in Silicon Valley inventing distracting apps?" "I like fighting bad guys." "Me, too." "Okay, obviously, these activists stumbled on something some of the Chinese wanted to keep hidden." "Question is, what?" "I got a call from FBI Director" " Doherty this morning." " Calling to complain that I yelled at Santangelo, no doubt." "No, I think it was for the opposite reason." "It was like a customer service call." "He wanted to make sure that I'm satisfied." "Good." "No, Henry, not good." "These are the people charged with protecting our lives." "We need to trust them." "What if they're not up to the job?" "The FBI and Diplomatic Security." "Do you ever think about that?" "No." "Because, if I did, I'd have to quit." "Look, I know that this Ray Merchant theory is compelling..." "Don't talk to me like I'm crazy." "Then stop acting like it." "The kids were terrified last night." "Do you understand that?" "Yes, and you getting obsessed about it isn't helpful." "I am not just" " gonna sit back and do nothing." " Be better if you did." " Am I embarrassing you now?" " You know what?" "We're both stressed and tired, so I'm gonna choose to believe you didn't mean that." " Elizabeth, I..." " No, I got to go." "So, the pack was all over me about China at the briefing." "But you'll be happy to know that the reporter I mentioned is quietly awaiting his one-on-one with you." " Thank you." "Well done." " We're not sending 'em back." "Russell Jackson, ma'am." "Who are we not sending back?" "What do you mean, who?" "The pandas." "Not Tian Tian, not Bao Bao, not little Bei Bei... none of them." "They're ours, and they're staying right here," " do you understand?" " Technically, they're not ours." "China's thrown the rule book out the window, so don't talk to me about "technically." It's time to draw a line in the sand." "Well, I couldn't agree more." "I'm just..." "I'm not so sure this is quite the issue." "No?" "Then let me ask you this:" "How many people visit the National Zoo each year just to see those pandas?" " Millions." " That's right." "Millions." "So, on top of all the other humiliations that China is visiting upon our heads, those millions of voters are about to watch us surrender their favorite charismatic megafauna... the very crown jewels of our National Zoo... without a single damn shot!" "Not on my watch, lady." "It is not happening." "So... you want us to stop them?" "What do you think I'm here for?" "Well, just..." "No offense, Russell, but I..." "Don't you think, maybe, you're-you're letting the tail wag the panda here?" "You want to make fun?" "Well, go ahead." "Guess what." "In international relations, symbols matter." "In elections, even more so." "I'll give you another example." "At the zoo, they've got this camera set up in their habitat." " Panda Cam." " That's right." "One day, very soon, the Panda Cam will go dark." "And when it does, and kids all over America start crying 'cause Bei Bei's not in his little house, who do you think their parents are gonna blame?" "China gets it, believe me." "So do I." "We're on it." "Wait." "You're a Panda-Cammer, too?" "Shut up." "It's relaxing." "It's good for my blood pressure." "Who saw that coming?" "A-mazing." "Well, you heard the man." "Save our pandas." "No." "Get on it." "What do you got for me?" "Something I shouldn't." "My buddy at the Bureau came through." "He got me some intel on your friend," "Ray Merchant." "And?" "So, after UVA, Merchant applied for government work but couldn't get security clearance." "Problem with his background check." "Something he could blame Elizabeth for." "Unable to find work in the hallowed halls of government writing reports nobody would ever read, our young misfit goes back to school again." "Computers this time?" "Cyber security, to be exact." "He's two for two." "What else?" "You're not gonna like this one." "What is it?" "He got fired a couple of years ago." "Sexually harassed a coworker." "Well, he fits the profile" " to a tee." " Look... is he your guy?" "I don't know." "But you're not wrong to think that he might be." "What are the Feds doing about it?" "My buddy didn't say, but I'm sure they're into it." "So now it's time to let them do their thing." " Okay?" " Okay, yeah." "Sure." "Meantime, just try to keep your mind off of it." "How about we grab a beer tomorrow night?" "Thanks, Jose." "Did you know that U.S. zoos pay China" "$2 million per year for the pandas" " in our country?" " They are worth it." "A quarter of which is supposed to be allocated for the preservation of panda habitat in the wild." "Yeah, they need their bamboo, don't they?" " Yes, you do." " Hey, Blake." "Blake." " Sorry." " Here's the thing." " Guess what China hasn't been doing." " Allocating a quarter of the funds towards the panda habitat preservation?" "Not according to this report by a consortium of environmental groups." " Does China accept that?" " Nope." " But we did." " Well, then, we can make the argument that they are in breach of their half of the agreement." "Therefore, we don't have to give the pandas back." "That's got to be good enough for Russell Jackson." "Let's hope so." "By the way, can we talk about his obsession with Panda Cam?" "How weird is that?" "I get it, man." "I am all in..." "Yes!" "You are tired from your snack and need a nap in the sun." " Hi." "Can I help you?" " Captain Ronnie Baker from Oliver Shaw's office, to see the secretary?" "Yes, the secretary's expecting you." "Wait." "You're Ronnie?" "Yes, ma'am." "From Oliver's office?" "Yes, ma'am." "You don't have to call me "ma'am."" "We're like the same age." "S-Sorry." "It's a habit." "My God." "You're Daisy, from... from you know." "From his" " personal life." " And you're Ronnie." "From work." "And texts about work." ""Sorry, I have to take this text during dinner, national security is at stake' Ronnie." "Yep." "That's me." "We thought you were a guy." "Yeah, no." "I just love your guys's story." "I kind of want to give you a hug, but that's weird, right?" "Okay." "Aw." "Secretary's ready for you." "I'm going." "Definitely not a dude." "She's sweet." "Madam Secretary." "Captain Baker." "Were you able to recover the files?" "Yeah..." "Well, the good news is they didn't have time to securely erase them all." "So the hackers overwrote parts of the files with random data, so we had some trouble reconstructing them." "But we found these among the most recently uploaded files." "...I mean demolished." "You can see the construction going on over there." "To build airstrips and radar stations, they pulverize the coral and pave over it with concrete, destroying it forever." "She seems like good people." "Yeah, she does." "There's not really anything here, unfortunately." "Didn't you say there was footage from a second camera, or...?" "Yeah." "Here it is." "Maybe you're thinking, "So what?" ""Who cares about a little speck in the middle" " of a faraway sea?"" " No." "This just looks like more of the same." "These reefs provide..." "Wait, wait, wait." "Can-Can you make this..." " go back?" " Yeah." "These reefs provide one tenth of all seafood on..." "Right there." "What the hell is that?" "It's a mobile launch pad." "Specifically, a TAS5450 8x8 special heavy-duty truck." "Designed to deploy Dong-Feng 15" "Tactical-Theatre Ballistic Missiles." "From that position," "China can strike major population centers all over Southeast Asia within minutes." "And effectively demand control over the entire South China Sea." "This is why they were being so aggressive with the Ocean Relief activists, why they hacked the server." "They wanted to keep the world in the dark until the missiles could be deployed." "Why didn't we know about this until now, General?" "The launcher was camouflaged from aerial surveillance." "We could never get close enough for ground-level observation." "So you're telling me we owe this game-changing intelligence coup to a lucky break from Scooby and the gang?" "Unbelievable." "And if the launcher is already there, the missiles are only days away from delivery." "This is a massive escalation." "And China needs to know that it won't stand." "Madam Secretary, I don't know where you're getting this information." "From the server you tried to destroy." "But we'll come back to the cyber warfare another time." "You've got bigger problems right now." "Do I?" "Because I have no idea what you're talking about." "And, you know, it's a good thing you don't." "It was a mistake that your military didn't loop you in." "Because... with your close personal ties to the American government," "I am sure you could have told them with certainty that we will never permit those missiles to be deployed." "It is not for the United States to tell us what is permitted." "On your own territory." "But let's..." "let's put a pin in the sovereignty stuff for now." "Because if your neighbors find out that you secretly planned to settle this issue at gunpoint," "I think they would be more than supportive of the U.S.'s response." "And what sort of response might that be?" "China's deployment of that missile launcher violently upsets the status quo." "And our response, therefore, will be equally violent and upsetting." "Indeed..." "I am shocked that I was not made privy to such a drastic step on my government's part." "I knew that you would be troubled." "If I were to offer some suggestions to my president as to how we might de-escalate, what might they be?" "Well, for starters, we've looked into it, and we're not giving the pandas back." "Sir, that bogey's coming around for another pass." "It's coming in too low, sir!" "All stations, brace for impact." "The Chinese pilot buzzed the Morris, flew too low and clipped the tower." "So far, three sailors have died and 16 others are wounded." "NSC and Joint Chiefs are waiting in the Sit Room." "I told the networks that you wanted airtime to address the nation later this evening." "Good." "Evans already has his campaign pumping out tweets." "The ghoul." "Sir, when I spoke to Minister Chen hours before this incident, he seemed prepared to accept our terms." ""Seemed" being the operative word." "I'm not saying China is innocent." "I'm saying... the wheels turn slowly over there." "So the leadership was still digesting the message we sent Chen when this incident occurred?" "Tragically, yes." "With all due respect, an accident caused by reckless aggression isn't much different from an attack." "They're holding our citizens, attempting to put missiles into the SCS." "And now this." "How much more provocation do we need?" "To do what, exactly?" " Respond in kind." " A few days ago, you were lobbying for a harder line against China." "You really think they've changed their stripes since then?" "Of course not, but I do think that the pressure we put on them was effective." "So let's-let's be smart." "I mean, if we can get them to back down in the South China Sea, that is a huge win for global stability, but if we stumble in to some military conflict, once that starts, no one knows how that's gonna end." "We have to take a beat before we retaliate." "Take a beat to do what?" "Talk to President Li." "I think China's about to blink." "My advice is we let them." "What makes you so sure they won't interpret our restraint as weakness?" "Flash of a feeling, at best." "_ _" "Dr. McCord." "What a coincidence." "Good evening." "Jose called you." "How about we take a walk?" "Your friend did you a favor." "Yeah, how's that?" "We spoke to Ray Merchant." "Had a good, long talk with him." "And, frankly, you were right to bring him to our attention." "The man has... issues." "But he's not our guy." "How can you be sure?" "Is he unbalanced?" "Probably." "Still obsessed with your wife?" "Maybe, but this is what we know:" "The night your house was hacked, multiple witnesses put Merchant at a campsite in the Blue Ridge Mountains with no Internet access." "An attack this sophisticated requires real-time input." "He could have paid someone." "Possibly, but I doubt it." "You've seen his house." "Look like he could afford to?" "Let alone hire two goons to mug you and steal your son's computer?" "No." "But I'll tell you what he's more than capable of." "Suing the next person that shows up at his front door asking questions about his relationship with your wife." "Suing... or maybe worse." "I understand." "Thank you." "Go home, Dr. McCord." "Your family needs you." "Good evening, my fellow Americans." "As many of you are aware, earlier today, a Chinese fighter jet struck the aircraft carrier USS Wayne Morris in the South China Sea, taking the lives of three American sailors and wounding many others." "I spoke earlier to my counterpart, President Li, of the People's Republic of China, to voice America's outrage at this reckless act and unnecessary loss of life." "President Li expressed sincere regret over the incident." "More importantly, he has agreed to several steps to be outlined in the coming days to de-escalate the crisis in the South China Sea so that another such tragedy does not happen again." "Many of you are angry." "I share your anger." "There are also some who would capitalize on this tragedy to score political points." "It's easy to lash out when your blood is up." "Easier still to talk tough when no one's life hangs in the balance." "But when leading, whether a platoon of marines or an entire nation, history judges us by the wisdom of our actions." "We will defend our interests, and our friends and allies in the region." "And we will hold China accountable." "But we will not start a war over one reckless act." "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the grieving families of our brave sailors who gave their lives in our service." "Thank you." "And may God bless America." "They're free!" " Hey!" " Good." "Chen kept his word." "I mean, they'll still have to stand trial at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea." "Well, that's to help China save face." "Worst-case scenario, they pay a fine." "And we're keeping the fact that China tried" " to put missiles on the reef a secret?" " Again... saving face." "Well, the main this is they've agreed to talks with their neighbors, and in the interim they won't be leveling reefs to build military outposts." "Which, if it isn't exactly a win for the environment, is at least a break in the ongoing catastrophe." "On that buoyant note, I'm going home." " Good night." " Good night." "Is everything all right, ma'am?" "Good night, guys." " Good night." " Night-night." "I wasn't wrong about that kid." "You weren't right, either." "Okay." "I should have trusted you about it." "Yeah." "You should have." "God only knows what you would have done if you'd confronted him." "And then what?" "Then-then where are we?" "What do you want me to say?" "Look..." "The one thing I try never to be in my life is powerless." "You and the kids are everything." "The idea that all we can do is sit here and wait for the next terrible thing to happen, it makes me feel..." "Angry." "Yeah." "Angry." "And scared." "Really scared." "I hate it." "I know." "Me, too."