"Anybody in plumbing, please go to aisle four." "God damn!" "Ah, I see you got the DeWalt cordless." "Your nail gun-- DeWalt 410." "Yeah." "The trouble is, you leave it in a truck for a while, need to step up and use the bitch, the battery don't hold up, you know?" "Yeah, cordless'll do that." "You might want to consider the powder-actuated tool." "The Hilti DX 460 MX or the Simpson PTP-- these two are my Cadillacs." "Everything else on this board is second-best, sorry to say." "Are you contracting, or just doing some work around the house?" " No, we work all over." " Full time?" "No, we had about five jobs last month." "Ah." "With that rate, the cost of the powder-actuated guns justifies itself." " You say "power"?" " Powder." " Like gunpowder?" " Yeah." "The DX 460 is fully automatic, with a.27-caliber charge." "Wood, concrete, steel to steel-- she'll throw a fastener into anything." "And for my money, she handles recoil better than the Simpson or the P3500." "Now, you understand what I mean by recoil?" "Yeah, the kickback." "I'm with you." " That's right." ".27 caliber, huh?" "Yeah, not large ballistically, but for driving nails, it's enough." "Any more than that, you'd add to the recoil." "Man, shit." "I seen a tiny-ass.22 round-nose drop a nigga plenty of days, man." "Motherfuckers get up in you like a pinball, rip your ass up." "Big joints, though-- big joints, man, just break your bones, you say, "Fuck it."" "I'm gonna go with this right here, man." "How much I owe you?" "$669 plus tax." "No no, you just pay at the register." "Nah, man, you go ahead and handle that for me, man." "And keep the rest for your time." " This is $800." " So what, man?" "You earned that buck like a motherfucker." "Keep that shit." " We good?" " Yeah, man." "The man said if you want to shoot nails, this here is the Cadillac, man." "He mean Lexus, but he ain't know it." " Hold the charge better?" " Man, fuck the charge." "This here is gunpowder-activated, .27 caliber, full auto, no kickback, nail-throwing mayhem, man." "Shit right here is tight." "Fuck just nailing up boards." "We could kill a couple motherfuckers with this right here." "You laughing." "I've been schooled, dog." "I'm trying to tell you." " All right, all right." " For real." "Seven and counting." "All of them caught on the wire." "We're not above the corners yet, but we soon will be." " They're not dumping phones?" " Every month or so." "Sloppy enough that we may be able to track a phone or two up to Marlo or the people he keeps close." "Truth is, if they're still using cell phones in this day and age, they're mine." "And if Marlo Stanfield is on a cell," " he'll be mine too." " Cool Lester smooth." "That's not trash talk, darling." "That's simple fact." "Marlo Stanfield may have a lot of heart and a lot of corners, but he's a babe in the woods when it comes to this right here." "I was proud to be chasing those Barksdales, but this Stanfield kid..." "Not as fierce as we thought." "For months now, there hasn't been a body we can put to him." " Hmm." " You two sound disappointed." "This unit needs good, hard targets, or it'll go soft." "Be that as it may, I'll assume you want" " another 30 days on your taps." " At least." "And we've got subpoenas to go out this week as well." " Subpoenas?" " Asset investigations." " On Marlo Stanfield?" " Come here." "All this is from the Barksdale money trail." "We've been running down all the paper we pulled out of Stringer's apartment and the B  B office downtown." " I miss Prez, man." "I do." " I hear you." "The truth is, those guys had money going everywhere-- investments, political donations, consulting fees..." "You want to do this now?" "I wanted to do this a year ago, but fresh cases got in the way." "And your lieutenant's gonna okay this kind of paper?" "Our lieutenant has a fearless heart." " This will get you started." " Whoa whoa whoa." "Wait wait wait." "Wait right there." "My coupons." "You were gonna give this lady my coupons." "Been clipping them for two days, and you damn near sent them out with your mess." "Well, why are they in my pile?" "Why is your pile in my workspace?" "Because I'm doing real work!" "Working my nerves is what you've been doing." "Four weeks before the Baltimore City primary, you hand me a stack of drug-money subpoenas that hit a dozen key political figures." "There's an election?" "Who's running?" "...and they think I can't." "Shit, I don't think we can take four more years of this guy." "This city's in the toilet." "That's what they said during my term, too." "Yeah well, you got dealt a bad hand," " I mean, with the riots and all." " Yeah, sure." "Anyway, I think I'll squeeze in if Tony Gray draws off 25%, 26% of the vote, because most of that's out of Royce's base." "25% is a big number for Gray, don't you think?" "I don't know." "Royce's negatives are up-- even among black voters." "Yeah." "In a minute, Norman." "You know what I think, Tommy?" "No matter what, you got your name out there, and it'll help you down the road if you ever want to step up to the legislature." "But as one paisan to another, the day of the white mayor is over in this town." "Excuse me, Your Eminence." "You're due at the Baylor-Edison Senior Center, and I don't want to be lying to a roomful of wrinkle-assed voters because you wanted to talk shop all the damn morning." "Seniors, huh?" "They vote, Tommy." "Got to run." "Sorry." "The candidate's on your clock." "Don't ever let him forget it." "No, indeed." "Need your sig on vehicle logs and a corrected court report and office memo subpoena requests and a requisition due to City Purchasing for a large fan." "A fan, huh?" "Caroline says it stays hot in the wire room with the door closed." "Oh." "It's beautiful, Lieutenant." " I've never seen a beach house so fine." " You think so?" "Shit." "Makes me think about retirement, and I only got nine years on." "When do you break ground?" "Next March, if I have my permits, which reminds me-- on Tuesday," "I have to get over to Delaware and see my contractor." "Oh, no problem." "Me and Lester, we'll cover for you on that." "No problem at all." "Cake." "You know what I'm saying, yo?" "That's my baby's mother we talking about, yo." "But y'all been broke up, right?" "Man, I ain't living with her or nothing, but I still be giving her a couple dollars here and there, you know, stop and pass." "Pandemic!" "Pandemic!" "Look at this." "Hey, Nay." " Namond!" " Hmm?" "What the fuck am I paying you for, nigga?" "Oh, my fault, B." "Damn!" "Yo man, and do something with that ponytail." "Cops can make his ass from a mile away." "Braid it or something!" "Yeah, you know, me and Patrice been together for a long time." "Yeah, but you say she running with the boy Fruit now, right?" "Yeah." "If he don't back the fuck off," "I'm gonna fill his ass with some hot ones, yo." "Shit." "You don't think I will?" "I got that pandemic." "Man... do what you gonna do." " Bodie." " What's up, big man?" "You ain't real with us all week, man." "You stepping on that package or what?" "Yo, man, everything's slow." "It been slow since we moved down here from Fayette Street." "Yeah, well, Marlo wanted Fayette." "Man, I do not like backing down from niggas, man." "I feel like a punk." "I feel like doing shit." "Ain't like the old days, dog." "Mayor Barksdale left." "You out here on your own, dog." "Give it up." "B, let's roll." "Hey, Lex, man," "I'm gonna give you the truth because you need the truth." "That boy Marlo got the world by the ass." "And Fruit, he work for Marlo." "So I'm saying, fuck that bitch." "Pfft." "And move on." " That's just the way it is." " Yeah." " That's just the way it is, man." " Pandemic!" "Thank you, sir." "Just one moment, ma'am." "You seen Hoskins?" "Lieutenant went upstairs already." "Step through, please." "Madam President." "Council president's hot as balls." " I'd fuck you to fuck her, man." " Yeah?" "You'd fuck a guy for a chance to fuck a hot broad?" "You don't think that makes you a faggot or nothing?" "It's just an expression, man." "Been on this detail how long?" "Eight months." "Eight months with Clarence Royce." "So let me ask, are you ready to take a bullet for the Mayor of Baltimore?" "Lieutenant, sir." "Is the truck okay, or do we want to call one?" "No, the truck works." "He said he needed just 10 minutes." "No, not now." "Maybe tomorrow." "Is that Krawczyk again?" "Every time he writes another check, he turns around and calls for something just to see that he can." "Getting calls from Carcetti's people, too." "They want one debate for crime and safety, the other on economic stuff and schools," "Tony Gray crying the same blues." "Like they're gonna get the whole night to smack me with the crime rate." "I told "The Sun" paper we're open to any format, which we'll be for another couple days or so, in which time we'll say, "Fuck you." "One debate."" "Two debates." "Shit!" "That lost-ball-in-high-grass motherfucker Carcetti." "He needs to get used to life in the wilderness, and not just the downtown areas, but your communities here on the East Side." "We stand or we fall together, and I'm here today to ask for the chance to stand with you." "Thank you for your time." "Questions?" "Yes, ma'am?" "Is it the Salisbury steak for lunch today, or is they doing tacos?" "Because it's developments like this one, planned residential towers with waterside retail space and restaurants that grow Baltimore's tax base and help rebuild our city." "I want to thank Ed Bowers for his vision, but more important, for his commitment-- for his commitment to the City of Baltimore." "Ed." "Mr. Mayor," "I want to thank you and your administration, for making this next stage of redevelopment for Baltimore's harbor a reality." "You talk about vision and commitment" "Mayor Clarence Royce." "Pandemic!" "Pandemic!" "What up, Nay?" "Yo, what up?" " What you got?" " Nothing." "It's just a story about A.J. from North  Woods." "Yo, you know they gave him 700 years?" "Read this shit, son." "This corner is dead, man." "You still working?" "Yeah, because we was gonna gonna go under the road" " and catch some fresh birds." " I don't know." "Let me see if I can bounce." "Hold up." " Hey, B." " What's up?" "I wanted to know if I could leave early because me and the fellas want to go down to Mondawmin for some back-to-school stuff." "What you need back-to-school stuff for?" "Your ass stay suspended." "Come on, stop playing, B." "Hey, if it wasn't for social promotion, your ass would still be in pre-K, motherfucker." "Probably daycare up this bitch." "Pandemic right here!" "Fuck it." "Hey, yo, man." "Pay this late-to-work, early-to-play nigger out for five hours, yo." "Yo, you owe me extra time tomorrow, though." "Lex!" "Did you hear me?" "Damn, y'all!" "Young'uns don't got a scrap of work ethic nowadays, man." "If it wasn't for his pops, I wouldn't even bother." "Yo!" "Make sure you come early tomorrow because it ain't always gonna be this slow." "Pandemic!" "At least I hope it ain't." "Mr. Mayor." "Mr. Mayor, excuse me." "I just want to make sure we're still okay for that median cut on Boston Street." "I really need that access to make the site viable." "Right." "I'll get my people on it." "Thank you, sir." "Something going on with his median?" "Not once he ponies up." "I think he can do a lot better than the 4,000, don't you?" "I don't even want to know." "No, Chris, please, man." "We're low on quicklime, man." "Doesn't matter." "We got vacants on both sides." "He'll stink is all." "Chris, please." "Don't fret, boss." "I got you covered." "Quick and clean, I promise." "Chr" "Man, shit like that don't even work in them cartoons." "The roadrunner just snatch the birdseed and book." " We ain't in no cartoon." " Yeah, you is." "Shh!" "Be still." "Yeah, you scaring away the birds." "I'm talking to both y'all." "Took me off the clock for this craziness?" " What the fuck is you thinking?" " We're serious, Nay." "This bird could be worth like 300 or 400." "Nigga, please." "Yo, you know the boy Nemo who worked Marlo's pigeon coop?" "Said he got 400 for a white homing bird." " And that's a homer?" " I mean, it's white." " So that makes it a homer, right?" " It could be." "Damn!" "Son, you need to put some hamburger meat in that trap." "That shit would've been got." "Shut your mouth, it'd have been got." "I'm gonna fuck this nigga up." "Hey yo, what the fuck is wrong with you, throwing bottles and shit, huh?" "You just cost us cash money, you know that?" "I ain't done nothing." "You're a seriously backwards dude." "You know that, right?" "Playing with bugs like he's still in Pampers." "That wasn't even necessary." "Nah, you don't want any Pampers." "Put them over that mouth you got." "Catch all that shit you be flushing." " Ohh!" " Ooh!" "Y'all be stinking like rat fart." "There you go!" " Oh oh!" " Get him!" "All right, all right." "Come on, come on, come on." "Come on." "Y'all acting like little bitches." "Yo, you seen my man Duke?" "Clocked him, got him upside his head." "Only because I didn't want to get too close and touch the dirty motherfucker." "Could have come up with aids or some shit like that." "Dukie fight like a bitch, yo." "I would have whipped that ass if I didn't feel sorry for him." "Duke, man, you scared away the birds." "I blew me up a bug bomb." "You want to come and see the pieces?" "Nah, I'm good." "I got to go." "All right." "Hey hey, Randy." "That pigeon wasn't a homer." "Homers got them metal things around their leg." "That way you can tell them from the other birds." "How you know that?" "You know Nemo let me clean out his coop sometimes." "So... he was schooling me." "...which leaves us a total of 54." "No surprises on who's coming back-- all the regulars." "We lost Mr. Parker and Ms. Bowles." " Gregory's leaving?" " Hired by the county." "And Bowles, I knew she wasn't coming back, the way they tore up her classroom." "So we're short two in math and four in science." "Man at the door." "No system l.D., but says he's new here." "Well, buzz him in before something changes his mind." "All the way on the left." "Pull it hard." " Hard!" " It's locked." "All right." "I'll be right down." "Not a goddamn thing up in here works like it should." "Well, you turn to the cafeteria assignments, and you see that's gonna leave Ernest alone for second period, and he can't handle it alone." "You tell them, because I ain't even gonna try to pronounce it." "Roland Pryzbylewski." "Everyone just calls me "Prez."" "Claudell Withers." "I'm principal here." "New in math." "I won't have my certificate until next year, but with the resident teachers' program, they said I'd be getting classes because of staff shortages?" "Jesus." "Lambs to the slaughter here." "What did you do before you decided to teach, Mr. Pryzbylewski?" "I was a police..." "in the city." "Marcia Donnelly, Assistant Principal." "Welcome to Edward Tilghman Middle." "That leaves Tullman, as I see 'em, for the 12th." "You think he can handle the whole shift?" "Now, which one's Tullman, again?" "Goofy redhead, kind of looks like Opie from Mayberry, but less fierce." "Jimmy, Major wants to see you." "Jimmy, come on in." "I know I offered when I first came over here, and I know your answer then, but I'm still asking." "Can I get you out of a radio car?" "No thank you, Major." "McNulty, I'm short two men in Ops, and my follow-up squad couldn't make a case to save its life." "You're too damn good to be humping calls." "Thanks for the offer, though." "You don't think I asked him 10 times when I was acting commander?" "He's in the wrong fucking place." "For us, yeah." "For him..." "Yo, po-po, man." "Po-po." "Shut it down." "Where is the love, Bodie?" "Where is the motherfucking love?" "I go back so far with this kid," "I was chasing him through juvie." "But does any of that matter when we roll up here?" "I get so much as a wave, a nod, a smile?" "Nothing." " How about just hello?" " Hello." "See?" "That wasn't so hard, was it?" "Lex, my man, how's your day going?" "Not to criticize or anything, but I think you missed a spot there." "Little Kevin, how's it hanging?" "Reesey, you look like someone just shot your dog." "You all right, man?" "You okay?" "Reesey still messing up the count?" "You hear what he said?" "Yo, dog, you send him up to Lamelle next month." "I'll make sure Ms. Davis puts him in remedial math, and we'll have done some good here today." "Fucking cop, man." "Everything good?" "Yeah." "Just words." "Mr. Entrapment, how you doing?" "Don't look like that." "I'm still dining out on that story." "You know how he beat the wiretap a year ago?" "Claimed entrapment when he was clocking in Bunny Colvin's Hamsterdam." "Shit you not." "Smart kiddo." "I loved it." "When I roll back in an hour, this corner's bone-dry." "Your people are done for the day." "Okay." "So let's try this again." "I say, "Have a good evening, Mr. Broadus."" "And a good evening to you, Sergeant Carver." "See?" "We're right here." "And a very good evening to you, Officer Colicchio." "Fuck yourself with a 40, shitbreath." "What the fuck was all that about?" " You can't bust every head, Tony." " I can't?" "Bust every head, who are you gonna talk to when the shit happens?" "Hi, Rachel." " Tim, thanks for doing that yesterday." " Yeah, no problem." "You ran late all morning" "Late for the seniors, late for the Stonewall meeting with Della." "Late for the Gay-Lesbian Alliance." "Them seniors, they talk slow." "Bullshit." "It was breakfast with Young Tony when they sat there swapping stories over cold coffee." " Young Tony, huh?" " I was getting sage advice" " From a one-term mayor?" " It wasn't his fault." "He takes over in '67, sees the city burn." "That was an opportunity." "Spiro Agnew made his whole career on the '68 Riots." " Agnew?" " One man's shithead's another man's vice president." " True today as it ever was." " Hey, is that polling data?" "Raw numbers." "It's incomplete." "Right now, you need to be in the call room dialing for dollars." "Aw, fuck!" "I can't do it anymore!" "I hate it." "I hate it more than anything." " I fucking hate it!" " You don't do this, you don't have the money to pay for the damn TV spots in the last two weeks." "Aw, mothersucking cockfuckers." "Oh, Jesus." "I fucking hate this." "Hey there, Jim." "Tom Carcetti here, remember me?" "We met at your sister's house-- you know, the one that's married to that Republican cunt." "I know you don't remember me." "I know you don't have any use for fucking politicians, and frankly, I don't give a flying fuck about what you think or what your concerns are." "But I do care about what your cute little blonde wife thinks about so many things." "But, Jim, the reason I'm calling is because" "I want you to write me out a check for $4,000, the maximum allowed by law." "Because we don't trust you to actually mail that check, we're gonna send over a couple of furloughed DPW workers to beat the check out of you." "All finished?" "You need $30,000... in the next three hours." "No bullshit, Tommy." "You hit your number or die in this room." "Yeah, whatever." "So what are you watching, then?" "Anything on the tube?" "No fucking way." "They got enough power in the middle of the lineup." "What they need is pitching." "What you looking at?" "Fucking crazy." "Oh, like I'm really gonna give that motherfucker a ride to Woodlawn." "Shit." "Help!" "Somebody help!" "What's up, Patrice?" "You're letting it ring, right?" "You're not hanging up after a ring or two?" "I'm making the calls, Terri." "I don't know what to say." "Nobody's home." "30,000, Tommy." "You mean Lex, the boy who used to go with Patrice?" "Lester!" "He her baby's daddy." "He ain't the first one to get his spurt." "You ain't got to talk like that." "Nigga just walked up to him outside of the Paragon and served him up." "One to the face." "Whap!" "Shoot." "He was real cute." "Lex and his nine took all the cute out of that lazy-eye motherfucker." "Anything on Fruit's phone?" "Nothing." "I've gone for two hours." " Sure." " It's no problem, though." "Sure." "I really need your help." " Put me down for four." " Yeah." "What about your wife?" "Think she can come up with four?" " I don't think we can do eight." " The kids?" "They're in strollers." "I know they're in strollers." "I was kidding." "That's funny." "Yeah, never mind." "4,000 is good." " Thanks." " No problem." "One to the left temple." "Close range in a lot full of club trash," " but of course, nobody sees a thing." " Hmm." " We hear your shooter goes by "Lex."" " Lex?" "We were up on your victim's cell phone, too." "We'll go back through the calls, send you whatever's there." "Got this from his pocket." "You can pull the numbers from that as a consolation prize." "This fucks you guys up, don't it?" "Losing a guy you had wired?" "Nah." "We're up on several phones on the street level." "With or without Mr. Fruit, we're on our way." "You know, it's strange." "We're not seeing bodies." "This is the first drug hit in months, and it's Marlo's boy who falls." " I thought Marlo was the new power." " He is." "Shit, he's got everything from MLK to Fulton now." "How do you hold that much real estate without making bodies?" "You hear anything more about this murder on your wire, Lester, the Bunk expects a call." "Yeah, I know he does." "Oh!" "The hell with Norris." "You're my real partner, Lester." "My life partner." "Don't tease, bitch." "Look at that bowlegged motherfucker." "I made him walk like that." "So who the fuck is Lex?" "Dontrelle's cousin." "Used to be with Cantel's people." "He working some corner over the Hilltop now." "He ain't more connected than that?" "And he coming near one of mine?" "Wasn't about no business." "Pussy, man." "Yo, Fruit was into something that Lex thought was his own." "You say the word, we take off that whole motherfucking corner every last one of them bitches." "What corner are we talking about, again?" "Rag-tag shit up on Pacer." "Man, they get their shit from Joe, but they're mostly independent." "They gone, Marlo." "Just say so." "That what you think?" "Just do them all?" "And take their fucking corner, too." "What do I want with some off-brand Hilltop corner?" "And why I need to be stacking bodies when there ain't no one trying to war with us?" "Just Lex." "He did one of ours, so he got to fall." "Get out, Tommy." "You're done." "Get up, Tommy!" "Come on, pretty boy." "Come on." "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." " Come on." "Let's go." " That's home?" "Yeah." "That's it." "There we go, little trooper." "6:30 tomorrow morning." "Don't make me drag you out of bed like you did yesterday." "Mm-hmm." "Damn, boy, what happened to you?" "Terrace Boys banged me coming across the tracks over there by Ramsey Street." "Teron, Manny, Herbie." "Man, all them Terrace niggas." "They can't whoop on Dukie like that." "Yeah, I know." "Only we can whoop on Dukie like that." "We've got to step it up, even this out." "Nah." "Fuck even." "We gonna hurt them twice as bad." "Give 'em a whoop-ass they ain't gonna never forget." "If we straight-up fight them, there's as many of them as there is us-- more even." "So what you saying?" "You scared?" "Nah, I'm just saying." "If we're gonna hurt them, we need to think on it." "Do something go past beating on each other." "You talking guns and shit." "Nah, I ain't talking guns." "What?" "Aw, shit." "Randy got an idea." "Hey, Norman." "You know what I had for dinner last night?" "Tuna sub." "I ate in the car." "When I'm finished writing my memoirs, that shit'll be in there, no doubt." "You see what I just ate?" "In the car?" "A fucking tuna sub." "In order to prevent distemper, Norman, you must vary the candidate's menu." "If you're done chewing," "let's give these new radio spots a listen." "We've seen what Tommy Carcetti can do at City Hall as a councilman." "While the current administration bent to special interests," "Tommy Carcetti sponsored legislation..." " What?" "...that is protecting jobs at the fort by preventing the overdevelopment of our waterfront." "300,000." "Great." "Thanks for sharing." "...that prevented budget cuts to vital city services..." "Three and five zeroes-- mayor's latest TV buy, and it's four weeks out." " Turn that shit off!" " You don't like the spots?" "I read the copy before the studio mix." "I think they're strong." "They're bullshit!" "Weak bullshit!" "I wouldn't vote for me." "Fuck!" "Fuck Royce!" "Fuck Tony Gray!" "Fuck me!" "Where am I going again?" "One of those neighborhoods between Oliver and Middle East." "Middle East." "Now, that's a good name for it-- fucking Fallujah." "Command performance." "Ms. Victorina Simmons." "She holds sway over two big vote precincts, no matter who the EDC is lying down with" "Fucking Royce!" "300,000 like it's fucking water." "Then there's also the Reverend Garnett." "What are they complaining about today?" "Fucking shithole of a city." "Whining bastards, bitching about the trash or the crime or this or that." "It's my fucking fault it went to shit." "These motherfuckers." " Boss." " They can bite my bloody ass." "Ms. Simmons." "Reverend Garnett." "Good to see you again." "I had a meeting going on, but I'm here now, and I know there's things to see." "We called and called downtown, and ain't nothing gets done." "Okay." "Show me." "Right this way, Councilman." "The first thing I want you to take a look at..." "See, you've got to drink a lot." "Think about the water running." "And that way, you know" "How the fuck you know what water running be like, Duke?" "Water been off in your house since last year." " Man, that's cold." " Yeah, that's cold, Nay." "Oh, shit." "I'm ready." "Can't go with niggers watching, yo." "When we call, he'll send somebody, most of the time, and they write it all down just like he doing now." "But nothing ever gets done." "Come here, Councilman, I want you to see this." "Now, see them drug boys?" "They block the alleys like this so the police won't chase them down there." " All this trash." " Mm-hmm." "Rats everywhere." "Houses vacant." "We keep trying to get them down here and clean this up." "I guess that's too much like right." "Well, truth is, Royce won't let the city agencies take any of my constituent calls." "But let me see what I can do." "Come on, let me show you this down here." "Come on." "Yo." "Y'all Terrace niggas know that boy who go by the name "Deez"?" " Deez?" " Yeah, Deez nuts." " Aw, fuck." " Shit." "Yo yo, come on, come on, come on." "Yeah, come on, get him!" "Damn!" "I knew those bitches was gonna set us up." "Yeah, fucking say it, bitches." "Don't ever disrespect Terrace." "Damn!" " I fucking pissed myself." " Fuck!" "Over here!" "Kick him right behind." "Randy!" "This way." "Hey yo, he went in there!" "Remember that phrasing is a cornerstone in communicating with your students." "This applies not only to the questions you ask or their comprehension of the lesson, but how they perceive you as an educator." "And where does that begin?" "Out loud and enthusiastically." "I.A.L.A.C." "Let's go." "Once again." "I.A.L.A.C." "And what are we telling ourselves?" "I am lovable and capable." "Now I see those smiling faces." "...where the listing on the lower half of the page indicates some typical soft-target locations." "An officer alert to the terrorist threat must ask himself," ""Do I know the location of my soft targets, those where large numbers of civilians congregate?"" "Train terminals, office buildings, stadiums." "Another hot zone in the classroom is the pencil sharpener, where children tend to congregate and" "I had a pencil sharpener in my class once." "Antoine Granderson ripped it from the wall and threw it at me." "I'd like to know what your lesson plan suggests when Harold Hounchell sends a full set of textbooks through a closed window." "Thank you." "Settle down, everybody." "And for emergency procedures in the event of biochemical agents, you can refer to Appendix B." "No disrespect to your appendix, but if them terrorists do fuck up the Western, could anybody even tell?" "Some Al-Qaedas were up on Baltimore Street planning on blowing up the chicken joint." "But Apex's crew jacked them up, took their camels and robes, buried their ass in Leakin Park." "At least that's what I heard." "Hey, y'all want some real terrorists?" "You go up on Pencey and Gold." "Hey, guys, let's maintain our" "You're doing one heck of a job." "Not another fucking word." "Thank you." "Ahem." "So..." "Mmm." "You beast." "I can't help it." "You stirred my manhood." "Little Boy Blue." "What the fuck are you doing here?" "I caught one." "Got a street dealer who goes by the name of Lex." "Lester heard it on the wire." "Lester's up on the wire?" "Shit, boy, you are out of the loop." "You know this mutt?" "Goes by Lex?" "He is familiar." "You know who you should ask?" "Carver." " Naw..." " He'd love the job, man." "All right." "Carver it is." "I still feel the need to pull your coat." " For what?" " The taste, Jimmy." "The taste." "How about you and me hit a few of our favorite spots?" "You know, me on the Glenlivet, you on the Jamey?" "Go see if that train is still on the track." "Why don't you come round some night for dinner?" "Say hey to Beadie and the ankle-biters." "Dinner?" "...located in high-rise structures, as well as residences are detailed alongside..." "Thanks, Santy." "This horseshit?" "You serious?" "Back to school for the kids." "Hey." "Yo, Namond, I'll pay you back." "You ain't never gonna have no money." "Yo, Michael, they got you?" "Ain't nothing but a scuffle, man." "Everybody made it back, though, right?" "Naw, man, he had to the boss to get some stitches." "He got hit with a brick." "I see you changed clothes already." "He had to." "Yo, he was stinking." "Yo, Randy, man, that was the stupidest thing you ever thought of." "But it was kind of funny when it happened, though." "You know what I'm saying?" "Yo, you want something before he bounce?" "I'm buying." "One for every soldier that stood tall." " I was down there." " Yeah, fuck you, Duke." "So you get out all right?" "Yeah." "Hurt my ankle going around the corner, but" "But you got away, then?" "The lieutenant governor is up in arms because two Democratic National Committees..." "I know we're way late" "Ain't no thing." "You did good here." "Turn that bullshit off." "You really think they're gonna vote for the white guy?" "Black folk been voting white for a long time." "You come correct, we listen." "It's y'all that don't ever vote black." "Shit, you got my vote, anyway." "I don't have your vote, Norman?" "You're my deputy campaign manager, and I don't have your vote?" "Last white man I could vote for was Bobby Kennedy, and you ain't no Bobby K." "I thought you just said" "I was speaking in general about the kindly nature of black folks." "In particular, I ain't all that kindly." "So you're gonna take my fucking check and run with my fucking campaign" "Well, I do know who pays me." "Yes, sir!" "Oh yes, sir, boss!" "Who are you gonna vote for?" "Royce?" "Tony Gray?" "One of them brothers." "Yeah yeah yeah." "Don't make me tell you again." "It's 9:00 sharp, boy." "And I'm smelling what has to be urine." "What you been at, boy?" "Well, we were playing with Dukie today." "You know how he be with his clothes and all." "Well, it's good that child has friends, I suppose." " Yes, ma'am." " Get in there." "Come on, now, give me a break" "Come on, Dougie." "I know it's late, but I got to come backdoor like this, or the agencies won't do shit." "You know that as well as I do." "Come on, Tommy..." "Come on, Tommy." "Hustle." "This is ridiculous." "Come on, give me a break" "Look, Dougie." "Yeah." "I'm sorry to bug you at home, but this asshole Royce won't handle a thing out of my office, and I need a couple of alleys cleaned." "Yeah. 1200 block of Federal Street, both sides;" "and then Chester and Collington" " run in either direction off that." " Jesus, Tommy." "I know, you're gonna be out there again in a couple days." "Can you call Frankie in Special Services and have him send a cold patch truck?" "Federal street's a fucking tank trap." "Yeah yeah yeah." "Great." "Thanks." "Love to Denise." "Hustle up, Tom." "How you doing?" "Good evening." "Hi." "You're over two hours late, Tommy." "You ain't gonna win disrespecting your base." "Hold up, Tony." "Look, man." "We got to talk." "I feel the bad about the way things have turned out, but right or wrong, if you're elected, then I'm gonna do whatever I can to help you, and if I get in, I'm gonna need your help." "I mean, it's not personal, Tony." "Fuck you, Tommy." "So this is me?" "This is you." "Pandemic!" "Pandemic!" "Got that pandemic right here!" " What's up?" " What's up, man?" "I got all this from the Koreans today at a discount." "When school start, I'll be selling it for three times that." "Tell you what," "let me get them Skittles." "Naw." "Do me a favor for the rest." "Go up the block and tell Lex there's a girl that want to see him" " at the playground behind Fort." " Girl?" "Tell him Patrice say he should come to the playground after 8:00." "Why don't you tell him yourself?" "Look, dog, I don't want to be taking none of Bodie's shit today about cutting work." "All right?" "Just do me that favor." "Pandemic!" "Pandemic right here!" "For a skinny motherfucker, he sure do sweat some." "We got to keep an extra change in the car so we don't have to come home in the middle of the day." "Well, we're way past late now, so..." " Damn it!" " Here, let me." "Hey, Norman." "Maybe I'll go to clip-on for a while." "Hey, Terri got in new polling data." "Did you get a bump?" "She won't show me anything till it's all broke down, but, yeah, I deserve a bump, don't I?" "Four more weeks, Jen." "Quality time with the wife and kids." "That's what, four minutes?" "More like six." "Six." "Shit, I could have got laid." "Yo." "Yo, Chris, l-- I didn't" "Yeah." "It's good." "Pandemic!" "Pandemic right here!" "No Lex." "Where's that skinny mope?" "He was here earlier." "Well, fuck it." "We'll come back," "Jack him tomorrow, no problem." "All right." "Share the sodas, too." " What's up?" "What's up?" " Hey." "What's up?" "Let me holla at you real quick." "What up?" " You did like I said?" " Yeah." "Yeah, you must have, because the nigga went up the block." "He ain't never coming back down." "Chris and Snoop-- pow!" "What?" "Look." "Just be cool, all right?" "Our heroes back from the wars." "Those poll numbers tallied up yet?" "Not too bad, either." "Royce, 35;" "you, 26;" "Gray, 20." "19% undecided." "We're fucked if we haven't moved any more than that." "I need to be at 30, and I need Tony taking 25 of his points." "Royce's negatives are way up." "Like what, 34% unfavorable to 43% favorable?" "He's vulnerable." "Geri, understand this." "In order to win, I need Tony Gray to take a huge bite out of Royce's lead-- huge." "Tony's moved, what?" "Two points in the last month?" "That poll says one in five voters hasn't decided anything yet." "Yeah." "The first batch of radio spots worked magic, didn't they?" "How much money we piss away on those?" "Look at these First District figures." "I mean, that's my base, and I'm polling 37% with 24% undecided?" "Fuck me!" "I'm done!" "Tommy, nobody's focused on this race yet." "We're gonna own the First." "Christ, look at what Royce is polling in the Fourth." "No doubt, Tony's got to get some traction in West Baltimore." "Yeah, he needs to be rounding 25% and headed for 30." "And, by the way, who can tell me when the fuck did the Sixth District become 64% black?" "About five years ago in the last redistricting, mostly as I recall, to give your ass more white votes over there in the First." "What the fuck was I thinking?" "A hell of a lot can happen between now and election day." "I've been ahead further than Royce is and lost." "I can't win this." "Tommy, where the fuck you going?" "I'm your ride home, man." "The man can read a poll." "You been drinking?" "I'm fine." "Well, you need to be fine somewhere else." "Park curfew is midnight." "City's averaging a murder a day, and here you are with Rec and Park rules?" "What are you, a smart ass?" "Sorry." "I didn't mean nothing." "Don't I know you?" "I'm running for mayor." "Tommy Carcetti, First District." "I'll be coming back through in about 20, Councilman." "Do me a favor and take it down the road." "Randy?" "Yes, ma'am."