- Annie is given the difficult task of asking a reclusive former officer for assistance as the agency tries to track down an African arms dealer who is trying to enter the United States.
- When the DPD gets word of an incoming shipment from Sudanese arms dealer Hasaan Waleed, Annie is sent to enlist Christopher McAuley, a former CIA officer who may hold the key to finding Hasaan. However, there are others showing an interest in the case, including former Director of Clandestine Services Henry Wilcox, and, for reasons unknown, Ben Mercer, the mysterious love of Annie's life.—USA Publicity
- Annie (Piper Perabo) brings Auggie (Christopher Gorham) coffee on her morning run and gets her a spiffy new cell phone in return. An agent races by her into Joan's office.
They've got a line on three surface-to-air missiles on a container ship from South Africa. They'll be in the US in the next 24 hours. They don't know where, but the shipper is Hassan Walid.
On a cargo ship, the captain demands more money for bribes but Walid shoots him dead and asks other crew members if they want more money as well. Understandably, none do.
Joan (Kari Matchett) and the team brainstorm. Jai (Sendhil Ramamurthy) suggests checking in with Amsterdam. Someone suggests McAuley. There's a pregnant pause.
Joan tells Annie to track down "McAuley." "You're new, you might have a shot," Joan says.
Later, Annie asks Auggie what she meant. Christopher McAuley (Eriq La Salle) was a deep cover officer for 15 years and knew everything about east Africa. He retired five years ago, meaning he had a nervous breakdown. Auggie tells her pretty much every senior person has tried to bring him in. Annie realizes she's on a fool's errand.
Jai greets his dad, the former director Henry Wilcox (Gregory Itzin).
Auggie generally disapproves of him, saying he ran more dark ops than anyone since the Cold War. He tells her the story about Henry and Jai's mom. She was his asset when he was in India, her cover was blown, he married her and then he left her for a younger woman.
She says the press called him "the Prince of Darkness." Jai walks up in time to hear. Auggie excuses himself. Jai asks her for coffee, then it becomes drinks and talks of dating.
Annie drives down a country road until her tire blows - or more accurately, is popped by spike strips. Dogs come after her. Then the presumed Chris McAuley comes out. He guesses she's from Langley and tells her to get off his property. She says she has a flat tire. He replies he hopes that she has a spare. What a gentleman.
Back at Langley, Jai reports Hassan's cousin worked at the Johannesburg port which is how the missiles got on the ship. Worse, they now know Hassan is on the ship himself.
Annie changes her tire on Cauley's property. She's about to leave but goes looking for him. She subdues his dogs with treats.
She finds him fishing in a stream in waders. He ignores her so she takes off her heels and wades in. He guesses she's new. She tells him about the weapons shipment. He ignores her and works on his fly casting. She takes it and ties it for him.
She tells him it's for the greater good. But he says the only mud he likes is the kind he's standing in. When she asks what he means, he tells her to ask Henry Wilcox.
Annie drives back to the city. She remembers her time on the beach with Ben (Eion Bailey), as he taught her how to tie lures. She tells him about growing up as a military brat and wanting to be the master of her own destiny.
Khartoum, Sudan A man walks into his house and sees Ben Mercer waiting for him. He reaches for his knife as Ben asks where his boss is: Hassan Walid. The man draws his knife and Ben fends him off. They fight all over the house until Ben gets him in a chokehold. He asks again where Walid is but the man passes out.
Annie gets drinks with Auggie and he calls her out for staring at the Wilcoxes across the room. Annie decides to go join them, based on what McAuley said. Auggie playfully whines about being left alone. Annie assures him another girl will join him as soon as she leaves. Sure enough, a girl sits and says, "Hi" before Annie even takes 5 steps away.
Jai's clearly irked she's butting in, but she orders scotch and makes herself at home. They're several rounds in when Henry calls her out for disapproving of him. He gives a little speech about things not being black and white.
Annie asks why people leave the company. Henry says it's always for money or love.
Annie goes back to Langley and reads up on McAuley. She sees he was station chief in Khartoum. She looks at the agents he was stationed with and finds Vanessa Sinclair, killed in action in 2005.
Annie's sitting in the lobby when Auggie joins her. She asks about the girl. He says she couldn't remember the title of the last book she read, which was a deal-breaker. She asks him how he feels about what they do. She wonders if it's worth it. She thinks he might have something she can use with McAuley, but she's torn.
Annie wakes up and sees her Ben bracelet. She wears it when she goes again to see McAuley. She tells him she wants to talk about Vanessa.
She tells him he's trying to scare people off, but she thinks it's an act. She knows Vanessa worked for Henry's dark ops group. Every vacation he took for 10 years was in the same area where Vanessa as stationed.
"I know what it's like to hang onto a memory," she tells him.
He sees the bracelet and the knot and asks if she loved the person who taught her that. Very much, she says.
She recites Vanessa was killed five years ago in Sudan, her death was tied to Hassan Walid. She tells him to work his contacts for her, if not the greater good. He's impressed.
"You're talented enough to go very far in this business, and foolish enough to want to," he tells her.
Joan reports to Arthur (Peter Gallagher) that Annie got McAuley, but he wants to take her to see his contact in New York. He also needs $250,000 for the contact. Arthur tells her to send Jai and $100,000 should work.
Arthur's secretary tells him Henry Wilcox is there to see him.
Arthur stalls then finally sees him. Henry knows one of the cases they're working is Hassan Walid. He suggests they turn him rather than locking him up. "There are some stories that will do no one any good to have out in the open," Henry says.
Auggie gives Annie and Jai a suitcase full of money, explaining each bill has an RFID signal and many together can be traced.
New York City Jai, Annie and McAuley wait for his contact. McAuley offers up out of nowhere to Jai that his father is an "a--hole." Jai doesn't argue. McAuley goes to meet his contact, contrary to the plan. Annie whips out her smart phone to show Jai the video she just took of everyone walking by. She calls Auggie to have him trace the people.
Annie chats with Jai until McAuley comes back, with the case. He reports his contact said he didn't trust him, then excuses himself to go to the bathroom. Annie thinks his demeanor was all wrong. They open the case and find phone books. They go in the coffee shops to look for him and discover he's gone.
They check in with Langley. Annie thinks McAuley got info he could use. They trace the money to a restaurant owned by a guy named Sadiq. Joan gives them the green light to go in.
Jai finds a secret door then a brick wall with loose bricks. He pulls out a piece of the wall and finds drugs and guns and their money.
Annie and Jai sit down with Sadiq.
Joan reports to Arthur that Walid is on the SS Andromeda docking in Brooklyn. She's ready to send in the FBI, but Arthur says they're going to run the op.
Jai and Annie get orders to go back to Langley. But Annie feels responsible. She hails a cab to the Brooklyn shipyard.
When Annie and Jai pull up, a team is already on the scene. Auggie gets a report. Annie and Jai are there. They find McAuley with a rifle. She tells them this isn't his fight. She thinks the FBI is coming. He tells her the CIA gave Hassan his start and he killed Vanessa when she brought him guns and money - and the CIA went on working with him until he turned on them.
Joan gives the command for them to take Hassan alive. McAuley tells Annie to get out of the way, but she won't. He gives in.
They hear a shot ring out. Hassan falls. Back in Langley, they try to figure out what happened. Arthur demands to know who fired.
We see who it was: Annie's mystery lover Ben Mercer.
Ben tosses his rifle and scales the boat to escape. He runs down the dock, coming up right behind Annie. She doesn't look his way but Jai does. He takes off after Ben. Jai has nearly caught up when Ben gets the drop on him. With gun drawn, Ben stares down Jai but lets him go.
McAuley examines the missiles: US made, the same ones the CIA sold him.
Arthur leads the dedication of the new ops center in Henry Wilcox's name, pledging transparency.
Auggie hears Jai giving an interview and says he's a blowhard like his dad. But Annie defends him, saying he's just trying to figure this place out.
Joan confronts Arthur, saying he knew those weapons were theirs. He admits Hassan was an asset who built his entire operation on their guns and money. They sent Vanessa Sinclair to deliver a shipment. He killed her, then used the weapons they'd given him to build a terrorist cell. Arthur said he didn't know until Wilcox told him. They were both there when Wilcox started the op.
They know it was Ben Mercer who killed Hassan.
Cut to Ben wounded and drinking Scotch by himself. He looks at a picture of Annie on his cell' phone.
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