04x05 - Welcome to Liberty Village

[destinyros2005]

4X05 - WELCOME TO LIBERTY VILLAGE

ORIGINAL AIR DATE ON ABC: 01/26/05

A man in his late 30's sitting in a SUV is surveilling a docking area. He watches through binoculars, casing how many men (three armed men) there are, protection, etc. and is reporting his findings in Russian through an earpiece (no translation). A truck pulls into the docking station. As the men go to unload the truck, the man in the SUV drives up and hits one of the men with the SUV. He sh**t the truck driver and other two guards. He grabs a normal looking suitcase from the back of the SUV and then opens up the back of the truck. He types in the access code to a safe in the back and then removes a plexiglass suitcase that has some sort of electronic gadget inside and safely stores it inside the empty suitcase he brought. He gets into the SUV and drives away.

Cut to same SUV pulling into a driveway in a surburban subcomplex. As he gets out of the SUV a woman walks up to him with a smile.

WOMAN: Honey, you're late. I was getting worried.

MAN: I'm sorry, beautiful... I got hung up at work.

They kiss and put their arms around each other's back to amble into the house.

Cut to establishing nighttime LA sh*t via helicopter.

NADIA (voiceover): It doesn't make any sense.

Cut to Weiss, Nadia, Vaughn, and Sydney sitting around Syd's dining table having dinner.

WEISS: What is so hard to understand? You take a ball, right? You roll it, you knock over some pins and everybody cheers for you...

VAUGHN: Or in your case, everyone laughs.

Everyone laughs.

NADIA: How is that fun?

SYDNEY (in mock shock): How could she even ask such a thing? (giggles)

WEISS: You know what? I think I know what your problem is... You've never had a true. bowling. experience.

NADIA (pretending to be insulted): We have bowling in Argentina, you know.

WEISS: Yes, but you don't have, like, glow in the dark pins; you don't have all you can eat hot dogs after ten or bad disco music pumping through the stereo... You know what? Why am I still talking about this? Let's just do it. We're going bowling. Come on.

Nadia turns from helping Sydney clear the table.

NADIA: Really?

WEISS: Yeah, yeah. Come on, we're all going bowling.

SYDNEY: Now?

WEISS: Yeah, there's a 24 hour bowling alley...

VAUGHN (cutting in): That's not the point...

SYDNEY: We have work tomorrow.

WEISS: Guys...you don't have to analyze everything you do; you can just...decide to have fun. It's okay.

SYDNEY (defensive): We're fun.

WEISS (scoffing): Yeah, you guys are about as spontaneous as my grandparents...and they're dead.

VAUGHN: Look, it's Wednesday night.

SYDNEY: We're not going bowling.

WEISS: All right. Well, suit yourself. The kids are going out.

NADIA (teasing): How can I resist all you can eat hot dogs after ten?

WEISS: Don't wait up.

NADIA: Let's go.

Weiss and Nadia leave. Sydney and Vaughn look at each other.

SYDNEY (slightly defensive): We don't analyze everything we do.

Vaughn sighs and shakes his head as if he disagrees with Weiss' assessment also (but the look on his face indicates that he might secretly agree).

SYDNEY: Do we?

VAUGHN (almost too quickly): No, no we don't. (pause) And besides, we agreed to take things slow.

SYDNEY: Right. (Pause, rationalizing) We're choosing not to be spontaneous...

VAUGHN (rationalizing): Exactly.

They look at each other as if trying to make themselves feel better about that when both their cell phones ring. They check to see who's calling and Vaughn quips,

VAUGHN: And that's why they call us when something's wrong...

SYDNEY: Right...

Sydney smiles and shakes her head as she answers her phone.

VAUGHN: Vaughn.

SYDNEY (at same time): Yeah?

Cut to APO office. Jack, Sloane and Dixon walk into the conference room from one side, Sydney and Vaughn from the other.

SLOANE: Six hours ago, an electromagnetic w*apon was stolen from a warehouse in Kystroma.

MARSHALL: Well, this thing's a prototype...really bad news: its repeatable core, amplified radius...I mean, you guys know what an electromagnetic pulse does, right?

SYDNEY: Destroys elecrtonic equipment, melts circuitry.

MARSHALL: Right. Now, if this baby goes off, anything in a ten mile radius that contains electronic parts like computers, radios, cars, radar...everything would be fried.

JACK: If a t*rror1st were to detonate this in a major metropolitan city, the casualties would be extreme.

MARSHALL: You know, hospitals would lose power, traffic grids would be destroyed, airplanes would fall from the sky... I mean it's really... Oh, and the most impressive thing about this particular device is its repeatable core.

DIXON: You could black out Los Angeles and then use it to take down San Fransisco in the same day.

SYDNEY: Who's the thief?

A photograph of the man we saw steal the device flashes on the screen.

SLOANE: His name is Yuri Korelko, former KGB officer, currently reported to have ties with an extremist group known as the October Contingent.

VAUGHN: The Russian Ultranationalists.

SLOANE: That's right. They're largely ex-m*llitary, but they're looking for new recruits.

Sloane flashes a two new photos on the screen: a man and a woman who look very vaguely like Sydney and Vaughn.

SLOANE: Three days ago, German authorities picked up a man and a woman attempting to smuggle weapons through a customs checkpoint. Subsequent interrogation revealed them to be Dmitri and Ileona Tabakov, suspected Chechnyan mercenaries.

JACK: Under duress, they disclosed that the October Contingent has made back-channel overtures toward them to join their group.

SLOANE: Sydney and Vaughn, you will imperonate the Tabakovs, infiltrate the Contingent. Your mission is twofold: you will identify the group's objective and retrieve the electromagnetic w*apon. Sydney, Vaughn...you know that any attempt to communicate to you from our end might jeopardize your lives.

VAUGHN: So we're on our own.

SLOANE: Not quite. (nods to Marshall) Marshall, please.

Marshall stands up and removes a watch from a case in front of him.

MARSHALL: What I have here is a normal, everyday wristwatch. Now, under normal uses, it won't alarm any countersurveillance scans, but once activated (demonstrates), it will give us GPS coordinates to triangulate your position. Oh, and its also capable of short burst transmissions.

DIXON: You can send images, and...we'll monitor you as best we can.

SLOANE: And if we detect your cover is in jeopardy, we will send the abort signal. I want you to extricate yourselves immediately. Your plane leaves in an hour; I wish you well. Good luck.

CUT TO BLACK

MOS©OW

An establishing night sh*t of Red Square in the rain.

Cut to a couple walking down the sidewalk together under a single umbrella. A van pulls to the end of a side street in front of them. The passenger window rolls down as Sydney and Vaughn approach. Yuri Korelko asks them in Russian:

YURI: Will this road lead me to Red Square?

SYDNEY (in Russian): Keep driving. Eventually all roads lead to Red Square.

YURI (in Russian): You are aware of our project?

VAUGHN (in Russian): We're aware you pay good money.

YURI (in Russian): We require quite a commitment.

VAUGHN (in Russian): We require quite a payment.

Yuri smirks a little and then asks,

YURI (in Russian): How is your English?

SYDNEY (English, in very thick Russian accent): We...are able to get by...yes.

YURI (in Russian): Can you speak without the accent?

SYDNEY (in perfect English): What would you like me to say?

YURI (in non-accented English): I think that'll do just fine.

Yuri gets out of the van and opens the sliding back door to allow Sydney and Vaughn to enter.

YURI (in English): I gotta tell you, if you two are half as good as rumored, we're really in for a treat. Come on, hop on in. Let's get you out of the rain. My name's Tom, by the way. (Yuri will now be known as Tom in the transcript)

Syd and Vaughn climb inside and Tom gets in behind them and closes the door.

Cut to Marshall and Jack in Marshall's tech office. He's sitting in front of a computer monitor as he speaks:

MARSHALL: NRO retasked a keyhole satellite for infrared flyover. Picked them up on the MA shortly after Sydney began transmitting.

Cut to infrared road map on Marshall's screen.

JACK: Destination?

MARSHALL: Well, the closest city in that area is... Petrozavodsk. It's about twelve hours away.

JACK: What else is in the area?

MARSHALL: Nothing really: farmland, tundra, turnips.

JACK: Let me know the moment that van stops moving.

MARSHALL: You got it, boss.

Jack walks away as Marshall continues to watch the blip that is Sydney and Vaughn's position move on the screen.

Cut to inside the van. Tom points to a man sitting next to him from behind a computer screen. (Everything is now spoken in English unless indicated otherwise)

TOM: This is Nick; he's going to take some photos of your for our project.

SYDNEY: And this project...requires us to speak English, like Americans, for some reason.

We watch as "Nick" takes photos of Syd and Vaughn and uses them to manipulate a number of pictures, placing them in it.

TOM: Well, first order of business...we need to establish some new identities for you two, and something tells me that...

He reaches over and retrieves two fake passports from Nick with Sydney and Vaughn's photos in them and reads out the names from them.

TOM:...David and Karen Parker...don't exactly spend a lot of time speaking in the Russian tongue.

Tom hands Syd and Vaughn their fake passports.

TOM: Don't worry. We'll go over everything once we get to Liberty Village. In the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the ride. You just became Americans.

Sydney and Vaughn exchange concerned glances. Cut to Nick's computer screen as he continues to manipulate photos.

Cut to Jack walking into Sloane's office.

SLOANE: I want to know more about this group Sydney and Vaughn have infiltrated. So Jack, I'm recommending you reach out to Alexi Vasilevich. Any objections?

JACK (sighing, impatient, this is not an idea he likes): He'll want something in return.

SLOANE: Yeah. Look, Jack, I can task another agent if you feel this is something...

JACK (cutting him off): I simply question whether it is prudent to involve him at this point considering...

Sloane's videophone rings, cutting Jack off.

SLOANE (answering it): Yes? (to Jack) It's Marshall.

Marshall's face appears on the video screen.

MARSHALL: Uh, Mr. Sloane? You're gonna want to come see this...

SLOANE: Okay.

Cut to the briefing room. Marshall walks in with a handful of rolled photographs.

MARSHALL: I think I found something. About an hour ago, the van left the highway. They followed access roads to this facility (pulls out photo and lays it out on the table): Suberov 13. It was supposed to have been abandoned in the late 70's.

JACK: Perimeter patrols, manned g*n in placements along the access roads, active airfields...

SLOANE: It certainly doesn't look deserted.

JACK: Marshall, can you put that onscreen?

MARSHALL: Yeah.

Marshall types into the computer and a photo of what looks to be a surburban housing development pops up.

MARSHALL: There it is.

SLOANE (walking closer to study the photo): Is that m*llitary housing?

JACK (walking closer also): Not like any I've seen. Russian base housing resemble barracks... Those are single family homes with lawns and culdesacs...

MARSHALL (also studying the photo): Is...is that a swingset? Huh. Looks like my neighborhood...

Cut to the van pulling to a stop in the driveway of a house in the development. Tom gets out and then lets Sydney and Vaughn out of the back of the van. There is surprise on both their faces as they study their surroundings.

TOM: I hope you guys like your new house...I love mine. It's almost exactly the same, I just...hope the guests haven't trashed the place.

Tom, Syd, and Vaughn walk up the walkway of a beautiful home that looks like it could be anywhere in America.

SYDNEY: We have guests?

Tom doesn't answer, just keeps walking. Sydney turns and gives Vaughn a concerned look. Tom opens the door to the house and lets Syd and Vaughn in.

TOM: They shouldn't be too long. We just have to do a...well, and initiation of sorts. Don't worry; shouldn't be too painful.

Tom closes the door behind them. Tom ushers them into the living room, where a small group of people, all dressed like yuppie Americans at a party, wait.

TOM: Everyone...guys? Allow me to present, David and Karen Parker.

Everyone greets them and lifts their glasses to toast them.

SYDNEY: Hi.

VAUGHN: Hello.

Tom puts his arm around the woman he spoke to in the opening sequence. She looks up at him with an adoring smile.

TOM: Welcome to the neighborhood.

VAUGHN: Thank you.

Off of Vaughn and Sydney's nervously friendly smiles, we:

Cut to the Alias Theme

(Or now is the time in Alias when we dance!)

Cut to the kitchen where Tom is pouring soda into two glasses for Syd and Vaughn. Note that a few doctored photos of them already grace the door of the fridge, held up by magnets.

TOM: The town's offically known as Training Center 56B, but students started calling it "Liberty Village" sometime during the mid-80's, trying to capture that uh, American sense of irony, I suppose.

SYDNEY: So, this is a government operation.

TOM: It...was a government operation...Karen...but it's a private enterprise now, which is fine with us because it gives us the freedom to do our job.

Tom hands Sydney the two glasses of soda. Sydney hands one off to Vaughn.

SYDNEY: What exactly is our job...Tom?

TOM: Well, right now...your job is to prove that you belong. You're under evaluation. We need to be sure you can portray Americans convincingly. From this point on, assume everything is a test, you understand?

Sydney nods.

TOM: Excellent. Now, let's go do some formal introductions so you can get to know your new neighbors...

Tom walks out of the room.

Sydney turns to look at Vaughn, who has this hilarious "You've got to be kidding me..." look on his face. Sydney sets her watch and then they follow Tom out into the living room again.

Cut to Sloane in his office at APO. Marshall sticks his head in and tells him:

MARSHALL: They're transmitting.

Cut to Syd and Vaughn as they meet one couple. Sydney is holding her drink in the hand with the watch on it so that her watch can clearly view everything in the room.

WOMAN#1: It is so nice to finally meet you.

Sydney shakes her hand as Vaughn shakes the husband's hand.

MAN#1: We've been looking forward to this for quite some time.

SYDNEY: Believe me, we have been too.

Cut to briefing room of APO where they are studying the photo feed their getting.

SLOANE: Marshall...

Marshall types furiously on keyboard, focusing in on the faces of the couple Syd and Vaughn are talking to and then searching the database for them.

MARSHALL: Working on it. Okay, hold on...gimme a sec...Got it. Sergei Danislov and Elena Vasia. Weapons, dr*gs, suspected t*rror1st affiliations include: the Novgorood Authority...

SLOANE: They're responsible for the Grozny bombing in '98. They k*lled 47 people.

WOMAN#1: I went ahead and did a little of shopping for you...You have a bunch of clothes in your closet upstairs you need to go through.

Sydney appears surprised and is about to thank her when,

MAN#1 (interrupting): Honey, please...there'll be plenty of time to talk about shopping later...

They giggle and walk away.

TOM: And this is Bill and Donna Johnson. They live in the house just next to you.

Syd and Vaughn shake their hands and exchange hellos.

Cut back to the APO briefing room.

JACK: Anatoli and Tatiana Sadova.

DIXON: Formerly GRU. They're wanted by British authorities in connection with a bank robbery that left 7 dead.

Cut back to Syd and Vaughn.

TOM: And of course, Ken and Linda Taylor.

More handshakes and greetings ensue.

Cut back to APO briefing room.

MARSHALL: Raisa Tupakov and Nikolai Brechev; contract K*llers, Russian mafia ties, known murders in the double-digits.

LINDA: We just moved in a few days ago. You are going to love it here.

VAUGHN: That's good to know.

SYDNEY: Great. Yeah.

TOM: And of course, my lovely wife, Diane.

DIANE: Hi, nice to meet you.

SYDNEY: Nice to meet you.

VAUGHN: Nice to meet you.

Cut to APO briefing room.

DIXON: Marina Avden, chief interrogator from the Markova detention center.

Cut back to Syd and Vaughn. Diane hands them a photo of themselves pasted in front of the Colleseum in Rome.

DIANE: I was just looking at your photo. Tom and I just adore Rome... How long ago were you there?

Sydney looks at the photo and then at Tom and Diane.

VAUGHN (jumping in): Oh, what was it? Five years ago?

SYDNEY: Has it been that long?

VAUGHN: Yeah, we were going to go for the millenium, but you didn't want to fly because of Y2K...

SYDNEY: Yeah, at the time it was a big deal...

VAUGHN: So we decided to go in the spring.

SYDNEY: Loved it; no crowds, no tourists...we even got to hear the Pope speak.

Sydney and Vaughn smile at each other in Stepford-like fashion.

TOM: Yeah, yeah...pretty good.

DIANE: Yeah, I liked the part about Y2K.

TOM: They can do a lot better, though.

DIANE: Oh, without a doubt.

TOM: But don't worry, we're not gonna k*ll you over a bad story.

DIANE: Not on the first night, anyway. (followed by a very sweet smile)

Syd and Vaughn laugh uncomfortably.

Cut to APO briefing room.

SLOANE: What's the connection? Why is the Contingent associating with t*rrorists, thieves, contract K*llers?

MARSHALL: More importantly, why are they all dressed up like the Cleavers?

DIXON: They must be using the facility as a training ground for some impending operation.

JACK: It is unlikely a t*rror1st group could gain unlimited access to a Russian m*llitary base without some kind of state sponsorship.

SLOANE: Jack... talk to Alexei. I'll leave the negotiations to your discretion.

DIXON: Do we hold off on the abort code.

SLOANE: For now...but be ready. This situation could deteriorate rapidly.

Cut back to Vaughn and Syd's living room. Woman #1 hands them a casserole dish wrapped in plastic wrap.

WOMAN#1: This is my three-layer casserole. Just enjoy. (leaning toward Sydney conspiratorially) We'll later go over the recipe.

Chatter stops and all eyes turn to look at Woman #1. Tom clears his throat. Hesitantly, she corrects,

WOMAN#1(with an embarrassed smile): We'll go over the recipe later.

Sydney takes the dish out of Vaughn's hands and sets it aside.

SYDNEY: I can't wait.

WOMAN#1: Good night, guys.

A round of good nights ensue.

SYDNEY: Good night. Thank you.

All the guests leave except for Tom and Diane. Once the door is closed, they turn to face Syd and Vaughn.

DIANE: So...it's a lot to take in, isn't it?

SYDNEY: It's different...from our usual jobs.

DIANE: Not to worry; you guys are doing great.

TOM: Mmmhmm. Just, uh...a couple things to keep in mind... We recruited you becasue you're a couple; embrace it. Americans love to show affection for each other. You two? You...seem a little cold.

SYDNEY: We're not...cold.

TOM: I know, I know...first night. It's a common problem; don't sweat it.

Diane walks up behind Tom holding a metal pie plate with a lid over it.

TOM: Oh, and just one more thing...we have a little homework for you.

Diane hands Sydney the pie plate.

SYDNEY (confused): You want us to eat this pie?

TOM: It's uh...a little welcome gift. Open it up.

She does and what she finds is a small handgun in pieces, fit into slots cut in foam.

TOM: Are you familiar with the new Tokarev?

Vaughn shakes his head no.

TOM: Get familiar. You'll need it tomorrow. Make sure you can assemble it in under 20 seconds.

DIANE: And don't forget to put Tammy's casserole in the fridge. (conspiratorial whisper) That third layer is tuna...

Tom and Diane laugh.

TOM: All right, well, we'll see you tomorrow.

DIANE: Sleep well.

SYDNEY: Okay.Thank you.

DIANE: Good night.

VAUGHN: Good night.

TOM: Bye bye, now.

VAUGHN: Bye.

Tom and Diane leave.

SYDNEY (looking at Vaughn in mild confusion): Hmmm...

VAUGHN: Yeah.

Cut to a shower being turned on, and then the tap in a sink. Cut back to Syd and Vaughn standing in the house's bathroom with all the water spigots turned on to drown out the sound of their talking.

SYDNEY: What the hell is going on?!

VAUGHN: Yeah, it's like a weird nightmare...

SYDNEY: ...that we're trapped in. Did you see the security when we arrived?

VAUGHN: Yeah, it's like an entire m*llitary division.

SYDNEY: Why would they go to this much trouble?

VAUGHN: They must be planning an att*ck.

SYDNEY: On what, Surburbia?!

VAUGHN: Well, maybe some long-term infiltration.

SYDNEY: Why steal the EMP if it's long-term?

VAUGHN: Well, why train operatives to be American if it's short-term?

SYDNEY: Well I'm not saying it's logical, but they asked us to play charades with them!

VAUGHN: But that's an act. They're well organized, they're professionals; it's part of their test.

SYDNEY: Which apparently we're failing...

VAUGHN: No, come on...that was ridiculous...

SYDNEY: What, did they expect us to do, just drop and go at it on the floor?!

VAUGHN: If one more person calls us boring...

SYDNEY (insulted): He didn't call us boring, he called us cold... (insecure) Who thinks we're boring?

Vaughn has a moment of hysterical eye shifting guilt as if he let something slip he shouldn't have before he quickly shakes it off and changes the topic.

VAUGHN (defensive): No..nobody...That...that's not the point. So, what's our next move?

SYDNEY: We have to assume they're tracking our every move. We maintain cover.

VAUGHN: Yeah, we act like we have nothing to hide.

SYDNEY: I'll do some reconnaisance; see if I can locate the EMP.

VAUGHN: In the meantime, one of us should start on our homework.

Montage of Sydney in jogging outfit, running through the neighborhood, using her watch to surreptitiously try to find the EMP as opposed to Vaughn practicing putting the handgun together and checking his time with a stopwatch until he can do it in 19 seconds. Outside one of the homes, Sydney slows down to a walk and sneaks up to a tree to look inside. She sees Diane at a desk, reading some paperwork. As she's watching, she suddenly hears:

TOM: Can I help you with something?

Sydney is startled but recovers almost immediately.

SYDNEY: You scared me... (laughs a little) I thought you might still be up... I, um...wanted to thank Diane for that bath salt kit she left us. That was really nice.

TOM: How'd you know this was our house.

SYDNEY (not missing a b*at): Your name's on the mailbox.

TOM: Were you out for a jog?

SYDNEY (nodding): I needed to clear my head.

TOM: Good chance to do some reconnaisance as well. I'd imagine. So...what's your assessment of our little town?

SYDNEY: Strong m*llitary perimeter. Armed guards, rotating patrol. Not a lot of people getting in...or out, if you don't want them to. Lack of obvious security presence within the town itself suggests heavy surveillance...security cameras in all the streetlights. And in this immediate area, judging by all the power lines, I'd say that one of those houses is probably a guard station.

TOM: Yeah. First sign of trouble, we lock down the streets, give the sn*pers the go ahead to fire at hostiles...It's our version of the Neighborhood Watch program. Helps everyone sleep well at night.

Sydney just nods her head.

TOM: All right. Don't stay up too late, okay? You've got a big day tomorrow. Oh, um... I'll be sure to tell Diane about the bath salts.

SYDNEY: Thank you, Tom.

TOM: You're welcome, Karen.

Cut to a surveillance feed of Vaughn sitting at the dining room table, putting together the handgun. Sydney walks in and sits down.

VAUGHN: How was your run?

SYDNEY: Great. Ran into Tom. Apparently, we can sleep well at night.

VAUGHN: Well, that's a relief.

Pan back to show Diane watching them as Tom walks in.

DIANE (in Russian): They're well trained; guarded with their communication.

TOM (in Russian): The woman showed initiative. And she managed to keep her composure.

DIANE (in Russian): We may have found some promising prospects.

TOM (in Russian): We'll find out tomorrow.

DIANE: Da.

CUT TO BLACK

A graying, bearded man, probably in his 50's smoking a cigar stands waiting as we hear thunder and rain outside.

MAN: Hello, Jack.

Jack Bristow appears in front of him.

JACK: Alexei.

ALEXEI: What can I do for you?

JACK: There's a m*llitary facility 300 miles southeast of Petrozavodsk. I assume you're familiar with it.

ALEXEI (with an implied undertone): We trained some of our best operatives there.

Jack works his jaw at the obvious implication, but otherwise doesn't respond to Alexei's baiting.

JACK: I need to know if the government is still running active operations out of it.

ALEXEI: Well, it depends on how you define "government", I suppose.

JACK: I have assets in play within the facility who may require assistance with their extraction.

ALEXEI: This is not some fringe group we're talking about, Jack. The people who control that base may not have official sanction, but there are many in power who look upon their actions favorably.

JACK: You would have my gratitude for any assistance rendered.

ALEXEI: While that does warm my heart, I'm afraid the reward does not outweigh the risk.

JACK: What do you want, Alexei?

ALEXEI: Well...now that you mention it...perhaps there is something you can do for me.

Cut to morning in Liberty Village as Tom walks down the sidewalk, waving to one of the neighbors.

WOMAN: Morning, Tom.

TOM: Morning, Cheryl.

He walks up Syd and Vaughn's walkway and rings the doorbell. Knocking on the door, he says,

TOM: Rise and shine! Got ourselves a big day!

Sydney opens the door. She's wearing chinos, white Keds and a collared buttondown under an argyle sweater.

TOM: Karen...

SYDNEY: Hi, Tom...

TOM: Aren't you just the picture of radiant?

Tom leans in and gives her a friendly hug and kiss, the way you would with a relative or acquaintance.

TOM: Morning...

Tom sees Vaughn coming and says,

TOM: Oh, how'd ya sleep, Dave?

VAUGHN: Like a baby.

Vaughn is wearing a light blue polo shirt and khakis.

TOM (crowing with delight): Oh hey, look at that! We're wearing the same shirt. You'd be amazed how often that happens here. So, I guess we'll be twins today. Shall we head out?

VAUGHN: Should I bring the g*n?

TOM: Nah, you'll be provided with one.

As they walk down the street:

TOM: We have a working gas station, a movie theater...

A passerby calls out:

MAN: Hi, Tom...

TOM: Oh, hey! ...Uh, supermarkets, bowling alley...

SYDNEY: Why would the government need a bowling alley...

TOM: Too many agents getting b*rned in the 50's. Russians couldn't grasp the culture, so they immersed themselves in it. Found out there's no substitute for the real thing. Oh! (snaps his fingers) Hey, that reminds me, I uh, (pulls a ring box out of his pocket) have another little gift. If you two are going to be a couple, you might as well be acting the part.

He hands Sydney the box, which she opens to reveal a mens and ladies wedding band and engagement ring.

TOM: I just figured that might help with your little...you know, your intimacy issues...

Tom pats Vaughn on the arm as he walks off in front of them. Syd is completely unenthused as she hands Vaughn his ring.

Cut to an establishing daytime sh*t of LA via helicopter. Jack opens a metal box and hands Marhshall an ornately decorated leatherbound book.

MARSHALL (joking): Oh, Mr. Bristow...you shouldn't have...

JACK: Irina Derevko collected 19th century literature. There was a small bookstore in Prague that stocked rare first editions. (Jack starts leafing through one of the books and his voice is vaguely nostalgic) Whenever I was in town, I'd buy one for her as a gift.

MARSHALL: Aww, that's sweet.

JACK (looking up from the book): The KGB encoded assassination orders in these pages.

MARSHALL: Oh. Well that's...not as...sweet.

JACK: The NSA decyphered all the codes in these books, but Irina's former resident chief just asked for them back. Which means there's something in here the NSA overlooked. Find it.

Jack turns and walks out.

Tom, Syd, and Vaughn walk into a used car dealership.

TOM: It's not a novel concept. Trust me, somewhere in America, CIA agents are sitting around in a fake Koroshkovia practicing the Russian table manners.

SYDNEY: You built a used car dealership?

TOM: Training station 327F; home of the Kirilov scenario. Your objective is simple; you have to buy a convertible.

Tom gestures behind him to a convertible that spins on a revolving dais.

VAUGHN (surprised): What?

TOM: You'll be evaluated on characterization, reflex analysis, emotional response and physical endurance.

SYDNEY: Physical endurance?

A salesman walks up to them. His name tag reads "PHIL".

PHIL: Welcome to Liberty Village Automotive.

TOM: Good luck.

Tom walks off as Phil walks up to them.

PHIL: You must have heard about our Democracy sale. We've got 0% financing for 72 months, and a mindblowing selection of pre-owned stepsides.

VAUGHN: Well, uh, actually, Phil...we're here to buy a convertible.

PHIL: You sure about that? Because we only have one convertible, and...huh, it's a pretty fast car.

SYDNEY (deadpan): That's how we live, Phil. Fast.

PHIL (nodding): Okay.

Cut to Phil, Sydney and Vaughn standing on the revolving dais next to the convertible.

PHIL: Few things scream freedom like a brand new convertible. You put the top down and excitement blows through your hair.

Vaughn opens up the door and climbs inside.

VAUGHN: What's it gonna take to get us over the curb in this baby, Phil?

PHIL: You guys are first time buyers, aren't you?

SYDNEY (as simpering wife): Is it that obvious?

PHIL: Well, you don't get to be regional sales associate of the month four times in a row without knowing how to read people. Newlyweds, right?

SYDNEY: Relative newlyweds...

PHIL: Let's see that ring.

Sydney puts out her hand so that Phil can see her wedding band and engagement ring. Phil whistles, impressed, then asks:

PHIL: How'd he pop the question?

SYDNEY (fumbling): He...took me to...

VAUGHN (cutting in): Santa Barbara, actually.

He gives Sydney a half smile, which she returns. We can tell they are both thinking of the trip they were supposed to go on three years ago.

VAUGHN: I had this whole romantic weekend planned. Presidential Suite at the Biltmore, candlelit dinner on the cliffs overlooking the ocean... So we went into town, and she wouldn't stop talking about the zoo. So, we went to the zoo. Figured I'd get it overwith.

Vaughn gets out of the car to stand in front of Sydney, looking at her as he continues to talk.

VAUGHN: And then I saw how happy it made her. It made me forget about all my stupid plans. And here we had this personal chef making this unbelievable meal at the hotel, and... (pauses) I proposed on one knee in sawdust in front of a giraffe with a crooked neck.

Vaughn gives Sydney this very intense look and she stares back at him, clearly enthralled by his story.

PHIL (laughing): Now, how can I resist the charms of young love? Tell you what, let's sit down, and we'll talk deal.

Cut to Syd and Vaughn sitting in Phil's office alone. Sydney is clearly digesting the story Vaughn just told. She turns to him, her face full of questions.

VAUGHN (softly): What?

Sydney looks hesitant, but then opens her mouth to speak...and Phil walks in the room.

PHIL: Good news, guys. I had to butt heads with my sales manager, but it turns out I'm going to be able to offer you...the newlywed rate. There's just one small problem. Another couple is interested in the car. You guys know Ken and Linda, right?

SYDNEY: We met them last night.

Phil points across the showroom floor to an office on the other side, where Ken and Linda are sitting. They wave.

PHIL: Well, they arrived in Liberty Village a few days before you did, and they're under evaluation as well. We're only going to let one couple join our family here, and, this being America...

Phil reaches under the desk and pulls out a metal briefcase and plops it on his desk.

PHIL: We thought we'd decide things with a good old-fashioned...competition. (starts to open the case) The winning couple gets to move on in our program, oh, and a brand-new convertible...while the losing couple, well...dies. (Phil opens the case to reveal a handgun identical to the one Vaughn practiced assembling.) Now I should probably, get on out of the way before I get myself sh*t. Oh, and it looks like Lloyd gave them a bit of a head start...Sorry about that. Good luck to you guys.

Phil moves out of the way as Vaughn moves around to start frantically assemble the w*apon as Ken and Linda across the way do the same.

CUT TO BLACK

Back to Vaughn and Ken assembling their weapons. Ken finishes first and hands the w*apon to Linda.

SYDNEY: Get down!

Syd and Vaughn flip Phil's desk in time to block the sh*ts. Vaughn has now finished assembling his w*apon and holds it up over the edge of the desk as Ken and Linda scatter. Vaughn leaves the office and Ken att*cks him with their metal suitcase. Vaughn's g*n goes skittering across the showroom floor. Vaughn and Ken begin to fistfight. Sydney hides behind one of the cars on the floor as Linda takes aim at her. After a moment, she runs across the floor, scoops up Vaughn's g*n and rolls herself across the back of the convertible to hide inside as Linda fires at her. (Note that all these cars appear to be armored, as none of them take b*llet damage) Sydney fires at Linda and Linda ducks behind a car. Cut to Vaughn and Ken. Vaughn kicks the suitcase away and punches Ken. Cut back to Sydney in the car as it spins, she takes aim and fires, catching Linda in the chest. Looking ahead, Sydney sees Vaughn and Ken still fistfighting in the remnants of Phil's office. Sydney searches the car for keys and then we hear the car revving up. Vaughn takes a quick peek to see who it is and gets punched in the jaw for his trouble. Sydney puts the car in gear and it screams down the ramp. Vaughn gets up and whacks Ken with his metal suitcase, pushing Ken out of the room and right into Sydney's path. Sydney hits him with the car and Ken goes flying up over to land on the concrete. Screeching to a halt, Sydney yells:

SYDNEY: Get in!

Vaughn hops in the car and they streak away.

Evening as we see the convertible parked in front of Syd and Vaughn's home. Cut to the bathroom, all the taps running again. Cut to a closeup of Marshall's watch. THe crown is all smashed.

SYDNEY (handing it to Vaughn to inspect): It's dead.

Sydney sits on the edge of the bathtub, Vaughn sits on the floor, his back against the half wall that protects the toilet.

VAUGHN (who has a small gash on his left forehead): Well, protocol dictates we contact APO and let them know what's going on.

SYDNEY: We might have access to communications, now that we've "joined the Liberty Village family"...

VAUGHN: They tried to k*ll us over a car. I mean, if we stay, they might...send us to the supermarket and launch grenades at us...

SYDNEY: Well, we can't just leave. This place is like a prison! Our best bet is still to maintain cover.

Vaughn reluctantly nods.

VAUGHN: Yeah, well next time we go on one of his tests, I'm bringing our g*n, I don't care what he says.

Vaughn lets out a long, weary sigh and rests his head against the half wall behind him.

SYDNEY: Vaughn, come here.

She puts out her hand and he puts his in it. She pulls him over to sit next to her on the bathtub rim. Sydney examines his wound and he flinches.

VAUGHN: Is it bad?

SYDNEY: You've looked better...

Sydney runs her hand down his face and through his hair while resting her other hand on his far cheek, pulling him to her gently so she can kiss his temple near where he got hurt. Sydney starts to drop little kisses on the side of Vaughn's face as his hand slides up to cover the one she has on his cheek. He pulls back slightly, just enough so he can look into her face before they lean forward in a tender kiss. As it deepens, Vaughn lifts a hand to Sydney's cheek and then pulls her into his embrace as her hands slide to his back.

Fade into Syd and Vaughn in the shower, naked except for their wedding rings and the string of pearls that Sydney was wearing. They are face to face, kissing and holding each other.

Sydney pulls back a little and says,

SYDNEY: The story you told at the dealership...

Vaughn nods. Sydney slides a hand down Vaughn's cheek and he leans in to drop a kiss on Syd's neck.

SYDNEY: We were supposed to go to Santa Barbara three years ago...and we never made it.

Vaughn shakes his head as if to say "No, but..."

VAUGHN (in soft, loving voice): Karen and Dave did.

Syd and Vaughn stare lovingly at each other for a long moment and smiling before kissing passionately again.

Cut to nighttime establishing sh*t of LA flyover of buildings via helicopter. Cut to Marshall's techie office, where Jack has arrived to find out what Marshall has discovered about any missed hidden codes in the books.

MARSHALL: Well, I started by eliminating the more obvious: sequence book codes, steganography, invisible ink, maybe the watermark...but then, I realized (picks up a book and gestures with it)...it was right in front of my face the whole time; the inscription. Take a look...

Marshall opens up the book to the front end paper, where Jack had written a dedication to "Laura" when he gave it to her.

MARSHALL (reading inscription): Right here... (ahem) "Laura, All my love forever and a day... Jack."

Jack has this constipated look on his face as if he really wishes he didn't have to be reminded yet again how gullible he once was.

MARSHALL: That's...really sweet! I mean...that's a side of you I never really get to see, Mr. Bristow. I have to...have to say I like it.

JACK (deadpan): I fail to see the relevance.

MARSHALL (squirming): Uh, right, sorry. So did the NSA. Anyway, I ran a criminographic analysis of the ink, and check this out: one of the periods in the ellipses contains ink that was different than the inscription did itself. It was added after you wrote it. Irina encoded it with a microdot.

Marshall goes over to his computer screen and pulls up a microscopic photo of the enhanced microdot, showing a jumble of Cyrillic letters shaped like a circle.

MARSHALL: So...I maginified it with a digital microscope, and...look at this. It's a protocol Irina used to contact one of her operatives: someone important, considering how detailed it is.

Jack looks stunned (for Jack, that is ).

JACK: Any idea whom she was communicating with?

MARSHALL: Well, all that's there is a codename: Sentinel.

JACK: Do we have copies of everything inside?

MARSHALL: Well, yeah...but you're giving it to the Russians?

Jack walks over to a metal case and puts the book inside, closing the lid.

JACK: Sentinel's a deceased operative; it's a dead end. The Russians can have it. Our priorities are Sydney and Vaughn.

Jack picks up the case and starts to leave the room with it, leaving Marshall to stare after him.

Cut to Syd and Vaughn, asleep in bed. Syd is sleeping on Vaughn's chest and he has his arm around her. She's wearing a white satin slip and he's wearing a gray T-shirt. As they sleep, we hear noise coming from outside their room. The door to their room creaks open and a sliver of light is illuminated across Vaughn's chest. Suddenly, Vaughn springs from the bed intent on att*ck...pushing the assailant against the wall of the bedroom and takes a swing at him...but Tom is ready and catches his fist.

TOM: Gooooood. (he drops Vaughn's fist) You're awake. We need to get you packed: We're going to America.

Cut to Vaughn's reaction; he takes a baby step back as if surprised. Cut to Sydney's reaction as she sits up in bed. She's also surprised.

CUT TO BLACK

Cut to daytime sh*t via helicopter of the observatory. Cut to Alexi and Jack. Alexi is looking inside a paper bag.

ALEXI: The agreement was for all of the books...

JACK: That's the one you're looking for.

Alexi pauses for a long moment and swallows, as if surprised that Jack knew what they were looking for.

ALEXI: We haven't heard from Irina in quite some time.

JACK: She's a difficult woman to keep track of.

ALEXI: That she is. She always spoke quite favorably of you. Her attachment made her work...problematic at times.

JACK (laced with sarcasm): I hope I didn't cause you...too much inconvenience.

ALEXI: We have an aircraft waiting at Cheznyev airstrip. A support team will provide transport for your assets once they have left the facility's perimeter.

Jack nods.

ALEXI: Goodbye, Jack.

JACK: Alexi.

Alexi turns and walks away.

Cut to Syd and Vaughn's Liberty Village home. Tom, Syd, Vaughn and Bill sit around a dining table. Tom has a laptop open while Syd and Vaughn study a dossier in front of them.

TOM: 1526 Glenbury Lane: three bedroom, two bath, hardwood floors...they've even got a breakfast nook.

VAUGHN: What, we're moving to Chicago?

TOM: You're Chicago...(indicating Bill and Donna) they're Atlanta, Diane and I are New York. You have a meeting on Tuesday with Piers Financial. We've prepared extensive backgrounds for you. Human resources flip out over young, upstart couples like yourselves...provided you ace the interview, of course.

SYDNEY: We're attacking an investment firm?

TOM: No, we just need access to their servers. At some point in the near future, an unfortunate incident is going to befall the New York Stock Exchange. If we have access to these servers of America's financial institutions at that time, we'll be in prime position for a massive redistrubution of wealth.

BILL: Think of it as, um...aggressive Marxism.

VAUGHN: What's the casualty projection for this...unfortunate incident?

TOM (amused): Are the 'Gladiators of Liberty Village Automotive' having a sudden crisis of conscience?

SYDNEY: Civilian deaths mean repercussions.

VAUGHN: We'll need an exit strategy.

TOM (to Vaughn in Russian): You'll be long gone before the bodies are cold, Dmitri.

Vaughn nods.

TOM: That reminds me...we should go over the op tech in case we have to reroute you guys through New York. What do you know about electromagnetic weapons?

Vaughn and Sydney give each other a fleeting look.

Cut to daytime establishing sh*t of LA via helicopter. Cut to Marshall, who is working on another gadget in his office. As his computer beeps, he looks up. The computer screen reads: INCOMING DATA ALERT - Russian Consulate Update: Germans have transferred the Tabokovs to a maximum security prison in Havel. Marshall gasps and gets up, and practically runs down the corridor to Sloane's office.

MARSHALL (breathless): Mr. Sloane...the Tabakovs...the couple that Sydney and Vaughn are impersonating? The Germans just moved them.

SLOANE: ...to a maximun security prison in Havel. The Consulate informed me of the transfer a few minutes ago.

MARSHALL: The Consulate informed everybody of the transfer a few minutes ago: they sent the order over an unsecured line. If the October Contingent have the Tabakovs' names flagged...

SLOANE: Send the abort code. Get Sydney and Vaughn out of there now.

Marshall runs back to his office.

Cut to a sh*t of the watch lying broken on a bedside table while Bill and Vaughn pack.

BILL: Now, underneath you have a secondary compartment. (lifts it to show two dossier folders inside) your meet protocol, your exit fill documents...we even threw in the backgrounds of all your new neighbors. Should help you make small talk at barbeques. (Bill pats Vaughn on the back as they share a laugh)

Cut to a sh*t of the EMP device as Tom explains it to Sydney.

TOM: Disengage the failsafe device (demonstrates)...lift the cover (demonstrates)...and flip the switch (mimicks the motion needed to flip switch). You don't wear a pacemaker, do ya?

Sydney smiles and Tom smiles back as Tom's cell phone rings.

TOM: I'm kidding...

Sydney and Tom share a laugh as he answers his phone.

TOM: Hi, hon. Yeah, yeah...no, things are right on schedule. (pausing to listen) Um, hmm? Yes...no, they're very excited about their breakfast nook.

DIANE (in Russian): k*ll one. Keep the other for interrogation.

TOM (turning back to look at Sydney, who is still sitting at the table, stydying the schematic for the EMP while he talks): Yes, I'll be sure to tell 'em. (pause) I love you, too.

Sydney gives Tom a sideways glance before going back to the schematic.

CUT TO BLACK

In Sydney and Vaughn's dining room as Tom hangs up his cellphone.

TOM: That was Diane. She said to pack warm; Chicago's cold this time of year. Gets a little obsessed when we travel.

Sydney looks up at Tom and smiles, setting the schematics aside.

TOM (offhand): You want some more coffee?

SYDNEY: I'd love some, thanks.

Tom takes Sydney's cup and walks toward the kitchen with it as he speaks.

TOM (laughing): Watch...I'm telling you, it's amazing, just like clockwork. As soon as we'll be outside of Vologa, she'll um, think that we left the stove on...

Tom pulls his handgun from inside his belt and whips around...but Sydney is gone. He starts to walk around, searching for her, his g*n still drawn.

Cut to the bedroom where Bill talks as Vaughn packs.

BILL: So we had to do our initial evaluation at the Liberty Village Fried Chicken. I got burn marks all over my back from the fry machine.

Cut to Tom, still searching the downstairs. His cellphone rings and he answers it with one hand.

TOM (in Russian): Where is she?

Just as Tom walks into the room, Sydney hits him in the back of the head with a vase. Cut to upstairs, where Bill and Vaughn hear the commotion. Suddenly Bill reaches for his g*n and Vaughn knocks it out of Bill's hand as Bill shoves him against the wall. Bill and Vaughn trade punches. Bill punches Vaughn in the face and then grabs him by the back of the neck and throws him across the room through a floor length mirror (shades of The Telling, anyone?).

Cut back to Syd and Tom fighting in the living room. They trade kicks and punches until Syd finds her back to the fireplace mantle. Tom puts his hand around her neck and tries to strangle Sydney. She elbows him in the face and pushes him away, snatching up a fireplace poker just in time to knock Tom's p*stol from his hand again. In the distance, we can hear police sirens and see searchlights from a helicopter outside the window. Sydney hits Tom a couple more times with the poker and finally knocks him out. She picks up his p*stol and comes around the corner of the room into the hallway with the g*n drawn...only to find Vaughn, with Bil's g*n drawn coming down the staircase.

SYDNEY: They're on to us.

VAUGHN: Yeah, I figured that part out.

Sydney runs into the dining room and grabs the EMP device.

SYDNEY: I don't know what happened, but we gotta get out of here.

They open the front door and run onto the lawn as the helicopter searchlight tries to follow their progress. They are sh*t at by sn*pers, but miss. They crouch down behind Tom's car in the street. They look up to see the helicopter circling around toward them.

VAUGHN (yelling to be heard over the noise): Set it off! Set off the EMP!

Sydney sets the case down and sets off the EMP device. Suddenly all the streetlights, car headlights go off, cars stop, the helicopter searchlight goes off. Cut to an over head sh*t of Liberty Village from the air as all the power grids go off. Cut back to the helicopter as it falls helplessly from the sky, landing on a house down the street in a fiery crash while soldiers getting out of a jeep in front of it scatter.

SYDNEY: Maybe it's time we move out of the suburbs.

Syd grabs the EMP device and Sydney and Vaughn take off running.

Cut to daytime establishing sh*t of LA skyline by day. Cut to Sloane, talking to someone in his office.

SLOANE: Russian authorities officially deny that an American training ground ever existed within their borders. However, off the record, they have expressed gratitude for our assistance with their takedown of the October Contingent.

Cut to view of Sloane's face over a videophone. Pull back to see Sydney and Vaughn in the cargo hold of a m*llitary aircraft, watching the feed from the phone.

SLOANE: We'll debrief in detail upon your arrival, but for now...good work.

Cut to Sloane's view of Sydney and Vaughn on his video phone.

SYDNEY: Thank you.

VAUGHN: Thank you.

Sloane turns off the feed, and then speaks to Jack, sitting across the desk from him:

SLOANE: So, Alexi made good on his promise.

JACK: Which means our suspicions regarding Sentinel are correct: the Russians are searching for Elena Derevko.

SLOANE: Well, we will have to move up our timetable.

Jack nods.

Cut to an exterior sh*t of m*llitary aircraft. Cut to inside, where Syd and Vaughn sit.

SYDNEY: It's strange...but I'm not exactly excited about returning to America...for some reason.

VAUGHN: Well, it was kind of nice not to have to be us for a while.

Vaughn removes his Liberty Village wedding ring and sets it down next to the computer they were using as a videophone.

SYDNEY: Well, I happen to like us...even if we are a little cold.

VAUGHN (smiling): And boring...don't forget boring.

SYDNEY (smirking): How could I?

Sydney takes her rings off and sets them down on the other side of the computer.

VAUGHN: You know, we have operational command of this aircraft. The pilot could take us anywhere we want...

SYDNEY (playfully scolding): Our orders are to proceed with our extraction. If we were divert this aircraft for our personal use, we would get into a lot of trouble.

VAUGHN: Yes.

SYDNEY (looking a bit disappointed): Yeah...

VAUGHN: Wanna have dinner with me in Paris?

SYDNEY (no hesitation at all): Absolutely.

They lean in to kiss each other tenderly and then the camera cuts to Sydney's engagement and wedding ring sitting on the table in front of them, focusing closer and closer until,

CUT TO BLACK

END