03x04 - Recruit

[bunniefuu]

[Kyra] Lucky lock-pick?

[Scorpia] The target will be
the British Reserve football team.

Every member of the team will die.

[phone ringing]
It's Alex.

[Kyra] Where are you?

[Alex] I'm in a place called-- [distorted]

[radio breaks up]

Mate, you're breakin' up.

I'm Syl.

Alex.

So, my father was a k*ller.

Yes.

And he was a Scorpia agent.

Max is having second thoughts.

[Nile] Mr. Grendel's an old man.
Perhaps he's losing his appetite.

Come with me now.

[Scorpia] You don't believe
the threat is real?

[Kellner] Honestly, no. Why should I?

[Jones] They're dead. They're all dead.

That's your father.

Alan Blunt set a trap.

They m*rder*d him on that bridge.

I'll join Scorpia.

[theme music playing]

Put the g*n away.

Keep calm.

What if he knows?

He doesn't know anything.

He's selling, we're buying.
It's that simple.

[In Spanish]
Buenos días, Don Andres.

You're a difficult man to find.

I'm a cautious man.

The world's a dangerous place.

And you wanna make it more dangerous, huh?

For certain people, yes.

May we see the unit?

Plastic casing.
Invisible to metal detectors.

Nobody knows it's there
until you drive over it, or step on it.

But you know that already.

You must have heard the same
when you met my two competitors, no?

Not sure I understand.

[Don Andres chuckles]
I think you do.

Two of the biggest arms dealers
in the Americas besides me.

Both of them dead now.

What do you have to say to that?

Congratulations?

You have nothing to do with that?

Why would I?
I just wanna buy some weapons.

Mm.

Or maybe you wanna sweep
the board clean in Nicaragua.

Clear the table
for whoever it is you work for.

Look at me, Don Andres.

I work for nobody except myself.

I think you two are here to k*ll me.

[John]
I don't know anything about that.

He does.

[fight efforts]

If that's true...

I'll k*ll him myself.

Do it, then.

Close your eyes.

[g*nsh*t]

[Yassen]
Alex.

Get up. We have a lot to do.

You and I, we have a past.
That past needs to be left behind.

[Alex]
Are you joking?

[Yassen]
No.

[Alex]
You k*lled my uncle.

[Yassen]
And I saved your life.

Alex, I'm a professional.
So was Ian Rider.

It was not personal. It was my job.

You said my father was your friend.

That is also true.

I saw what the Department did to him.

Well, then you understand
why I can no longer be your enemy.

We must work together now.
Can you do that?

Let's find out.

Malagosto's first function is
as a training facility for operatives.

Like a school for assassins?

Think of this as a school,
you'll be dead by the end of the day.

You understand me?

Twenty years ago,
your father stood where you are now.

Ready to join Scorpia.

It's gonna be tough,
stepping into his shoes.

What's the mission?

All in good time.

You said we were gonna
take down Alan Blunt. The Department.

I thought that's why I was here.

It is. But first, we prepare.

Yassen will help you.
Listen to him. He's one of our best.

Show me what you can do. Earn our trust.

And then we'll talk
about the Department, all right?

Okay.

Where do I start?

[Yassen]
Faster.

Faster. This is slow.

You try it.

Well, I already did.

You trained with my father?

Concentrate on what you're doing. Faster.

Did he ever tell you you're no fun?

We have a lot of work to do.

Seriously?

No. You can have it.

If you can take it from me.

What are you, seven?

[grunts]

[yelps]

Ah!

[grunts]

[groans]

Come on.

Why? I'm not gonna get it.
You're like a machine.

Well, you have to try.

What if I don't wanna try?

Then you're going to be
very, very thirsty.

How did you get to be friends
with my father?

Finish the task.

Tell me, and I'll finish the task.

He was kind to me.

So, what's next?

Consanto blew up like 20 minutes
after Alex went inside.

And all the cameras were wiped

so no one can see how it happened.
That's not an accident.

-What are you saying?
-I'm saying that...

Kovacic was working for Scorpia,
and now he's dead.

And all the evidence of his work
has been destroyed.

I think... I think Scorpia
were covering their tracks,

and Alex walked
right into the middle of it.

I think they have him.

No. No, he...
He called us. He's alive.

Yeah, but for how much longer?

He can sh**t.

His stance is weak.

What happened?

I'd just done an as*ault course,
and the thing with the water bottle.

So what if I missed a target at the end?

It's not just any target.

Alex, you think in the real world,
it's circles we deal with?

What's this?
A reminder that I'm no good?

No.

This...

is a person.

A real person in the real world,
doing, um, whatever they're doing.

Could be anyone.

But someday
you will be told their name.

You'll be shown their face.
And you will meet them.

And when you do,
you have to see not a person at all.

Just a blank silhouette, like this.

Just a target.
And your job will be to k*ll them.

That's not gonna happen.

Look. I wanna help.

You wanna bring the Department down?
So do I.

But I'm not gonna k*ll anyone.

Smithers and Crawley are at the funeral?

Yes. At a distance.

She would've made an excellent agent.

She could've made a real difference.

Young. Determined.
Knew right from wrong.

She reminded you of Alex Rider?

Pritchard wanted this. Alex didn't.

No. She, um...

She reminded me of me when I started out.

Not anymore, though?

No.
Like I said, too many dead friends.

Thank God Alex isn't one of them.

You think because Alex
is no longer with us, he's safe?

I'm not sure I agree with that.

If this Scorpia threat is real,

Samantha Pritchard, the football team
will just be the first of many.

Hundreds of thousands will follow.

Alex and his friends, Jack Starbright
could easily be among them.

That's why we have to stop this thing.

Together.

[Tom] So if it really was Scorpia
that blew up Consanto,

and they've got Alex now,

they're gonna k*ll him, right?

Maybe he's more valuable to them alive.

[Tom]
What, you mean... t*rture?

No. No.
No, he said he was okay.

When he called, he said, "I'm fine."
So, you know, he's good for now.

Wait. He called us.

And?

So, even if it was short
and the signal was bad,

can't you trace the call?

That is a real thing, right?

Actually, yeah, maybe.

If I could get access
to the cell mast data,

then I could triangulate a position
from the call itself.

Put a pin in a map.
Old-school, like the CIA.

Go on, then.

No, no. I couldn't do it from here.

Like I said, it would be old school.
Like, actual cables.

To be honest, I've never done it before.

First time for everything.

The signal's no good here,
if you were thinking of calling anyone.

It's kind of ironic
for a Cold w*r listening post.

So, you're training to be a Scorpia agent?

Just like you.

How long does it take?

Depends on the person.
On their skills.

On their... hunger to win.

And how am I doing?

Pretty well. For your first time.

Yassen doesn't seem to think so.

It's his job to push you.

This thing that Julia's planning...
do you know anything about it?

You ask a lot of questions, don't you?

I'm here to learn.

Then come with me.

I think it's time you met the others.

Everyone, this is Alex.

Alex, this is Alyona.

Alyona was forcibly separated
from her family in Côte d'Ivoire.

She escaped and Scorpia took her in.

-She's really into her stealth training.
-So, don't turn your back.

Okay?

Right.

And this is Oleg.

Oleg's parents were k*lled
by a drone strike when he was four.

And then he got into trouble
at the state orphanage

for fighting the other kids.

Lucky for me, Scorpia likes a fighter.

You're all orphans?

Uh-huh. No baggage, no background.
It helps.

Bit of a tough guy, aren't you, Oleg?

Tougher than you.

But then, I'm smarter.

[chuckles] She's right, though.

You see, Alex, a lot of the time
we work independently.

One job, one operative.
It's cleaner that way.

Sometimes, it takes more
than one person, you understand?

Sometimes, we're a team.
Working together.

And then you have to rely on each other.

You have to know 100 percent
who's got your back.

Are they strong?
And can you trust them?

Or are they going to get you k*lled?

[in French] Right?

Mm-hm.

Mm-hm.

Oh, and this is Mateo.

What's Mateo's thing?

Mateo's the guy with the blanket.

[all grunting]

A team can't have any weak links.
If you can't k*ll, you're weak.

[Jack] Hey, Tom, it's Jack again.

It was my understanding
when I sprung you from jail

that you were gonna keep me posted.

So far, I've sent you like 20 texts,
and you've replied to exactly zero.

I will put you back in jail.
Don't make me hunt you down.

Hello, Jack.

I don't want you
to take this the wrong way,

but I thought we were
never gonna see each other again.

Don't worry. I'm not here
to take Alex on some mission.

Good. You'd ruin his holiday.

He's on holiday? Out of the country?

Yes.

Good.

Why is that good?

Because he deserves a break.

So, this meeting is a happy coincidence?

I don't want to talk to Alex.

I don't want to know where Alex is.
I suppose I...

...want to know how he is.

Growing up.

You know how it is.
They wanna go off, do their own thing.

I know he's gonna make mistakes,
and I won't be there to catch him.

Bit like being a handler.

It can't have been easy for Alex.
We threw him in at the deep end.

We put him to work, made him a spy.
And then it all stopped.

I did wonder how he coped with that.

With not being a spy anymore?

Yes.

It's complicated.

It doesn't just switch off.
It leaves a mark.

I guess we just gotta give him some time.
You know, give him space to live.

Make his own choices.

Just have faith
that he can put it all behind him.

Maybe you should take a holiday.

Have a break from the city.

It's good to see you, Jack.

What happened to you?
You're hurt.

I took another crack
at the training course. I fell.

Come with me.
I've got something that'll help.

[Julia]
I know training here is so hard.

[Alex]
So, you've been through this too?

When you joined?

Not exactly.

I was never a field agent
like Nile or Yassen.

I've always been more of a...

bigger picture kind of person.

[chuckles]

What's funny?

Just when I met Blunt,
he said the same thing.

[scoffs] You think Blunt and I
are the same?

I really hope not.

What's that?

Pain relief. Anti-inflammatories.

Inhalation gets it
into your bloodstream quicker.

It'll help you recover.

Alex. Your body's gonna be tested
to its limits here.

So, you need to make sure
it's ready to step up.

There you go. Breathe in.

Hold it.

And hold it.

There you go.

You'll soon feel better.

[Nile] Ability is one thing.
You all have ability.

But just as important is will.

Alex and Syl.

Hit her.

Go.

[both grunting]

Again.

Try harder.

Stop.

Hit her.

What?

Hit her, just like you did.

No way.

Do it.

You won't do it? Or you can't do it?

This might be your idea of a good time,
but it's not mine.

Mateo.

Stop!

Come on. She hurt you.

You must wanna hurt her back.

I thought
we were supposed to work together.

No weak links.
So, why turn on each other?

Your compassion... is weakness.

Hit her...

...or I will.

Yeah?

How's your hand?

[Yassen]
Okay. That's enough.

I said that's enough. Training is over.

Alex, step back.

This one is my responsibility.

He's weak. We all know it.

Weak because he doesn't enjoy
pain and k*lling the way you do?

You've k*lled more people than any of us.

When you love something
the way you love hurting people,

you're no longer objective.

That makes you weak.

Try me.

Like I said, training is over.
Everybody, step down.

Alex, you too. Come on, step down.

So, now you hack in?

Fun fact, not hacking.
Technically phreaking. Different things.

What are you doing?

Filming this.

Why?

Because it's evidence.

Yeah, of me committing a crime.

Just sort of my thing.

Gather all this together.

You know, the villa,
Julia Rothman, Consanto.

We're putting it
all in one big file of evidence.

You know, document every step.
It can't just be Alex's word this time.

We've gotta have it all on film.

They have to believe him.

It's not a totally bad idea.

Yeah, well...

Still, though,
maybe hurry up a little bit.

Nearly done.

Diagnostic access.

System thinks
we're a technician running down a fault.

So now, add a back door,
and we can do the trace later.

[knock on door]

Come in.

What is it?

It's Mr. Grendel.

Mm-hm. How is Max?

You voiced concerns
that he was losing his appetite.

He has made
a considerable transfer of funds.

But he is divesting himself of assets.

Cashing out of the game.
Max, you should know better.

Something else?

Our contact in the police said,

two teenagers were arrested
near Kovacic's apartment.

They were asking questions.
Looking for their friend.

Do you want me to deal with it?

Yeah. Go now.

You said he was kind to you.

-What?
-My father.

How was he kind to you?

Uh... He protected me.

What about the security cameras?

Just black it out.
Spray paint or duct tape.

Come on, they'd see that.

Yeah, but by that time, I'd be inside.

[Yassen]
Point of incursion?

North wall.

Furthest point from the guard posts,
plus this is nighttime at full moon,

and the north wall
will be in the moon's shadow.

So, he looked after you?

Alex, I'm trying to train you.

Yeah, so tell me what I want to know.

You don't seem like someone
who needs looking after.

Well, maybe not now.

So, how did he protect you? What happened?

He saved my life.

We were in, uh, Nicaragua.

It was the world's center
for black market weapons.

Scorpia wanted
to take control of the market,

so your father and I, we were dispatched
to locate key arms dealers,

eliminate them.

Except I made big mistake.

I was a kid.

Expendable.

There are good agents.

And there are exceptional agents.

[John]
Close your eyes.

[Yassen]
So, I learned.

Emotions get in the way.

Fear, doubt, panic, uh, cloud your mind.

Lead to mistakes.

You need to learn this too.

Yeah, but fear and panic
aren't the only emotions.

What about hope? Or love?
Friendship?

Nile said compassion is a weakness,
that there's no room for it here.

I don't think that's true.

You were expendable,
and my dad could've just throw you aside,

but he saved your life.
Because that's what friends do.

You're not really listening, Alex.

A clear mind is a focused mind.

It's kind of lonely, though, right?

What if they're not torturing him?

What do you mean?

Maybe they don't want to k*ll him.
Maybe they want him.

What if this is red carpet? "Come on in"?

What, you mean, like, join Scorpia?
No, Alex is smarter than that.

They're the bad guys. He knows they are.

-Don't be so sure.
-Kyra, come on.

Even if they do roll out the carpet,
try and seduce him to the dark side,

what do you think Alex is gonna do
with that?

Gonna befriend them, you know,
gain their trust,

try and figure out
what they're planning.

Alex told me that Yassen knew his father.

Like, they were friends.

Wait, he told you that? When?

The night I got hurt at the villa.

And I can't stop thinking about it,
because if that's true,

then maybe we don't even know
half the real story here.

What, you mean...
Alex's dad could have been Scorpia?

I mean, lucky for Alex, he's got us.
You know, we're the secret weapon.

Let's get this tracking done.

With an archaic system,
like actual telephone wires,

is there, like, a database,
or a way to, like...?

Tom.

I know it's a stupid question...

Tom.

Hello.

Sorry, mate. Wrong apartment.

I don't think so.
I brought something for you.

A message.

What message?

It's from Alex. We're looking after him.

"We"?

[Tom]
Where is he?

I can't tell you that.

I think you can.
And I think you should.

People know that we're here.

People like your friend Jack?

Or your brother Jay?

Look, I don't know who you are,

but I really think that you should tell us
where Alex is right now...

or I'm calling the police.

Alex is alive.

He's safe. He's unharmed.

But that could change so very easily.

Don't you dare hurt him.

Do you really think you're in the position
to tell me what to do?

Put the phone down, Tom.

What do you want?

Just go back to London.
Forget you were ever here.

Your plane leaves in three hours.
We're watching you. We're everywhere.

You call the police, we'll know.
You contact the Department, we'll know.

And then I'll have to k*ll Alex

in a more awful way
than any of you can imagine.

Goodbye.

[Tom]
Kyra.

Kyra! Come on. We gotta go.

-[Kyra] Tom!
-Yeah, all right.

[Tom]
Taxi!

-[in French] Where to?
-To the airport, please, mate.

[driver]
All right.

[driver]
You here for holiday?

Uh, yeah. Yeah.

[driver] Good place for holiday, Valletta.
Lots to see.

When is your flight?

Huh? Um, oh. Sorry. Um...

It's 9:30. Nine-thirty, mate.

You have plenty of time.
You want I take you by the palace?

No, just take us to the airport, okay?

[driver]
Okay, okay. All right.

-Here you go, mate.
-It's too much.

Just keep it.

All right. Thank you. Is very kind.

Wait, wait, wait. Hang on.

-Tom.
-Hang on. Hang on.

What, you change your mind?

Um...

Bad idea.

You do as you're told or he dies. Hm?

Have a nice flight.

Come on.

[Julia] Some of you
are making excellent progress.

And some of you still have a way to go.

This is an incursion assessment.

The g*ns will be loaded with blanks.

But your jackets
will register a valid hit.

All of you will be blindfolded,

taken to different positions,
and begin the exercise.

[Yassen] To progress,
you must find the tunnel.

At the end of this, is a maze.

[Julia] And in the middle of the maze
is a red k*ll switch.

The first person to hit the switch wins.

It's that simple?

Not quite.
Only one of you can win this.

It's k*ll or be k*lled.

Now, let's find out who's the best.

Show me what you can do.

[g*nf*re]

[g*nsh*t]

[g*nshots]

[g*nshots]

[Yassen]
Mateo is down. First k*ll.

[grunting]

[distant sound]

-[g*nsh*t]
-[alarm blares]

[Yassen]
Alyona is down.

[shouting in French]

[speaks in French]
No worries.

[in English]
I'm dead.

Unbelievable, right?

Go on, then.

What is wrong with you?
Why didn't you hit me when he told you to?

We beat the sh*t out of you. Huh?

You could've had your revenge.
That's why you're here, right? Revenge?

So why didn't you?

It wasn't fair.

Life's not fair.

Did you take down Oleg?

No. I got Alyona.

Well, Oleg's down.

Well, then congratulations.
You're the only one left.

No. I don't think so.
I think someone else is here.

When I found Oleg,
he was unconscious.

Look, are you going to sh**t me
or talk me to death?

[g*nsh*t]

[gasps]

I was expecting more from you.

[g*nsh*t]

Let him go.

[Julia]
Nile, enough.

[gasping]

[alarm blares]

[woman on PA]
Final boarding call for VNA 0817...

[woman on PA]
to London Stansted.

All passengers, please proceed
to the boarding gates...

-They're calling our flight.
-...immediately.

Listen, Tom...

I've been sitting here, thinking about it,
and I don't think I can do it.

I can't leave him.

You saw that guy. You heard what he said.

Even if Alex is playing them,
they're ahead of the game.

They're Scorpia.
If he slips up just once...

they are gonna k*ll him.

And I...

I just I don't think
I can get on a plane and go home.

Too late.

We're already on the plane.

What did you do?

You're right. We can't leave him.

Like you said, we're the secret weapon.

So, we're going to find Alex,
and we're going to get him out.

They put Nile in there with us.
We should all be going home in body bags.

Some of us nearly did.

[Syl]
It was just a choke hold.

So... do we still think he's weak?

It's not how we were trained.

No. But it works.

You messed up.

Once Nile was down,

you could have shot Alex
and hit the switch yourself.

You could have won.

Maybe next time.

There might not be a next time.

Word is, Mrs. Rothman wants to see you
for some sort of special operation.

What operation?

Invisible Sword.

[theme music playing]