03x01 - Widow

[bunniefuu]

[Alex]
I was supposed to be over.

When was the first time
you saw this man with the scar?

[Alex] I first saw him at school.
He's following me.

[woman]
But not really.

[Alex]
No, not really.

-Cornwall?
-What's wrong with Cornwall?

-[expl*si*n]
-[Alex] There was a van outside.

You need to find the driver.
He's the guy that planted the b*mb.

There wasn't any b*mb.

His name is Yassen Gregorovich.

-Who is Yassen?
-A paid k*ller.

[Alan]
They call themselves "SCORPIA."

[Jones] They're professionals
and their services are only available

to a very tiny fraction
of the world's elite.

I thought SCORPIA
were finished.

So did we.

-I need funds.
-What purpose?

k*lling the president
of the United States.

[grunting]

Nice try,
but you can't stop this.

-[air burst]
-[groans]

[Alex] Cray tried to launch
a nuclear strike.

-Gregorovich shot him.
-Why would he do that?

Your father was my friend.

Go to find the Widow.

Find SCORPIA.

Find out
who you really are.

[bells ringing]

[Yassen] Find the Widow. Find SCORPIA.

Find out who you really are.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Yeah. It is.

Fascinating island.
I've been many times.

Are you here with family?

Just friends.

Well, it's not a big island.
So perhaps we'll see each other again.

-Who's your friend?
-Some guy.

Did you get anything?

Lots of photos. But also a feeling.

A feeling?

That we're in the right place. This is it.

Let's hope you're right
because this is our last lead.

After this, we're out of options.

Find the Widow, find SCORPIA.

[Alex] Everything we've done so far…
it all points here.

-So, back to base?
-[Alex] Yeah.

[continue speaking indistinctly]

[distorted voice] Report.

Alex Rider is here. Right now. In Malta.

[theme song playing]

[Tom] Look mate, basing all this
off some phone virus though…

[Alex] Yeah, a department phone
with department files on it.

[Tom] Which also mentioned this 'Widow'
person being in like, Venice and Berlin.

[Kyra] And we went there,
got nothing.

[Alex] I know but Malta
just feels different.

Third time lucky. I'm sure of it.
SCORPIA have to be here.

-[Tom] All I'm saying, it's a bit vague.
-[Kyra] Yeah, said this before.

[Tom] "Find the Widow."

Surely, he could have given you an address
or something to start you off?

I'm thinking the address changes.

If you were a secret organization,
you might do that.

The Department did.

-Little bro!
-Big bro!

[grunting]

Every time. Why?

Just breathe.

-How was your tourism extravaganza?
-Yeah, did everything.

Sightseeing, Thrones tour,
boat ride, the works.

-I could've done you a boat ride.
-Wanted to come back alive.

Yeah, but where's the fun in that,
am I right?

-Man, I've missed this.
-We should've done it sooner.

Hey, uh, take a look at this.

The race announcement just went live.

[intense music playing]

Looks extreme.

Forty-eight hours to the off.
Getting seriously stoked here.

[Alex] You gonna win this thing or what?

[Jay] I'll be happy if I place in the top
five. You never know, right?

Mom and Dad are gonna be so proud.

Yeah, tell me about it.

I spoke to the sponsorship team,
and they were totally cool.

They said this place is paid up
until the end of the month,

so you guys are fine
if you want to hang.

Just no pets, no parties, okay?

-Awesome! Cheers, Jay.
-All part of the service, man.

Well, I gotta head out.

I got press interviews for an hour,
then I've got to meet my video guy.

-You have a video guy?
-Hell, yeah.

This baby will be
live-streamed all the way.

-Catch you for dinner later?
-Yeah.

Awesome!

Awesome.

Oh, yeah, uh, Jack called.

She said you should feel free
to stay here permanently.

There was music playing,
sounded kind of wild.

[laughs]

I'm trolling.

She says she misses you.
Catch you later, little bro.

Big bro!

Okay.

Let's see what we've got.

-You really did take a lot of photos.
-The more we have,

the better chance
that something matches up.

-Let's see the file.
-You should know it by heart.

"Codename: The Widow.
SCORPIA operative.

Name unknown, multiple aliases.

Believed active Venice, Berlin.
Possibly born Malta.

Approximate age: 32 years."

But this file is, like, 15 years old,
so she'd be 47 now.

-[Kyra] If she weren't dead.
- [Alex] Nah, I'm not buying that.

Yassen said, "Find the Widow."

We've been through Smithers' phone.

There's only one Widow
in the Department files.

But not in their active files.
This was basically trash.

[Alex] So she's good at hiding.

And eventually, we'll find something
in one of these photos,

and we'll go, "That's it.
That's where she took this shot."

That will be the first clue
to where she is.

Mate, be honest.

Doesn't this feel
a little like clutching at straws?

Maybe we should contact the Department.

No way! I'm done trusting Alan Blunt.
He'd never tell us the truth.

Oh, okay. Okay.

Jay's been here
a couple of months now.

Maybe he's seen something,
heard something.

I really appreciate him
putting us up in this flat.

In this awesome flat.

-In this awesome flat…
-Thank you.

but the fewer people that know
what we're really doing, the better.

Also, it's SCORPIA.

If the Department can't find them,

I don't think "big bro"
is going to cut it.

Oh, okay.

So, we keep going.

Get some coffee, get back out there.

Okay. Yeah.

You're right. We're gonna crack this.

-Julia.
-Max.

Are you absolutely certain?

I stood beside him. I spoke to him.

He was taking pictures of the town,
like a tourist. He said he was on holiday.

You think it's a coincidence?

I think it's fate.

Sit.

Tell me more. What did he look like?

If the file's right,
she was born here in Malta.

Maybe she still has family here.

Maybe she comes back
from time to time.

Or maybe Yassen lied to you.

You know, messed with your head.
Send you in circles.

Your father. He was my friend.

No. I don't think so.

I think this is a test.

Yassen wanted me to find SCORPIA.

But maybe I have to prove myself first.

Why would he be testing you?

Alex? Is there something
you're not telling me?

Look, all I really know is,
the more I scrape away the surface,

the more it seems like SCORPIA
are always there.

Like they've always been there.

I can't just walk away from them.
I can't just ignore them.

The only thing I can do is find them.

And destroy them.

And until I do that,
none of us are ever gonna be safe.

We do it together.

For your uncle.

And for my parents.

Oh, lovely. Stay right there.

I mean it, it's a thing of beauty.

Classic. Like a scene from Fellini.

-Cheers for that.
-Don't take my picture. Ever.

-Trying to capture the moment.
-Delete please.

-Don't touch my camera.
-Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't delete.

Look at this.

-They look the same.
-They look similar. Not the same.

Yeah, but still,
we're on the right track.

That photo could be taken here in Malta.
Look at the wall.

[Tom] Or Rome or Florence

or anywhere with that kind
of architecture and history.

Sorry, mate. I'm just saying.
It's just a wall in the sunshine.

Hang on. I think Alex is right.

We're not looking hard enough.

Stone blocks all cut by hand
hundreds of years ago.

So each one is unique.
Put them all together, what do you get?

A wall?

-A pattern?
-And that is also unique.

Like a fingerprint? That's genius.
How do we use that?

Pattern analysis.

We make this a target,
pull up every Street View image of Malta,

every social media post with a Malta tag,
all the photos you've taken this week,

run them against it,
see if we can get a match.

-I need to write some code.
-Dinner with Jay?

This could take a while.
You guys go eat.

-Kyra. Seriously. Genius.
-Go.

-I'm sure she…
-Mrs. Rothman. Mr. Grendel.

The target's on the move.
We're ready to proceed.

Good.

You can leave us.

You know why
I've convened this meeting.

Dr. Greif, at Point Blanc.
Damian Cray, in London.

Two unparalleled opportunities

to reshape the global balance of power…

…in our favour.

And both ended in failure.

[Razim] We elected you
because you promised

to restore our influence globally.

And so far, we have seen nothing.

Until tonight.

The operation is codenamed
Invisible Sword.

It's already underway.
This time there is no client.

There is no weak link.
This is for us alone.

[man] What is the objective?

Terror.

By the time we're done,
the United Kingdom will be in ruins,

and every country in the world
will be queuing up

to give us whatever we demand.

[Razim] You spin a good story, Julia.
And how do we know this will even happen?

Because I'm gonna show you.
Right now. A demonstration.

So this is the marina,

and then this is the Thai food place
that we're eating at.

Jay recommended it.

[Jack] You just want me to say
I'm jealous, which I'm not.

-You should have come!
-I wanted to.

Somebody's gotta keep
an eye on you.

I can't take any more time off,
and I want to keep this job.

You should reconsider your career.

I hear extreme sports
are very lucrative right now.

Jay's running late, by the way.
Something about the parachute

-not being up to spec.
-No worries.

I'm guessing he wanna get that right.

Still can't believe he makes a living
doing that stuff.

More than a living, it's good money.
He's living the dream.

His dream is my nightmare. Literally.
That one where you're falling? Ooh.

-I can't believe he does that for fun.
-[Tom] I get that.

It's better than some 9-to-5 in a cubicle.
Kind of makes you think, right?

Makes you think what?

You saw my GCSEs.
And sixth form's just worse.

Like seriously worse. Uh…

If I want to go to uni,
do a film studies course,

I need good grades,

I'm barely scraping a pass
in social studies.

Do your parents know?

[Tom] No, no, no. No, they'd freak out.

It was bad enough one kid
ran off into the sunset.

They've got all their hopes pinned on me.

They've got this picture of me
being… the responsible one.

Yes, but what picture do you have?

-All right, darlings.
-Hey!

-Sorry I'm late.
-Here he is.

-Hey, Jack!
-Hey.

You taking care of my boys?
You better be. I know where you live.

'Course. I'm gonna order
everything twice. I'm starving.

[beeps]

Yes.

Hey, it's Alex. Leave a message.

I've got a match. It's here! In Valletta.

Okay. I'm sending you a pin.

Meet me there when you get this.

[Julia] Corinne McLeary. 37 years old.
A banker from Wall Street.

Currently on business in Shanghai.

[man] She's the one that led the
money laundering task force operation.

We had to cancel our New York operations
because of her.

Exactly.

This is a live feed. Real time.

Corinne McLeary is about to die.

[Jack] What is that you're eating?
I want some…

-[phone chimes]
-…Bring some home, it looks good.

Hey, Jack,
just excuse me a sec, will you?

Okay. Yeah, sure.
Just put me on mute.

It's Kyra. She's still not feeling well.

I'll check on her. I'll be right back.

-You know we're gonna eat yours?
-I won't be long.

[dog barking]

When would you like her to die, Razim?

[Razim] Do it now.

[Julia] In public. Out of nowhere.
Without warning. Without trace.

[Razim] You have a good Samaritan.

It will make no difference at all.

[woman] How are you doing this?

This is Invisible Sword.

Hey! Get off! Get off! Don't touch me!

-[man grunts]
-[Alex] Kyra!

-Why didn't you wait for me?
-I got bored.

Alex, can you kick this guy please?

[grunting]

I was waiting.
I thought that you would-- Agh!

-You done?
-I am now.

-Okay, let's go!
-[Kyra groans]

-What's wrong?
-I got stabbed.

-Oh, sh*t.
-Yeah.

[Julia] Now imagine. Not one woman.
But 100,000 people.

A whole British city
with a blade at its throat.

And then… the world will give us
anything we want.

We'll speak again.
When Invisible Sword is ready to strike.

-Agh!
-Nearly there.

Let's to get you to a hospital.

No. They'll be expecting that.
They'll be waiting.

-We need to take a look at it.
-Okay.

[groans]

Never been stabbed before.

This is my fault. I should've been there.

You got there.
Anyway, proves we were right.

-You think?
-Yeah, they tried to k*ll us.

That feels like SCORPIA.

Alex.

Yeah?

You'll have to help me with this.

Yeah. Sure.

Gentle, gentle.

Okay.

Bad?

I don't think so.

You must have moved
just as he went for you.

We need to get it cleaned,
get it bandaged, but…

-I think you'll be okay.
-So, not going to die.

No. Just gonna have a really cool scar.

Here, put pressure there.

You still think this is a test?

It definitely looked like
they were trying to k*ll us.

Yeah.

Yassen could have been lying,
this whole time.

This could be a trap.

[Alex whispering] Sorry.

You're not saying something.
You need to not do that. Not with me.

On Air Force One, Yassen said…

He said my father was his friend.

Why didn't you tell me before?

Because it freaks me out.
It doesn't make sense.

You think it's true?

I don't know.

I don't know.

The way my uncle always told it,
my dad was nothing to do with spying.

He was in the army, a soldier.

And even if he was a spy somehow,
how would Yassen know him?

Be friends with him?

The thing is, when my uncle died…

when Yassen k*lled him,

all the lies people had been telling me
my whole life just started to unravel.

Who he was. What he did.
None of it was true.

I know.

And now it feels like
it's happening again.

[Jay singing indistinctly]

Whoa, um, excuse us!

What happened?

It was an accident.
Kyra was trying to open soup. And…

-Soup?
-Yeah, it's fine. I've dressed it.

Not again.
She always does stuff like this.

-Jack's gonna k*ll me.
-No. Jack's seen worse than that.

She's known Kyra a while.

♪♪

[fades out]

We've done a full sweep
of the grounds. We're clear.

What about the intruders?
Do we have them?

No. They incapacitated
three of our people and escaped.

They were clearly highly trained.

"Incapacitated"?

Broken bones, concussions,
soft tissue damage.

Who would do that?

I did wonder perhaps
one of the other council members

decided to push their luck.

If one of the council
did send someone to k*ll me,

they'd know better
than to use the south entrance.

They'd know better than to blunder
into three of our guards.

And they'd know better
than to leave anyone alive.

Do you want me to increase security?

No. I don't think that will be necessary.

Let's wait and see what fate brings us.

You okay?

All fun and games here.

Still don't know how you managed
to stab yourself with a Swiss Army knife.

Still don't know
how you don't have a can opener.

Leave you guys alone
for five minutes.

We got a woman down
with a soup-related injury.

Are you sure you don't want to go
to the hospital?

It's just a scratch.
You've probably had worse.

You're gonna fit right in round here.

All right, I gotta go.
Strategy planning for the Tunisia leg,

then big lunch with the g*ng.
You want in?

[grunting]

We'll head down to the bay,
get some sea air.

-Okay. Catch you later, little bro?
-Big bro.

So what are we really doing?

Finding out who owns that villa.

[Max] That was quite
a demonstration you gave.

I think even Razim was impressed.

[Julia] Good. Razim's always resented me.

He thinks when Nicolai died,
I inherited my place at the table.

I think you may have changed
his mind last night.

And besides, we both know
you earned your place.

Thank you.

I've always seen greatness in you.

And you've always been
kind enough to indulge me.

Value you. As a mentor and a friend.

Indulge me once more.

Allow me to ask you a question.

One I couldn't ask last night,
in front of the others.

Invisible Sword.
You think it's too ambitious?

No. You've always been different.

Driven. I have no doubt
you can make it happen.

Then what's your question?

Do so many people really need to die?

I understand our objective here.
I understand what's at stake.

But so many deaths. Children even?

Does that matter?

I'm a grandfather now, Julia.

You know that I wasn't very close
with my daughter.

You've been more of a daughter
to me over the years

than Elizabeth ever was.

But grandchildren…

-Yeah, don't tell me. It changes you.
-It does.

I understand. Of course I do.
Children are special.

Grandchildren perhaps even more so.

And that's why, when the time comes,

it's better for all of us that it's me
with my finger on the switch.

And not you.

So? Did you get anything?

Maybe. I pulled in a favor
with the property team.

Alex. Do you really think
this could be them?

We met some people last night.

And they seemed very on-message.
For SCORPIA.

-Are you being careful?
-Yeah, we're fine, everyone's fine!

Speak for yourself, spyboy.

I should be there.
I can get on a flight tonight.

No, you said it yourself,
you've got an actual life.

-We're fine. Jay's looking after us.
-Jay's a lunatic.

Yeah, but I'm not.
No unnecessary risks, okay?

So, property files?

This place of yours
is a 16th century villa.

A private villa,
but it's changed hands. A lot.

We need to know who's behind it. A name.

I thought you'd say that.
So I traced the provenance.

Its recent acquisition was in 1995,

by a small holding group
based out of Croatia.

The chain of title is complex,

shell companies on shell companies
through Switzerland, Italy,

but, eventually,

it all leads to an oil
and petrochemical investor,

Nicolai Rothman.

-Where's he?
-That's the problem. He's dead.

What if someone inherited it?
If he had a wife, his widow?

If so, she's not on the title deeds.

Okay. Thanks, Jack. You're brilliant.

Just don't do anything
breathtakingly stupid.

Why would you even say
something like that?

Okay. Bye.

Already on it.

[Julia] Max is having second thoughts.

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

Do you think you'll ever lose
your appetite, Nile?

No. And if I do, put a b*llet in me.

I promise.

Do you know what it took,
to build a cathedral in the Middle Ages?

An astonishing investment.
Generations of craftsmen.

Sometimes more than
a hundred years of constant labor.

An unimaginable amount of money,

all given over freely,

even if it meant that people
starved in the streets. And why?

To praise God.

I'm not so sure.

The greatest era
of cathedral-building in Europe

coincided precisely
with the outbreak of the Black Death.

The past can be such an inspiration.

You intend to put this to the test
with Invisible Sword.

A new age of death.

And payment.

It's time to close down Consanto.
You should handle that personally.

I believe Dr. Kovacic
wants to talk to you first.

Very well. Tonight at the museum viewing.
Arrange for an invitation.

Uh, guys. I got something.

What is it?

Nicolai Rothman was married.
Her name is Julia.

So maybe "Widow" is not a codename.
More a nickname that stuck.

It gets better.

Her father's Swedish
but she was born in Malta,

just like the Widow in
the Department files was supposed to be.

She's super rich.

Puts her money into patronizing
fine art and antiquities…

Not a bad cover. She could go
pretty much anywhere she wanted

and have a reason to be there.

She doesn't like the limelight.
Keeps herself to herself.

But from what I can see,
she moves around a lot. Hardly ever here.

She's here now for a reason.
We need to find out what.

Something specific.
If I could get close…

It's not gonna be easy.

You already tried
and look what happened.

Uh, actually, there might be another way.

The Valletta Museum
is holding a private viewing this evening.

Very exclusive.
Julia Rothman's on the guest list.

Private viewing at a museum?

All right, all right.
That's tricky, I grant you, but…

Give me a minute, I got this. I got this.

It's all about the catering. Right?

You know, like, canapés,
glasses of wine.

So there's gonna be waiters.
And waiters are invisible.

So we get Alex a costume.

I'm down the road with fireworks.
A whole string of firecrackers.

When you're in position,
give me the signal

and I set them off
while everyone's turning around going,

"What is going on?"
Alex is just in. You know.

Handing out hors d'eouvres,
canapes, and completely invisible.

It's foolproof, huh?

Hmm?

Or I just put you on the guest list.

Huh.

I am gonna need something to wear.

Oh. [mumbles] Good.

-What is taking you so long?
-He has trouble dressing himself.

I can't do the stupid tie.

Don't look at me.

Oh, for goodness sake. Right.

Since when can you do a bow tie?

Hey, one day I'm gonna win
my lifetime achievement award.

It's never too early to prepare.

Um, I got you something.

You did?

Yes. Just, um-- I saw it in--

I--Yeah, it's not a very--
It's just not a big deal.

-Lock pick.
-In case you run out of paperclips.

Oh, I didn't get you anything, mate.

-That's okay. You can tie a bow tie.
-That I can.

So, think this is gonna work?

Guess we're about to find out.

You sent him the right file?

-If you sent him the wrong one, then…
-Shh.

Right this way.

[chatter]

[clattering]

[Julia] I'm glad you were able to come,
Doctor Kovacic.

I much prefer to deal
with these matters in person.

[Kovacic] You've seen the primate
test results.

One hundred percent efficacy.
One hundred percent!

-[Julia] Very impressive.
-[Kovacic] I think so too.

I think the potential is enormous.

Just think of what you can do
with this technology.

[Julia] I already have.

That's why I invested in Consanto
in the first place.

I would say it's decades ahead
of any of my competitors.

Decades.

Doctor Kovacic, nobody is doubting
the quality of your work.

In fact, I couldn't be more pleased.

Why are you here?

Mrs. Rothman…

it seems to me that sometimes

we scientists are too, um, unassuming.

Too unambitious.

Not in our work.
But in what we ask for, in return.

Do you want more money?

I don't "want" more.
I think I deserve more.

I think what I've created,
what I've discovered is worth more.

Which, I imagine,
is why you've been so keen…

…to keep my discoveries discreet.

And discretion is worth something,
too, wouldn't you say?

Well played, doctor.
We'll make a businessman of you yet.

Diamonds. Portable,
untraceable, and very valuable.

How valuable?

Eight million dollars. Give or take.

Now, I suggest you go back to Consanto

and make certain
your work stays discreet.

A good businessman knows
when not to push his luck.

And now if you'll excuse me…

[door closes]

[Nile] Show yourself.

I can hear you breathing.

-You seem to have lost your way.
-I was looking for the bathroom--

No. Stop.

Who are you?

I'm Tom. I'm a guest.

And you're right. I lost my way.

Then we'd probably take you
where you belong.

Come with me.

The party's down that way.

We're going a different way.

How's your friend?

Friend?

The friend we wounded last night
in the garden villa.

[both grunting]

I don't believe a word you say, "Tom."

By the time we're done with you, I will.

[yells]

It's a long way down, "Tom."

[Julia] What happened?

-There was someone in the library.
-There was someone there?

-Yeah. He escaped.
-Who sent him?

Maybe no one sent him.
This boy didn't look like an operative.

A boy?

How old?

A teenager.

Describe him.

My height. Blond. Blue eyes.

Is it him?

Yeah. That's him.

I want him found.

He's dead. No one could survive that.

You're an imbecile.
Of course he's not dead.

He's Alex Rider. And you let him go.

Find him. Find him now.