01x12 - Here and Now

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "State of Affairs". Aired: November 2014 to February 2015.*
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A CIA officer plucked from the field to become the president's daily briefer, assuming responsibility for targeting America's most critical threats while navigating the unique lifestyle that comes with such a high-powered job.
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01x12 - Here and Now

Post by bunniefuu »

Charlie: Previously on State of Affairs...

Nick: It's still there with us.

It doesn't go away.

He's doing this for me.

I do not share your faith in this guy.

I admire what you're doing, ma'am, opening up an investigation into the CIA.

Constance: Now's not the time to be secretive, Senator Burke.

That guy wants to bury you.

Let him try.

Charlie: As of last contact, Vera is with Fatah en route to a meeting with Sheikh Hakam.

If we don't hear from him in 24 hours, we go with the contingency plan.

An air strike.

[Up-tempo percussive music]

♪ ♪

[Both breathing heavily]

You're really not gonna tell me where we're going?

Nope. Got to show you.

How long you been in country now, six months?

Eight.

Well, that's long enough to hate it.

[Sighs]

The rolling blackouts, the lack of hot water half the time, the g*nf*re, the fear...

I can handle it.

I know you can.

That's why I brought you here.

Oh, my God.

It's beautiful.

I probably shouldn't be saying that.

No, from up here, you can't see the wars, the addicts.

Just pretty flowers.

I stared at them for six months solid.

When I first got to Kabul, there was talk about burning the fields and cutting off the money source to guys like Sheikh Hakam.

So I came up here to target.

Months went by.

Finally, the word comes in.

Leave the fields alone.

The game changes as you play, Charlie.

The only way you can keep from going crazy is...

Find something you can count on.

You bring all the girls here?

No.

I've never brought anyone here.

[Gasps]

[Voice whispers] Charlie.

[Beeping]

[Door buzzes]

Charlie: What am I looking at?

Maureen: The compound.

That gray outline there under the trees, we didn't see it before.

Dashiell: I repositioned the satellite.

We got a much clearer view.

Charlie: How many are there?

Dashiell: Uh, 20, maybe 25.

It's hard to get an exact count with their heat signatures so close together.

Who knows how many the Sheikh is bringing, though.

So what do we do now?

We wait for the guest of honor to arrive.

Banks: Hakam and Fatah, huh?

Today is a good day. We got eyes on?

Charlie: Waiting for confirmation from our guy on the ground, but should be any minute now.

How long till they're both not breathing?

No more than two hours.

Earl: Probably not even that long, sir.

We have a weather pattern not far from Mindanao.

Banks: Is the president aware of this?

Yes, sir.

She needs this.

She got a whole bunch of people pissed off about how she got here, and now she got to take out these two pricks just to stay president.

Which is cool by me.

Except for...

Case officer in the jungle.

He's the one that got us Hakam?

He is not a priority to the president, but he is one of ours.

Let's do everything we can to get him home.

Will do, sir.

Good.

[Phone ringing]

Dashiell: Ops.

Yeah. Yeah, hold on.

Charlie, call on a secure line. It's Nick.

Nick. Can you hear me?

Nick on phone: Charlie, he's here.

Hakam arrived last night.

I couldn't get away to use the phone till just now.

Charlie. Charlie?

What's our window?

Nick: Not long. Six hours, maybe less.

He leaves for Saudi Arabia tonight.

After that, we lose him.

Lucas: Jack Dawkins and Devgru can be on site within 20 minutes.

Nick on phone: Charlie?

Charlie, do you copy?

Charlie: Yes. Copy.

The mission is a go.

There's a hell of a lot of firepower down here, Charlie.

Make sure Dawkins knows that.

Copy that.

Just keep your head down.

I'll make sure Jack saves you a seat on the plane.

Listen to me.

You got us here.

I promise you, I will finish it.

This ends today.

Nick on phone: Roger that...

[Voice cuts out] Tell Dawkins...

I'm sorry, Charlie. We lost him.

He's gone.

Charlie: Where are they? How far away?

Earl: Dawkins and Devgru are parked on a carrier in international waters.

On "go" from POTUS, they're on the ground in 20 minutes.

And the weather front?

Turning into a full-blown typhoon.

As of now, it looks like it might miss Mindanao.

Lucas: Yeah, but what if it doesn't?

Jack can't halo into that.

They have a stealth blackhawk on board.

Possible. Dangerous. Thank you.

Earl: Anybody think maybe we should just drop a b*mb on the whole mess?

This is a precise mission.

We need proof of death of both Hakam and Fatah, and not just some black scar on the ground filled with body parts.

Earl: I'm just being realistic.

No, with clear skies, Jack and Devgru jump in from high altitude.

Take out the targets, extract our man.

Make sure Dawkins has a secure uplink to get us dead check photos as soon as possible.

I'm on it.

Find a story.

Come up with something that we can tell the Philippines when this is done.

Charlie, what we need is...

I know what we need, Lucas.

Dashiell: Hey, Earl, pull up those weather patterns for me.

Hey, Charlie, wait.

Can't.

Just hold on.

Mo, not now.

Charlie, Nick is out there.

He is one of those red dots.

It's okay to be upset.

Stop.

Don't look at me like that or I'm gonna cry, and I don't need your sympathy.

I need your help.

We need to come up with another plan.

Otherwise, POTUS is gonna call in an air strike.

She wants Fatah and Hakam dead at any cost.

We can't let them get away again.

I know that, but I've got to get Nick out.

How?

I'll find a way.

How are we gonna get eyes on this?

Don't worry.

[Beeping]

Okay, how the hell did you do that?

[Chuckles]

Every time I sell technology, I keep a backdoor open.

I'm in their satellite.

I want to be able to see everything they can see.

[Door opens]

Gantry: Tannen.

How's the reflector op?

I'm anticipating engagement in the next three hours.

We're monitoring for any movement, hostile activity, but so far, nothing.

Okay.

Emily, hourly updates, please.

Kurt, I need to see you outside.

Looks like everything's up and running smoothly in there.

It's all perfect.

Except the stack of international laws we're bending.

Well, you let our lawyers worry about that.

We have a lot of lawyers.

There's something else I need you on.

But this op is mine. I need to be in there...

It's not anymore.

Things change.

They evolve.

You evolve with them or you die.

Metaphorically, of course.

So what's more important than this?

Nothing. Nothing.

But I don't need you in that room.

I need you outside in the world.

I need you to use your...

Special access.

There's only so much a satellite can tell us, Kurt.

We need human intel. That's where you come in.

Now, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?

Yep.

Good. Good.

You know, um, a man's only as loyal as his options.

Hey.

Everything... okay?

Kurt: Yeah. Fine.

Like he said, hourly updates.

Where are you going?

Just... going to see some old friends.

Ah.

Well, tell them I say hi.

What's that?

Emily: Looks like bad weather's rolling in.

Yeah.

Burke: You heard right.

Boxes of redacted files.

This woman's playing fast and loose with the great honor and responsibility our country's given her.

Investigating the CIA is a fraud.

They're her Republican guard, and I have... something rather newsworthy that speaks to that.

Woman: Our communications are up.

Dawkins and Devgru are standing by, ma'am.

And this storm?

It's gathering force. Class eight.

It will make landfall at Mindanao in 45 minutes.

Constance: How are our friends in the Philippine government?

Uh, I don't think they're buying our naval exercises story but they're not scrambling their fighter jets either.

[Sighs]

Get me Dawkins.

Woman: He's standing by for you, ma'am.

Constance: Jack, I see you'll be flying into heavy weather.

Just supposed to be a little rain, ma'am.

Constance: Jack, I've flown hawks and I hear stealths are even trickier.

Are we pushing the envelope?

A bit. But it's worth it, ma'am.

Constance: I know what it's like to fly in hot, Jack.

Keep pushing. Find a way.

Woman: Madam President, I have Charleston Tucker for you.

Charlie: Ma'am, can you hear us?

Yes, Charlie.

I have Dawkins on the line right now.

I'm concerned about the weather, Madam President.

So am I.

It's not a problem, Charlie.

Ma'am, we all know Jack would fly through fire for you, but if this helo goes down, we have dead seals, a very angry Philippine government, and no Hakam, no Fatah.

Jack: It's worth the risk.

Your liaison officer disagrees.

Jack: I'm still commander in the field.

Charlie: Jack, think about your team.

This is a su1c1de mission.

The storm holds Hakam there.

Ma'am, it is the opinion of myself and the entire targeting team that this op is too dangerous at present.

Stand down, Jack.

Mission's a scrub.

Stand down. That's an order.

Charlie: How long does the typhoon hold Fatah and Hakam there?

If they want to get out by land or sea, they're stuck for at least three hours.

Charlie: All right, so Jack can't go in stealth or high altitude.

The only contingency is... an air strike.

That's an international incident.

Worse, we don't get proof of death.

Ar Rissalah just continues on without Hakam.

Nothing changes.

They never admit he's dead, they never admit defeat.

And if Ar Rissalah catches wind we're moving on their holy man...

There's still vests out there, Charlie.

Bureau and Homeland are hitting zeros with those Ahmadi bombs.

Charlie: This isn't the right plan.

We need something else.

[Phone ringing]

Maureen James.

Copy that.

The president is ordering in the air strike.

McKay: Fighters are fueled and weapons ready.

We'll be inbound upon orders from the commander in chief.

Admiral McKay, this is the president.

What's the travel time from ship to target?

McKay: Another half hour, Madam President.

Thank you, Admiral McKay.

Universe chose quite a night for all this.

How long before I have to speak at the correspondents' dinner?

Less than an hour.

We could postpone.

Oh.

Absolutely not.

No one, not the press, public, and God forbid, our enemies can ever get a whiff of what's going on in this room.

We change anything now, it might compromise the mission.

Understood.

Are you... okay?

Oh, I'm fine.

I have waited a damn long time for this moment.

Thank you.

I got to put out a fire.

David: Director Banks.

Acting director.

You know, I'd really prefer if Ray Navarro was back at this point.

Yeah? Me too.

So this grandstanding op you got going on in the Philippines, it's reckless and stupid and you're gonna get a bunch of people k*lled, including one of my guys.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that, but that is the price of peace.

Stop.

Look, you, all of this, the presidency, it's in trouble.

I read the newspapers.

You sh**t me straight, you got an ally for life.

You lie to me, you got another enemy.

You gonna sacrifice my guy on the ground?

It's a distinct possibility.

[Scoffs]

Then tell me, when the Burke commission comes gunning for my Agency, you gonna chalk that up to the price of peace too?

Hey, this goes right, you guys are heroes.

It goes wrong, you're out of a job and I'm dodging senate subpoenas.

Hey, look,

[clears throat]

You should know, I wasn't appointed, Mr. Patrick, and I am still young.

So long after President Payton is in the history books, I will still be at Langley.

I know that, Acting Director Banks, and I'll still be on Capitol Hill.

We're just not exactly sure where yet.

And you're not that young.

What's the latest, Earl?

They're loading the F-18s now.

She's really going through with it.

Dashiell: Looks like it.

[Phone vibrating]

[Phone beeps]

Lucas: Is that Charlie?

No. It's nothing.

Let me know when the F-18s are airborne.

Earl: You got it.
[Metal detector whirs]

Sorry, ma'am.

The president said no one was to come in.

Charleston Tucker.

I need to speak to the president.

Ma'am, I understand...

It's okay. Let her in.

Madam President, I need to speak to you.

Privately.

Charleston, this is the most secure room on the planet.

Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of everybody.

Ma'am, you cannot send in the F-18s.

I am commander in chief of the United States m*llitary.

I can.

Ma'am, this is not the right course.

We have an operative on the ground.

[Scoffs]

This is about him.

You're protecting Nick Vera.

It is my job to bring him back.

Listen to me.

No man, no matter who he is, no matter what he means to you, is worth aborting this mission.

I am sorry.

One man is all this mission is about: Your son, my fiancé.

Do you know what it feels like to have the weight of millions of lives on your shoulders?

I know exactly what it feels like, ma'am.

Then you know it is never about one man.

It is about all of them.

I stood down once when I had the chance to rid the earth of Hakam and Fatah and I missed it.

I will not miss it again.

I won't stand down.

The only question, Charleston, is will you stand with me?

Yes, ma'am.

We're out of wine.

[Speaking in Pashtun]

[Men laugh]

They know you here.

Well, they know I could take away their livelihood.

Balance of power.

It's safer here than in Kabul.

A lot safer.

So this is what we're gonna do every day?

If you can handle it.

We can't stay here.

Sure, we can.

We work Kabul. You run Fatah.

We come here.

Woman on television: Earlier today in Islamabad, Pakistan, a su1c1de bombing left over 40 dead...

[Nick speaks Pashtun]

[Speaking Pashtun]

Woman on television: ...An area of the city frequented by foreigners.

A truck laden with expl*sives...

No. Don't.

Woman on television: Although no group has yet to claim responsibility, many sources...

Charlie: It's Hakam.

Charlie...

How can you ignore this?

Because that's what we came here to do, to let it go.

He's trying to take this thing all over South Asia, the Middle East... Worse, all over the world.

Okay.

"Okay."

That's all you can say about it?

"Okay"?

You know, you really want to blow up some bad guys, there's a few down the road.

We can take them out, make you feel better.

Hakam is the mission.

This is what we swore to do for our country, eliminate the thr*at, and that is what I'm going to do.

And next week it's a different mission and Hakam's our ally and black is white and up is down.

All we have is here and now.

Charlie.

Hey!

Can you just be with me here? For a day?

[Sighs]

[Phone dialing rapidly]

[Phone rings]

Ops.

It's me.

Patch me in to Dawkins.

You got it.

Dawkins.

Jack, it's Charlie.

Are you alone?

Yeah.

POTUS is going ahead with the air strike.

Well aware, Charlie.

I wish we could have dropped in.

We need to get Nick out.

Charlie...

Jack, this is you and me... Friends, favors, history, whatever you need me to call it.

How are we getting him out?

That ship has sailed, Charlie. I had a window.

Typhoon's in full force. We've been stood down.

I can't drop in to get Nick.

Then we need to figure out another way.

We need to warn him.

There's a phone. There's a phone at the compound.

We can trace it back, contact him, give him a set of coordinates where he can meet you...

You alert Nick, you run the risk of alerting the whole group, blowing the mission.

That can't happen.

He's not getting out any other way.

This can work, Jack.

Charlie! It can't! It's over.

Jack: There's no way of knowing what's gonna happen to Nick once those bombs drop.

Hopefully, he's smart enough to take shelter, get out of the way, but there's nothing we can do.

Do you understand me, Charlie?

Jack: It's Nick or the mission.

Save Nick or get Hakam.

Those are the choices. That's all we got.

Charlie, I'm sorry.

This is what we do.

Yeah.

This is what we do.

[Tablet beeping]

Lambert: Senator.

Mr. Lambert.

Whiskey?

Definitely.

Two more, please.

It's the only way I can get through this liberal media bacchanal.

Well, we're not all liberal.

Guessing that's part of the reason you called me.

That and the fact that you just got stood up by the president on a pretty public date.

So... What's the plan, Jules?

Well, they're putting together a package right now, should hit the air right between the salad and the short ribs...

Television, print, social media, the whole shebang.

And we've got a front row seat.

I still can't believe the CIA had one of the world's most wanted t*rrorists in their custody and they let him go.

Don't I know it.

That's a whole new level of FUBAR.

So just where'd you come across this magic b*llet?

If you don't mind me asking.

[Sighs]

Personal effects of an old colleague.

Senator Green?

May she rest in peace.

Taking a leak, senator?

Burke: Excuse me, director.

Banks: Ooh, acting director, actually.

Never knew you and Jules Lambert were so cordial.

Congress and the fourth estate, buddies drinking at the president's bar.

[Chuckles]

That right there is just a...

It's a whole truckload of irony, don't you think?

[Beeping]

Man: The strike aircraft are three minutes out, Madam President.

I'm sorry, ma'am, we can't wait any longer.

[Beeping]

Good luck.

[Whispers] See this through.

[Sighs]

Can we get the infrared up on the main screen, please?

T-minus two minutes.

Wait a second.

Where are they going?

What the hell?

The tunnels.

They're going to the tunnels.

Excuse me?

The Japanese had camps in the Philippines during World w*r II.

They built tunnels to escape an att*ck.

Just like this.

Sir? T-minus 90 seconds.

Charlie: There's nothing to target!

If you blow up the mountain, best case scenario, they get buried under the rubble, worst case, we're explaining why we just bombed our ally.

We lost them? That's it?

They're gone?

They're gone.

Man: Thank you, Madam President.

Madam President.

Oh, senator.

You look lovely.

Thank you.

Constance: I hope you're enjoying yourself.

I wish I could say I was, ma'am.

Is something wrong?

It's about the CIA.

There's been a... disturbing revelation.

Well, this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it, but you talk to David there, and I will get you in first thing in the morning.

I'm afraid it can't wait.

Your briefer, Charleston Tucker, are you aware of her relationship with Omar Fatah?

Relationship?

Now, what do you mean?

Was there something in the files?

Not the files, Madam President.

The press.

Charlie: Maureen, what is it? You guys got something?

Charlie, I need you to get to a computer.

What? Why?

Just do it.

Maureen: Go to WNR's main page.

Are you kidding me?

Do it, Charlie.

Oh, my God.

There's a leak. It's out.

Oh, my God. This can't be happening!

Maureen: What do we do now?

Charlie, what do we do?

We k*ll Hakam.

[Beeps]

[Engine revving]

[Tires squeal]

Who are you?

Sorry, pal.

Can we see inside these tunnels?

We can't see the heat signatures underground.

What about blueprints? Maps?

The Japanese must have some record of these tunnels.

Even if they do, we can't get them.

Not before...

Before what?

Before they realize Fatah's our spy and k*ll him.

And Nick too.

Meanwhile, we'll just sit here and watch while we lose the biggest target in CIA history!

Maureen: Are we listening?

Is there chatter? Anything?

There's nothing online yet. It's too soon.

I'm scanning all radio frequencies, but there's nothing yet.

Well, turn it up.

[Phone ringing]

It's Charlie.

Mo, what do you got?

Maureen: Nothing yet.

We're just cycling through radio signals listening for any chatter.

Charlie, can you hear me?

Hold on, guys.

I got something.

Nick: Charlie?

Charlie, can you hear me?

Patch her in now.

Maureen: Charlie, you need to hear this.

Nick: Charlie, if you can hear me, I'm in the tunnels.

I'm the tunnels. I'm following them.

I have eyes on the target right now.

You should be able to lock on to my signal.

Affirmative.

We've got him.

Nick: Charlie...

Charlie, track my signal.

I paint your targets.

Charlie, repeat.

My signal will paint the targets.

Charlie, repeat. I am your target.

Where are we?

Vera followed Hakam.

He's sending a signal.

Charl...

Nick: Charlie, it's okay.

It's okay.

Man: Waiting for authorization.

Authorization granted.

Man: Yes, Madam President.

Signal the F-18s.

Man over transmission: This is Bronco.

You are go to extend to target.

We stand ready, ma'am.

Weapons are free.

T-minus one minute.

Roger that, Bronco.

I'm coming around to a heading of 2-8-0 inbound to target.

Man: Bronco, this is...

We have good paint on the target signal.

Commencing att*ck.

Charlie voice-over: I know you're not surprised.

You always knew who I was, what I was capable of, what I wasn't.

I need you to know that...

I wanted to be able to let the mission go.

I wanted to make this work.

But if there was anyone in the world I could have done this with, it would have been you.

But the truth is, I can't.

I'm flawed and I'm selfish and I can't give up.

Even though I know I may never win.

I'll probably lose.

[F-18 engines roaring]

But I can't go down without a fight.

[Applause]

You said this would make K*llers out of both of us.

You were right.

Well done.

Good job.

Charlie voice-over: I'm sorry, Nick.

I love you.

I always will.

Banks: In the history of colossal screw-ups, this is right up there with weapons of mass destruction and... and monogamy.

What I want to know is how the hell those nerds from WNR got the photo in the first place.

Who cares? The damage is done.

Really?

What if I told you I saw Burke and Jules Lambert getting real cozy at the dinner tonight?

Huh?

This goes deeper than the press.

Which is why we need to come up with some kind of spin!

Gentlemen, we do not need spin.

We just need to tell the truth.

We tell the American public that yes, Omar Fatah was our asset, that he was recruited and turned by CIA officers, that he helped us to find and destroy one of the most wanted men on the earth, and that because of him, the CIA pulled off its greatest op in its long history.

We tell them Nick Vera, Charleston Tucker are heroes.

We tell them the truth.

Charleston?

[Siren blaring]

Charlie?

You okay, Charlie?

No.

Can we have a few minutes?

Syd: You bet, kid.

Call me if you need me to dump him somewhere.

Kurt: You had me kidnapped?

Why?

Because I know TKG was shadowing Bellerophon, thanks to you.

You know?

How?

They were the ones that warned Hakam's men that we were coming.

Told them to flee.

Tell me, Kurt, how the hell did they pull that off?

Charlie, it's wasn't me.

You had the knowledge.

You had the access.

You are a traitor, Kurt.

And because of you, Nick is dead!

You're wrong.

Charlie, you're wrong.

I know you work for TKG.

I don't!

I'm CIA.

I'm undercover at TKG for the Agency.

What?

Director Navarro sent me to infiltrate TKG.

It was all an op.

It's pretty convenient that the only person who can verify your story is lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

I went to Director Navarro's house to get the proof.

I had it on me when your friend here picked me up.

Just ask him.

If you are lying, I swear to God, I will k*ll you right here and right now.

Charlie, I've been trying to reach you all day to warn you.

No one would talk to me.

So I went to Navarro's house because I needed you to believe me when I told you.

Told me what?

TKG, they were shadowing Bellerophon.

Now, I thought it was so they could k*ll Hakam and Fatah themselves, claim the win, discredit the CIA.

But they weren't trying to k*ll Fatah.

They were protecting him.

That doesn't make any sense. Fatah's the number two.

I know.

But Charlie, I looked.

And Fatah has been number one in TKG's books from the beginning.

They've been tracking Hakam for a decade.

There's not a single public record.

It's like the only place he exists is in their files and ours.

We have a picture.

Fatah gave it to me.

Exactly.

Fatah gave it to you.

Everything we know about Hakam, Fatah told us.

So what if...

Oh, my God.

Sheikh Hakam is no ordinary man.

How little you truly know.

Oh, my God.

You are asking me to be a betrayer of my brothers.

Ar Rissalah doesn't go down till Sheikh Hakam goes down.

Tell me where he is!

Nick: And Sheikh Hakam is invisible.

It's been right in front of me this whole time.

Hakam isn't the real thr*at.

He's a legend. He's a deity Fatah made up.

[Chanting]

But Fatah is the prophet.

[Chanting]

There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.

[Sighs]

Fatah... is the real leader of Ar Rissalah.

And he has been playing us this whole time.
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