01x05 - Tipping Point

[bunniefuu]

Alex: Previously on Allegiance...

This operation will collapse the American economy in a single blow.

We're calling it Black Dagger.

D.C. is setting up a joint task force to stop it.

The best plan we have to stop it is to find the SVR files Mikhail stole.

They're on encrypted hard drives, secure inside a laptop.

If Alex beats you to that laptop, you'll all be dead.

Alex and the FBI team aren't driving.

They're flying.

We got it.

There's nothing here.

The SVR got here first.

That one. Black Dagger.

The entire hard drive is deleting.

Did you decrypt the file?

We're talking about a half a mile blast radius.

Whoever planned this operation was probably filmed with that camera.

The judge, well, he may just decide that this task force is nothing more than a recipe for constitutional infringement and shut you all down.

What do you got, Alex?

See? There he is.

Alex: It was you, wasn't it?

Yes.

And now, it's time to tell you everything so you understand why.

How long?

It started when I was 17.

You knew?

Since before we were married.

I don't... how?

Who does this?

[Cell phone rings]

I'm on my way.

On your way? Did you go get air in Connecticut?

I know. I'm sorry.

I lost track of time.

Michelle.

Hey, it's Sam.

What part of "this FISA judge could shut our task force down" did you not understand?

I'm sorry.

You best darken this doorway in the next five minutes, comprende?

I'll be there.

I didn't have a say in what my future would be.

My father sent me to boarding school in Switzerland under an alias when I was nine years old.

When I was 17, I came back to Russia and learned that my father was a KGB general, and I was shipped off to the red banner institute to begin my training.

Did you hurt anyone? Any Americans?

No. It was just intelligence collection.

Against your own country.

You were asked to recruit him.

Your father was living in Moscow.

Then he was working for an American energy company.

The KGB wanted to steal its deep water drilling technology, but your father refused.

We fell in love instead.

All your father ever tried to do was to get me out of a life that I was forced into, a life that I never wanted.

[Car horn honking]

I agreed to keep my eyes open, that's all, to try to spot people vulnerable to recruitment.

How long did it take them to get you to do more than that?

They threatened to hurt my family, Alex.

Then, you should've gone to the FBI.

You should've gotten out.

I did get out.

For seven years, and then they came back.

Why?

You.

They came for you.

Remember your steps, Alex.

Oh, remember your steps, Alex.

Our whole life, it's a lie.

Mark: No.

Not the love.

Not the family.

I know this is a lot.

I can't imagine what you're thinking.

I think you're traitors.

This is about something much bigger than us right now, Alex.

The SVR has a plan.

Codename Black Dagger.

How do you know that name?

It was on Mikhail's laptop.

Which you stole from City Hall.

Yes, and then we brought it to the FBI field office to turn it in.

That's a lie.

I would've heard about that.

When we arrived at the federal building, we checked the laptop to make sure it had something real.

We triggered an auto-delete program.

We were only able to catch a few fragments before it was gone.

Read this.

Five psi blast radius of half a mile in New York City.

That's... tens of thousands of people would die.

This has to be a fake.

This would start another w*r.

Only if someone could prove that Russia did it.

Nothing stays secret for very long anymore.

They know that. They would never take this risk.

Alex, you figured out that Mikhail stole the files that he did.

These are the files that were on Mikhail's computer.

Well, I only have your word for that.

Yes.

Even though you've been lying to me every day of my entire life.

Let the judge know we're ready.

Are you okay?

I'm okay.

Good, because Judge Dale is a pit bull.

He'll rip your throat out if he doesn't like what you have to say.

Judge Dale: All right, let's begin.

Black Dagger is real, and we need to try to stop it.

If it's real, then we need to take this to the FBI.

If we do that, the SVR knows that their plan has been b*rned, and they change the when and the where and the how.

What are you talking about?

They have a mole inside the U.S. government.

How else could they catch Mikhail before he could defect?

And how could they know what case the CIA put you on before you even arrived in New York last week?

You have an answer for everything, don't you?

Just like you did my entire childhood.

Where are you going?

I'm late for a hearing with a FISA judge.

My colleagues are expecting me to swear to new evidence we found that someone broke into Philadelphia City Hall and stole Mikhail's laptop before us.

Then we're asking for a warrant for the Masonic Temple's security footage which you will be on.

Are you actually asking me to let you march a forensic team back to Philadelphia City Hall, again in secret, as well as to mandate a Masonic Temple, arguably protected by first amendment religious freedoms, to turn over all its internal camera footage?

Mr. O'Connor and I just returned from Philadelphia where we discovered an old tunnel running from the Masonic Temple to the basement of City Hall.

This would explain how Russian operatives could've gotten past several layers of security and into the room where we believe the laptop was hidden.

Further, we acquired video that showed one, possibly two, figures entering the back entrance of the temple.

Finally, we found residue of what we believe is a chemical agent thieves use to freeze and break the lock.

Think about what you're doing.

Think about what you've done.

If you turn us in, your mother and I go to prison, Natalie too.

I think you belong there.

And Sarah, where does she belong?

You will destroy our entire family and for what?

We don't have enough information yet for the FBI or the CIA to stop Black Dagger, but we might be able to stop it if you help us.

On our own?

Do you realize how crazy that is?

Is it? We b*at you to City Hall.

You know how governments work.

You can't defeat the SVR playing by the rules.

Judge Dale: Mr. O'Connor.

Mr. O'Connor?

This whole thing was your idea, correct?

Based on your theories, and you've been staring into space for the last five minutes?

Sorry, sir.

I take it you will attest to the same facts as Special Agent Prado?

Sir, I need a minute to consider my answer.

The CIA and FBI have resources you don't.

Resources we'll have if you help us.

You work the leads your task force can handle.

We'll do everything else they're not allowed to.

We work together as a family.

The moment we have enough information to prove that Black Dagger's real, we go straight to the FBI.

I'm sorry, Alex...

About everything.

Don't.

Alex, no matter what happens, we love you.

Judge Dale: I don't want you to consider your answer.

I want it unvarnished. And remember, you're under oath.

That is what I'm considering.

The boy's gone off the rails.

He'll be fine.

Mr. O'Connor, when you're under oath, you tell the truth.

It's simple.

Do you believe this to be an SVR operative?

I believe there's every possibility that the man in that footage is not breaking into the temple.

Wind speeds during the day were between 8 and 12 miles per hour.

He was most likely shielding himself from the wind trying to light a cigarette.

What about the residue on the gate?

Denatonium benzoate.

It's a chemical compound found in canned air which could be used to freeze metal, but it's also a bittering agent found in rat poisoning to make it unappealing to pets.

I'm confused.

Are you telling me an SVR agent stole the files or not?

Under oath, Sir...

No.

Having looked at all the possibilities, there's no way I can possibly stand by my original theory.

[Tense music]

♪ ♪

Brock: What the hell was that?

Submarine your own theory?

Sir, I'm sorry.

I could've sworn you still had your spine when we left Philly.

Just talk me through your thought process.

One minute, you're shouting about SVR operatives breaking in through the Masonic Temple.

An hour later, it was most likely the cleaning crew?

Everything just started to unravel in my head.

I couldn't say for certain that my theories were correct.

You could've mentioned that before I stood up and spouted a story you sold me on.

You saw the judge's face. He wasn't buying it.

Tactically, it was better for me to take a hit than for him to blame the entire task force and shut us down.

Don't expect a thank you.

We all knew there was a chance we could lose, but it was worth the risk.

[Speaking Spanish]

[Speaking Spanish]

Alex O'Connor went in front of a FISA judge today.

Do you know why?

No.

I told you the bug in his shirt d*ed last week when we were in Philadelphia.

He met with his parents before the hearing.

What did they discuss?

Surely Katya debriefed you.

No.

She's a difficult one to keep in harness.

If half the men in the SVR had her will, we'd own the world.

Listen, don't worry. I...

I do worry, Dobrynin, about your excuses.

The O'Connor family are your assets, your responsibility.

You will know every conversation that they have, every move they make.

If you cannot accomplish this, I have men who will.

You understand?

It is nice how you have made a life for yourself here.

Enjoy, because if your reassignment becomes necessary, it will not involve a flight home to Russia.

Katya: They're bank accounts, information we took from Mikhail's egg.

Mark: Whoever controls them might lead us to who will carry out the att*ck.

The SVR will hire an outside operator.

Mark: They want levels of deniability between them and the execution of the operation and a person they know can deliver.

It'll cost big money.

So what do you want from me?

Treasury maintains a database to track suspicious money transfers.

Fincen. It's for law enforcement agencies only.

CIA doesn't have access.

Yes, but your task force is full of FBI agents.

I won't steal an FBI agent's access code.

Stopping the SVR means your hands will have to get dirty, Alex.

Stealing the code is what the operation requires.

And lying to me about your affair.

Is that what the operation required?

Yes.

This is gonna get a lot worse before it gets better.

But I promise you as soon we get what we need, we go to the authorities.

For now, this is the play.

What's this?

Tradecraft.

The phone is untraceable, clean.

We switch them out once a week.

Just to be safe.

Alex, draw us a floor plan of the task force.

You don't want to be in either bullpen.

There's too many people looking and no way to track them.

And this is where your boss sits?

Yes.

Well, you couldn't go in there without being noticed by a lot of people.

This is you?

Then this is your obvious target.

No.

But you have reason to be in there.

No, not now.

Why?

No. Just pick another desk.

Whose desk is it?

It's Michelle's, my partner.

You like her?

Of course I like her.

She's my partner.

Are you... Romantically interested in her?

No.

Honey, it's okay if you are.

She is my partner.

I am not gonna steal from her, especially after what happened in court today.

Then you need a peace offering.

How does she take her coffee?

What?

Tomorrow, you bring her a cup. You spill it on her.

When she leaves to clean up, you're alone with her computer.

This is what you're really like.

Everything calculated, thought out, designed.

Every lie I've ever told you has cost me.

How do you do it? How do you look at someone in the eye, someone that you care about, and deceive them?

You remind yourself that it's for the greater good, and you hope that someday they'll forgive you.

Give him time, Katya.

He'll come around.

When Michelle leaves her desk, you insert the skimmer into her card reader like this.

Listen for the click.

When she inserts her ID and types in her password, the skimmer will record both electronic transmissions.

You'll have a perfect clone of her login.

I guess you do more in Silicon Alley than develop dating websites and music apps.

You're really not gonna say anything?

About what?

About this.

Everything you found out about us, about me?

What do you want me to say?

Call me a liar, yell, hit the wall.

How would that help?

It would help me, okay?

It would help me if you were mad at me.

That makes no sense.

It makes sense to me.

I mean, this is worse. You're ignoring me.

You know, I get it now.

Why everything was always so tense between you and mom.

She ruined your life.

Now she's doing it to you.

She and dad.

I'm sorry this is happening to you.

Sorry it happened to you.

You can always talk to me.

Good night.

I have to get up early in the morning and go commit a felony.

[Laughs lightly]

Peace offering.

You usually have a coffee around 10:00, splash of milk, no sugar.

Should I think it's weird that you know that?

No.

Yesterday, before the hearing, you could've said, "Michelle, I'm having second thoughts."

Instead, you made me look like an idiot.

It wasn't my intention.

You blindsided me.

You didn't trust me with your doubts.

If you can't trust me, Brock should assign you another partner.

I don't want another partner.

I do trust you.

Okay.

O'Connor, follow me.

Leave the coffee.

What's going on?

A distinguished member of the bureau's internal counterintelligence staff has decided to pay us an unannounced visit.

For what?

Polygraph us.

What, right now?

Make it fast.

Every minute he's with you is a minute he's not doing his job for me.

Brock, someday, I swear, I'm gonna catch you in a good mood.

Special Agent Faber.

Jason Faber?

Yeah, that's right.

How do you know my name?

You were one of the agents that led the Robert Hanson investigation.

Ah, well, always nice to meet a student of the game.

Not that this is a game.

Uh, what?

Mole hunting.

Is there a mole?

There's always a mole, Alex, always a mole.

Somewhere, somebody's trying to betray this country, and I have the distinct honor and privilege of finding 'em and ensuring they spend 23 hours a day in a tiny little cell for the rest of their lives.

So you ready?

Uh, I haven't taken a poly since finishing analyst training.

There's nothing to worry about.

Unless you got something to worry about, right?

You remember the last time you were here?

I'm not sure.

It was the week I moved in.

You kept telling me my furniture was in all the wrong places.

Well, I was probably wrong because it looks really nice.

I know why you're here.

You're worried about Alex.

His whole world changed overnight.

And whose fault is that?

He seemed okay when he left last night...

Considering everything.

Just the thought of him in that office acting on his own, yes, I am worried.

Chew your lip to bits like that when it's me out in the field?

Do you remember when you were little and we used to walk to Prospect Park, and you and Alex decided that your favorite horses on that carousel were brother and sister?

Buster and Babs.

Well, we would... we would leave the house, we'd be holding hands, and we'd walk.

Two seconds later, you had to take off.

You had to run. You had to go fast.

You would get so far ahead that I had to choose.

Do I stay with Alex or do I chase after you?

I remember.

You always chose Alex.

It's not because I love you any less.

But I had faith in you.

I knew that if you got lost, I knew that you would find your way home.

I'm surprised you use a Gauge Pro X.

Accuracy rate's barely over 60%.

That's okay. Truthfully, I don't need the machine to know when people are lying 'cause I can read minds.

But it's good to have some charts to take to D.C.

How does it feel, Alex?

What?

I don't know. The long fall from grace.

Golden boy whiffed big.

Does it sting?

Is that your first question?

No, just curious.

Do you work for the CIA?

Yes.

Is Russian your first language?

My mother spoke it in the house, growing up.

So that's a yes?

I learned English and Russian at the same time.

Call it a yes with hesitation.

Did you attend Princeton University?

Yes.

And you received a bachelor's and master's degree after 3 1/2 years.

Yes. Uh, well, 3 years.

Oh, I misread that.

You're smarter than I thought.

Do you like ice cream sandwiches?

I'm sorry?

I-I'm not sure.

I don't have an opinion. Neutral.

It's a yes or no question, Alex.

Well, no, it's not. It depends on...

You're making this more complicated than it is, son.

I know how it is.

The sight of a polygraph can make you forget your own name.

Almost done, relax.

Ice cream sandwich, yea or nay?

Yea.

Have you ever had an unreported contact with a foreign intelligence operative?

What?

Maybe a friend of your mom's showed up one day asking for a favor?

That's not a question.

Have you ever spied on your country, Alex?

No, never.

Faber: Do you work for the FBI?

That, and I do a little exotic dancing on the side.

Do you work for the FBI?

No. Thank God. No offense.

Do you work for the FBI?

That's what my badge says.

I can see you haven't changed much since you worked for me.

Doesn't the Bureau have some rule against giving a poly to someone you know?

No. It's actually harder to lie to someone you know than to a stranger, so that would be a pretty silly rule.

Just get to what you want to know, all right?

Some of us actually have to work today.

You take care of your father.

Liver cancer, is that correct?

He has nine months, maybe less.

It's more information than I asked for, but I'm sorry to hear that.

Must be expensive and lonely too.

You gonna give me a hug now?

Caregivers make perfect recruitment targets.

You think I'd sell my country out for a couple of bucks and a Russian honey?

You tell me.

Kiss my ass, Faber.

Have you had contact with any suspicious individuals in the past year?

Besides you?

And no, I have never told anyone you lied about your handicap when we played Pinehurst.

Your bosses have any idea how insolent you are?

Insolent?

Is your son studying for the sats or something?

No way you know that word on your own.

Are you currently taking any medications?

Claritin, midol, Advil.

A lot of Advil for the hangovers.

Funny.

How about narcotics?

No.

No.

You did use cocaine four years ago in Miami.

To protect my cover so I didn't end up with a b*llet to the back of my head, yes.

How many times?

That operation is compartmented, and I'm not supposed to talk about it to anyone, not even my old supervisory agent who hasn't been completely read into it.

No. Lucky for us, I have been.

So let's talk about how many times you used cocaine.

I didn't lie about my handicap.

I was just having an off day.

Let me hook you up to one of your machines.

We'll find out for sure.

What's the story with Mr. Twitchy?

Who?

Oh, Alex?

He's different. The best analysts usually are.

Why?

Bombed his poly.

I mean, he practically broke the machine, his readings were so erratic.

You saying he was lying to you?

No, I'm just saying the machine doesn't work on him.

Oh, I'm not surprised.

I asked him if he liked ice cream sandwiches.

You'd have thought I asked Oswald if he k*lled Kennedy.

Well, if you redo the test, and just tell him the brand and flavor of ice cream sandwich and every single ingredient in it, ambient air temperature, the time of day, and what he had for lunch, I bet you a hundred bucks you get a normal reading then.

Well, that's great, but I don't have that much time on my hands.

Jason, no BS.

Why's one of the Bureau's most experienced spy catchers coming up here doing field polygraphs in person?

You're smart enough to know the answer to that question.

I don't feel a need to answer it.

Richie, come on.

What?

My paper's due in two days.

So finish it at my dad's place.

Come on. He's not getting home until 7:00.

Great. I can work while you smoke a bowl and play some videogames.

Yeah.

You can be a real tool sometimes.

Come on.

Hello, Richie.

Who the hell are you?

You and I need to have a talk.

Dude, you need to take your hand off me.

What is this?

I need you to help me with something with Sarah.

Here's the field report you wanted.

[Gasps]

I'm starting to think you want me to hate you.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Sam: Alex.

Hi.

So the surveillance footage from the Masonic Temple.

What about it?

You convinced me that it would show us who broke into Philly City Hall.

Judge Dale denied our warrant.

We don't need the judge.

An ex-CIA buddy of mine is a Mason up in Philly.

He still has the clearances for me to tell him the situation.

He got us the tapes no problem.

Wait, what?

Just because you lost confidence in yourself, kid, doesn't mean I did.

A bureau agent made it to the temple just before their system did its 72 hour recycle and erased all the footage.

For once, the fates are on our side.

Has he seen the footage?

No. He sealed the hard drive, and it's headed straight back here.

That's great.

I can't wait to see who did this in handcuffs.

Me too.

[Phone rings]

Hello?

It's me.

Alex, how's it going?

A federal agent is transporting a hard drive with security footage from the Masonic Temple to the task force offices.

You're both gonna be exposed.

You're sure?

Alex: Yes.

I can't stop them from watching it once it gets here.

Okay. Go back to work.

We'll take care of everything.

[Knock at door]

It's open. Hey.

I bought every magnet in the store.

Do you think that's gonna be enough?

It's hard to say. I mean, there's no way to know how close the magnets have to be near the drive to erase it.

Here.

The closer we get, the better chance we have.

Oh.

I'm sorry again about before with the drink.

It's okay.

Hey. Do you remember the name Oleg Zhulov?

SVR officer first told Irina Semovetskaya about SVR's plot to att*ck America.

He just ditched our surveillance on him.

So he's gone operational?

That or he's blowing town before SVR fireworks start.

Either way, I want him put back in a box.

Have TSA put him on a no fly list.

Alert Customs, Immigration, and the Coast Guard.

On it.

I'll do a link analysis of known associates.

I just hope the time we spent getting rectal exams from Dr. Faber didn't cost us our chance to get him.

He's here. Grey overcoat carrying a manila envelope.

Oh, no.

It's 915 not 519.

Zhulov, Z-H-U-L-O-V.

First name, Oleg.

I need any surveillance.

Uh-huh.

Alex.

I'll need to call you back.

You ready to find out who b*at you to the egg in Philly?

There we go.

Oh, oh, no.

Oh, no.

No, come on.

No, come on.

You got to be kidding me.

Yup. I understand.

Thank you.

Faber: Well, that's not a happy face.

The Masonic Temple reset their video service an hour after our copy was made.

They can't recover it?

No. That was our only sh*t.

You're a regular Zen master, huh?

What?

If that video footage panned out, you're back to being the golden boy.

Instead, it's a bust, and you don't even drop your head.

It was bad luck. No time to dwell.

Something else'll turn up.

Healthy perspective.

See you around, Alex.

You did it. The drive was wiped.

We're not in handcuffs, so I figured.

How can you be so at ease doing this stuff?

How are you holding up?

You could tell mom she doesn't have to send you to check up on me.

I'm not here because of mom.

I'm here to check up on you.

Your big sister who loves you.

Tell me it gets easier.

Doing it, yes.

Living with it, no.

Sarah will be home from the library in 15 minutes.

What have you got?

According to fincen, the account numbers we can identify are registered to a wall street firm, Hensley financial services.

The specific accounts are under the control of Scott Tolliver, a senior broker.

So who is the money going to?

That's the problem.

The destination account isn't possible to ID.

The money is electronically chopped into thousands of transactions in a process known as "packeting."

It's a technique used by money launderers to clean cash and mask its final destination.

Then we need to speak with this Tolliver.

If he's moving the money, he's our link to Black Dagger.

And why would he talk to you?

If he's laundering money, he's breaking federal law.

That gives us leverage.

We are also breaking federal law.

You have been for 20 years, and now I am too.

Tolliver's a criminal trying to get rich.

You're trying to stop the SVR from crippling America.

There's a huge difference, Alex.

All right. So how do we get to him?

Stoli rocks and a Cohiba.

You smoke cigars?

No. I buy them to stir my cocktail.

No, the Esplendido.

I don't know a lot of women who are connoisseurs.

Then you don't know the right kind of women.

Put that on my tab.

Sure you want to do that?

It's gonna add $500 to your Amex, and I'm not even gonna say thanks.

Well, it's a thousand, and I'll take my chances.

Each of these is made from individually dried leaves and hand rolled by the number eight roller in Cuba.

Did you know that only the female number eight roller is allowed to make the Esplendido?

You know, you're not supposed to smoke that in here.

I do a lot of things I'm not supposed to do.

Are you clear?

We lost the SVR tail an hour ago.

You sure?

Yeah.

[Doorbell rings]

What are you doing here?

I'm sorry I was such a jerk.

I brought these DVDs.

I thought they might help you finish that paper.

Come in.

We're studying.

Nothing else.

Okay.

Richie: Tom Hardy was way cooler as Bane.

Sarah: Too bad I can't write my paper on the "Dark Knight Rises".

The night Vasso was m*rder*d, another man, SVR, was sh*t.

It never made sense they'd take out their own sh**t.

Was that you?

He was going to k*ll you.

I had no choice. You are my son.

How many people have you k*lled?

None.

That was the first time.

I want to believe that.

You should.

Katya: There they are.

Oh-ho, timber.

Shut up.

I'm 1% sober.

Okay then. Follow me.

Natalie: [Laughing]

Wow.

You must have some k*ller parties here.

Tolliver: You're about to find out.

Natalie: I like the sound of that.

Alex, she's gonna be okay.

You want something to drink?

How about some music?

To set the mood?

No. I want to dance.

[Soft acoustic music]

♪ ♪

You're a bad girl, aren't you?

You have no idea.

♪ ♪
♪ ♪

No peeking yet.

[Laughs]

You like to play games.

Come on, Natalie. Get it over with.

[Moaning over radio]

Ah! Bitch.

[Grunts]

Katya, Katya, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Stammering]

[Struggling]

Alex, stay right here.

[Coughing]

[Grunts]

[Groans]

[Yells]

[Grunting]

Dad, dad.

Dad, knock it off.