And so it begins.
Ahh!
Shit!
Bravo goes balls deep.
Just trying out headlines.
It's a habit.
You know, I got one for you.
"Sideline reporter banned from Riot practice field."
I don't get you, Bravo.
Most players would kill for a TV profile.
Why are you ducking me?
I'm not ducking. I've just been busy, you know.
I heard.
Nicaragua, right?
What do you know about it?
Not enough, but you could fix that over a cup of coffee.
Your story is going to come out, Tony.
The only question is how much control you get to have over it.
I can help.
Use me.
Yeah, I appreciate the offer,
but I've been told all interview requests
need to go through my agent.
So Galan actually handed him the keys
to a new Camaro just as a thank-you?
Yeah, all three players got one.
Wow, that's a nice perk.
Makes me almost wish I was back in the field myself.
- You ever play soccer? - In Minneapolis.
Either you played hockey, or you stayed home
and played with yourself.
What?
You've used that line before, you know.
What line?
Minneapolis.
Is it even real, or are you just following some script?
Annie...
Yeah?
Hey, we got movement in Nicaragua.
Looks like they hit pay dirt.
They're bringing up all kinds of artifacts from the site.
What do they look like?
I'm trying to grab stills, but the detail isn't there.
Grab that.
What about Galan's sat network?
Anyone talking about the dig?
Yeah, that's the bad news.
The network's gone dark.
- When? - Early this morning.
Galan's people finally rotated the codes, I guess.
Truth is, we were lucky to stay up on it for as long as we did.
All right. Call Tony. Loop him in.
I'll update the director. Nicaragua.
Looks like they found what they were digging for.
Which is?
Why don't you tell me?
You knew from the beginning
that's why Galan wanted that field.
No, I did not.
I assumed just like you did that Galan's endgame
had nothing to do with drugs.
Annie.
I need you to trust me.
They already killed one of my assets.
I won't have another one go down
because I'm not getting all the intel that I need.
So how much of this stuff are we talking about?
Uh-huh.
Any idea where they're taking it?
So that's what this whole thing was about?
No, it's just... I mean, what's so important
about a bunch of buried...
I'm gonna call you back, mom.
And how is your mother, Tony?
She's good, you know.
She talks my ear off.
Did we have an appointment?
No. No, sorry.
I asked your manager to let me in
rather than loiter outside and draw attention.
Please, Tony, sit down.
There's something I'd like to discuss with you.
What can I do for you, Mr. Galan?
You can tell me what this is.
Galan keeps a model car on his desk.
This is a bug that we'd like you to place on it.
Uh...
Is this a trick question?
Looks like a piece of some toy.
It's a bug.
A cleverly designed listening device placed in my office.
Really? How'd it get there?
It was planted there, obviously.
Right, obviously.
Aren't you curious who I think might have put it there?
Oh, I don't think that's any of my business, sir.
I have many enemies, Tony.
People who would love to know my every move.
And it is in the interest of vigilance that I must assume
this is not their only means of surveillance.
It may sound a little paranoid,
but that's how I got to where I am.
I never take chances, ever,
and I can't take one now.
What's that?
It's a delivery I'd like you to make.
I need someone outside my circle,
someone less apt to be under surveillance to do it.
What's in it?
A consulting fee.
Who's the consultant?
In light of the current climate,
I think it's best for you not to know those details.
There's an address enclosed along with $50,000 in cash.
If you're asked for any identification,
say you're with the Voyager Club.
If you have any difficulties, you can reach me on this.
Burner phone.
Guess that's 'cause of the current climate too, huh?
Exactly.
Will you do this for me, Tony?
Absolutely, sir.
Well, now we know why Galan's communications went dark.
If he's having you use burner phones and run his errands,
that bug must have really spooked him.
Yeah, that's great news.
Unless the errand is me walking into a setup.
Not likely.
Address shows a lease in the name of Haik Katoyan.
He was a USC grad student up until five months ago.
29, single, mediocre credit.
Picked up on misdemeanor drug charge back in '04.
Other than that, he seems pretty vanilla.
So what's a guy like that doing
picking up 50 grand from Galan?
Good question. Get an answer.
I'll do what I can.
We might have another problem though.
- What's that? - Not what, who.
Reyna Flores, she rolled up on me again this morning.
Reyna Flores, what I wouldn't give.
I wouldn't worry about her, Tony.
She's just a reporter.
Well, she knows about Nicaragua.
Can I worry now?
You just focus on Katoyan. I'll take care of Reyna Flores.
- Hello? - Reyna Flores?
Anne Spencer, Tony Bravo's agent.
I think you've been expecting my call?
Yes, thanks for reaching out.
Ah, it's my pleasure.
We're excited about the opportunity
for Tony to sit down with you.
Funny, Tony doesn't seem very excited about it.
Well, this is all new to him. He's a very private person.
He doesn't want to say anything that might
embarrass himself or his family.
I can understand that.
So I just want to lay out some ground rules, if that's okay.
I usually reserve ground rules
for players who actually play.
I'm just trying to protect my client.
I can see that.
I'm sorry.
I'm a little distracted.
Why don't you and I talk in person maybe this afternoon?
Yeah, this afternoon works great.
I'll see you then.
Are you sure this is a wise idea, sending Bravo?
There are more secure options.
Do you know how much it costs to launch a satellite?
$75 million.
Never mind the building or the designing
of the satellite itself.
One bug. One lousy bug.
I had to shut down the entire network.
I'm eating every penny.
Your point?
My investment in the security of the group is unquestionable,
so don't talk to me about secure options
as if I haven't thought this through.
This is an opportunity for Tony to start proving himself.
You have a soft spot for him.
I have a soft spot for anyone who proves useful to me.
You've seen what he's capable of.
You know his past.
He's an adequate enforcer,
but that doesn't mean we need to let him in.
He rescued Senna from Zola's man, Lubo Tahan.
Do you know who he was?
A less than effective mercenary.
He was unit 777, Egyptian special forces.
He was not an easy man to best.
It was a noble act, saving Senna, but that's my concern.
Nobility has no place in our world.
Clearly not.
You would have let her die.
I would have then, and I would again.
Don't forget where my loyalties lie.
How could I?
I don't doubt that Bravo has a dark side.
I simply question how far he'll allow it to take him.
Well, we'll find out, won't we?
Hey, what's up?
You Haik?
Yeah, who are you?
I'm from the Voyager Club.
Yeah, come in.
Yeah, uh, no one called or anything.
Yeah, we've been having trouble with the phones.
Hey, you, uh... you want a beer or something, man?
No, I'm good.
Here.
What's that?
Trust me, you're gonna want what's inside of it.
Shit.
Something wrong?
They found it.
You don't even know?
Know what?
Wait. Is this about Nicaragua?
Man, I can't take it.
What do you mean you can't take it?
There's $50,000 in there.
Look, just tell them... just tell them
it's all good, all right? We're good.
Just tell me what's got you spooked. Maybe I can help you.
Man, I just don't want to be a part of this anymore, all right?
Just take it.
Please.
Yes?
Yes, I see.
That's unexpected.
I understand.
Thank you, Tony.
Just bring the money back. I'll take it from here.
He refused the payment.
By our count, 27 artifacts were removed from the dig site.
We have fair imagery on some of the items,
but there's not much analysis we can do
without getting our hands on them.
Most of the artifacts were loaded
into crates and onto that aircraft for transport.
What's written on the crates?
"Cinco montañas." A regional coffee farm.
No known connection to Galan.
The only reason they go to the trouble
of making it look like something it's not is
if they're transporting it through international customs.
I'll track the tail number when it lands.
We'll get a team to get a proper look at the cargo.
Standard secondary customs protocol?
Yep, let me know if you need someone to pull rank.
Walk with me.
Come over tonight.
Deputy director Smith, how's the golf game?
Keep me apprised.
- Whatever to that. - What's the word on Katoyan?
I followed up with admissions at SC.
I confirmed he was a grad student there
up until about five months ago.
Guess which department.
Anthropology with an emphasis on mesoamerican studies.
Okay, we need to talk to this guy. Let's go.
Don't know. He was here maybe two minutes.
I don't know.
Look. I didn't ask him any questions.
Did he say anything at all about what their intentions were?
No, as far as I could tell, he was clueless.
He was just some guy they sent to deliver the money.
The money.
Right.
You know, if you hadn't taken their money to begin with,
none of this would be happening.
Professor, I don't need a lecture, all right?
What are you gonna do?
Wanna forget I ever met these people and get on with my life.
Haik? Haik!
Look, I won't say anything.
I know.
♪ Step up in the club like here we go ♪
♪ and we go to the bar to the dance floor ♪
♪ honeys everywhere, shaking
♪ God damn, you looking good for sure ♪
♪ I'm in a room full of women I never seen before ♪
♪ working that body
a tragic scene downtown today,
where a resident of this building,
identified as 29-year-old Haik Katoyan,
fell eight stories to his death.
He used to be a pretty sociable guy, but I don't know.
Something was different in the last few months.
Uh, he just seemed depressed, you know.
Sometimes I'd see him in the elevator,
and, you know, I hate to say it,
but I'm not totally surprised that it happened.
- The incident may serve... - That's bullshit.
You said he seemed out of sorts.
Yeah, well, it's a long throw from out of sorts to suicidal.
So then what are we talking about here?
Something I learned working for the DEA.
You don't refuse a payoff from the cartel.
You saying they killed him because he failed to show
proper underworld etiquette?
We don't know that.
We can at least assume that Katoyan was a link
to whatever is dug up in Nicaragua.
We're no closer to knowing what Galan is up to
than we were a month ago.
You know, all this ticky-tack surveillance bullshit
has amounted to nothing.
All I know is, everywhere he puts me lately,
people are dying.
It's not your fault. You know that.
Uh, yeah, pity party aside, let's not forget
this guy's no boy scout.
I mean, he worked for Galan.
- So do I. - You work for me.
And me.
Then I better get back to it, boss.
What are you gonna do?
It's time for a more direct approach.
What is going on with him?
He's been quite the little bitch since Nicaragua.
You know what happened down there.
Yeah, a guy got killed.
Bravo was deep cover DEA five years.
He's seen people killed before.
So what's different about this?
I don't know.
It's that time.
Flores time?
You sure I can't come with? You can be my wingman.
I believe you have other business.
I've looked into you, Anne.
Mid-level commercial agent looking to make your bones
in the sports world.
- Wow. - Ambitious move.
I'm impressed.
Ah, you've done your homework.
I shouldn't be surprised.
The sports-industrial complex is a boys club.
Girls like us need to stick together.
Oh, agreed. It can't hurt to have a friend in the press.
But as far as Tony's concerned, it's like I said.
He hasn't had much media exposure,
and I don't want to see him victimized
by an unfortunate sound bite.
Understood. How can I put you at ease?
You could give me an idea
of what kind of questions you'll be asking.
Maybe it's you who should be asking questions.
What I mean is, I wonder if you know
who your client really is.
- That sounds ominous. - It should.
Reyna, I'm home.
Yeah, this isn't good.
Do you know about Tony's trip to Nicaragua with Andrés Galan?
Of course I do. I encouraged him to go.
And do you know the reason for the trip?
Male bonding.
I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't seize an opportunity
for my client to spend some time with the team's owner.
Then you're one hell of an agent,
because Tony's bonded with Galan so quickly,
it's almost as if that was the idea all along.
What are you saying?
I don't think Tony's on the Riot to play soccer.
Hey, so call me when you're done
crossing streams with Reyna Flores.
I'm here with her hard drive,
and let's just say her interests extend way beyond soccer.
Well, if he's not on the team to play,
then it's news to me, because I have a contract,
in triplicate, that says otherwise.
Then maybe you're in on it too.
Another layer of varnish to help Tony Bravo shine.
I've been called a lot of things in my time.
Varnish is a new one.
He has a cell phone with military-grade technology.
His brother got paroled against 50 to 1 odds.
Who can pull those strings?
Who has that kind of power?
Why don't you tell me?
Tony.
Don't you have a team meeting?
So that guy you sent me to, Haik Katoyan,
he's dead.
Guess you already knew that, right?
Yes, I did.
I saw it on the news. It's tragic.
Yeah, well, tragic seems to be the new normal around here.
Uh, I don't take your meaning.
Arroyo gets killed after I beat him on a play.
I show up to that kid's house, he refuses $50,000 payday.
Then all of a sudden he just jumps
eight stories to his death.
On the flight back from Nicaragua,
you left me with the impression that you could handle
these types of situations.
Well, I can.
I just don't like being kept in the dark.
I know there's a bigger picture here,
and I think I've earned a right to get a look at it.
Mm.
There's no bigger picture, only pieces of a puzzle.
And what piece was Nicaragua?
What was that game really about?
You should get going.
You know how Ernest gets when his players are late.
Our last match against new england
was the very definition of shitting the bed.
Their counterattack split our defense
like Moses at the red goddamn sea.
This time, we will be ready.
With every possession,
expect them to delay midfield pressure.
They want to lull us into a false sense of security.
Especially that... that French kid they got on loan
from Montpellier, what's his name?
Jean de Passey.
That's him.
Mr. hat trick, right, storm?
Not gonna happen again, coach.
You bet your black ass.
The second he breaks, we force him to his left.
Failure to contain him, and we are done for.
Well, containment's easy with Bravo on our side.
That's right... de Passey gets behind our lines,
they're gonna cart his body off the pitch on a stretcher,
thanks to the Matador.
Ole, bitch!
Ole!
Matador, Matador, Matador, Matador, Matador!
We thought Reyna Flores might have made Tony,
but it's Galan she's focused on.
She's been focused on him for a while.
- All this was on her computer? - Yeah.
Some of it dates back 20 years ago
when he still lived in Mexico
and Unafonica was a fledgling cell provider.
Now she thinks Galan has Tony doing his dirty work.
We're still processing it, but my hope is that we can
get some more intel on other players in his circle.
Flores is a sideline reporter.
What's her angle?
She's ambitious.
Maybe she thinks this is her Watergate.
She goes public with this, Galan is under a microscope.
He'll be isolated by the network
we're trying to connect to him to,
and our whole operation will be derailed.
What do you suggest we do?
Take appropriate measures.
You have issues with that?
Not at all.
It's too bad, though.
She's a good investigator.
She even found out about Tony's father.
Has she said anything about this to him?
Not as far as I know.
Good.
Let's try to keep it that way.
Yeah?
Got it.
Plane out of Nicaragua just called for clearance
at Miami International.
Excellent.
Put customs on standby, and make sure that cargo is red-tagged.
You look great in that dress, by the way.
Got some news on our jumper.
Phone record shows last call before the big plunge
was to a Professor Maria Salas.
She was Katoyan's advisor at USC.
Another anthropologist?
Department head, actually.
Okay, we need to find out what Salas and Katoyan
were talking about before he died.
Yeah, thing is she was a no-show on campus this morning,
so I just tried her cell, her landline, nothing.
Keep calling.
I'm gonna get a team to her house.
There you are.
So Katoyan's advisor's wrapped up in this too?
Looks that way.
She's in the wind, and someone ransacked her home,
took out her German Shepherd while they were at it.
She must know something about Nicaragua
that Galan's people don't want getting out.
Well, as long as we find her before they do.
She blew off a lecture and took 5,000 cash out her bank.
It's clear she's on the run.
- Hey. - Hang on, Tony.
Just got a ping on the Fastrak transponder on her car.
She's on the 10 eastbound, passing Upland.
Any idea where she's headed?
It's a straight shot to Big Bear.
There's a cabin there in her ex-husband's name.
Let's go. Tony, I got to go.
- Tell me where the cabin is. - We got this.
Look, I'm not gonna sit here while Galan cuts down
every history buff in the phone book.
Look, I know how hard it is when you aren't
doing everything you think you can do.
Believe me, but you need to stay put,
play your role, and maintain your cover.
That's your priority,
especially with Reyna Flores all over you.
Yeah, well, I thought you guys were gonna handle her.
We did.
Gonna hit the buffet at the Spearmint Rhino.
You down?
No, I'm gonna stick around here, put in a little work.
Are you sure, man? Boobies and food.
I'm good, thanks.
All right.
What the hell?
No, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
You know, a man who's less comfortable with himself
might take issue with you doing the driving.
Because I'm a woman?
Because I've lived a full life and I'm ready to die.
Are you okay?
No. Bravo was right earlier.
We need to take a more direct approach.
Well, you know, it's like you always say.
Sometimes you gotta play small ball
and wait for things to develop.
Wouldn't have to wait if we had all the information.
All what information?
Let's just say I get the sense we're not being told
everything we need to know.
Secrets?
At the CIA?
No way.
Look, all we need is one thing to break.
Hopefully it's Professor Salas.
If she's not dead already.
Or there's that.
Hey!
I want it back! All of it.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Please. I tell your agent you're in with Galan.
Next thing you know, my hard drive's wiped.
Look, I don't know anything about that.
I know you work for Galan, Bravo.
And I'm not talking about you riding pine for the Riot.
You're a hired thug. You're his bitch.
You need to think about what you're saying.
Sure, right. Making me out to be crazy.
Look, I didn't say you were crazy.
I said you need to think about what you're saying.
If I am what you say I am,
then maybe you should be a little more careful.
Never know what might happen.
I guess it shouldn't be a surprise,
you turning out how you have,
considering where you really come from.
You go around the back.
Professor Salas?
Please, I don't know anything!
I'm not a threat to you.
Let me go!
- I don't know any... - ma'am, please.
Please, please! Please, I don't know anything!
Stop, stop. We're not gonna hurt you.
Slow down, please.
We're not gonna hurt you, okay?
Look. Look.
Okay? No, just wait.
It's okay. We're the good guys.
Okay.
Good. Okay. Okay?
You play with anger.
Whatever gets me in the game, right?
And this is what you care about?
You know, I think we had this talk already.
Yeah, I want to play.
You're right.
We have had this talk.
Wait, that's it?
You're not gonna teach me how to channel my anger or something?
Football is not a doll to squeeze when you've had a bad day.
I don't know what that means, man.
I think you do.
You played in Italy, right? For A.S. Roma?
Three best years of my life.
1999 to 2002.
Then you were on that '01 team.
You guys won steady all that year.
You know your football history.
Yeah, well, my dad,
he always wanted me to know the best players, you know?
He would have to sneak me into the bar to watch
the games on satellite.
Did your father play?
Nah, just for a club team here in L.A.
He was a lot like you, though.
Had all these funny phrases and sayings.
Things that didn't make any sense but sounded good.
So he was your teacher.
As much as you could teach a little kid.
He would talk about it like it was something
other than a game, you know?
Like it was art.
I think your father and I would have gotten along well.
Wonder what he would say about all this.
I'd imagine he'd be proud.
No.
This is more than a game, Tony.
It can be an art for you, if that is what you want,
if you're willing to give yourself over to it.
I want to play the game the way he'd want me to play.
Then we have work to do.
You obviously know what they did to Haik Katoyan.
You know his death wasn't a suicide.
I was on the phone when it happened.
I heard him die.
We're the only thing standing
between you and the people who killed him.
So you can either tell us what you know,
or you can walk out that door and take your chances.
Ten months ago, I was approached by a man
looking for an expert in pre-Olmec civilizations,
an obsession of mine.
I've written papers and books on the period,
so I was interested when they came calling.
The money was good.
Too good, honestly.
It's a familiar story.
Rich investors who are nothing more
than well-dressed grave robbers.
Thieves that go in, desecrate a site,
then hawk the artifacts on the black market.
I'm not interested in treasure hunting,
and I told them as much.
They took no for an answer and left
but then went quickly to my teaching assistant,
who didn't share my moral objections.
Katoyan?
These men weren't to be trusted,
but Haik didn't listen to me.
He took their deal.
When I found out, I terminated him from the department.
I couldn't risk the reputation of the university.
But you kept in contact with him.
I felt a responsibility.
I-I tried to guide him, and when things got more serious,
I begged him to get out.
More serious? How?
Something he said made me fear these men were
much more than simple treasure hunters.
What made you think that?
They were asking about mummification techniques,
burial procedures, how DNA might be preserved.
When I heard this, I suspected these men
were after far more than just profit,
that what they were looking for was something
far more sinister.
Haik dismissed my warnings.
It was about money for him.
It led to an argument, and I didn't speak to him again
until yesterday when he called and told me they'd found it.
He was scared.
What was it he thought they'd found?
Something that should have stayed buried.
My life's work has focused on the Ze'otec people
of the mesoamerican region,
a pre-Olmec civilization dating back to 2,000 B.C.
These men were after the tombs of the Ze'otec rulers.
The Ze'otec were one of the oldest
and most advanced civilizations until they vanished.
Millions of people gone, leaving only hints of their existence.
Myths and legends tell the story of a king
who, with his pride and hubris, offended a God.
The Olmecs referred to this God as the feathered serpent.
To the Aztecs, he was Quetzalcoatl.
He punished the king, injecting him and his queen
with a deadly venom.
The poison spread quickly through the Ze'otec,
decimating their population.
Now, obviously, it wasn't some God that killed them.
It was a virus, a plague that, unleashed today,
would make the black death of Europe look like chicken pox.
They're after a plague?
Had they taken ill and died,
the king and queen would have been mummified,
with their organs preserved in canopic-style vessels
for the afterlife.
Two figures.
One female, one male.
Hold on.
Did it look anything like this?
It recently sold at auction.
We think the group that approached you wanted it.
Was there a matching figure with this?
A female?
No, just the one.
Then the female counterpart may be what they're after.
Why?
What are they hoping to get from it?
The heart of the queen.
Professor Salas, if the female version is recovered intact,
do you think it's possible to use the heart
to resurrect the virus?
The Ze'otec were quite advanced
in their mummification techniques, much like the Egyptians.
If undamaged, these figurines
could preserve organs indefinitely.
Is it viable?
You ask me if it's possible the virus was preserved?
It's more than possible.