Leverage Transcripts derived from the closed captions available online and formated by slaysvamps. Feel free to download and share, but please give credit and a link back to me here.
Leverage Main | When Darkness Falls

1x02 The Homecoming Job
[Exterior Street, Iraq]

(Perry is standing on a street being filmed by a handheld camcorder)

Perry: All right sweetheart, we are near Najaf, I’m not allowed to say exactly where. (to another soldier) Hey Dwight, say hello to Jenny.

Dwight: He’s cheating on ya!

Perry: Nice.

Dwight: With a camel. A drunk, slutty camel.

Perry: All right, it was one time, okay, and the camel’s been texting me but it’s over I promise ....

(the sound of backup alarms goes off)

Dwight: Hello. PSD.

(a truck is being loaded by a bunch of soldiers in black uniforms)

Perry: See those guys, private contractors. They make seven hundred bucks a day. I make seven.

Dwight: Yeah, but you know what they gotta do? They gotta …

(men start shouting and gunfire rings out. Dwight is hit several times in the chest)

Men: Shots fired. Shots fired. Go, go! Go red!

Dwight: Uh!

(the camera falls and focuses on Perry as the screen goes to static)


[Hospital Rehab Dept]

(Nate is watching a laptop with Perry, who is in a wheelchair)

Dwight (on screen): Yeah, but you know what they gotta do? They gotta …

(video shows Dwight being shot. Nate pauses video)

Nate: Is Jenny your fiancée?

Perry: Well, she was but …

Nate: Oh. I’m sorry.

Perry: I’m not mad, it happens. Look I don’t want charity.

Nate: We are not a charity.

Perry: I just want my rehab. You know if I’m gonna work, and I want to work, Dr. LeRoque says I need another year and a half of hardcore rehab, maybe two more surgeries. Castleman shot me up. I just want them to pay my bills, no more, no less.

Nate: Hmm.

(the room is full of soldiers doing rehab)

Nate: The army investigation determined, what, that you were hit by insurgents?

Perry: Yeah, that’s because Castleman refused to cooperate in that investigation.

Nate: And they can do that.

Perry: Nobody’s stopping them. They’re cowboys, they go off all the time, boom, boom, boom. I just want them to do right by me.

(Perry pulls a flash drive from the laptop as Dr. LeRoque approaches)

Dr. LeRoque: Pardon me, Mr. uh?

Nate: Oh, uh, Nathan Ford. You’re Dr. LeRoque?

Dr. LeRoque: Can I talk to you outside?

Perry: Doc, he’s cool, I found him on the internet.

Dr. LeRoque: Yes, that never goes badly. (to Nate) With me.

Nate: Uh… I’ll be in touch.

(Perry hands him the flash drive and Nate follows the doctor out of the room)


[Exterior Hospital]

Dr. LeRoque: You can’t just come in here and get his hopes up!

Nate: I’m just here to provide options.

Dr. LeRoque: There are no options.

Nate: The Veteran’s hospital …

Dr. LeRoque: Is 400 miles away and has a five month waiting list. Everybody in that rehab room is a reservist. When reservists get out they get sent home no matter where home is or how far it is from the treatment they need. Nobody thought this through. We’re not a rich hospital, I cashed in every favor I had to take care of these kids for as long as I could but I have to go back in there and tell Perry we can’t treat him anymore. I have to do that. Run your scam on somebody with money.

Nate: It’s not a scam. I’m here to help.

Dr. LeRoque: People don’t just show up to help. That’s not the way the world works.

(as the doctor walks away. Nate pulls out his cell phone makes a phone call)

Nate: Hardison, call them.


[Audition Room]

Sophie: Why? Why? I can’t live like this anymore. With the lies and the filth. No. Help me. I want to be clean. I want to be clean.

(two directors watching are overwhelmed by just how awful Sophie is)

Rogers: Yeah, you understand this is a soap commercial, right?

Sophie: Uh huh. When I thought about Peggy I came up with this idea that the dirt was really this giant metaphor, for sin.

(Sophie’s cell rings, she glances at her purse)

Rogers: You should take that. No, no you should take that.

Sophie: Oh. (answers phone) Hello? When? (hangs up) Peggy killed her first husband.

Rogers: Thank you.


[Parking Lot]

(one man is laying on the hood of a car and another falls on top of him. Eliot turns away from the car as the last man pulls a gun on him. They stare at each other for a moment, then a phone rings)

Eliot: That you or me?

(man seems unsure as the phone continues to ring)

Eliot: Could be important. Does your mama have your number?

(man looks down and Eliot grabs the gun, punching the man in the neck. The man goes down, choking. Eliot unloads the gun and tosses it away before pulling out his phone and answering it)

Eliot: Yeah? Nothing, why?


[Museum]

(guard walks by a painting hanging in a museum gallery. He looks away for a moment, and when he looks back a rope is dangling where the painting had been. A cell phone rings)

Parker: Parker. Shh. No, I wasn’t shushing you.


[Hallway, Leverage Headquarters]

(Parker, Eliot and Sophie come around the corner and head down the hall)

Parker: From the first job?

Eliot: Yeah.

Parker: I put all that money in a Swiss bank account.

Eliot: Millions of dollars and you didn’t buy anything?

Parker: I don’t like stuff, I like money.

Sophie: I bought a little retirement home, an island.

Eliot: Nice.

Sophie: In Dubai. And Tokyo.

Parker: What about you?

(they reach the door which has a small envelope with Sophie’s name written on it. Sophie takes it off the door and opens it)

Eliot: Yeah, I’m not about to tell two known thieves what I did with a multi-million dollar payout.

Sophie: Don’t you trust us?

(Eliot doesn’t answer. Sophie uses the key from the envelope to open the door. A sign in the lobby reads “Leverage Consulting & Associates”.

Sophie: Okay. Okay.

Eliot: I don’t get it.

Parker: What is this?

(Hardison walks in carrying three cell phones and three file folders)

Hardison: This is our new cover story. Welcome to Leverage Consulting and Associates, founded in 1913 by the great Harland Leverage the Third.

(Hardison points to a painting on the wall of an older man that greatly resembles Nate)

Sophie: I’m sorry. Nate is going to kill you.

Eliot: Did you paint that?

Hardison: I’m gifted.

Eliot: That’s weird.

Hardison: Now Leverage Consulting Inc. is squeaky clean, all corporate taxes on record as being paid for the last ninety years. (He gives them each a cell and a folder) All your identities as partners, your payroll taxes are paid, you guys have pension plans and dental, those are employment records, case files and company newsletters.

(the group walks the halls of the Leverage offices as they discuss the files)

Parker: In 1998 I won the sack race at the 4th of July picnic. Cool.

Hardison: Now these, these are your offices. Now you can bring something like a photo, you know what, a plant! I’m a big supporter of dandelions.

Sophie: Hardison, I can’t believe you spent your share of the cash on all of this.

Hardison: Me? No, hell no! Nate paid for all of this, you know with what he had left. I mean, you know, after he gave the rest of it away.

Eliot: Whoa! What do you mean? He gave it away?

Hardison: Yeah, all of it. Every last penny. It was like to some children’s hospital or something like that but this, this is my masterpiece.

(Hardison opens doors to a conference room that holds a long table with many chairs around it. One wall is dedicated to large TV screens)

Sophie: Nice.

Eliot: My man.

Hardison: Long version or the short version?

Sophie: Short.

Eliot: Short version.

Parker: Shortest.

(Hardison hits a remote the TV screens illustrate his explanation)

Hardison: Photo and video forensics programs, back doors into every electronic banking system in the world, running heuristic data crawls all over the news sites to find our clients, oh also!

Parker: This is the short version?

Hardison: Facial recognition database tied into CIA, NSA and the FBI. But, the real pièce de résistance (changes screens to sports games) DirectTV HD Total Sports Package. NFL, NBA and I threw in a little bit of hockey ‘cause I know you people like that.

Eliot: Hockey.

(Nate comes in through another set of doors)

Nate: All right, stop kicking the tires. (holds up the flash drive) Want to take her for a spin? (tosses the drive to Hardison)

(team watches the video)

Perry (on screen): See those guys, private contractors. They make seven hundred bucks a day. I make seven.

Dwight: Yeah, but you know what they gotta do? They gotta …

(Hardison pauses the footage on Perry’s body)

Nate: Our client is the cameraman. Corporal Robert Perry. He says that the Castleman contractors spooked and started firing.

Eliot: 5.56 NATO rounds mixed in with some 9 mils from the sub-machine guns. Insurgents would have used AK-47s with 7.62 ammo. It has more of a... (hits the back of his hand to his palm) crack. Contractors shot 'em up all right.

Parker: You ID’d the weapon from the gunshot sound?

Eliot: It has a very distinctive sound.

Hardison: (changes screen) Castleman Security is hardcore folks. Billion dollar company, they got fat government contracts everywhere we got troops. That’s Charles DuFort, CEO, very paranoid and very professional.

Eliot: I want to get this clear right now. This is a private army you’re talking about taking on. They got their own intel assets, they got a lot of trigger pullers.

Nate: Yes, and lobbyists in every office in Washington, DC. The problem with a cover-up is all the paperwork it takes to keep the lies straight.

Hardison: Internal emails, memos.

Nate: Exactly.

Sophie: So…

Nate: So let’s go to work. (Nate exits, the rest of the team following)

Sophie: So, we steal the evidence and threaten to expose them.

Parker: Blackmail.

Nate: Ah yes but just enough blackmail to, uh, pay for Perry’s rehab, maybe a couple of million more in damages.

Eliot: It’ll never hold up in court.

Nate: Ah, but that’s why Corporal Perry is lucky, he doesn’t have lawyers. He has thieves.

(the team exits, Nate finally noticing the painting that looks like him)

Nate: Hardison.


[Private Party]

(sign reads “Castleman Security welcomes Congressman Robert Jenkins. Private party. Tickets required”. Eliot walks by the sign dressed as a waiter and carrying a tray. Nate is among the guests wearing a suit)

Eliot: Next time, I wear the suit.

Sophie (on comm): DuFort’s here. I’ll make contact.

(Sophie takes a glass from Eliot)

Nate: See what you can squeeze out of him. Parker, Hardison, time to hit his office.


[Roof]

[Hardison and Parker are wearing black and connected to repelling gear)

Hardison: I gotta go back to the office I just remembered something.

Parker (adjusting Hardison’s harness): What?

Hardison: I just remembered gravity and the squishiness of all my manly bits.

Parker: I designed this rig myself. The line is carbon fiber. Five point harness. Weight support here, here, and here. Auto-breaking resistance on the main pulley back here.

Hardison: Okay cool, so it’s tested?

Parker: Not yet.

Hardison: Not yet? When the hell was you gonna test it?

(Parker pushes Hardison off the roof. She smiles, he screams)

Parker: Big baby.

(she jumps after him. Hardison screams until he stops upside down. Parker lowers herself to his side)

Hardison: Seriously? Seriously?


[Private Party]

Nate: Okay Hardison, Parker, guard sweeps are every ten minutes, that means you got nine minutes, thirty seconds.

Hardison: I’m working on it.

(Charles DuFort and Congressman Jenkins are talking as Sophie approaches them)

Jenkins: Castleman is going to be very happy with the new Appropriations Bill.

Sophie: Pardon me, Congressman, Lilly McCreedy, I’m with Executive Orders.

DuFort: They’re a London-based Defense Contractor. (shakes Sophie’s hand) Charles DuFort. Executive Orders doesn’t work for the US government.

Sophie: Yet. Perhaps we can do something about that.

Jenkins: Yes well, it was very nice to meet you. Now you’ll have to excuse me. (walks away)

DuFort: You’re not poaching are you? Appropriations Bill 718, those are our defense contracts, don’t even bother.

Sophie: Mr. DuFort, surely there’s enough war to go around.

DuFort: I rather like you.

Nate: Hardison, Hardison what’s this, what’s this Bill they’re talking about?


[DuFort’s Office]

(Hardison is sitting at the computer typing while Parker searches around the office with a flashlight)

Hardison: You know I’d like to give you the Schoolhouse Rock but this man has an RFID security card reader on his power supply so I’m a little bit busy.

(Parker moves a painting to reveal a wall safe)

Parker: Ooh, old school. I found a safe. You’re not going to believe this, it’s voice activated.


[Private Party]

Nate: All right, well one problem at a time. Uh, Sophie, I’m going in. We need to get an RFID card to Eliot.

Sophie: My company’s focused on meeting senators, but I’m thinking congressmen.

DuFort: You know the great thing about congressmen? Fifty, a hundred grand well spent will get one elected, but then once they’re in the incumbency rate is over 95 percent so you can get an average 18, 20 years’ use out of one of them. In these uncertain times buying a United States congressman is one of the best investments a corporation can make.


[DuFort’s Office]

Hardison: Oh I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I’m a professional criminal and I find that disturbing.


[Private Party]

(Nate takes an appetizer from a waitress and dips it in sauce)

DuFort: We’ve been providing military advisors, internationally, for over forty years.

(Nate walks behind DuFort and wipes the sauce across the back of his jacket)

Sophie: Well, helping rebels overthrow their governments Mr. DuFort.

DuFort: No, overthrowing the government is too harsh a way to describe it, we just, help them along. A kind of collaboration.

(Nate walks to the bar and tosses the appetizer away. He grabs a napkin and heads back to Sophie and DuFort)

Sophie: Oh, is that what you call it?

(Nate walks up to DuFort, holding the napkin and pointing to his jacket)

Nate: You have a little dip on …

Sophie: Oh dear. You’ve got dip all over this beautiful jacket.

(while DuFort is distracted Sophie pulls out his wallet and removes the RFID card. DuFort takes off his coat to look at the stain)

Nate: It shouldn’t be too hard to get out in the wash.

DuFort: Can you believe this, first day I’ve worn it. Thank you.

Sophie: Let me see if I can get someone to help you with that. Excuse me? (to Eliot) Yeah, garcon.

Eliot: Yes, ma’am.

(Sophie slips Eliot the RFID card under the tray)

Sophie: I was wondering if you could help us. We seem to have gotten a little stain on this jacket.

Eliot: Oh, look at that. Let me take care of that for you.

Sophie: If you could splash a little soda water …

DuFort: (grabbing his wallet from his jacket) Let me keep this. Man in my position shouldn’t forget his wallet. That’s embarrassing.

(Eliot walks away with the jacket and the card, handing his tray to one of the guests)

Eliot: Here you go, sir. Knock yourself out. (looks at card) There’s no magnetic strip.


[DuFort’s Office]

Hardison: It emits a little radio frequency just, just put it up next to the phone I gave you.

(Hardison places his phone next to the RFID reader on DuFort’s desk)


[Private Party]

(Eliot holds the card up to his phone. The display on the phone reads ‘cloning’ and then ‘code cloned’.


[DuFort’s Office]

(Hardison’s phone reads ‘sending code data’. As the transfer finishes, Hardison types into the computer)

Hardison: I’m in.


[Private Party]

Nate: Parker, what’s the status of the voicelock?


[DuFort’s Office]

Parker: Uh, I’ve been sampling DuFort’s speech but I still need a few more sounds.


[Private Party]

Nate: How many?


[DuFort’s Office]

Parker: Well I only need the sounds puh, tuh, oo, ah, eh, oh, ah, ke, a, ef.


[Private Party]

Nate: Ah, only those. Eliot.

(Eliot walks by carrying two trays of appetizers)

Eliot: I’m on it. Pardon. (approaches Sophie and DuFort) Hello.

Sophie: Ooh. Mmm.

Eliot: (to DuFort) Appetizer, sir?

DuFort: Sure, what do you got?

Eliot: I’ve got the pâté d’escargot avec bière d'Argentine and (looks at second tray and grimaces) what looks like old duck, kind of greasy.

DuFort: I guess I’ll have the first one.

Eliot: Of course.

(Eliot offers him the second tray and Dufort looks at him expectantly)

DuFort: Well? May I have some?

Eliot: The greasy duck?

Sophie: Oh, no, no, no, I wouldn’t have the greasy duck.

Eliot: No I wouldn’t suggest it.

DuFort: No, the other one.

(Eliot pretends confusion)

DuFort: The the pâté d’escargot with the bière d'Argentine!

Eliot: Excellent choice sir (gives DuFort the first tray).

DuFort: (takes food) Who is this clown?


[DuFort’s Office]

Parker: Pretty good. Got most of them. Okay, now all I need is ef, uh and kuh.


[Private Party]

(DuFort spits out the appetizer he has taken)

DuFort: This is shrimp!

Eliot: Very good then. (walks away)

DuFort: It’s shrimp you stupid F----!


[DuFort’s Office]

Parker: Oh, there they are. Really loud too.


[Private Party]

Nate: Okay, Sophie, start the walk away.

Sophie: I was wondering if I could I drop by your office?

DuFort: Anytime.

(she moves away from him toward Jenkens)

Nate: Where are you going?

Sophie: Playing a hunch.

Nate: All right, well play it fast. Hardison, what have you got, you got three minutes.


[DuFort’s Office]

Hardison: Too much. They got all of Perry’s medical records. Which, sure is pretty normal but they’ve got psych evaluations, high school records, they’re reading his emails.

(Parker sits down with him, opening a folder she took from the safe)

Parker: Tapping his phones. I’ve got surveillance photos of Perry here from the hospital yesterday.

Hardison: Why spend so much money watching our guy? I mean investigations of the shooting were done months ago.


[Flashback]

Perry: See those guys, private contractors.

(contract soldiers are loading a truck)


[Private Party]

Nate: Because it’s not about the shooting. The cover-up has nothing to do with the shooting, it’s about the trucks.

Sophie: Congressman.

Jenkins: Yes?

Sophie: Your support on the next Appropriations Bill would be very helpful.

Jenkins: We’ve already earmarked the no-bid contracts for Castleman. They deserve it.

Sophie: Nobody’s perfect, look at all the trouble they had with that shooting in Najaf.

Jenkins: I’m sorry, I don’t really follow that sort of news. I just review the contracts.

Sophie: Of course.

Jenkins: Excuse me. (walks away)

(Nate comes up behind Sophie as they head for the door)

Nate: Parker, Hardison bug out, go back to the office. We’re going to the hospital.


[DuFort’s Office]

Hardison: Do you need to talk to Perry again?


[Private Party]

Nate: The shooting wasn’t an accident, Perry isn’t a victim he’s a witness. Does Castleman strike you as the kind of company to leave a witness alive?


[Hospital Hallway]

(door to Perry’s room opens, Nate and Sophie walking out)

Nate: He’s not in his damn room.

(elsewhere in the hospital, Eliot grabs a doctor’s coat off a sleeping intern)

Eliot: I’m checking all the corridors that are connected to the exterior doors.


[Rehab Room]

(Perry is alone practicing walking on the handbars. He sees someone walk in)

Perry: Sorry doc I know it’s closed but… Mr. Ford?

Nate: We gotta get you out of here, now.

(Nate grabs a wheelchair and moves it in front of Perry)

Perry: Why?

Nate: Castleman. Come on.

(Sophie and Nate get Perry into the chair)

Perry: (to Sophie) Rob Perry.

Sophie: Sophie Devereaux. Ooh, watch those hands Mr. Perry.

Perry: I’m in a wheelchair, I’m not blind.

(Nate pushes Perry toward the door)

Sophie: Let’s go.


[Hospital Hallway]

(Eliot walks past two large men in doctor’s coats]

Eliot: Nate get him clear I can’t find--

Dr. LeRoque: Excuse me, do you work on this floor.

Eliot: I uh, what floor is this? I’m in orthopedics so…

(Eliot looks down at LeRoque’s feet, seeing that she’s wearing Crocks. Realization sits in and he looks back at the two men he’s passed, both are wearing boots. Eliot follows them)

Dr. LeRoque: Hey! Hey!

(elsewhere, Nate is leading the way as Sophie pushes Perry towards the elevators. When they turn a corner, the two men are there, Eliot coming up behind them. One of the men pulls a knife)

Nate: Get the elevator!

(Nate pushes a gurney down the hallway to block their path)

(Eliot pushes one man into the wall then knocks the other into the gurney, flipping him to the ground. The first man comes at Eliot with the knife, which Eliot deflects. He knocks down the first man as the other comes at him with a knife. Eliot uses an IV pole to deflect the blade. He kicks the second man in the stomach and hits the first in the face with the pole. The second man comes back with the knife, Eliot knocks him to the ground and punches him several times)

Perry: Mr. Ford!

(Perry pushes a defibrillator towards Nate, who grabs the paddles. The first man runs toward Eliot with a knife, but Eliot grabs his arm and pushes him toward Nate)

Nate: Hello.

(Nate hits the man in the chest with the defibrillator paddles and he flies backward, unconscious. The elevator dings behind Sophie and Perry_

Nate: Go.

(Nate gets them into the elevator. Eliot goes back to get a belly bag from one of the men before joining them)


[Leverage Conference Room]

(Eliot empties out the belly bag onto the table. A money clip, pack of cigarettes, note, knife, pair of sunglasses and a gun fall to the table. Eliot unloads the gun as Hardison checks the serial numbers)

Eliot: I got all this stuff off one of the Castleman hitters.

Sophie (reading note): I can’t live with the pain, I’m so sorry… this is a suicide note.

Hardison: The gun is registered in Robert Perry’s name. The bill of sale belongs to a gunshop a mile from his house.

(Nate walks in with a bottle of liquor and a glass)

Nate: I got Perry squared away in a safe house.

Eliot: Play time’s over Nate, it’s only a matter of time before they come after us. The tall one, the way he used a knife, ex-Marine, probably Force Recon.

Hardison: You ID’d a guy off his knife-fighting style?

Eliot: It’s a very distinctive style.

(Nate pours himself a glass then drinks directly from the bottle before placing the glass on the table)

Nate: For later.

Hardison: I didn’t sign up for any of this. What I did before, nobody got hurt.

Sophie: I stole paintings for a living.

Parker: I never hurt anybody.

Eliot: I actually hurt people, so…

Sophie: Nate, if anything had happened to this kid--

Nate: You know you guys called on me. You remember? You begged me to run the crew, agreed to play by my rules. Now walk out if you have a problem with that. Walk out any day if you have a problem with that. It’s simple.

(everyone looks hesitant)

Eliot: We finish this one.

Parker: Just one.

Hardison: How do we hit ‘em?

Sophie: Congressman Jenkins, he’s our in. Looked me straight in the eye and told me he’d never even heard of the shooting.

Parker: So?

Sophie: Looked me in the eye? When men are telling me the truth they’re not looking me in the eye. A man only ever looks a woman in the eye when he’s making the effort to lie to her.

Eliot: Well you can’t argue with that.

Hardison: Noted and filed.

Nate: All right, Jenkins is DuFort’s pet congressman, let’s see if we can get him to bite. The best way to get two people to reveal a secret, get ‘em to turn on each other.

(Eliot gathers up the items from the bag while Parker and Hardison leave. Nate takes a long drink from his liquor bottle. Sophie gets up and takes it from him)

Sophie: May I put that away for you?

Nate: Didn’t sound like a question!

(once she leaves the room, Nate picks up the glass he’d set on the table and takes a drink)


[Federal Building]

(Sophie approaches Jenkins in the hallway)

Sophie: Congressman Jenkins.

Jenkins: Oh, uh … Executive Orders, the European company from the fundraiser, right?

Sophie: That’s right.


[DuFort’s Office]

(Nate and DuFort walk in)

DuFort: I remember you, from the fundraiser. (indicates seat) Please.

Nate (sit): Tom Abrahms. You can call me Tommy.

DuFort: You don’t work for Congressman Jenkins, do you?

Nate: I do not. No, I work for Congressman Calloway from upstate.

DuFort: We already have enough friends on the Appropriations Committee.


[Federal Building]

Sophie: European countries will aid the United States in foreign operations if they know that European companies are going to reap some of the benefits. Some help in the Appropriations bill…

Jenkins: I support American companies.

Sophie: Like Castleman?

Jenkins: Like Castleman. And they support the country.


[DuFort’s Office]

Nate: Well I’m here because Congressman Calloway wanted me to let you know that he’s open to discussions now that Congressman Jenkins has gone soft on you.

DuFort: Jenkins always delivers.

Nate: Jenkins told my boss to his face that he’s tired of covering for you.

DuFort: We’ve backed him for years.

Nate: Well, Jenkins wanted my boss to meet this woman from a British company, er, uh…

DuFort: Executive Orders?


[Federal Building]

Sophie: I didn’t pick you at random congressman. Castleman can be a fickle friend, rumor has it they’re looking for some fresh blood.


[DuFort’s Office]

Nate: I’ll tell you what, if your earmarks and your no-bid contracts are still in that Appropriations Bill then you know that he’s still your boy, but if they’re not, well, Congressman Calloway would be open to enjoying the same favors that Jenkins has enjoyed for all these years. But of course Jenkins has new friends now.


[Federal Building]

Sophie: You should look out for the signs congressman. Missed phone calls, no more little favors.

Jenkins: Those are the same signs that your wife is cheating on you.

Sophie: That’s right.

Jenkins: What am I supposed to do when that happens?

Sophie (hands him her card): Play the field.


[DuFort’s Office]

DuFort: Thanks very much for coming Tommy.

Nate: Pleasure.


[Leverage Conference Room]

Hardison: Congressman Jenkins is very careful. No direct bribes but he’s renovating his house and so far he’s received over $600,000 worth of work for a little over fifty grand.

(Hardison brings up pictures of Jenkins’ house on the screens)

Eliot: Castleman owns the contracting company, huh?

Hardison: I mean, he’s going through like three shell companies but yeah. And this man loves his house. Just check out his web browsing habits.

(Hardison changes the image to a website for wood panels)

Hardison: Look here, see the man spent three weeks picking out the perfect mahogany wood panels. This site is like wood porn.

Eliot: Is his house finished?

Hardison: Not even close.

Eliot: Can I borrow your phone?

Hardison takes out his phone, dials for Eliot and hands it to him.

Eliot (on phone): Hello? Yes, I’d like to cancel delivery on some mahogany wood paneling. Please.

(Hardison tries to help, Eliot walks away)

Eliot: The Jenkins house. Yeah, you know what, do me a favor man, just go ahead and cancel the whole order. Yes sir.

(Eliot leaves the room as Nate enters with a bowl of popcorn and two beers)

Nate: What’s he doing?

Hardison: Yanking the congressman’s chain.

Nate: Uh-huh. Parker started her run yet?

Hardison: Just now.


[Capitol Building]

(Parker walks down the hall dressed as a cop. She salutes another cop as she walks by then turns down another hallway)

Hardison: You know I still think it would be easier for me to just hack the bill in the printer queue.

(Parker comes back into the hallway dressed like a clerk)

Nate: No, no, no computers. The Bill is put into a wooden box on the congressional floor called the Hopper.


[Leverage Conference Room]

Hardison: A woo--whoa, whoa! A wood-- a wooden box?

Nate: A wooden box.

Hardison: Wood? Well, we can put a man on the moon but all our laws go into a wooden box.

Nate: What we need to do is we need to get DuFort to believe that Jenkins is abandoning him. That Jenkins submitted an Appropriations Bill that doesn’t have any of the usual contracts for Castleman.


[Capitol Building]

(Parker runs into a clerk and steals his ID bdge, then inserts new pages into the bill)


[Leverage Conference Room]

Nate: Which means that we have to put our own pages into the Bill.

Hardison: That means the only place that we could get at it would… ah! Ah! Okay.


[Capitol Building]

(Parker flashes her badge and walks into the Senate Room as the clerk she stole the badge from is being questioned by security.

Security Guard (to clerk): If you don’t have a pass you don’t get in.



[Leverage Conference Room]

Hardison: I mean, break a law, everybody’s done that, my mama’s done that but steal a law. Oh, she’s gonna be a legend baby.

(on screen, C-SPAN news shows the Senate floor where Parker is walking to “The Hopper”. She waves at the camera and puts the fake bill into box.

Parker: The eagle has landed.

Nate: It’s in!

Hardison: Uhn! Go ahead girl! Sexyness! Unh. Rrrnnn.

Nate: Might want to ease up on that a little bit.

Hardison: Just saying.

Nate: Yeah.

Hardison: Between me and you. Between me and you.

Nate: Never leaves the room.


[Leverage Conference Room]

(the next day, the team gathers around the table. Audio playing of Jenkins and DuFort arguing)

Nate: How was Washington?

Sophie: Villians, conmen, wolves in sheep’s clothing. Felt right at home.

Nate: This is pretty good. Listen to this.

DuFort (on audio): Don’t call me this is your contractor’s problem.

Jenkins: Oh please. Let’s not pretend …

DuFort: You pulled all our earmarks from the Appropriations Bill.

Hardison: There’s about an hour of this but here’s the high point.

Jenkins: Somebody screwed up. I’ve always been there for you. I called Manilla, I cleared customs for you in Los Angeles and that was a risk.

(Hardison pauses the audio)

Hardison: Now after that they… well, whatever you call the rich guys on telephones’ version of make-up sex, but, now we know, Castleman makes a thousand shipments a month, but one ship through Manilla, right after the shooting, linked to phone records from the congressman.

(the screen scrolls through several documents before stopping on a picture of the L.A. harbor with many containers)

Hardison: Their shipments come through here. Now somewhere in this madness is container 541. It’s currently sitting at the Port of Los Angeles.

Parker: What’s in it?

Hardison: No idea, but it’s moving in two days. Headed to the main Castleman storage facility in Kansas.

Nate: Now that, that’s why they tried to hit Perry, right there, that’s it.

Eliot: Wanted to tie up all the loose ends before they tucked this one away at home base.

Sophie: What do you ship in a crate, from Iraq?

Nate: Oh boy. Something worth killing for.


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

(cranes move crates through the yard. Nate and Sophie are waiting by a car outside the gates watching the guards.

Nate: How’s security?


[Port of Los Angeles]

Parker, Hardison and Eliot have broken inside and trying to spot container 541.

Eliot: Dockyard entrance is no problem but…

(many armed Castleman guards are patrolling the area. They move off, revealing container 541)

Eliot: There it is. It’s 541.

(Eliot starts towards the crate but Hardison grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back)

Hardison: Hold up Rambo.

(Hardison uses his cell phone to detect any electronics in the area)

Hardison: So, no lasers, no motion detectors, no vibration sensors, no--whoops.


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

Nate: Whoops? What whoops?


[Port of Los Angeles]

Hardison: There’s a webcam, I’m picking up its broadcast on my phone.

(Eliot moves away)

Parker: Oh, I see it. Up on that pole.

Hardison: I just have to spoof the IP address and overlay a digital duplicate over the WiFi …

(Eliot comes back with a rock he throws at the webcam, which shatters)

Hardison: Or that.

Eliot: Let’s go, come on.

(they move toward the crate)

Hardison: I’m sorry it was too far away for you to punch I’m sure that really frustrates you.


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

Soldier 1 (into radio): Position 1 what’s your status?

Soldier 3: Perimeter secure, we’re ready for you.

Soldier 1: Copy that, I’m on my way.

(the soldiers move into the Port)


[Port of Los Angeles]

(Parker picks the lock on the container while Hardison and Eliot keep watch)

Hardison: What do you think is in there?

Parker: Artifacts from Baghdad museums, maybe some from the Saddam palaces…

Eliot: No, I bet it’s weapons. Lot of back alley arms dealing going on in a war zone.

(Parker gets the lock open and Hardison and Eliot pull open the doors. Inside is completely filled with pallets of cash)

Hardison: Money’s good too.

(Parker moves forward to hug the money, then turns giggling)


[Port of Los Angeles]

(soldiers from the gate congregate with those who were watching the crate)

Soldier 1: Hey, line of sight. You shouldn’t be away from that container.

Soldier 3: Something’s wrong with the webcam.

(Soldier 1 looks at phone to see nothing but static. He rushes toward the container, his men following, but the area is clear)

Soldier 1: Get some men up there to fix that webcam. I want it working in an hour. Move.

(some of the soldiers leave while the others stay to guard the container. On top of one of the containers, Hardison, Parker and Eliot are lying flat to hide)


[Leverage Conference Room]

(handfuls of money is spread out on the table while Parker strokes it reverently)

Sophie: Okay, that’s worth killing for.

Hardison: Ultraviolet checks out, the paper checks out, the watermarks, the ink, it all checks out.

Sophie: There’s a whole container of it from Iraq of all places, it’s gotta be counterfeit.

Parker (rubbing bills on her cheek): No, it’s real. It feels real.

Eliot: Hey, what do you got going on, you and Hardison, what is it like a creepy contest?

Sophie: I don’t know what is it two, three hundred million in US currency? What’s it doing in Iraq?

Nate: We sent it there.

Eliot: What?

Nate: Beginning of the Iraq war my old company helped insure the largest currency transfer in history. Billions and billions in ones, fives and twenties, all cash. Sent to Iraq for reconstruction.

Eliot: Bribes.

Nate: As needed. Nine billion went missing.

Sophie: Wait, billion? With a ‘b’? Nine billion dollars of US taxpayer money just disappeared.

Hardison: Castleman gets a cut of the booty. The day they go to move it, real soldiers, they see the transfer …

Eliot: One of the contractors spooks, starts shooting.

Parker: Yeah but Corporal Perry didn’t see anything.

Nate: Well, they don’t know that.

Hardison: Castleman’s a billion dollar company why would they even care about this cash?

Nate: Because it’s cash. You know money is money, that’s one thing, but cash is a whole other thing. For all the money in the economy there’s only about $500 in cash for every American.

Sophie: Untraceable small bills, perfect for slush funds or home improvements for US congressman.

Hardison: Or small time donors, you know for re-election. No electronic trail.

Nate: It’s money laundering.

Sophie: How so?

(Nate illustrates his points with an electronic pad, which shows what he writes on the screen)

Nate: All right, well Castleman uses the illegal cash to re-elect his congressman. Congressman gets him no bid contracts for government jobs, and the government pays for his services with legal money. There’s the circle, right there.

Hardison: They turned the entire US government into a money laundering scam.

Nate: That’s right.

Hardison: Brilliant. I’m impressed.

Sophie: Never thought I’d say this, ever, but that is just way too much money to steal.

Nate: No, you’re not gonna steal it. You don’t remember? You’re got the good guys now, you’re gonna give it back.


[Port of Los Angeles]

(the area is filled with guards, all heavily armed)

Soldier 1: Check the perimeter. (to guards in a car) Start your rounds.

(two guards are talking near container 541 when yelling is heard. Nate and Sophie round a corner, dressed like tourists)

Nate: The car is right over there!

Soldier 4: Hey you two!

Sophie: I told you we should have taken the shuttle bus.

Soldier 5: Stay right there.

Nate: I paid them $2,000 for food poisoning they’re not getting another cent!

(Parker looks around a corner, dressed as a construction worker, and sneaks past the distracted guards)

Sophie: I have to hear this again?

Nate (to soldiers): Hey! Hey you! You, come here! Where’s the Pacific Cruise, the parking lot!?

Soldier 4: You people have to move away from this area.

Nate: Yeah well I’m trying to jackass just tell me where my car is.

Sophie: Yeah, that’s right, start a fight why don’t you?

Nate: Ahh!

Sophie: Oh!


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

(Jenkins pulls up to the gate, gets out of his car and knocks on the window of the guard booth)

Jenkins: Excuse me.

Eliot: Yes, sir. Congressman! What a pleasure.

Jenkins: I paid a fortune for these mahogany panels and I’d like to know where the hell they are.

Eliot: I can help you with that right here sir.

(takes the paper from Jenkens and looks it over)


[Port of Los Angeles]

Parker: They changed the lock.

Hardison: Just do what you do. I mean, whatever, what you need, ah, uh…

(Parker pulls out a small bomb from her toolbelt)

Hardison: Nah. Uh-uh. Stop all that playing. Hell no.

(Parker fixes the bomb to the container door and sets the timer while Hardison moves away behind a nearby truck)

Sophie: After squeezing out three brats for him …

Nate: Ah, here we go again.

Sophie: Then he treats me to a little romance.

(soldiers approach from behind them)

Soldier 1 (to soldiers): Hey you two back to your posts. (to Nate and Sophie) What’s this? (recognizes Nate) I know you.

Nate: What?

(Parker’s bomb goes off and everyone dives for cover. Hardison’s truck pulls away quickly)

Soldier 1: Check the container.

(Nate and Sophie run off)

Soldier 1: Wha--whoa whoa, where’d they go?

(as the truck passes Nate and Sophie, they disappear, leaving behind only their bags)

Soldier 1: No. No, no, no, no, no!

(soldiers run to the blown container, only to find it empty)

Soldier 1: No!!!

(soldiers run after the truck)

Soldier 1: (into shoulder radio) Perimeter. Perimeter, there’s a white truck coming at you. Do not let it pass!

(as the soldiers move away Jenkins wanders into the area with a key and a map of the storage yard, looking for something)


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

(a truck full of soldiers follow Hardison’s Truck. He makes it through security, which is manned by regular guards)

Soldier 5: Stop that truck!


[Exterior Road]

Soldier 5: Come on! Come on!

(the Castleman truck pulls out in front of Hardison forcing him to stop. The soldiers pull their guns and surround the truck)

Soldier 1: Get out of the vehicle, now!

(Hardison puts his hands up)


[Port of Los Angeles, Gates]

(DuFort drives up to the gates and meets them.

Soldier 1: (to regular security guard) Get out of the way.

DuFort: What’s going on here?

Soldier 1: What are you doing here?

DuFort: We’re moving the container today now what’s happening?

Soldier 1: The container is empty.

(the soldiers go after the truck while DuFort drives into the storage yard)


[Exterior Road]

Soldier 1: Get out of the truck.

(Hardison gets out of the truck, his hands raised)

Soldier 1: And just where do you think you’re going?

Hardison: I’m just transporting.

Soldier 1: No, you’re just gonna open this truck.


[Port of Los Angeles]

(Jenkins stands near the container that was blown. DuFort approaches angrily)

DuFort: What did you do? (grabs Jenkins and shakes him) Who the hell are you working for you stupid son of a bitch! I will bury you!

Jenkins: Get your damn hands off me! (pushes DuFort away).

DuFort: You don’t think we kept all of your emails, all of your phone calls! You go down with us on this.

Jenkins: What is this?

DuFort: This is the container!

Jenkins: The container? The container with the Iraqi money?


[Exterior Road]

(Hardison is standing near the back door of the truck, surrounded by soldiers)

Soldier 1: Open it.

Hardison: Okay, I see what this is. This is racial. This is about my ethniticity, ain’t it? Uh huh. It’s cause I’m Jewish.


[Port of Los Angeles]

DuFort: I’m supposed to believe that you just happened to be here on the day that a couple hundred million dollars in cash goes missing?

Jenkins: Don’t blame me! I helped you smuggle that money through customs. I broke laws, I could go to jail!

CNN Reporter: Congressman? Is this the container Congressman?

(Jenkins and DuFort turn to find half a dozen reporters and cameramen approaching)

Jenkins: Uh … what?

CNN Reporter: You called us Congressman.

Jenkins: I-- no, no, no, you must be mistaken about that.


[Exterior Road]

Hardison: …Just cause a brother likes mozzaball soup, what’s wrong with that? Sammy Davis…

(soldier 1 cuts him off by shoving a gun in his face)

Soldier1: Open that door, or I open your head.

(Hardison unlocks the door and pushes it up to reveal an empty truck)


[Port of Los Angeles]

(CNN Reporter moves one of the open doors to reveal the numbers on the container)

CNN Reporter: Not this one. This is 542.

Jenkins: What?

(CNN Reporter moves the other door to reveal that Container 541 is undamaged)

CNN Reporter: Your phone call said 541. Sir, you’re holding the key.

Jenkins: Oh, yeah well.


[Flashback]

(Jenkins is talking to Eliot at the gates)

Jenkins: I’m just back from Washington for a day and they say I have to personally come down here.

Eliot: I’ll give you a map to your container, right there, one second hold on. (Eliot hands him a map and a key) Get ya the key.


[Port of Los Angeles]

(Jenkins puts on a fake smile and moves to unlock the container)

DuFort: Don’t. Don’t.

Jenkins (to Dufort): They’re watching. They’re filming us. (louder) Charles, will you help me here please?

(Jenkins and DuFort pull open the doors to reveal the container filled with cash)


[Flashback]

(Parker is affixing the explosives to container 542)


[Port of Los Angeles]

CNN Reporter: Congressman what is all this? What have you uncovered here?

Jenkins: I have uncovered corruption. This is Charles DuFort, from Castleman Security and in the course of his company’s very patriotic work in Iraq they discovered a massive theft of US currency.

DuFort: Our intel revealed that this container left Iraq sometime last month. I knew that I would need high level help unraveling this conspiracy so I called the most honest man that I know, Congressman Jenkins.

Jenkins: And I want to tell you this, I for one am not going to stand by and let this sort of war profiteering continue.

(the cell phones of all the reporters, cameramen, Jenkins and DuFort all start ringing. All of the phones have received a video message of DuFort and Jenkins talking minutes earlier in front of the Container)

Jenkins (on video): Don’t blame me! I helped you smuggle that money through customs. I broke laws, I could go to jail!

DuFort (On video): You don’t think we kept all of your emails, all of your phone calls? You go down with us!

(seeing the angle on the video, the reporters all look up to see the webcam mounted on a nearby container)

CNN Reporter: Congressman, is this a confession?

Jenkins: There’s an explanation for everything.

CNN Reporter: And sir, what is that explanation? How long have you been involved in this smuggling?

Jenkins: Oh crap. (walks away)

CNN Reporter (makes call): We’re gonna lead with crap.


[Exterior Hospital]

[Perry wheels himself down the driveway followed by Dr. LeRoque)

Dr. LeRoque: What’s this all about?

Perry: I don’t know. Mr. Ford said he wanted us down here right away.

(the team is waiting for them at the end of the drive near the truck Hardison was driving earlier)

Nate: Hi guys.

Dr. LeRoque: What do you want?

Nate: Show ‘em.

(Hardison unlocks the back door of the truck and pushes the door up, revealing an empty truck)

Dr. LeRoque: An empty truck.

Hardison: Nothing up my sleeve.

(Hardison climbs into the truck and rips a painted canvass that made the truck appear to be empty. Behind the canvass are two huge pallets of cash)

Dr. LeRoque: Is this stolen?

Sophie: Not anymore.

Dr. LeRoque: What are we supposed to do with it?

Sophie: Pay for Corporal Perry’s rehab.

Hardison: And some other guys’ rehabs.

Parker: Pretty much whatever you want.

Perry: Doc, a cute blonde shows up with a couple million dollars I say we take the win. Thank you.

Eliot: Corporal, (shakes Perry’s hand) Thank you. Thank you.

(Eliot, Parker, Sophie and Hardison walk away while Nate lingers)

Dr. LeRoque: The world doesn’t work this way.

Nate: So change the world. (walks away)

Dr. LeRoque: Okay.

(other injured soldiers join Perry and LeRoque near the truck)

Dr. LeRoque: We’ve got it, we can take care of everybody.

Perry: I get half right?

Dr. LeRoque: No you don’t get half!

Perry: Yes I do, I get half!

(The team watches the interaction from nearby)

Nate: Anybody who wants to walk away can do it right now.

Eliot: One more.

Hardison: Maybe two.

Parker: I bought a plant.

Hardison: Nice. Team spirit.

Parker: What does it do?

Eliot: (to Nate) I can’t believe you gave all your money away. You didn’t buy yourself anything.

Nate: Oh, I bought a car.

Hardison: Probably a station wagon.

Nate: An electric car.

Eliot: Of course.

Sophie: How sweet. Do you have to wind it up?

Nate: Uh, just trying to be responsible.

Hardison: Responsible? You know it sucks being the good guys, right?

Nate: You haven’t figured it out yet, have you? Just cause you’re the good guys now, doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun along the way!

(Nate gets into a red Tesla Roadster. The team watches him pull out, shaking their heads)

Parker: Woo hoo.

Sophie: Oh boy, midlife crisis.

Eliot: Absolutely.

Hardison: Definitely midlife.

Parker: Totally midlife crisis.

The End

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