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Leverage Main | When Darkness Falls

4x09 The Cross My Heart Job
[Cincinnati Metropolitan Airport]

(team comes down an escalator toward the main floor)

Sophie: Well, that trip was a complete disaster.

Hardison: It was a train wreck.

Eliot: No, it was a shipwreck. And you know how I know that? 'Cause I was in the wreck.

Hardison: Hey, man, I don't want to hear you complain. At least you don't have to fix th-the ear buds. You know what?

Eliot: Man, don't talk to me about the ear buds! I just fought three ex-Brazilian combat divers with spear-guns, underwater!

Hardison: I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it.

Eliot: You believe this? (taps Sophie’s arm)

Sophie: Ow, don't touch me. I am sunburnt everywhere. I hate playing the French heiress on the topless beach.

Parker: Oh, I don't know what you're complaining about. I didn't even get to see the emerald.

Hardison: Are you for real?

Eliot: Oh, my god, for the last time, it's not an emerald. All right? It's an island. It's the "Emerald of the Caribbean."

(team begins walking across the floor)

Nate: Guys, qu-quit complaining. I mean, this is what we do. It's our job, and we... (Nate pauses, looking at something) if we wanted...

(A woman puts jewelry boxes on a display at a booth. A woman texts on a cell phone. A man walks by pulling a suitcase. Linda holds a red and white cooler, looking around nervously before walking to a public phone. Nate slowly walks over to look at the map beside her as she puts money into the phone)

Nate: Uh, is everything all right?

(Linda looks at him and hesitates)

Nate: You were part of a pretty nifty dead-drop back there. Really pretty good.


[Flashback]

Nate (voiceover): You swapped your cooler for an identical one. Someone made off with yours. Pretty slick.


[Airport Lobby]

Nate: Pretty professional. But you are not a slick professional. I believe someone put you up to it.

Linda: I-I-I don't know what you're talking about. (hangs up the phone)

Nate: Don't be afraid. I am here to help you.

(Linda rests her head on the phone and tries not to cry)

Nate: Please tell me.

Linda: Uh... I didn't have a choice. These men told me if I didn't give them the cooler... They have my daughter.

Nate: Why? What was in that cooler?

Linda: A heart. A human heart.


[Sitting Area]

Hardison: You were carrying a human heart?

Linda: I'm a transplant nurse. I was bringing it here from Detroit for a transplant...

Nate: Into a 15-year-old boy named Joshua Spin, who lives here in Cincinnati.

Sophie: Somebody stole a heart?

Nate: Yeah, and they kidnapped Linda's daughter to get it.

Parker: Well, can't we just get another heart?

Eliot: From who?

Parker: From...

Sophie: No, Nate, this is no job for us. The authorities should handle this.

Nate: There's no time.

Linda: Y-you never want a heart to be outside of a body for more than four hours. It may not stay viable. It already took over two hours to get here from Detroit.

Eliot: If the authorities shut down the airport, the thieves will go to ground... they'll never find them in time.

Linda: Joshua is really sick. If he doesn't get this heart, he won't make it to the next one.

Nate: Okay, guys, th-this is up to us. Okay, we have to rescue Linda's daughter, we have to get that heart, we have to bring it to the hospital on our own, under the radar, and we have 108 minutes to do it or a boy dies.


[Hospital Room]

(Joshua is lying in bed, his condition closely monitored and his parents standing nearby, watching the clock)


[Airport Lobby]

(Eliot, Sophie and Parker approach an airport map and study it)

Eliot: First thing we got to do is get this lady's kid back.

Parker: Linda already gave them the heart. Won't they give us her daughter back?

Eliot: They just stole a heart. You think they're gonna leave witnesses?

Sophie: Besides, if we rescue the daughter first...

Parker: We can use the kidnapper to find the thieves.


[Sitting Area]

Nate: These kidnappers, how did they contact you?

Linda: My phone. Th-they sent me this photo.

(hands Nate her phone, showing a picture of a little girl sitting at a restaurant booth)

Nate: Okay, Hardison, can you do something with that? (hands phone to Hardison)

Hardison: Yeah, I can make a phone call. Nate, I don't have my equipment.

(Nate just looks at him)

Hardison: All right, man. Well, I mean, it's, it's a pretty high-res pic. Maybe I can pick up some detail.


[Airport Lobby]

Parker: The heart could be anywhere by now. They could have jumped in a taxi and driven off.

Sophie: No, no, we have to assume it's still in the airport, that they're planning to fly it out.

Parker: Why?

Eliot: 'Cause otherwise, we've already lost.


[Sitting Area]

Hardison: Some clues. How about that? (looking at photo)

Nate: All right, let me see. (takes phone to look at photo) I mean, that looks like a restaurant booth.

Hardison: There's a lot of restaurants in Cincinnati, man.

Nate: They want to keep her close and keep you on a short leash, so... What's, what's that right there?

(Nate looks at photo zoomed to a table tent)

Hardison: I don't know.

Nate (turns to look down the hall): I know where they got her.


[Crab-a-Rama]

(inside the restaurant, a clerk wipes the desk while Tanya sits at a table with the kidnapper, who is texting on his cell phone. Eliot, Parker and Sophie approach the restaurant)

Eliot: Just stay right here.

(Sophie and Parker stand to one side of the doorway while Eliot walks into the restaurant. He walks out only moments later)

Eliot: All right. They're in there. We're gonna need a distraction.

(Sophie takes off her pants and uses her long shirt like a dress, then shakes out her hair and pulls a pair of heels from her purse. Parker counts some cash)

Parker: All right, they told Linda to call from a pay phone for instructions once she made the drop.

Eliot (hands Parker money): Better hurry up, or they're gonna start getting suspicious.

Parker: It's a good thing we didn't stay on that island to see those emeralds.

Eliot: Parker, I just t...

(Sophie leans on Eliot to put on her shoes)

Eliot: You carry high heels in your purse?

Sophie: I always travel with heels. (takes Parker’s scarf and ties it around her waist) How's this? Distracting enough?

Parker: Hmm.

Sophie: Linda's phone. (takes it from Eliot and pretends to talk on it as she enters the restaurant) I know. How do you think I feel? It was supposed to be a 45-minute layover, and now it looks like we might not even get out of here till— Oh, I'll call you back when I know what's going on.

Clerk: Hi.

Sophie: Hi. Listen, I hope you're having a better day than I am.


[Airport Lobby]

(Nate watches from across the room as Linda picks up the pay phone and dials)


[Crab-a-Rama]

(kidnapper answers his phone)

Sophie: Listen, I'm, I'm a little bit stuck. I'm traveling with colleagues. I was wondering if we might be able to camp out here until we know what's going on with our flights.

(Eliot and Parker and sit down at a table behind the kidnapper)

Clerk: Uh, look, I'm sorry, but, uh, we're about to close, and I still got to count the tills.

(kidnapper gets up and pulls Tanya from the booth, heading for the door)

Sophie (hands him the cash): Oh, well, I think I could reimburse you for your trouble.

(Parker grabs Tanya and pulls her aside as Eliot grabs the kidnapper from behind and pulls him behind a fish tank, punching him)

Clerk: Can I get you a menu?

Sophie: Thanks.

(a few minutes later Nate, Hardison and Linda enter the restaurant)

Nate: Close it up.

(the clerk closes the doors. Inside, Eliot pulls the kidnapper between two tables while Parker talks to Tanya)

Paker: Yeah, that will work. We'll get you a little taser, carry it with you wherever you go--

Linda: Tanya?

Tanya: Mom?

(Tanya and Linda embrace)

Nate (to Eliot): What do you got on this guy?

Eliot: He's not a professional. He has no combat training. Lousy Zanshin.

Parker: The what?

Eliot: He's a loc... It means "personal awareness." Thug for hire, but very well funded. (hands Nate tickets) Two first-class tickets, one for him and one for the girl, and that's how they got past security, and (hands gun to Nate) plastic gun. One or two shots in the barrel warps, but that's pretty much all you need, very pricey hardware.

Parker: Why would someone pay for that but not hire a professional?

Eliot: He doesn't want a professional. He wants a local so we can't trace him back to him.

Nate: All right. What about the phone?

Hardison: It's a burner. No contacts and no numbers. This only calls in and out to Linda.

Nate: So, w-we got nothing on this guy t-to bring us back to the heart thieves? Nothing?

Parker: No.

Nate: All right. We're back at square one, with 93 minutes to go.

(Eliot uses a cord to tie the kidnapper’s hands)

Eliot (to Sophie): Don't suppose you travel with handcuffs.

Sophie: No, not on this trip.

Nate: All right, so we we need to get some information. Hardison, I need you to hack--

Clerk: Hey, can I get you guys anything to eat?

Eliot: We're good, man. We're good.

Clerk: Are you sure? We got...

Nate: Yeah, yeah.

Hardison: No.

Parker: We're fine.

Nate: I need you to hack into the airport security system.

Hardison: Hack what, Nate? Did you not pay attention on the island?


[Flashback]

(a notebook falls toward the bottom of a body of water as Hardison struggles with a bad guy on a dock)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Parker: Plus the ear buds are busted.

Hardison: And I burned our phones and our credit cards so we can't be traced.

Sophie: Most of our money went on bribing the waiter.

Eliot: We're operating in a secured area.

Parker: And my lock picks are checked.

Hardison: And airport wi-fi is a joke. Face it, we're practically naked.


[Flashback]

(Nate’s son lies in a hospital bed, nurses and doctors working to save him)

Nurse: I've got a naked I.V. here. There's nothing we can do.

(Nate stands in the door and watches through the window)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Yeah, all right. If we're naked, we steal clothes. That's what we do. There's a kid's life at stake here, guys. All right, all right. (to Parker and Eliot) I need you two to get us some new equipment, comms, cash, computers, anything, all right? We got to find out who's behind this, and we got 86 minutes to find this heart. Let's go.

(everyone gets up from the table)

Sophie: Nate. You all right with this one?

Nate: What?

Sophie: Well, you said it yourself, a kid's life is at stake. You don't think this might get too personal?

Nate: Does it matter?

(Nate walks away, pacing behind the counter. Linda lays Tanya down and covers her with a coat)

Linda: Come here, baby. Get your legs up.


[Airport Hallway]

(Eliot and Parker walk out of the Restaurant and part ways. Parker approaches a kiosk that sells computers and looks around, then crouches to look at the locks before walking away. Eliot approaches an electronic store before yelling catches his attention from a check in desk not far away)

Platinum Flyer: You guys! Hey! Platinum flyer over here. Come here. Somebody look at me.

Airline Clerk: Sir, please calm down.

Platinum Flyer: Ju... let me stop you right there, okay? I don't care what seats you have left, all right? Do you see this? (holds up a card) I am a vista Atlantic platinum flyer, all right? Is this card gold? No. Look at it. Is it silver? No.

(Eliot looks around, sees a magazine and picks it up)

Platinum Flyer: It's platinum, all right? So if you think that I am sitting back in coach with the rabble, you got another think coming, all right?

(Eliot puts the magazine over the Platinum Flyer’s briefcase as the man tries to drop his wallet into it)

Platinum Flyer: You can just forget it. I don't even want to talk to you anymore. Who's that? Thing one and thing two, come here. You guys. Hey!

(Eliot walks back to the electronics store and pulls the Platinum Flyer’s credit card from the wallet. He enters the store and grabs several packages of walkie talkies, then flags down a clerk)

Eliot: Yo, yo, yo. Come over here.

(Parker tries on various sunglasses, stealing a pair before walking away. She walks past again and steals a snow globe. On another pass she steals a bag. She returns to the computer kiosk and breaks the sunglasses to picks the locks, revealing an old style CRT monitor)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: All right, so the best way to figure out who took the heart is to figure out who else needs the heart, so it means we're gonna have to steal the national transplant waiting list.

Linda: You can do that?

Hardison: Y-yeah, yeah, if I had a decent enough setup, yeah. But I need a good starting point, like an I.P. address or an e-mail, just something I could use to trace back to that system.

Nate: An e-mail?

Sophie (to Linda): May I?

Linda (hands Sophie her phone): Yeah.

(Sophie dials a number)

Operator: National transplant registry.

Sophie: Oh, hi. This is Jennifer from the Cincinnati organ transplant center. We just got a donor heart in from Detroit, and, uh, well, the paperwork's a little awry. We're missing the... (looks at Linda)

Linda: Uh, the donor history file.

Sophie: Donor history file. Could you e-mail us a copy?

Operator: That should have been sent with the transplant nurse.

Sophie: Oh, it was, but you know how it goes with those little cups on the plane. One bump and whoops! O.J. everywhere.

Operator: Where should I e-mail that to?

(later Parker and Eliot take apart the walkie talkies at a table while Hardison uses an old computer at the bar with Sophie and Linda watching while Nate paces)

Nate: Hardison, come on.

Hardison: Look, man, this is like stone knives and bearskins, okay? Nobody's asking Eliot to fight a guy with a nerf sword.

Eliot: Damascus, 2002.

Hardison: Like you've been to Damascus. (types on keyboard) Okay, there we go. One national transplant list coming up.

Nate: Hardison, you can't load it. It's so slow.

Hardison: I can't do anything, man. What do you want me to...

(Nate reaches over Hardison’s shoulder to type)

Hardison: Hey. Nate, Nate. What do you want me to do?

(the clerk watches from behind them, amazed)

Hardison: Wh-what? Come on, man. Like you've never seen a man travel with a desktop before. Go!

Nate: You gotta...

(Hardison types more keys and the list comes up on the screen)

Nate: Okay. Finally.

Hardison: There we go. There's over 3,000 names, Nate.

Nate: All right. We need to narrow it down. Linda, I need you to build a profile.

Linda: Um, well, whoever the heart is for would have to be a genetic match.

Nate: Okay. Uh, Hardison, uh, filter out all the names that aren't genetically compatible with Joshua Spin.

Linda: And they'd have to be close in height and weight. You can't put a small heart in a big body.

Sophie: And they'd have to live within a few hours of Cincinnati, or there wouldn't be time to get it.

Hardison: Okay. Okay.

Nate: Right there! Right there. Him.

Sophie: Dean Chesney?

Nate: Dean Chesney, CEO of Vertronics defense contractor. I had my eye on him for quite a while, but he was never a high-priority target.

Hardison: Why not?

Nate: He was dying.


[Chesney’s Room]

Nurse: Mr. Chesney? Sir? Mr. Woods just phoned. He and his men have the heart. They're waiting for tower clearance, then they can leave the airport.

Chesney: You know what I love about this country, doctor? That I can get the best medical care money can buy.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Hardison: Okay, so, Chesney's in Chicago, so it's too far to drive.

Sophie: They have to be flying it out.

Parker: Assuming they haven't already left.

Nate: No, no. Guys, it would be a private plane, that would be the smart move.

Eliot: Private terminals aren't connected to commercial terminals. You'd have to have tarmac access.

Nate: Guy's a multimillionaire. I mean, you know, he would have tarmac access.

Parker: Which means we need it, too.

Nate: Yeah. And all the private-flight plans to see who's flying to Chicago.

Nate: Hardison, we got to hack into the tower.

Hardison: Can't, man. Tower—

Nate: What do you mean, we can't?

Hardison: Look, tower, tower computers aren't physically connected to the Internet. It stops people from doing exactly what you're asking.

Nate: All right, well, fine. If we can't do it from down here, we'll do it from up there. We have to get into that tower.

(Timer counts down from 67:50 minutes. Later Hardison stands before a menu board on which he’s drawn a layout of the airport)

Hardison: So, we're here, the tower's here, and the private terminal is here across the tarmac. Now, to access either one of these, we're gonna have to get out of the public areas of the terminal.

(Eliot walks around the table handing out walkie talkies)

Parker: As fast as possible.

Sophie: And without being seen.

Nate: Okay, we're gonna need...

(Eliot sits down and his feet hit against the struggling kidnapper. Eliot kicks him in the head but he continues making muffled sounds)

Nate: Are you done?

(Eliot kicks the man again)

Eliot: Yeah.

Nate: We're gonna need badges. There are three levels. Each successive level gets you better access.

Hardison: Level one is your basic backstage pass. Gives us access into all the employee-only parts except for the sensitive parts.

Parker: How do we get that?

Nate: We're gonna twist Sophie's ankle.


[Airport Hallway]

(Sophie walks down the hall in her high heels, fakes twisting her ankle and goes down)

Woman: Are you okay?

Sophie: No, it's okay. It's okay. I can walk. It's no problem.

(Sophie tries to get up but pretends that it hurts too much to do so and falls back to the ground)

Sophie: Oh, no. No, that's not necessary. I don't need a wheel...

(a man brings a wheel chair over to Sophie)

Sophie: Oh. I'm so embarrassed. Thank you. Thank you so much.

(the man helps Sophie into the chair)

Sophie: Ah, ah. Yes. Thank you.

(Eliot rolls his eyes and approaches Sophie, who grabs the man’s level 1 pass and hands it off to Eliot)

Sophie: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Eliot (joining Parker): That's one.

Sophie: Just, if you could just take me to my friends at the gate.

(Eliot uses the badge to get into an employees only area of the airport)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Hardison: After we get out of the public areas of the terminal, we work on level two. It's ground crew, tarmac access. It gets us from here to the private terminal.

Parker: How do we get that? Break Eliot's wrist?

Hardison: What? N-no, no. We just pick one up from where the ground crew left it.


[Locker Room]

Parker (opening combination lock): Yeah, this will keep my stuff safe, from a 6-year-old with the DTs.

(Parker opens the locker and removes a jacket. Eliot closes the locker and hits the lock on the one next to it, opening the lock. He pulls out a level 2 badge and hands it to Parker)

Eliot: That's two.

(Parker and Eliot begin to change clothes)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Hardison: All right. After level two, we work on level three, tower access. Now, the tricky thing here is, only people with tower access are, you know, in the tower.

Sophie: Well, we have to lure them out.

Parker: Oh, okay. Set Nate on fire?

Eliot: Settle down.

Nate: No, we don't need to lure anybody out. No, the airports keep just a skeleton crew at night to save them money, which means that the people who aren't staying overnight are leaving right about now with their badges.


[Employee Lounge]

(Eliot walks in wearing a Pilot’s uniform. He looks around at badges with various levels before finding one with level 3 access. As he heads across the room toward the woman, he’s intercepted by another pilot)

Pilot: My flight release is showing an airmet for light to moderate turbulence over the field. Don't suppose you hit anything on the way in?

Eliot: Didn't hit anything...

Pilot: They didn't make you hold over jakey, did they? It looks like everything's backed up northbound.

Eliot: I'm not trying to be rude. I got a very, very short layover, so... (looks at woman who’s badge he wants) You picking up what I'm laying down?

Pilot: Pardon me, captain. Smooth tail winds.

Eliot: Excuse me. Let me get that door for you, sweetheart. You shouldn't have to do that. (opens door for the woman as he takes her badge) Good night.


[Back Hallway]

Eliot (into comm): That's three. Hardison, you're up.


[Crab-a-Rama]

(everyone gets up from the table)

Hardison: Oh, and, uh, there's a slight chance that the radio tower may interfere with the walkie-talkies.

Eliot: How slight?

Hardison: Slight.


[Back Hallway]

Eliot: Hardison? Hardison!


[Airport Lobby]

Hardison (pacing): Come on, Eliot. Come on, come on. Come on, man.

Announcer: Mr. Picard. Mr. Kirk Picard, please meet your party at door "E."

(Hardison looks around to find an employee only door marked E. As he approaches, the door opens and Eliot hands him the badge)

Eliot: Here.

Hardison: That's a girl's badge.

Eliot: Man up!

(Hardison walks across the lobby and uses the pass to get through another employee only door)


[Back Hallway]

(Eliot gets into a cart that Parker is sitting in. She holds up the keys and hands them to him)

Parker: Let's ride.


[Radio Tower]

(Hardison follows several pilots through a security check point. He runs the access card through a card reader)

Reader: Enter pin.

(Hardison runs the card through again)

Reader: Enter pin.

(Hardison approaches a nearby guard post)

Hardison: Excuse me. Uh, something's wrong with my pin. Can you reset it for me?

(Hardison hands the card to the guard, who scans it)

Guard: Can you confirm your old pin?

(the screen shows that the card belongs to a woman and the guard looks at Hardison in surprise)

Guard: Uh...

Hardison: What?

Guard: Wh—

Hardison: what? You got a, you got a problem? My little transformation? Go on, speak your mind. Yeah, I had some surgery, huh? A little nip, a little tuck, a little pop, okay? And now I am who I'm supposed to be. I used to be Francesca. Now my name is Frank!

Guard: Um...

(a second guard turns to look at Hardison)

Hardison: You got a problem? You... excu—excu—I didn't know this was the club. You all up in the mix, don't even know the flavor. What's your problem? (walks around the desk aggressively) You got a, you—everybody got a problem with this? Look, racism, sexism, anti-semitism? That's how you y'all want to play this? Cool. I thought it was a no-no in airport security, but I see y'all profilin' me right, left, and center, everywhere. You know what? Shame on you. Shame on your mama. Shame on your kids.

(Hardison glances at the monitor to see the pin number, then walks back around the desk)

Guard: I-it's fine. I-it's fine. I got no problem with anything. Uh, it-it looks like you used to, used to be a-a really pretty girl.

Hardison: Used to be?

Guard: A-and n-now you're a-a very handsome gentleman.

Hardison: You hitting on me?

Guard: C-can you confirm your old pin?

Hardison: It's 5135.

Guard: Uh. (scans the card) Okay, there. Try that.

Hardison: Thank you. (looks at second guard) You better re-adjust your peripherals.

Guard 2: Real smooth.

(Hardison returns to the card reader and scans the card, entering the pin)

Reader: Pin accepted.

Hardison: Don't care what anybody else says. Next time, I'm taking the train.

(Hardison enters the tower)


[Crab-a-Rama]

(Nate stands at the counter, staring at the monitor which has a picture of Joshua and a clock ticking down from 43:09. Sophie walks up behind him)

Nate: I know what you're gonna say.

Sophie: I think you should have a drink.

Nate: Okay, I didn't know what you were gonna say.

Sophie: Look, we don't like it when you drink, (pours him a drink) but we trust you when you do. We both knew this was gonna get personal. We need you to stay clear-headed. You let it get to you now, it's gonna go bad for all of us. Be very careful, Nate.

Nate: Listen, that kid, Joshua Spin, 15 years old, he's waiting in a hospital bed for a heart that may never come.

(Nate picks up the drink and takes a deep breath)


[Flashback]

(Nate’s son lies in a hospital bed, nurses and doctors working to save him)

Nurse: I've got a naked I.V. here.

Doctor: Heart rate's dropping.

Nurse: B.P.'s dropping.

Doctor: Push another five epi.

Nurse: There's nothing we can do.

(Nate stands in the door and watches through the window)


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Sam would have been 13 this year. A teenager. Almost a man. I mean, you know, probably a big pain in the ass, but… Joshua Spin is getting out of that hospital bed.

(Sophie nods. Nate sighs and takes the drink, looking down at Sophie’s hand over his)


[Tower Room]

Hardison: What's happening? How are you? Hey. Let's land some planes, huh?

(Hardison sits down at a terminal and sees a private plane about to take off)

Hardison: No, you don't.

(Hardison changes the status of the plane to ground it, then speaks into his comm)

Hardison: Leverage airlines 1-7-0-1. This is tower. Do you copy?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Did you find the jet?

Hardison: Roger, 1-7-0-1.


[Tower Room]

Hardison: That plane is grounded at private gate 1-3 due to mechanical issues.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: All right. Parker, Eliot, did you get that?


[Tarmac]

Eliot: Copy that. We're almost there.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: All right.

Linda: Do we have it yet?

Nate: Not yet. Almost.

Linda: I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Ford. I feel like this is all my fault.

Nate: Well, you did what any parent would do. You saved your kid.


[Tarmac]

Eliot: Nate, we got a problem. The plane's here, but nobody's on it, no thieves, no heart.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: All right, they, okay. They went to the back-up plan, which is, what? Hardison grounded their flight, so they went to plan "B," and that is, what? They have no private planes, so they're gonna...

(Nate runs from the restaurant)


[Airport Hallway]

(Nate runs up to a status board and sees that a flight bound for Chicago is now boarding)

Nate: No. Oh, no.

Announcer: Now boarding at gate B-19, vista Atlantic flight 831 to Chicago, all passengers. Now boarding all passengers.


[Tarmac]

Nate: Parker, Eliot, you got to get back over here. They switched to a commercial flight. Gate b-19, it's boarding now.

(Eliot and Parker run toward the cart)

Eliot: We're rolling! We got to get to that plane.

Parker: It took us 8 minutes to get there. It's gonna take us 8 minutes to get back. Wait. (goes around to the front of the cart)

Eliot: What are you doing? Wait. No way!

(Parker lies on the ground and reaches under the cart)

Eliot: Come on, Parker, we got to go! We got to get-- Let's go! What are you do-- Quit monkeying around under there!

(Parker stands up holding a piece of electronics)

Eliot: Did you just pull something out of the engine?

Parker: Yeah. Spark regulator, keeps the cart from going more than 25 miles an hour. Now we'll get there in 4 minutes.

(Eliot starts the cart and takes off quickly)

Parker: Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Yeah!


[Gate B-19]

(an attendant is at the gate checking tickets as a line of passengers move onto the boarding ramp. Parker and Eliot run up to the gate)

Eliot: They're boarding.

Parker: Who's our guy?

Eliot: I don't know. Nate said he had a black suitcase.

Parker: Well, that narrows it down to everybody, except the women.

(passengers continue to move onto the boarding ramp, most of them with black suitcases)

Eliot: Nate, we need more to go off of. Wh-what are we looking for?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Don't know yet. Tell you in a minute.

(Nate makes a phone call as the timer reads 29:24)


[Chesney’s Room]

Nurse: Sir? You have a phone call.

Chesney: Not now.

Nurse: It's to the number you gave the transplant registry.

Chesney (takes phone): Yes?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Mr. Chesney, my name is Nathan Ford. I have your heart. If you want it, I want a million dollars for it, now. (hangs up)

Sophie: Are you insane?


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: Hello?! Who is this?! Hello? Hello?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Eliot, someone at that gate is about to receive a phone call.


[Gate B-19]

Nate: Whoever it is, that's our guy.

Eliot: Copy that.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Sophie: That was what I was talking about. You just told the mark we're after him.

Nate: No, no. He knew we were onto him as soon as we grounded his plane.

Sophie: You gave him your name!

Nate: I want him to know my name.


[Chesney’s Room]

(Chesney makes a phone call)


[Gate B-19]

Announcer: Final boarding call for flight 831...

(Woods’ cell phone rings)

Parker: There.

Eliot: That's him, and his two best friends.

Parker: They're boarding.

Eliot: Nate, he's getting on the plane. We're on him right now, but he's getting on with the heart.

Nate: Well, get him off the plane...


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: …now.

Linda: Well, how is he gonna do that?

Sophie: Um, mechanical issues.

Nate: No, no. They'll just keep people on the plane until they fix the problem.

Sophie: A bomb threat?

Nate: They'll call in the authorities. Same thing with a fire alarm... no, it has to be something bigger, something, something... Hardison, uh, we need a tornado.


[Tower Room]

Hardison: A-a-a what?

Nate: Listen, they'll pull people off the plane if there's a tornado warning.

Hardison: I-no. Negative, negative, negative, negative. That's-i-it's crazy talk. What, it's cra—(to man) he thought he saw, like, a UFO. The man gone. He's gone.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Last week on that island, you faked a volcanic eruption. How is this harder?


[Tower Room]

Hardison: How is this, that was—(moves away from console) Look, man. The tower can't call in a tornado warning, okay? That has to be the national weather service, and they only do it if you get, uh, reports of a funnel cloud touching down.

Nate: Sophie and I will take care of that.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: You just sell it to the tower.

Sophie: Massdot special?

Nate: Massdot special.

Linda: Massdot special?

Sophie: Yes! (takes Linda’s phone and makes a call)


[National Weather Service]

Rachael: National Weather Service. This is Rachel.

Sophie: Oh, thank God!


[Crab-a-Rama]

Sophie: I was just out walking my dogs, and I saw a tornado touch down!

(Nate pulls up pictures of tornadoes on the computer)

Rachael: Are you sure?


[National Weather Service]

Rachael: The current forecast don't indicate any severe-weather patterns.

Sophie: I'm sure.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Sophie: I took a photo of it with my phone. I'm sending it to you now.

(Nate sends a picture of a tornado to Rachael as he dials the phone)


[National Weather Service]

(Rachael looks at the picture in shock)

Rachael: Uh, please hold, ma'am. (places Sophie on hold and takes another call) National weather service. This is Rachel.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Are you asleep at the wheel? There's a tornado out here by the airport right now! A freaking tornado! Come on!


[National Weather Service]

Rachael: Bill. Bill!

Bill: What is it?

Rachael: We got calls here. I think we need to issue a tornado warning for the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

(Rachael issues a tornado warning for the Cincinnati area)


[Tower Room]

Announcer: Attention... the national weather service has declared a tornado warning for this area.

Manager: What?! (walks over to the window) What? It doesn't look like tornado weather.

Hardison: Look, radar's pretty ugly on my end, boss.

Manager: Yeah, but we got planes to land. You know how the airlines are when we get off schedule.

Hardison: Oh, do I ever. But you know what, man? It would serve 'em just right to have a tornado hit a plane full of people right in the middle, I mean, they would get their butts sued off, everybody within 100 miles of them get their butts sued off. You feel me?

Manager: You know, maybe we should shut it down…

Hardison: We should.

Manager: …just to be sure.

Hardison: Just to be sure.

Manager: Sound the alarm! Wave off all incoming flights! Let's clear off any planes already boarding!


[Gate B-19]

Attendant: Right this way! Please! Hurry!

(Attendants guide people from the boarding ramp into the terminal)

Eliot: All right. It worked. They're clearing the aircraft.

Attendant: Everyone out, please. Come on.

(Eliot moves away as Parker continues to motion people down the hallway)


[Tower Room]

Manager: Let's go! Let's go! Once you clear your station, you clear out, too! Move it!

Hardison: Uh, excuse me, Miss Becky, Betty, what's your name, go!

(other workers leave the tower)

Manager: I'll stay behind.

Hardison: No, man, you know, you go. I'll stay.

Manager: I can't let you do that, son.

Hardison: You're a hero. You are a hero, but you know what? If anything should happen, like this tornado hits, when it actually hits, the glass shatters, and all the shards come and cut your body up like hamburger meat before you even know what hit you, we will not forget you, all right?

Manager: I have an idea. You take the tower.

Hardison: Mm-hmm.

Manager: I have an emergency-protocol thingy.

Hardison: Brilliant.

Manager: Good luck.

Hardison: Good luck.

Manager: Thank you.

Hardison: All right. Good luck. Godspeed. All that.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate (answering phone): Mr. Chesney. (walks away from counter)

Chesney: You know, you have a strange sense of humor, Mr. Ford.


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: Why are you toying with me, with my heart?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Well, it's not your heart, now, is it?


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: Possession is 9/10 of the law.

Nate: Well, I don't have much use for the law--


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: --and you don't have much time. There's 24 minutes left on that heart, Chesney. It's not gonna make it to Chicago. Why don't you give up?

Chesney: A heart can last up to six hours outside a body. The odds of successful—


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: --transplant drop after four, but, hey, (coughs) they're better than my odds, Mr. Ford. Listen.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Chesney: I'm not getting better. I'm too old--


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: --to make the top of the list. This is my only chance. I've planned for months. I have eight backup contingencies. I'm fighting for my life, Mr. Ford! What are you fighting for?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: I am fighting for that 15-year-old boy that you're going to kill.


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: God helps those who help themselves.

Nate: And I help people who can't.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: And God help you if anything should happen to that boy, because if he spends more than one second longer in that hospital than he needs to, I will make it my mission in life to end you.


[Chesney’s Room]

Nate: I will ruin you.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: I will ruin your name. I will ruin your company. I will bring down everything you have ever touched. And when I am done, I will hunt you down--


[Chesney’s Room]

Nate: --and I will kill you myself.


[Crab-a-Rama]

(Nate hangs up the phone)


[Tower Room]

Pilot: Cincinnati tower, Cincinnati tower, this is vista Atlantic flight 4-0-9 out of Madrid. Request permission to land.

Hardison: No. No. Hell no. Look, no, um, flight 4-0-9, you cannot land here. We... we have tornado warning. You're gonna have to head to your alternate route.

Pilot: Uh, negative, tower. We've had a trans-Atlantic flight. We're low on fuel. You are our alternate. We got to land now.

Hardison: N-no. No, look, I said no. I-it's not a good time. We have a tornado warning. Hello.

Pilot: Tower, we need that vector.

Hardison: No. No. Look. Tell the people to parachute down. I don't care. Do something. But you cannot land that plane!

Pilot: Tower, we're at min fuel. We do not have time to mess around. I've got 345 people up here. This is my bird. I'm the captain, and I'm landing over your objections.

Hardison: You can do that?

Pilot: Tower, I need that vector.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Parker, Eliot, talk to me.


[Airport Hallway]

Eliot: I'm set, Parker. It's on you.

Parker: All right. I see him.

(Parker continues to motion passengers by as Woods and his body guards pass her)

Parker: On three. One... (turns to follow) Two... (starts running) Yee-ha! (grabs suitcase)

Woods: Hey!


[Back Hallway]

(Parker enters through a set of double doors, running fast, followed by Woods and his men. She rounds a corner and tips a barrel behind her. Eliot tackles Woods and pushes him into a wall. Goon 1 swings and Eliot ducks, then punches him in the face while Woods runs after Parker. Eliot kicks Goon 1 and knocks him into a container. Goon 2 comes at Eliot with a mop. Eliot pushes it aside and breaks the mop, then hits Goon 2 in the face with half of the mop. Goon 2 swings his half of the mop but Eliot blocks it and elbows him in the face, knocking him into another container


[Tower Room]

Hardison: You gotta be kidding me, just, um... (pulls out a manual) It's whatever. It's just landing a plane with 300 people. It's whatever. Why didn't I play more flight simulators?

(Hardison stops and looks at the computer next to him. Reaching over, he pulls up Microsoft Flight Simulator)


[Back Hallway]

(Parker continues to run carrying the suitcase as Woods chases her. He follows her into a public hallway, where she trips over a cart of luggage and the suitcase goes flying. She reaches for one of the suitcases, but Woods points a gun at her)

Woods: Don't. (grabs suitcase)

Parker: Cheater.

(Woods opens the suitcase and grabs the red cooler before running away)


[Tower Room]

(Hardison types quickly at two different terminals)

Hardison: Hey, flight 4-0-9, turn right at 1-4-0 degrees.

Pilot: Roger. Right to 1-4-0.

Hardison: Good. Now, give me some speed. 1-5-0 knots. Give me some speed.

Pilot: Roger. 1-5-0 knots.

Hardison: Good, good, good.

Pilot: Tower, field is in sight.

Program: We have you in sight. Clear to land on runway 1-8.

Hardison: Okay, flight 4-0-9. W-we have a visual. You are clear to land on runway 1-8.

Pilot: Roger. Clear to land.

(the airplane lands safely)

Pilot: Tower, we are down.

Hardison: Yes! Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about.

Pilot: Say again, tower?

Hardison: I'm sorry. No, no, I'm sorry. It's cool. It's cool. It's cool. Celebrate with me. All right.


[Back Hallway]

(Parker jogs back to join Eliot by the containers holding the goons)

Parker: It's gone. He got it.

Eliot: Nate, you copy that?


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: Copy.

Parker: He grabbed the cooler and went through an employee-only door.

Nate: Okay. He's headed back to the private jet.

Eliot: I thought Hardison grounded it.

Nate: Tornado warning. No one's looking, he takes off without clearance, Chesney pays the fine. Hardison, where's that—


[Tower Room]

Nate: --private jet?

Hardison (checks the computer): Jet's gone, Nate. They took off.


[Crab-a-Rama]

Nate: And the cooler, too.

(Nate, Linda and Tanya exit the restaurant and walk across the lobby)

Linda: They took off?

Nate: Yeah.

Linda: They took off with the heart?

Nate: Well, no.

(Hardison, Eliot and Parker join them as they walk toward Sophie, who takes a red cooler out of a suitcase)

Linda: So, they didn't, they didn't get the heart?

(Sophie hands Nate the red cooler)



[Flashback]

(Linda puts her cooler down to an identical cooler, and picks up the other cooler.)

(Nate places a red cooler in a black suitcase. Sophie puts on an airport employee hat and picks up the suitcase)

(Woods chases Parker into a public hallway. Sophie pushes a cart of luggage across Parker’s path. As Parker trips over the cart, she switches what suitcase she’s holding. When she reaches for the suitcase with the dummy cooler, Woods points a gun at her)

Woods: Don't.

Parker: Cheater.


[Airport Lobby]

Linda: So, what did they get?


[Flashback]

(Nate shakes a snow globe before putting it into a red cooler


[Airport Lobby]

Linda: So we got the heart.

Hardison: She's catching on.

(the team, Linda and Tanya get on an escalator)

Nate: We still have to get it to the hospital. Where is it?

Linda: 15 minutes away.


[Exterior Airport]

(the team, Linda and Tanya exit the airport)

Nate: We don't have much time to get to the hospital.

Linda: There's the ambulance. It's waiting for us.

Driver: You're late. I was starting to get worried.

(Nate punches the driver, knocking him down. Eliot searches him and grabs the gun at his belt)

Nate: Chesney said he had eight contingencies. By my count, that was seven. Eliot, take shotgun.

(everyone piles into the ambulance)


[Hospital Hallway]

(the team looks through an observation window at Joshua, who is lying in a hospital bed with his parents nearby, Linda standing next to them)

Parker: What do you think Chesney's doing now?

Sophie: Probably firing his man.

Eliot: Yeah, well, they're just lucky they're not in jail.

Sophie: Can't shine a light on them without getting caught in it ourselves.

Hardison: Yeah, but, I mean, we did do some very illegal things.

(Hardison nudges Sophie’s shoulder, and she jerks in pain)

Hardison: What?

Eliot: At least the kidnapper's going down.

Hardison: What ever happened to him, anyway?


[Flashback]

(two guards and the clerk surround a large wriggling bag. One of the guards unzips it carefully to reveal the kidnapper)


[Hospital Hallway]

(Eliot looks at Nate and Sophie, then nudges Hardison)

Eliot: Let's go.

(Eliot grabs Parker on the way down the hall, Hardison follows them)

Sophie: You did it, Nate. You saved him.

(Joshua smiles at them through the window. Sophie walks away, leaving Nate looking through the window at the happy family)


[Leverage HQ]

(Nate is putting together a model boat when his phone rings. He puts a Bluetooth in his ear and answers)

Nate: Well, well. I was wondering when I might hear from you.


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: How's your boy, Mr. Ford?

Nate: He's not my boy.

Chesney: So now what? You can't report me without exposing yourself. And what's to stop me from trying again?


[Leverage HQ]

Nate: I am. (hits remote to bring up information and a video feed on the monitors) I'm watching you. I'm watching your money, your people, your company. What have you got there, a pulse rate of 86?


[Chesney’s Room]

(Chesney looks around in alarm)


[Leverage HQ]

Nate: Oh, look at that.


[Chesney’s Room]

Nate: Just jumped up to 104. That can't be good for you.


[Leverage HQ]

Nate: Make your peace now, Chesney. (continues putting model together) Because if I see anything, anything I don't like...


[Chesney’s Room]

Chesney: Well, Mr. Ford it seems you've killed me after all.


[Leverage HQ]

Nate: Oh, I didn't kill you. God killed you. I just made sure it took. (hangs up)


[Chesney’s Room]

(Chesney lays back in bed and lets the phone fall, holding the snow globe)

The End

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