4

After the tumultuous night, Kate and John are in a quiet corner of the base. Kate looks visibly shaken and embarrassed. She approaches John, who is checking his gear.

Kate: (sighing) John, I need to talk to you about what happened with Ted. I was fooled by a corrupt officer and almost... I almost had sex with him.

John: (looking up, reassuring) Kate, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known. And look, we can spin this to our advantage. You could say you honey-trapped him, led him to your apartment to gather information.

Kate: (smiling slightly) Thanks, John. I appreciate your support, especially since you seem younger than me. I wasn't expecting this level of understanding.

John: (smiling back) You don't have to mention it. We're in this together. And who knows, you might be able to help me in the future.

Kate smiles, feeling a bit more at ease. The scene shifts to the team learning about Díaz being recalled to Mexico. They prepare to raid the tunnel near Nogales. Matt gathers everyone for a briefing.

Matt: (seriously) We're going to raid the tunnel near Nogales. Díaz has been recalled to Mexico. Kate, Reggie, you need to know that your involvement is a technical necessity. The CIA can't operate alone within U.S. borders.

Reggie: (angrily) So we're just pawns in your game?

Kate: (firmly) I'm staying. I need to learn the true purpose of this mission.

The entrance to a dark, narrow tunnel near Nogales. Kate, determined and armed, follows John and the task force inside. The tunnel is dimly lit, with only occasional flickers of light from above. The air is thick with tension and the distant echoes of gunfire. Kate moves cautiously, her heart pounding as she navigates through the labyrinthine passageways.

Kate: (whispering to herself) Stay focused, Kate. Follow John.

As Kate ventures deeper into the tunnel, she comes across several bodies, each killed with precision knife strikes. The sight is gruesome, and she has to steel herself to keep moving. The sound of a gunfight grows louder ahead. Kate presses on, her senses heightened.

Suddenly, she enters a wider section of the tunnel where the task force is engaged in a fierce gunfight with cartel members. Amid the chaos, she spots John moving with deadly efficiency. He is a blur of motion, his actions precise and brutal.

Kate: (in awe, under her breath) He moves like a ghost...

John moves through the tunnel like a knife through butter. He ducks under a spray of bullets, seamlessly switching from his firearm to a knife as he closes in on a group of cartel members. With swift, lethal strikes, he dispatches them one by one, his movements almost graceful in their brutality.

John reaches a corner of the tunnel, where several cartel members have taken cover. He throws a flashbang, temporarily blinding them. Using the momentary chaos to his advantage, he charges in, his knife flashing in the dim light. He slashes and stabs with deadly precision, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

John: (gritting his teeth) No mercy for those who prey on the innocent.

Kate follows John, witnessing his relentless assault. He uses the environment to his advantage, kicking off walls and ducking behind cover as he moves from one corner of the tunnel to another. His gunfire is relentless, each shot finding its mark. Blood splatters the walls as he continues his violent path through the tunnel.

At one point, John encounters a particularly large group of cartel members. He tosses a grenade into their midst, the explosion echoing through the tunnel and disorienting the survivors. He then charges in, his knife flashing as he cuts them down with ruthless efficiency.

Kate: (thinking to herself) How can anyone be so deadly and so calm?

John reaches the end of the tunnel, where the last few cartel members are attempting to flee. He takes them down with precise shots, ensuring none escape. The tunnel falls silent, save for the distant sounds of the task force securing the area.

Kate finally catches up to John, who is standing amid the carnage, his breathing steady despite the violence he has just unleashed. He turns to her, his expression unreadable.

He abducts Silvio, a corrupt Sonora police officer working as one of Díaz's drug mules. Kate raises her gun, trying to arrest John and Alejandro.

Kate: (yelling) Stop! John, Alejandro, drop your weapons!

Alejandro: (angrily) Never point a gun at me again.

Alejandro shoots Kate twice in her Kevlar vest to subdue her. She falls back, winded but protected by the vest. John rushes to her side, checking if she's okay.

John: (softly) Are you alright, Kate?

Kate: (nodding, gasping for breath) Yeah, I'll be fine.

John: (kissing her forehead) I promise, I will bring real change, Kate.

John drives away with Silvio at gunpoint. Kate stumbles through a gap, her clothes ripped, face scraped. Fury burns in her eyes as she spots Matt leaning against a beat-up truck.

Kate: (Voice hoarse with anger) Matt! What the hell was that back there?

Matt doesn't flinch. He takes a long drag from a cigarette, the ember glowing a malevolent red in the darkness.

Matt: (Low, menacing voice) Looks like you got lost, sweetheart. Wrong tunnel, huh?

Kate: Don't play dumb with me! I saw what you were doing. All those people...

Matt: (Cutting her off) More than you needed to see.

He flicks the cigarette away, the embers disappearing into the dry earth. Kate steps forward, her defiance a spark against the gathering storm.

Kate: I'm not going to be quiet about this. I'll tell everyone.

A cruel smile twists Matt's lips. He takes a menacing step towards her. Regie tenses behind Kate, hand instinctively reaching for a weapon .

Matt: You think anyone will believe you? You're just a nobody, Kate. They'll say you're crazy, seeing things.

Kate: (Voice rising) I'm not crazy! You can't silence me!

Matt throws his head back and laughs, a harsh, humorless sound. He lunges for Kate, grabbing her arm with a brutal twist. Pain shoots up her shoulder, but she glares at him, defiance hardening her features.

Matt: (Snarling) So stubborn. Maybe we need a little...persuasion.

He slams Kate against the truck, his hand tightening around her throat. Regie lunges forward, but a glint of metal stops him cold. Matt levels a gun at Regie, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

Matt: (Calmly menacing) Stay back. Now, where were we?

Kate gasps for breath, fear clawing at her, but her eyes lock with Matt's. This isn't over. Not by a long shot.

Matt: (calmly) The mission is part of a broader operation to revert the various drug cartels back to a single Colombian-run business. It's a situation we can more easily control and work with.

Kate: (in disbelief) So all of this... just to consolidate power?

Matt: (firmly) It's about maintaining balance, Kate. Sometimes you have to work within the gray areas to achieve a greater good.

Kate stands there, absorbing the weight of Matt's words.

Alejandro forces Silvio to stop Díaz's vehicle. With a cold efficiency, Alejandro kills Silvio and then makes Díaz drive to Alarcón's estate. They arrive at the grand mansion under the cover of night. As the car slowly rolls to a stop, Alejandro slits Díaz's throat and exits the vehicle with John. The car continues to move forward, drawing the attention of the guards.

Guard: (approaching the car, confused) What the...?

The guard sees Díaz slumped over the wheel, blood everywhere. Before he can react, Alejandro and John silently emerge from the shadows, swiftly and stealthily taking down the guards. They move with precision, entering the mansion undetected.

Inside, the atmosphere is serene and incongruous with the violence outside. Alarcón and his family are seated at the dinner table, unaware of the approaching danger. Alejandro and John enter the dining room, guns drawn, and approach the table. The family looks up, terrified.

Alejandro: (calmly) Everyone, remain seated.

Alejandro sits opposite Alarcón, his gaze cold and unyielding. John stands nearby, gun trained on the family.

John: (softly to the children) Close your eyes.

The children, trembling, shut their eyes tightly. Alarcón, trying to remain composed, faces Alejandro.

Alejandro: (voice dripping with venom) You are the man responsible for ordering the murder of my wife and daughter when I was a prosecutor in Juárez.

Alarcón: (defensive) You were working for a rival gang. I had to do it. And look at you now, doing the same thing. You're no different than me.

John: (stepping forward) You had my mother and father killed, Dan and Jessica. How did they get in your way?

Alarcón: (sighing) I may have information that could be useful. If you let my family go, I'll tell you everything.

Alejandro: (smirking) You know we can do anything to you. We have all the leverage.

Alarcón: (desperately) I know. I'm offering myself. Just let them go.

John: (nodding) Okay. Tell me, and then we'll decide.

Alarcón: (quickly) A person from a group called Cerberus approached me. They gave me the job to take care of your family, offering power and money.

John: (demanding) Who are Cerberus?

Alarcón: (shaking his head) I don't know. They were supposed to contact me after the job, but they never did.

Alejandro's eyes narrow. He glances at John, then back at Alarcón.

Alejandro: (coldly) Nice talking to you, Alarcón.

Without warning, Alejandro shoots Alarcón's children and wife, their bodies slumping over the table. Alarcón's face twists in shock and despair. Before he can react, John raises his gun and fires, ending Alarcón's life.

John stands there, breathing heavily, as the weight of what just happened sinks in. He turns to Alejandro, his face a mix of anger and confusion.

John: (struggling with his emotions) I know I shouldn't judge you, Alejandro. I came here for the same reason: vengeance. But even the kids?

Alejandro: (unbothered) This is the land of wolves, John. You entered it willingly. I see the most vicious wolf inside you. No matter how hard you try to suppress it, it shows its fangs.

John stands silent, contemplating Alejandro's words. After a moment, he turns and walks away, leaving the scene of carnage behind him. The darkness of the mansion seems to close in, a stark contrast to the cold night outside.

Scene fades as John exits the mansion, his steps heavy with the burden of his actions and the realization of the path he has chosen.

Kate is in her apartment, feeling the weight of the recent events. She's sitting on her couch. Suddenly, Alejandro appears, forcing his way in and pointing a gun at her.

Alejandro: (coldly) Sign this statement, Kate. It attests that the entire operation was legal.

Kate: (trembling) Why are you doing this?

Alejandro: (impatiently) Just sign it. 

Alejandro then make her sign on gunpoint .

Reluctantly, Kate signs the statement. Alejandro starts to leave, but she grabs her pistol and aims it at him. Alejandro turns to face her, his expression unreadable. Kate's hands shake, but she cannot bring herself to pull the trigger. Alejandro nods slightly and walks out, leaving Kate standing there, breathing heavily.

Moments later, there's a knock on the door. Kate, still shaken, opens it to find John standing there.

Kate: (voice breaking) What do you want now?

John: (gently) Nothing. May I come in?

Kate hesitates but then steps aside, letting John enter. He closes the door behind him and they sit down. The atmosphere is tense and filled with unspoken words.

Kate: (bitterly) So why are you here, bastard? You people are scum. You're no different from terrorists.

John: (sighing) I'm not a terrorist, Kate. Hell, I'm not even CIA.

Kate: (shocked) What do you mean?

John takes a deep breath and starts to tell her his story.

John: My parents were killed in an ambush by the Sonora cartel. I wanted revenge, so I asked my grandfather, who was in the CIA, for an opportunity. He let me in, and you know the rest.

Kate: (skeptical) What kind of bullshit story is this? And why are you telling me?

John: (looking defeated) I'm afraid I'm losing myself, Kate. I won't rest until I've broken down everyone responsible, and I have no one left to share this with. You seem like a good person, someone I can talk to.

Kate sees the vulnerability in John's eyes and lets her suspicion go. She softens, feeling a connection to his pain.

Kate: (softly) How are you holding up, John?

John: (sighing) Not well. Every day, I feel like I'm slipping further into darkness. I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this.

Kate: (reaching out) You don't have to do this alone, you know. We can help each other.

They continue talking, the conversation flowing freely. The tension between them eases as they share their fears and hopes. The emotional connection deepens, and they find solace in each other's presence.

John: (softly) Thank you, Kate. For listening.

Kate: (smiling) Anytime, John.

As their talk continues, they begin to move closer. The attraction between them becomes palpable. They start to make out, the intensity of their emotions driving them. John lifts Kate gently and carries her to the bedroom.

Scene fades as they enter the bedroom, seeking comfort and connection in each other's arms, finding a brief respite from the chaos that surrounds their lives.