Sir, we greatly appreciate your continued patronage
during these troubling times.
However, I must ask...
Are you truly okay with always having just steak and nothing else?
I require the perfect protein intake in order to maintain my perfect body.
It's as simple as that.
I'm done. See you tomorrow.
Thank you very much.
It's about time for the inquiry committee hearing.
Are you ready?
Of course.
Feeling nervous at all?
Nope.
It's no wonder they call you the walking AI.
Oh, nothing.
Well, we better get going.
Oh, hey, you feeling okay?
Yeah, I'm fine...
Ow...
You should get more rest.
Thanks for having my back.
The feeling is totally mutual.
Where's Axel?
He's out getting groceries with Doug.
Huh? Has that cat always been here?
Yeah.
Although it's still not very friendly.
Found a place to belong in spite of itself, huh?
Alrighty, I bought a bunch of stuff.
I've turned off the drive recorder so our conversation won't be overheard.
Oh dang, are you...
gonna ask me out on a date?
That's the last thing I'd do, even if the world ended tomorrow.
Bummer.
What do you think?
About what?
Say that we get our hands on Skinner...
will we really get the freedom they promised us?
Hard to say.
Seems like we may have uncovered one too many secrets.
Exactly.
And considering they went out of their way
to make Lazarus a separate unit from the NSA...
So once the job is done, they'll just erase us all along with it.
For once, I agree with you.
Aw, shucks.
And I'm pretty sure they're already trying to figure out
exactly how much we know.
Hayes!
It's been awhile.
Hey, Abel.
You're looking good.
Right back at you.
Let me introduce you.
This is...
Maybe later.
Friend of yours?
That's Captain Hayes.
He was in the Green Berets with me.
Wow...
He's a career military man, born and bred in the Army.
And the other guy?
That's Schneider from INSCOM.
I don't know him personally, but he's supposed to be quite sharp.
Sounds like you've got a new rival.
I now call this inquiry committee hearing to order.
We are gathered here today to discuss
the future of Team S5, also known as Lazarus,
that was recently formed under NSA supervision.
Okay, please present the report.
The Lazarus team was specially assembled with the goal of capturing Skinner,
but so far they've instigated a public shootout,
a helicopter crash,
a massive fire at a cult compound, and most recently,
an oil rig fire in Russia,
all of which has put them under serious suspicion.
We've already confirmed the Lazarus team
landed in close proximity to the site of that fire
by using a European-based US Army copter just prior to its outbreak.
It seems clear beyond a doubt that Lazarus was directly involved in these incidents.
Anything to say, Abel?
I have no objections.
As if that's not bad enough,
one member of Lazarus is actually a former Russian spy.
You can't deny the possibility that she might have
leaked our intel to Russia, can you?
The biggest problem is
this series of actions has no direct connection
to their mission of capturing Skinner.
In that case,
it seems to me that we need to see proof
of whether Lazarus is really searching for Skinner or not.
As it so happens,
my people have made contact with a member of Lazarus
and we've arranged for them to testify at this hearing.
Permission is hereby granted to
bring the witness in and have them testify.
Are you saying that we've got a spy?
Well...
I once saw Leland carrying two different cell phones around.
I don't have any solid proof,
but be sure to keep that in mind.
Uh-huh...
Your name?
Leland Astor, sir.
You've been acting as a member of Lazarus
and monitoring all of their actions from the inside.
Is that right?
Yes, sir.
Let's start with your mission in the Arctic.
Was that necessary in regards to the search for Skinner?
No.
That operation was undertaken to rescue Chris,
and it had no direct connection to Skinner.
Oh?
So this mission, which has stoked international tensions,
was carried out solely to rescue one of your own, do I have that right?
Correct.
Oh, Chris.
You shouldn't be moving around yet...
Aw, c'mon.
At this rate the world will end with me still in bed!
What was this again?
However, Chris is an essential part of ensuring
that Skinner is found and captured.
So, in other words,
this mission was ultimately necessary if we want to catch Skinner.
Hold on, are you saying that it was worth the cost
of causing an international affair?
No, but right now,
I believe finding Skinner should be considered the higher priority.
Tell us, were your teammates really searching for Skinner?
Weren't they actually doing something else?
No, sir.
From what I could tell,
there was no indication they were doing anything else.
I still have questions.
For example, the history of another member, Axel Gilberto.
We're aware that he was in prison before,
but the details seemed to have been covered up.
Well...
I'm not sure myself,
but my guess is someone from the prison has tried to bury it,
since they don't want people to know that he escaped multiple times.
So, he's broken out of prison more than once?
That's what he told me:
From the icy depths of Alaska to the heart of the Arizona desert.
The witness may step down.
In any case,
our view is that the Lazarus team must be held responsible
for the various issues they have caused.
Pardon me!
What is it?
Skinner has just uploaded a new video statement online!
It's been twenty days since I made my initial statement,
but I'm afraid that no one has come to visit me.
The world's governments have been acting as if nothing happened.
They continue to fight over territorial waters in the Arctic
and just shamefully push the world even closer to war.
Has humanity already given up on the idea of survival?
As previously announced, the first subject will die in ten days.
And you should know that first subject...
is me.
So unless you find and catch me within the next ten days,
then hope will be lost forever.
No way...
So he hasn't taken the antidote?
How the world will look after ten days is entirely up to you people.
That's all I can say at this point.
Huh? What's so funny?!
Nothing much.
Just that I agree with Skinner.
Everything that I was planning to say here, he already said for me.
What do you mean?
We don't have time to waste on this ridiculous farce.
What good does it do any of us to sabotage our colleagues and stab them in the back?
The bottom line is, we're just one step away from catching Skinner.
If the committee chooses to disband Lazarus now,
then which of you is planning to assume responsibility
when nobody is able to find Skinner in time?
Who will even be left to take the blame after
the world literally comes to an end?
Then, we have no choice.
But, sir!
Permission is granted for Lazarus to temporarily resume their activities.
But obviously, only for ten more days!
You must capture him without fail before then.
Of course.
That's the plan.
You heard the kid's testimony.
The escapee from Eyman Prison in Arizona that we've been looking for...
is definitely Axel Gilberto.
Then why is there no data?
I'm assuming because they had a hacker erase it all.
They don't want anybody to know, huh?
We're going to have to take action.
Don't underestimate Abel.
That man is incredibly sharp.
He'll catch on if we act too carelessly.
I'm aware, which is why we won't do it ourselves.
In fact...
we'll just get a ghost that nobody has ever met to do it instead.
What do you mean "ghost"?
Leland!
There you are.
You gave me a real scare.
S-sorry.
I nearly lost it after your testimony started
painting us in a bad light. I was totally ready to kill you.
Gosh, that joke's more scary than funny...
Why didn't you tell me about this?
Well, as the saying goes...
"Fool the enemy by fooling your friends first."
I'm sorry.
Was it INSCOM who reached out to you about testifying, Leland?
They never said who they were, but I'm pretty sure it was.
They must have thought it'd be easy to flip you to their side,
but apparently they weren't aware that Abel was close friends
with your father, huh?
Thank you for your business.
Very well, I will come to you.
Goddammit.
Skinner being the first to die was definitely not something I saw coming.
We're boned.
Oh, Chris, you okay to be up?
Well, we can't really afford me sleeping in bed all day, can we?
Did you see Skinner's statement?
We just watched it.
It seems pretty obvious that Skinner never took the antidote.
I got the same impression.
No more time to screw around, huh?
Yeah, except we don't have any new clues to go off of.
Oh, right!
Could you look into this for me?
What's this?
Some kind of drug?
It's something I picked up when we searched Skinner's place.
Really?
How come this is the first time we're seeing it?
Cuz I forgot about it, jeez.
Whatever, I bet that pill was just stuffed in
some clothes lying on the floor.
Whoa, how'd you know that?
In any case, we should look into it.
It's almost time.
Greetings.
I assume you're the clients?
You're the guy?
I'm Soryu's agent.
Please call me HQ.
Nice to meet you.
Sorry, but I'm afraid we can't reveal our identities to you.
Will that be a problem?
Not at all.
All that you need to provide is precise information
about the target and payment.
Tell me about this "Soryu" guy.
All I've heard
is that he's a phantom assassin who nobody has ever seen before.
Who exactly is he?
I merely act as his agent.
I know nothing about his origins or identity.
Plus...
I've actually never met him in person myself.
Are you serious?
However, I can guarantee you that any task he accepts will be executed flawlessly.
All right.
But my understanding is that his services don't come cheap.
It's 30 million dollars per job.
Tax-exempt, of course.
What?!
Yeah, that lines up with what I've heard.
If you don't find those terms acceptable, then we will be unable to move forward.
Hold on.
I'm not paying millions of dollars to some ghost that nobody has ever met
without a guarantee that he can get the job done.
You propose a test?
That's fine.
However...
please be aware we don't accept responsibility
for whatever outcome the test has.
Fair enough.
Then we'll proceed with payment after the test has been completed.
Where will the test take place?
Check the back of my card.
Now, if you'll please excuse me.
Christ, all this gear for just a single target?
What've they got, a friggin' tank?
Well, even you and your piss-poor aim could nail 'em with firepower like this.
Damn straight! They'll be mincemeat in seconds.
Shit, guess we ain't having sloppy joes for dinner.
Only one target.
Dead or alive.
We don't know what kind of traps to expect, so stay on your toes.
This mission is complete once we confirm the target has been neutralized.
Single heat signature detected in area 7D.
Let's get this party started, boys!
Come in!
Somebody give me a sitrep!
I repeat, somebody give me a sitrep!
Hey! What's the matter?!
N-no friggin' way...
Goodness me.
I must say, he really went overboard.
I will need you to dispose of all the bodies, please.
Hey, what happened!?
Give me an update!
They were wiped out?
That's impossible...
All right, he's passed the test.
His target will be this man.