CHARACTERS AND EVENTS IN THIS SERIES ARE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL,
ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONS OR EVENTS IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.
THE BUREAU
So? How did it go?
Terrific.
Don't want to talk about it?
Sure, I'll talk about it.
When did it happen?
This morning.
How did she take it?
How do you think?
And you?
Loved it.
Are you OK?
I'm leaving.
Where?
Jordan.
What for?
I accepted a job at the French school in Amman.
For how long?
It's a replacement, I don't know.
Are you telling me you're leaving, or something else?
Both.
What strategy did you use, in the end?
The worst. The one with no strategy.
Both pathetic and lame. Where we just stop.
What did you say?
The worst thing in the world.
That I didn't know why I was in Damascus any more,
that I couldn't cope with my divorce,
that I couldn't stand getting old, being a teacher,
and that I missed my daughter.
That I had to leave and leave alone.
What did she say?
What could she say?
She insulted me.
It had to happen.
She cried a bit.
I knew you wouldn't stay forever in Syria, especially now.
The usual break-up scene, but a bit more brutal.
It didn't bother me.
It even suited me because of Marwan.
She yelled at me.
Are you sad?
I'm sad too.
It was good.
Very good.
It's good you're telling me now.
I wouldn't have liked to know in advance.
She wanted to throw her bag in my face, but refrained.
She left.
Slamming the door?
Slamming the door.
It's time I leave the country.
You don't have a choice.
No.
I'm off. - OK, see you soon.
See you soon.
4 months later
Go with them, I'll follow you.
Hi, they call me Granpa. - Hi.
I'm Gramma. - Nice to meet you.
The Mule is behind us.
What's the plan?
We're going to your place via the buffer zone.
The one at Etoile? - No, Opéra.
From now on, you always go via a buffer zone. OK?
Whatever your destination, go via a buffer zone.
If you're going via Mortier Blvd,
change your transport method as well.
OK?
If you're on foot, you take a car and vice-versa.
OK.
Welcome, Malotru
Another half hour.
Just enough time to blink.
Look at that!
Stop!
Licence and registration.
What was that?
Come with me.
Move it!
Take him away.
That's enough.
He was driving at a snail's pace, apparently.
He was completely drunk.
He told the cops he was going slow to avoid an accident.
They took him to the station.
This is where he was stopped.
In Belouizdad.
In downtown Algiers, near the Sofitel.
This was the route based on the cell towers used.
He followed this itinerary.
This is the Belouizdad police station.
Since then?
Since, he hasn't moved.
We check every 15 minutes.
Cyclone is still inside.
Our team is at the entrance. - Was Cyclone really drunk?
Yeah.
There were witnesses.
Was he a devout Muslim?
Yes.
Let's send someone to check what state he's in.
Good, and let me know once he's out.
Tell me...
Did you train him to be interrogated under the influence?
Of course.
Can I have the recordings to see how he got on?
Did he do all right?
Yeah.
I'll find them for you.
Do you need something?
No, no, I'm fine.
It just arrived.
It's top-notch.
I tried it at HQ, it cost an arm.
I bet. No more back pain with this.
Want help unwrapping it?
No thanks. Later.
If I missed something once, I won't miss it twice.
Where's Mr Jacques?
He got transferred.
An offer he couldn't refuse.
A promotion.
So I gathered.
He informed me.
I'll be your new handler.
My name is Raymond Sisteron.
Sisteron?
OK...
You've been...
Yes, I studied the files in detail.
If you're OK, let's start with Colonel Bazire.
OK.
What's this?
Château Girard 2005.
A Pauillac, a very good wine.
You want me to drink it?
You want something else?
Beer or vodka?
You know I can't drink, it's against my religion.
You can make an exception.
We must know you can keep your cover under the influence.
Sorry, that's impossible.
Rachid, you must drink.
No point arguing, it's protocol.
But you're sending me to Algiers because I'm Muslim.
We can't let you go unless we know you can keep your cover
when you lose control.
I've never drunk alcohol and never will.
If I'm forced to drink, then I must be in danger,
meaning that my cover is blown.
If I'm forced to drink in Algeria,
that means it's too late.
You're really stubborn.
FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL IN DAMAS
BLOOD GROUP CARD
FRENCH REPUBLIC
I want to see my daughter.
Paul,
it wasn't easy.
It wasn't rational.
It wasn't moral.
It had no future.
But I'll cherish these moments for the rest of my days.
Hello, Colonel.
Hello, Henri.
How are you? - Fine, you wanted to see me?
I hear something happened in Algiers.
Really?
Something's happening?
Nothing special. At least...
Nothing special? - No.
Good.
The one place where nothing should happen is Algiers.
If something's really happening, I'd tell you right away.
Excellent.
It's Henri Duflot. Do you have the interrogation files?
Yes, but we can't read the files.
What?
What's going on?
The file's corrupted.
No backups?
Yes, but it's the same.
The problem is the recording.
That's ridiculous...
It wasn't flagged?
I never needed to see them until now.
My predecessor didn't ask for them?
No, he trusted me.
Right.
OK, thanks.
It's nice.
Whose flat is it? - A painter
who's retired and rents me his flat.
It's great. Is this where you'll live?
Until I find something else.
Just two rooms? - Yes.
OK.
You got too much!
I wasn't sure how you eat.
Or that you drink wine.
Is it a good one?
Yes, do you like it?
Yeah, it's fine.
Is your mission over?
Yeah, it's over.
What was it?
I still can't tell you.
Did you kill people over there?
You really think I'll tell you?
I can't tell you what I do, but I can say I killed people?
Did you free hostages? - No.
I didn't free hostages. - Did you find chemical weapons?
No.
Did you set up wiretaps?
No.
I won't know then.
No.
How's it going at home?
Fine.
Where are you going on vacation? - To Portugal with Mom.
Mom and Louis? - Yeah.
How's it going with Louis?
It's a secret.
Very well... - What?
You won't talk, why should I?
My mission was to make contacts.
Meet people in a certain environment,
observe them, get to know them,
and see if they had information that could be useful.
If that was the case,
I had to convince them to give it to us.
Did you blackmail them?
No, that doesn't work.
It's people who want to help France or advance their cause.
My only task was to find relevant people.
You had to make friends.
Acquaintances, let's say.
That's why you left for six years.
To make acquaintances...
You prefer I kill people?
Yeah.
No, I don't know.
But that's cool...
You left to make friends.
I left because it's my job.
Yeah... Well, now I know.
Here. - Thanks.
One last thing.
Remember Istanbul, going to the hotel? - Yeah.
Same thing here. - I'll be followed?
If you feel that way, it's normal.
They're making sure I haven't been seen.
If the taxi driver is sketchy, I call?
Wave your arms, they'll come.
I always try to spot them. - If you do, tell me.
So I can tell them off!
Good night.
Yes?
Our agent picked a fight and got arrested.
I see that.
They're taking him to Belouizdad station.
He might get out tomorrow morning.
He'll update us on Cyclone.
Great, thanks.
You'll enter the station.
You'll question and dig around...
You'll get out and tell me Cyclone's OK.
Yes?
Our agent just entered the station. He'll leave within 24 hours.
We'll know what happens.
Let's hope. Thanks, good night.
Let's hope...
Of course we'll know.
You see, I took good care of you.
Thanks for the wine.
Only two hideouts left.
Here or a guest house in Ville-d'Avray. Simenon atmosphere.
I thought you'd prefer here.
I'm double-parked. - Let's go.
I'm glad you're here.
Because right now... - What?
We're in hot water.
How so?
It's either nothing or a nightmare.
I want you to handle the next agent.
You want me to train him? - Supervise the preparation.
It's not every day one's returning and another leaving.
Where's he going?
'She' is going to Iran.
OK.
27 years old, geophysicist.
What are you doing in Iran?
I work at the International Geophysics Centre in Teheran,
in the seismology studies department.
What does your job involve?
I evaluate regional earthquake risks
where people want to install
thermal or nuclear stations.
You've learned your text nicely, bitch.
Are you gonna stop spouting bullshit?
I don't like it when a whore takes me for a fool.
What the fuck are you doing in Iran?
What's going on?
You don't understand? - No.
You have to learn street Farsi.
There won't be nice teachers questioning you.
They're cops, rude and rough.
If you don't understand them, it'll be a problem.
From now on, learn with this.
Would the cops really be like that?
Oh, yes.
In Iran, you could be arrested for anything.
It doesn't mean a thing.
If you don't understand a word, you'll panic.
Here's Guillaume Debailly, known as Malotru.
Very glad to see you again. - Thanks.
Welcome. I'm Rim, Henri Duflot's secretary.
Nice to meet you.
Austerlitz, I'm in charge of Ostrogoth, our Chinese agent.
A pleasure.
Nice to see you again, Malotru. - Hello, Jean-François.
Welcome to the Bureau. - Thanks.
Can we... - Sure.
It's weird. - Yes!
In 3D, it's different.
He looks good, right? - Very good.
What's he going to do now?
He'll supervise the training of Marina Loiseau
with Marie-Jeanne Duthilleul.
Good idea.
I might ask him to handle the Cyclone affair.
We need his experience.
Good idea too, isn't it?
Give him time to settle back in.
He told you himself, he's ready.
He's the best among us.
We're lucky to have him.
Obviously.
You've worked together, haven't you?
Yes.
I was in the field,
and he was an analyst. We worked in tandem a while.
Then he got sick of the Bureau.
He became a volunteer.
Yeah... And he left on a mission.
And I was elected here. - In 2010, I remember.
I was already the assistant director of your predecessor.
And the ID card?
I haven't found it yet.
How can that be?
I have two big trunks I haven't unpacked yet.
As soon as I find it, I'll bring it in.
OK. Nothing else?
No, it's all there.
My turn now.
We'll check it all.
Email address?
Plefebvre@gmail.com.
OK, it no longer exists.
Any other addresses?
Plefebvre34@hotmail.com.
Can you log in? I think your email is still active.
I thought I closed it.
Normal, you have to click on some tiny box in Settings to validate it.
Everyone who's worried about you.
OK, I'll close it.
Yes...
Do you want to take a look?
Yes, why not?
They're all insults.
You disappeared without a trace, they're all upset.
Want a coffee? - Yes, please.
I love you. I'm not over it. I won't write again. Nadia
So? - I'm getting an earful.
I warned you.
It's OK, you can close it.
I saw your photo, but I wasn't sure.
Hello.
I'm Marina Loiseau.
It's an honour.
A stroke of luck.
Two men at the counter behind you.
Blue suit?
No, more to the left.
Tall guy, pink shirt,
and a guy in a denim jacket, about 30.
Perfect.
I want surname, first name, job and phone number.
You have 15 minutes.
OK. First and last names, profession...
Hello. Could you spare two minutes?
I'm in charge of the new menu.
Are you regulars?
I come from Monday to Friday.
That's not bad.
It'll be a bit long, if...
I really like the Shepherd's salad.
So... First and last name, profession and cell number.
Very good. You made the mistake I expected.
The short guy left, the tall one stayed. He likes you.
Once I leave, he'll jump on you.
You'll learn how to approach people at the proper distance.
Not too far, to learn as much as possible,
and not too close, to not influence the target.
Your mission is to know people without drawing attention.
You're not an agent. You're undercover.
You don't recruit.
You describe.
OK?
No, stay. Order something.
You'll give me a report.
Have a nice day.
Measuring the desk?
Just kidding.
I wondered who made me hurry back from Damascus.
The director decides on the end of the mission.
The boss handles the specifics.
Strategy is Duflot's department. Tactics are mine.
I have you to thank for the 48-hour notice?
So what?
Why'd you do that? - To keep you focused on the job.
It's like moving house.
If you know you're leaving, you mentally move.
You're there for the notice period, but you're not there.
You clean less, you let go.
I didn't want you to let go of your mission.
You did a good job to the end.
How long did you wait to tell me?
Two or three months?
Between the two.
What's the problem exactly?
Didn't have time to say goodbye? Was it your girlfriend,
that it?
She didn't like it?
Good evening, you're still here?
Does it bother you? - No, I thought it was over.
Apparently not.
I'm buying cigarettes. Want some?
No, thanks.
Good evening. - A carton of cigarettes, please.
Is that all? - And a prepaid phone.
I need an ID for this purchase.
Thanks.
Hello?
It's Paul.
Are you calling because of the bombing?
Yes.
I wasn't there. I'm fine.
I saw the news, it was frightening.
I know.
The building got infiltrated by the army two months ago.
That's why they bombed it.
There weren't any students or teachers.
We were all moved.
That's good, what a relief.
You're still worried about me, then?
Of course.
Where are you?
Still in Amman?
No, in Paris.
I needed to see my daughter.
You're in Paris? - Yeah.
Me too.
Malotru!
My name is Guillaume.
Malotru is my undercover name.
I'm no longer undercover.
I'm sorry, force of habit.
And since I'm not undercover, no point in watching me.
It's for security.
Is it really necessary?
It's not for you to judge.
I'd like to get back to a more simple life.
That's not possible yet.
Why?
You ask too many questions, Guillaume.
You've forgotten our standard protocols.
You shouldn't be that way with me.
What way?
Hostile.
I'm not hostile.
I'm cautious.
I know he works for counter-terrorism.
Do we have an interesting lead
on the investments?
Is there already a lead,
some kind of fraud, an investment that seems...
Our agent's out. No trace of Ben Arfa.
Are you sure? - Yes.
Nowhere?
No, nowhere.
I don't understand, no one saw him leave.
Maybe he's in a basement...
No. We checked everywhere, he's not inside.
Our agent just called. No trace of Cyclone at the station.
Crisis Room 1 is occupied.
I'll open Room 2? - Yes, please.
Colonel... - Hello, Henri.
I don't know if you know Malotru.
He just finished his mission in Syria.
Colonel.
Malotru, you know why I'm called Mag?
My code name.
Undercover, like you. Eight years, Moscow.
Nice to meet you, Colonel.
I thought it useful to bring in Cyclone's initial handler.
Jacques was not only his first handler,
but he also trained Cyclone.
Excellent idea.
Next time you say nothing special's happening,
I'll be very worried.
It's been 52 hours without news from our agent in Algiers.
How many are active?
We had nine. With Malotru back, we now have eight.
Including Cyclone. - Yes.
We've lost one eighth of the fleet.
His phone's still at the police station where he was taken 48 hours ago.
But Cyclone is no longer there.
One of our guys checked
and notified us earlier.
He's no longer at the station? - No.
No one saw him leave?
Again, no.
What are the theories?
We have three.
Cyclone was arrested.
Cyclone was abducted.
Cyclone organised his own disappearance.
The fact that he was drunk
favours the last two theories.
Why's that?
Since he refused the interrogation training under the influence,
he probably lost control with the police.
Maybe he blew his cover.
Was he unstable?
No.
Why did he refuse the training?
He's a devout Muslim.
Then why was he drunk?
Did he suddenly lose his faith?
When we're on a mission, the conversations
with our handlers are recorded. Maybe that kept him quiet.
What do you think?
I looked over everything.
I didn't see a single sign.
So, you saw nothing, we don't know where he is,
and we don't know what happened.
Does that sum it up?
We can also evaluate the risks.
Go on.
Here's a list of what Cyclone may have compromised.
Including what he had access to before he left.
Jacques?
Out of 50 or so targets identified by Cyclone,
he knows of four who've been recruited.
They all operate within the Algerian intelligence departments.
Cyclone also knew about the following operations:
AMENAS in Mauritania,
PHILIBERT in Mali,
FELIS in Algeria,
TRITON in Libya,
and to a lesser degree, CHALOUPE, off the coast of Dakar.
Put the sources on standby and suspend all upcoming operations.
60% of our activity in Algeria may be compromised.
What a day.
Have you been to Algiers?
Yes.
Twice.
I almost got killed in 1991.
I know.
Some places are just unlucky.
Yes, but it was a close one.
You were only 54 yards from the explosion.
This fallout may be much worse.
You've got five weeks to sort this out.
If everything's not back in order,
with our agents back in the field, our operations reactivated...
It'll be complicated.
They say it's good to have a deadline.
But that's not always the case.
Don't bother, he'll go via the buffer zone.
Did we tell him all the vehicles are bugged?
He guessed.
What's the bastard doing?
He's screwing us.
I sincerely hope
I'll be the only victim of the Cyclone case.
It's a bit too soon.
Yesterday, it wasn't even a case.
Why hide the truth from me?
It was my responsibility.
You needed a scapegoat to protect you and the Colonel.
Now that I'm leaving, you're no longer protected.
You should be happy, you have Malotru to replace me.
I'm not sure he'll protect you. Watch out.
For what?
He may be dangerous. Post Mission Disorder.
Meaning?
He's still undercover.
Why are you in Paris?
I'm studying at the World Cultures Institute.
It's sponsored by UNESCO.
I've been elected Director of the Heritage Foundation.
That's great. - Yes.
It's a big responsibility, especially right now.
Did you come alone?
No, Marwan's waiting in the car.
He stayed in Damascus.
We should've told him about the back-up bug.
They let you vaccinate them?
What?
Want to talk to Rémi?
He's exhausted, he works too hard.
Mom's good. She's just buried in taxes.
Yeah, right, very funny!
Got more photos of fennecs? Arthur loves them.
You'll send them?
I think I heard him cough.
OK, I'll leave you boys.
Bro, don't forget the fennec.
Later!
I'll ask you a question, you don't have to answer.
Go ahead.
What's the code name of your operation?
I shouldn't say.
If you don't know...
If I tell you the code, can you say yes or no?
OK.
FELIS.
Why are you asking?
If you don't know...
What do you take me for?
Go fuck yourself.
Fuck your mother.
Asshole.
Where do you teach?
I stopped teaching. - Really?
I'm writing.
About what? - It's still unclear.
A novel,
an essay?
An adventure novel.
The story of a man rushing to his downfall.
By doing what? - Overstepping the limits.
So, you're the one overstepping the limits?
What limits?
Want dinner?
I wanted to warn you, I'm seeing someone.
Really? OK.
A married woman.
OK.
Do I know her?
I've never mentioned her, but maybe you do: Nadia El Mansour.
The historian?
She's married to Marwan El Mansour, oncologist.
As long as he's not a cop or a minister!
How long has it been?
Since yesterday.
Will it last?
I don't know. I'll keep you posted.
Oh, no, don't bother.
I mean...
Unless there's a problem.
What kind of problem?
Charge it to my room. - Of course.
What number? - 303.
Perfect, thank you. Good night.