Burn Notice Army Of One

"Oh great, so we're going to snatch a murderer with some magnets and a roll of duct tape," Sam whined as Michael Westen hurried to dismantle his car's radio speakers. A man who was now dead had just minutes before told them where to find that man who had hired him to make a bomb which was designed to kill the man who had been hired to help frame Mike for Max's murder. A complicated scenario to be sure and getting more complicated by the episode; but, time is wasting and CIA Agent Pierce seems to be only a breath away from discovering the damning, but false, evidence linking Mike to the murder. They used the magnets to keep the door sensor engaged when they opened it; but, Sam trundled onto a floor sensor anyway alerting "the guy" who then set the whole place on fire. He did escape but not before exchanging gunfire and giving Mike a good look at him. The, as usual, pissed Fiona whined at Mike that if he kept her on the sidelines again he could bandage his own burns, while Sam fretted over the fire damaged computer that they had retrieved. Sam had a job with Jesse, and also a 'friend' (of sorts) who could retrieve the computer data; but Pierce already was investigating the explosion in the shed where Lucien had died. Mike told them to steer clear of him until he knew how close Pierce was getting. He went to the Job with Jesse after meeting Pierce; and Sam and Fiona went to 'recruit' the old computer friend. As it turns out Pierce had merely stumbled on the murder because Lucien was Romanian and Max had worked in Romania. The gun used was the same make/model as in a murder in Hialeah which the police discovered that morning, she told Mike. She also demanded that Mike give her all the files he had, so she could "get my own eyes on it."

 

Jesse's firm was hired by wealthy Richard Gronbach to provide security for his company and Jesse had already discovered an industrial espionage plot against the billionaire. He now needed to find out what the scheme was about. Jesse wanted to use Madeline to take photos and had already infiltrated the group enough to be able to recommend a "computer expert" for their plot – Matt Graham A.K.A. Michael Westen. He promised them both it would be a "cakewalk" and they would be done by lunch. However, Holcomb, Ward and Landes weren't into espionage, they were into kidnapping and theft of bank accounts; and had planned holding the airport hostage until Gronbach's plane landed – including Madeline. When Mike saw them pulling out automatic weapons, Holcomb explained that they were locking down the airport and when Gronbach's plane landed they would take out his guards and force him to give up security codes, which is why they needed Mike. So, he played along claiming that he had been in prison previously because his team hadn't noticed a surplus employee who had hidden in the restroom and called the cops. Mike convinced Holcomb to let him do a 'records check and roll call' of the hostages then feigned that there was one missing – an ex-military demolitions expert, Jack Marsden. He used Madeline to try and control the hostages, especially a whiny woman on tranquilizers. He was able to lift a clip of bullets from a security guard as well as devise a small bomb while he was out looking for the factitious Marsden and used it to 'sell' his story as well as injuring one of the bad guys. He was able to get free enough to call Jesse and warn him. Jesse was to cut a hole in the fence and eventually blustered his way into government flight controllers to re-route Gronbach's plane. Mike led them on a merry chase all over the airport looking for Marsden and was able to get them separated long enough to knock out a guard and lead the hostages out to a different building. Unfortunately, the whiney woman's thoughtless antics caused Mike's cover to be blown and be nearly killed if it hadn't been for Madeline clobbering Landis over the head with something heavy and metal. To prevent Holcomb from using a grenade to kill the hostages, Mike had to feign a gut wound from Marsden so he could offer to be a suicide bomber and get rid of the hostages himself. He built a grenade sump and detonated it in order to fake Holcomb into leaving. Holcomb had already told Mike the location of their motel when he thought Mike was going to be killed; so, Mike arranged for a police welcome when they got back there. As they were taken away in cuffs, Holcomb passed right by both Mike and Jesse and groaned his frustration.

 

From the other side of a barred screen door, Dixon was not at all happy to see Sam and definitely wasn't of a mind to help with Sam's computer in any way shape or form. "Friends don't go around tazing friends and putting them in the trunk of their car," he whailed. Sam told him "it was years ago, and I said I was sorry, and third I wouldn't have had to do it if you had agreed to help." "People never HAVE to taze people," he blustered as he was shutting the door; unfotunately, it was just as Fiona snuck up behind him from the inside… and tazed him. With Dixon in the trunk, Fiona rocketed across town over Sam's warnings then had to evade police in a chase. To Sam's questions about what was wrong she ranted, yet again: "Michael can find room for my snow globes in his apartment but he can't seem to figure out how I fit into his life." They found that Dixon was wearing a tracking anklet and was really pissed when he awoke and realized that now he was jumping the conditions of his parole. "Maybe this is fixable… I'll call in a favor from my cop buddies," Sam offered. "So you're saying that," he blustered at them, "If I do you a favor, you'll ATTEMPT to solve the problem that you just created for me!" "Alrighty then, it's a deal," Sam interjected. Fiona was able to use wire around a windshield wiper blade to block the tracker's transmission; then also to draw the police stakeout away from Dixon's workshop by leading them on a merry chase around the city.

 

When they both finally got back to the loft, Fiona was going to lash into Mike for the day she had, but didn't because he was already hurt. She gave him a flash drive with the contents of the burned computer. At least they now had a name: Tavian Korzha, and a record that he was being financed by somebody local. Mike took all his files over to Pierce like she wanted and got worried all over again at her determination, as well as his knowledge that what she was after really was in the files he was giving her.