Ronnie is driving in Virginia, transporting Chloe to the FBI HQ, and she tries to convince him that Ben was working for Reiden. He refuses to believe it and warns her not to speak ill of his best friend. A black car pulls up next to them and the passenger shoots Ronnie in the head. The agent’s car crashes and the two men get out, grab Chloe, throw a bag over her head, tosses her in the trunk of their car, and drive away.
In Zambia, Ray takes the team to his contact--a local outfitter--and assures the others that he’ll have information on local leopard spotting. When they get there, they discover that leopards have torn up the place, and Mitch figures that they’re on the right track. A TV is turned to a newscast about the worldwide animal attacks. The pundits are still blaming it on a virus, and the situation is getting worse. The team equip themselves and Ray discovers that his contacts used all the ammo they had defending themselves. The only things remaining are tranquilizer darts.
The two men drag Chloe into a house and strap her to a chair.
The team heads into the bush and comes to a farm family preparing to cross a river bridge. Abraham talks to the grandfather, who then drives off. The guide tells the others that the leopards have been attacking the local farms in a seemingly random pattern. Jackson suggests that the leopards are following standard military strategy of attacking randomly to panic the locals, and Abraham agrees. Mitch warns that the animals may be working as a group, and Abraham warns that they won’t have to find the leopards... because they’ll find them.
Chloe’s former superior, Alves, removes the bag from Chloe’s head and brings a man with him. As the man sets up a laptop, Alves warns Chloe that they both know she will eventually break, and wants to know where the team is. She refuses to tell him, warning that there’s nothing he can that will make her talk, and he assures her that he she won’t be the one being hurt.
As the team drives on, they come to a tree with corpses suspended in the branches. Abraham recognizes the same technique that the lions used on him, and they confirm that the leopard prints are a few hours old. As night falls, the team makes camp and Ray helps Mitch and Jamie set up the tent. As he works, the activist wonders how they’re going to administer the cure once they create it, and Mitch says that they’ll worry about one thing at a time.
Mitch joins Abraham at the fire, and the guide starts singing the song that the children were signing at the river. He explains that he used to sing with his brothers--before they were killed- and jokes when Mitch tries to sing. Jamie asks for the tranq gun so she can go into the jungle to pee, and Mitch goes with her. She can’t go with him there and moves further away, and something shifts in the brush.
Jackson goes to the fire and Abraham realizes that he’s worried about Chloe. He assures his friend that she’s fine, and they both wonder how they got involved in the entire mess.
Alves shows Chloe a webcam feed of his man Tomas in Paris, at Nathalie’s currently empty apartment.When he threatens to have his man torture Chloe’s sister when she arrives, Chloe says that she’ll enjoy it because Nathalie had sex with her fiancée. Alves warns that no one deserves what Tomas will do to them.
Jackson and Abraham hear something in the jungle, and Ray takes the tranq gun and goes off into the jungle. He finds nothing and comes back, just as a leopard leaps on him. More leopards move into the camp and the team tries to hold them off with torches. Jackson finally breaks open a glow stick and throws it on one of the leopards, which runs off. Jackson figures that they can track the leopard. They drive into the night, following the glowing trail, and Mitch suggests that they say something about Ray. Abraham speaks a brief eulogy, saying that Ray was loud and obnoxious, but he was passionate about animals. The trail disappears and Jackson pulls over, figuring that they can pick up the trail in the morning.
Nathalie returns home and Tomas grabs her. When Chloe still refuses to talk, Alves has Tomas put Nathalie on the line and tells her that Chloe is responsible for what is going to happen to her. Nathalie begs Chloe to tell them what she they want, but she says that she can’t and Tomas goes to work.
Come morning, Abraham and Mitch make a knockout drug from local ingredients. Jackson spots the leopard den and he and Abraham approach it, carrying an improvised dart spear with the homemade tranquilizer. Jackson wants to wait for a leopard to return, and Abraham complains that Jackson is still endangering them all with his risky plans. He points out that Ray didn’t have to die, and that Jackson should give them time to come up with better plans. A female leopard comes out of the den and walks off, and Abraham figures that there is a cub inside and it will be easier to handle. Jackson immediately goes in and finds Ray’s corpse. The corpse is also there, and Jackson grabs it. He goes outside as Abraham deals with a snake and they head back to the truck.
The team drives back to the river only to discover that the leopards have chewed through the bridge’s support rope. Jackson points out that to go around, they’ll have to drive through Ndube Army territory. Abraham admits that they’re thugs but that they have no other choice. As they drive there, Chloe’s phone rings in Mitch’s pack. It’s Pascal, Chloe’s fellow analyst, and Jackson tells him that the FBI has arrested Chloe. Pascal tells him that Ronnie is dead and Chloe is missing, and now she’s wanted for the FBI’s murder as well. Jackson agrees to keep in touch with the analyst and brings his friends up to speed.
Chloe finally tells Alves to make Tomas stop, and tells him that the team is in India looking for uncontaminated leopards. Alves steps outside to make a call to confirm, warning that if Chloe is lying then Nathalie is a dead woman.
The soldiers cut off the team’s truck and order them out. Abraham does the talking and the soldiers figure that they can hold the team for ransom. Meanwhile, Mitch and Jamie wait in the truck and Mitch gets an idea. He pricks the cub with a needle just as the soldiers drag Jamie out. They imprison Jackson and Abraham in the truck, and Abraham says that they need a diversion… just as the leopard respond to the cub’s distress and attack the soldiers. The men open fire and Jamie gets into the truck, and the team drives away.
Alves confirms that Chloe is lying about the team traveling to India, but admits that he can’t kill Nathalie without losing his leverage over Chloe. He tells Tomas to cut off Nathalie’s left hand, and warns Chloe that if she doesn’t tell him the truth in ten minutes when he returns, he’ll have Tomas cut off her sister’s other hand.
As Mitch drives away, Abraham realizes that Jackson has been shot in the stomach. Mitch warns that there’s nothing he can do for him and says that they have to get to a hospital.
As one of Chloe’s abductors comes in to check on her, a man comes in and shoots him dead: Delavane. The head of Reiden global security apologizes to Chloe, admitting that things went much further than he anticipated. He asks where the others are so that he can help them, and Chloe figures that it’s a trick set up by Alves. Alves pounds on the door and Delavane warns that they’re running out of time. He tells Chloe to use her analyst abilities to determine if he’s telling the truth. After a moment, she tells Delavane to shoot Alves to prove himself. Alves bursts in and Delavane shoots him dead, and then frees Chloe. He shows her the laptop, which shows his men rescuing Nathalie in Paris. Chloe promises that she’ll kill Delavane if he’s lying, and then tells him that the team is in Zambia.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 13, 2015