The press gathers as political exile Joseph Elias returns to his
native Central American country. The reporters speculate that the U.S.
may have pressured President for Life Colonel Gregory Usher into letting
opposition leader Elias return after Usher was indicted in a U.S. court
on charges of drug trafficking. However, as Elias arrives, Major
Duvall, Usher's head of security, pulls up with his soldiers. He shoots
Elias dead and then drives away.
In San Francisco, Jim picks up
his briefing at a fruit market after exchanging code signs with a street
busker. He's informed that since Usher has become his country's ruler
three years ago, he has used his country's resources to produce and
distribute cocaine. It's proven impossible to extradite Usher and he's
made sure that he can't be democratically removed from office. With
Elias' assassination, the IMF must now get Usher out of his native
country and onto U.S.-controlled territory so he can be arrested.
At
the team briefing, Jim tell the others that Miles Taggart, who was
providing Usher with ether to manufacture cocaine, has been arrested by
the DEA. The arrest has been covered up and Nicholas will go in posing
as Taggart. Jim then shows the team a photo of St. Luke, an atoll 50
miles away from Usher's country. It's a U.S. protectorate and the owner
has loaned it to the IMF for their use. The team will duplicate the
owner's beach house and boat on another island in international waters.
Grant then projects a hologram of a teenage boy calling out to his
father. Jim explains that the boy, Kieron, is the son of an IMF employee
and will be joining their team. Fifteen years ago, Usher's wife left
him after he beat her, and rumor has it that she was pregnant at the
time. Usher claimed that he loved her and has been searching for her and
his alleged son ever since, and Kieron will fill the role of that son.
Nicholas
and Grant (as Nicholas' bodyguard) go to see Usher, while Duvall
complains that he hasn't had time to check Nicholas' credentials. Duvall
takes Grant's gun and asks to see the scar that Nicholas received on
his right arm in a recent car-bombing attack. Nicholas says that it was
the left arm and shows Duvall the (fake) scar and they enter Usher's
compound. As Duvall tells them that they'll see the cocaine plant the
next day, Usher has a sudden headache. As Duvall gets Usher his
medication, the major explains that Usher has frequent headaches but
they shouldn't be construed as a sign of weakness.
An IMF is on
the second island assembling a fake house while Max arrives flying the
seaplane they'll be using. He tells Jim, who is supervising the
construction, that the fake house is convincing. Meanwhile, Casey is
training Kieron in the use of an underwater rebreather.
That
night, Grant sneaks into Usher's bedroom and places two hologram
projectors in the wall. Nicholas tries to keep Usher out of his room by
discussing business. Usher shows him a case of rare American Double
Eagles that he has collected, says that they have taken a long time to
increase in value, and discussion of their business can wait. He goes to
his bedroom and Grant is forced to hide on the balcony. Usher hears his
men talking outside and starts to go outside to check on them. To avoid
exposure, Grant triggers the audio on one of the projectors,
distracting Usher. As the guards patrol the balcony, Nicholas arrives in
time to drop Grant a rope so that he can climb up and escape. Back in
their room, Grant plays a projection of Kieron, calling to Usher and
saying that they need him. When a startled Usher turns on the light,
Grant shuts off the projectors.
The next day, Usher takes
Nicholas to the cocaine plant and complains about how the U.S. has
banned the import of ether to his country. He has another headache and
Nicholas mentions Jim as an American neurologist in the area who is on a
lecture tour. Interested, Usher asks him for more information.
On the second island, Max finishes work on the seaplane and flies Kieron and Casey to the mainland.
During
Usher's third anniversary part of his time in power, Jim comes over and
introduces himself. Usher talks about his "vision" of Kieron the
previous night and has another headache. When Jim steps away, Kieron
emerges from the jungle and calls Usher "father," and then runs off.
Usher has Duvall send soldiers after Kieron, but the teenager dives into
a lake and uses the rebreather that a waiting Casey has for him. The
soldiers find no one and leave.
Later, Duvall informs Usher that
there was no sign of any boy while Jim examines the colonel. He tells
Usher that he has a congenital arteriovenous malfunction, which Usher
already knows. Jim says that it could cause hallucinations but Usher
realizes that he's holding something back. He tells Jim that Duvall has
confirmed he isn't on a lecture tour and figures that he's there to
treat Kieron, who has the same inherited condition. Jim reluctantly
agrees that he is treating such a boy, who travels with his mother. Max
flew him to an island off the coast in a seaplane and he doesn't know
where Usher can found the mother and son.
Duvall and his soldiers
soon track down Max at a bar. After he puts up a brief fight, they take
him into custody. Meanwhile, Grant runs the hologram projector again,
and the Kieron image tells Usher that he needs him and that his mother
is sorry that she ran away. Duvall come sin and Grant shuts off the
projector, and Usher goes to see Max. Max finally gives up the location
of the second island and Usher insists on going there and has Duvall
prepare a boat.
As the ship's captain takes Usher and Jim to the
island, they see the (fake) beach house and Jim confirms that it's where
he was before. Kieron is on the beach using a metal detector to look
for coins and as they approach, Usher asks Jim if blood relatives can
sometimes communicate telepathically. He has Jim confirm that he and
Kieron have the same blood type and they watch as a woman resembling
Usher's wife calls Kieron into the house.
Nicholas goes to the
manufacturing plant to secretly plant explosive charges. Duvall and his
soldiers arrive and capture Nicholas, and the major informs him that
he's received a telegram from the real Taggart, who escaped U.S.
custody.
Usher takes a Zodiac to the island and approaches
Kieron, saying that he's a friend of Jim's. They talk about Kieron's
poor health and his interest in rare coins, but then Kieron says his
mother doesn't want him talking to strangers. The teenager admits that
he never knew his father and his mother doesn't like to talk about him.
Usher receives an emergency message from Duvall but first asks Kieron if
they can meet again, and the teenager says that he might be able to.
When
Grant sees Duvall return with Nicholas, he rigs the outlet plate in the
room to give a shock. Duvall comes in and is shocked long enough for
Grant him to knock him out. The team now needs time to disassemble the
fake house on the second island and Nicholas makes a Duvall mask to
delay Usher.
Usher returns to the compound and meets with the
disguised Nicholas, telling him that he's a father. He isn't interested
in Nicholas' disposition, casually telling Duvall to dispose of him, and
then goes to his case of Double Eagles. Usher decides to give them to
Kieron as a belated birthday present and orders Nicholas to prepare the
boat again. However, Nicholas warns him that there are three American
destroyers in the area and they can't go by water. Usher starts drinking
heavily and Jim comes to see him. The dictator laments his wife's
betrayal, ignoring the fact that he beat her, and Jim suggests that he
take a plane instead to avoid the destroyers. Usher agrees and meets
with Max, telling him that he'll spare his life if the pilot takes him
to island with the beach house.
Max agrees and flies Usher out.
The colonel sees the second island and thinks that it's the spot, but
Max points out that there's no house on it. Meanwhile, the disguised
Nicholas smuggles Grant out in the trunk of Duvall's car. They go to the
rendezvous spot, activate the explosives at the plant, and take a
helicopter to meet their teammates.
Max lands the seaplane at St.
Luke and Usher goes assure. Kieron waves to him from the house and the
dictator approaches him. However, U.S. Marshals move in behind him and
when Usher notices them, Kieron slips away. Usher realizes that he's on
the wrong island and wades out to the seaplane, dropping the case of
coins, but Max has slipped away as well. As the marshals place Usher
under arrest, Jim, Casey, Kieron, and Max watch. Jim assures Kieron that
his father would be proud of him and they leave in the helicopter.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 30, 2018