Ambush (7) The tough thing about setting up an ambush in a place of business is that it only works if the business is still running. Usually that means getting the cooperation of some very unhappy business owner, setting your team up someplace out of sight and waiting for your target to arrive. � 607 - Reunion (87) Sneaking past trained operatives waiting in ambush is usually next to impossible. They can stay alert through the long boring hours of waiting ready for action at any second. Armatures, on the other hand, tend to relax which can give you the opening you need. � 507 - Besieged (69) The key to robbing an armed transport is to stop the vehicle without putting the guards on the defensive. Shooting a tire can cause a blowout without arousing suspicion. But, it takes a gifted sniper to hit a target moving forty miles per hour. � 506 - Enemy Of My Enemy (68) If you had to choose an ideal environment for guerrilla war it would probably look a lot like an urban parking structure. It's an easy place to create a distraction and draw out opposing forces. A parking garage is also a great place to control visibility and give yourself an advantage. And once you do that, you can find cover and stage an effective ambush. � 303 - End Run (31) Any ambush depends on knowing where your target is going to be and when. Unfortunately, there are times when the only way to put your target in the line of fire is to be there yourself. Those are the times you just have to trust your team and hope everything goes right. � 301 - Friends and Family (29) If you suspect you're walking into an ambush, searching for where the bad guys are hidden is probably going to get you killed. Unless you get lucky and find them in the first place you look, you are dead. If you can manage it, the best move is to make it impossible to hide. � 214 - Truth and Reconciliation (26) When a pro plans an ambush, they capitalize on the element of surprise. They attack aggressively so their opponent has to react from a place of weakness. An amateur, on the other hand, is more likely to take a defensive posture which means they are the one acting from a place of weakness. � 208 - Double Booked (20)

Assassin - Sniper (7) Shooting through a friendly to hit a target is a tricky thing to pull off. There are only a few places on the human body that can take a gunshot without severing a major artery or destroying a vital organ. Getting shot on the inside of the shoulder won't kill you quickly but almost any gunshot will kill you if you give it enough time. � 412 - Guilty as Charged (56) Most people think snipers like to shoot from ledges. The fact is, the best sniper position is inside a room, through an open window. It hides the shooter, masks the report of a supersonic round and makes the muzzle flash impossible to see. � 209 - Good Soldier (21) If you walk in on a corpse and can't catch your breath, you might be suffering from a panic attack, or someone might be pumping nitrogen gas into the room to displace all the oxygen. It's not a bad way to kill someone. They suffocate before they've realized there's a problem. It won't show up on a tox screen, and there's no trail left behind… unless you know where to look. � 202 - Turn and Burn (14) Most assassinations involve the firing of a single well-placed bullet. The trick to selling an assassination attempt is to use a lot more fire power... and an explosion or two doesn't hurt. � 202 - Turn and Burn (14) It's impossible to stop a good assassin from finding an opening, and taking the shot. The best you can do is to control where the best opening is, and sometimes, that's enough. � 110 - False Flag (10) Assassination is one percent shooting, ninety-nine percent preparation: anticipating moves, devising approaches, recruiting sources, finding the perfect opportunity so the bullet's almost an after-thought. Usually that's when a target's on the move, when there are too many variables to control them all... There are ways to lessen the risk: an armed escort, taking an unpredictable route to your destination, having back-up in a trail car. But ultimately, as long as the assassin knows where you're going, they have the upper hand. � 110 - False Flag (10) A hit man is like a plumber, a dentist or a mechanic. Everybody is always looking for a good one. � 102 - Identity (2)

Blackmail (5) Setting up a blackmail is about more than knocking your target out and snapping pictures of things he won't remember. It starts much earlier with all the things he will remember. You need to make sure that by the time you knock him out he's ready to actually believe that he did anything. Once it's time to spike your target's drink the important thing is to control the dose. Mix too much sedative with alcohol and you shut down the part of the brain that controls the heart and lungs which means your target won't be sleeping… he'll be dead. � 608 - Unchained (88) A successful blackmail depends on the psychological state of your target. Leading with your demand can risk putting him on the defensive right from the start. But if you start by showing him how his world is about to crash down first, he'll be looking for the key to his salvation and be more likely to take it when you offer it to him. Of course no blackmail attempt can succeed if your target has no fear of being extorted. � 608 - Unchained (88) Blackmail may be effective at times, but it's never fun. The problem is that it works best on people that are basically good. If someone's made a mistake he regrets, it's easy to make him regret it even more. � 414 - Hot Property (58) The problem with blackmail is that it's like a gun with only one bullet. You can't waste that bullet on every little problem. And the closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to pull the trigger. � 303 - End Run (31) Powerful people don't like being pushed around. You can never quite predict what they're going to do. Or have their washed-out special forces security guys do. Point is, blackmail is a little like owning a pit bull; it might protect you, or it might bite your hand off. That's why it pays to make sure you know what they're thinking, and that means - eavesdropping. � 101 - Pilot (1)

Bodyguard (5) Personal bodyguards are specifically trained to identify and prioritize potential threats which means getting their attention is usually as easy as becoming the most immediate threat in the area. � 603 - Last Rights (83) Protecting a target from a bullet sometimes means taking a few shots at them yourself. A near miss puts the target on their guard and keeps the real gunman at bay. But you can never predict how someone is going to react to a bullet whizzing by their head. � 505 - Square One (67) Operatives do a lot of bodyguard work. On any given day the average commando is more likely to be watching a VIP walk his dog than engaging the enemy in battle. Not glamorous, but part of the job. � 209 - Good Soldier (21) Doctors are well known to be the worst patients. Similarly, anyone with special ops training is tough to protect. They think they can handle anything. � 106 - Unpaid Debts (6) Basic rule of body guarding, never fight with the protectee around, mostly because if they catch a stray bullet, you're out of the job. � 103 - Fight or Flight (3)

Booby Traps (6) An effective booby trap not only needs to look like a good hiding spot, it also needs to leave your enemy incapacitated. A well placed 50-gallon oil drum should pique your targets curiosity and a portable defibrillator packs enough punch to make their heart skip a beat without stopping it entirely. Wire the defibrillator to a convincing decoy and whoever comes looking will be in for a shock. Connect the camera wirelessly through an internet phone provider and you'll be able to keep an eye on your trap from anywhere in the world without having to pay long distance. � 411 - Blind Spot (55) High school chemistry teaches us that volatile chemicals like sodium metal will burn when they come into contact with the moisture in the air which makes them ideal triggers for particularly nasty booby traps. High school chemistry also teaches us that oil and water don't mix. So to defuse a booby trap triggered by moisture, you submerge it in oil. It's messy, but it'll keep you from being blown to bits. � 410 - Hard Time (54) Being hunted isn't always a bad thing. When someone is on your tail, you can pick the route. And if you're really good, you can lead them into a trap of your own. � 405 - Neighborhood Watch (49) When you booby-trap someone else's place, you put the trigger in the door or just inside so the odds of tripping it are much higher. If you rig your own place, the trigger has to be farther inside so you can safely enter. A trip wire is a quick and dirty version but a contact plate under the rug is completely undetectable. Put a little accelerant on the walls, and there's a reason they call it a firetrap. � 211 - Hot Spot (23) One more thing about booby traps. Make sure your friends know not to drop by unannounced. � 104 - Old Friends (4) When booby-trapping your home, it's important to keep it simple. Make it easy to set up, easy to disable. � 104 - Old Friends (4)

Boss - Leader (1) A certain kind of leader insists on controlling every aspect of an operation, so that nothing can possibly go wrong. The downside to insisting on controlling everything is that when something bad happens people tend to think it was all part of your plan. � 205 - Scatter Point (17)

Bribery (3) They key to successfully bribing someone who resists an initial approach is research and observation. You need to know as much as you can about your target – his principles, his weaknesses, his dreams. With most by-the-book targets, it's usually just a matter of making them feel like they're not being paid to do something wrong, they're being rewarded for doing something right. � 609 - Official Business (89) Bribery is a delicate art. Success often depends less on how much cash you offer and more on how you offer it. Pretending to believe there's a standard fee for what your asking for means you're less likely to report the bribe. And if you come across as unlikeable, even a normally ethical person might not pass up a change to make a buck off your stupidity. � 413 - Eyes Open (57) Bribery's a lot more difficult than it sounds. There's no way to shop around, so you usually overpay for whatever information you're after. There's no money-back guarantee if the information's bad. And, of course, the only thing that you know for sure is that you're handing your money to a thief and a liar. � 214 - Truth and Reconciliation (26)

Buildings (5) One of the most popular bases for covert operations is an abandoned building. Hotels and apartments have too many people coming and going to base a long term op. You can buy a house, but it's hard to buy something big enough discreetly on short notice. Find a building that's been condemned however and you can move right in, as long as you can find some way to supply power and you don't mind a little dust. � 610 - Desperate Times (90) Gaming facilities provide a natural habitat for loan sharks who are always hunting for gamblers who need a quick buck for a bad rate. As long as they don't turn on each other they're at the top of the food chain. � 503 - Mind Games (65) When you need to locate a foreign spy office, it's all about the food. Spies like home cooking just like everyone else. Find out who serves their regional delicacies -tip the bartenders and delivery boys well and they'll usually tell you who placed the big orders on the last national holiday. If some of those orders head to an office with tight security and scowling workers with short haircuts, you're in business. � 314 - Partners in Crime (42) Whether it's a drug compound in the mountains of Colombia or a tropical estate in Miami, nothing says success like a lot of land. Of course, the more land someone has, the easier it is to hide out and do surveillance. Lush landscaping may be beautiful, but it's hardly secure. � 312 - Noble Causes (40) Because warehouses store bulk items and not people, they're usually built cheaply. Most of the time, the roofs are just plywood and asphalt tiles. Attach a hole saw bit to a silenced drill and you can bore through the roof without attracting attention. If you want to create a bigger opening, a few ounces of C-4 on the brackets holding the door in place will do the trick. � 311 - Friendly Fire (39)

Bureaucracy - Government (7) As a spy you get used to dealing government bureaucracy. If you need to requisition a weapon, get an interrogation log to an analyst or even arrange an emergency evac from a hostile territory, a bureaucrat can be your best friend. But when you need a simple answer to a straightforward question that same bureaucrat can become your worst enemy. � 608 - Unchained (88) If you need to get information from a government official, it's often best to approach him outside his usual place of business. When he's not in an environment which reinforces his authority you're a lot more likely to get something out of him. Especially if you can catch him alone. � 608 - Unchained (88) Bureaucracy is a spy's best friend. The overlap between city, county and state emergency response creates confusion that can be exploited at a crime scene. If you wander in off the street and claim jurisdiction, you buy time by wrapping yourself in red tape. � 406 - Entry Point (50) Whether you're dealing with the presidential guard in Belarus, the Federal Security Service in Russia, or the local police in Miami, the drill is pretty much the same. Keep your place clean of damning evidence, keep your alibis and your whereabouts straight, and always be ready for surprise visits. � 303 - End Run (31) If you've spent time working for the government, you understand that it's a game with its own rules. If you wanna make the government work for you, you have to understand how the game is played. An FBI agent might hate you, but if working with you gets him out of an assignment he hates even more, you've got yourself a partner. � 214 - Truth and Reconciliation (26) Government agents have to stay within the law but they still have plenty of options to hit you below the belt. Sometimes a bullet to the head is a lot easier than a slow death drowning in red tape. � 213 - Bad Breaks (25) Most of the people who work in a consulate are just municipal drones enjoying an overseas post. But the head of security that guy's almost always a spy. � 203 - Trust Me (15)

Chase - Pursuit (9) When you're being chased you want to be driving something with speed, maneuverability and stability. In other words, you wanna' be driving anything but a container van. If you find yourself in an under-powered vehicle with a high center of gravity and a top speed of sixty, your best bet is to attack whoever is after you with every thing you have. If an attack's out of the question it's all about getting as much distance as you can between yourself and your pursuers – and bailing out. � 616 - Odd Man Out (96) The first and most important decision when you're pursuing a target is whether your goal is to capture or to kill. Of course, just because you've decided you don't want the chase to end in bloodshed doesn't mean your target feels the same way. Once someone uses force the game changes entirely. When you know peaceful capture isn't an option you have to take the target down immediately, and if you miss the chance you may not get another one. � 607 - Reunion (87) When you're pursuing someone it's tempting to focus exclusively on overtaking the other person. It's often better to force the person you're chasing to go faster than the terrain allows and wait for them to make a mistake. But even when a chase ends you can never assume the other person will give up without a fight. � 502 - Bloodlines (64) Foot chases rarely last long. During the initial burst of adrenaline it's important to keep your target in view. If you can, you'll probably catch up. Few people have anything left after a quarter-mile at top speed. � 413 - Eyes Open (57) As dangerous as a high-speed chase can be, there's nothing quite as treacherous as a no-speed chase. If you get pursued into bad traffic, your operating paradigm has to shift. Your car's no longer being pursued. You are. Just because your car can't move doesn't mean you can't. � 407 - Past and Future Tense (51) If you find yourself in a high-speed pursuit while driving in a caravan, you don't always have to be faster than the cops. You just have to be faster than the guy next to you. Of course, it helps if you are faster than the cops. � 402 - Fast Friends (46) Chasing a car with a motorcycle is a tricky thing to pull off. The obvious thing to do is shoot out the car's tires. Problem is, it's a very difficult shot unless you're alongside the car. Unfortunately, it's also pretty tough to hit a high-powered motorcycle when you're in a swerving car that's taking fire. � 401 - Friends and Enemies (45) Searching for a concealed enemy who could be anywhere is a waste of time. Usually, your best bet is to stay put and give your enemy a reason to come to you. � 302 - Question and Answer (30) When you're in a foot chase, the trick is to stay in visual contact with whoever you're pursing until they run out of gas. Of course, visual contact doesn't do you much good if you're separated by a 12-foot-high razor-wire-topped fence. � 214 - Truth and Reconciliation (26)

Counterfeit (2) When you're on the run and you're planning on doing some serious international travel you need to be prepared to put together some top notch travel documents. Making a fake ID that can reliably cross the border these days isn't just a matter of getting special paper and a hologram sticker. You need some very expensive high technology. Unfortunately, the people who sell that kind of technology tend to be very unpleasant and very well armed. � 616 - Odd Man Out (96) Between matching holograms and color-shifting inks, altering a page in a modern passport is virtually impossible. So if all the pages are full and you have to adjust someone's travel in a hurry, it's better just to swap out the page entirely. It's as easy as pulling out the stitching on a cheap T-shirt. You just need the skill to put it back together. � 315 - Good Intentions (43)

Covert Offensives/Actions (3) In almost any operation there's a moment when everything hangs in the balance, when a dribble of sweat , a clumsy answer or even a stutter can get you killed. � 615 - Best Laid Plans (95) When an operation goes seriously wrong you have to decide quickly whether to bail out or keep pushing and try to salvage what you can. Bailing out is less risky but when it means leaving someone behind to die sometimes you just have to grit your teeth and roll the dice. � 614 - Down and Out (94) Coordinated covert offensives involving two teams are a lot like ballroom dancing. You have to synchronize your steps, time your moves and always put your partner first. But unlike the tango or the two step it's good form to hog the limelight during covert ops. If all eyes are on you, your partner can work undetected on the sidelines. � 507 - Besieged (69)

Criminal Activities (11) Banking security algorithms look for anything unusual: transfers in large amounts, on the same day or in multiple countries at the same time. Do any one of those and you might get red flagged. Do all of them and you'll send the authorities looking for you anywhere you want them to. � 615 - Best Laid Plans (95) One of the biggest problems for any drug smuggler is the drug detection dog. Their noses can be up to ten thousand times more sensitive than a humans, which makes it necessary to mask the smell with something else. In Columbia that means coffee in Panama it's often the catch of the day. � 611 - Desparate Measures (91) Efficient cocaine smuggling operations can process, package and distribute their product without loosing track of a single gram. They rely on highly trained guards, controlled access points and workers stripped down so they can't steal their product. Conveniently, the same room that keep drugs safe are also great for stashing prisoners. � 611 - Desparate Measures (91) There's always a risk when using a stolen car in an operation but there are ways to minimize that risk. Take it from an employee parking lot during mid-day and chances are it won't be missed for hours. You want an older model to avoid anti-theft devices and a common neutral color that won't attract attention. Of course it doesn't matter how carefully you choose a car if you have to drive it through a police check-point. � 608 - Unchained (88) Criminals who specialize in hacking are a special breed. They have the skills to find legitimate work but they choose to steal instead. They are all about using their brains to dominate and control. That's why crafting a cover ID that will succeed with them is a challenge. They're not looking for an equal partner they're looking for another looser to sneer at – so that's what you give them. � 504 - No Good Deed (66) Spies are in the law breaking business. Call it espionage, covert ops, whatever you like. When you get right down to it, you're a criminal working for a good cause. When your job involves daily law breaking, chances are you're going to find yourself on the wrong end of a manhunt at some point. � 316 - Devil You Know (44) Large amounts of cash present a huge temptation: to steal, to kill for, to counterfeit. � 313 - Enemies Closer (41) Neighborhood Watch is just a nice idea in most suburbs. But where you really see it in action is the inner city. Only there, it doesn't protect against crime. It protects against cops. Just like cops have drug-detecting dogs, some neighborhoods have cop-detecting kids. Once the alarm goes out, criminal activity shuts down like a picnic when it rains and any fugitives run like jackrabbits. � 311 - Friendly Fire (39) In an army, a chain of command gets activated by unusual events. Tanks amassing on a border, a hacking attack on a central computer, assassinations of key personnel. A street gang's chain of command is no different. Showing up in a stolen car and making a splashy entrance will get a message sent up the ladder. � 311 - Friendly Fire (39) Most black market transactions tend to go the same way. First payment is inspected, then the goods are brought to the table. This standard sequence is meant to ensure both parties against a blown deal. � 215 - Sins of Omission (27) There are a number of different choices when you take over a building by force. Do you keep the hostages face down on the floor or do you move them into a room together? How do you cut all the lines of communication out? And how do you deal with the place's security measures? Whatever your style, hostile takeovers are about one thing -total dominance. � 213 - Bad Breaks (25)

Danger (1) Danger isn't always obvious. It can be as subtle as a glance from a friendly seeming tourist, a car that slows down at an odd time, or a cop that suddenly seems a little too interested in you. � 301 - Friends and Family (29)

Defense (1) A good defensive position is known as a force multiplier. One man can hold off three others as long as he can remain well protected while keeping up a steady stream of suppressing fire. Only problem is doing that requires a lot of ammunition and when it's all gone your defensive position very quickly becomes a death trap. � 608 - Unchained (88)

Details (7) Convincing someone that they're looking at an army that's not there is about the little details: the barrel of a high-powered rifle combined with the bulkiness of a seat back under a plastic tarp can sell the presence of a team of concealed snipers ready to supply cover fire. A heavily loaded vehicle positioned at a natural choke point gives the impression of an assault team ready to storm the target. And a few well-placed agents with ear-pieces look just like spotters that could guide an assault team. � 602 - Mixed Messages (82) Bad guys, like most people, aren't big on checking the details in legal documents which makes fine print a powerful weapon for a spy. Altering information on subsection ten of a title deed may not be very exciting; but, when that information makes a loan shark look like a cop, it be as deadly as a bullet. � 503 - Mind Games (65) Forging intelligence files is always tricky. Spies are trained to catch even tiny inconsistencies, from outdated type face to the wrong kind of thermal-chromatic ink. Even the folder needs to be picture perfect because the fact is: spies do judge books by their covers. � 411 - Blind Spot (55) Like engineers and wedding planners spies obsess over details. If you always keep a lock with the logo facing in and suddenly you find it turned out, you've got a problem. � 402 - Fast Friends (46) It doesn't take long working in combat situations before you start paying a lot of attention to little things. Like an open gate or a pampered dog running around loose often lead to much bigger things. Like a body floating in a swimming pool. Of course, knowing something's wrong and being able to do something about it are two different things. � 314 - Partners in Crime (42) When you prepare for a mission, it's the little things that count. Firepower is great, but an operation's more likely to be saved by a fresh set of batteries than a gun. � 308 - Friends Like These (36) In the adrenaline rush of a high-stress situation, you tend to miss details. But it's the little things that make all the difference. � 303 - End Run (31)

Diversions (10) A car on fire makes a great diversion but it takes a few minutes to get it fully engulfed. If you don't have much time to spare you find the closest burning materials that will create the most smoke: like old newspaper and fast food bags doused in hand-sanitizer. Stuff them into rolled up rubber floor mats and you've created a vent that will focus the flames into one area. And the more focused the flames the faster everything burns. � 608 - Unchained (88) Creating a good diversion isn't just about creating noise and firing guns. It's about giving the enemy the impression that he's being attacked in a way that demands the immediate attention of all of his forces. Ideally something big and very, very loud. � 513 - Damned If You Do (75) Even a fender-bender can stop traffic for a few minutes but creating a longer-lasting road block is about provoking an emergency response. Cops and fire-fighters won't go anywhere near a burning chemical truck billowing smoke that looks toxic. Which means you can get four hours of road-block with a smoke canister and a little gasoline. � 509 - Eye For An Eye (71) One way to break into a secure building is to commit a decoy crime first. Create an obvious situation to explain why an alarm was tripped and people won't discover the real reason you stopped by. � 504 - No Good Deed (66) Working in the field often demands making tough decisions. But if you have to choose between letting someone get killed or getting beat up as a distraction, you pick the bruised ribs every time. Nothing distracts someone like rage. Although getting someone really angry can be risky. � 405 - Neighborhood Watch (49) It's never fun being used as a diversion but it is an effective way to get the drop on an enemy with superior numbers and firepower. And it's all about making a clean getaway. If you can't do that, it never hurts to be in an armored car. � 315 - Good Intentions (43) A good diversion draws people's attention but doesn't make them run for their lives. If you're using a parked vehicle that means you want smoke and fire without the risk of an explosion. Olive oil starts to smoke at 375 degrees. Mix in the right amount of cheap motor oil with a low flash point, apply it to the inside of the exhaust pipe, and you should have enough time to walk away before the fun starts. � 312 - Noble Causes (40) When you need to distract someone without raising suspicions, it helps to play to preconceptions. Tourists are fat, old people are cranky, and girls can't drive. � 207 - Rough Seas (19) If you want to empty a building, pulling a fire alarm is useless; no-one pays attention unless they're actually on fire. A bomb scare next door to your target strikes the right balance, everyone clears out and then pays attention to the other building. � 206 - Bad Blood (18) Most people think distracting a group of guys is best done by a beautiful woman. The problem with beautiful women is people want them to stick around; which can cause a lot of problems. Obnoxious guys, they just want to get rid of. � 202 - Turn and Burn (14)

Double Agents (4) The thing about doubling anyone is that the more they do for you, the deeper they get. The deeper they get, the more you can make them do. Great if you're running them, but hard on the source. The suicide rate is – above average. � 109 - Hard Bargain (9) Running a double agent is a relationship; there's a give and take. Mostly take, but sometimes you have to give. � 109 - Hard Bargain (9) The art of turning someone into a double agent is delicate. The target has to be put into a fragile psychological state. Fortunately, fragile psychological states are a specialty of Fiona's. � 109 - Hard Bargain (9) It's always easier to turn someone who works for a criminal gang into a double agent. The more secretive and ruthless their side is, the better. You work on their fear that any hint of disloyalty, will get them killed by their own people � 109 - Hard Bargain (9)

Duct tape (1) Once somebody sends a guy with a gun after you, things are only going to get worse. But like it or not, you've got work to do. For a job like getting rid of the drug dealer next door, I'll take a hardware store over a gun any day. Guns make you stupid. Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart... Every decent punk has a bulletproof door. But people forget walls are just plaster. Hopefully you get him with the first shot. Or the second... Now he's down and waiting for you to come through the front door. So you don't come through the front door. � 101 - Pilot (1)

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Enemies (2) Work in intelligence long enough and you hang on to phone numbers. No matter who your enemy is, there's a chance you'll need him tomorrow. Churchill and Stalin weren't chummy in 1941. But once the Nazis marched on Moscow, they got past their differences. � 316 - Devil You Know (44) In covert ops, you get used to seeing old enemies. Sometimes they're looking for intelligence. Sometimes they're looking for revenge… and sometimes they're looking for a friend. � 312 - Noble Causes (40)

Fighting - Attack/Battle (1) One of the most dangerous times for a spy is right after a job. Your guard is down which makes it a good time for an attack by your enemies; or, in some cases, your friends. � 501 - Company Man (63)

Fighting - Defensive (2) When you find yourself in a tough situation, like being outnumbered twenty to one on an island crawling with mercenaries, it's important to remember that the key to any battle is intelligence. It may be tempting to shoot first and ask questions later; but, if you wanna stay alive you ask questions first. � 508 - Hard Out (70) There are dozens of ways to disarm a man with a gun but unfortunately they all come with a risk that the gun will go off. No matter how good you are it's not something you wanna try with a child present. Unless you wanna tell a bereaved mom that you gambles with her kids life because you felt lucky. � 507 - Besieged (69)

Foreign Countries (3) Every environment has its rules and customs and your survival often depends on knowing them. In Russia, you never refuse vodka. In Pakistan, you always clear your dinner plate. And in prison, you're careful about making eye contact. Too little eye contact, and you become a victim. Too much eye contact, and you become a threat. Either way, you're never more than a couple of blinks away from getting a shiv in your back. � 410 - Hard Time (54) Spies spend a lot of time traveling but they don't usually end up in the most desirable destinations. You're much more likely to find yourself visiting a rebel camp in the Philippine jungle or a hidden bunker in the mountains of Pakistan than lounging beach side in the Bahamas. But even when you do find yourself in a vacation paradise, it's still all about business. � 404 - Breach of Faith (48) Southern Nigeria isn't my favorite place in the world. It's unstable, it's corrupt, and the people there eat a lot of terrible-smelling preserved fish. I will say this for Nigeria, though: it's the gun-running capital of Africa. And that makes it a bad place to drive a passenger sedan into a crowded market. � 101 - Pilot (1)

Framing (2) If you're looking to frame a specific group for a bombing you use their design plans, their construction materials and their particular brand of C-4. Bomb experts know that not all C-4 is the same. The same taggant chemicals that allow manufacturers to identify their own product will also allow forensic teams to track down the source country to determine who's to blame. It's just like checking the label on a T-shirt to determine where it was made, only a little more complicated. � 417 - Out of the Fire (61) If you're going to put prints on a gun, sticking it into somebody's hand isn't going to do it. Any decent lawyer can explain prints on a gun. But try explaining prints on the inside of the trigger assembly. � 101 - Pilot (1)

Identification (2) When you're a fugitive it's tempting to flee the country and worry about the details later. But, it's also a great way to get caught. Since most countries now require biometric IDs the first step in getting out of town is getting good documents. You can't just go somewhere new. You need to be someone new when you get there. � 614 - Down and Out (94) The most advanced computer is worse at identifying faces than a newborn baby. Unless a photo is taken straight on under direct lighting facial recognition software is nearly worthless. Fortunately, drivers license photos are taken straight on under direct lighting for exactly that reason. � 506 - Enemy Of My Enemy (68)

Infiltration (4) The first moments of an infiltration are crucially important. That's when you're establishing yourself – what you know about them, what they know about you and most importantly how useful you're going to be. If the target decides you're useful your in. If they you're not useful, you're dead. � 506 - Enemy Of My Enemy (68) Infiltrating hostile territory is all about blending in, which means if you're a sniper in the bush, you wear a ghillie suit, and if you're a beautiful woman at a Miami house party, you wear a slinky dress. � 312 - Noble Causes (40) Finding a way into a criminal organization is about observing social dynamics. You start with a target. You're looking for just the right person to approach. People in the inner circle are usually too tough to go after. Anyone with real power is bound to be cautious. Drivers and bodyguards are easier but they usually don't have real access. You want someone with enough juice to be hungry for more, someone desperate to make a move. In short, you're looking for a frustrated middle manager. � 304 - Fearless Leader (32) Getting into a secure facility is as simple as giving yourself a good reason to be there. � 201 - Breaking and Entering (13)

Injury (5) Combat medicine is not necessarily about long term healing. Civilian doctors try to immobilize injured limbs to make sure they knit properly. Field medics often have to do the opposite and make broken limbs as usable as possible. Walking on a broken, bloody leg isn't good for you but it's better than taking a bullet. � 418 - Last Stand (62) The sight of a fresh injury has a primal effect on people. If you really need to make a point, sometimes there's no substitute for a good shiner. It's never fun, but if that's what sells your story, it's worth a little pain. � 304 - Fearless Leader (32) Nearly getting killed shakes you up, no matter how much experience you have. Brushes with death are like snowflakes. Each one is unique, and icy cold. � 210 - Do No Harm (22) Some situations just come down to probabilities – the chance that an assassin with a handgun can hit you at 50 yards, and the number of shots he can get off might have a one-in-five chance of taking a bullet, and maybe a one-in-10 chance of dying. Or a hundred percent chance of getting blown away by a shotgun wired to a door. A ricochet's usually not deadly, but it sure feels that way. � 104 - Old Friends (4) It doesn't matter how much training you have; a broken rib is a broken rib. � 101 - Pilot (1)

Innocence (1) Nothing sells innocence like an injury. People naturally sympathize with someone who's bleeding. If you're in a situation where you really need the benefit of the doubt, it's worth a flesh wound. � 303 - End Run (31)

Intelligence Agencies (6) Intelligence agency field offices have to find a delicate balance between blending in and providing adequate security. Which is why whenever possible they piggyback onto the facilities of fellow government agencies. � 504 - No Good Deed (66) Intelligence agencies choose their foreign command center with a few things in mind. You want a place that's near main roads but not on them. It's best if the owner is on the payroll or is controllable in some other way. You want power for the computer's, air conditioning for the meetings and a generous late checkout policy in case an operation goes wrong. � 501 - Company Man (63) National intelligence agencies and local law enforcement work together more often than you might think. Most metropolitan police stations have an office called a "fusion center" where classified intel is collected in one place. It's a great resource if you need information fast; unfortunately, it does involve breaking into a police station. � 414 - Hot Property (58) Drug cartels aren't the only organizations who use import-export businesses as fronts. Intelligence agencies like them because they make it possible for missions to finance themselves. They send out guns and supplies and get back goods to sell. Native antiquities are favorites because their subjective prices make money laundering easy. � 305 - Signals and Codes (33) When you work for an intelligence agency, you operate within an official structure. There's a chain of command to report to, protocols to be observed. No one questions their mission. But when you freelance, you don't have those luxuries. Getting your team on board may require some convincing. � 211 - Hot Spot (23) There aren't many rules in the spy trade. There are a few "agreements" that most intelligence agencies honor though. Low-level agents get traded, not prosecuted. You don't shoot foreign operatives if you can avoid it. And you stay away from embassies and consulates. � 203 - Trust Me (15)

Lies - False Information (3) As a spy you spend so much of your life lying that you have to keep reminding yourself that you're doing it for the greater good. It's easy to believe that when the people you're deceiving are your enemies. It's much harder when you find yourself on the ones you love the most to attend a secret meeting in the dead of night. � 617 - You Can Run - 1 (97) Spies feed enemies false information all the time. Sometimes though you have to give up the real thing, actual intelligence that puts innocent people in danger. It's rough rolling the dice with someone else's life; but sometimes it's the only play. � 608 - Unchained (88) For a spy, getting someone to lie for you serves a number of purposes. It's less about the lie itself, no matter how useful it is. It's more about how it changes your relationship with your target. Once a guy lies for you, for better or for worse, your fates are tied together. � 508 - Hard Out (70)

Locations/Areas (1) There's a reason that everyone from seventeenth-century pirates to present day drug smugglers have operated in the Caribbean. It's filled with tiny islands that are close to major ports but outside the reach national laws. That said, the privacy that makes the islands great hiding places also makes them vulnerable. Your enemies may be able to hide from you but you can hide from them just as easily. � 508 - Hard Out (70)

Meetings (3) If someone calls a meeting in a deserted location, they want control. They can tell if you're alone and if you try anything, it's easy to take you out with a sniper. So if someone wants a chat in the middle of nowhere, it never hurts to bring a sniper of your own. � 315 - Good Intentions (43) It's dangerous to say no to a spy. In a business where motives are questionable and loyalty is skin deep, declining the wrong request can earn you a trip to the morgue. So if you're asked to soak in a Jacuzzi by a black ops sociopath who's paranoid about listening devices, you pick out your favorite trunks and wade in. � 313 - Enemies Closer (41) Even routine meetings can be risky if you're sitting down with someone you don't trust. You have to be alert to any subtle clue that tells you what you're walking into. Are they armed? Did they bring backup? Of course, there are also not-so-subtle clues – like a third place setting at a lunch for two. � 312 - Noble Causes (40)

Mercenaries (1) Locating a group of mercenaries in a third-world country isn't terribly difficult because they are very similar to street thugs – they flaunt their presence. So if you want to find an outfit it's as simple as asking around. The question isn't where they are, it's what you're going to do when you find them. � 610 - Desperate Times (90)

Military (2) Private military industry is worth 100 billion a year worldwide and growing. It's secretive, well armed and almost completely unregulated by international law, which is great if you need to hire your own private army; but, not so good if you need to steal their classified intelligence. Which means sometimes you have to rely on your powers of persuasion. � 609 - Official Business (89) Military units are a lot like marching bands. Take out the guy conducting the operation and you'll throw everyone out of sync. Pretty soon, all you have left is sound and fury. � 306 - The Hunter (34)

Money (3) The Cayman Islands are home to only sixty-thousand people; but, thanks to lenient tax laws, it's the fifth largest financial center in the world. But it's not banking like most people are used to. Bank locations tend to not offer services like on-line bill pay, drive through teller windows or even ATMs. What they lack in modern conveniences they make up for in guaranteeing their clients complete security and anonymity. Whether you're a Wall Street executive looking for a tax shelter or an international criminal hiding a small fortune, it's nearly impossible for government agencies to access your information when your bank of choice is nothing more than a number in a phone book, a sign on a window and a sleazy banker with very white teeth. � 516 - Depth Perception (78) Anyone who's ever handled large amounts of cash can tell you it's one of the toughest things in the world to move. It's heavy and dense – dead weight. If it's on fire of course, that complicates things further. � 106 - Unpaid Debts (6) With this much money, things get complicated. Change a light bulb in a place like this, and a week later you're on a speedboat in the Cayman Islands with someone shooting at you. � 101 - Pilot (1)

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Planes (1) If you're gonna collapse on a plane, I recommend business class. The seats are bigger if you start convulsing. Although once you pass out, it really doesn't matter. � 101 - Pilot (1)

Politicians (2) Eventually the information spies obtain usually ends up in the hands of a politician. The relationship between spies and politicians is never easy but they need each other. By themselves secrets are just words. Covert intelligence is only as powerful as the person who uses it. � 418 - Last Stand (62) Spies and politicians tend not to get along very well. Politicians see spies as vitally important in the national interest right up to the point where they deny ever meeting them and abandon them entirely. It makes for a tough working relationship. � 407 - Past and Future Tense (51)

Prison (6) In any prison contraband is the rule not the exception. Candy, alcohol even weapons are available at a steep mark-up. But there are still some things that no amount of cash, credits or cigarettes will buy you. � 606 - Shock Wave (86) Prison, or any confined institutional environment, is just about the worst place possible to make an enemy. The regular schedule means your enemies know where you are every hour of the day. While crowded living conditions mean they can choose the time and place that is best for an attack. Usually, the best you can do is to stay moving, stay aware and stay paranoid. � 602 - Mixed Messages (82) Creating tools in prison is about working with what you have. Some things are simple, like making a knife by sharpening a tooth brush. But with a little effort, it is possible to get more sophisticated. Tightly rolled magazine pages soaked in salt water can create a serviceable club. You can make a prison lighter by short circuiting a double A battery with some wire and stripping the insulation at the ignition point. Once you're done, the issue is hiding what you've made. All the weapons in the world won't help you if they're sitting the warden's office. � 602 - Mixed Messages (82) Going to prison is always a possibility for an operative. When your job involves working outside the law sometimes it can't be avoided. If you find yourself inside, the first thing to remember is patience. You have to take your time, figure out who the players are and stay out of trouble as long as you can; because, inevitably, trouble will come to you. � 602 - Mixed Messages (82) To the educated eye, a prison tat' tells a story - where you did time, why you did time, and who you did it with. It's a little like a job r�sum� for criminals. � 304 - Fearless Leader (32) As a spy, you expect to get locked up from time to time. If you're on the job, you just keep busy until someone negotiates your release. If you're working alone, you may have to get used to steel bars and baked beans. � 301 - Friends and Family (29)

Rescue (1) The best place to rescue a prisoner in transit is at a choke point. A place where you can force the action into a narrow zone that you can control. Well timed, synchronized blasts on both sides of the choke point can separate the vehicles, isolate the person you are trying to retrieve and create an effective barrier. And when you add covering fire your opposition will worry more about staying alive than stopping your escape. � 613 - Over the Line (93)

Resources (5) Hunting for a fugitive in a large area with a lot of cover is less about skill than it is about man-power. It doesn't matter how good an operative you are, when it comes to a man-hunt, the more people you have on your side the better. � 601 - Scorched Earth (81) The vehicle you want when hunting someone down depends upon where you are in the chase. If you're behind your target you need a set of wheels that's fast enough to catch up. If you're ahead and waiting for your target to come to you, you might want to think bigger. � 601 - Scorched Earth (81) As tactical vehicles, motorcycles have advantages and disadvantages. Their off the line acceleration leaves most four-wheel vehicles in their dust; but as a vehicle for bursting through a road-block you can't do much worse. � 511 - Better Halves (73) Mass quantities of illegal drugs can be hard to get your hands on. But it's even harder to come by drugs regulated by the government: manufactured, distributed, and sold under lock and key. Even drug dealers recognize their value. � 405 - Neighborhood Watch (49) Spies are trained to use whatever resources are available. In the hills of Afghanistan, the best you can hope for are rocks and some scrub brush. In an office building, you may have more options. � 303 - End Run (31)

Sabotage (6) Sabotage is most often used to destroy a target's vehicle, but not always. Simply damaging an enemies car can be very useful as well, as long as you can get your own team in position to do the repairs. � 609 - Official Business (89) Sabotage is best done in private when no one is around to see it. If you don't have that luxury you have to take certain precautions. It's crucial to conceal the real reasons for your movements so that people don't get suspicious. It's also a good idea to use time-delay devices so that when the fun starts, you'll be nowhere near it. � 603 - Last Rights (83) An electrified fence can't protect from someone who had no need to breech it. When you have a network of gas pipes that run across property lines, a well place block of C4 on a gas main outside the fence can cause an explosive chain reaction inside whatever compound that fence is protecting. � 515 - Necessary Evil (77) Pinning down a moving target is all about preparation and timing. If your target will be driving, the first task is to stop the vehicle. If you have room, a bigger vehicle will do the trick, but if space is tight you have to improvise. Finally, if you know where the target vehicle is headed, a directional blast that can launch a projectile into the engine of a car at high speed will stop it in its tracks. You just have to find a place to plant it and wait. � 511 - Better Halves (73) One of the many weapons in the spy arsenal is sabotage. Your enemy can't fight back when their vehicles won't drive and their weapons won't fire. If you're handing a bad guy a gun and you need it to jam accidentally, fatiguing the trigger assembly to break under pressure is probably your best move. It's undetectable. So nobody gets suspicious, and nobody gets hurt. � 314 - Partners in Crime (42) Elevators have so many safety devices that they're easy to sabotage. Disable any part, and the entire system shuts down. � 213 - Bad Breaks (25)

Safe - Vault (4) Any safe can be cracked with enough time and the right equipment. Even high-end models with security features like glass relockers – sheets of glass in the wall that shatter if you try to drill through them. Hit one and a locking bolt seals the safe permanently. But if you come prepared with a drill point diagram and a good borescope, you can bypass the relocker and find the combination by studying the wheel pack. Then, you just have to hope that your plan to get out of the building goes as well as your plan to get into the safe. � 609 - Official Business (89) Floor safes are virtually impenetrable as long as they're in the floor. If you don't have a jackhammer to pry one out, you need to get creative. Homemade shape charges will do the trick but if you want to avoid turning a standoff into a full scale breach, you better have a way to muffle the blast. Once a floor safe is out of the floor, it offers about as much protection as a piggy bank. � 404 - Breach of Faith (48) Used in embassies to store secrets, burn safes depend on an internal ignition device to start a fire. Pump in liquid CO2, and if you do it right, you can turn that ignition device into a Popsicle. Do it wrong, you turn everything inside the safe to a pile of ash. � 308 - Friends Like These (36) Safecracking skills are a basic part of espionage training. Spies steal secrets, and people keep their secrets in safes. But staying current with safecracking is a little like staying current with computers -new model every year. Bottom line: If you wanna breach a safe, you have to practice. � 205 - Scatter Point (17)

Safe House (3) Intelligence agencies safe houses are designed to be difficult to detect. Still you can find one if you know what to look for. The biggest tip offs are transportation and security. If you see two armored vehicles parked in front of a run-down old building with brand-new storm shutters chances are you are in the right place. � 617 - You Can Run - 1 (97) Most intelligence agencies lack the resources to set up safe houses all over the world which is why they depend on expat civilians to lend their homes or businesses for missions abroad. If you're a former Syrian intelligence officer the local Syrian restaurant can be a handy base of operation and save you a few bucks on lunch. � 614 - Down and Out (94) Outfitting a safe house is about two things. You need to know if someone's coming and you need to know how the folks you're protecting are going to get out of there if they do. And if you can't be on baby sitting duty all the time, you need to make sure that you know the minute something's wrong. � 103 - Fight or Flight (3)

Satellite/Imagery (1) Navigation systems combine data from traffic helicopters, police scanners and road sensors to estimate the driving time along your route. But compiling all that data creates a time lag. There is still no quicker way to get across town than being guided by somebody who has access to real time satellite imagery. � 506 - Enemy Of My Enemy (68)

Skills - Education (5) There's no trick to getting down off a building quickly. Gravity will take care of that for you. The challenge is getting down without breaking your neck. � 316 - Devil You Know (44) Working undercover is all about judgment calls. Give the bad guy too little help, and you can't do your job. Give the bad guy too much help and you become part of the problem. It's a tough call, but sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. � 312 - Noble Causes (40) Training a covert operative takes years and costs a lot of money. In theory, it's all for the taxpayers who paid the bills. In practice, it's worth a lot on the open market. And when something is that valuable, there's always someone trying to sell it. � 307 - Shot in the Dark (35) Navy S.E.A.L.s are trained to hold their breath for three to five minutes under water. If you're an ex-Navy S.E.A.L. you probably still have the chops; but, there's only one way to find out. � 207 - Rough Seas (19) Spend a lot of time in countries without hospitals… you pick up a few things. � 104 - Old Friends (4)

Target (5) When you're playing the spy hunter, the goal is to get the target to trust you completely, to think of you as his only ally. Convince him that he's on the brink of disaster and he'll tell you whatever you want him to. � 212 - Seek and Destroy (24) Target selection is one of the least glamorous but most important elements in any strategy. You want to take out the people your opponent depends on: the ones his organization can't function without. � 211 - Hot Spot (23) As a spy, the best approach is usually to become a target's friend. Some situations, though, call for a different approach. � 210 - Do No Harm (22) When an operative recruits someone, he lets the target make the first move. He'll dress like him, drink like him, move like him, but he won't talk to him. He'll wait to be approached. � 209 - Good Soldier (21) When you're working a target, it's all about getting a good read. What makes him tick? Is he insecure? Does he have something to prove? It all factors into your approach. � 206 - Bad Blood (18)

Team (6) For a spy, deep cover assignments often mean going into enemy territory alone and unarmed. If you want to survive you better have a support team you can trust watching your back. � 609 - Official Business (89) As a spy, you try to work only with an experienced team. Going into the field with someone who doesn't have the proper training is a recipe for disaster. There are times, though, when having a civilian on an operation is unavoidable. In those situations, you just have to make your pitch and hope for the best. � 408 - Where There�s Smoke (52) There are advantages to training with someone you're close to. Knowing each other's moves makes training more effective. But being involved in each other's personal lives can also make training a lot more painful. � 306 - The Hunter (34) For many operations, two-man teams are ideal -simple chain of command, easy to delegate responsibility, and little room for confusion. Of course, with a two-man team there's not a lot of margin for error. All it takes is a cop showing up at the wrong moment and the team ceases to exist. � 304 - Fearless Leader (32) The lone spy who always works solo is a myth. The truth is, you don't last long without keeping a few friends around. Because your enemies will find you on their own. � 303 - End Run (31) When you work with people, you wanna know everything about them: their history, their associates, who's contacting them. Although sometimes there are details you'd rather not know. � 207 - Rough Seas (19)

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