Burn Notice Hard Time

Michael Weston gave up going to the gun range with Fiona in order to study Simon Escher’s complete life’s story so that he could better interrogate him – the key to “all of it.” Vaughn met M at the entrance to a secret villa/prison and said “you never have anything less than six eyes and three guns on him” and that the only thing he’d learned was that they guy has a “remarkable tolerance for pain.” M told Simon, under the view of cameras, that it was just between him and M and he could possibly make their time with them a bit more humane. Simon didn’t even blink when M said that he had found his bible; but, when he said that somebody else had tried to steal it before he did it, that seemed to take him by surprise. Simon quoted the Bible verse John 8:32 about the “truth shall set you free” then popped loose his metal-fatigued handcuffs and rammed M backwards through the lanai window. They went over the balcony and onto a chase lounge. Before Vaughn's men came, Simon rapidly told M that he had 30 seconds before the guards came and he had a present for him: "Cemetery 3rd and Grand," he said, "plot 837, there are keepsakes of mine in there including an audio tape labeled Berlin 2007, be careful digging it up but you will find it real interesting. We’ll talk more about the bible after you hear what’s on the tape." Then the guards came. M told Vaughn that he hadn’t learned anything from Simon except that "you should change Simon’s handcuffs more often." Fiona sewed up Ms handcuff laceration and said she had no sympathy for him.

 

Sam went to see a buddy in prison who had saved his life, so Fiona was left to go to the cemetery alone because Vaughn was watching M. Juan Ruiz had told his attorney that he would be killed in prison before he got out in one week and the attorney had contacted Sam as executor of the will.  Another convict, Cruz, had wanted Juan's help in stealing money from LaNacion, the prison gang, and Juan had helped in order to survive in prison. Now Cruz was worried that Juan would talk when he got out, so planned to kill him. Juan had merely wanted Sam to take care of his wife, Lisa, and the girls; but, Sam was followed from the prison by gang hit men until he stopped at a legal office and pretended to be merely Juan’s lawyer. Sam told M that he was going back into prison to help protect Juan because Juan had tipped his S.E.A.L team off about a Medellin bomb in their hotel – and he owed him. M warned that Cruz already knew him so he couldn’t go back in and decided to take Sam's place. FBI agents Harris and Lane helped M be put in prison as Juan’s cellmate and left him a hidden phone. Juan told M that Cruz had alread killed three people since he’d been locked up so M told him: “don’t leave my side.” Cruz stared M down in the prison yard and told M that "when I come by your cell you had better clear out."

 

Sam and Fiona dug up the grave and found that it was protected by a silicone-sealed, self-destruct device and an ancient care-taker. One day M noticed that everyone was giving them a wide berth so figured the time was close and helped Juan protect himself with law-book covers tucked under their shirts. Cruz used a crooked guard, George Hill, to let him into Juan's cell block in an attempt to kill Juan in his cell, but M fended them off. When the block guards eventually came, Cruz threatened them both with a “big party tomorrow and you are going to be the guests of honor.” Then when M saw Cruz making a deal with the head of the South Dade Aryan Nation he decided that "plan B" was to call Sam and get him to break Juan out during the impending riot. So Sam and Jesse went to blackmail Hill into helping them take down Cruz and found out that he was also being blackmailed by LaNacion over protection of his brother who was in another prison. Fiona visited M in prison and passed him a lock pick in a kiss as well as telling him that they should get to the infirmary when the riot started where Sam and Jesse would get them out in a drug cabinet when they came for them. Madeline had to help Fiona at the cemetery and of course whined all the time. Fiona poured a barrel of oil onto the vault, as she cut it with a saw, then lifted elemental Sodium pellets into a jar under the oil. Madeline distracted the caretaker while Fiona retrieved Simon’s hidden box.

 

Cruz sent two other crooked guards to take M and Juan "to the barber" in his own wing of the prison. First Cruz took down the guards then went after M and Juan. M took down Cruz’s two helpers then helped Juan with Cruz, who by then had broken Juan’s leg. Juan's inability to walk on the broken leg caused M to change to "plan C" and hide Juan in a laundry basket then get Cruz out of the prison instead. Sam called Hill to get him to inform Cruz that Juan had gone to the infirmary; then, M used his McGiver skills to take he had his buddies down when he got there. M called Harris and Lane and told them about the riot and what they should do. When Cruz finally awoke he was in a cabinet inside an empty warehouse with a gun nearby. He grabbed the gun and walked out the door into a bevy of feds who captured the “escaped convict.” Later, LaNacion found out what Cruz had done so killed him and Juan was reunited with his family.

 

Finona, Sam and M opened Simon’s box which they found to be full of yearbooks and coroner's photos along with the tape.  The tape was a recording of a phone call Simon had made to Vaughn after the latter had tried to kill him. M heard Vaughn say that: "I know you've been working against us.” Vaughn clearly said that "We've already found a replacement… very promising… name’s Westen… if he doesn’t work out, there will be another. The work continues.” Obviously Vaughn had lied about having nothing to do with Ms being burned! In their second talk, this time while walking along the beach, Simon told M that: “now we are brother’s.” He said that the man to previously tried to get the Bible “is not like you and me (because) we are just pawns in a very large chess game… but he’s more like a king.” "His name is John Barrett," Simon said, "the C.E.O. Of Drake Technologies. A Corporation with holdings in telecom, infrastructure and tech; so, whatever they destroy they can rebuild." Simon said he wouldn’t tell M what the Bible decoded; but,  if M took the Bible to Barrett, he would have everything he needed to wipe out Vaughn and his ilk… and M would be free! Simon told M that: "I would have worked with the Devil himself to take down those that burned us. Sadly, the Devil’s not available so I have to pin my hopes on you!” Vaughn was surprised to hear it was John Barrett. Then M answered only that Simon had tried to convince him to kill Vaughn. When Vaughn asked "should I be worried," M said straight-faced “I just told a psychopath what he wanted to hear.” Vaughn said that M was not done yet but he’d made a lot of headway – "here’s to you M, I’m glad we found each other.” M said “me too.”