The Lie is the Truth

**The Lie is the Truth** is the sixth episode of the first season of the Paramount+ espionage thriller *Special Ops: Lioness*. It aired on August 20, 2023.

## Synopsis

Aaliyah bonds with Cruz over a spa day. Bobby, Tex, Two Cups, Randy and Tucker confront a threat at the Safe House. Kaitlyn and Joe are scolded for the San Antonio mission in a debrief.

## Plot

East Hampton, Long Island, Cruz is en route to meet Aaliyah, who waits for her with a surprise. Bobby calls Cruz to reveal that the surprise is a spa day. Joe reminds her that she's going to be alone with Aaliyah for three days, and every lie Cruz tells her, she's going to remember, so it's better to tell the truth and just change the names and locations. Furthermore, she is to answer questions with questions then do a lot of listening, Joe advises. Joe then gets a call from Kaitlyn, who informs her the debrief has been moved to the White House.

Kaitlyn informs Errol of her relocated meeting, which he's already aware of, leading her to question if he knows who'll be attending. He knows for certain it won't be the President and suspects that it could be the Secretary of State. She asks who Errol learned this from, but he cannot reveal. Kaitlyn is willing to offer up information should he tell her his source. Errol reveals that the National Security Advisor called, asking if Kaitlyn went to San Antonio, a question he shouldn't have needed to call to ask. They're obviously worried about loose lips and wanted to know if Errol knew. In exchange for this information, Kaitlyn reveals there's a mole, Qudrah Petrol. And that it's not one of their moles, but he runs a bank for terrorists. This benefits Errol because when they catch him, it puts 80 billion dollars worth of black market oil on the open market, though Errol argues that this may not necessarily be a good thing.

Cruz arrives at Aaliyah's house in East Hampton, where they enjoy a spa day. To Aaliyah's surprise, Cruz has never been to a spa or Hammam. Cruz explains her family doesn't have money, except for her uncle, who is auctioning her off. Her fanciest dinner was with Aaliyah, as well as her first jet ride and Range Rover ride. Aaliyah jokes that God gave Cruz to the wrong family, or at least there was a mix-up at the hospital when she was born. Aaliyah believes it should be her job to find Cruz a husband, as she deserves it. She can't promise Cruz a handsome dreamer with money, but she can get her two out of three. She asks Cruz to describe her perfect man. Cruz describes a man who is kind, capable, and someone who stands up for her and his beliefs, and also looks her in the eyes when she speaks.

After getting rubbed down in mud, Cruz gets into the shower, where she is joined shortly thereafter by Aaliyah. They discuss how Cruz used to box, which Aaliyah suspects may be the actual reason for her bruising, because one thing she knows for certain is that it wasn't a car wreck. Cruz admits that she was attacked by a man, though it was the last beating, she made sure of it by beating him in the face with an iron skillet and running for her life, at which point, she met Aaliyah. Aaliyah then asks Cruz to name her five best friends, but she doesn't have any, which they have in common. Cruz then names Aaliyah as her single greatest friend. Officially friends, Aaliyah tells Cruz that tonight they will have a sleepover.

Bobby and the team grow irritable and bored as they watch the security camera from Aaliyah's Hampton home. Suddenly, they hear the sound of glass shattering. They cut the lights off and grab their weapons. There's at least two intruders with a getaway driver waiting outside, all three of whom are apprehended with little to no difficulty.

It's ten o'clock at night, and the debrief has yet to begin. Joe is becoming irritable and asks Kaitlyn if she's ever been iced this long before. Kaitlyn recalls sitting in the very same room for three days after 9/11. They are then escorted into the debriefing by the Army Joint Chief, where they take a seat next to Deputy Director Westfield. Kyle enters moments later and takes a seat next to Joe. The four of them sit across from The woman then asks to hear his version of the story, including the extraction at the border and the kill mission in San Antonio. Secretary pf State Mullins, Army Joint Chief, Chief of Staff Mason, and NSA Advisor Hollar.

Kyle claims to be unaware of any border extraction, though he has a safe house in San Antonio. Mason replies that he's not authorized to order surveillance on U.S. soil, but Westfield claims that the request was made to the ATF through NAS. Kyle picked up footage of a lieutenant for Maher Al Agal. He proceeded to contact ATF, FBI, and San Antonio PD, at which point, he alerted them and then advised on a capture mission. The Al-Qaeda team engaged SWAT, neutralized the threat, and then discovered explosives determined too volatile to move, so they were destroyed in place. Secretary Mullins is not convinced of Kyle's story in the slightest, but he is amused and applauds Kyle. He knows the truth, as he saw the surveillance. NSA also had a satellite over the house. Mullins then asks for Joe's version, but she doesn't have a version. She was there to identify Mohammad Mahmoud, but the decision to detonate the residence made that impossible.

Secretary Mullins accuses them of orchestrating a CIA quick reaction force to execute a kill mission in front of CBS News, but Kaitlyn claims the news never reported such an event, as they were too busy filming the victory lap that the local police had taken for saving for the city, which Kaitlyn argues is the most important thing. But the most important thing for Mullins is protecting the President from a CIA team operating on U.S. soil, which Kaitlyn claims they have no such evidence of. Mason assures them that should evidence surface of their involvement, they will be put on trial, as they are not the only people studying this; Russia is going to come down so fast on every police officer involved in this investigation. Westfield argues there'd be no point in a hearing, as it would be an easy win due to Americans having already seen the consequences of fumbling intelligence. The Jordanian intelligence warned them of an airborne terrorist attack two months before 9/11. They not only knew the flight schools where the terrorists trained, they also knew the names and locations of two terrorists, and decided against sending a team to neutralize the threat. 3,000 people died that day, and there's no telling how many died in Afghanistan over the years. That is what was avoided in San Antonio. They had enough explosives to blow up the Alamodome, which was hosting an Elton John concert that very weekend. And that venue holds 64,000 people. In that, Westfield admits their involvement, but they'll never be able to prove it.

The officials thank Kyle for his participation and excuse him. Once he's gone, they discuss Asmar Ali Amrohi, who Joe has a Lioness agent embedded with his next of kin. If she is to make contact with the target, her instructions are to neutralize him if possible. If not, they'll send the QRF or use a drone. Mason requests to assume that authority, but Joe refuses. Once the Lioness agent is embedded, they don't have access to her. They can only keep eyes from a distance to prevent jeopardizing the mission. The officials question how could Cruz possibly order a missile strike if she can't contact them. Joe replies that she orders the strike and that Cruz is a necessary sacrifice. The anticipated point of contact is a wedding, but they don't know the location yet, but it is set to take place on December 7th. Hollar declares the mission is named Operation Yellow Jacket. And the authorization code to lunch or execute is "Mabel." But Joe has no way of relaying this to Cruz, as she has no contact to her. Hollar isn't concerned with how she does it, but once they depart for the wedding, command of this operation will move to the situation room, and they will oversee from there. When Kaitlyn asks why are they taking over the mission, Mullins explains that they can get into as many gun fights and explosive mission as they want in Syria, but it is inexcusable in America. After the debriefing adjourns, Joe gets a call from her team.

Cruz and Aaliyah spend the night eating popcorn and watching scary movies. Afterward, they have to watch something funny or sad to get it out of their minds. Aaliyah decides to play *The Notebook*, ensuring Cruz that she will cry as they lay in bed together.

Joe learns from Two Cups that a group of three tried to rob the house, but they've been restrained. Unable to call the police, Joe calls Kyle and reminds him of the favor he owes her. She needs him to meet with her team and deal with the burglars that attempted to rob the house by bribing them with hush money. On his way out of the bar, Kyle informs a congressman that there's a reporter for the Post just behind him.

Joe is confused as to why they were so upset when San Antonio was such a big win for them. Kaitlyn explains that San Antonio was an excuse. They don't have the results on Amrohi, who funnels money to ISIS, Taliban, Hezbollah, and any terrorist group with their hands out. Kaitlyn deduces that the only thing that makes sense is they want the region destabilized. Neither of them can see the benefit of it, though they have to figure it out.

Bobby and the QRF team have restrained and blindfolded all three introducers, as they wait for Kyle to arrive. Upon his arrival, they swab the men's mouths and cut their restraints. Kyle gives them money and warns them to never return or speak of this to anyone. With the money in hand, Tex and Randy lead them outside, where they remove the blindfolds and instructs them to leave immediately without looking back.

Cruz weeps in bed whilst watching *The Notebook*. Aaliyah tells her that while it may have been heartbreak, at least they knew love. Aaliyah fears she'll never know love nor heartbreak. Cruz tells her not to marry Ehsan, but it's not her choice. Cruz doesn't understand, as she's not Arab. She may have Arab ancestry, but she was raised in the states. When she is married, Aaliyah will live in Riyadh. In her country and culture, to say no is to shame both families. She would be taken back to Riyadh and locked away or killed. For her to choose love would be the death of her, Aaliyah says, as Cruz wipes the tears from Aaliyah's eyes. Aaliyah then asks if Cruz have ever been in love. She hasn't, though they both would love to know the feeling at least once.

Joe returns home to find Neal preparing a space for Kate when she returns home from the hospital. The two of them decide to grab a drink and sit out by the pool. Neal reveals that today was rough for Kate. They backed off the morphine, causing her to be extremely sore. Joe looks over to Neal and says no more Band-Aids, and that it's just the two of them moving forward. He agrees and they proceed to kiss.

Cruz awakens to laughter and shrieks of joy from Aaliyah, who reveals that her mother called and that they've chosen a place for the wedding: Mallorca. She describes it is the most beautiful place on earth, as she kisses Cruz impulsively. There's a moment of silence before they resume kissing, but Cruz eventually pulls away.

## Cast

* Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos
* Dave Annable as Neal McNamara
* Jill Wagner as Bobby
* LaMonica Garrett as Tucker
* James Jordan as Two Cups
* Austin Hébert as Randy
* Jonah Wharton as Tex
* Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah
* Hannah Love Lanier as Kate McNamara
* Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade
* Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins
* Martin Donovan as Errol Meade
* Jennifer Ehle as Chief of Staff Mason
* Bruce McGill as NSA Advisor Hollar
* Thad Luckinbill as Kyle McManus

Co-starring* Narmar Hanna as Massage Therapist #1
* Reem Raouda as Massage Therapist #2
* Edward Brence as Punk Thief #1
* Amit Barnathan as Punk Thief #2 (Damien)
* Braxton Fannin as Punk Thief #3 (Driver)
* Richard Haddad as Asif
* Guy Lemonnier as Colonel
* Alexander Blaise as Congressman Hay Adams