Gone Elvis

**Gone Elvis** is the Pilot Episode of Ameican Odyssey

## Plot

In Mali in North Africa, a unit of Special Forces soldiers, including the team's only woman, Sgt. Odelle Ballard, fights its way through a compound and makes a twofold discovery: not only did the soldiers kill Al Qaeda leader and terrorist mastermind Abdul Abbas, but they also found some very curious files on a laptop computer. At first glance, Odelle identifies files that seem to indicate wire transfers between Al Qaeda and what appears to be an American company. Before Odelle and her team can figure out the exact correlation and decrypt any related files, Colonel Glen calls in from Africom Headquarters and orders them to stand down. The order surprises everyone, including Odelle, and when private military agents from contracting firm Osela arrive to confiscate all materials on the site, Odelle secretly copies the files on a thumb drive to ensure their discussion during the debrief when her unit returns to the States.

But that night, while the team awaits safe passage home, a sudden missile strike decimates the unit and leaves Odelle, who was temporarily separated from the camp, bloodied and disoriented. What she manages to see, though, stuns her: the very same Osela soldiers from earlier land via helicopter and finish off any still-breathing men from her team. Odelle hides and barely escapes the same fate... only to awaken hours later and find locals scavenging the bodies. Trembling, she sends an email as proof of life to Colonel Glen before someone rips away her phone and knocks her unconscious.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Odelle's husband, Ron, and their daughter, Suzanne, receive a solemn personal visit from the very same Colonel Glen. He informs Ron of Odelle's death - tough to stomach at any time, but twice as painful after the news reports of her unit's success with Abdul Abbas.

Success is also on the mind of Peter Decker, former U.S. attorney-turned-corporate litigator for an investment bank with a shaky reputation called Simons-Wachtel. On his way to work, Peter runs into an old buddy from the DOJ who clues him in on a pending investigation into Societel Mining (the same company Odelle noticed in the wire transfers). He paints Societel as a dirty company - and it's just Peter's luck that Simons-Wachtel is in the process of financing its merger. Curious, Peter touches base with his co-worker and friend Joe who initiates some off-the-books research. Among other red flags, they find a former UAV operator (aka, drone pilot) named Danny Gentry who recently rejected a substantial check from Societel. This spawns a number of questions, but before Peter can dig in, the chairman of Societel, Alex Baker, interrupts him with good news: the IRS withdrew its complaint. Societel is no longer under investigation.

To Peter, the timing feels a little too perfect and his biggest questions remain unanswered. Why would Societel pay a drone pilot, and why would a drone pilot return the check? He and Joe drive out to talk with Gentry, but the soldier refuses - until a mysterious man pins a message on his daughter ordering him to stay quiet. Enraged by the act, Gentry spills all to Peter and Joe, revealing that his commanding officer gave him a direct order to fire on Americans. When news of the unit's demise broke, Gentry warned his superiors that he would expose the truth, then quickly landed on paid leave... and soon after, Societel paid off his mortgage. He rejected the company's "blood money" on principle, and his passion leads Peter to promise Gentry a meeting with the U.S. Attorney. This is a real scandal.

Another high-profile meeting has the rest of New York up in arms: the G8 Summit. Public protests blanket the city and Harrison Walters, a political activist and the trust-fund son of journalist Randall Walters, performs a live, on-camera interview denouncing corporate crimes. Afterwards, he receives congratulations from his girlfriend, Anna, and several fellow activists, including a journalist from Time Magazine named Ruby Simms. Despite Anna's suspicions of Ruby, Harrison ropes the newbie into the group's affairs and ends up walking her home. Is there an attraction here? It's hard to say - and irrelevant when Harrison's friend (and hacktivist) Bob Offer calls him with an urgent message. Bob hacked into the private email of Sgt. Odelle Ballard, one of the soldiers claimed to be dead in the recent attack. Only he discovered that she sent a message to Colonel Stephen Glen 14 hours after she was reported dead. It's a cover-up, and Bob swears he has the evidence to back up the claim. Harrison agrees to meet him - and invites Ruby, too.

Back in Africa, Odelle finds herself stuffed in a wooden trap with a single guard to keep an eye on her - a 14-year-old boy named Aslam. Able to speak Arabic and use her own daughter as a means of relating, Odelle gains just enough of Aslam's trust that when Osela, led by the fierce Frank Majors, finally tracks down her whereabouts, Aslam helps move her to Tessalit, a safe town nearby. She remains his prisoner, but after repeated requests by Odelle to make a phone call, Aslam finally agrees. Fighting back tears, Odelle dials her home number... and no one answers, not even the voice mail. Aslam counters with a surefire guarantee: he photographs Odelle and sends the picture to the Al Jazeera news network. Now the whole world will know.

And Aslam's right. The photo of Odelle rips through social media and news outlets, causing a baffled Ron to contact Colonel Glen for an explanation. Glen assures him the photo represents a sick form of propaganda, but all the activists in New York celebrate proof of a cover-up. Despite the exciting news, Harrison wanders in a daze, unable to find Bob. It's not like him to be late... and where's Ruby? He calls Time Magazine and asks to speak with her - except no one by the name of Ruby Simms works there. Harrison's mind races and a sense of panic starts to set in...

Across town, Peter stands outside the Department of Justice and waves at Gentry across the street as he approaches, both men ready to facilitate the major story behind Societel. Except Gentry never makes it to the steps. As Peter watches in horror, an unmarked van crashes into the soldier, leaves him in the street and then speeds away. Peter rushes to Gentry's limp body, cradles his head in his hands, blood everywhere, the weight of the situation now far more immense than imagined.

The same can be said for Odelle, thousands of miles away in North Africa. A cheche (a garment that acts as both a turban and a veil) hides both the bruises on her face and the thumb drive secured around her neck. She treks, disguised, across the desert with Aslam at her side, among other locals on a pilgrimage to Timbuktu, aware that any false move, any small indication that raises suspicion, anything that sets her apart from the others, could result in certain death.

*Text from the NBC webside*

## References

http://www.nbc.com/american-odyssey/episode-guide/season-american-odyssey-season-1/gone-elvis/101