- Willy Armitage: I don't see a legible number anywhere in the picture.
- James Phelps: I don't, either, but it's gotta be in there somewhere... The clock. In the tower of the building in the foreground. 2:33. Well, there can't be too many variations. It could be that every second word of every third line of every third group is transposed.
- [Jim types this possibility into a special decoding keypad. He tears off the resulting printout]
- James Phelps: Nope. Maybe every second line.
- [first lines]
- [Jim Phelps enters a closed fun house carousel and starts the tape]
- Person on Tape: [voice on tape] Good evening, Mr. Phelps. This man, Vincente Bravo, the dictator of Nueva Tierra, intends to launch an invasion against the neighboring democracy of San Cristobal. Within forty-eight hours, final details of the invasion plan will arrive in code from the UPR, the United People's Republic, which has sent this man, Nikkor Janos, to Nueva Tierra. Janos is to supervise the invasion and the installation of Bravo as President of a puppet regime in San Cristobal. Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to break the code, get the details of the invasion plan, and shatter the alliance between Nueva Tierra and the United People's Republic. As always, should you or any of your IM Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.
- James Phelps: [last lines]
- [the IMF team listening to the Janos and Vincente accusing each other of betrayal when a gunshot is heard]
- James Phelps: The alliance is broken.
- Barney Collier: Who fired?
- James Phelps: What difference does it make?
- [Jim Phelps, Willie, and Paris are admiring Barney's latest device, a Remotely Operated Vehicle, ROV, with drill, similar to Pipeline Inspection Gauge or PIG used in Oil and Gas Industry, Paris is holding a Nine of Diamonds card up to its camera]
- James Phelps: Great, Barney.
- Barney Collier: There'll be no transmission problems, Jim, because the Presidential Mansion has its own television transmitter. We'll simply piggyback onto the parabolic antenna and get a strong signal.
- James Phelps: Mm-hm. Now, their normal method of sending coded messages is by transatlantic cable, but for extra security precautions, the invasion plans are being delivered by a courier from the UPR. He'll arrive at three o'clock.
- Willy Armitage: Will it just be in code form?
- James Phelps: No, no, it'll be treated the same as the other messages. It's a unique process where the code is hidden by a photographic overlay. Some kind of chemical spray is placed between the code and the photograph allowing them to be joined together, and another spray separates them once the message has been transmitted.
- Barney Collier: Once the courier's photograph gets into the communications room and is removed, the code's only visible for a few seconds.
- James Phelps: That'll be long enough.
- [Jim and Willy have only a few minutes to solve the code, which appears as an enormous block of five-lettered groupings]
- James Phelps: The photograph.
- Willy Armitage: What?
- James Phelps: Well, there has to be a key to the grouping variations somewhere. We know that it's not in that message itself, but it could be on the photograph that the code was transmitted on. Run the tape back.
- [Vincente and Janos are discussing El Lider of San Cristobal, Paris's disguise]
- Vincente Bravo: What are we going to do about El Lider, huh?
- Janos: Perhaps... we should meet his demands.
- Vincente Bravo: Absolutely not. There will be no invasion if I am not President of both countries!
- Janos: All right. Eh... We could offer him a high ministerial position?
- Vincente Bravo: No, no. I don't want him in the government at all.
- Janos: We cannot afford to have him side with San Cristobal. I do not want to fight him, Vincente.
- Vincente Bravo: [outraged] Are you suggesting that we give up the invasion?
- Janos: No, no, no. No. No... Perhaps money.
- Vincente Bravo: [laughs shortly] Money. He will not accept it. He's not that kind of man. Nah. He does not seek wealth. He wants power.
- Janos: Perhaps he has changed.
- Vincente Bravo: That kind of man never changes.
- Janos: You changed. Every man has his price, Vincente. I will try to reason with him.
- Vincente Bravo: But what if he doesn't listen to reason?
- Janos: Then... we will kill him.
- [Vincente does not know that Janos offered El Lider millions of dollars and a high ministerial position]
- Paris: I have decided to accept your offer.
- [Vincente is surprised, thinking that Janos has offered El Lider only some money]
- Janos: Good! I knew that we could come to an agreement.
- Paris: [chuckling] You look amazed, Vincente.
- Vincente Bravo: I am. I did not think you were a man who compromised.
- Paris: Heh, heh! Well, we all have to bend sometimes, huh? If it is to gain what we really want, huh? Now you will be contacted as to the details of the transaction. And if I could be driven to the airport.
- Vincente Bravo: [to a guard] Arrange for a car.
- Paris: [walking away] Ah, Senor Janos, a word with you, please... In private.
- Janos: Yes.
- Paris: After you have conquered San Cristobal, you will need a strong man to rule it. It will take a long time for it to be as easily controlled as Nueva Tierra.
- Janos: Mm-hm.
- Paris: Well, Vincente does not have the necessary strength.
- Janos: [smiling] I see. Don't worry, El Lider. Your hat is still in the ring.
- [They both chuckle, while Vincente looks on nervously]
- James Phelps: [hands Paris a drawing] And this is El Lider.
- Paris: [his first lines on the series] Yeah. He was captured two weeks ago. It's a closely guarded secret. There have been no photographs of El Lider for seven years.
- [the scene involves a conversation among Vincente Bravo, the dictator of Nueva Tierra, Janos, foreign Military Advisor of the United People's Republic, and Paris, assuming the persona "El Lider"]
- Vincente Bravo: The presidency is out of the question ! Both countries must be united under one rule
- Paris: And under one ruler. However I was promised San Cristobal a long time before you were, Vicente
- Vincente Bravo: Promised by who ?
- Paris: By me ! I spent ten years in those jungles.
- Vincente Bravo: In that time, if you have not won that country, you would have no claim to it by now.
- Paris: I would have one that revolution a long time ago if I had been given the arms and money I wanted !
- Janos: Yes, but you did not want to negotiate
- Paris: Perhaps, I have made a mistake. Perhaps, I have changed my mind, and perhaps you should change yours about this invasion
- Janos: Why ?
- Paris: You do not need it. And after all you run the very dangerous risk of Western intervention. But not so with an internal revolution.
- Vincente Bravo: We are committed to an invasion ! It can not be called off now.
- Paris: Invasions unite countries. Even forces which have been opposed to each other find themselves united when faced with a common enemy
- Vincente Bravo: Are you saying that you would fight with San Cristobal against us ?
- Paris: I am only saying my forces are uncommitted .
- [Paris, assuming the persona "El Lider" addresses Vincente Bravo, the dictator of Nueva Tierra and Janos, Foreign Military Advisor of the United People's Republic]
- Paris: It would be most unfortunate and embarrassing for you if I should meet with untimely accident during my stay here. In that case you would fight a united San Cristobal. My forces have very exact orders. I will be outside
- Willy Armitage: What's the matter, Jim ?
- James Phelps: It won't decode.
- Willy Armitage: But it was our message, we know what it means ?
- James Phelps: Yes, Yes ! I know it. But there is a grouping variation that doesn't follow any pattern I can come up with. I though it might be a SIMEX transposition, but it's not !