- Larry Kelly: [scepticism] The Equalizer?
- [McCall nods]
- Larry Kelly: Oh, maaaan...
- Robert McCall: You were possibly expecting Clint Eastwood?
- Lt. Jefferson Burnett: Well I'm surprised to see you here McCall. Thought you were retired.
- Robert McCall: Yeah that's what I thought. Apparently the rest of the world doesn't agree.
- Control: [to McCall] You are not even on the payroll and you are causing me as much trouble as you ever did.
- Robert McCall: [Irate] You hung me out to dry on this.
- Control: I told you minimum backup.
- Robert McCall: Minimum? I didn't get any backup. Your fair haired young man, cut and ran as soon as the noise started.
- Control: He was operating to my instructions.
- Robert McCall: Your instructions to him were to bungle the cross over?
- Control: He was instructed to minimise his exposure. I wasn't going to blow his cover or the cover of any East Coast operative for a worthless defector.
- Robert McCall: Worthless?
- Robert McCall: [Stock enters the room] Stock! There's your worthless one.
- Jacob Stock: You have any complaints about me McCall?
- Robert McCall: Mister!... McCall. You are just a common garden variety coward, you're not even worth discussing.
- Jacob Stock: I was acting under orders.
- Robert McCall: Yes, orders. The famous excuse for brutality and cowardice.
- Robert McCall: I'm a retired civil servant. I should keep my nose out of agency business, is that it?
- Control: There is nothing you can do about it.
- Robert McCall: Why do we do with this dirty job?
- Control: I don't know Robert, I'm not a philosopher.
- Robert McCall: Well we want to help people. Some of us. I know I did. And that is why I resigned. I felt that I'd become trapped in some dirty little game that no body ever really won. And so I went into private life. That's a laugh.
- Lt. Jefferson Burnett: What went down here?
- Robert McCall: Well I dear say there will be an explanation. Polite telephone call to your people.
- Lt. Jefferson Burnett: To hell with polite phone calls. I don't like people playing cloak and dagger games in my sector. An innocent person could have been killed in that cross fire.
- Robert McCall: An innocent person was killed.
- Lt. Jefferson Burnett: Look McCall you can't hide behind that security clearance anymore. You're just a private citizen now.
- Robert McCall: Yeah. Well there's a thing called the constitution I can hide behind now, isn't there. You have any further questions Jefferson?
- Control: Look McCall - a defector is like a rare phonograph record. You bring him home and he plays beautiful music. You bring Felix home and all you get is static.
- Robert McCall: Why do we do this dirty job?
- Control: I don't know - I'm not a philosopher.
- Robert McCall: Oh, we want to help people. Some of us. I know I did. And that is why I resigned. I felt that I had become trapped, in some dirty little game, that nobody every really won. And so I went into 'private life.' That's a laugh.
- Control: McCall, I AM sorry.
- Robert McCall: How many times old friend have you and I been sorry?