East Wing
Episode Title: "Containment Breach"
TEASER
INT. WHITE HOUSE – EAST WING – SECURE SITUATION ROOM – NIGHT
Director Ellen Hart (CIA), General Ricci (NATO), and Deputy Director Mason (CIA, clandestine ops) sit in a dimly lit room, the air heavy with tension. The President's chair is empty, a silent reminder of the compartmentalization at play. On the main screen, a live feed from a packed federal courthouse in Atlanta shows the Scorpion team testifying, flanked by victims of the MK-ULTRA experiments.
ON SCREEN:
A news ticker scrolls: "SCORPION TEAM HELPS WIN DAMAGES FOR CIA DRUG EXPERIMENT VICTIMS—FEDERAL INQUIRY LAUNCHED."
RICCI:
They did it. They cracked the Atlanta case wide open. The whole world's watching.
HART:
We underestimated them. This isn't just a PR problem—it's a security breach. The files they found were supposed to be gone forever.
MASON:
We have to move fast. If the inquiry digs too deep, it won't stop at Atlanta. MK-ULTRA, MX-BURN, all of it could come out.
ACT 1: DAMAGE CONTROL
INT. CIA – BLACK SITE CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY
A wall-sized screen displays news reports, social media posts, and trending hashtags: #ScorpionTruth, #MKUltraJustice, #GovernmentCoverUp. Hart, Ricci, and Mason are joined by the CIA's Director of Communications and a legal advisor.
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS:
The narrative is slipping. Every outlet is running with the Scorpion team's evidence. Victims are being interviewed on every network.
HART:
We need to regain control. Leak partial truths—admit to the "regrettable mistakes" of a different era, but frame it as a Cold War necessity. Emphasize that the programs were terminated decades ago and that all current operations are legal and ethical.
LEGAL ADVISOR:
We'll need to prepare talking points for Congress. The President can't be briefed on the real scope. If asked, we say the inquiry is a routine review of historical intelligence practices.
RICCI:
What about the files Scorpion found? The ones that survived the purge?
MASON:
We're tracking the digital trail. Most of what they released is already public, but if they have originals—especially anything on MX-BURN or successor programs—we need to recover or destroy it.
HART:
Activate the containment protocol. Anyone with Omega Black clearance is to review all outgoing communications. No one below that level gets access to the full story.
ACT 2: INTERNAL FALLOUT
INT. WHITE HOUSE – ADVISOR'S OFFICE – DAY
A trusted advisor meets with the President, who is visibly frustrated by the headlines.
PRESIDENT:
Why am I learning about this from the news? I want a full report—today.
ADVISOR (careful):
Sir, the intelligence community assures us this is a legacy issue. The inquiry is about events from half a century ago. There's no current risk.
PRESIDENT:
I want to know if anyone in this administration had knowledge of these programs. I want names.
ADVISOR:
Of course, sir. I'll coordinate with the Director of National Intelligence.
INT. CIA – SECURE OFFICE – NIGHT
A junior analyst, disturbed by the cover-up, quietly prints a redacted memo and slips it into her bag. The document details ongoing research into behavioral modification, using language almost identical to the old MK-ULTRA files.
JUNIOR ANALYST (V.O.):
If the world knew what was still happening, would they call it history—or conspiracy?
ACT 3: THE SPIN CAMPAIGN
INT. EAST WING – MEDIA MONITORING ROOM – NIGHT
Hart, Ricci, and Mason watch as news anchors debate the implications of the Scorpion team's revelations.
ANCHOR 1 (TV):
Tonight, the question isn't just what happened in the 1950s and 60s, but whether the government has truly changed.
ANCHOR 2 (TV):
Some say the Scorpion team are heroes. Others call them reckless. But one thing's clear: the public wants answers.
RICCI:
We need to muddy the waters. Push stories about Soviet and Chinese mind-control programs. Remind people of the context. Make this about the paranoia of the Cold War, not current policy.
HART:
I want every friendly outlet running op-eds about the dangers of "Monday morning quarterbacking" intelligence work. Highlight the reforms since the Church Committee. Make it sound like this could never happen today.
MASON:
And what about the victims?
HART:
Express sympathy. Offer settlements. But never admit to ongoing programs. If anyone leaks, we discredit them—fast.
ACT 4: THE INQUIRY THREATENS THE WALL
INT. FEDERAL INQUIRY OFFICE – DAY
A congressional aide receives an anonymous package: a flash drive containing files Scorpion didn't release—references to "Project Lotus," "MX-BURN," and a list of modern research contracts.
AIDE (V.O.):
If this is real, the inquiry's about to get a lot bigger.
INT. CIA – SECURE VAULT – NIGHT
Mason and Hart review the remaining classified files. Hart hesitates over a folder labeled "Behavioral Modification—Active."
HART:
If this gets out, it's not just history on trial. It's us.
MASON:
Then we make sure it never does.
They reseal the vault and sign the log, the weight of their secrets heavy in the silence.
ACT 5: THE PRESIDENT DEMANDS ANSWERS
INT. WHITE HOUSE – OVAL OFFICE – NIGHT
The President meets with the National Security Advisor and the Director of National Intelligence.
PRESIDENT:
I want to know everything. No more compartmentalization. No more plausible deniability. If there's even a hint of ongoing research, I want it shut down.
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR:
We'll begin a full review, sir.
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
We'll need time. Some of these programs are deeply buried.
PRESIDENT:
Start digging. And if you find anything, bring it to me—not the East Wing.
ACT 6: THE SHADOWS FIGHT BACK
INT. EAST WING – SITUATION ROOM – NIGHT
Hart, Ricci, and Mason watch as the inquiry expands. Whistleblowers are coming forward. The press is relentless.
RICCI:
We can't contain this much longer.
HART:
Then we change tactics. If we can't bury the truth, we bury the people telling it.
MASON:
Scorpion's made enemies in every agency. They'll be watched—and if they slip, we'll be ready.
HART:
No more leaks. No more heroes. We control the narrative, or we control the fallout.
The camera lingers on the muted screen—Scorpion's faces on the news, the world finally watching. The shadows in the East Wing grow longer.
END OF EPISODE