While Fi stashes the pilot in the trunk of the Saab, Sam calls Madeline with an update: they got a guy who might know something, and they're on the way to the loft with him for an interrogation. Madeline says to bring him to her place instead. When Sam starts to argue, she snaps, "It's closer than Michael's loft and you don't have time to waste." Especially after her last display of stubbornness.

Michael and Beck watch from a hiding place as Vlad leads his men in their wake. He spots the trap, springs it harmlessly, and tells his men, "They're very close. Split up. Search the area." As they do this, guns at the ready, Michael VOs, "Spreading out in a search pattern is a great way to cover a lot of area. But it also divides your forces." However luckily or unluckily, Vlad is the one who's approaching their hiding place. Suddenly Michael drops down on him from a tree branch. Vlad effortlessly throws him off, which is not a good sign for the successful execution of Michael's plan. A much better sign is that instead of calling out, sounding the alarm and bringing his men running, Vlad just throws off his pack and wordlessly invites Michael to come at him again. Either because he's an idiot or because he can't resist a good one-on-one scrap, not that those are mutually exclusive. Michael re-engages, reluctantly, and it finally looks like he's met someone who can take him. As Vlad throttles Michael, Beck comes at him from behind, only to get easily repelled with a kick, but that's enough of a distraction for Michael to break Vlad's chokehold and get the upper hand, wrapping a vine around his neck while Beck crushes Vlad's knee with a vicious kick. While Michael's waiting for Vlad to pass out, Beck gets ready to shoot. "We need him alive, remember," Michael quietly reminds him, and invites Beck to hit him again. Beck obligingly pistol-whips Vlad unconscious to the ground. Their teamwork is getting better than that of some of the people in my office.

When we get back, Vlad is just coming to, while Michael and Beck watch from a distance. "Military units are a lot like marching bands," Michael VOs as the other bad guys converge around Vlad. "Take out the guy conducting the operation and you'll throw everyone out of sync." "The bastards wrecked my knee! And they took my shoes!" Vlad complains to his men. Michael's VO sums up, "Pretty soon all you have left is sound and fury." Oh, he's not kidding. That time I took out a drum major, I expected the sound, but I was not expecting the band to pursue me as long as it did. Those kids were pissed. While putting on Vlad's boots, Beck argues to Michael that they can even things out with the small arsenal they took from Vlad while he was unconscious. But Michael's got another next step in mind: he wants the men to call Chechik himself out there, so they can resolve this once and for all. When Beck is doubtful, Michael asks him how he took out the top guy when he started out. "I paid one of his guys to let me into his place and then I stuck a gun in his mouth until he decided to move," Beck boasts. Michael says that's what they're doing now: dealing with the problem at the top. Right on cue, they hear Vlad calling his boss for help. Michael favors Beck with an eloquent "I told you so" face. "Don't get cocky," Beck says, and the two of them move on.