“Mata Hari” is episode three of season one of First Wave.
A man is in a room when there’s a knock on the door and a woman’s voice calls out. He shots that he has work to do and locks the door. She enters anyway, without a key. She says she missed him so much and looks at the door, which closes. She asks the man about an equation; he tries not to tell her but, when she touches him, is unable to resist. After the man has given the woman the equation, she lets go of him and he starts suffering extreme pain. She takes a few photos from a container as the man dies with blood coming from his nose.
After the events of the previous episode, “Crazy Eddie”, Cade has teamed up with Eddie, who is acting as remote support. Cade has headed to Boston after a young genius dropped dead with bubbles in his blood. The word is he was working on a government project and the programme now needs a replacement for him. Namely, Cade.
A woman, Hank (Sarah Strange), is complaining to a man, Elliot, that he didn’t pick her up. She doesn’t believe he forgot, as he doesn’t forget anything. Another man, Dr. Allenson, enters and tells them a new guy is arriving and maybe he will finish Ted’s work; Ted being the man who died. Elliot doesn’t think anyone can replace Ted. Cade’s resume sounds a little tinkered with.
When Cade arrives, Dr. Allenson is impressed with his resume. Elliot is not. He says that, if Cade is so great, maybe he can solve an equation on the board, part of the work Ted left unfinished. Cade starts reading it out, describing what he sees, in a way that certainly makes it sound as if he doesn’t know what he is doing. Elliot is not impressed, again, and Dr. Allenson suggests maybe Cade is not ready for their level of work. Then Cade solves it, generating stunned looks all round. Elliot seems stunned. Cade had been reading it out for Eddie’s benefit, and Eddie told him how to solve it through his earpiece. Cade tells Eddie that he thinks Hank is the weak link. Supposedly, they are working on a government communications satellite project.
Cade heads to see Hank, who says she has always been attracted to men she can’t figure out. She defends Elliot when Cade says he’s arrogant and insufferable, saying he’s one of the smartest men in America. Cade thinks she can do better. He also asks if she can help him find his way around; he’s supposed to go to Ted’s room to pick up some stuff.
Ted, by the sounds of it, died from compression sickness, according to Eddie when he hears the symptoms. Unusual on land. Cade asks Hank if Ted did scuba diving. She’s not sure he even took baths. Cade looks at the books he was picking up and says they look military. Hank doesn’t know for sure. Cade also opens up the container the photos were in and finds one stuck in the lid. Hank recognises her; she hit on Elliot at the Wild Coyote.
Cade heads to the bar and the woman, Lara, approaches him. She knows who he is – or who his cover identity is anyway – saying she likes smart men and heard Cade solved Ted’s equation. When Lara touches Cade’s arm he ends up telling her who he really is. Eddie, hearing this, tries to get Cade to stop, but he’s unable to until Lara leaves.
Cade returns to Hank who is trying to get hold of Elliot. He says Lara has a power – and not because she’s beautiful. It was like she reached into his brain. She’ll be after Elliot next, wanting to know about the satellites. Hank asks why she didn’t do the same to Cade and he explains Lara found out he was a fake. No, Cade didn’t solve Ted’s equation; his friend did. Cade asks for Hank’s help and trust.
They head to Elliot’s, where Lara is currently trying to find out a security code from Elliot. He resists to start with, but eventually gives it up. When Cade and Hank arrive, Lara is gone and Elliot is suffering from the bends. Fortunately, on a university campus, they have a decompression chamber.
The satellites, as suspected, are not communications satellites. Or, rather, not just communications satellites. They’re also weapons satellites. Cade also has an encounter with a strange woman from the government who appears to be wearing an unusual ring rather prominently.