S02E15 - Waiting Game

"Waiting Game" is the fifteenth episode of Season 2 of We Can Fix Pawbert and features a crossover with The Rookie. It serves as a bridge between the investigation arc and the siege arc, reuniting the pack with Precinct 7's officers to intercept stolen weather wall components linked to Clawrence Lynxley.

Synopsis

ZSI traces a Tempest Holdings subsidiary to a distribution center in Precinct 7's jurisdiction, reuniting the pack with Lt. Grey's team. A nighttime surveillance operation intercepts stolen weather wall components, confirming Clawrence Lynxley is stockpiling restricted materials. The arrested drivers are too low-level to provide intelligence on Clawrence's location. In the tag, Javier Croft reports the seizure to Clawrence, who reveals it was a deliberate test -- and orders Phase One to begin at dawn.

Plot

The cold open finds Luther installing a new roof access lock at Site Two—industrial grade with anti-shim pins, the kind Rosa couldn't bypass in three seconds. Nick passes tools from below while noting this is the fourth lock replaced since the heist. On the wall beside them, most of Holt's security index cards now bear checkmarks. The squad Polaroid from Jake hangs on the corkboard nearby. In the kitchen, Judy and Pawbert work through the Tempest Holdings file, cross-referencing shell company structures against Lynxley accounting patterns. When Corbin calls with news that ZSI has traced one of the subsidiaries to a distribution center in the Mole Harbor district, Judy confirms it falls within Precinct 7's jurisdiction. Nick catches Pawbert's reaction: Nolan's territory.

At Precinct 7, Lt. Wade Grey meets them with a sweep of acknowledgment. His gaze settles on Pawbert with no judgment, only recognition of what happened at the trial and respect for what it took to speak the truth on that stand. In the briefing room, the P7 team assembles: Nolan stands near the back, Bradford leans against the wall with arms crossed, Chen reviews files beside him, Lopez works a laptop, and Harper studies a tactical map. Nolan sees Pawbert enter and his expression shifts from surprise to something warmer. They meet in the middle, and Nolan observes that Pawbert looks different—not from prison, but from choosing to stay present, choosing every day like Nolan advised a year ago. Chen catches Pawbert's eye without hostility, later telling him directly that she saw his trial testimony and believes he's making it. Bradford watches from across the bullpen and gives Pawbert a single nod—which, from Bradford, is practically an embrace.

Grey assigns teams for the surveillance operation. Luther joins Harper's tactical unit on the north approach. Nick and Judy integrate with P7 officers. Pawbert rides with Nolan in the surveillance van, tasked with identifying patterns in the operation's activity. Inside the van as monitors glow with tactical feeds, Nolan asks about Soren—the person Pawbert mentioned during their first operation together. Pawbert reveals that he found out Soren is alive, reached out through secure channels, and received a response: Soren closed the door permanently. He moved on, built a life, asked Pawbert not to contact him again. The pain was real, but so was the freedom. After years of wondering and hoping and standing outside a closed door, now Pawbert knows. He can stop waiting. Nolan asks if he can call Pawbert by his first name rather than Lynxley—recognizing the person rather than the family—and Pawbert agrees.

Movement on the monitors draws their attention. A silver cargo van arrives at the distribution center, and two mammals emerge to transfer crates. Pawbert recognizes the serial number markings immediately: climate control identifiers, weather wall maintenance codes, restricted government-issue components reported stolen from a facility three weeks prior. Grey authorizes the intercept. The operation unfolds with precision as teams converge from three directions. Nick and Bradford clear the east approach, their movements synchronized despite their contrasting styles. Judy and Chen handle the west. Luther coordinates with Harper from the north. The hyena and raccoon drivers surrender without resistance, claiming they're just hired labor with no knowledge of who employs them. The story checks out—payment through anonymous dead drop, instructions via burner phone. A dead end on human intelligence, but the seized components confirm that Clawrence Lynxley is stockpiling restricted weather wall materials. The purpose remains unknown.

During the debrief, Pawbert notes the uncomfortable math: Clawrence has been planning for thirty years while they've been chasing him for months. Grey acknowledges the imbalance but insists they work harder and smarter. As the pack prepares to leave, Nolan finds Pawbert by the exit and reminds him that math isn't everything—sometimes it's about the people watching your back. Bradford passes with his highest compliment for the night's work. Chen explains that Bradford has said the actual words "good job" exactly once, and she cried for an hour.

Back at Site Two, Pawbert stands at the window looking at city lights while processing the frustration of waiting. Luther joins him, countering Pawbert's self-criticism about being unable to predict his family's methods by noting that the inability is proof Pawbert is different—and that different is useful to him. They renew their promise in the quiet of Luther's room before the scene shifts to the tag. In Canyonlands, Javier Croft watches a news report about the seizure and calls Clawrence to report. Clawrence reveals the Mole Harbor cache was a deliberate test of the pack's response capability and coordination. With his intelligence gathered, Clawrence ends the waiting: Phase One begins at dawn.

Key Moments

• The safehouse security upgrades from the heist audit are shown complete with most of Holt's index cards bearing checkmarks
• Grey acknowledges Pawbert's trial testimony with respect for the difficulty of speaking the truth
• Nolan observes that Pawbert looks different—still present, still choosing every day
• Chen tells Pawbert she believes he's making it, her earlier hostility entirely gone
• Bradford nods at Pawbert from across the bullpen—practically an embrace by Bradford standards
• Pawbert tells Nolan about Soren's permanent closure of the door and the unexpected freedom it brought
• Nolan asks to use Pawbert's first name rather than the family name
• Pawbert reflects that losing something he never really had feels the same as growth
• Pawbert identifies stolen weather wall components by recognizing the restricted maintenance codes
• The tactical intercept unfolds with precision as teams converge from three directions
• Bradford delivers his highest compliment for the night's work
• Chen reveals Bradford has said "good job" exactly once and she cried for an hour
• Luther counters Pawbert's frustration by noting that being different from his family is useful to him
• Luther and Pawbert renew their promise to each other in the quiet before bed
• Clawrence reveals the Mole Harbor seizure was a deliberate test of the pack's response capability
• Clawrence orders Phase One to begin at dawn, ending the waiting game

Key Lines

Characters Introduced

None. All characters appeared previously. Javier Croft appeared in earlier episodes but is seen here reporting directly to Clawrence.

Locations

• Site Two -- living room (cold open, Act Four), kitchen (cold open), Luther's room (Act Four)
• ZPD Precinct 7 -- bullpen, briefing room, hallway
• Savanna Central -- Mole Harbor district, distribution center (Harbor Street), loading bay, surveillance van
• Canyonlands -- Heat Street (tag)

Items

• Security index cards -- Holt's audit cards pinned to the wall at Site Two; most now bearing checkmarks
• Squad Polaroid -- Jake's group photo visible on the corkboard
• Tempest Holdings file -- Financial documents and corporate registrations being cross-referenced by Judy and Pawbert
• Stolen weather wall components -- Restricted climate control interfaces with government-issue serial numbers; reported stolen three weeks prior; seized during the operation
• Shipping manifests -- Three months of delivery records routed through Tempest Holdings subsidiaries

Notes

• This is the second Rookie crossover, following the Kellan Slink operation with Precinct 7 in Season 1. Nick references the first encounter: "Bradford almost smiled at me once."
• The episode serves as a bridge between the investigation arc and the siege arc that begins in the next episode. The ominous tag directly sets up the weather wall tunnel bombing.
• Bradford's "not bad" remains his highest form of praise, consistent with his established character across both crossovers.
• Pawbert's conversation with Nolan about Soren provides closure on a thread that has been running since the first Precinct 7 crossover, where Pawbert first mentioned the relationship.
• Nolan asking to use Pawbert's first name rather than "Lynxley" is a deliberate contrast with the family name that has defined and burdened him. Chen and Bradford continue to call him "Lynxley," maintaining their professional distance.