S05E15 - Cost of Entry

"Cost of Entry" is the fifteenth episode of Season 5 of We Can Fix Pawbert and a crossover with The Rookie.

Synopsis

Four days after the Precinct 1 bombing, Precinct 7 arrives to join a coordinated multi-agency operation targeting three sixty-year-old Lynxley Holdings infrastructure sites that may contain The Root. None of the sites yield the master control system, but a captured operative reveals a conventional strike force is massing in Tundratown. Mr. Big mobilizes his entire organization for defense.

Plot

Precinct 7 arrives at a still-damaged Precinct 1 four days after the bombing. Lieutenant Grey leads Bradford, Chen, Nolan, and Juarez through the entrance, past scaffolding and plastic sheeting covering the blast damage. Three desks in the bullpen have been cleared—Marconi, Carter, Beecher—the absence louder than any memorial. Hoggbottom, serving as acting commander since Bogo's hospitalization, directs them to ZSI headquarters, where Costa is coordinating the joint operation.

At the CCC, Nolan spots Pawbert across the room and approaches. Their reunion carries the weight of years—the rookie officer who once told a frightened ex-con that choosing good is a daily practice now sees that practice fully realized. Pawbert confirms he is settled, no qualification, no hedging. Nearby, Nick spots the sergeant's stripes on Chen's sleeve and immediately clocks the dynamic between her and Bradford, nudging Judy with a whispered claim he predicted their relationship—which she flatly denies.

Costa briefs the expanded team on three sites flagged in Lynxley Holdings corporate archives from sixty years ago—a maintenance hub beneath Savanna Central, a relay station in the Meadowlands, and an infrastructure depot in the Canal District—all connected to what old documents call "foundational infrastructure maintenance." Shaw presents the intelligence: Icener's people have been probing all three sites, looking for the same thing ZSI is. Luther assigns partners based on existing trust: Bradford and Chen, Nolan and Juarez, Wilde and Hopps. Costa designates Alpha team (Luther, Shaw, ZSI tactical) for Savanna Central, Bravo team (Judy, Nick, Chen, Bradford) for the Meadowlands, and Charlie team (Nolan, Juarez, Grey, with West, Thorsen, Penn, and Janssen) for the Canal District. Bauer's CTU teams position at backup points for all three locations.

As the teams gear up, Pawbert watches Luther prepare from his support station near O'Brian's signals console. Luther assures him he will be on comms the entire time; O'Brian offers quiet reassurance that Luther always comes back. Pawbert settles into his role—watching, listening, providing what the field teams need. The three operations launch simultaneously on Costa's command. Alpha and Bravo teams find evidence of recent occupation—footprints in dust, abandoned communications equipment, living quarters with cots and food containers—but both sites have been cleared. The occupants knew the raids were coming or were being extremely cautious.

Charlie team's situation is different. Nolan and Juarez immediately encounter contacts at the Canal District depot. Four hostiles—two polar bears with automatic weapons, a wolverine, and an arctic fox—are entrenched behind improvised cover, not attempting to escape but actively holding position. Nolan recognizes they are protecting something. Grey coordinates the flanking maneuver: West and Thorsen from the left, Penn and Janssen with Grey from the right. When Grey's team rounds the final row of equipment, the depot erupts into a full firefight. Juarez drops the wolverine with two shots center mass. The arctic fox bolts through a back exit. The two polar bears, caught in a crossfire with no retreat, surrender. Nolan orders a medic for the wounded wolverine—he is not dying here.

The captured wolverine, Viktor Grodnik, breaks under interrogation at ZSI. He is too low in the organization to know The Root's location, but he reveals something critical: a conventional strike force is massing in Tundratown. Not weather walls—weapons, forces, an attack coming within days. Shaw and Luther recognize the implications immediately. Costa's debrief confirms the broader picture: three sites, none of them The Root, evidence that Icener has been using old Lynxley infrastructure for staging operations. Pawbert notes the recovered documents reference "foundational access points" but nothing specific, and suggests that Agnes De'Snake's family documentation from the original weather wall construction may hold the key. Costa agrees—that is the next angle. But first, Tundratown needs to be warned.

Judy makes the call to Mr. Big. The tiny shrew in his impeccable suit has been expecting it—or something like it. He pledges to mobilize everyone loyal to him, every mammal Icener failed to recruit. In the tag, Big sits at his desk with maps of Tundratown spread before him. Raymond identifies the likely approaches—an industrial area on the western edge and the eastern docks—and assures Big that he has eyes on every street, every warehouse, every mammal who does not belong. Big traces the map with a tiny paw, surveying the territory he has defended for decades, and declares that if Icener wants Tundratown, he will learn what it costs to attack his home.

Key Moments

• Precinct 7 arrives at a bomb-damaged Precinct 1, passing three cleared desks belonging to fallen officers
• Hoggbottom directs Grey's team to ZSI headquarters for the joint operation
• Pawbert and Nolan reunite at the CCC, their exchange confirming years of daily practice
• Nick immediately recognizes Bradford and Chen's relationship
• Costa briefs three simultaneous raids on sixty-year-old Lynxley Holdings infrastructure sites
• Luther assigns partners based on existing trust rather than mixed teams
• Pawbert stays at the CCC support station, watching Luther gear up for another operation
• O'Brian reassures Pawbert that Luther always comes back
• Alpha and Bravo teams find cleared sites with evidence of recent occupation
• Charlie team encounters entrenched resistance at the Canal District depot
• Nolan recognizes the hostiles are protecting something, not trying to escape
• Grey flanks the entrenched position while Nolan and Juarez hold the line
• Juarez drops the wolverine with two shots; the arctic fox escapes
• Nolan orders a medic for the wounded wolverine
• Viktor Grodnik reveals a conventional strike force is massing in Tundratown
• None of the three sites are The Root
• Pawbert suggests Agnes De'Snake's documentation as the next lead
• Judy calls Mr. Big, who mobilizes his entire organization for Tundratown's defense
• Raymond pledges eyes on every street and approach in Tundratown

Key Lines

Characters Introduced

Locations

• ZPD Precinct 1 — Bomb-damaged entrance and bullpen; scaffolding and plastic sheeting; three cleared desks
• ZSI Headquarters / CCC — CONDITION YELLOW; central briefing, support stations, interrogation room
• Savanna Central maintenance hub — Alpha team target; underground service tunnels; recently cleared
• Meadowlands relay station — Bravo team target; decommissioned control room; abandoned living quarters
• Canal District infrastructure depot — Charlie team target; large warehouse with industrial shelving; firefight location
• Mr. Big's compound — Study with Tundratown maps; mobilization planning

Items

• Precinct 7 credentials packet — ZSI access issued by Hoggbottom to Grey
• Recovered documents (Alpha site) — Partial maps and reference numbers; mention "foundational access points"
• Abandoned communications equipment (Bravo site) — Encrypted but left behind; logistics coordination
• Depot communications console (Charlie site) — Being operated by arctic fox during the firefight; logistics hub
• Tundratown maps — In Mr. Big's study; approach routes marked by Raymond

Notes

• Pawbert and Nolan's exchange about "still choosing" references their first meeting during the Rookie crossover in Season 1, bringing the thread full circle across the series.
• The three-site operation's failure to find The Root maintains narrative tension; the deeper infrastructure remains hidden.
• Mr. Big's mobilization sets up the Tundratown defense that becomes central to subsequent episodes.
• Chen's promotion to Sergeant reflects time passage in The Rookie's timeline.
• Nolan's insistence on getting the wounded wolverine medical attention reinforces his core character trait—valuing life regardless of circumstance.
• Pawbert suggesting Agnes De'Snake's documentation as the next investigative angle demonstrates his unique value as a consultant who understands the Lynxley family history.