Atomica (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Lorraine is deployed to Berlin ten days after agent James Gasciogne is murdered to recover the List, a microfilm containing the identities of every active Soviet field agent, and to eliminate Satchel, a double agent who has been feeding information to the Soviets. The List is believed to hold clues to Satchel's true identity.

Foreshadowing: Earlier context establishes that Gasciogne was killed while carrying the List, making its recovery urgent for MI6.

• lorraine broughton
• berlin mission
• the list
• satchel
• mi6

Satchel is revealed to be Lorraine Broughton herself. Throughout the film, she is tasked with hunting the very traitor she actually is. As a CIA triple agent embedded within MI6, Satchel has been secretly working to prolong the Cold War by leaking agent identities to the Soviets.

Foreshadowing: Percival's comment that his true objective was to eliminate Lorraine takes on new meaning once her true identity is revealed.

• satchel
• lorraine broughton
• double agent
• triple agent
• twist

Percival betrays Lorraine because he is a self-serving opportunist who plans to sell the List to the highest bidder rather than return it to MI6. He kills Bakhtin to take the List, arranges Spyglass's death to silence him, and murders Delphine Lasalle when she discovers his dealings with Bremovych. His goal is personal profit and survival in the chaotic post-Cold War environment.

Foreshadowing: Percival's refusal to acknowledge Spyglass when contacted, despite needing the List, hints at his true allegiances.

• david percival
• betrayal
• bremovych
• the list
• spyglass

Spyglass, the informant who memorized the List, is killed during a extraction attempt orchestrated by Percival. Percival deliberately betrays both Spyglass and Lorraine, leading to Spyglass's death. This confirms Lorraine's suspicions that Percival cannot be trusted.

Foreshadowing: Percival's earlier refusal to acknowledge Spyglass despite knowing he has the List memorized shows his disregard for the informant's life.

• spyglass
• informant
• death
• extraction
• percival

Percival kills Delphine Lasalle because she has evidence of his treachery, she photographed him meeting with arms dealer Aleksander Bremovych. When she confronts him about his dealings, he murders her to prevent her from exposing his betrayal to MI6 and Lorraine.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Delphine following Lorraine with Percival's knowledge, establishing that he was tracking both women.

• delphine lasalle
• percival
• murder
• bremovych
• evidence

Lorraine Broughton is a CIA triple agent. She operates within MI6 but ultimately works for the CIA. Her entire mission in Berlin, including hunting Satchel, is part of her cover. At the end, she meets with CIA operative Emmett Kurzfeld and returns to Langley, having orchestrated the events to advance CIA interests.

Foreshadowing: Lorraine's willingness to deceive MI6 and her strategic manipulation of every situation foreshadow her true loyalty.

• lorraine broughton
• cia
• triple agent
• allegiance
• langley

Lorraine gives Bremovych a fake List because she is playing everyone for her own purposes. As Satchel, she has been leaking agent identities to the Soviets all along, but she never intended to hand over the real List. By giving Bremovych a counterfeit, she maintains her leverage and control over the situation.

Foreshadowing: Lorraine's final meeting with Bremovych reveals her confidence and control, suggesting she has been orchestrating events all along.

• fake list
• bremovych
• satchel
• deception
• auction

Lorraine conceals the List from MI6 because she is Satchel, a Soviet asset embedded in MI6. If she turned over the real List, it would expose her as the very traitor she was sent to find. Instead, she presents evidence against Percival while keeping the List for herself, forcing MI6 to drop their investigation.

Foreshadowing: Lorraine's initial mission to find Satchel takes on a darker meaning once her identity is revealed.

• the list
• mi6
• evidence
• percival
• satchel

Percival kills Bakhtin to take the List for himself. When Bakhtin reveals his plan to auction the List to the highest bidder, Percival acts first, killing Bakhtin and stealing the List so he can sell it himself rather than let it go to another party.

Foreshadowing: Percival's willingness to meet with Bremovych despite being an MI6 operative shows he is already planning his own deal.

• yuri bakhtin
• percival
• the list
• murder
• auction

The photo of James Gasciogne and David Percival together is significant because it raises questions about Percival's relationship with Gasciogne. It suggests Percival knew the murdered agent personally, which makes his claim of never meeting Spyglass and his apparent lack of urgency about the List seem suspicious.

Foreshadowing: This discovery leads Lorraine to question Percival's loyalty throughout the film.

• photo
• gasciogne
• percival
• loyalty
• apartment

Spyglass memorized the List because he was promised immunity by MI6 in exchange for providing it. Rather than keeping the physical microfilm, he memorized all the agent identities and passed the List to Gasciogne to deliver. This makes him both valuable and vulnerable, he knows information that multiple parties want.

Foreshadowing: Percival's refusal to acknowledge Spyglass despite knowing he has the List memorized shows his intention to let Spyglass die.

• spyglass
• memorized list
• informant
• immunity
• microfilm

In Paris, Lorraine meets Bremovych and reveals she is Satchel, handing him a fake List. When Bremovych's men move to kill her, she fights them off. She then meets with CIA operative Kurzfeld, revealing her true allegiance before returning to Langley, leaving the List's whereabouts and her ultimate loyalties uncertain.

Foreshadowing: Lorraine's earlier statement that she has been orchestrating events all along is confirmed in this scene.

• paris
• bremovych
• fake list
• kurzfeld
• langley