Permission to Kill

Western Intelligence Liaison identifies five individuals who could be useful to the operation. Curtis persuades them to travel to Gmunden, Austria using bribery, blackmail, and subterfuge. They are chosen for their different skill sets and are kept unaware of the others' involvement.

The five are unaware of the others' identities and intentions. Each is to operate independently in Gmunden, making coordination harder for WIL. The plan relies on misdirection and secrecy.

Scott Allison visits Diakim at his temporary headquarters and they meet despite Kostas's reservations. Allison tries to persuade him to postpone his return and await Western support. Diakim remains determined and is not convinced by the journalist's arguments.

Katina Petersen, Diakim's ex-lover, reveals the existence of their son and the boy's adoption, which Curtis has leaked. She warns Diakim not to trust Curtis or the Westerner's motives. This confrontation deepens the personal stakes of the mission.

Curtis invites Diakim to join a cruise on the Traunsee, hoping to observe his son from a distance. He urges delaying the return until Western governments can offer full support and hints at a possible domestic life with Petersen. Diakim is not swayed by the offer.

Allison verifies that the other two participants are Charles Lord, a British civil servant, and Melissa Lascade, a French assassin. Lord has previously helped secure a government loan for Diakim's party, while Lascade's function is to kill if all other strategies fail. The two are now revealed to be part of the complex scheme.

Curtis's plan depends on Lord's access to funds and Lascade's lethal capability as 'final insurance.' Their presence gives WIL leverage against Diakim and his associates. The arrangement complicates Diakim's decision, as both protect and threaten him.

Curtis asks Lord to visit Diakim and inform him that the loan has been written off while offering $500,000 in cash. The condition is that Diakim cancels his plan to return or delay action. Lord plans to use this money to derail the operation.

Allison makes contact with both Lord and Lascade and the trio agrees to frustrate Curtis' plans. They decide to work together to misdirect Diakim and keep him from acting. The alliance signals a shift in the operation's power dynamics.

Lord intends to steal the money and pay Lascade, who will then deliberately fail to kill Diakim. Curtis realises the deception and the plan collapses; Lord is shot while trying to escape, and Curtis forces Lascade to return the funds. The operation's facade collapses as the clock runs out.

Diakim decides to press ahead with his return and travels toward Vienna's airport. The trip marks a turning point as Curtis prepares for his final move. The tension tightens as the clock runs out.

With Diakim en route, Curtis shifts to the last resort method: assassination at the airport. He moves to implement the plan and coordinate his agents. The plot races toward a violent confrontation.

At the Vienna airport, Allison and Katina expose Curtis' murder plan to Diakim's protection detail. Diakim is shielded by his entourage, preventing Lascade from getting a clean shot. The revelation delays Curtis' strike but does not stop it.

Curtis detonates a bomb concealed in his briefcase as Diakim approaches his plane. The explosion kills Diakim instantly and throws the scene into chaos. Curtis' plan achieves its immediate objective in a brutal, final act.

Curtis' henchmen kill Lascade and plant a detonator on her body to frame her for the murder. Curtis leaves the airport after his mission is accomplished, only to be shot by Kostas as he departs. The operation collapses in the wake of Curtis' demise.