The Coventry Deception

Gorley attempts to set up his administration and maintains KAREN BURNELL as his chief of staff, creating a division between him and his former chief of staff, ARI BECKER. Elsewhere, SENATOR JEREMIAH REYNOLDS is a presidential hopeful seeking to use the crisis to his advantage and he orders his aide, ZACH, to dig up dirt on Gorley. As more attacks occur in the Middle East, Abbas and Reza obtain a toxic nerve agent, Sarin, from an abandoned weapons depot.

As Gorley deals with various domestic and international crises, an unhappy Ari starts a relationship with GOLDIE, a mysterious woman he meets in a bar. Gorley meets with ANDREA WILL, his NSA Advisor, and learns of a secret operation approved by Elliott that involves spying on terrorists’ cells. They knew of the recent attacks but couldn't do anything without exposing they were intercepting communications (Andrea makes a parallel to Winston Churchill's decision to allow a raid on Coventry rather than reveal the Allies had intercepted German messages). Now, new interceptions reveal a coming terror attack on U.S. soil from a rogue terrorist group with connections to Iran.

Special Agent PETER REEVES is assigned to stop the domestic attacks as, elsewhere, Abbas continues to make his plans involving the nerve gas. Ari invites Goldie to a White House function, while Zach meets with MITCH CONNOR, an NSA agent, who gives him intelligence regarding the secret operation. Peter quickly exposes Mitch but the damage has been done and Reynolds wants to use the information to create a scandal in the press.

Reza and the terrorists sneak across the Southern border with the Sarin and set up at a neglected warehouse. Elsewhere, AKEEM is a young Iraqi who is given an unspecified mission by Abbas and sets off with a mysterious backpack. It becomes clear they're planning three attacks as, elsewhere, it's revealed Goldie is not what she seems. Gorley fails to convince Reynolds not to go to the press. In Chicago, the terrorists plot their first attack but, when a police car attempts to pull them over, a chase and shootout ensues, and the terrorists are eventually killed when their van crashes into a river.

Reynolds meets with TERRY JENKINS, a reporter, and puts him on the trail of the story. Peter intercepts a call from the terrorists in the warehouse and this lets them trace its source to Seattle, where the second attack will take place. Akeem continues his travels and arrives in Washington D.C., not knowing he is being followed by the mysterious BARZIN. Goldie is revealed as a would-be assassin, but she is only a red herring, and at the last moment The Secret Service thwart an attempt to poison Gorley.

Gorley convinces Terry Jenkins not to publish the story. Meanwhile, in Seattle, Peter leads an assault on the warehouse and takes Reza captive. Before Reza reveals the location of the final attack, a captured terrorist frees himself and exposes the agents to the Sarin. Peter uses his gas mask to save Reza who has the information they need. Reza eventually gives up the third location and the NSA neutralizes the threat, but Peter dies from exposure to the gas. Meanwhile, Akeem makes his way to Congress to detonate a dirty bomb and, after a tense standoff, Akeem is killed without detonating the bomb.

In the aftermath, Gorley covers up the entire incident rather than risk an international crisis by exposing the connection between Abbas and the Iranians, and various US security weaknesses. Gorley confronts Reynolds and reveals he intends to run for the presidency. In his safehouse, as Abbas rails against the failures of his plans, he is surrounded by Iranian agents and killed. Gorley reconciles with Ari and nominates him to be his vice president.