Slow Horses

Lamb wanders into Ho’s office to see the image of the hostage. Everyone speculates that the kidnappers must be terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda or another Islamic extremist group. The kidnappers say they will cut off the hostage’s head within 48 hours. Lamb assures everyone that the slow horses will not be involved in this assignment.

Sid and River return to their office and discuss the situation. River is frustrated that the slow horses are left out of the action, but Sid suggests that they, too, have their purpose. River decides that he will look at the journalist’s copied memory stick he took from the flash-box. He knows that it is risky, but he feels he must do something.

At the same time, Diana Taverner is in her office at Regent’s Park, thinking about the logistics of the case. Even though she is only Second Desk, she will oversee the operation moving forward because her boss is in the United States. She believes that the rescue of the hostage will boost her career. Nick Duffy appears in her office to pass on Jed Moody’s information that Lamb is running an operation with the slow horses. Taverner tells him that she was the one who assigned Sid Baker to the journalist, not Lamb.