The West Wing
S3E0
· Isaac and Ishmael

FBI Agents Uncover Terror Aliases, Trigger White House Alert

In the FBI Field Office in Burlington, Vermont, Agent Greg urgently directs Joan to run an NCIC search on 'Yaarun Nabi,' which she recognizes as Persian for 'Friend of the Prophet.' The search yields four aliases—Yaquin Kashani, Raqim Ali, Yamin Bandari, Yawar Aryanpur—prompting deeper checks. Joan's stunned reaction draws Greg to the screen, revealing critical hits linking one alias to a White House staffer. Greg immediately calls the Secret Service Joint Operations Center, igniting the Code Black lockdown that serves as the story's explosive inciting incident and causal pivot to the central drama of profiling and extremism.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

5

Greg instructs Joan to run an NCIC search on "Yaarun Nabi," kickstarting the investigation.

routine to urgency ['FBI field office, Burlington, Vermont']

Joan reveals the Persian meaning of "Yaarun Nabi" and runs the search, uncovering four aliases.

curiosity to tension

Greg orders Joan to run the aliases, escalating the stakes as the search results demand immediate action.

tension to alarm

Joan interrupts her own musings to urgently signal Greg after the search yields critical results.

alarm to urgency

Greg immediately calls the Secret Service Joint Operations Center at the White House, signaling a major security alert.

urgency to crisis

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Greg
primary

Heightened urgency laced with mounting alarm

Greg charges into the office, urgently instructs Joan on the NCIC search for 'Yaarun Nabi,' follows up on results, approaches the screen upon her gesture to view shocking White House links, then swiftly dials the Secret Service JOC, his movements propelling the crisis forward.

Goals in this moment
  • • Identify potential terrorist threats via rapid database queries
  • • Alert national security apparatus to White House-linked peril
Active beliefs
  • • Aliases signal imminent danger requiring immediate escalation
  • • Federal intel protocols must override hesitation in terror probes
Character traits
commanding decisive instinctively vigilant
Follow Greg's journey
Joan
primary

Intellectual curiosity shattering into stunned disbelief

Seated at her computer, Joan deciphers 'Yaarun Nabi' as Persian for 'friend of the prophet,' executes the initial NCIC search yielding four aliases, runs deeper checks while musing on their coincidence, then freezes in stunned reaction gesturing Greg to the damning screen.

Goals in this moment
  • • Decode and verify alias connections through NCIC
  • • Alert Greg to critical White House staffer hits
Active beliefs
  • • Name etymology reveals intentional terror signaling
  • • Coincidental aliases undermine criminal evasion logic
Character traits
analytical linguistically astute visibly shocked by implications
Follow Joan's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Joan's NCIC Computer

Joan's NCIC computer serves as the pivotal investigative oracle, its screen erupting first with four aliases from 'Yaarun Nabi' query, then blazing with deeper hits linking one to a White House staffer, transforming raw data into the lockdown's detonator and embodying post-9/11 intel fusion.

Before: Idle at Joan's desk in dimly lit office
After: Active with terror alias results displayed, drawing Greg's …
Before: Idle at Joan's desk in dimly lit office
After: Active with terror alias results displayed, drawing Greg's gaze

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
FBI Field Office Burlington, Vermont

The Burlington Field Office's nighttime offices, cluttered with desks, files, glowing monitors, and sentinel flags, cradle the frantic NCIC frenzy where Greg's entry shatters routine, Joan's searches ignite alias shocks, and the White House link propels crisis to national scale, symbolizing federal vigilance's front line.

Atmosphere Tense procedural hum escalating to stunned silence under fluorescent glare
Function Investigation headquarters for urgent terror alias probe
Symbolism Bastion of post-9/11 scrutiny bridging local grit to presidential peril
Access Restricted to FBI personnel on active duty
Fluorescent lighting casting shadows on paneled walls Flags (American and FBI) hanging as stoic witnesses Cluttered desks with files and monitors humming procedurally

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

3
NCIC

NCIC functions as the shadowy criminal database beast, queried on 'Yaarun Nabi' to disgorge four aliases and subsequent White House staffer connections, its hits serving as the narrative spark that validates Persian prophet ties and propels the plot's profiling dilemma.

Representation Via digital interface on Joan's terminal yielding search results
Power Dynamics Empowers FBI with vast warrant and alias data dominance
Impact Underpins national security by linking disparate threat intel
Aggregate and reveal cross-jurisdictional criminal patterns Expose terror-linked identities for immediate action Comprehensive alias and warrant repositories Real-time query responsiveness in crises
U.S. Secret Service

Secret Service is invoked via Greg's urgent JOC call as the White House alias hit detonates, positioning them as the lockdown enforcers in this inciting pivot, their operational center primed to swarm and shield amid the story's extremism-pluralism clash.

Representation Through targeted phone summons to Joint Operations Center
Power Dynamics Receives escalated authority from FBI intel, activating presidential perimeter lockdown
Impact Exemplifies elite protection merging with broader anti-terror apparatus
Initiate Code Black to isolate White House from threats Verify and contain potential insider terror risks Direct access to lockdown protocols Armed response coordination with federal partners
Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI manifests through Greg and Joan's high-stakes NCIC operation in their Burlington outpost, channeling field agents' urgency into alias unearthing that pierces White House defenses, kickstarting the lockdown and exposing extremism's infiltration risks in a post-9/11 security web.

Representation Via on-duty agents executing database protocols
Power Dynamics Exercising investigative authority that cascades to presidential security
Impact Highlights FBI's role as terror intel vanguard, fueling inter-agency lockdown protocols
Uncover terror network aliases threatening national landmarks Coordinate rapid escalation to Secret Service partners Access to federal databases like NCIC Chain-of-command directives from field supervisors

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 3
Causal

"Greg's instruction to run an NCIC search on 'Yaarun Nabi' directly triggers the Code Black lockdown in the White House."

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Causal

"Greg's instruction to run an NCIC search on 'Yaarun Nabi' directly triggers the Code Black lockdown in the White House."

Crash Phone Triggers Code Black, Trapping Josh with Students
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Causal

"Joan's discovery of the alias 'Raqim Ali' leads directly to the Secret Service bursting in on Raqim Ali in the darkened office."

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S3E0 · Isaac and Ishmael

Key Dialogue

"GREG: Joan? Run a search in the NCIC. "Yaarun Nabi" - Y-a-a-r-u-n N-a-b-i."
"JOAN: Yaarun Nabi is a Persian name. ... Means "friend of the prophet.""
"JOAN: Four AKAs. [reads] Yaquin Kashani, Raqim Ali, Yamin Bandari, Yawar Aryanpur."
"GREG: [into phone] Get me the Secret Service Joint Operations' center of the White House."