 Pendleton briefs Sam on Nathaniel Reisen, aka The Ghost - a double agent. He used to work for the bad guys, but now he works for us. We hope. Sam is to pick up a package at a designated location - a dead drop. The package should contain important information, but Sam can t let the enemy know Reisen s working for them. A dead drop is a way for agents to exchange information. Dead refers to the fact that the two parties never meet. The message is left at a specific location or drop.