History Main / CovertEmergencyCall

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}: When Saffron's "husband" Durran discovers her and Mal's plot to steal his Lassiter, she taunts him, saying that if he had any brains he would have called the police the moment she came back unannounced. He replies "Oh, I did." and shows her his ring, which contains a transmitter that sends a distress signal when pressed. And indeed, on rewatching the scene where he first comes back, you can see him casually press the ring on his finger when he sees Saffron.

* ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'': During ''The Last Command'', Talon Karrde is held at gunpoint at the helm of his ship, but he's able to covertly flash the ship's landing lights on and off, drawing the attention of people nearby. For bonus points, he then tricks his captor into believing that one of the light controls is a DeadmanSwitch.

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!Examples:

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* In ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' #348, Mr Fantastic is secretly being held prisoner by a Skrull infiltrator disguised as Sue. As the leave the Baxter Building together, Reed tells his robotic assistant that he and his wife are going on a day trip and that she should tell that to his "friends in the Marines". The robot, knowing that Reed has no friends that are in the Marines, looks up the phrase, discovering its history as a CovertDistressCode and realises that Reed is in trouble.

* In the Crimson Avenger story in ''Detective Comics'' #27 (the same comic that introduced Franchise/{{Batman}}), Crimson is captured by a gangster. He knocks the phone receiver off the hook, thereby connecting the phone to the switchboard (the story predates direct dialling). The operator overhears the crook's EvilGloating followed by a gunshot and calls the police.

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* ''Film/{{Cellular}}'' is entirely about this. A kidnap victim manages to repair a broken phone and uses it to try to reach the police without her captors knowing.

* In ''Film/AirForceOne'', the President is already in the process of calling the White House when he is captured. With the phone in his pocket, he tells his captor that the plane would automatically dodge any incoming missiles - which the Vice President correctly identifies as "an order from your Commander-in-Chief" to fire at the plane.

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[[folder: Real Life ]]

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman2006'': A woman tried to hide from her incredibly abusive former supervillain husband that she was calling for help by calling a Women's Shelter rather than the police which changes what she's being asked and how she can respond. He thinks she's calling the police and trying to disguise it anyway and she only survives his fury because Wonder Woman shows up and chucks him outside.

Related to, but not the same as, CovertDistressCode, which refers to a pre-determined code meant to tip people off. This trope is more about improvising on the spot.

* In ''Comicbook/FantasticFour'' #348, Mr Fantastic is secretly being held prisoner by a Skrull inflitrator disguised as Sue. As the leave the Baxter Building together, Reed tells his robotic assistant that he and his wife are going on a day trip and that she should tell that to his "friends in the Marines". The robot, knowing that Reed has no friends that are in the Marines, looks up the phrase, discovering its history as a CovertDistressCode and realises that Reed is in trouble.

** However, in a case of TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs, the UK police [[https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/research-learning/Silent_solution_guide.pdf warn]] that a completely silent call from a mobile won't be enough to alert the police - you should tap on the handset or cough in order to make yourself heard if possible, or failing that (in the UK) press 55 when prompted to do so.

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This is the CovertEmergencyCall. When someone finds a way to secretly call for help despite the danger being right there in the area. It doesn't have to involve the phone, but could involve the internet, [[EveryoneKnowsMorse Morse code]], saying something that tips off would-be rescuers while sounding innocuous to the captors, or any other means available. What makes the trope what it is, is that the emergency call for help was unplanned, and is somehow kept hidden from the captors.

* An American POW captured in Vietnam and forced to make a video claiming the prisoners were being treated well, secretly blinked the word "torture" in Morse code to communicate that the words coming out of his mouth were a lie and get the word out of what was really going on.

* The MultitaskedConversation in ''InTheLineOfFire'' involves Horrigan secretly communicating to police snipers where they should shoot.

* Cade in ''ModernDayTreasureSeekers'' decides before walking into a HostageForMacGuffin situation to call 911 (emergency services in the US) and stick the phone in his pocket to allow the police to hear the conversation, ultimately preventing him from being kidnapped as well.

** In another episode, Ryan working undercover as an Irish mobster when he is discovered and taken to a remote location to be murdered. He manages to dial his partner's number on one of his captors' cell phone and describe where he is being taken so that the cops are able to rescue him and capture the mobsters.

* In the ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "Cops and Robbers", Castle happens to be talking to Beckett on his cell phone as a bank robbery begins. He keeps it hidden long enough to alert the police, but is soon found out.
* On an episode of ''{{Series/Castle}}'', Ryan working undercover as an Irish mobster when he is discovered and taken to a remote location to be murdered. He manages to dial his partner's number on one of his captors' cell phone and describe where he is being taken so that the cops are able to rescue him and capture the mobsters.